• Brian Burkhardt was crowned the first winner of Project Accessory. [HuffPo]
• A London-based capital firm is reportedly considering a bid on John Varvatos’s label. [NYP]
• Crystal Renn and Alana Zimmer star in a circus-themed editorial from Russian Vogue, with lots of the requisite creepy-looking clowns. [Models.com]
• Bridget Foley on the show season calendar snafu: “We all know that from a creative standpoint many shows — perhaps a full half of the New York schedule — have no reason to exist. That conversation tends to focus on younger types ‘not yet ready to show.’ But putting the onus for the overstuffed days on the upstarts is unfair; there are just as many established companies who show for no apparent reason other than the press they’ll get.” [WWD]
• Prince William and Kate Middleton won’t go skiing this Christmas — they feel taking the vacation would be a bad move in the midst of the current British recession. [Us]
• British designer Julien Macdonald will launch a bespoke line of made-to-measure clothes next year. [Elle UK]
• Saskia de Brauw covers the new issue of Madame Figaro. [Design Scene]
• Holiday retail sales are up, but so are returns. [HuffPo]
• Handbag designer Monica Botkier is looking for an investor to help grow her brand. [WWD]
• Lara Stone features in a new Mercedes Benz “Icons of Style” ad campaign. [FashionEtc]
