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FUR ZONE: Fur may be falling out of fashion, with brands including Gucci and Michael Kors promising to eschew it in favor of the faux stuff, but not everyone is giving it up.
Following her men’s wear show in London, the Danish designer Astrid Andersen hosted a Champagne reception at the Mandrake Hotel to showcase a collaboration with the Finnish company Saga Furs.
Guests included the Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who is the face of Andersen’s small, bespoke fur collection, while grime artist Giggs from southeast London performed a set.
The standout piece from the collection was a checked coat in mustard gold, pink and palomino, with a black fur collar. Other pieces included a checked jacket with a fur lapel, and a gold and pink fur scarf. The furs used were a mix of raccoon, mink and fox.
Andersen said she worked with Saga because they are one of the only auction houses that give their furs a bar code. Customers on the shop floor can scan the tag and trace the origins of the fur. “When you buy a fur coat you need some kind of guarantee,” said the designer, adding that she believes the future is bright for fur.
“I think fur

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PURE FICTION: The first of the nine episodes of “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” premieres on Jan. 17 on FX, and the Milan-based house of Versace on Monday released an official statement to clarify its stance.
“The Versace family has not authorized nor has it in any way been involved in the TV series dedicated to the death of Gianni Versace,” said the company. “Since Versace has not authorized the book from which it is partially drawn and has not taken part in writing the script, this TV series must be considered a work of fiction.”
This confirms comments made to WWD in October 2016. It is understood no legal action is being taken against the program.
The book Versace refers to is “Vulgar Favors” by Vanity Fair writer Maureen Orth, published in 1999, two years after the designer’s murder in Miami in 1997 at the hands of serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The series is directed by Ryan Murphy and comes on the heels of the Emmy-winning “People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” the opening episode of which was also directed by Murphy.
Gianni Versace is played by Edgar Ramírez and Versace’s partner Antonio D’Amico is played by Ricky Martin. Penélope Cruz stars as Versace’s

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SHOE-IN: Lacoste is looking to gird its footwear business by forming a joint venture with its longtime global licensee for the category, Britain’s Pentland Group.
The move reflects Lacoste’s strategy to push for better integration with its various license holders, which also include Coty for fragrances, Movado Group for watches and Marchon for eyewear.
The new venture will be based out of Pentland’s London headquarters, according to a statement released Monday. Pentland will oversee the creation and production of the brand’s footwear lines as well as distribution in Britain. Lacoste will handle distribution in its main territories.
Andy Long, chief executive officer of Pentland Brands, said the move “demonstrates the strength of the relationship between Pentland and the Lacoste Group, which is the result of 26 years of collaboration since 1991.”
Thierry Guibert, president of Lacoste Group, said the venture is fully in line with the group’s “strategic project which aims to promote the brand’s prestige and optimize the coordination of all product categories, thus reinforcing the Lacoste style everywhere in the world.”
With annual sales of $3 billion across 190 countries, Pentland Brands — a third-generation, family-owned business — counts Berghaus Canterbury of New Zealand, Speedo, Boxfresh, Ellesse, Kangaroos, Mitre and Red or Dead

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PARIS – Fans of high tech, streetwear and street culture in mourning for Colette, rejoice. Two former employees of the recently shuttered store are harnessing their collective 23 years of experience working there for a cutting-edge, men’s-oriented concept store on Paris’ Rue Cambon dubbed Nous, which means “us” in French.
Though many of the items fall under the unisex bracket, women’s clothing and beauty products are not in the cards. Spanning artist skateboards by The Skateroom, 51,000-euro customized Rolexes by Bamford, and sweatshirts by Daily Paper, the relatively pared-back offer reads like Colette sans the kawaii. Opening with a magazine rack and table of books dedicated to street culture, other items on sale include candles by Mizensir, diamond pendants by Eyefunny and an exclusive cannabis-flavored Champagne dubbed Critical by Rozoy & Picot.
Sébastien Chapelle, who helmed Colette’s high-tech and watches pole for 14 years, and Marvin Dein, who was in charge of the store’s streetwear and sneakers pole for nine years, have joined forces as the store’s director and manager, respectively, bringing in a number of members of the Colette team. A deep-pocketed loyal Colette customer is said to have financed the project. The private investor is based in Europe, Dein said.
The store had its soft opening

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The southern Italian region is becoming the New Tuscany.

The unit features four bedrooms, four baths, and nearly 2,000 square feet of outdoor living space.

The notoriously secretive and exclusive Social Register is cracking open its doors to a new generation of members.

Here are homebuying highlights for North Tustin and Tustin from ReportsOnHousing for October.

This house-hunting report tracks listing, buying and selling of existing detached and attached residences in the communities. Analysis includes October trends based on closed sales: sale counts; average price vs. average list price; high and low price paid in the month; average cost per square foot and average size; plus, based on broker listing networks stats on Nov. 30 the “market time” metric comparing supply of listings to new escrows opened in past 30 days.

In North Tustin …

Sales: 21 sold vs. 24 a year ago.

Average sales price: $1,077,077 that ranked No. 10 out of 46 Orange County markets tracked and was up 5.5 percent in a year.

Compared to list: Sellers got 97.4 percent of what they typically asked for, ranking No. 38 of the 46 markets.

Range: High sale of $1,740,000 vs. the $676,000 low.

Sizing: On average, buyers paid $373 per square foot on a 2,890 square-foot residence. This pricing metric was up 0.7 percent in a year.

Market speed: 94 days, listing to escrow opened vs. 101 days a year ago and 106 days two years ago.

In Tustin …

Sales: 62 sold vs. 77 a year ago.

Average sales price: $791,996 that ranked No. 20 out of 46 Orange County markets tracked and was up 25.7 percent in a year.

Compared to list: Sellers got 98.3 percent of what they typically asked for, ranking No. 28 of the 46 markets.

Range: High sale of $2,900,000 vs. the $305,000 low.

Sizing: On average, buyers paid $387 per square foot on a 2,044 square-foot residence. This pricing metric was up 5.4 percent in a year.

Market speed: 51 days, listing to escrow opened vs. 73 days a year ago and 70 days two years ago.

Compare these patterns to five October trends we saw in all of Orange County …

1. Sales: 2,553 sold vs. 2,575 a year ago.

2. Average sales price: $868,090, up 10.4 percent in a year.

3. Compared to list: 98.4 percent.

4. Sizing: On average, buyers paid $464 per square foot — up 9.7 percent in a year — on a 1,870 square-foot residence.

5. Market speed, as of Nov 30: 62 days vs. 73 days a year ago and 75 days two years ago.

DID YOU SEE …

Southern California population grows at fastest pace since 2014

Southern California housing takes nation’s largest bite of local paychecks

Southern California homes overvalued? Appraisers suggest yes

What bums out employees at Orange County’s top workplaces

The stars turned the red carpet into a sea of black outfits at Sunday’s 75th Golden Globes.

Celebrities wore black in solidarity with Time’s Up anti-harassment movement, a coalition and legal defense fund founded in the wake of the #MeToo movement to support victims of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace, and it dominated the night with more than just fashion.

They made it a night that encouraged action.

While the message dominated, the carpet was also very much a place of glamour, from Dakota Johnson’s glittery Gucci gown with a surprising crystal-embellished bow design at the back, to Best Actress nominee in a TV series Alison Brie’s jumpsuit that looked like a gown.

Brie told E! that while the color black could be construed as somber, “the atmosphere is so celebratory, it’s so empowering, and that’s what I’m about, baby.”

With her hair slicked-back, Best Actress nominee for her work in “The Crown,” Claire Foy attended the Globes with her co-star Matt Smith, and they both wore tuxedos.

“Insecure” star and Best Actress nominee Issa Rae chose to stand in solidarity with the Time’s Up campaign in a plunging black gown with gathered tulle at the shoulders and a split at the thigh.

“The Sinner” star Jessica Biel, who was nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, and her husband, Justin Timberlake, both wore Dior. Biel’s strapless black Dior Haute Couture ball gown featured tulle and velvet detailing.

While black was the preferred color, some women chose to wear it with a pop of color or metallic, including Allison Williams’ strapless dress with a red and silver design on the top.

Jessica Chastain, nominated for Best Actress her role in “Molly’s Game,” wore a black and silver Armani Prive gown.

But the must-have accessory of the night was to be accompanied by a real-life woman activist to the Globes as a date.

Emma Stone brought Billie Jean King, the tennis legend she was nominated for portraying in “Battle of the Sexes.” For her date, Michelle Williams brought Tarana Burke, the woman who coined #MeToo more than a decade ago. Amy Poehler supported the Time’s Up initiative by attending with Center for Labor Research and Education co-founder Sara Jayaraman. Meryl Streep was accompanied by Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign.

Streep told E! “we feel sort of emboldened in this particular moment to stand together in a thick black line dividing then from now.”