Payless ShoeSource, which calls itself "one of the largest footwear retailers in the western hemisphere," has been boosting its fashion cred by tapping designers such as Project Runway winner Christian Siriano, Isabel Toledo, Lela Rose and Silvia Tcherassi to create more stylish footwear for the discount shoe chain.

Few may realize that the retailer is a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc., a holding company with three business units: Payless, Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyles Group (PLG), and Collective Licensing International.

The Payless mission is to "democratize fashion and design in footwear and accessories and inspiring fun, fashion possibilities for the family at a great value." Its sister business unit, PLG, markets footwear and related products for children and adults under well-known brand names including Stride Rite, Sperry Top-Sider, Saucony, and Keds.

Collectively, the Collective Brands stable was worth a cool $1 billion in September, according to Morningstar estimates cited by Bloomberg. Naturally, such figures get Wall Street mavens excited.Continue reading...

Daily deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial did more than socialize online discount shopping — they began a seachange that has taken e-commerce in a new direction.

Combine the deals concept with the selectivity sophistication of such sites as Amazon and Netflix, mix in the power of celebrity brands, and you get online "shopping clubs" — the latest craze in the evolving world of personalized shopping.Continue reading...

* New York Fashion Week may be whetting appetites (and chopping trees) for Spring/Summer 2011, but back on earth, Kmart's busy wooing fashionistas for fall, above.

* The Kardashians are also in NYC this week pitching their K-Dash line for QVC to fashionistas, while real designers ply their wares, goody bags, sex toys?

* The memorably-named Acne denim brand, meanwhile, is launching a line seemingly targeted at transvestites and cross-dressers.

* Chanel's relaunched Soho boutique for NY's Fashion Week features a gotta-get-it Yeti look.Continue reading...

Spyker in 11th-hour bid for Saab. [Times of London]

American Airlines and Hilton Hotels symbiosis in "Up in the Air" garner earned media. [NY Times]

Regulators to scrutinize brand's "real" claims. [AdAge]

Seeking to drive growth, General Mills turns to digital campaigns. [Warc]

Hasbro licenses toys to movie and video game developers. [WSJ]

Finally, PBS to be measured by Nielsen. [NY Times]Continue reading...