loose threads

Ralph Lauren Dodges Retirement Speculation; LVMH Gets Record Counterfeiting Payout

Ralph will not tolerate the teasing.Photo: Getty Images

• Veteran designer Ralph Lauren received gentle prodding about his age at his annual Ralph Lauren Corporation’s annual meeting, but dodged any speculation that he might retire. After being reminded that he is 68, he joked, “Do you have to mention my age all the time?” and said, “My money is here, I keep it here. I hope to see you next year.” Snap. [WWD]

• Today in counterfeiting: Canada has awarded Louis Vuitton Malletier $933,989 — the largest such payout in the country’s history — after a four-year legal battle with a group of Vancouver shop owners who sold fake luxury goods. [WWD]

• The iconic September 1994 cover of Harper’s Bazaar — a striking shot of a cat-eyed Nadja Auermann photographed by Patrick Demarchelier — has been “reimagined” for the September W, with Kate Hudson shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot. [Fashionologie]

• Phillips de Pury & Co. will hold an auction titled Hip Hop’s Crown Jewels this October, in which 50 iconic pieces of pure bling — worn by the likes of Diddy, Kanye, and the Notorious B.I.G. — will be up for grabs. [Fashion Week Daily]

• Diesel opened an 18,000-square-foot, four-story megastore in São Paulo, Brazil, its largest retail space in the world. Back here in humble NYC, meanwhile, the store delivered Pop Burgers to art lovers checking out their new mural in Chelsea. [WWD, Racked]

• Emporio Armani opened doors on a three-story retail space in Moscow, which houses all three of the label’s lines and a 48-seat Emporio Armani Caffè. A double espresso makes swiping the plastic that much more adrenaline-charged. [British Vogue]

• Bruce Hulse, the former Calvin Klein model who kissed-and-told everything about his romances with Elle Macpherson, Andie MacDowell, and Paulina Porizkova in his memoir, Sex, Love and Fashion: A Memoir of a Male Model, is now feeling remorseful. “All of a sudden I am the bad guy who is revealing bedroom secrets. I thought it was a really interesting life journal.” [British Vogue]

• Remember those extremely vintage Levi’s from the 1890s that were being auctioned on eBay? On July 29, they were going for a little under ten grand. On July 30, the auction closed — the jeans sold for a whopping $36,099 to someone named vintboy1. [WWD]

• On supermodels and who is or isn’t one: Lydia Hearst admits to “mudslinging” and Paris Hilton comparisons, but she offers this: “Remember, I am a supermodel … and she is a celebrity. There’s no comparison.” [NYP]

• Three “time warp wives” in the U.K. think life was so much better in the thirties, forties, and fifties that they’ve re-created their own fantasy worlds where they exclusively wear period clothing and make their homes “perfect” for their husbands. Anyone for tea and cakes? [Daily Mail]

Ralph Lauren Dodges Retirement Speculation; LVMH Gets Record Counterfeiting Payout