DKNY Resort, AE Profits Fall, Cathy Horyn on Ungaro, Burberry's Profits Rise and Obama's Trade Bill With Haiti.

(wwd)DKNY Resort 2011

(wwd)American Eagle Profits Fall

"American Eagle Outfitters Inc. issued cautious guidance for the current quarter and said the closure of the Martin + Osa business weighed on first-quarter results. Net income was cut in half to $10.9 million, or 5 cents a share, compared with $22 million, or 11 cents a year ago. Excluding the charges and losses related to the shuttered Martin + Osa business, adjusted profits of 17 cents a share met Wall Street’s expectations. Citing weaker business trends, the retailer projected adjusted profits of 12 cents to 16 cents for the second quarter, falling short of the 21 cents analysts expected." read more

(nyt)Cathy Horyn's Take on Giles Deacon and Ungaro

"Ungaro may seem “a poisoned chalice,” as one of my fashion sisters in England called the Paris house, but this is an industry that dauntlessly recovers from bad taste. If my count is accurate, Giles Deacon is now the sixth ready-to-wear designer at Ungaro in the past decade (and I’m not counting the very brief and strange Lindsay Lohan episode). That’s a lot of designers trying to give a modern look to a label known for prints and a zesty femininity. Mr. Deacon is well liked and reasonably well known in England, where he started his business in 2003, and his clothes have a quirky elegance. But many young-uns have busted out since then and the world keeps changing daily. Fashion folks point to the success of Balenciaga and Balmain — very different businesses but examples nonetheless of old houses that have been re-energized." read more

(wwd)Burberry Profits Rise to $131.5 Million

"Burberry Group plc said Wednesday profits in the year to March 31 rose to 82.2 million pounds, or $131.5 million, fuelled by a 6.5 percent spike in sales and a string of cost-efficiencies. Sales rose to 1.28 billion pounds, or $2.04 billion. The fastest growing category was non-apparel, which accounted for 36 percent of revenue. “Burberry has delivered record profits in what have been very challenging markets,” said chief executive Angela Ahrendts." read more

(wwd)Obama Signs Haiti Trade Bill

"President Obama has signed into law a bill that almost triples the amount of apparel made in Haiti that can be shipped into the U.S. duty free. The bill is intended to help Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, rebuild after the devastating earthquake in January that disrupted the mainstay of its economy — the apparel and textile industry. The centerpiece of the legislation would increase the allowances of third-country fabric of knit and woven apparel to 200 million square meter equivalents from 70 million SMEs in each category. But it would also place sublimits of 85 million SMEs on the duty free benefits for certain high-volume knit apparel products and limits of 70 million SMEs for certain woven apparel products."read more

Giles Deacon at Ungaro, Lindsey Lohan's New Accessory, New Projects at LV, Textile Import Fraud, PVH Corp. and Tommy Hilfiger, Fashion on the Tennis Court.

: Giles Deacon for Ungaro

(nymag)Emanuel Ungaro Hires Giles Deacon to Design

We are really hoping that after struggling for years with it's so-so Creative Directors and designers, Ungaro has FINALLY made a good decision. "With the housekeeping finally complete and Lindsay Lohan and Estrella Archs tossed out like cigarette-burned leggings, Emanuel Ungaro has finally appointed a new designer: Giles Deacon. The designer — a designer first and foremost by profession, it must be noted — will stage a presentation at Paris Fashion Week in October, and probably another presentation for the following Fashion Week in March. He wants to really get his feet wet before hitting the runway — no slapdash "I wasn’t aware of the nipple tassels on the girls until they were walking out" kinds of collections." read more

(cbs)SCRAM Bracelet: Lindsay Lohan's Newest Court Ordered Fashion Statement

What the heck is a "SCRAM" bracelet?

"Simply put, it's "Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring" or an alcohol monitoring device, like the one Lohan wore after her arrest on a DUI charge in 2007. The actress has been on probation since August 2007 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor drug charges and no contest to three driving charges. A judge ordered her to wear one today after her appearance in a Los Angeles courtroom over a missed probation hearing. You might recall she claimed she was stuck in Cannes after her passport was stolen last week." read more

(wwd)Yves Carcelle Talks Retail Projects for Louis Vuitton

When asked by WWD in an interview on Tuesday, "what is the company’s bigger priority this year, opening stores or optimizing business in the existing stores?", Yves Carcelle, CEO say's both. "It was clear there was a period when we needed to cover the planet as quickly as possible. I would say that in the last 10 years we really needed to conquer new countries where luxury was appearing. The desire for luxury design had become a worldwide desire. I think today we have already covered [the globe] quite well, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have new countries in our plan. This year, we opened our first stores in Lebanon, Poland and the Dominican Republic — that makes three new countries this year. We will open in three new cities in China — Nanning, Hohhot and Fuzhou — and some second stores in Chinese cities." read more of the interview

(wwd)Congress Seeks Tougher Policing of Textile Import Fraud

"Congress will consider legislation to crack down on textile import fraud, which is battering the weakened domestic industry. Yarn spinners and denim fabric makers said they have suffered major damage from the increasing illegal activity that undercuts their $10.2 billion export business to Central America, Mexico and four Andean countries, all of which have duty preferences with the U.S... The Textile Enforcement and Security Act, sponsored by Reps. John Spratt (D., S.C.), Howard Coble (R., N.C.), Larry Kissell (D., N.C.) and Walter Jones (R., N.C.), is intended to close enforcement loopholes by placing additional Customs inspectors in Central America and Mexico, expanding penalties to more firms in the supply chain, decreasing the use of “blanket” affidavits that certify all imported products comply with U.S. rules and starting a verification system to track yarn and fabric in regions that have free trade agreements with the U.S." read more

(wwd)Hilfiger Buy Weighs on PVH in Qtr.

Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. said Monday that it posted a first-quarter loss, hurt in part by expenses from the $3 billion purchase of Tommy Hilfiger and hedges to cover a portion of that euro-denominated acquisition. For the three months ended May 2, the net loss was $27.6 million, or 53 cents a diluted share, versus net income of $24.7 million, or 48 cents, in the year-ago quarter. Eliminating over $100 million in onetime costs related to the Hilfiger acquisition, earnings per share rose to positive territory, coming in at 83 cents, 4 cents higher than the consensus estimate of 79 cents. The Hilfiger transaction, in tandem with the earlier purchase of Calvin Klein, created a global powerhouse with two of the most recognized designer brands. “This extended brand portfolio and operating platform creates unique growth opportunities across additional geographies and product categories, which we are positioned to capitalize upon to drive future revenue and earnings growth as well as strong returns to our stockholders." read more

(washington post)Williams Sisters Turn Heads with Fashion at the French Open

Fashionable tennis wear? I'm not quite sure the Williams sisters have it down yet... Here are some pictures of their most recent fashions on the court... what do you think?

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