British designer John Richmond pushed chic with attitude while languid femininity floated down Etro's catwalk at Milan Fashion Week.

The Emporio Armani collection made a case for playful elegance while Max Mara set a fluid dynamic and Bottega Veneta got nostalgic for the 1950s at Milan Fashion Week.

French fashion designer Christian Audigier is considering investing in loss-making holiday resort group Club Med and would like to meet Bernard Tapie, a shareholder, to discuss a possible cooperation.

Swatch Group, the world's largest watchmaker, sees a promising end to the year as markets are starting to improve, Chairman Nicolas Hayek said.

Finish Line Inc swung to a second-quarter net loss from a year-ago profit as its now-discontinued Man Alive chain weighed on the athletic shoe and apparel retailer.

Bankrupt jeweler Finlay Enterprises Inc said it has completed an auction for its business and assets and selected Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC for having the highest bid.

Peru gold miner Minera IRL Ltd said it has signed a deal to acquire control of the La Falda porphyry in the Maricunga gold belt of northern Chile, where it plans to begin drilling by the close of 2009.

A serial mugger was jailed for life for a long string of robberies including that of fashion designer Nicole Farhi outside her London home.

Tom Ford International, the luxury line from the former creative head of Gucci, is seeking funding to expand into women's apparel, according to a report from Thomson Reuters' private equity website peHUB.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a complaint against VF Corp, owner of the North Face brand, claiming that more than 70 styles of shoes advertised as bacteria-killing by the company had not been registered with the agency.

Bright colours and bold, graphic prints dominated the collections at London Fashion Week this season, while the influence of the 1980s also pervaded with metallics and jumpsuits all the rage.

Burberry returned to London Fashion Week in typically glamorous style, showing a classic collection in front of an A-list crowd to close what organisers say was one of the best seasons ever.

The head of watchmaker Lange & Soehne, part of Swiss-based luxury goods group Richemont, has stepped down due to differences of opinion over strategy, the German watch brand said.

The New York businessman, owner of multiple fashionable hotels in Los Angeles, New York and Miami, André Balazs is featuring in Brioni’s campaign this winter. He wears the “power suit” from the Italian tailors in a series of images from Nathaniel Goldberg.

The world financial crisis is an opportunity, allowing more creative ideas to come about, Italian designer Donatella Versace said, adding consumers wanted to be stimulated at this time.