The Crown Estate has shortlisted bids for part of London’s fashionable West End.

Crown Estate, the property manager of the British monarchy, has collected a shortlist of hopeful bidders for an asset stake in around 25 per cent of Regent Street, the historic shopping strip in the trendy inner-west district of the capital.

A limited number of bidders will be part of detailed discussions ahead of the partial sale of the street according to a statement released by the management group today, although the identity of the bidders has been kept a secret. The strip in question has been part of ancestral land and property holdings that were originally exchanged by the monarchy back in 1760 for annual payments.

Several pension fund and sovereign wealth funds are believed to be vying for the area in question, which marks the second time that the Crown Estate has attempted to generate income towards a redevelopment of Regent Street worth around £750 million ($1.15 billion). An attempt to create a fund to off sell units was blocked by the corporate board in 2009 after it was labelled overly complex.

The district of Regent Street, situated between Oxford Street and Piccadilly Circus, is the biggest asset for the Crown Estate, recently valued at £1.6 billion. The estate owns the freehold rights to Regent Street, which was one of London’s largest ever construction projects, completed in 1825. Since then, some of the biggest global companies have made their home on the street, which separates trendy Soho from blue-chip Mayfair, including Hamleys, Burberry and Apple.

The end of an era in fashion as Kate Moss leaves the leading high street retailer.

Supermodel Kate Moss has designed her last regular range for the fashion giant run by Sir Philip Green, ending a successful four-year partnership.

Topshop has confirmed that the 14th collection from Moss, the upcoming autumn/winter collection, will be her swansong, although she may feature in a number of one-off designs in the future according to parent company Arcadia, who also owns fellow fashion outlets Dorothy Perkins, Miss Selfridge and Bhs.

Industry insiders claim that the separation has been amicable, highlighted by the opening of the New York flagship store last April when Moss and Sir Philip appeared side by side. It is understood that the considerable amount of time required to put a collection together was the main reason for the departure of Moss, who has chosen to concentrate on other opportunities. Only recently, Ms Moss appeared on the cover of British Vogue magazine, marking the incredible 30th time in her career she has graced the iconic magazine.

The four-year collaboration with Topshop, considered to be a lengthy relationship in the fashion industry, was believed to have netted Moss around £3 million per year. She was snapped up by Sir Philip in 2005 after the tabloid scandal which featured photos of her snorting cocaine, when many thought her career was over. Her last collection will be released in October.

Fashion label Biba is returning to the roots of High Street style.

In a move that evokes images of iconic sixties glamour, the retailer has announced that renowned party girl Daisy Lowe will become the new face of the chain.

The cheap, trendy clothing offered by Biba has won favour with many leading celebrities and has become associated with the style of the swinging sixties, epitomised by Twiggy and followed by the likes of Marianne Faithfull and Bianca Jagger.

Biba attempted a high-end re-launch in 2006 with minimal success, leading the group to go into administration two years later. Now, the re-launch is on again, with proud devotee Lowe at the forefront. Initial campaign images have revealed the smouldering Lowe, 21, play on the sixties roots of the brand in a leopard-print coat and kohl-rimmed eyes. The model, who has been seen at several summer festivals sporting the Biba range, said she was honoured to be involved with a label that she has worn since a teenager. Lowe claimed that Biba was one of the first names that she became aware of when she entered the world of modelling, and she leapt at the opportunity to be part of the new campaign.

The new range from Biba features denim and jewellery in addition to favourites such as faux fur and marabou jackets and a series of limited-edition party dresses. The label will be exclusive to House of Fraser, who said that the confident, fashionable and glamorous Lowe was the perfect representation of the brand.

In a bid to make the most of the free hand luggage allowance on airlines, travellers have taken cunning steps.

A new study by Debenhams has found that rather than pay excess baggage charges when travelling by plane, savvy passengers have developed a habit of ‘wearing’ large amounts of their belongings.

The move has become popular since airlines have introduced cheaper ticket prices for those travelling with only hand luggage, with the leading fashion retailer reports that sales in the summer period of oversize coats with multiple pockets have skyrocketed by as much as 350 per cent. The five-pocket Mantaray jacket, with a hidden compartment in the sleeve, has risen by 200 per cent, while the John Rocha six-pocket parka has gone up by over 300 per cent.

Debenhams attributes to sales growth on the shop floor to travellers choosing to pack heavy items such as laptops, books, cameras and towels onto their person rather than pay for bags to be stowed in the airplane hold. This can save an individual up to £40 in some situations with budget carriers. Debenhams sales staff have even witnessed customers bring their travel items into the store to test the fit of jacket pockets, with the latest novel, netbook and even pants, socks and sarongs all stuffed inside parkas in the quest for travelling light. Though the trend may seem a smart way around charges, increased testing is likely before boarding, and excess baggage usually attracts a hefty surcharge, in some cases up to £20 per kilo.

A stand-off has taken place at the Anaheim headquarters of the iconic theme park Disneyland.

A Muslim restaurant hostess, who has worked at Disneyland for over two years, has rejected what was termed a ‘compromise’ offer from her employer over a dispute involving her wearing of the traditional hijab.

Imane Boudlal, who has been aggrieved after being told that she would not be allowed to wear the hijab at work, said she has rejected management’s solution of wearing a hat which covers a makeshift head covering. Boudlal has filed a formal complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Disney, saying the compromise offer was offensive.

Boudlal has worked for the company at their Grand Californian hotel’s Storytellers restaurant since 2008, and said through a statement by the Local 11 union Unite Here that the latest dispute was the seventh time in the past two years that she was ordered to leave the workplace and return home due to her refusal to remove her hijab. Boudlal called the directive ridiculous, claiming that the alterations made by Disney not only made her look silly but made a mockery of her as an individual and of her religion.

Officials at Disney say they had met with Boudlal and talked through several options as a way of reaching a compromise. They argue that it was Boudlal who requested the costume, which is reminiscent of the Wild West, and this was done in line with the group’s costuming guidelines and in such a way that her religious beliefs were accommodated. Boudlal said she would be happy to wear a simple headscarf with a Disney logo.