Plus-sized designer fashion will finally make its retail debut thanks to an iconic New York department store.

While the fashion industry continues to debate the plus-sized issue, Saks Fifth Avenue has thankfully taken matters into its own hands with the announcement that its ultra-chic high-end floor will soon feature the larger sizes in what is seen as a major coup for shoppers, designers and the wider fashion sector.

The Autumn/ Winter collections for 2010 will be the first seasonal release to showcase garments that up until last season were only available in UK size 14 (US size 10), with the range expected to extend to UK size 18 (US size 14) and possibly higher in some styles. The legendary retail store is famed for its celebrated and featured designers the world over, with the upshot of the announcement being that leading fashion houses such as Akris, Armani, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Carolina Herrera, Escada, Oscar de la Renta, Max Mara, Valentino, Michael Kors, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan, St. John, Alexander McQueen, Fendi and Roberto Cavalli could all soon be sending out plus-sized versions of their famous lines.

However, the initial release of the larger sizes will probably have the drawback that most styles will be one-offs or trial releases to test the market, meaning only a select few will be able to get their hands on the designer plus-sized items in the early days. If the trial is a success, the Saks will roll out the range across the US, with its UK counterpart’s hopefully following suit.

The face of Burberry has leapt to his death in Milan.

Tom Nicon, 22, the French male model who has been the front of Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, Versace and Burberry campaigns, died after falling from his fourth floor apartment on Friday according to police reports.

Nicon was in Milan as part of the prestigious Milan Fashion Week which began on Saturday, and had attended a Versace fitting just hours before he was found dead outside his building, after his modelling agency, Success, searched for him following his no-show at a meeting.

Sources close to the model have suggested that he had been battling depression since he broke up with his girlfriend, which police described as a complicated affair. Authorities are treating the death as suicide and the organisers of the fashion shows said they would proceed as a tribute to the model.

Nicon’s death is another in string of suicides that have beset the fashion industry over recent months. In February, Alex McQueen, who this week had his ashes scattered in Scotland, took his life while in London after allegedly being unable to cope with the passing of his mother. In May, Noemie Lenoir, the French model who was the UK face of Marks & Spencer, attempted to commit suicide in a Parisian forest before being found by a member of the public. South Korean Daul Kim, 20, who had fronted campaigns for Gap, Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfeld, hung herself last year after another apparent battle with depression.