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WAITING FOR THE MAN: The guessing game is over: Simon Porte Jacquemus revealed at his fall show in Paris on Monday that the new professional challenge he has been teasing for weeks on social media with the hashtag #newjob is the launch of his own men’s wear line.
The designer made the announcement at his women’s ready-to-wear show, held at the Petit Palais, but will not present his first creations until Paris men’s fashion week in June, a spokesman said. It has not yet been finalized if he will stage a show or a presentation for the men’s line.
“I see the Jacquemus man as I see the Jacquemus woman, it’s my own story and emotions — all that inside a collection,” Jacquemus told WWD in a statement. He revealed he had a very personal reason to launch the project. “I started to imagine the man when last year I fell in love,” the 28-year-old said.
The designer has used social media as a central part of his communications strategy since he launched his brand in 2009 after dropping out of fashion school, prompted by his mother’s untimely death (Jacquemus is her maiden name.)
He rapidly gained the support of industry figures like Rei

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LIGHTENED LOAD: What started out as a thinner Paris Fashion Week has become even lighter.
In a break with a nine-year tradition, Pascal Millet has canceled his runway show. The French designer, who was scheduled to take the 7 p.m. slot on March 1, said in a brief statement that the brand recently opened up to new investors, without elaborating further. Sales sessions will still be held on March 3 to 9 as originally planned.
Also canceling her show is Danish designer Anne Sofie Madsen, who was scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 4. The brand did not provide an explanation and did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The late-stage bow-outs came as a handful of other labels were notably absent this season for a variety of reasons.
Alexis Mabille is foregoing his runway show for showroom appointments, which will be accompanied with a film clip, to present his new collection. The French designer said he is focusing on tuxedos and evening gowns.
Esteban Cortázar ended a dozen-year run in Paris and moved to New York for his fall collection, accepting a one-season invitation. It was a homecoming of sorts; the Colombian-born designer started his fashion career in Miami and debuted his

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MILAN — It wasn’t an easy week, with a packed show schedule, lots of rain and the so-called Beast from the East, or polar vortex, blowing into town on Sunday, bringing with it Arctic temperatures. Despite the inclement weather, buyers were buzzing about the variety and quality they found in Milan. “Milano, Milano, Milano — what an energizing week full of imagination, vision and creativity,” said Roopal Patel, Saks Fifth Avenue senior vice president, fashion director. “The collections at Milan Fashion Week continue to excite and delight our senses on every level.” She cited Gucci’s “theatrical Cyborg show,” Prada’s “high-energy industrial couture” and the Moncler Genius project as among the highlights.
The Eighties trend remained strong, as did oversize outerwear. Retailers cited tartans and animal patterns, neon and pop colors, logomania, sportswear influences, faux fur and quilted looks as some of the recurring elements in the collections. As Coco Chan, Stylebop.com head of women’s wear said, “the new mood is all about more is more. Pile on the layers with prints, patterns, textures and embellishments.”
Here, a roundup of the Milan highlights from the mouths of retailers:
Linda Fargo, senior vice president, women’s fashion director and store presentation at Bergdorf Goodman: 
FAVORITE COLLECTIONS: Prada, Gucci, Attico and Moncler.
TOP

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MILAN — The International Fur Federation has named the winners of the 15th edition of the Remix fur talent contest, with a presentation and event held at the Palazzo Barozzi venue on Sunday night here, during Milan Fashion Week.
Japanese designer Chunchen Liu was bestowed with the gold award, which enables her to access a mentorship and training program. The IFF will cover a training trip to Toronto’s North American Fur Auctions.
“Fur is quite a complex material to work with so we felt that young designers needed a little bit extra help and support understanding particularly how the new modern techniques mean that you’re working with fur but blending it in with leather, wool, cotton. There’s a lot of technical skills needed to work with fur and it’s really important we give designers the chance to learn those skills,” explained Mark Oaten, chief executive officer of IFF.
Each designer was asked to develop a collection of three different outfits based on criteria such as sustainability, the use of recycled materials, environmentally friendly dyeing techniques and the traceability of the fur.
Liu showed a collection named “the exploration of nature’s spirit,” drawing her inspirations from the mountains’ landscapes. A lightweight hooded nylon Windbreaker jazzed

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Elevated basic.
This is the term superinfluencer Arielle Charnas used to describe her SomethingNavy brand, which will launch exclusively with Nordstrom in the fall with apparel, jewelry and accessories. The introduction of a stand-alone brand, named after her almost decade-old blog and handle she goes by on Instagram, follows a collaboration with the retailer’s private label brand Treasure & Bond last September, SomethingNavy x Treasure & Bond.
Typically, when used as an adjective, the word basic has a negative connotation. In the context of fashion, it implies someone is highly attuned to the trends, but doesn’t set them. Being called “basic” suggests a lack of sophistication or individuality.
But Charnas owns the term, even giving it a positive spin. She’s basic and she knows it.
This is why her 1.1 million Instagram followers love her — many of them have been waiting eagerly for Charnas to reveal the “big news” she’s been teasing for 11 days. On Feb. 15, a post on her Instagram Story read: “I have a very exciting trip in two weeks with very exciting news to share. Prob my most exciting news aside from my babies. Sorry to tease you but i’m just too excited. SOON SOON SOON!” Charnas has

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Comlux and Design Q join forces in to bring unique styling to business-jet interiors for next-generation Airbus and Boeing models.

The nephew of the great Alexander McQueen shares his new line of luxe scarves and gives a crash course on how best to tie them.

This development boasts a rotating art exhibit on the main floor.

Homebuying in South County’s 92679 ZIP code jumped at year-end as prices cooled.

The region — which runs from Portola Hills through Trabuco Canyon and Coto de Caza to Wagon Wheel — had mixed results in the fourth quarter. CoreLogic statistics for the October-to-December period compared with the same period a year earlier, show these five trends for  92679 homebuying …

1. 148 homes sold in the latest period vs. 116 a year earlier.

2. That’s a one-year sales gain of 27.6 percent vs. a countywide homebuying loss of 1.3 percent.

3. Median selling price in the latest period of $850,000 vs. $875,386 12 months earlier.

4. That’s a price decline of 2.9 percent. The countywide median was $698,000, up 5.7 percent vs. the year-ago period.

5. The 92679 median ranks No. 22 priciest out of 83 Orange County ZIPs vs. No. 14 a year earlier.

See full-year 2017 CoreLogic results …
Beach ZIPs | North O.C. | South O.C. | Mid-county

From 2017’s fourth quarter, eight countywide trends to ponder:

1. At the neighborhood level, prices were up in 66 of 83 Orange County ZIP codes compared to the previous year.

2. Sales rose in 38 of 83 Orange County ZIPs.

3. Builder sales were 1,544 — up 4.2 percent from a year earlier. Median selling price was $869,000 — up 0.2 percent from a year earlier.

4. In the cheapest third of the county’s market — the 27 least expensive ZIPs, median of $622,500 and below — 2,540 homes sold. That’s down 0.9 percent compared to a year earlier.

5. In the 27 priciest ZIPs — median of $789,050 and higher — 3,236 homes sold. That’s down 0.2 percent.

6. In the 11 Orange County ZIPs with medians above $1 million, sales totaled 720 homes, down 1.9 percent in a year. There were 10 seven-figure ZIPs a year earlier.

7. In the county’s 16 beach-close ZIPs, 1,484 homes sold in the latest period, down 0.6 percent vs. a year earlier.

8. As for relative bargains, there were six ZIPs with medians under $500,000 with total sales of 440 homes. A year earlier, 14 ZIPs had medians under $500,000 with 1,039 sales, or a drop of 58 percent in a year.