Sophia Webster and J.Crew continue their collaboration, an interesting H&M book will hit the shelves next month, Rakuten launches a US fashion website, and more news from the style trenches this week.

• World-renowned fashion designer Oscar de la Renta passed away on Monday at age 82.
• Sophia Webster and J.Crew continue their collaboration with a seven-piece holiday footwear collection.
• Rakuten, the “Japanese Amazon”, has just launched a US fashion site that “blends shopping with entertainment”.
• A new book chronicles the history behind every H&M designer collaboration to date. 
• The Adidas Originals collection by Mary Katrantzou will be available on November 15, and this week we got a first look at the kaleidoscopic designs.
• Gap is teaming up with Kate Spade New York and Jack Spade for a limited-edition GapKids holiday collection.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that British chemist Sir William Henry Perkin accidentally discovered the colour mauve while trying to find a synthetic substitute for the antimalarial drug quinine. He originally named it “Tyrian Purple,” but soon changed it to mauve or mauveine, which became the world’s first synthetic dye.