The Mulberry Renaissance?

While we all enjoyed  Cara´s enchanted forest themed Mulberry handbag presentation at February's London Fashion Week, we were all left wondering: what about the rest of it? Who would replace creative director Emma Hill, who had been in the role for six years before leaving in September 2013? What about the ready-to-wear collection? Essentially: what's going on?

While there was still no light to be shed on the creative director gig at this morning's unveiling of the pre-spring/summer 2015 collection, over at Mulberry HQ (other than that there will be no catwalk show at LFW until they have one), there were a few shards cast on the overall direction of the brand - something which had been seen to be floundering over the last two years with Bruno Guillon as CEO. The former managing director of Hermes exited Mulberry in March this year,before which he had streamlined the label's quintessential fun factor, prices were raised and fashion week parties were no more.

But fun and charm look set to be back on the agenda for the interim. "Mulberry's girl is in a carefree upbeat mood, wafting her way through an English country garden," reads a quote issued by the brand, reiterating that she is "as carefree as can be".

Mulberry

Inspired by Kew Gardens, the whole design team upped sticks from the office and spent the day sketching and photographing, taking their influences from the structural engineering of the Victorian glasshouse, the foliage and botanicals. "In the absence of a creative director, we wanted to keep it really British," explained head of womenswear Francis Stringer this morning, as she talked us through the range. It features pretty shirtdresses, subtle Seventies references, shades of camomile yellow and woven latticework to contrast with floral jacquards for jackets and dresses.

But it's fair to say that the accessories do most of the talking here - not least because they come in punchy pink and orange, blue and green shades that can't help but catch and then hold hostage the eye. Among the line-up is a the new Blossom tote, punctuated with the Mulberry motif at its centre; the brand new Darcie, a little box style inspired by camera bags; the Alice and Dorothy bag families, which riff on the satchel; as well as an update on the Cara bag.

Could You Walk For Karl?

There will be at least one new model face on the Chanel catwalk this season, thanks to a new Ford Models contest entitled #walkwithkarl.

The chosen girl will walk not only for Chanel but also for Fendi, and will receive a contract with Ford. In addition to the catwalk turns, the model will be photographed by Lagerfeld - for a shoot inV - before heading to Milan and Paris.

Walk With Karl

Hopefuls can upload pictures and their statistics online and are then invited to hashtag their selfies with #walkwithkarl so that everyone knows you've put yourself in the running. Visit Scouting.fordmodels.com/V for more information and to enter. The competition closes September 1.

The Man Behind Orlebar Brown

Most of you will have seen Orlebar Brown´s distinctive floral menswear shorts on the beach or boat deck, but the brand's women's ready-to-wear is approaching only its second summer in the sun.

Understated and - imperatively - easy to slip on, the new collection has the functionality of the menswear range (waist clips and towelling fabrics) and a laid-back design sensibility, resulting in a tight edit of beach-to-bar staples - exactly what founder Adam Brown was aiming to achieve.

"It all started back in 2007 when I was on holiday with friends in Rajasthan, I looked around the pool and the women looked great but the men didn't. They were just there in the usual board shorts and boxer shorts, nothing you could wear to lunch afterwards," Brown recalled. "I can remember thinking how silly it was that men had to change for lunch, which is when I came up with the idea of a short that you can swim in, but not a swim short. Personally I don't like packing or like bringing a big bag to the beach - I like to take off into town for a beer, so it had to be practical."

Having no experience in fashion design didn't put him off though (at the time he was flitting between voluntary charity work and freelance photography). Following a three-day business course and a one-week drawing course at Central Saint Martins, the Orlebar Brown label was launched.

"It was really hands-on - a true start-up. I was standing in the queue of the post office in Earls Court a lot to start with," Brown said. "Then we took it from the beach to the resort in 2010 with ready-to-wear and created a full lifestyle collection based around travel. It was important that everything had the same dual purpose though."

Orlebar Brown

Womenswear, however, faced different challenges to the men. "Men shop in a different way to women. When men find a style to suit them, they buy three or four pairs, whereas women are more trend driven and focused on the shape that suits them," he says, before adding, "but she is a lot more vocal about giving feedback - be it good or bad - so we've been able to hone it!"

So, can he sit back a little now that queuing at the post office is no longer necessary? "No, I'm one of those really annoying, horribly involved people - especially around the clothes," he laughed. "I want to concentrate on giving a clear, simple message rather than dilute it too quickly by losing its focus."

As the proud founder of one of the most sought-after logos around, and with a new flagship about to open on London's salubrious Westbourne Grove, focus is one thing Brown clearly doesn't lack.

The Miss Vogue Fashion Fortune Cookie

How do you decide what to wear in the morning? Our new Miss Vogue Fashion Fortune Cookie takes the work out of daily style decisions in a second.

Just type in your name and birthday and hit enter for tailored sartorial inspiration (with a few tips from the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Audrey Hepburn thrown in). Whether it's first thing in the morning when - when, let's be honest, we all need a boost - or as a little fashion pick-me-up throughout the day, the #FFC has all the answers for you.

Fashion Fortune Cookie

"The Fashion Fortune Cookie is a little reminder every day of what fashion contributes to life: fun, style, humour and beauty," said Dolly Jones, editor of Vogue.co.uk. "We've so enjoyed creating it - I hope our users will love it as much as we do."

Sponsored by Chanel Chance, the Fashion Fortune Cookie debuts today and will be brought to life at Chanel's Butterfly Garden event at Selfridges, London, on June 12th.

Has Karl Copied New Balance?

Karl Lagerfeld  is being sued by trainer company New Balance. A lawsuit, obtained by American entertainment site TMZ, details New Balance's complaint, describing the shoe that it says is causing "confusion" for consumers.

New Balance claims that Lagerfeld has used a block capital "K" in place of its famous "N" logo on a pair of trainers from his eponymous line, but that otherwise the shoes are the same.

Karl Vs New Balance

The sports-shoe brand asserts that it has been using the logo since the Seventies, and cites fashion articles - including one entitled: ´Wait, did Karl Lagerfeld just knock off New Balance sneakers?´ - as evidence that the copyright infringement has taken place.

Vuitton Recruits Lagerfeld

Louis Vuitton has recruited Karl Lagerfeld to design for the label, but Nicolas Ghesquiere has nothing to worry about. The Chanel helmer has been asked by Vuitton's executive vice president, Delphine Arnault, to give his interpretation of the signature LV monogram for a series of bags to celebrate the label's 160th anniversary.

Designers  Marc Newson, Christian Louboutin and Rei Kawakubo, photographer Cindy Sherman, and architect Frank Gehry are also taking part in the collaborative project - called The Icon and the Iconoclasts - and, as the bags will only be available for a matter of months, they will no doubt be in high demand.

Vuitton´s Special Guests

"We have assembled an amazing group of talents - geniuses, I would say. Each one is among the best in his or her field," Arnault told WWD. "The monogram is at the centre of our house, so we celebrate it every day. But we thought this project was really special because the personalities we chose are fascinating and diverse."

Priced between €2,000 to €4,000, the bags will be available in mid-October.

"This is a very interesting territory - to have collaborations with exceptional, creative minds," Arnault continued. "It's a really fun project. It's done with a lot of humour."

Why Cavalli Is Fashion's Most Wanted Man

It turns out that it's not Prince Harry or even Ryan Gosling who's the world's most wanted man: Roberto Cavalli has got everyone swooning. Numerous investors - who are reportedly calling the Italian designer "on a daily basis" - are fighting one another to be chosen by Cavalli as his partner.

Discussions with Permira, thought to be the front runner,are said to have hit a bump, so several others are circling in the hopes of grabbing a piece of the flamboyant designer's eponymous company. Swiss watchmaker Franck Muller is leading a group of investors,Bloomberg reports, while  WWD asserts that Bahrain-based investment company Qatar Holding is also flirting with the idea of snaring the Italian.

Cavalli

All the courtship may be in vain, however, as Cavalli has reportedly not even decided whether to sell a stake in his brand, let alone who to sell it to. The designer almost sold 30 per cent of the company in 2009, but the deal fell through despite protracted discussions, a collapse that was thought to have hinged on the price.