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As if a general strike weren't enough to snarl Paris traffic, a hoard of fashionistas brought it to a crawl as they turned out en masse for the City of Light's edition of Fashion's Night Out, a Champagne-drenched nocturnal shopping extravaganza.

Lanvin is one of the world's most exclusive fashion brands, with price tags to match, but now it is set to reach a much wider audience. The Parisian label will create a collection for the high street chain H&M which will go on sale on 23 November.

Twenty-nine years after she created Princess Diana's wedding dress, the designer Elizabeth Emanuel will finally show a collection at London Fashion Week.

The dream of eco-friendly, fashion is not wearing well. While high-profile new eco-clothing lines from the designer Katharine Hamnett and Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde may give the appearance that it is boom time for environmentally friendly fashion, stagnant sales figures are leading analysts to question whether there really is a market for sustainable style.

While fashion felons may find themselves regularly hauled up in front of the Style Council for their crimes, it isn't usually for a repeat offence. But William Hague's ill-judged flirtation with yet another baseball cap made for a sartorial trial, as pictures emerged of him wearing the accessory that famously lost him not only his street cred but also an election.

Love her or loathe her, Cheryl Cole is creating a lasting impression – on sales of hairspray.

He is the king of the hipsters; the eccentric fashion magnate behind a firm that turned skinny jeans and luminous Spandex into the uniform of the naughty noughties.

It's Andy Murray like you've never seen him before. Gone are the Wimbledon whites and in their place is a bullet-proof vest.

Routinely criticised as a dour, grumpy Scotsman, Andy Murray is determined has always proved his critics otherwise.

She is one of the country's most ubiquitous models. Her image adorns billboards, magazines and television screens – she has five TV commercials running at the moment. She appears in adverts for companies from Dolce & Gabana to Domestos and her credits include shoots with Kate Moss and Mario Testino.

The owner of the luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo is evaluating strategic options for the company, which could lead to a sale or a flotation.

The recovery in high-street spending showed worrying signs of faltering recently, but next month will see a bonanza for online fashion as two of the sector's heavyweights launch transactional websites.

Marc Jacobs is to become the first major fashion house to make a clothing line catering for women larger than size 14.

They are calling it "Sherlock chic", but there isn't a deerstalker hat or pipe in sight. Better known for his precise turn of phrase and uncanny powers of deduction, Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective is now a fashion icon, with top designers channelling his distinctive look and retailers reporting a flood of customers queuing to emulate the distinctive detective.

For some, it can be the unkindest cut: not everyone can carry off the close crop that throws cheekbones and jawlines mercilessly to the fore. But, increasingly, going gamine is the must-have look.

Breaking into an industry as cutthroat and fickle as the competitive world of fashion was never going to be easy but the rise to prominence of a young fashion design graduate from West Africa via East London shows that, with talent, a stroke of luck and a contact as highly placed as Nelson Mandela or Michelle Obama, anything is possible.

One of the UK's leading fashion chains warned today that prices may rise by as much as 8% next year due to higher costs and January's VAT hike.

The fashion industry isn't renowned for promoting a wide range of body shapes, but a decision by US department store Saks Fifth Avenue to stock plus-sized womenswear by top brands could hasten a change in attitudes.

Fashion editors normally make the headlines for their sharp tongues, whittled waists and dictatorial deskside habits, but the latest recruit at an American women's magazine has found herself in the spotlight because of the colour of her skin.

Chelsea's latest signing should see the club's stock soar, at least sartorially. The English champions have struck a deal with the Italian label Dolce & Gabbana to design official club suits and off-duty outfits for the players, along with suits for the coach and his staff. They have also redesigned an opulent space inside the stadium, calling it the "Dolce & Gabbana lounge".

The fashion brand Aquascutum is working with a debt advisory firm to raise capital to drive its turnaround, following its acquisition by the owner of Jaeger last September.

The clip-clop of new footwear trends usually heard marching on the high street as the autumn season approaches is being drowned out by the sturdy shuffle of a shoe designed not to turn heads but to cure bunions.

Millions follow, literally, in his footsteps. They even follow his advice on what to wear. But while Alfred Wainwright – the author of seven revered walking guides to the Lake District – was undoubtedly a fixture on the national landscape, fashion was never one of his strong points.

"The first gig I ever went to was David Bowie's Aladdin Sane concert in Blackburn in 1973; that was the moment in my youth when I realised I didn't want to do a normal job, I wanted to do something that didn't feel like work. I bought a yellow tank-top from a shop called Clobber the next day and got a haircut. The whole thing went together – music, fashion and style. Then I got into punk, which was a fashion movement before the music came along.

Looking on the bright side – literally – of his spectacularly horrible trousers, John Daly said, "the good thing is that if you get dressed in the dark, any shirt is going to match." Really John? Surely you mean that no shirt is going to match.