By SIMON HOUPT, Toronto Globe and Mail

NEW YORK CITY -- This week, a stylish Upper East Side woman shopping at the Fifth Avenue flagship store of Lord & Taylor spotted a floral-print skirt by Karen Kane that she really wanted, but she couldn't find any on the racks in her small size.

NEW YORK -- One of the largest thefts of fine art in European history has left investigators scratching their heads over why someone would nab more than $160 million worth of impressionist and modern works when recent high-profile art heists have a poor track record of profitable paydays.