News Bites: Longchamp launches e-commerce, Givenchy’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” Dress Sold for $807,000, Videofashion celebrates 30 years, Payless and Poretzky sign multi-year deal

Longchamp Launches E-Commerce

Good news for holiday shoppers in search of French luxury luggage and handbags – Longchamp just launched their US e-commerce boutique, www.lonchamp.com, offering limited editions and eight key fall styles ranging from their classic “Le Pliage” customizable nylon and leather handle totes to the stylish leather “Rodéo” and “Vintage” lines. Family brand Longchamp, established in Paris in 1948, has operated stores in the US since 1999 and opened their flagship store, La Maison Unique Lonchamp in New York’s SoHo earlier this year in May.

Givenchy’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” Dress Sold for $807,000

The iconic "Little Black Dress" created for Audrey Hepburn, which she wore in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," sold for $807,000 at a Christie's auction on December 5, 2006. The proceeds from the sale of the couture black silk satin gown, designed for Hepburn in 1961 by Hubert de Givenchy, will benefit City of Joy, a humanitarian aid organization co-founded by French author Dominique Lapierre based in Calcutta, India.

Videofashion Celebrates 30 Years

Fashion and lifestyle programmer Videofashion will celebrate its 30 year anniversary on Thursday, December 14 with an one-hour special, Videofashion News: 30 years, telecast on New York’s NYC-TV, featuring fashion footage spanning four decades. Co-founded in 1976 by Nicholas H. Charney and Marlene McGinnis Cardin, the company was a pioneer in fashion news broadcasting and currently produces 12 magazine-format programs that air worldwide and in the U.S., including E! Entertainment Television, the Style Network, Trio and the WE Network.

Payless and Poretzky Sign Multi-Year Deal
The successful partnership between Payless Shoe Source and fashion designer Laura Poretzky of Abaete this fall has led to an extension of the deal between the two companies. Poretzky designed an Abaete for Payless winter collection, which includes a pump, an ankle boot and a wedge heel with vintage styling, and will continue to design future seasonal collections of accessories and footwear for the retailer. The next fall collection for Payless is expected to debut at Poretzky’s February 2007 show at New York Fashion Week.

		* Burberry Goes Global with 3D Runway Show * Hermes 2009 Sales Up 8.5 Percent; Wholesale Biz Plummets