“And new-millennium Balmain has definitely caught the fashion moment, as well as the attention of a whole wide world of bloggers, Tweeters and cyberspace image makers. They see in Mr. Decarnin the vibe of the moment: love it, grab it, own it, have fun with it. MySpace is his space.” —Suzy Menkes in her interesting IHT article that cites Balmain and Christophe Decarnin getting twice the Tweets and Google results of the superior, in her opinion, Nicolas Ghesquière and Balenciaga.

The International Herald Tribune just confirmed Claudia Schiffer as on of the speakers at their super prestigious annual conference on luxury, this year being held in Berlin.

This year should definitely bring some interesting ideas to light as it focuses on the role that technology and how new types of marketing and branding affect the luxury sector. And, of course, with the economy in the state that it is, there has never been a more important time for creative ideas.

Christopher Bailey, Frida Giannini, and Tomas Maier will also be speaking, along with some super big wig CEOs.

“What is important to me is information (in the journalistic sense of relating news.) Through my collections, other product projects and through my graphic work, or by collaborating with artists and photographers, I like to tell a story. Without news, nothing is alive. The final result of everything must say something. Information deepens the work. So, if anything, I am maybe more of a journalist than an artist!” Rei Kawakubo to the International Herald Tribune in an article celebrating Commes des Garcons’ 40th Anniversary

‘Tis the season of honorary degrees and while ASU may have caused a stir by not handing one to the President, the University of the Arts London made the International Herald Tribune’s Suzy Menkes a doctor last night.

And Giles Deacon was awarded a professorship!

We realize these are honorary and not actual. But wouldn’t you just love to have Dr. Menkes or Professor Deacon leading your lectures or giving a commencement address?

What fashion folks would you deem worthy of an honorary degree at your alma mater?

Yesterday, the Times dissected the state of Conde Nast’s ad sales, concluding that only magazines that “cast a wider net” in terms of who they allow to advertise in their publication are doing well right now, but that Conde’s long-standing position of never negotiating their prices with advertisers may turn out to be a good long-term plan and “a fair approach to pricing”.

Meanwhile, the International Herald Tribune reports that Conde Nast has been diversifying (and thereby reinforcing) their advertiser base by actually creating campaigns themselves, like the ones they did for LG, Lexus, Grey Goose and Dillard’s, via “in-store events, parties and television programs,” during 2008.

By creating these ad campaigns, Conde’s masterminded a few things:

1. They demand that all campaigns created in-house, are also only published in-house. So, In Style, owned by Time Inc, will never have one of the ads created by Conde Nast Media Group - unlike Vogue, Lucky or Allure, all published by Conde.

2. Since they’re already guaranteeing ad space in their magazine and website real estate for these advertisers by making their campaigns, they also create the campaigns at relatively low costs, which is appealing to both the advertisers and to Conde Nast - basically, they’ve invented a system in which they spend a little (in making the campaigns,) yet guarantee a lot (the ad revenue, exclusivity, the luxury of not having to go “down-market” with their advertiser base) in return.

This, in addition to recent news that Conde would be making many more dollars through more online video content, makes us think that Conde may not be faring as badly as people think, despite recent issues - After all, the chief marketing officer of LG did say, “At the end of 2009, we potentially will have spent more with Conde Nast versus a year ago.”

Which, in this environment, is pretty impressive, no?

The art world’s refusing to let go of their auctions, regardless of how tough times might be.

We get it - as if the fashion industry would ever relinquish Fashion Week.

But wouldn’t it make sense to postpone things a bit, especially after Christie’s disastrous auction at the beginning of this month?

Yet, they’re forging ahead with an impressive auction of Jeanne Lanvin’s mostly Impressionist paintings, including works by Degas, Pissarro, Renoir, Vuillard and a lone Picasso as the cherry on top. They’ll go up for sale on December 1st and are expected to bring in at least $25 million despite today’s economic state. Christie’s will follow that, of course with the highly anticipated auction of Yves Saint Laurent’s art and valuables.

Is it the nature of these auctions - both collections developed by famous people and both connected to the fashion industry which could bring in an entirely different kind of buyer - that makes Christie’s think they’ll be more successful? Or do the auction houses believe that things will just get worse and therefore aren’t willing to hang on to the art for ten or so years while the economy rebuilds itself?

“To Brown, 24, who works at Esquire magazine in New York, the colorful strips are an important accessory, and he’s careful to coordinate them with his Kris Van Assche sweater or his Balenciaga bag. He generally wears one on his left hand or arm and balances it out with two or three on his right leg.” - on the use of band-aids as a fashion accessory, in the International Herald Tribune.

Suzy Menkes’ new video just went up on IHT’s website.

In it, Menkes declares, “There’s only one icon who mattered in Paris this season, and that was Amy Winehouse.”

She takes us on a whirlwind tour of the runways, from the beehives at Dior to the cat-eyes at Commes Des Garçons and attributes fashion’s interest in the cracked out singer to Karl Lagerfeld’s initial fascination with her retro look.

The best part is when Menkes informs the audience that Winehouse’s most popular song is called “Rehab.” And that in that song “she sings, “No, No, No,” but the fashion world is saying ‘Yes, Yes, Yes’.”

“I don’t use a computer; I do research with my brain…And if I want or need to - I get people to do it for me.” - Karl Lagerfeld, on his computer illiteracy, in the International Herald Tribune.

“This Ruritanian rock ‘n’ roll was open to every cliché: “Rock the Czech Republic!” “Blonde models have a lot of polish!” - Suzy Menkes, on the Gucci show, in the International Herald Tribune.

“Clients were breathless with excitement. ‘I want everything - it was made for me,’ the actress Diane Kruger said, while Sofia Coppola uttered one joyous word: ‘Flats!’” - Suzy Menkes, on the wave of approval at Chanel’s S/S ‘08 couture show, in IHT.