Pharrell Williams took over the center of Paris Tuesday evening for his debut runway show for Louis Vuitton, staged open air on Pont Neuf painted gold damier for one night.

Fresh from news of debuting its first men’s shoe store in London, luxury footwear and accessories brand Manolo Blahnik has now announced the appointment of high achiever Elodie Bougenault as Chief Commercial Officer.

​K-Pop stars are the hottest properties at present and brands are rushing to sign them up as their influence on the consumer market in Asia and beyond is huge.

​Kurt Geiger is to continue its international expansion after securing a new funding deal that has seen it refinancing its debt. The footwear retailer currently operates 70 standalone stores and 100+ concessions.

​Luxury e-tailer Net-A-Porter is to partner with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum as lead supporter of a new exhibition, Diva, celebrating “the power of iconic performers to transform and inspire”. 

Luxury fashion footwear brand Manolo Blahnik has opened its first ever men’s pop-up store at Harrods in Knightsbridge, in partnership with shoe and accessories retailer Kurt Geiger.

In a Milan menswear season that re-established the supremacy of tailoring in today’s wardrobe, it was instructive the final morning featured Giorgio Armani, with a spellbinding display by the Italian fashion emperor.

​The environment for European luxury brands in the US may have got a little tougher in recent months, but Hermès has said US store traffic continues to rise and it has now opened a store in Aspen, Colorado.

No city does as many swish presentations as Milan, and with such diverse offerings. FashionNetwork.com caught up with three - Corneliani, Brett Johnson and Maccapani – building real momentum.

Just when everyone in Italy has been sending out classic tailoring on their menswear runway, leave it to Prada to go in the opposite direction, and with punch.

The debut of star Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton is the hottest ticket at Paris Fashion Week as it kicks off on Tuesday, seen as a significant moment in the evolution of the multi-billion-dollar industry.

Doucal’s feted its 50th anniversary this year with exhibitions in Milan and Florence, where it lauded its loafers in an historic Florentine Garden. A family-owned business enjoying a period of extended growth.

Giorgio Armani looked east this season, ranging around Asia for influences, models and music in a beautiful Emporio Armani collection staged in his fashion theatre on Saturday evening.

Few designers in history can cut a snappier suit than Dolce & Gabbana, who staged an impressive lesson in stylish dressing and a brilliant display on directional tailoring on a sunny Saturday in Milan. 

They have always loved to dress a sexy guy, and girl, at DSquared2. This season, they got to dress a bona fide porn star, none other than Rocco Siffredi, the Italian stallion himself.

The Roman house of Valentino opened the menswear runway season in Milan on a sunny Friday with a gently gentlemanly fashion statement in the city’s most famous university.