Week in Review | Margaret Howell, YSL Film, Costume Collaborations, Mayfair Moves, Vogue is Not Dead

LONDON, United Kingdom — The fashion world seems to be filled with more and more brands that feel like they need to shout about themselves. "Heritage! Craftsmanship! Innovation! Social Media! New stores! New Products!" Part of this can be attributed to the public markets and impressing investors, who love nothing more than a good story. It can also be attributed to a crowded media landscape which seems to incentivise brands to make more and more noise, just so that they will be noticed. The result is a deafening, cacophonous stream of communication.

That's why it's so refreshing to speak to someone like Margaret Howell, a designer who has built a £100 million a year business (about $160 million) by quietly and carefully focused on creating beautiful, simple, practical clothes. The brand is the opposite of loud and brash. Howell's story of steady, organic growth (and no formal fashion education) is a case study for those who are interesting in building a fashion business that stands the test of time, but doesn't play by the conventional rules. How refreshing!

Please take time to read about Ms Howell, and enjoy our top stories of the week gone by.

Margaret Howell Says Keep as Much Control Over Design as Possible
BoF sits down with Margaret Howell at her seaside house in Suffolk, England, to discuss how the British designer built a brand known for its simple, practical pieces, evocative of the natural landscape, into a business, now majority-owned by Japanese company Anglobal, that generates £100 million per year.

Colin's Column | Remembering Yves Saint Laurent
Given the intertwined beauty and troubled complexity of the lives of Yves Saint Laurent and his lover and business partner Pierre Bergé, Jalil Lespert's biopic should have been much more interesting than it is, reports Colin McDowell.

Collaborations with Costume Designers Continue to Grow
What was once a little-celebrated job — outfitting the characters that grace TV and film screens — is now the source of significant business opportunities for fashion brands, studios and networks, and the costume designers themselves.

Former Cire Trudon Co-Owner Revives Historic Beauty Brand
Ramdane Touhami, the entrepreneurial French-Moroccan multi-tasker behind the successful rebranding of Cire Trudon, has launched a new "historic" French beauty brand, L'Officine Universelle Buly.

Is London's Luxury Ground-Zero Under Threat?
London's Mayfair continues to attract large numbers of high-net-worth individuals from around the world and the luxury brands that court them. But there are concerns in some quarters that the area's high-end hipness is threatening the very characteristics that made it desirable in the first place.

Op-Ed | No, Vogue Is Not Dead
The April 2014 cover of American Vogue, featuring Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, proves that media now belongs to the people — but Vogue is not dead, writes Bonnie Morrison.

Hanging Up Her Heels?
Sneakers and other menswear-inspired footwear are having a major moment. Does this mean women are hanging up their heels?

And don't forget, check out BoF Weekly, a week in review published with Flipboard and updated every Saturday.