Cotton crisis, Hermès’ message to Arnault, NYC fashion campaign, SVG’s Permira gains, Drawing fashion

Cotton Ball Illustration | Source: Cotton in Sector

Cotton Clothing Price Tags to Rise (NY Times)
"Cotton inventories had been low because of weak demand during the recession. This summer, new cotton crops were also depleted because of flooding in Pakistan and bad weather in China and India, all major cotton producers."

Luxury group Hermès tells LVMH to back off (Business Times)
"'The family has clearly and unanimously said: If you want to be friendly, Mister Arnault, you need to withdraw,' Mr Puech, a fifth-generation descendant of founder Thierry Hermès, was quoted as saying in the [Le Figaro] newspaper."

Preserving New York as a Fashion Capital (NY Times)
"The mayor announced a six-part initiative to ensure the industry's growth in the next decade… intended to reinforce the city's position as a magnet for emerging designers and to nurture the next wave of design, management and retail professionals."

SVG posts gains as Permira rebounds (FT)
"A rebound in profitability at Permira's biggest portfolio companies, including fashion houses Valentino and Hugo Boss, helped the private equity group's biggest investor SVG Capital to report investment gains in the three months to September."

Drawing Fashion (Wallpaper)
"It may be seen as a fickle industry, but while others have flippantly dropped the humble pen and paper in favour of photography, the traditional technique has not only endured but flourished in fashion circles."

This Fabulous Dior Palette Has a New Look, Costs All Your Money

I don't even wear very much eye shadow, but boy am I a sucker for a pretty palette. Case in point, the eye shadow from Dior's new limited-edition Tailleur Bar Set ($90). It's a delicate rendering of Dior's iconic new look woman in eye shadow, and if I didn't need to eat lunch for the next two weeks, I'd be down at Neiman Marcus right now buying it. The set also comes with a lovely Serum de Rouge lipstick. Are you tempted by this one, too?

Event in NYC Nov. 5

Around the World in 80 Sips features more than 80 wines from five continents.

While we are by no means an expert, we love hearing connoisseurs talk about wine almost as much as we love tasting different regional wines. Conversations about varietals, winemaking, vineyards, wine history — and, of course, taste — are savored and enjoyed like, well, a fine wine. So we're looking forward to Around the World in 80 Sips, being held Nov. 5 in the Altman Building in New York City. It is the signature event of Bottlenotes, a one-stop destination for wine enthusiasts that we told you about last year, and features more than 80 wines from five continents, as well as cheese, charcuterie and other tastes. And VIVmag readers can get $25 off tickets to the second annual event.

Simply enter the following promotion code for $25 off the $75 advance ticket price: VIV25. (Admission is $95 at the door.) General admission is from 7 to 9 pm, but $125 VIP tickets include early admission at 6 pm, with a special Jaillance French sparkling wine tasting and an Armani/Dolci chocolate tasting. (The code allows for only one discount per shopping cart, so if you are buying a pair of tickets, it's best to do so separately for a discount on each ticket.)

Wine tasting stations are organized by continent, and regions include France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Portugal, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Lebanon, Israel and California. "It is a fun, relaxed atmosphere where people can talk to the winemakers and representatives and learn about their wines and regions," says Kimberly Donaldson, co-founder of Bottlenotes. Visitors also will have the chance to try Rick's Picks artisanal pickles, Artisanal Premium Cheese, Salumeria Rosi charcuterie and Cascal, a sparkling beverage. More 80 Sips events are planned for 2011 in San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Miami and Denver, as well as New York.

Those who want to keep track of newfound knowledge can purchase the Bottlenotes app ($1.99) for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

How do you discover and discuss wine?

Create a Sweet Dia de Lost Muertos Sugar Skull

Becoming a ghoulishly pretty calaverita (like this on, by Yolanda Bartram) isn't as difficult as it seems if you've got the right tools. An inexpensive Face Paint Kit ($6) is, of course, a necessity. If you're a good free-hand drawer, you can create the look with a little time and planning, but even if you're not graphically inclined, a stencil set ($5) will make it easy to create cool designs worthy of the wildest dancing skeleton. For a beautiful look like this one, tie the design together with cute alligator clips ($3) and accentuate your sockets with dramatic slanted false lashes like these Shu Uemura False Eyelashes in Slant Black ($15).

Photo courtesy Yolanda Bartram

Money-Saving Tip: Cut Facial Pads in Half

Whether you use them to even out your skin tone, like with Bliss's toner pads ($38), take off makeup, as with Neutrogena's eye makeup remover ($6), or keep acne in check as in the case of Peter Thomas Roth's complexion correction pads ($36), premoistened facial pads are a definite convenience. But the problem is many of these types of beauty products are costly, and most containers consist of just enough to last about a month. In order to prolong the life of your beloved pads, simply cut them in half with a clean pair of scissors. It may take some getting used to working with them at first, but once you get the hang of it, your wallet will thank you.

A First Look at Lanvin For H&M Lipstick

The Lanvin collection for H&M has been highly anticipated, and now we're getting an initial view of what the line's signature lipsticks will look like. The packaging is super cute, and from the ads, it looks like we can expect a pretty reddish-pink shade or two. This is the first time Lanvin has put its name on color cosmetics, so I'm excited to see what they'll do. To see more of the collaboration before it drops on the 20th, check out the fashion lookbook.

Wednesday Giveaway! Win an Ultraflesh Panthera Mascara

When it comes to long, full lashes, our friends at Sephora have you covered. Today's lucky giveaway winner will receive an Ultraflesh Panthera Mascara, a volumizing, long-wearing mascara that builds length without clumping or smudging.

To enter, just take the quiz by 5 p.m. PDT today, and one winner will be selected at random. Your eligibility is not based on getting the answers correct, just on taking the quiz after you are logged in. You do, however, need to be a PopSugar Community member to enter. So if you're not already one, register now. One quiz entry per person; all repeat quizzes will be ignored. Prizes can be shipped to US destinations only. Remember: you must be logged in to the PopSugar Community for your entry to count. For the complete rules, click here. Good luck!

Take the quiz

Lanvin’s fast fashion couture, Coach conquers Europe, Footwear News power list, Uniqlo sales dip, WWD at 100

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Fast Fashion Meets Couture in Paris (IHT)
"H&M has a particular reason to welcome the [Lanvin] collection to Paris: a new 2,800-square meter… store on the Champs-Élysées, designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel — the first time a 'fast fashion' chain has followed the architectural route."

Coach Gallops Into Europe (IHT)
"Mr. Frankfort, chairman and CEO of the American accessories company, was on a whirlwind tour of Europe recently, taking in both Coach's first move into France at Printemps and a Spanish collaboration with the department store El Corte Inglés."

2010 FN Power 100 (WWD)
"Leaders began to regroup, restrategize and [find] innovative ways to conquer the retail market. It's no wonder footwear has been a leading category, rebounding much faster than apparel and, oftentimes, saving the bottom lines of department stores."

Fast Retailing's Uniqlo Posts Store-Sales Decline (Bloomberg)
"Fast Retailing Co., Asia's biggest clothing chain operator, posted the smallest sales decline in three months for its Uniqlo stores in Japan as cold weather in the final week of October spurred demand for winter apparel."

100 Years of WWD (NY Times)
"Women's Wear Daily, the quippy and quirky trade paper of the garment industry, marked its centennial with a commemorative magazine out Monday that traces the evolution of fashion and also of its own coverage of fashion.

Fashion News Roundup: Thom Browne Womenswear Revealed, Barney’s Holiday Windows Will Be Food-Themed and Oprah’s Giving Carson Kressley a Show

I want to be a Thom Browne girl: Surprise?! As far as we know, this is the first look at Thom Browne’s upcoming line for women. Of course, it’s amazing. {Jak & Jil}

Google’s Trend Tracker: You can now track consumer interest in trends or brands on Google. The company, which has become increasingly fashion-conscious, demonstrates in their retail advertising blog how search queries can be traced and graphed over time and based on location. For example, most fashion trend-related searches grow in places like New York and Los Angeles and then spread throughout the rest of the country. Pretty cool. {Google via Blackbook}

Stylelist Breakup: AOL’s Stylelist is losing style news editor Susannah Cahn and senior beauty editor Laura Kenney. No news on where they’re going. {Business Insider}

Kate Moss is just like us: She got bored and cut her own bangs–with kitchen scissors. {Fashionologie}

Queer Eye for the Small Town Guy: Oprah’s new television network, OWN, just released their program schedule for next year and we knew there would be something fashion-related. In addition to The Judds and Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals, there will be Carson-Nation, in which former Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fashion “expert” Carson Kressley “travels to small towns to transform lives.” {The Hollywood Reporter}

A Foodie Holiday: Simon Doonan discusses his plans for food-themed Barneys holiday windows and it sounds amazing. Plus, he says things like, “I’m interested in the dissonance between fashion and food. Whenever we do an event, the fashion people say, ‘No food please. Let’s just serve vodka.’” The windows will be unveiled November 16. {The Moment}

Marc’s Personal Collections: Wondering what kinds of things Marc Jacobs collects? Turns out it’s not just kilts. {The Inside Source}