Wistfully pushing the boundaries of design and art
"Wouldn't it be nice..." is an exhibition exploring the blurred boundaries between art and design at the Centre d'Art Contemporain in Geneva. It includes works by Jürgen Bey; the London-based trio, Tony Dunne, Fiona Raby and Michael Anastassiades; Martino Gamper; and Ryan Gander.

Suzy Menkes: Upgrading the softwear with chunky and shapely winter knits
This is the season across Europe and North America where thoughts turn to clothes in the comfort zone, especially knits as armor against the morning chill, before the full winter coat comes out of its dry-cleaning bag.

The risks of playing with a brand's 'look'
With its redesign of the lobby of the Royalton Hotel in New York, the Morgans Hotel Group has committed the woefully common corporate design crime of replacing something wonderful - the show-stopping lobby dreamt up in 1988 by Philippe Starck - with something that isn't.

Lighting of the future
Compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFLs, the miniaturized versions of fluorescent strip lights that are are touted as energy-efficient alternatives have problems with the quality of their light. Though all of the other energy-efficient alternatives to the incandescent bulb are equally flawed.

High contrast hues turn on the lights in a dark handbag
With women finding themselves digging through their bags to unearth hidden treasures, luxury brands are coming to the rescue by creating accessories that pop in high-octane hues.

Harry Selfridge: The 'showman of shopping'
The story of Harry Gordon Selfridge is the tale of a remarkable individual who crossed the Atlantic from Chicago to found, in 1909, London's Selfridges store.

Claire Danes: Putting her faith in designers
Beyond scoring a free outfit, why do intelligent, attractive actresses need designers?

Greek designers turn classic accessories contemporary
Whether spectacularly chunky or elegantly fine, the creations of some Greek designers offer contemporary takes on classic forms.

Nicolas Ghesquière's autumn designs, inspired by samurai
Exploring the Balenciaga store in the Chesea neighborhood of Manhattan, there was in Nicolas Ghesquière's clothes a samurai influence in the riveting designs - and also a 19th-century French sailor, a 1920s flapper, a 1960s ski chalet and others.

Is Facebook for old fogies a log-off for youths?
It's no secret that Facebook, which started as a networking playground for college kids, is graying. The influx raises questions. For example, will the loss of the campus sensibility and the youthful gestalt dilute the Facebook experience?

On fashion runways, racial diversity is out
In today's fashion climate, it is more difficult to promote a black model than a white one. Of the 101 shows and presentations posted on Style.com during the New York runway season in September, more than a third employed no black models, according to Women's Wear Daily. Most of the others used just one or two.

Artek: Designing for (sustainable) success
Sustainability is a weak spot for the furniture industry. But Artek, a Finnish design company co-founded in the 1930s by Alvar Aalto, is determined to be an exception.

Parisian antiquary finds a partner in traditional rival
The first time that you dare to push open the doors of the Galerie Steinitz, prepare to be dazzled by its splendid décors. Run by Bernard Steinitz and his family, the antique shop is one of the most eclectic in Paris.

Treading the earth with a heavenly cargo
Printed matter of almost any kind was a luxury when the Remondini launched their enterprise in the mid 17th century. The only pictorial materials available to most people were monochrome woodblock and copperplate prints.

The Louvre takes its shows on the road
The Louvre Museum is expanding its global reach, sending out expeditionary shows this autumn to spread the French cultural message to U.S. museums in Atlanta, Denver and Indianapolis.

Chinese bidders cool to the export market
Chinese buyers are making their presence felt at this season's auctions of Chinese antiques, but they remain highly selective about what they buy.

Aerin brings a sense of soul back to Estée Lauder
Aerin Lauder has taken up the mantel of her grandmother, Estée Lauder, as the family emblem of the cosmetic giant by using her own image to launch her first fragrance: Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia.
- Comme des Garçons builds niche perfume empire

This season, dangerous shoes make an impact
As much as the spring collections in Paris romanticized traditionally conservative notions of dress, something more sinister seemed to be happening beneath the surface. More precisely, it was happening on the models' feet, expressed in the design of shoes by Nicolas Ghesquière of Balenciaga, Stefano Pilati of Yves Saint Laurent and Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy, to name a few.

Crafting instruments for the 21st century
The Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, with the Norwegian architect Andreas Eggertsen and the Icelandic classical violin maker Hans Johannsson are developing a new stringed instrument. An early, lo-tech prototype was played for the first time last month at The Serpentine Gallery in London.

French Heritage Society fetes 25 years of French-American alliance
The French Heritage Society, which embraces French-American friendship, celebrated last week a quarter of a century, with visits to some of the most grandiose and glamorous of French sites, including to Château d'Yquem and a gala dinner at Vaux-le-Vicomte.

In Paris, Lanvin's upbeat joy; at Vuitton, handbag parade
On the final day of the spring/summer 2008 season in Paris, Lanvin is a hit with its old-style music hall and its roving ushers handing out ice cream.
- Ralph Rucci's class act; turnaround begins at Vionnet
- Azzaro's chance to shine

Perfume industry aims to regain prestige
Perfume, once a true luxury product, has become, with a few exceptions, a mere commodity in recent years, but now designer and luxury labels and the cosmetics giants are trying to restore fragrance's prestige.

Spain's shoe industry looks homeward
Spain, with its rich tradition of leather craftsmanship, has long produced footwear for venerable fashion houses like Lanvin or Yves Saint Laurent. Now, these top-end brands are trying to increase their appeal to domestic customers and, at the same time, to expand their share of the international market.

The brassiere celebrates 100
"It takes at least twenty minutes to make an Aubade bra," Vanessa Vettier, the company's Asia manager, said, recalling the moment she was required to join the seamstresses and learn how to make the garment. "There are so many components, to know all the different fabrics that can be used, up to six different fabrics for one bra and, up to 30 different pieces."

Back to nature -- Flowers to feathers dominate on Paris's runways
Call them the Al Gore followers or the eco-aware generation. But nature has been the pervasive and unifying theme of the spring/summer Paris 2008 season that closed on Sunday.
- Richemont will finance Alaïa foundation
- Limi Feu, Yojhi Yamamoto's daughter, has her first Paris show
- Quite a show for Martin Grant

Valeria Attinelli designs to help Unicef
With her doll Blabla, which has become a mascot for Unicef France, and other projects, Valeria Attinelli of Paris shows she's a children's designer who cares about more than how kids look.

Face Hunter hits the streets for fashion
Yvan Rodic, a man with a camera out and about in London and beyond, captures street trends in his style and fashion blog, Face Hunter.

Paris: Where art meets fashion
Unlike other fashion capitals, Paris's clothing labels and boutiques take a highbrow approach to art, photography and music to complement their wares.

Young Berlin designers take their style to Paris
A growing number of the country's young designers are following the lead of Karl Lagerfeld and other big names by showing in Paris, giving an edge to their brands and pushing them further into fashion's spotlight.

The uses and misuses of 'Design Art'
The exhibit Elevating Design, which features marble replicas of designer furniture including the Crate and Aqua Table, highlights the problems with "Design Art."

Stars -- and stripes: Chanel and YSL
Trust Karl Lagerfeld to embrace everything from modern art through the new Gallic/American love-in pioneered by President Nicolas Sarkozy. And Stefano Pilati to play a different game.
- Sonia Rykiel, Roger Vivier, Celine, Rue du Mail
- Anne Valerie Hash and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

Sparklers in the City of Light
Some Paris jewelry designers offer new collections featuring everything from diamonds to cotton.

'Sex and the City' returns, with fashion to spare
The "Sex and the City" quartet of New York career women is back and soon to provide fans with a new dose of fashion fabulousness.

Send in the artist/decorators -- Stella McCartney, Givenchy, Giambattista Valli
Designers used to divide neatly into those with a classic bent versus the romantics. But now that fashion is all in the mix, the ideal is to be an artist/decorator.

YSL: On stage, screen and music hall
At the opening of "Yves Saint Laurent: Théâtre, Cinéma, Music-Hall, Ballet," the master's legacy is seen in a wide variety of domains.

Reviews - Costume National, Loewe, Requiem, Charles Anastase
Runway styles that ranged from a trip to India to a schoolboy's kind of crush.

Stockholm's best-kept secret - second-hand shopping
A civil slice of shopper's heaven was found again and again crisscrossing Södermalm, a funky bohemian neighborhood in south Stockholm dotted with second-hand stores.

A cacophony of color and print from Van Noten to Lacroix to Lagerfeld
Designers from Dries Van Noten to Christian Lacroix are proposing a bright future for summer 2008, with an eyepopping change from urban neutrals taken up by powerful and forward-looking designers.
- Kokosalaki, with edge
- Andrew Gn courts Mother Nature

Eternal elegance marks Valentino's swan song
Valentino's ready-to-wear finale was a perfect show in terms of expressing the designer's spirit, especially the harmonious prettiness that brought dresses of eternal elegance spiced with new thoughts.

Miyake's clothes get caught up in the wind
The Issey Miyake show was a powerful exploration of fabric and form, giving the feeling of clothes caught in movement.

4 Parisian brands -- Sandro, Maje, Manoush and Ba&sh -- aim for the middle market
A host of exclusive, trendy, price-is-right brands are rebuilding fashion's middle market with a design strategy based on originality and a company structure geared to opening shops.

Modern notions on home sewing
Thimble and thread may have given way to the sewing machine a long time ago but constructing clothes has always been the most unglamorous part of fashion, at least until sewing machines got a spot on prime-time television and pattern-making resurfaced with Matrix-style computer effects.

Balenciaga's magic carpet
Nicolas Ghesquière has given Balenciaga's floral patterns a 21st-century techno treatment and sculpted them into extreme, ultra-modern volumes.
- Delfina Delettrez Fendi makes skulls sparkle
- Cher Michel Klein's boho chic

Viktor & Rolf: Mime but no irony
Was that the open mouth of Marcel Marceau, in a vast image at the back of Viktor & Rolf's runway? The Dutch design duo channeled the French mime artist, who died last month, using as inspiration the Pierrot collars, generous volumes and harlequin effects - right down to the patterns on shoe heels.

Yohji Yamamoto and the fashion children of Comme des Garcons
The Japanese hold on avant garde fashion has existed since the 1980s. But 20 years on, it cannot be reiterated too often that there is no such thing as "Japanese design" - rather a group of exceptionally creative individuals.

Miracle fabrics - but cost and complexity keep most off the market
What if someone invented an "invisible fabric" - material that would be camouflaged by projecting an image of whatever scene shifts behind it? Imagine how a designer might use this optical illusion if, say, a dress's outer edges could be made "invisible," producing extreme silhouettes that were not previously possible.

Luxury takes flight in cyberspace
Once afraid of de-mystifying their brands, high-end retailers are increasingly ready to sell their rarefied goods directly to an Internet audience.

Selling off the runway: Shows no longer limited to trade events
Increasingly, catwalk shows are being held around the world, with a focus on selling directly to the end-user.

Dior: Falling in love with Dietrich
Androgyny had another outing in a show in which John Galliano added more of his own style to house of Christian Dior.
- Alexis Mabille on display: 650 bows in a Palais Royale window
- Dice Kayek and Manish Arora in the fashion melting pot

A new luxe take on 'Made in China'
In the face of all the industrial horror stories, a handful of specialty factories on mainland China are turning out high-end goods.

London vs. Paris -- Who can throw the best fashion bash?
A gala at London's Victoria & Albert Museum celebrating an exhibit on "The Golden Age of Couture" confirmed London as the party capital.

One size fits all -- Jewelry and watches are the new handbag
In the luxury world, a self-interrogation is going on behind closed doors: What comes after the handbag? The answer is jewelry and watches.

America hurrah! Balmain gets a cowboy style
The designer Christophe Decarnin's daywear is supercasual, hybrids of the Western world: vests, rippling with fringe, worn with a camouflage top and flared pants.

New and newer: Stores and services in Paris
From Lanvin's renovation to a new Roberto Cavalli store, Paris is set to start fashion week.
- The bicycle — Paris's hot new accessory
- Feeding fashion -- The Paris restaurant Ferdi is a style favorite

Muriel Cooper: The unsung heroine of on-screen style
Muriel Cooper was one of the first graphic designers to apply her skills to the computer screen. Having co-founded the Visible Language Workshop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973, she ran it until her death in 1994, and taught many of today's most gifted software designers.

Versace hits a high note
In tune with a general feeling at the Milan spring/summer shows, draping and pleating in soft silken jersey was the kernel of the collection, a pitch-perfect rendition of what the brand now stands for: seductive clothes - but for the real world.
- Tod's takes the right track

Italia Independent: A modern take on a material world
The exceptional collection of the project known as I-I, started by Lapo Elkann, who has put together a modern take on luxury in a material world, combines techno magic with handwork.
- Max Mara takes some risks
- Intrigue at Les Copains

Long road to a Milan debut
For Denise Cruz, a fashion designer born in New York to Ecuadorian parents, it took years of work, a pinch of luck and some old-fashioned nerve to get her first fashion show in Milan this week.

Luxury market lures 'second careerists' of all stripes
A sculptor, an acting teacher, a dancer and a lawyer are a few of the people who have found new callings in the luxury industry.

Prospective buyers now shopping for department stores
After years of tough trading, department stores are beginning to reap the benefits of restructuring, one of which has been an increased interest from prospective buyers.

Valentino at 45: Painting the town in red
At the Roman Colosseum, with three dancers in red floating like puppets on a string and a golden shower of fireworks, Valentino celebrated more than four decades of fashion history.

Valentino in Ara Pacis
Patrick Kinmonth and Antonio Monfreda - the scenario's joint creators - have used the Richard Meier glass cube framing the Ara Pacis (peace altar) to show Valentino's dresses literally in a new light.

Armani, with attitude
It began with Giorgio Armani's "Rock Symphony" and ended at midnight Wednesday with a barefoot Courtney Love in a Givenchy couture gown belting out "Samantha" until even the wrought iron banisters of the august Paris fashion house were shaking.

Tailors on the prowl
A fashion king earned his crown on Wednesday as Jean Paul Gaultier gave his imagination a royal workout with princes as a theme. With the look of Ruritania or Rajasthan, the models strode the catwalk, crowned heads (and sometimes crown hairdos) held high, showing precise tailoring and artistic embellishment - often both at once.

Lacroix is sugar sweet
Christian Lacroix celebrated 20 years of couture with a collection that was charming, fresh and bonbon sweet. Yet the sugar came in calorie-controlled doses.

Lagerfeld again triumphs for Chanel
Karl Lagerfeld created a superb show for the Paris haute couture collections Tuesday.

Robert H. Frank's economic guidebook unlocks everyday design enigmas
The American economist, Robert H. Frank, has devoted a book, "The Economic Naturalist," to unraveling such mysteries as why women button their clothes from the left and men from the right, or why CD cases are smaller than DVD cases when the discs are the same size. His explanations for what he calls "everyday enigmas" are rooted in economic theory.

Design: Limited editions, without the usual limits
For Vitra Editions, the Swiss furniture company Vitra commissioned a collection of 15 limited edition objects from a gilded group of architects, including Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid; and designers, such as Jasper Morrison, Hella Jongerius, and the French brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

Does the iPhone have 'It'? Early signs are good
Apple's new smart phone going on sale Friday shows signs of becoming one of the elite cadre of products that decades later are remembered as icons of their time.
- The iPhone matches most of its hype
- Apple leaves accessory makers in the dark
- A FAQ on what the iPhone has and what it lacks
- SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY: iPhone launch
- Customers line up for Apple's iPhone days before Friday's launch
- Apple iPhone expected to drive mobile phone industry toward fancier touch screens
- Without wireless downloads, iPhone may not rock music industry
- Who really makes the iPod?

The technical challenge of making space travel easy
Marc Newson is working on the interior design of a spacep***, a new leisure spacecraft that was unveiled in Paris last week by its manufacturer, Astrium, part of the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company. It will take tourists into space starting in 2012.

Naoto Fukasawa: Intuiting function from form
The Japanese design guru believes that "you shouldn't need to use an instruction manual to learn how to use a product. It should be so intuitive that you work it out naturally."
- Design calender: Key design events of 2007-8

A Mediterranean moment for Armani menswear
Fendi and Calvin Klein also played with easy cuts and light fabrics, some of which bordered on the daringly sheer.
- Prada's pajamas lost in a maze
- Gucci: Bold and brash
- Hedge fund hotties! Targeting the golden boys
- Milan: The color conundrum

Millefeuille! A thousand ways with layers
There is only one way to cook up a fashion show this season and that is with different layers.