NEW YORK (AP) ― In Michigan, you’re expected to leave snowy boots in the mudroom before going inside. In Alaska, boots are taken off in “Arctic entries.’’ In Japan, Thailand and many other countries, you wouldn’t dream of entering a home with your shoes on, regardless of the season.But removing shoes before coming inside has not been the norm in much of the U.S.These days, however, city dwellers and suburbanites from New York to Los Angeles often find that hosts expect footwear to be left at the

SAO PAULO (AFP) ― Classic, simple or bold, made of exotic leather or colored plastic, Brazil’s shoe industry, already the world’s third largest, wants to go even bigger.In a country with more than 200 million people and a growing middle class ― with plenty of access to credit ― Brazil’s shoemakers control the vast domestic market. But now they want to spread beyond the borders of the emerging power.Their wares are much in evidence this week at the Sao Paulo fashion show, the largest in Latin Ame

PARIS (AFP) ― Global fashion giant Louis Vuitton announced Monday the arrival of Nicolas Ghesquiere as its new women’s design director, taking over from iconic U.S. designer Marc Jacobs.Ghesquiere, former director at Balenciaga, had been widely touted as a possible successor to Jacobs, who left last month after 16 years at the Parisian luxury brand.Under Jacobs’ stewardship, Louis Vuitton became one of the most sought-after luxury brands, particularly in the lucrative Asian market, with “Vuitton

PARIS (AP) ― As maids swept away dust from steps that led into a set in mourning, it was clear that the Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris on Wednesday was a spring-summer collection in name only.There was a dark fountain and a nightmarish carousel featuring inky, surreal-looking horses. There was a twin escalator and a luxury hotel elevator. And there was the universe of clothes in all-black.The decor was like a greatest hits collection that fused elements of past shows with the present one, t

French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton says Marc Jacobs is stepping down as creative director of its flagship brand Louis Vuitton.Jacobs, who is also the director of an eponymous brand, is one of the biggest names in the fashion industry. Under his tenure, Louis Vuitton became the most lucrative fashion house in the world, in part thanks to his creation of a ready-to-wear line.He held Wednesday what will likely be his last show at the head of Louis Vuitton.LVMH, which owns t

PARIS (AFP) ― Dior designer Raf Simons on Friday conjured up a tropical hanging garden as the backdrop for his spring/summer 2014 collection, as Paris fashion week reached its half-way point.The vast flower-filled set was described by Dior as the “experimental habitat of the new flower woman ... an ordering of the artificial and real ... the manmade and artificial.”Looped, pleated lantern dresses stood out and were according to the fashion house the only designs to have been inspired by the Dior

Korean-owned clothing companies in Los Angeles are exploring ways to set up factories in the Gaeseong industrial complex in North Korea, Radio Free Asia reported Thursday. The Korean Apparel Manufacturer Association, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, said that despite U.S. sanctions against North Korea, Gaeseong industrial complex was a better option than other candidates such as Vietnam, China and Cambodia. The group plans to find ways to enter Gaeseong, which was reopened on Sept. 16,

MILAN (AP) ― The Milan masters displayed their customary discipline, but it was the fresh perspectives of up-and-coming young designers that energized this round of Milan Fashion Week: Uma Wang’s hauntingly fresh looks, Fausto Puglisi’s vibrant edgy couture and Marco de Vincenzo’s romantic optical illusions. Milan designers ― fierce defenders of their own creative independence ― are finding common cause in backing newcomers: fresh energy also is good for the collective. Giorgio Armani lent his s