Fashion is a fast moving industry, and never has that seemed more apparent than in the last couple days. Actually, scratch that. Never has that seemed more apparent than just this morning. First came news that Betsey Johnson — who had previously said she would not put on a show this season — had "changed her mind." Now there's news that another designer's reportedly canceled show will go on as usual. Sort of.
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According to a press release, Peter Som will present his Fall 2013 collection the day after next month's New York Fashion Week wraps, but the show won't take place in real time or in front of a live audience as per usual. Instead, Som will be streaming his show digitally, and in doing so is joining the growing legion of designers who are foregoing classic runway formats for online shows. Other brands to have gone this route in the past include See by Chloé, Pierre Balmain, and ICB by Prabal Gurung — and all shows have been largely regarded as successes.
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And why not? The digital format not only allows the industry a little breathing time during a frenzied week, but it also offers a great alternative to designers who may feel strapped by the burden of putting on a traditional show. "It's designed to fall into a budget bracket that is between a static presentation and a full runway show," KCD co-president Ed Filipowski told Vogue UK, in regards to the burgeoning trend. "We're trying to fill a gap; to provide a service and create something in addition to what is already available." With today's designers juggling collaborations, reality TV, cosmetic launches, and mainline collections shown four times a year, it's easy to understand why a digital show would be very appealing.
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But this season, that appeal is going mass. For the first time, it won't just be industry folk who can log on to watch the show. Nope, this season everyone and anyone who wants to can have a virtual front row seat. "The log-in response from non-invitees was tremendous and as it continued to grow with each digital show," Rachna Shah, digital managing director of KCD — the agency at the forefront of putting on this kind of show experience — explained in a press release. "It became necessary to respond to our client’s request to open the platform's doors wider for greater exposure."
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Peter Som's Fall 2013 digital show will stream on Friday, Feb. 13 beginning at 9 a.m. EST on digitalfashionshows.com. Viewers will also find information about the collection, including an interview with the designer, and backstage beauty shots. Other designers who are showing digitally this season include Alexander Plokhov (Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. EST) and Pierre Balmain (Feb. 8 at 9 a.m. EST).
The Show Must Go On: Betsey Johnson Will Present at NYFW After All
After last week's announcement that Betsey Johnson would not be presenting at New York Fashion Week this season, fans of the cartwheeling, tutu-wearing, glitter-loving designer were left seriously disappointed. But never fear, Betsey-philes: Johnson's changed her mind. "I just could not stay away from Fashion Week," she said in a press release. "I wanted to do this for myself and for all of my fans to show that I still got it and I am not going anywhere!"
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Thank goodness. Even though the 70-year-old is currently filming a reality show and promised she'd "be cartwheeling through Lincoln Center" whether she held a fashion show or not, New York Fashion Week just wouldn't be the same without her infamous runway antics.
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The Betsey Johnson Fall 2013 show will take place at Lincoln Center on Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m.
It's Official: PPR Buys Stake in Christopher Kane

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PPR just bought a new little brother for Gucci. After months of speculation, Christopher Kane's eponymous label is now a member of PPR's stable of luxury brands. On Monday, the French conglomerate purchased a 51 percent stake in the company and revealed plans to help it grow internationally.
Some of those plans include adding another ready-to-wear line to the Kane umbrella and opening the brand's first freestanding store, which will probably set up shop in London next year.
"Christopher Kane is already established as a luxury label and has a tremendous intrinsic growth potential," said PPR CEO Francois-Henri Pinault in a statement. "We thus have great ambitions for the brand and will enable it to benefit from our expertise and know-how while providing the space for it to further develop its own creative identity."
Though PPR now owns a controlling share of Kane's label, Kane told WWD that the company "understands and appreciates our creative independence." That said, PPR has not ruled on appointing a new CEO for the brand at a later date. Currently, Kane's sister Tammy runs the business side of the company.
Both sides agree that the primary objective for Christopher Kane is expansion.
"Our long-term ambition for the company is obviously to grow it into a globally recognized brand," Kane said. "We do not plan to make any immediate or major changes to the way that the business is currently managed. All growth will be gradual and organic."
Rumors that Kane's label would join PPR began shortly after he left his position as the creative director of Versace's secondary brand, Versus. At the time, Balenciaga, another PPR brand, had just announced that its longtime creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, planned to leave the company. Some believed Kane would replace Ghesquière, but that job eventually went to Alexander Wang.
Marc Jacobs on How His Psychiatrist Helped Him Make the Dior Decision

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In a wide-ranging conversation with Fern Mallis on stage at the 92nd Street Y this week, Marc Jacobs said he discussed not taking over for John Galliano in sessions with his psychiatrist.
"It was actually my psychiatrist who said, 'How is this going to improve the quality of your life?' and I said, 'It's not.' I mean, two more shows — and after Galliano, what he has done — when am I going to live my life?" Jacobs asked.
The designer also talked about growing up in New York City, studying at Parsons, and being treated for substance abuse. A few highlights from the conversation below.
On going to college: "Every day was like a fashion parade. There was a little troop of us. It was me, a girl named Susan Martin, Chris Iles, and Tracy Reese. The four of us were inseparable. We were the overachievers. We would do five times what was required just because we really enjoyed it."
On the critics: "There are very few, and I don't mean this in a bitchy way, journalists who I respect. I don't think a lot of them know what they're looking at. . . . I'm fine with constructive criticism but I'm not so good with stupidity. It's one thing to say 'I like or I don't like' but to misread or mislabel something or to be out of sorts because it was raining, or a late show, or you were hungry. That just all feels not valid."
On his sobriety: "I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent sober. What I'm saying is perfection is not my deal. Yeah, maybe I have had a glass of wine or a couple of whiskeys. Maybe I've smoked a joint or something like that. Or other things, but I'm mostly sober."
On what he tells aspiring designers: "What's worked for me is not quitting, being more passionate about what I do, and not giving up. And when I don't believe in myself, turning to other people who believe in me."
Photo by Joyce Culver, courtesy of 92nd Street Y.
Doo-Ri Chung Heads to Vince

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A little more than six months after designer Doo-Ri Chung left her eponymous New York label, she's headed to Los Angeles to become the creative director of Vince. In her new role, Chung will be in charge of design, product development, and creative branding initiatives.
"I've long admired the [Vince] brand because of its loyal customer following and its modern design sensibility," Chung said in a statement to WWD.
The announcement of her new job comes a day after Vince's cofounders, Rea Laccone and Christopher LaPolice, said they were leaving the brand. Jill Granoff, CEO of Kellwood Group — the company that owns Vince, Rebecca Taylor, and David Meister, among other brands — is now also CEO of Vince.
Granoff wants to "accelerate the growth of Vince and unleash its potential as a global lifestyle brand," and said Chung is the right designer to help do that. "She's very well-known for her design and technical aesthetic. She has a modern design aesthetic and a real understanding of our customer."
Break Time: Chris Benz Is Skipping Fashion Week, and He's Not the Only One

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Chris Benz says he won't show a collection at New York Fashion Week next month, and will use the extra time to focus on the development of his brand.
"We have received great feedback from the marketplace after just one season," the designer told WWD. "I want ample time to implement all that we have learned."
Benz introduced a contemporary jeans label, called CB Denim, at his Spring 2013 presentation in September. In November, he told The New York Times that he planned to bring his brand and its price point from the designer arena into the "upper contemporary" market. "We were working so hard but not reaching as many fans as we'd like," he said.
But Benz isn't the only designer skipping the Fall 2013 shows: Cacharel announced just last week that it will forgo its show during Paris Fashion Week. There's also been some speculation that Holmes & Yang, the line designed by actor Katie Holmes and Jeanne Yang, won't show in New York because it's not listed on the official Fashion Week schedule.
Vittorio Missoni's Son Calls Plane Crash "Least Plausible Reason" For Father's Disappearance

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The Missoni family is holding fast to the hope that Vittorio Missoni's missing plane was hijacked, and Vittorio's eldest son has called a crash implausible.
"My father will come back; we are waiting for him," said Vittorio's 28-year-old son Ottavio Missoni Jr. in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. "I am not speaking with my head but with my heart. A plane cannot vanish in this way, on a short route, without leaving any trace . . . I remain convinced that the least plausible reason is that they crashed into the water. My uncle Luca, in Venezuela, has also confirmed that these planes are capable of sea landings in case of emergency."
Luca Missoni, Vittorio's brother and a trained pilot, is in Venezuela working with the search party that's been trying to find Vittorio, his wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, their friend Guido Foresti, and Foresti's wife, Elda Scalvenzi. They were on a small twin-engine plane traveling from Los Roques to Caracas on Saturday morning, but the plane disappeared shortly after taking off. Angela Missoni, Vittorio's sister and the brand's creative director, said earlier this week that she hopes the traveling party was kidnapped. "It's better to be kidnapped than at the bottom of the sea," she said.
In the meantime, it's said the Missoni brand will carry on with business as usual. An unnamed source told Page Six that the house plans to show its men's collection in Milan next week. However, there's no official plan to replace Vittorio if he and the others aren't found.
"There is no succession plan in place," the source said. "Nobody expected this to happen."
From left, Giacomo Missoni, his father Vittorio Missoni, and brothers Marco Missoni and Ottavio Missoni Jr.
Is PPR Already Interviewing New CEOs For Christopher Kane?
While there's been no official announcement on whether PPR will invest in Christopher Kane's eponymous label, the latest reports suggest the firm is getting closer to making a deal.
Unnamed sources have told WWD that Alexis Babeau, managing director of PPR's luxury division, has interviewed candidates to be the brand's new CEO once it becomes part of PPR's portfolio. Kane currently runs the business with his sister Tammy.
Rumors that PPR would add Kane's label to its stable of brands — which includes Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and Gucci, among others — started going around when Kane left his position as the creative director of Versace's secondary line Versus. At the time, it was rumored that Kane would come to PPR to replace Nicolas Ghesquière as the creative director of Balenciaga, a job that eventually went to Alexander Wang. Kane has reportedly been in talks with PPR since November, but so far nothing concrete has come from the meetings.
Avoiding the Plague: How Fashion's Finest Survive Flu Season
It's been said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and some of the industry's biggest names seem to take that old adage to heart. More than one attendee of last night's opening dinner for the WWD CEO Summit told us that staying active is the best way to stave off sickness.
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"I exercise a lot because I like to do Iron Man triathlons," Elettra Wiedemann said, "so I feel like my immune system is generally kind of boosted by all the exercise."
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When we asked Theory CEO Andrew Rosen how he stays healthy, he said simply, "I go to the gym every day."
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What other methods do fashion people use to stay healthy — or get well again — when cold and flu season strikes? The answers here in the gallery.
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Photo courtesy of Billy Farrell Agency
Will Carine Roitfeld Join Alexander Wang as Balenciaga's New Stylist? Not So Fast

Alexander Wang is rumored to have asked Carine Roitfeld to join Balenciaga as his in-house stylist, but so far there's been no confirmation of the news.
In fact, Grazia, the first news outlet to report on the pairing, has since taken its post down, but that hasn't stopped other sites from picking up the story. If the rumors hold water, Roitfeld would replace Balenciaga's longtime stylist Marie-Amélie Sauvé, who worked with Nicolas Ghesquière during his tenure at the brand.
Wang and Roitfeld are friends, too, and have worked together in the past (Wang was photographed for Karl Lagerfeld's book The Little Black Jacket, which Roitfeld helped style), but this partnership would be their biggest collaboration yet. In her new position, Roitfeld would help Wang style his runway collections and ad campaigns, giving her an undeniable influence at the brand.
Wang took over for Ghesquière at the end of December and will present his first collection for the house in February. Whether Roitfeld will have anything to do with the show remains to be seen.
