In November, one of the world’s biggest haute couture collectors, Daphne Guinness, explained to the Telegraph that it was a “dying” art form. Don’t tell that to the team behind Modewalk.com, a new luxury e-commerce site launching next week.“Drawing on a rich history of craftsmanship traditions, haute couture epitomizes the peak of fashion as an [...]

Reed Krakoff and his French wife Delphine love Paris. “I visit as often as I can,” he says. “I travel for inspiration because it’s my job, but even if I wasn’t working, I’d still be traveling.” He mentioned wanting to open a permanent Paris store one day. In the meantime, the designer (left, with Virginie [...]

As 80th birthday parties go, few we’ve heard of were better attended than the Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso’s. Clever staging, involving displays of 50 movements used for the watch, a gallery of exceptional timepieces, and artisans demonstrating their craft, were all on view for guests, but they were slightly overshadowed however by the arrival of megawatt [...]

You can now poke your Avon lady. Minds out of the gutter, please: The beauty megabrand will begin selling its wares on Facebook. [WWD]
There’s couture—and then there’s the seventeenth-century reproduction jacket, which required thousands of hours of needlework using an early-modern embroidery stitch known mostly to historians. It’s going on display at Massachussetts’ Plimouth Plantation. [...]

For Didier Ludot’s celebration last night for the tenth anniversary of his label La Petite Robe Noire, the fountains of the Palais Royal were scented with Eau Blanche by Francis Kurkdjian. Welcome to Paris. A selection of Ludot’s archives graced the windows of the galleries, tracing the history of the L.B.D.: a Chanel number from [...]

Having just tied the knot myself, I’ve still got canapés, floral arrangements, and, yes, dresses on the mind. I wore Fendi Spring ‘09 to my ceremony and 3.1 Phillip Lim for dinner and dancing, but I couldn’t resist cataloging the inspiring creations from the recent Haute Couture and Resort collections. From Christian Lacroix’s flight of [...]

French fashion darling Alexis Mabille has always dabbled in menswear, but yesterday was the first time he had a spot on Paris’ men’s calendar. A certified dandy, he sent out clothes in his own image—from a silver sequined tartan cardigan to a black and gold brocade bolero to a sleeveless “smoking” with undone signature bow [...]

We cheered for up-and-coming Parisian designer Alexis Mabille when Keira Knightley selected his strapless dress with tulle trim for the London premiere of her film The Duchess. Now the frock has made a second high-profile appearance, on Dita Von Teese at the Dsquared² party in Cannes. An interesting coincidence, considering the stars don’t exactly share [...]

One of Paris’ most ambitious openings of late, Merci is the concept-meets-charity store brainchild of Bonpoint founder Marie-France Cohen. Located in a two-level reconverted textile factory in the Marais, this carefully curated space links high fashion with philanthropic ideals. Products on offer include vintage finds and contemporary designs; custom creations and re-editions for men, women, [...]

While Karl Lagerfeld was literally having his work cut out for him at Chanel Haute Couture (by Kamo, a Japanese hairdresser who created the show’s elaborate paper headdresses), his fellow designers had a slightly different form of scissorwork in mind. The sharp, soot-colored suits at Anne Valérie Hash and Armani Privé recalled the fitted tailoring [...]