Vera Wang Shanghai Charges $482 Try-On Fee

Photo: Vera Wang

When I was in Shanghai recently I passed by Vera Wang's flagship boutique inside the luxury mall in Xintiandi District.  I've also been shopping for wedding dresses before my trip and I remember thinking I ought to try on some dresses since I had some down time during the trip.  Now I'm glad I didn't because it turns out VW was charging a try-on fee of 3000 RMB or about $482!  They are the only VW location to do this and as expected, it has generated a lot of negative publicity.  That's an exorbitant amount of money in China (and even here in the US in my opinion) but then again I guess if you're shopping for wedding dresses at VW, they think you should be able to afford it.

There's a "Clear" Problem at Lululemon

Lululemon Athletica Inc., the luxury yoga-wear company, with yoga pants ranging from $70-$100 a pair has been an unexpected success story during these economics times creating a massive cult following among fitness and health minded consumers.  These crazed consumers turned a yoga lifestyle-brand company into now a billion-dollar yoga/fitness wear empire.

For a while, it seemed that Lululemon could do no wrong for investors and consumers alike. However, on Monday Lululemon admitted to a snag in its supply-chain as its popular pants have fielded complaints for being too sheer and the yoga company was forced to pull their signature pants from store shelves.  

Galliano & Dior Heads to Court of Appeals in October

John Galliano's lawsuit against his former employer Christian Dior is headed to the Court of Appeals on October 24th in Paris in order to determine which court has jurisdiction to hear the case.

In early 2011, Galliano was fired as creative director at Christian Dior Couture and artistic director at his eponymous label, John Galliano SA after making anti-semetic rants at a cafe in Paris in March 2011, sued his former employers for approximately €6 million ($7.8 million) in damages.  Last month, lawyers for Dior challenged the Labor Court's jurisdiction to hear the case and instead argued it should be heard in Commercial Court due to the complex nature of the multiple agreements and employment contracts it has with Galliano.

Galliano's attorneys plan to continue to argue that he was salaried employee and not an independent contractor as Dior is claiming, which would mean the Labor Court is not the proper venue to the hear the case.

Read More:
WWD (subscription red'q): Galliano-Dior Case Heads to Appeals Court
Fashionista: John Galliano’s Case Against Dior Heads to Appeals Court

Kardashian Khroma Beauty Served with Preliminary Injunction

Kardashian sisters' make-up line Khroma Beauty was served with a preliminary injunction by U.S. District Court for the Central District of California after getting into legal snafu with another similarly named beauty brand "Kroma".  This means that sales of the Kardashian beauty line will halt until a final decision is rendered. Apparently since Khroma was launched by the Kardashians, Tillett's line Kroma has seen a decrease in sales of 25%.

(Need a quick refresher? A recap can be found here).

Judge Audrey Collins wrote in her ruling, "Tillett has demonstrated that it will likely lose business opportunities, customers, and goodwill due to Boldface's use of the confusingly similar Khroma Beauty marks. This Court has little doubt that, in short order, the Khroma Beauty products will likely eliminate Tillett's business entirely, creating irreparable harm to justify an injunction."

Shapewear Wars: Spanx Files Complaint Against Yummie Tummie

The household name in shapewear, Spanx, created by Sara Blakely filed a complaint against Heather Thomson's company, Times Three Clothier LLC, which owns Yummie Tummie.  Thomson claims that Spanx copied several of her signature control top camisoles which are protected by patents. Specifically, the items in question were Spanx Total Taming Tank and Top This Cami. Thomson explained to WWD that the companies were in "positive" communication over the alleged infringement until Spanx filed for declaratory judgment in Atlanta court requesting the judge to rule on the dispute. The entire complaint can be found here.

One thing we can be sure of is that Thomson is not afraid of a fight, having stood up to her feisty co-star Ramona Singer on multiple occasions in the Real Housewives of New York even as a newcomer to the reality show.  And then back in 2011, Thomson went after Maidenform over its similar "slimming" tank tops which were also patent protected. Maidenform settled with Yummie Tummie for $6.25 million.

Macy's, J.C. Penney & Martha Stewart Living Ordered into Mediation

Photo via The Associated Press

On March 7th, after almost three weeks at trial, Justice Oing ordered Macy's, J.C. Penney & Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia into mediation.  For a recap of what's going on, click here and here. All three parties agreed to the mediation process and if no resolution is reached by April 8th, Oing will continue to hear the case.

Before the start of the trial, JCP and MSLO were open to mediation, Daphne Avila, a JCP spokeswoman said, but “other parties were not amenable.”  Macy’s declined to comment on prior mediation efforts.

Back from Asia!

Hi guys!, I have been out of touch for a couple of weeks because I went to Asia for a much needed getaway! Delicious food, great shopping, fun sightseeing, gorgeous views and just catching up with good friends! if you've been following me on Twitter or Instagram, I posted some pics from the trip! Hope you enjoyed them! Been a bit jet lagged since getting back but settling back into the flow of things and will update my blog soon! xo