The West will bring freedom and Democracy to Iraq by uh opening up crappy fast fashion chains? Spanish chain Mango has plans to open a store Abril a city of one million people in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. "We're going to open a shop in Iraq very soon," said Isak Halfon, Mango's president of expansion. "The people are starving for something like this." Huh, perhaps not the best choice of words. The clothing will be designed by Zuhair Murad, a Lebanese designer and thankfully will not include the typical array of skimpy goods, leading us to think this might actually be a pretty good store. This may answer the question what to wear on holiday to Dubai though if you spent all of your money on luxury accommodations naturally.

Derek Lam has sold a stake of his company to Labelux. The most exciting news involved with the new financing? A freestanding Derek Lam store is planned on Crosby street.

"Market conditions" are keeping Roberto Cavalli from putting his namesake company for sale. Low season for leopard print it would seem.

Anti-Pope fashion? Huh?

There are apparently compulsive folders that simply must redo anyone's poor clothing folding. This explains a few of our ex-boyfriends.

Luxury consumers are becoming more pragmatic in the recession. Of course, in this piece they say anyone making over 100K a year is a luxury consumer. Yeah the middle class in New York is cutting back for sure!

On the other end of th economic spectrum, Wal-Mart just doesn't know when its been beat by fashion.

Apparently women are no longer allowed to dress to impress. The dress is now officially over much to the chagrin of trend forecasters and mid-market contemporary trade shows. Everyone's favorite Elle editor Anne Slowey has declared “The dress has been done to death." She was however careful to add “not to sound really cliché.” Yes we imagine the dress has been done to death because like pants, shirts, and skirts it is a staple. So the cycle continues.

You might also want to avoid mentioning the dress is dead to junior retailers. Mod dresses and jumpers are going to be all the rage!

Wal-Mart still doesn't how how it feels about being a discount retailer despite George and Metro 7 flopping with their high priced $30 Mark Eisen creations. Its jumping back on the fashion band wagon with partnerships with Jones Apparel Group's l.e.i brand and Iconic Brand Group's Op. Somehow this involves advertising in magazines like Lucky and Cosmo using people we don't really know (apparently Kristin Cavallari and Pete Wentz). People so removed from our worldview we aren't even sure if this violates our no celebrity policy by mentioning them or not.

Chicago is having fashion week troubles. Apparently the city was supposed to fashion week style events last Wednesday, called Chicago Fashion Week, that were canceled at the last minute. These are not to be confused with Mayor Daly officially sanctioned fashion week called Fashion Focus Chicago which happens in September. Seems hiring a fashion czar Melissa Gamble hasn't done much for the second city. Which is too bad because we think models walking underneath Anish Kapoor's Egg in Millennium Park would be awesome.

We all thought Wal-Mart had shed its apparel ambitions when the giant cut 30 merchandiser jobs in New York City and lost its upscale clothing executive. But the giant clearly has not ceded territory to Target yet. Norma Kamali has been tapped to create an exclusive collection for Wal-Mart. The licensing deal is long term, and the designer will establish a lifestyle brand under her own name that will encompass categories such as women's wear, children's clothing, accessories, footwear and home — all at Wal-Mart's mass prices.


So how does this dovetail with Wal-Mart's strategy of focusing on the basics in a time of slowed economic growth and depressed consumer spending? We have no fucking clue. Maybe her almost fetishistic BDSM bathing suit collection show for Spring 2007 is what turned the Wal-Mart executives on. We can think of nothing more perverse than average Americans donning her strappy one pieces. Talk about stimulating growth!