>> If our sporty-chic Friday left you wanting more, peep our roundup of the best casual kicks for the warmer weather ahead of us. There's something for everyone — Maison Martin Margiela high tops for the ultimate sneaker head, Marc by Marc Jacobs sneaker wedges for those who prefer the extra height, pale pink Converse Jack Purcell canvas kicks . . . More Spring-perfect sporty footwear in the slideshow.
>> Miu Miu is launching its first e-commerce store simultaneously for the US, Japan and 17 European countries on April 6, with the brand's full collections on offer. The site will also include, according to WWD, a "'fashion show selection' offering exclusive key looks from Miu Miu’s Paris runway, a top zoom function that helps simulate a live shopping experience, and a newsletter for special online-only products, events and brand initiatives."
Meanwhile, in Miu Miu stores worldwide, the brand just launched colorful miniature clip-on charms of its iconic bags — as seen in the gallery — which retail for $380.
>> Erdem Moralioglu, who dropped by Saks Fifth Avenue in New York yesterday for a trunk show, was evasive when asked whether he was Kate Middleton's wedding dress designer: "I mean, any mention like that is just a huge compliment. It’s so flattering! I will say that Kate is very beautiful . . . " He also sounds like he's not ready to take on a mass collaboration anytime soon : "It’s come up so many times, but I’m just too focused on my own collection at this point. It takes up all my time! But in the future, down the line . . . who knows?" One thing he will be doing soon — while he's in New York? Going to J.Crew. "I love J.Crew, we don't have [it] in the UK." [Fashionista, StyleList]
>> A former Marc Jacobs executive filed a sex discrimination lawsuit earlier this week against Robert Duffy, Marc Jacobs International, and LVMH. Jacobs himself was not named in the suit.
The plaintiff, Patrice Lataillade, who was CFO and COO of Marc Jacobs International until his dismissal last September, alleges that Duffy “uses company funds for personal expenses and does not censor what he does or says.” The suit also gives examples of "Duffy's conduct which created a hostile work environment," including "his displaying [of] gay pornography in the office and requiring employees to look at it; his production and dissemination of a book which included photos of MJI staff in sexual positions or nude; [and] his requirement that an MJI store employee perform a pole dance for him."
Lataillade, who had worked at LVMH since May 1996 (and joined MJI in 2002), said in court papers that he complained of Duffy's behavior to MJI executives and the LVMH general counsel, but nothing was done. Other employees had also complained, the suit says, but a woman was told she needed a "thicker skin" and a man was instructed to "go home early and have a drink." Lataillade was fired "within less than a week" after his lawyers sent an email to the CEO of MJI and the LVMH general counsel regarding the "legal situation," and he alleges that he was “fired in retaliation for objecting to a discriminatory environment offensive to him.”
A Jacobs spokeswoman called the claims "false": "Patrice Lataillade was terminated as CFO and COO of [Marc Jacobs International] for serious matters unrelated to the allegations made in the complaint." And an LVMH spokeswoman said similarly: “The allegations contained in the complaint are false. Patrice Lataillade was terminated as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of MJI for serious matters unrelated to the allegations contained in the complaint. MJI, LVMH Inc. and Robert Duffy will vigorously defend the case in court.”
At the time of his discharge, Lataillade's compensation package was $1 million a year; he is seeking lost wages, compensatory and punitive damages, lawyer's fees, and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
