Plus sized shoppers have been trying to let retailers know that an interest in designer clothes doesn’t diminish relative to an increase in size for years. Now, it seems at least one has gotten a few high end fashion lines to listen up. Starting with this season’s fall/winter collections, Saks Fifth Avenue will carry clothes from Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Fendi, Donna Karan, Valentino and Roberto Cavalli in size 14 – up to size 20 for some.

According to the Madison Avenue Spy, now may be the time to bag a relative bargain on the Chanel 2.55 you’ve been eyeing. August is expected to bring a 20% increase in prices as certain luxury retailers begin to show signs of bouncing back from the difficult times that hit many people around the world.

Still, is now the best time to hike prices – particularly at a double digit rate?

MAC announced it took inspiration from four Disney devils for its Venomous Villains collection, and that is just about all they are revealing about the line to debut late this September in all MAC locations. Lipstick, lip gloss, powder and blushes priced between $12 and $29.50 will be featured in this limited edition set, so we’re thinking the pink complexion of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland may have inspired blushes to appear alongside products thought of with the more obvious muse, Cruella De Vil.

Chain stores like Saks and even Abercrombie and Fitch have reported growing sales, so perhaps demand for luxury fashion items will follow. High end fashion marketers and retailers in the U.S. have attempted to remain relevant by focusing their attention on understanding generation Y and what the tendencies of those born roughly between 1977 and 1994 mean for the future of luxury.

Score one for Google, as the internet giant gets a favorable ruling from a European court in its 5-year legal fight with luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton and their parent company LVMH. This case settled trademark issues with paid search marketing, but it also exposes the failings of Louis Vuitton and other brands when it comes to online reputation management and search engine optimization.

In US search results, all but two of the unpaid listings go to replica (read: counterfeit) sites. To understand why this is a failing on the part of Louis Vuitton, you have to take a look at other luxury brands who’ve made online marketing a cornerstone of their branding strategy.

Fashion’s umber-active mind, Karl Lagerfeld, took us on a fantastically imaginative (and financially sound) turn in Shanghai last week with his latest Chanel pre-fall 2010 collection. With the iconic Shanghai TV-tower as the backdrop, Lagerfeld presented a stunning collection rich with Shinto-Franco sartorial cultural exchanges. Based on a fictional dream of Coco Chanel time-traveling through [...]

It’s true! The new Costco opening in New York is stocking designer hand bags by the bulk, such as the Chanel Classic flap for $1,999 and Louis Vuitton Speedy bags, regularly priced from $665 to more than $3,000, going for $589! For some, bargain shopping is best; but we wonder if picking up a bag [...]

After the “elimination” of the Vice President of Communications position formerly held by Karen Duffy whose responsibilities are now being divided by Zac Posen’s mother Susan and long-time Director of Public Relations and Celebrity, Alexandra Smith, major layoffs are expected to continue to shake the showrooms of Posen and now… Gucci! While it may have [...]

Counterfeits, knock offs, replicas – whatever you call them, designs too similar to someone else’s create endless uproars in fashion. Fashionista dedicates an (often heavily commented) entire section to their perceived crimes against originality. While the focus is usually on Forever21, Steve Madden or another mall brand taking on the latest runway trend, what’s not [...]