"I want to develop the 'Beatles by CDG' collection in a strong conceptual way," said Ms. Kawakubo through an interpreter. "Instead of making many unnecessary items that may come to resemble a Beatles souvenir shop, I think it is better to concentrate on one strong idea."

When I got to Barneys, I was welcomed with the news that our Rocco bag had a waiting list of 400-plus. By day's end, their entire Spring 2010 handbag order sold out with pre-buys-and that's before it will even hit the floor. Yikes! Good news, but now we're going to have to figure out how to produce more bags so our section won't be empty come January.

Posh is though to be fed up of being a 'walking advert' for other designers, who benefit from increased sales whenever she is pictured with one of their pieces.

A close friend of the stylista told the sun: 'Victoria is fed up of promoting other brands. If she wears Hermes or Christian Louboutin, people go and buy it.

'She thought, 'why can't I do this with my own line?'' the insider continued. 'Her current collection has gone down a storm across the celebrity world. If this is repeated with her line of shoes, the range would be worth an absolute fortune.'

"Sometimes in our industry there is a tendency to follow your ego and sometimes open stores where you don't have the market, or stores too big for your potential -- we never do that," Carcelle said. "When we open a big store, we know that there is a market, we know the financials. So we never have to close a store for economic reasons."

*****

The company has opened three stores in Dubai since 1997, and plans to double the size of its outlet in the city's Mall of the Emirates, Carcelle said. Its global store is in Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping centre, which opened last year. "Dubai is a very dynamic city," he said. "At the end of the day, when it comes to the crisis, the client finds the situation of retail in Dubai very good."

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Bernard Arnault, the chairman of LVMH, will start a visit to the United Arab Emirates tomorrow.

LVMH filed its suit in 2007. In an amended complaint filed in July 2008, the firm alleged Akanoc and Managed Solutions hosted more than 75 commercial Web sites with names like LVBagz.com and Louivuittonbagz.com that offered counterfeit LVMH wares to Internet shoppers.

The luxury brand said it had repeatedly warned the Fremont, Calif.-based Web hosts that sites on their servers sold counterfeit merchandise, but that the two firms continued to allow the sites to function. "Louis Vuitton had given the defendants very specific notice of the infringing activity and it hadn't changed," said attorney Andy Coombs, who argued the case for the luxury house in the two-week trial. A lawyer for Akanoc, Managed Solutions and Chen did not return a call seeking comment.

According to court documents, Bonini never answered the allegations and the court eventually entered a default judgment against the company. Bonini could not be reached for comment Friday. In a July report on the case, Magistrate Judge Frank Maas wrote because of Bonini's refusal to participate in the case, it was impossible to determine the scope of its counterfeiting operation.

As such, the judge recommended that Louis Vuitton be awarded $100,000 in damages per trademark infringed, or $400,000, as well as $5,568.14 in attorneys' fees and costs.

The word on the style grapevine is that Mrs B has set her sights on the world of accessories, and is specifically hoping to branch out into handbags.

The move would seem a natural one for the fashionista, who is well known for her extensive array of Hermès bags, and she's reportedly already started meeting with designers, who will be able to help her create the collection.

A source snitched to The London Paper, 'Victoria is looking for designers from the top houses to help her put together a high end collection that will rival her favourite brands, like Louis Vuitton and Dior. She wants the range to be classic but contemporary.'

In beauty, six brands are being added: Bare Escentuals, Jo Malone, Shu Uemura, Sisley, Bumble and bumble and Giorgio Armani. Space NK, with its own range of products and labels, was added in November. There are a total of 26 beauty brands on the floor. Of the 26, only one, La Mer, stayed in its same location, but, like all the others, it will have a new look.

In handbags, accessories and jewelry, new resources include Stella McCartney, Michael Stars, Eileen Fisher Daddy Longlegs, Ugg, D&D, Me&Ro, Helen Ficalora, Links of London, Janis Savitt, Elizabeth and James, Seasonal Whispers and James Swette. In sunglasses and watches, new vendors are Carrera, Burberry, David Yurman, Timex, Adidas and G-Shock.