You can find just about everything online these days, and wedding gowns are no exception. Regardless of your size, from petite to plus, the selection online is remarkable, no matter what look you hope to achieve.
Original post by no@spam.com (Yvonne Yu)
Dress Barn, Inc. (NASDAQ - DBRN) and Tween Brands, Inc. (NYSE- TWB) today jointly
announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which a
subsidiary of Dress Barn,
Inc. will merge with Tween
Brands, Inc. in a stock-for-stock transaction.
Original post by no@spam.com (Maxamillion Blick)
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) yesterday reported financial results for the 2009 fiscal fourth quarter and full year ended May 31, 2009. Fourth quarter revenues decreased 7 percent to $4.7 billion, compared to $5.1 billion for the same period last year. Excluding changes in currency exchange rates, net revenue was essentially flat with the same period last year. For the full year, revenues grew 3 percent to $19.2 billion, compared to $18.6 billion last year. Excluding currency changes, net revenue was up 4 percent for the year. Fourth quarter net income decreased 30 percent to $341.4 million and diluted earnings per share decreased 29 percent to $0.70. Fiscal 2009 net income decreased 21 percent to $1.5 billion and diluted earnings per share decreased 19 percent to $3.03.
Original post by no@spam.com (Maxamillion Blick)
In a conscious effort to reduce both material use and waste, The Timberland Company unveiled today its Earthkeepers 2.0 boot – the first footwear the company has designed to be disassembled and recycled, rather than discarded, at the end of its product life. After wearing them on life’s many adventures, consumers who buy the Earthkeepers 2.0 boots simply return them to any Timberland store for recycling.
Original post by no@spam.com (Maxamillion Blick)
The usage of passive UHF Gen 2 RFID tag on metal is limited due to the disturbance of RF signals from metal. In order to aid the process, DAILY RFID has developed passive Gen 2 RFID Tag for metal surface, which can deliver long range on metal tagging even under wretched conditions.
Original post by no@spam.com (Jack Pan)
There are several things to think about when looking for your wedding gowns but always remember the fact that you will end up with a wedding dress that feels good.
Original post by no@spam.com (Yvonne Yu)
Prime Retail, a Baltimore-based developer of outlet centers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, announced today legendary designer Gucci will open its only outlet store in the greater Baltimore/Washington D.C. area at Prime Outlets - Queenstown, the upscale 298,000 square foot shopping center serving the Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington D.C. metro markets. The iconic label will celebrate the grand opening of its 6,000 square foot location, Saturday, July 4.
Original post by no@spam.com (Maxamillion Blick)
Since 2006, Basel’s design and art neighbourhood has had a heart: it’s Riviera, “Destination für Mode und Verwandtes”. A shop which promotes young and upcoming designers, be it fashion or accessoires, and provides them with an opportunity to sell.
Read the full article at istwasesist.wordpress.com
Original post by no@spam.com (Michael Schaer)
whether you are shopping in an expensive bridal salon or looking for wholesale wedding dresses you can easily find the perfect wedding gown
Original post by no@spam.com (Yvonne Yu)
Saks has a section on their site that tells you the best sellers in handbags and shoes for the previous week. They do this for most of their categories. Almost always the Tory Burch Reva Ballet flats are on the list along with a slew of handbags that are typically predictable and many times a bit boring. But today I saw a new bag on the best sellers last week list and rather than being bored by it I actually really am not fond of it.
Typically I praise Tods bags for their simplicity and elegance, but sometimes they miss it. And with the Tods G-Bag Bauletto Piccolo Satchel I just can’t find myself liking it. I will first say that I am not always fond of patent leather. I prefer smooshy leather to patent, as patent leather many times feels rubbery and looks too glossy. There are some designers who perfect patent leather on a handbag, but I much prefer it on a shoe. So back to this bag. The color is dramatic, sure, but I am picky about red handbags. In fact, I don’t own a red handbag. I own off-shoots of red, cranberry and wine shades, but not red. And having red patent is that much more in your face. The contrast leather trim sets this bag off more for me. It contrasts too much, looks harsh and over-the-top. The shape of the bag is cute enough, much like a bowler but it has adjustable double handles. There is an optional adjustable shoulder strap. I know many people could pull this off, but I simply am not under the guise that I am one of them. I just figured it out, this bag reminds me of a candied apple. What do you think about this Tods bag: A hit or a miss? Buy through Saks for $850.
Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil
Yesterday temperatures reached a balmy 100 degrees here with humidity that made stepping outside feel like stepping into a sauna. Then from the wee hours of the morning until a few hours ago I was reminded that Hurricane season has begun as the storm that hit knocked out power for hours and took down internet. Nevertheless we are back up!
I was having a Déjà vu this morning when I popped onto Net A Porter. There sat a cute oversized clutch, which showed a bit of gathering in an otherwise simple yet likable design. And then it occurred to me that while this clutch said it was made by Miu Miu I have seen a nearly identical design from Prada. It should be no major surprise, as Miu Miu and Prada are sister brands. But why pay a bit more for Prada when you can have Miu Miu? I suppose it all comes down to the name.
The Miu Miu Oversized Satin Clutch is the clutch I am referring to that has reminded me much of the Prada Raso Silver Clutch, not an exact copy but very similar. It is not shocking that this would happen, but why pay for Prada when a very similar Miu Miu is nearly $250 less. There are slight differences, as the Miu Miu clutch gathers at the top center of the clutch, giving a slight bow effect to the shape of the bag. Satin is not an ideal material for a handbag, but in a clutch which is not meant to be worn daily, it gives off a beautiful sheen of elegance. The violet satin is a great color choice, as it easily will give a slight hue of color without being hard to match. I adore this clutch. I don’t have use for it, nor did I for its Prada counterpart, but it is a great evening bag option when you want to dress it up a bit. Buy through Net A Porter for $450.
Original post by Megs Mahoney Dusil
What are we buying when we buy a luxury good? Are we buying a brand name, a well-made product, or an item to ensure that others think a certain way about us when they see it? For most high-end consumers, it’s probably some combination of those options.
Many customers would claim that they buy only for the quality that these products provide, but the reaction of some customers to the recent announcement of Jimmy Choo’s collaboration with H&M seems to run contrary to those claims. Some people were excited to see what the partnership would create, but many Choo loyalists voiced the opinion that the brand was losing something by creating a temporary line for a low-end retailer.
Choo’s fans aren’t the first to scowl at the idea of their favorite label creating an inexpensive product line, and they’ll be far from the last. What seems to be unique about this occasion, though, is that Jimmy Choo is the most broadly known brand yet to dabble in mass-market, low-price retail. So far, many small or independent designers have used the tactic as a way to broaden their name recognition and, potentially, their customer base. Choo, though, is a brand with a pretty clear image in the minds of most women with any sort of fashion consciousness or desire for expensive shoes.
So what happens when a brand with a large following and a seemingly healthy business decides that they want to dabble in the desires of Middle America? Well, according to Robin Givhan of the Washington Post, it means that luxury as we know it is dead.
Which seems like an incredibly histrionic reaction indeed. In the economic predicament in which we currently find ourselves, any number of writers have predicted that an unending list of occurrences are what really marks this mythic “end” of aspirational consumer goods. Why this one is any different than the others? I have no idea.
What I think it does, though, is bring up some nasty truths that luxury customers would rather push out of their minds. If I had spent thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars of my earnings on Jimmy Choo shoes in my life at $500-700 a pop, the reality that Choo can make an attractive (if likely to be lower-quality) pair of stilettos for less than $100 would definitely be unpleasant. If the steep price tag isn’t necessary, why have their customers been paying it for so long?
But does acknowledgment of the often-astronomical margins on handbags and shoes mean that all customers will suddenly abandon the goods that they know and love? I seriously doubt it. Most reasonable consumers have to realize that the construction of an average high-end handbag doesn’t cost anywhere near four digits, and I don’t think that Jimmy Choo making a couple pairs of cheap shoes is going to inform anyone of this fact that wasn’t already aware of it on some level.
Image may be a slightly bigger problem than economics, though. Luxury customers, no matter what they say, are often in the market for exclusivity as much as they are for a new bag. And if anyone with a local H&M (or Target, or TopShop) and a spare $50 can have something designed by their favorite brand, then the status implied by sporting a pair of Jimmy Choos is suddenly in limbo. And if Jimmy Choo is doing it, then are there that many brands out there that wouldn’t consider it? Probably not.
Only time will tell what, if any, lasting impact this will have on the luxury industry, but despite all the hubbub it’s causing among Jimmy Choo’s fans, I’m still dubious. If they were introducing a permanent collection of pleather shoes, then the impact would probably be more palpable and long-lasting. As it is, the collection is a small group of products that will only be sold in H&M’s largest stores in their largest markets and will probably be completely wiped off the shelves by the end of launch day. It provides a lot to talk about for people like us, who are in the business of talking about such things, but it’s likely to be little more than a blip on the radar screen of the larger fashion industry.
Things don’t change overnight, and cheap shoes will not fell the decades-old luxury industry as we know it. A price reset among traditional luxury goods is already somewhat underway, as we’ve discussed previously on this blog, and some women probably do need to reevaluate what they’re trying to accomplish by buying a small fortune’s worth of shoes or bags. But the marketplace forgets things like this rather quickly, and a recession-era olive branch to cash-strapped consumers won’t reflect poorly on the brand in the eyes of fashion history. And when women are looking for the sexiest pair of stilettos they can find, they’re not going to exclude Jimmy Choo on principle for long, and probably not at all.
Original post by Amanda Mull
Fashion Capital of the World - Modelinia.com is launching the History of Models, an interactive timeline and original concept series that spans 80 years in the evolution of models. From the socialites who doubled as models to the faces that launched international brands, History of Models reflects and investigates how models represent the changing values of the general public. The idea of beauty has changed dramatically over time, so the “It girl” of the 1940s may have been considered a “plain Jane” in the 1990s.
Original post by no@spam.com (Maxamillion Blick)
Speed matters if you’re charging to the basketball hoop, sprinting for the tape or skating with style. Speed also matters if you’re making the footwear for these purposes, which is why Converse uses 3D printing technology from Z Corporation to pump out bold new sneaker prototypes every night. Overnight prototyping helps the NIKE-owned shoe company, known for the time-honored Chuck Taylor All-Star shoe, put fresh new styles on the market while the trends are still heating up.
Original post by no@spam.com (Maxamillion Blick)
In respond to the growing demand of using RFID in automotive, DAILY RFID, a leading producer of RFID tags, has come up with some customziable RFID tags for use in automotive, such as rfid key fob, windshield tag.
Original post by no@spam.com (Jack Pan)