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Tuesday’s haute couture shows felt more flashy than in previous seasons perhaps owing to confidence after some fashion houses revealed rising sales figures during last year.

The Giorgio Armani Prive show was a glitzy affair and judging by its profits, it can afford to be: sales rose 50 percent in 2011 despite the sluggish economy.

Sitting on the front row of the Italian designer’s show, US Vogue Editor Anna Wintour quipped: “Doesn’t couture always buck the trend?”

French mega-brand Chanel would certainly agree, billing its own couture show as the biggest spectacle yet. Inside a reconstructed jumbo jet, guests including many from Asia were treated to a showy presentation.

Another of the day’s big collections came from Givenchy, direct from the universe of its imaginative designer Riccardo Tisci, who led revellers around a curious and luxurious exhibition-like collection.

Under Tisci, the French brand has also seen success in the past 12 months, reporting year on year profits of 5 percent.

Haute couture is an artisan-based method of making clothes that dates back over 150 years. The garments, shown in collections in Paris twice a year, are bought by a core group of no more than 100 rich women around the world. Creations range in price from euro15,wholesale Louis Vuitton belts,000 to over euro100,000 for wedding dresses.

CHANEL

It was blue-sky thinking for Karl Lagerfeld, as he treated guests to a jet-set experience in Chanel’s spring-summer collection.

The wet Paris morning failed to dampen the mood outside the imperial Grand Palais, as guests waited excitedly to see the inside theme always a closely-guarded secret. The “Cocos” as one fashionista called Chanel followers were led nervously down a space-age passage.

There were gasps as they reached the catwalk: a life-size jumbo-jet reconstructed complete with luggage lockers, walkways and even a Champagne trolley.

On the runway, signature Chanel skirt-suits were given a retro flight attendant makeover with wide bateau collars in pastel colors.

It was as if stiff-suited Karl Lagerfeld had finally decided to relax into the flight as soft, floaty floor-length silhouettes replaced last season’s more fitted, shorter and architectural look.

Speaking backstage in the reconstructed cockpit, Lagerfeld said that blue was used because it’s an optimistic color.

Revolutionary the show was not, but the Chanel brand is definitely flying steady with reason to be excited about the future. A strong clientele, and robust business mean that like other couture-producing labels, they are bucking the downtrend in a gloomy financial climate.

GIORGIO ARMANI PRIVE

Giorgio Armani proved once again that his Armani Prive collection is one of the sexiest tickets in town.

A noisy media scrum was triggered Tuesday when actresses Cameron Diaz and Jessica Chastain took their seats, delaying the start of the show.

A black-and-green jacquard silk bustier and ample skirt shimmered with a bodice of black micro-sequins. A flared bustier dress teemed with tiny sequins like green snowflakes.

“I love the green look, so stylish and so elegant with the embroiderings,” said Chastain, star of “The Help,” which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture on Tuesday.

The last of Armani’s 44 pieces got whoops from spectators: a stunning but restrictive mermaid dress with flounces embroidered with green degrade crystals. The model-cum-siren struggled to get one foot in front of the other, stumbling at one point.

Apparently no one told her that mermaids aren’t supposed to walk.

STEPHANE ROLLAND

A strict palette of red, lime green, black and ivory, and fabric in its purest form, met the fashion set for French designer Stephane Rolland’s highly-sculptural offering.

Inspired by the work of kinetic artist Michel Deverne, Rolland’s rich floor-sweeping gowns were kept ultra-simple to show off the movement of the materials.

Clean silhouettes, combined with sweeping waist appendages and expert draping, were broken up only by the odd shiny breastplate or waistband in gold metal.

But you couldn’t help but feel that Rolland fell short of the mark. His aim was crystal clear: displaying the natural beauty of fabrics such as silk jersey, gazar and organza that often are embroidered to death in couture. However, the collection suffered from its simplicity and became a bit repetitive.

For the finale piece Rolland’s muse-of-the-day, former supermodel Yasmin Le Bon looked uncomfortable walking in a humongous red silk jersey ball gown with assorted lacquered metal appliques. She had a right to be nervous: weighing in at 50 kilos (110 pounds) and 45 meters (147.5 feet) of fabric at its longest point, the train had to be carried by two assistants.

GIVENCHY

Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci opened the doors of his cabinet of curiosity on Tuesday, in what was surely the most imaginative fashion presentation in Paris’s haute couture week.

Giant art-deco crystal earrings were shown alongside studded leather jackets and 1930s nubuck crocodile skin dresses.

Pieces were presented on mannequins in 18th century showrooms, just like the historic artifacts in the Louvre museum a stone’s throw from the Givenchy salons in central Paris.

The fashion crowd so used to the frenetic catwalk relished the opportunity to study the pieces.

It was a Riccardo Tisci of contradictions, mixing up high and low fashion. A black crocodile biker jacket with embellishments sat on top of intricately beaded organza.

A scooped-front jewelled cocktail dress channeled the 1930s, but was mixed with a dark sporty undergarment.

One floor-length dress looked conventional enough, until it was opened to reveal studs all over the inside. It has apparently become the most-wanted piece of the collection.

Wednesday’s haute couture shows include collections from Elie Saab, Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino.

Putin is hoping his two-day visit will help broaden trade with China, which he expects to grow to $200 billion in 2020 from $59.3 billion last year.

“Our talks a taking place in a business-like atmosphere, with the mutual desire to find compromise on difficult questions which inevitably arise given the sheer volume of our relationship,” Putin told Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of People, a cavernous official building in central Beijing.

Russia and China joined forces last week to veto a European-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its bloody crackdown on protesters.

Putin has brought an army of Russian executives including the CEOs of state-controlled energy firms Gazprom and Rosneft and aluminum producer UC RUSAL, all eager to exchange their wares for Chinese cash.

Wednesday, Putin will meet Chinese President Hu Jintao.

(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley and Sui-Lee Wee, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)

BEIJING (Reuters) Russia said Tuesday it was close to the final stage of a huge gas supply deal with China, in what would be a landmark trade agreement between the long-wary neighbors.

Russian state bank VEB and the China Development Bank (CDB) signed a deal for the Chinese bank to invest $1.5 billion in building the first stage of UC RUSAL’s 750,000-tonne Taishet aluminum smelter.

China’s Xinhua state news agency praised Putin’s visit as one that “will mark ever-deepening China-Russia cooperation.” But the two giant neighbors have so far failed to seal a huge gas deal that has been negotiated for five years.

“Those who sell always want to sell at a higher price, while those who buy, want to buy at a lower price. We need to reach a compromise which will satisfy both sides,” said Putin, who did not directly mention the gas issue.

As well, the China Investment Corp agreed to invest $1 billion in a joint Russia-China Investment Fund set up in partnership with a Russian state-backed vehicle to promote direct investment.

A senior Russian official had said before Putin’s arrival that Moscow did not expect a breakthrough in the gas talks.

But the two neighbors have found common ground in opposing what both see as excessive meddling and pressure on the international stage by the United States and its allies.

A deal to supply the world’s second biggest economy with up to 68 billion cubic meters of Russian gas a year over 30 years has long been delayed over pricing disagreements.

Putin had earlier appeared to suggest that more give-and-take was needed before the gas could begin flowing.

The tortuous gas negotiations have been a reminder that, despite frequent professions of brotherly goodwill between Moscow and Beijing, relations are held back by mutual distrust, especially on the Russian side, extending back to the Cold War, when border disputes almost erupted in full-fledged war.

Sechin also that the two sides had resolved their differences over China’s debts for Russian oil exports.

“As far as the as the economy and trade are concerned, issues of practical nature are being resolved, and this is good,” Putin added in remarks made at the start of his talks with Wen that reporters were allowed to see.

“We are nearing the final stage of work on gas supplies,” Putin said during a visit to Beijing,” said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, on his first overseas trip since announcing he was ready to reclaim the Russian presidency.

Earlier, his Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said that there had been “significant” progress in the gas talks with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan.

The company, along with its Internet Movie Database, asked a federal judge last week to dismiss the million-dollar complaint brought by the woman, who identified herself only as Jane Doe, a Texas resident of Asian descent.

She argued that she never consented to having the personal information she provided used for anything but the commercial transaction. IMDb refused to remove the reference to the woman’s age from her profile when asked, the lawsuit said.

“Plaintiff’s attempt to manipulate the federal court system so she can censor IMDb.com’s display of her birthdate and pretend to the world that she is not 40 years old is selfish, contrary to the public interest and a frivolous abuse of this court’s resources,” they wrote.

“Even if IMDb.com used plaintiff’s name, address or zip code from her credit card subscription to locate her birthdate, such use is consistent with the subscriber agreement and privacy policy,” they wrote.

The case prompted discussions about ageism in Hollywood as well as rampant online speculation about who the actress might be. But in its two motions to dismiss the case, Amazon and IMDb argued that it’s about something else: “the perpetration of fraud.”

The actress is seeking $1 million or more in punitive damages as well as $75,000 or more in compensatory damages. She accuses Amazon and IMDb of breach of contract, fraud and violation of privacy and consumer protection laws.

The woman claimed that soon after she signed up for a subscription service called IMDb Pro, her birthdate appeared on her profile on the database and her offers for roles dropped sharply. She alleged that Amazon and IMDb had used her credit card information to glean her birthdate, which she had always tried to keep a secret because she looks so much younger than she is.

IMDb agreed that it had refused to remove her birthdate and noted in asking the judge to dismiss the case that the actress had also requested that the company falsify her age on the website.

SEATTLE Frivolous and selfish is how lawyers for Amazon.com describe a lawsuit brought by an actress upset that her advanced age 40 was revealed on an Internet database.

The actress claimed that she had always been careful about keeping her given name and birthdate confidential. As an unknown, she used an Americanized stage name in 2003 when she first listed herself on imdb.com, a listing which she said brought her several jobs, and her real name was not publicly known, she said.

“If one is perceived to be `over-the-hill,’ i.e., approaching 40, it is nearly impossible for an up-and-coming actress, such as the plaintiff, to get work as she is thought to have less of an `upside,’” her claim said.

The Grammy-winning rapper and actor says the Feb. 12 broadcast is “gonna be a great night” and says his hosting duties are a dream come true.

The Recording Academy has already named some performers the Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and Jason Aldean.

While it will be LL Cool J’s first time hosting the Grammys. He has hosted the live Grammy nominations concert since it began in 2008.

The Grammys will be broadcast on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The rap legend is a star on the network’s “NCIS: Los Angeles.”

The Recording Academy seems to have a thing for rappers-turned-actors. The last host of the Grammys was Queen Latifah.

___

Online:

http://www.grammy.com

Stocks have traded in line with the euro over the autumn, with both experiencing sharp swings on headlines from the euro zone.

That trend may be changing, and it comes just as investors get their first glimpse at fourth-quarter U.S. earnings.

Aluminum company Alcoa (AA.N) is expected to report Monday after the closing bell, unofficially starting the reporting period for U.S. corporations. JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) is due to report on Friday, but the bulk of Standard & Poor’s 500 (.SPX) earnings will come in the weeks ahead.

“I think this month we’re probably going to break away and see the pattern of U.S. market trade on U.S. fundamentals rather than in reaction to the euro movement,” said Fred Dickson, chief market strategist, D.A. Davidson & Co. in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

“I think we’re in a time-out period for that (dollar) carry trade, and it will stay a time out for a while.”

The correlation between S&P 500 E-mini futures and the euro, which moved in near lockstep in the fall, has receded. A 22-day moving average of the correlation shows almost no relation between the movements of the two assets.

While the corporate results will be searched for evidence of the European crisis’ impact on overseas sales, they should also bring back more of a focus on what’s happening in the United States, where the economy has been northward bound.

Friday’s U.S. jobs reports was the latest data to suggest the recovery is gathering momentum, with non-farm payrolls rising in December and the jobless rate dropping to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent.

S&P 500 fourth-quarter earnings are expected to have risen 7.8 percent from a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data. But that number is down from a July 1 forecast for growth of 17.6 percent in the quarter.

“We’re going to need good, strong positive news on earnings to lift all three of the market averages out of their trading ranges,” Dickson said. “They’re bumping into some overhead resistance, and it’s going to take fundamental news to do it.”

The S&P 500 ended virtually unchanged for 2011, even though most strategists had expected gains for the year.

The index has been unable to pierce through 1,285, the closing high set in late October.

Stocks ended with gains for the first trading week of the year, as the mostly upbeat U.S. economic data offset lingering worries about the euro zone. The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 1.2 percent for the week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 (.SPX) was up 1.6 percent and the Nasdaq (.IXIC) was up 2.7 percent.

Next week’s economic calendar includes data on U.S. retail sales and consumer sentiment.

Even with a focus on earnings, investors will be watching Italian and Spanish government bond sales next week.

Both are seen as the year’s first big funding tests for struggling euro zone countries. Italy is to pay out 100 billion euros in bond coupons and redemptions in the first four months of 2012.

“Ultimately, the market is still progressing towards a test of the (European Central Bank’s) reluctance to be a lender of last resort. I don’t know that the test will get that far, but I think it will,” said David Joy, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Boston,wholesale Ed hardy underwear, where he helps oversee $571 billion in assets under management.

On the earnings front, while all 10 S&P 500 sectors have seen profit estimates cut since July, materials and financials have been the hardest hit. Based on a July forecast, the financial sector was expected to show year-over-year growth of 36.6 percent in the fourth quarter, but the latest forecast is for growth of just 10.1 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Natalie Trunow, chief investment officer of equities at Calvert Investment Management in Bethesda, Maryland, which manages about $13 billion, said she has been overweight U.S. equities since the autumn and is considering shifting money into some smaller and midcap names.

“Additional positive momentum in the U.S. can offset additional negative momentum in Europe in terms of earnings impact on U.S. companies,” she said.

“Net net it might spell somewhat better relative performance for U.S. small and midcaps versus the large caps,” she said. “Large caps may give up some of their leadership this year as the U.S. economy continues to gain momentum and small caps start to benefit from that acceleration.”

(Reporting By Caroline Valetkevitch; additional reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Stocks have traded in line with the euro over the autumn, with both experiencing sharp swings on headlines from the euro zone.

That trend may be changing, and it comes just as investors get their first glimpse at fourth-quarter U.S. earnings.

Aluminum company Alcoa (AA.N) is expected to report Monday after the closing bell, unofficially starting the reporting period for U.S. corporations. JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) is due to report on Friday, but the bulk of Standard & Poor’s 500 (.SPX) earnings will come in the weeks ahead.

“I think this month we’re probably going to break away and see the pattern of U.S. market trade on U.S. fundamentals rather than in reaction to the euro movement,” said Fred Dickson, chief market strategist, D.A. Davidson & Co. in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

“I think we’re in a time-out period for that (dollar) carry trade, and it will stay a time out for a while.”

The correlation between S&P 500 E-mini futures and the euro, which moved in near lockstep in the fall, has receded. A 22-day moving average of the correlation shows almost no relation between the movements of the two assets.

While the corporate results will be searched for evidence of the European crisis’ impact on overseas sales, they should also bring back more of a focus on what’s happening in the United States, where the economy has been northward bound.

Friday’s U.S. jobs reports was the latest data to suggest the recovery is gathering momentum, with non-farm payrolls rising in December and the jobless rate dropping to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent.

S&P 500 fourth-quarter earnings are expected to have risen 7.8 percent from a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data. But that number is down from a July 1 forecast for growth of 17.6 percent in the quarter.

“We’re going to need good,Cheap Juicy Couture, strong positive news on earnings to lift all three of the market averages out of their trading ranges,” Dickson said. “They’re bumping into some overhead resistance, and it’s going to take fundamental news to do it.”

The S&P 500 ended virtually unchanged for 2011, even though most strategists had expected gains for the year.

The index has been unable to pierce through 1,285, the closing high set in late October.

Stocks ended with gains for the first trading week of the year, as the mostly upbeat U.S. economic data offset lingering worries about the euro zone. The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was up 1.2 percent for the week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 (.SPX) was up 1.6 percent and the Nasdaq (.IXIC) was up 2.7 percent.

Next week’s economic calendar includes data on U.S. retail sales and consumer sentiment.

Even with a focus on earnings, investors will be watching Italian and Spanish government bond sales next week.

Both are seen as the year’s first big funding tests for struggling euro zone countries. Italy is to pay out 100 billion euros in bond coupons and redemptions in the first four months of 2012.

“Ultimately, the market is still progressing towards a test of the (European Central Bank’s) reluctance to be a lender of last resort. I don’t know that the test will get that far, but I think it will,” said David Joy, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Boston, where he helps oversee $571 billion in assets under management.

On the earnings front, while all 10 S&P 500 sectors have seen profit estimates cut since July, materials and financials have been the hardest hit. Based on a July forecast, the financial sector was expected to show year-over-year growth of 36.6 percent in the fourth quarter, but the latest forecast is for growth of just 10.1 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Natalie Trunow, chief investment officer of equities at Calvert Investment Management in Bethesda, Maryland, which manages about $13 billion, said she has been overweight U.S. equities since the autumn and is considering shifting money into some smaller and midcap names.

“Additional positive momentum in the U.S. can offset additional negative momentum in Europe in terms of earnings impact on U.S. companies,” she said.

“Net net it might spell somewhat better relative performance for U.S. small and midcaps versus the large caps,” she said. “Large caps may give up some of their leadership this year as the U.S. economy continues to gain momentum and small caps start to benefit from that acceleration.”

(Reporting By Caroline Valetkevitch; additional reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

From her multiple facial piercings and choppy, jet black hair to her ripped tees and work boots held together with duct tape, Lisbeth’s look is not only unconventional, some might find it off-putting.

“We always wanted her clothes to sort of repel people and be a means of keeping people away,” said actress Rooney Mara at the film’s New York premiere Wednesday, a day before nabbing a Golden Globe nod for the role.

Yet huge Swedish retailer H&M saw an opportunity in sprucing up Lisbeth’s style and making it safer for the masses.

The Dragon Tattoo Collection, created by costume designer Trish Summerville,Cheap Ed hardy t-shirts, features faux-leather coats, biker pants, shredded tees and dark denim miniskirts.

“There’s different key pieces that I took out of her wardrobe that she wears in the film and we kind of changed the silhouette a little bit, changed the fabrication, cleaned the pieces up,” explained Summerville in a recent interview.

The collection ranges from $3.95 for swirly, spiked earrings to $199 for a fitted black leather coat. There also are studded belts, slouchy canvas bags and black boots distressed just enough to reveal a grey under layer.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig, hits theaters Dec. 21

—-

Online:

http://www.hm.com/us/dragon-tattoo

http://www.dragontattoo.com

—-

Nicole Evatt covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NicoleEvatt

The settlement with the town of South Hadley and its school department was reached more than a year ago, but the details were kept under wraps until a journalist won a court order for the release of the information.

The documents show that Prince’s parents settled claims against the town and its school department for $225,000. In return, the parents promised to release the plaintiffs from any further claims.

The documents were released by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which represented Slate reporter Emily Bazelon in her bid to for the disclosure of the settlement.

“This is a victory for the public’s right to know and for transparency in government,” said Bill Newman, an attorney with the ACLU’s legal office in western Massachusetts.

Prince hanged herself in January 2010 after classmates taunted her after she dated a popular boy. She had recently moved from Ireland to South Hadley, a rural town about 100 miles west of Boston.

Five students later accepted plea deals in criminal cases connected with bullying that preceded her death. None involved prison time.

Prince’s death drew international attention and was among several high-profile teen suicides that prompted new laws aimed at cracking down on bullying in schools. All school districts in Massachusetts are now required to develop bullying prevention plans.

After unsuccessful attempts to gain access to details of the settlement,wholesale Ed hardy jeans, which was reached with the town and its insurer in November 2010, Bazelon sought a court order to release the information under the state’s public records law.

In an order dated Dec. 23, Superior Court Judge Mary Lou-Rup ruled in favor of Bazelon, saying the town had not shown what harm would be caused by disclosure of the settlement. The judge noted that the Prince family had not registered an objection to releasing the details.

Edward Ryan, lawyer for the town, did not immediately return an after-hours call Tuesday seeking comment.

Ryan had argued in court that the settlement was not a public document and that all parties involved had agreed to keep it confidential.