In Milan, Roberto Cavalli celebrated forty years of fashion. His Fall 2010 collection included a walk on the wild side with animal print galore amidst a boho background. Missoni claimed fur and Dolce & Gabanna put their dibs on perfect tailoring with a hint of masculinity. Printemps new luxury concept, the Paris department store giant recently acquired a three story Louis Vuitton shop for women’s apparel, accessories and jewelry. Several luxury designers are on board to dye some of their signature (like Chanel’s Coco Cocoon bag) Rubine red.  Across the globe, Marc Jacobs opened a flagship store on the Windy City’s Michigan Avenue. Lanvin opened their first West Coast boutique in Vegas. Ebay launched a new selling format to boost apparel quotients. And Macy’s got in the bed with Kenneth Cole.
Retail stocks were up a plump 6.1% for February with 1.9% next week. Uniqlo, Dillard’s, Revlon, Elizabeth Arden, lululemon, and Phoenix Footwear finished in the top of the retail roundup. But in Europe, they are bracing themselves for a see saw recovery.

Busy winter! Fashion Weeks is still raging in Europe, but for a second we wanted to pause and toast to the U.S.A. Olympic athletes…and their designer, Ralph Lauren. For the first time since we can remember the Winter Games had American fashion mavens doing a double take. In the opening ceremonies, athletes donned class cream Polo turtleneck sweaters. “Was that Shaun White?” we asked ourselves stunned for a moment at the way Polo’s design made even the alternative snowboarders and the rowdy bobsled team polished and poised.

During the closing ceremonies Sunday night we. were. stunned. Stunned. U.S. Olympians looked awesome. How U.S. athletes turned out more tailored, put together and undoubtedly classy than nearly all their European counterparts is nothing short of miraculous. Ralph Lauren truly outdid themselves with their Olympic design by leaning on their classic legacy. But the Olympic designs also transcended Lauren’s preppy foundation with hipster friendly cardigans and for the outdoorsy types, down jackets.

Olympic apparel - the adorable navy with red cardigan (above), the open ceremonies cream sweat, smart navy down puffer jackets and “Create Your Own” Olympic polos are available online.

Emma Dinzebach

Notoriously slow February transformed into super-slow February last week when two feet of snow plummeted East Coasters into hibernation. So everyone had to stay at home and turn on their own televisions rather than gathering at their friend’s house to watch just one television, making Super Bowl XLIV the most watched U.S. television event ever.

Malls and stores across the country closed or altered their hours due to weather conditions. On the worst day, Saturday, 65 Macy’s stores and 5 Bloomingdale’s locations closed. Target Corp. said the weather disrupted  business in 70 of their east coast stores. And the Dow but it closed last week down a hundred points. Retailers are banking on Valentine’s Day and the long weekend to bump up their sales which normally account for $14 billion in U.S. consumer spending. Monday, the Dow was back up near 10,000 and by final bell yesterday, retail stocks were up 1.2% and the Dow pushed past 10,000.

Oh but silly snow can hardly halt New York Fashion Week. Despite the Big Apple’s wintry weather conditions and the anticipated 6-10 inches to come, fashion minions are in full preparation mode. Shows are slated to begin Thursday as planned. The Council of Fashion Designers of America and IMG both noted that there is no room for schedule changes. Immediately following New York all designers, models and industry professionals have London, Milan and Paris. In other words, the show must go on. And we will report on that show next week…in shopping.
Emma Dinzebach

Sundance is over. There was something about a football game. We are officially over winter and ready for skirts, dresses and the ability to freely wear heels without worrying about scary ice patches. Our body’s are craving a mid-winter dress and warmth.

All hail the winter piece that keeps on giving! We found - or are reporting on - yet another way to way your still bitchin’ fur vest. And your light weight, warmer weather appropriate leather bomber for that matter. Celebs, models and beautiful French women roaming the streets of Paris pair their fancy - see also: staple - dresses with their faux animal top pieces for both style and warmth.The infinite amount of looks you can create will give your sluggish winter brain a refreshing shot of creativity as you can use just about any winter-appropriate dress in your closet. Use your cotton dresses for a more casual look and your fancy frocks with fur for a night on the town. Jason Wu paired his faux fur with a navy band aid dress during Fall 2009 ready-to-wear collection and celebs like Olivia Palermo, Kate Moss, Blake Lively and so on and so forth. Just remember, to choose a less restrictive piece of outerwear to accommodate your frock and faux underneath.