(nbc)Something Lingering in the Lingerie? Bed Bugs Hit Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret had to close for a few hours this week after a bed bug sighting in the store on Lexington Avenue at 58th Street. The lingerie retailer released a statement on Friday saying: "As a proactive measure, we tested our Manhattan stores. When we found small, isolated areas that may have been impacted, we immediately took action to resolve the situation." The buggy discovery at this underwear retailer follows recent exterminations at Manhattan locations of Abercrombie and Fitch and Hollister. Not to mention thousands of complaints from New York City residents that these little nocturnal pests have been creeping around with increasing regularity. "They're hard to kill," said Lou Sorkin, a leading bug expert at the American Museum of Natural History. New York health officials say the good news is bed bugs are not particularly dangerous, because they don't spread disease and up to 30 percent of humans don't feel the bites one bit. That's small comfort for Upper East Siders who've seen a rash of bed bugs in the high-priced co-ops of East End Avenue, among other tony addresses "This woman I know couldn't sleep," said writer Lisa Birnbach. "Because she felt they were around her. It'll turn anyone into a lunatic. And great for our real estate values. Thanks alot." read more
(wwd)CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalists Named
The designers are: Joseph Altuzarra of Altuzarra, Christian Cota, Prabal Gurung, Robert Geller, Eddie Borgo, Oliver Helden and Paul Marlow of Loden Dager, Pamela Love of Pamela Love Jewelry, Moss Lipow, Gregory Parkinson and Billy Reid. “This year’s 10 finalists show a depth of creativity and talent that is inspiring to the industry as a whole,” said Steven Kolb, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. “The designers’ compelling portfolios clearly demonstrate that the future of American fashion is expansive and bright.” The fashion fund, now in its seventh year, was created by the CFDA and Vogue magazine to help cultivate emerging talents with a combination of a cash prize and a mentorship program by industry leaders. Previous winners are: Sophie Theallet, Alexander Wang, Rogan Gregory of Rogan, Doo-Ri Chung, Trovata and Proenza Schouler’s Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough. The winner receives an award of $200,000, and the two runners-up take home as much as $50,000 each. The fund’s Selection Committee will meet this month with each of the 10 finalists and discuss their most recent collections. Committee members will also visit the finalists’ studios. Each finalist is being asked to participate in a design project underwritten by Ann Taylor, and will create a unique look for it. They will also be a part of a fashion show underwritten by Frédéric Fekkai on Oct. 19 at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. The 2010 winner and runners-up will be named on Nov. 15 at a gala underwritten by eBay. The fund is sponsored by J. Crew, and underwritten by Vogue, Theory, Nordstrom, American Express, Barneys New York, Appleman Foundation, L’Oréal Paris, Juicy Couture, Coach, Liz Claiborne Inc. and Lord & Taylor. “Fashion is probably the only industry in the world where its fledgling talents are expected to be as creatively adept at running a business as they are at design,” said Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor in chief. “Many, clearly, are not, and it’s through the support of the fund that these promising designers will be able to build a future for themselves—and for American fashion.” read more
(miami herald)Swimwear fashion events are taking over Miami Beach
Think of it as the Art Basel of the swimwear world: dripping with international cache, spawning new events each year, filling Miami Beach hotels and dropping millions of dollars into the South Florida economy. And even art collectors may agree it's sexier showcasing bikinis than Boteros. Swimwear designers, models, retailers, fashion show producers and international press are all descending on Miami Beach this weekend for the largest and most important swimwear trade show in the world, SwimShow 2011 -- plus various fashion shows and ancillary events surrounding it. The recognition they bring to Miami -- videos shown round the world, photos gracing the pages of magazines -- make the events the pinnacle of the summer, said Rolando Aedo, senior vice president of marketing at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We're the epicenter of sensualness and sexiness on the global scale, and this further validates that point,'' he said. SwimShow 2011 begins Saturday at the Miami Beach Convention Center and runs through Tuesday, as the opening show of the swimwear season worldwide, where 350 manufacturers, with 2,000 lines, will reveal for the first time next year's collections to more than 2,500 buyers. In all, 7,500 people are expected to flow through the convention center for the show, said Judy Stein, executive director of the Swimwear Association of Florida, which has produced the trade show in the Miami area for more than two decades. SwimShow 2011, which Aedo said brings in $1.2 million alone, is the forerunner for other events, and has cemented Miami Beach's position on the swimwear map. "I absolutely feel that Miami Beach is the swimwear capital of the world,'' Stein said. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, a series of sexy fashion shows at Miami Beach's Raleigh Hotel, kicked off its sixth year with a Trina Turk fashion show and party Thursday night. In all, 26 designers' fashions will parade on the runway during the evenings, by invitation only, through Monday. The event, which brings in models, hair and makeup people, lighting and sound producers, and other planners who prepare for weeks, has tripled in size during the last three years, said Peter Levy, senior vice president and managing director of IMG Fashion Worldwide, which produces the show. read more
(wwd)Norma Kamali Designing Sleepwear for Wal-Mart
Norma Kamali will launch her first line of sleepwear on walmart.com Oct. 10. The sleepwear, which eventually will be sold in stores, joins other apparel and accessories categories such as dresses, outerwear, sweaters and skirts that Kamali has been designing as a lifestyle brand for Wal-Mart since 2007 under her name. The capsule collection of eight styles, rendered in a butter-soft blend of cotton and Modal, is sized for both the contemporary misses’ customer in sizes XS to XXL and a modern plus-size line in 1X to 3X. The same styles and colors will be featured in both the average size and plus-size lines. “Wal-Mart is working with suppliers who are professional, efficient and really want to make it work,” Kamali said. “The looks are comfortable and beautiful.” Suggested retail for the average-size line is $8 to $12, and the plus-size group is $9 to $14. Ready-to-wear-inspired styles include a knit boyfriend shirt, a cardigan wrap robe and six styles in lightweight jersey — a crewneck sleep T-shirt, a sleep shirt with an oversize ciré peace sign logo, lounge leggings, a long lounge gown that looks like a slinky evening gown, a sleep tank and a wide-leg sleep pant. Solid colors are dark heather gray, pale pink and dark gray heather, and there are also light gray stripes. “There are two worlds at Wal-Mart, the store for the people, where people shop for groceries, which I do, and slide by and buy a dress or a pair of jeans,” Kamali said. “Then, there’s the customer who likes to shop online. Now, there is a new, more sophisticated customer who is now shopping at Wal-Mart stores and online. I may have contributed to this, but it also could be due to the economy.” Regarding plus sizes, Kamali, said: “I realized that I never thought I was designing for plus-size women when I was designing the collection. But then I noticed that the XLs were selling and I thought, I need to focus on plus sizes because this woman likes what I’m doing. So I thought I’ll do something that I can wear and the plus-size woman can wear, too. I never thought I would be ecstatic about designing plus-size sleepwear.” Asked if lingerie will be her next project, Kamali replied: “I’ve started with sleepwear and we’ll see what happens.…[Wal-Mart has] to ask me to do it. Everything is very strategic. read more