Uncamouflaged

Fashion's luxury sector is alive and well. In these times, who would have thought? But our April glam incursion indisputably proves the point—without night goggles.

Our embedded editors, armed with 6-inch stilettos, have been reporting on engagements in international retail design. In Paris, London, and Tokyo, we encountered effervescent Emilio Pucci, grand Garrard, and, yes, luggage-inspired Louis Vuitton, all seriously committed to delivering "big" design as part of their strategies for growth. Risking limbs from our Manolo heights, we also brought you in-depth coverage of the home front. Besides a meaty story on New York's meatpacking district, rapidly converting into a fashion flash point, you'll get the scoop on Bruno Magli's penthouse showroom as well as the atelier-showrooms of Narciso Rodriguez and Yeohlee Teng.

We enjoyed the extraordinary opportunity of seeing Rodriguez and Teng in action during the bustle of "fashion week." And we talked at length about a broad range of issues, including the fascination with architectural geometry that fashion designers and interior designers share. It seems our distant cousins aren't so distant after all.

Peace.

Cindy Allen