Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

• Here's a sign that people are shopping again (or else Victoria Beckham has gone on another shopping spree): Hermès says it's experiencing such "massive over-demand" for its handbags, it's been forced to set up its own crocodile breeding operation in Australia just to keep up. [Reuters via Cut]
• Esteban Cortazar appears to be parting ways with Emanuel Ungaro. It appears he plans to sue Ungaro, too. [WWD]
• Do you control a major luxury brand? Are you a fan of Chloe Sevigny? If you answered yes to both questions, give her a ring. She's willing to talk. [SF]
• A "couture" tattoo shop has opened in the Flatiron district. [W]
• The DKNY mural at Houston and Broadway is officially gone. [BB]

♦  WWD offers a sneak peak at the ads for Charlotte Ronson's Sebastian haircare campaign that debuts in January, and let's just say the Photoshopping was not skimped on. [Fashionista]
♦  Planning to dress up as Rachel Zoe for Halloween? Of course you are. Here's a handy guide. [HuffPo via The Pipeline]
♦  Julie Gilhart of Barneys says that Rodarte's Laura and Kate Mulleavy "are two of the best designers right now." [WWD]More

♦  Kate Betts sits down with Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld for an interview, which was also filmed if you can cope with seeing Karl's ponytail up close. [Time]
♦  Suzy Menkes celebrates 20 years at the IHT, and fashion stars including Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Alber Elbaz, Anna Wintour, and John Galliano offer their video tributes. [The Moment]
♦  Sofia Coppola is designing a line of handbags and shoes for Louis Vuitton. The company must have searched far and wide to find this unknown talent so deserving of a break. [WWD]More

• Designers must be clawing each others' eyes out to get Gossip Girl cast members at their shows. Well, score one for Rock and Republic, which has confirmed Chace Crawford will be in attendance. Maybe he'll turn up with Amanda Hearst, whom he was allegedly trying to "cozy up" with this past weekend. [Fashionista]
• As for gold medalist Nastia Liukin, she'll be at Peter Som, Isaac Mizrahi and Cole Haan. She's also launching a clothing line and will also be making an appearance on GG, naturally. [WWD]
• A series of sketches is the first glimpse of Isaac Mizrahi's new clothing line for Liz Claiborne, which will be in stores in January. [Fab Sugar/WWD]