The Heist in Cannes, The Plan For Fashion's Night Out
• A notorious group of "gem raiders" hit the Cartier in Cannes yesterday and made off with more than $20 million in merchandise. What probably should have been a tip-off that something was amiss: the robbers were all clad in Hawaiian shirts. [Telegraph, Sun]
• Balmain may be getting into the handbag biz. [WWD]
• Big things are planned for Fashion's Night Out, the extravaganza that takes place this September and is designed to get people shopping again. Anna Wintour's brainchild will "involve a cornucopia of in-store events, from parties to personal appearances by designers and celebrities, live music, fashion shows, freebies, charity tie-ins, and extended shopping hours." [WWD]
• Ron Lauder has stepped down from Estee Lauder's board of directors. His daughter, Jane, who heads up the Origins brand, will succeed him. [FWD]
• Alanis Morissette has a line of jeans? Who knew? [Nylon, Cut]
• Fashion tips courtesy of Vivienne Westwood. [Grazia]
• The clearest evidence yet that we really are winning hearts and minds in Iraq: Instead of tending to disfigured war victims, Iraqi plastic surgeons report that they're busy giving out Botox injections and performing nose jobs. [LAT]