Couture time, Asia's thirst for luxury, Coach cost pressure, Pakistani fashion, Tod's colossal Colosseum project

And Now Couture (On the Runway)
"Not even 24 hours after the Paris men's shows had ended they were a dim memory. The women had moved in for the spring haute couture shows, like a temperance league."

Asian shoppers thirst for luxury (BBC)
"So many times in the past few decades, the insatiable appetite of the Americans [helped the world out of recession]... But if China's emerging class of consumers put their mind to it... their buying power will shape the needs and demands of the rest of the world."

Coach U.S. sales soar, but cost pressures rise (Reuters)
"Coach reported a larger-than-expected quarterly profit as U.S. luxury spending rebounded over the holiday season, but the company faces pressure from rising leather costs."

Islamabad's first fashion week (Guardian)
"The organisers of the capital's four-day fashion show hope it will prove that there's more to Pakistan than politics. 'Islamabad fashion week will change the way people think of Pakistan... There is a bright side to Pakistan, which is modern, secular and upwardly progressive.'"

Tod's to restore Rome's Colosseum (Telegraph)
"Tod's, the Italian luxury shoe group... has announced a new project to fund the cost of the restoration of Rome's historic Colosseum, at a cost of €25 million. The project, which will be carried out in eight stages, has been finalised by the Italian ministry of Culture."