- This seems like a heavenly match: Britney Spears asked DSquared to create the costumes for her comeback tour. Dan and Dean Caten‘s fetishistic, high-energy sense of style should be a perfect foil for Brit. [WWD]
- Let slip the knock-offs! The Oscar gowns worn by Kate Winslet, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Angelina Jolie will be among those replicated by the notorious inspiration-takers on the design team at prom label Faviana. (This is the utterly shameless company who called its collection re-creating things Michelle Obama wore the “First Lady Collection.”) Interestingly enough, last year Faviana knocked off Miley Cyrus‘s Oscar dress — but not this season. Perhaps being copied is the ultimate test of taste. [NY Post]
- Amber Le Bon, daughter of Simon and Yasmin, just signed with Models 1 in London — her mom’s agency — and says she might make her catwalk debut next season. For now, she’s sticking to watching shows in Milan and “guest-editing” the Moschino online boutique, whatever that means. [WWD]
- That “announcement” that Roberto Cavalli said he’d make about the future of his Just Cavalli line? At the showroom presentation he held in lieu of his normal splashy runway show, the chain-smoking designer launched into a 45-minute rant in a variety of languages about the bankruptcy of Just Cavalli’s production licensee, Ittierre, the just-announced bankruptcy of Ittierre’s parent company, IT Holdings SpA, and the state of the fashion industry and the shrinking consumer dollar it chases. I never thought I could feel bad for a man who believes in leopard print sequined everything, but my heart actually goes out to him. I mean, he cried. [Guardian]
- In case you missed that: the bankruptcy a few weeks ago of Ittierre, licensee to John Galliano, Just Cavalli and Versace Sport, among others, has been followed by the bankruptcy of parent company IT Holdings SpA. IT Holdings owns the brands Gianfranco Ferré and Malo, both of which still plan to show and present, respectively, at Milan fashion week. IT Holding’s debts total $376 million. [WWD]
- Mango, the Spanish fast fashion chain, is continuing its pattern of rapid expansion into the US market, even despite the recession. Earlier this month, the company announced what passes for healthy sales figures in the retail sector these days — revenue growth for ’08 of 8%. [WWD]
- Eddie Bauer, on the other hand, sees a meager future in women’s fashion apparel. It’s retreating to its neglected core concern — outfitting the rugged menz for adventuresome outdoor pursuits. [WSJ]
- Fourth quarter profits at the Gap shrank 8.3%, which beat analysts’ expectations because sales for the same quarter fell 13%. The retailer has been focusing on cutting costs and reducing inventory. [AP]
- Some of the many women who work at LVMH, the luxury conglomerate, posed for black-and-white portraits for a photo project concentrating on women in fashion. An exhibit of the photos opens on March 8, International Women’s Day, at LVMH’s Avenue Montaigne HQ in Paris. [WWD]
- Newlyweds Tommy Hilfiger and Dee Ocleppo confirmed they are expecting their first child together. [People]
- Seeking to diversify his portfolio of irritations, Pete Wentz has designed some t-shirts. [FWD]
- And Pamela Anderson has garnered a spot in the runway lineup for Vivienne Westwood’s Red label, showing next week in Paris. [Vogue.co.uk]
- The perks of being a celebrity’s parent: you get to go randomly to fashion week and hang out backstage. Hello, Gerard Hathaway, nice to meet you! [Times]
- The re-launched Versace diffusion line, Versus, is designed by Christopher Kane. It includes bags and shoes. [Telegraph]
- Model Erin Wasson left her issues with the homeless to go to London to launch her RVCA collaboration line. Which promptly sold out. [UK Elle]
- Cecille Villacorta was either a spectacular jewelry sales associate at Saks, earning over $400,000 in salary and commission in her final year with the company, or an inveterate thief who kept customers coming back by giving them unauthorized refunds and credits that were only discovered when the company updated its computer system. A criminal case and a countersuit in New York City aim to determine which it was. [NY Times]
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