France is experiencing a wave of lay-offs starting with Chanel who will lay off 200 employees on December 31. Those leaving the company are said to have short-term contracts with the fashion house or are otherwise engaged on an interim basis. Those lavish midseason shows must really rub some of them the wrong way, no? 

New Year's resolutions from some of your favorite designers and it-girls in New York. No matter how slice it, resolutions are self-indulgent--don't blame the beautiful people.

Kurt Geiger might be straight off the high street but that doesn't mean these shoes don't merit a preview. Over in London, mass-market fashion is given a shout out. 

Ferragamo has created a range of environmentally-friendly handbags poised to hit stores this Spring. The Eco Ferragamo collection is biodegradable, water-resistant, and colored with metal-free dyes. 

Despite their placement on the fashion calender, Lyell will not being showing this Spring 09. We discovered this yesterday when we requested a pre-fashion week video interview. A representative for Lyell told us that the brand will be showing in February but that the Spring show has been canceled. After news that Mayle (located just down the street from Lyell in Nolita) would be closing down, we couldn't help but feel nervous that the entire contemporary market was shattering before our very eyes. Brands bounce back, we know, and come fall perhaps everything will be just fine. After all, Lyell just got a nice little shoutout in Vogue's September shopping guide (alongside Balenciaga, Balmain, and Topshop) and their new store renovations have enlivened the recently delivered fall collection. A little secret to those who haven't visited the Lyell store; they're one of a handful of boutiques who keep like-new Ferragamo riding boots in stock. For that, among other things, we will stand behind the brand. Ferragamo's will do that to a girl.