The highly anticipated William Rast retail rollout has begun, and it’s “aggressive.” Sounds like Justin’s bringing sexy back again. [WWD]
Finally, an uplifting recession scorecard report: Shoe sales are way up. We swear we had no idea. [NYT]
The first Comme des Garçons/Beatles collection image is out. We were hoping for less apple and more strawberry field. [...]

The Olsens are adding eyewear to their fashion repertoire, with plans to launch a collection for The Row this spring. The shades come in four classic shapes (oversize? check) and will retail from $325 to $390. There’s a joke in here about seeing double, but we’ll spare you. [WWD]L.L.Bean makes a play for a chicer [...]

Escada joins the recession deathwatch; the label plans to file for insolvency this week. For those unfamiliar with business euphemisms, that, sadly, means it’s broke. [WWD]
Obese mannequins, yards of polyester, and shoes that might “emit sounds of heavy panting” are only some of the wonders awaiting you at JCPenney’s midtown Manhattan flagship. Well, [...]

Think of a fashion brand as a seafaring vessel. The bigger the brand, the bigger the boat, and when a brand is as massive as Escada, with 420 stores around the world, hundreds of retail accounts, thousands of employees, millions of dollars in sales, etc.—the apt metaphor is a cruise liner. Now imagine trying to [...]