Sharing the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles with a grocery store (Gelson's) doesn't seem to bother Tiffany & Co. but the jeweler draws the line at H&M getting too close. The LA Times reveals that Tiffany has sued its landlord at the Westfield Century City shopping center saying that a planned H&M would violate the terms of its contract. Tiffany's contract with Westfield forbids retailers that are not considered to be "luxury, upscale or better by conventional retail industry standards." to use or lease certain spaces within, fronting or adjacent to the Tiffany store. The lawsuit alleges that the location of the H&M store so close to Tiffany will cause "irreparable injury to Tiffany's business reputation as a luxury retailer."

The LA Times keenly points out that in Pasadena along Colorado Boulevard, the H&M store and Tiffany are very close to each other. Also, while H&M is a low-priced retailer, the store's focus on trendy style isn't offensively downmarket. Tiffany's lawsuit seems to imply that the H&M shopper and the Tiffany shopper are such separate people that they don't mingle or that somehow a person who buys a $19 sweater instantly becomes a Tiffany undesirable. It seems an odd distinction for a brand that had spent the last couple years reaching out to the aspirational consumer and bumping up its line of silver jewelry in order to attract new customers. Certainly there is a gap between a silver necklace and a $19 sweater but these days plenty of malls and shopping centers feature both expensive stores and lower market ones reflecting today's affluent shopper who often purchases at both ends of the spectrum.

Fast fashion just got a boost with the announcement that H&M is partnering with shoe and handbag brand Jimmy Choo. The luxury brand, famous for sky-high stilettos and large purses, will create a line of shoes, bags and accessories for men and women that arrive in stores on November 14. Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo's founder and chief executive, promises "a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection - the perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!"

Jimmy Choo will create clothing for H&M which will be designed to match the accessories rather than the other way around. With all the designers pairing up with lower-priced stores there has been a bit of high-low fatigue lately but this particular collaboration should be a hot seller.

The much-anticipated Commes des Garçons collection for H&M hits stores November 13, but if you happen to be in Tokyo, you'll get a five day head start. The name that put the low in high-low fashion is opening a new store in Tokyo November 8 and will start selling the Comme gear that very day.

If you haven't seen it, check out the newly-released online lookbook of the collection. Designer Rei Kawakubo says she's excited about her collaboration with H&M in order to reach "people who may not yet understand Comme des Garçons."

As the fashion world eagerly awaits New York Fashion Week in a matter of days, the clothes we're seeing now in stores and tempting ad campaigns are focused on rich fabric and unique detailing -- in many cases, hand-crafted lace made by Parisian artisans or breathable lace from Japan. The goal goes beyond creating one-of-a-kind pieces: designers are hoping to make it impossible for mass brands like H&M or TopShop to copy their work when the materials themselves are out of reach. Designers made use of age-old, labor-intensive techniques to distinguish themselves from the knockoffs, many of which appear on shelves before the originals are even produced.

And shoppers are responding to the shift, favoring an investment in iconic brands that are easily recognizable (think Prada florals, Dries van Noten marbelized prints) instead of the cookie cutter clothes glutting the market. Because as fun as the cheap thrills are, there's nothing so demoralizing to a fashionista as walking down the street and seeing a bratty thirteen year old wearing the identical hippie tunic from Forevs 21.

Following early speculation about what exactly Commes des Garcons would come up with for its collaboration with H&M, a couple of photos have surfaced of the new line, which will hit stores for, oh, about 30 seconds in early November. The collection draws on designer Rei Kawakubo's trademark deconstructed jackets and cropped pants, mostly in black with the occasional polka dot. You can see for yourself in the September issue of W (on newsstands today).