NOOOO! The company that bears the name of designer-magician Christian Lacroix has filed for bankruptcy protection! (The company was sold four years ago, to the Falic Group; they have been quietly trying to unload Lacroix for a few months.) This is horrendous!

However! Repeated visits to the New York City store on 57th Street this spring anecdotally show that Lacroix has sold essentially zero articles of clothing this year. There was a fabulous new wicker purse, of which the New York store was shipped three, if I recall correctly, and two were sold. But the menswear had basically gotten dusty; the ties remained rolled and sagging; the flashy men's dress shirts were getting a little glassy from being tried on repeatedly and never sold; the heels were not trotting out the door.

This is sad. Christian Lacroix is a genius, and produces totally reasonably-priced yet exquisite lines of ready to wear and knitwear, as well as the most gorgeous womens' shoes and bags-and absolutely insane accessories. But worse than all that-after the final Valentino show, just a year ago, Lacroix was the last real couture house. NOW THERE IS NOTHING.