Alexander McQueen
AFTER THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF REVERED DESIGNER LEE ALEXANDER McQUEEN,THE FATE OF HIS LONDON-BASED LABEL REMAINED A BIT OF A MYSTERY, AS DID THE DETAILS SURROUNDING HIS PASSING. GUCCI GROUP, McQUEEN’S MAJORITY SHAREHOLDER, WAS QUICK TO PUT US AT EASE WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE WITH THE LABEL. BUT THEN FOR A NEW MYSTERY: WHO WOULD FILL McQUEEN’S ROLE AS DESIGNER? ENTER SARAH BURTON, McQUEEN’S FIRST ASSISTANT, WHO BEGAN AT THE FASHION HOUSE WHILE STILL A STUDENT AT CENTRAL SAINT MARTIN’S. BURTON WAS TRAINED BY McQUEEN AND WORKED ALONGSIDE HIM DAILY FOR TWELVE YEARS UNTIL HIS TRAGIC DEATH. THERE IS NO ONE BETTER SUITED TO CHANNEL THE LATE DESIGNER’S CREATIVE ENERGY.

Hermes
BIG CHANGES ARE AFOOT AT HERMES. DESIGNER JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER HAS STEPPED DOWN AND HAS BEEN REPLACED BY CHRISTOPHE LEMAIRE, THE PARIS-BASED DESIGNER AND FORMER CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF SPORTSWEAR LABEL LACOSTE. DOUBTERS (AND THERE ARE MANY) HAVE BEEN WONDERING IF LERMAIRE IS READY TO LEAP FROM POLO SHIRTS TO BIRKIN BAGS, BUT WE THINK THE CHOICE MAKES SENSE. HERMES AND LACOSTE SHARE A SPORTING HISTORY AND CLEAN, CLASSIC STYLE AND LEMAIRE IS NO STRANGER TO THE LUXURY MARKET; HE GOT HIS START WORKING FOR YVES SAINT LAURENT, THIERRY MUGLER AND CHRISITAN LACROIX. GAULTIER WILL CONCENTRATE ON DESIGNING HAUTE COUTURE AND READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTIONS FOR HIS OWN LABEL, IN WHICH HERMES OWNS A 45 PERCENT STAKE.

Emanuel Ungaro
STILL REELING FROM AN ILL-RECEIVED PARTNERSHIP WITH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR LINDSAY LOHAN, EMANUEL UNGARO IS TAKING STEPS TO RESTORE DESIGN CREDIBILITY WITH THE APPOINTMENT OF GILES DEACON AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR. THE FRONT ROW CAN FINALLY REST EASY, ALTHOUGH DEACON, WHO IS KNOWN FOR SURPRISING GUESTS WITH SHOWS REFERNCING PAC MAN AND POE; WILL LIKELY HAVE A FEW TRICKS UP HIS TAILORED SLEEVE.