They have the sepulchral feel of rediscovered tombs. Lavish. Silent. Undisturbed. Visiting luxury boutiques these days can seem like stepping into a time capsule, and in a sense, you are, as retail and marketing plans and products conceived during the bully days of early 2008 are still on display.
Wartime movie-star suits at Jean-Paul Gaultier and delicate black dresses at Valentino wrapped up the season's haute couture shows in Paris on Wednesday 8 July.
Evidently, supermodels from the 90s are making their comeback. After Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer, it is now Christy Turlington who will be the face of Yves Saint Laurent for the autumn-winter 2009/2010 campaign.
Gold jewellery sales in Dubai are down around 30 percent in June on a year ago, as high prices of the metal and the economic downturn deter tourists from visiting the emirate.
Richemont, the world's third largest luxury goods group behind LVMH and Hermes, will earn less this year than last year, chief executive Norbert Platt was quoted as saying on Wednesday 8 July.
South Africa's Chamber of Mines said it had improved its wage offer to mineworkers' unions, and one union said the offer was good enough to avert a strike for now.
A tentative recovery in diamond prices could be knocked back by supplies from Russia or top producer De Beers, an analyst said.
Petra Diamonds Ltd said its annual output jumped above 1 million carats, but the African diamond producer added that revenue dipped and trading conditions remained challenging.
Jewellery maker Gitanjali Gems Ltd will pass on the benefits of the excise duty exemption on branded jewellery announced in the federal budget, its chairman said.
German luxury fashion house Escada is considering applying for state aid once it has successfully completed its refinancing efforts, which are not yet certain.
For years Coach was synonymous with practical yet fashionable purses. With this month's release of the budget-conscious Poppy line, Coach, a luxury-retail marvel once ridiculed for being stodgy, will be increasingly associated with a new demographic: teens, coeds & grads.
The Paris haute couture shows opened with pared-down collections and sober comments as the financial woes of designer Christian Lacroix forced even the world's most extravagant fashion scene to face economic reality.
Fashion house Dior, favoured by France's first lady, Carla Bruni, and Hollywood actresses, is doing much better business in London than in New York, helped by tourists drawn by the weak pound.
Amid the gloom of the global downturn, Lebanese designer Georges Chakra turned to the roaring Twenties for inspiration for his couture show for next autumn-winter on Tuesday 7 July.
Giant replicas of the distinctive Chanel number 5 perfume bottles towered over the runway at Karl Lagerfeld's haute couture show for next winter in the Grand Palais on Tuesday 7 July.
