WWD articles from June 2005

WWD archives from June 2005

TAFFETA TIME.(Advertisement)
June 1, 2005... MILAN -- Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have rediscovered silk taffeta -- a fabric they had eschewed in recent seasons -- for cruise, and this time they're using it for everything from little peasant blouses to dance dresses for Dolce...

HELPING ONE, HURTING ONE: IMPORTERS ARE SCRAMBLING TO COPE WITH SAFEGUARDS.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Evan Clark WASHINGTON -- Saber-rattling aside, the scramble is on as U.S. firms react to the latest squaring off between the Bush administration and China over textile imports. As reported, the administration moved last week...

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REBOUNDS IN MAY.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Consumer confidence unexpectedly surged in May, but stocks still fell on Tuesday due to a lackluster reading from a closely watched barometer of the manufacturing sector in the Midwest. The...

FEDERATED, MAY DETAIL POSSIBLE PAYOUTS.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Arthur Zaczkiewicz NEW YORK -- Shareholders of May Department Stores and Federated Department Stores have a lot to chew on before their July 13 meeting, when they will weigh in on the companies' proposed $17 billion merger. ...

IN BRIEF: KOHL'S MAY SALES...EAST HEADS WEST...DRESS BARN CASE.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... KOHL'S MAY SALES: Kohl's Corp. said Tuesday that sales for the four-week period ended May 28 rose 10.2 percent compared with the same four-week period a year ago. On a same-store basis, sales inched up just 0.2 percent. The retailer said sales...

VERSACE LOSSES REACH $117.8M.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MILAN -- Versace widened its losses in 2004 to 95 million euros, or $117.8 million, as sales slid 20.6 percent to 320 million euros, or $396.8 million. (Dollar figures have been converted from the euro at average exchange rates.) ...

CLARIFICATIONS.(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2005... Louis Vuitton's new sunglass collection is a collaboration between Marc Jacobs, Pharrell Williams and Nigo. This was not clear in a story on page 4, Wednesday. A spokesman for Jil Sander said Gunn Johansson is no longer part of the...

THE OTHER PARIS.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Elisa Lipsky-Karasz Just who is this Paris Latsis, besides Paris Hilton's similarly named fiance? The two announced their engagement over Memorial Day weekend after a whirlwind romance that played out in Monte Carlo nightclubs, the...

FASHION SCOOPS: ITALIAN INITIATIVE...STRENESSE TO N.Y....HERMAN HONOR...
June 1, 2005... ITALIAN INITIATIVE: In an act of patriotic spirit, Giorgio Armani, Donatella Versace, Valentino Garavani and Gianfranco Ferre are curbing their normally competitive tendencies and coming together to stage a fashion show in Rome's Piazza Navona....

ARMANI, EMAAR SIGN HOTEL DEAL.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Amanda Kaiser MILAN -- Giorgio Armani and EMAAR Hotels & Resorts finalized their pact on Tuesday to create a chain of hotels and resorts. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will open seven luxury hotels and...

BEAUTY BEAT: COSMOPROD TO RELAUNCH DE SILVA BRANDS.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Stephanie Epiro, Jennifer Joan Lee MILAN -- Italian beauty marketer Diana De Silva has a new business strategy in the making -- thanks to an acquisition of the firm earlier this spring by Cosmoprod, a newly formed company. ...

SUZY: CIAO CAPRI...ROMAN HOLIDAY...ABT'S PAS DE DEUX.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Aileen Mehle Capri is more or less the place to be at the moment. Designer Michael Kors and Italian cashmere tycoon Sergio Loro Piana and his brother, Pier Luigi, have all been staying at the Grand Hotel Quisisana, along with...

CRUISIN' RIGHT ALONG.
June 1, 2005... Donatella Versace has cruised into a new adventure. The designer has introduced a 60-piece cruise collection to round out the brand's offerings. Inspired by a tropical vacation -- a luxe life on and off the deck -- the collection is...

CREW CUT.(J. Crew.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... When the club set swings by J. Crew come holiday and resort, there will be plenty to keep the prep in its step. But there will also be plenty for the customer who's walking into the national retailer's stores for the first time. Jenny Lyons,...

MODERATE GETS FASHION INFUSION.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Julee Greenberg NEW YORK -- On trend, on time and moderately priced. Stores and vendors better be all of those things if they want to maintain a share of the moderate apparel market, now and for fall. Gone are the days when...

BOOMERS: DIVIDE AND CONQUER.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Valerie Seckler NEW YORK -- It's a mistake for marketers to paint Baby Boomers with too broad a brush, a reality evident in new findings that divide the generation into three psychographic groups -- each of which prefers to...

MAKING ADS SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE.(Book Review)
June 1, 2005... Byline: Valerie Seckler NEW YORK -- A growing number of marketing experts has been clamoring for branding that taps into people's emotions, but author-consultant Mark Joyner is calling for a reason-based approach. Joyner, an online...

FOUR BIG BRANDS STRIKE WINNING CHORD.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Valerie Seckler NEW YORK -- As fashion retailers scramble to find the next rich niche to mine, four brands, Liz Claiborne, Hanes, Jones New York and Talbots are proving among the most popular across two generations: Baby Boomers...

IN HISPANIC RITE, RETAILERS SEE SALES POTENTIAL.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Holly Haver DALLAS -- Bianca Villarreal had been to 10 stores, and at La Parisina in south Dallas she finally found the dress. She looked like a bride as she modeled the strapless white gown with a beaded satin bodice and...

CORDERO'S HANDMADE PLAN.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Michelle Dalton Tyree LOS ANGELES -- Her niche may be shoes, but Calleen Cordero is quickly becoming known for so much more -- handbags, belts, cuffs and now a namesake boutique. Cordero's new store, her first, opened late...

BABS CITY.
June 1, 2005... Byline: Monica Schweiger, Melissa Magsaysay SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- New Yorkers may flee to the Hamptons during the summer months, but the West Coast weary head to Santa Barbara all year round -- and not merely for the sun and surf....

LACE AHEAD.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... MILAN -- Miuccia Prada knows a thing or two about girly looks and she worked in a romantic vein for cruise with light cottons and wispy silks that made for pretty, embellished skirts and dresses. It all added up to a rich understatement....

HOPPING TO A NEW BEAT: P. DIDDY ENTERS WOMEN'S VIA SEAN BY SEAN COMBS.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Lauren DeCarlo New York -- Sean Combs' highly anticipated women's collection has finally arrived, with a name reflecting the more personal side of the designer: Sean by Sean Combs. In an exclusive interview at his West Side...

IN BRIEF: NEW FASHION WEEK...WAL-MART CHALLENGE...EBAY GOES SHOPPING.
June 2, 2005... NEW FASHION WEEK: Japan's fashion industry plans to launch a Tokyo Fashion Week this fall to better promote Japanese brands worldwide. The week will be supported by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The original Tokyo...

NEIMAN'S ROLLS ON: INCOME UP 15.9%.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- The Neiman Marcus Group Inc.'s third-quarter results got a big boost from full-price selling, while showing that the luxury sector is still red hot. The company also said it expects to close on its...

UMA RETURNS FOR VUITTON.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Miles Socha PARIS -- It looks like Uma Thurman's relationship with Louis Vuitton is getting even more serious. While shooting the forthcoming fall-winter campaign in March, her second for the French luxury brand, talk on the...

FASHION SCOOPS: BOOK DRIVE...SELL IT LIKE BECKHAM...SHARP DRESSED MEN.
June 2, 2005... BOOK DRIVE: Putting books in the window of a fashion boutique is nothing new in Paris' Saint Germain district, given its glorious literary roots. Still, some eyebrows were raised this week at the sight of copies of "Front Row," the unauthorized...

HILFIGER DRUMMING UP BUZZ.(new television show for Tommy)
June 2, 2005... Byline: Julee Greenberg NEW YORK -- Just one more week, and Tommy Hilfiger will be a reality TV star. The designer's new show, "The Cut," airing for the first time in a 90-minute episode on CBS on June 9 at 8 p.m., will be "full of...

BEACH BOYS.
June 2, 2005... A veritable slew of bigwigs tore themselves away from their cedar-shingled manses Saturday night and helped kick off the Hamptons social season at a party for Kelly Klein's newest photography tome, "Emotion." Barry Diller, Ross Bleckner,...

MEMORY LANE.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Vanessa Lawrence NEW YORK -- Reading Umberto Eco's latest novel, "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana," is like being submerged in a vast sea of cultural references, philosophical musings and literary witticisms. In other words,...

SAFRA'S CHOICE.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... SAFRA'S CHOICE: "Forget about the humidity," said landscape architect Madison Cox, whose design of boxwood, rose and herbaceous borders was just being installed at the new Edmond J. Safra Lodge at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda,...

A FEMININE AIR.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Miuccia Prada is a romantic at heart, and, for cruise, the designer revised feminine elements that have become house staples. Case in point: an ombred debutante lace dress or nylon used for a cocktail skirt and adorned with metal and...

THE SMASHBOX FACTOR.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Nola Sarkisian-Miller Smashbox Studios has added another focus to its growing roster of business segments. The Culver City, Calif.-based photography studio begun by brothers Dean and Davis Factor, the great-grandsons of makeup...

PEACE THROUGH EMBROIDERY.(People for Peace.)(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Byline: Lauren DeCarlo People For Peace, a Los Angeles-based denim collection that launched in February, is taking the embroidered denim trend to the max. "Of course, we follow the trends," said Charlie Amzallag, founder and designer...

RAVEN: TAILORED TO BE SEXY.(clothing by Raven Tailored features denim)
June 2, 2005... Byline: Lauren DeCarlo When Raven Tailored launched in 2004, Erez Zarur, co-founder and designer, set out to create a contemporary pants collection that combined two styles he felt women craved: tailored and sexy. Now, Zarur, along...

CYGNE DESIGNS IN DEAL WITH COMMERCE CLOTHING.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Byline: Ross Tucker Women's apparel manufacturer Cygne Designs Inc. is getting into denim. The New York-based company said last week it had signed a letter of intent to acquire the denim clothing supply business of Commerce Clothing Co., a...

PRANA ADDS FASHION TO FUNCTION.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Marianne Hayes NEW YORK -- Prana, a fast-growing maker of technical yoga and rock-climbing apparel, has been adding more fashion-forward items to its offerings, and fall marks its most significant lifestyle collection yet. ...

SIDELINES: HORSING AROUND...MALIA MILLS EXPANDS...HURLEY STEPS UP.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... HORSING AROUND: Off-Track Betting isn't usually associated with designer fashions. But in a quest to freshen its image and reach a younger audience, OTB is hosting its first equestrian-themed fashion show at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, days before the...

ACTIVE FIRMS MAKE EXECUTIVE SHIFTS.(Shelley Marks, Matt Mirchin, Todd Blumenthal, Norm Zwail)
June 2, 2005... Byline: Melanie Kletter NEW YORK -- Activewear firms Marika Group, Under Armour and Nike's Exeter Brands Group have made executive changes and new hires. Norm Zwail has stepped down as president of yoga and fitness company The...

THE WWD LIST: GETAWAY AMERICA; U.S. DESTINATIONS TRAVELERS WOULD MOST LIKE TO VISIT THIS SUMMER.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Cecily Hall It's that time of year again: time to hit the roads or head to the airport to tour America. The Travel Industry Association has provided its Summer 2005 Wish List: a ranking of the top 10 travel destinations in the U.S....

REPORT: WEST COAST PORTS OVERBURDENED WITH GOODS.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Joanna Ramey SAN FRANCISCO -- U.S. ports, railroads and highways are ill-equipped to handle increasing demand to transport goods arriving by ship on the West Coast, according to a new report prepared by leading consumer-goods...

BEAUTY BEAT: SHISEIDO SAID CLOSING MARAIS COLLECTION.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Jennifer Weil, With contributions from Pete Born, New York, Brid Costello and Melissa Drier, Berlin PARIS -- Shiseido has pulled the plug on its Stephane Marais beauty line, it was learned. According to reports circulating in...

CARDINALI THEN AND NOW.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Rose Apodaca LOS ANGELES -- The feminine, razor-tailored tweed suits shown with flowery blousons, and the printed, billowy dresses look every bit the right combination of retro chic and eclectic mix the marketplace can't get...

KENZO, LVMH REACH DEAL.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Byline: Emilie Marsh PARIS -- Designer Kenzo Takada reached an 11th-hour, out-of-court settlement Wednesday with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in connection with a dispute over the rights to the use of the Kenzo Takada name. The...

GOTTSCHALKS NARROWS LOSS.(Brief Article)
June 2, 2005... Byline: Arthur Zaczkiewicz NEW YORK -- Gottschalks Inc. trimmed its loss in the first quarter in the face of a tougher year-over-year sales comparison. The Fresno, Calif.-based retailer on Wednesday reported a net loss of $2 million,...

DILLARD'S SUIT ALLEGES RACIAL DISCRIMINATION.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Dillard's Inc. is the subject of a discrimination lawsuit filed by an African-American woman alleging that prices charged by the retailer for a salon "wash and set" were higher than the prices charged...

MERCHANDISING IN FOCUS AT RETAIL SYSTEMS.
June 2, 2005... Byline: Cate T. Corcoran and Denise Power CHICAGO -- Merchandising and allocation systems were top of mind for many retailers and exhibitors attending Retail Systems in Chicago last week. Pacific Sunwear of California is gearing up...

GREEN ACRES.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... NEW YORK -- BeautyBank, a division of Estee Lauder Cos., is aiming to appeal to the entire family with its newest line for Kohl's Department Stores. Called Grassroots, the 76-item lifestyle line launches in August and will include categories...

SKINNER NAMED KELLWOOD CEO; FIRST-QUARTER NET FALLS 50%.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Amy Zimmerman ST. LOUIS -- The handover continued at Kellwood Co. Thursday, as the company reported a 50 percent drop in first-quarter earnings. Robert C. Skinner Jr., the company's president and a board director, was named...

LACROIX'S `NEW BEGINNING' WITH FALIC.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Miles Socha PARIS -- "I am very happy. It's a new beginning," Christian Lacroix declared Thursday, having completed an employment contract with Falic Group, the Florida-based travel retail firm that bought his fashion house last...

QUOTE OF THE WEEK.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... "When I design for men, I design under the personality of Sean John. When I'm doing this line, it's another part of my personality. It's been very intimate and very romantic in a way because I just want to please women." -- Sean Combs on...

FEDERATED TO SELL CREDIT OPERATIONS FOR $4.5B.
June 3, 2005... Byline: David Moin NEW YORK -- In a complicated three-step deal, Federated Department Stores Inc. will sell off its credit card portfolio, including its receivables and those from May Department Stores Inc., to Citigroup for about $4.5...

IN BRIEF: SISLEY SHEETS...SEVEN'S GAIN.(Brief Article)
June 3, 2005... SISLEY SHEETS: Benetton-owned brand Sisley has inked a four-year licensing deal with Turkey's Zorlu Holding for a line of bedsheets and home linens. Benetton said each Sisley Casa collection will draw on themes from the clothes and create an...

MAY COMPS SHINE FOR SPECIALTY RETAILERS.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Meredith Derby NEW YORK -- Lousy weather doesn't necessarily mean lousy comps, especially among fashion and luxury retailers. The specialty segment outperformed the rest of the retail market in May, as Wet Seal Inc. and Bebe...

GUERLAIN, PATOU: SCENT OF COUTURE.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Brid Costello, With contributions from Pete Born PARIS -- Haute couture may be practiced by an ever-decreasing circle of designers, but haute perfumery is starting to relive its glory days here. Guerlain, the tony LVMH Moet...

PACO RABANNE IS BACK IN BLACK.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Brid Costello PARIS -- Paco Rabanne is targeting bad boys with hearts of gold with Black XS, starting this summer. The brand, which is owned by Barcelona-based Puig Beauty & Fashion Group, will introduce the scent as a...

A GRASSROOTS EFFORT FOR BEAUTYBANK.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Julie Naughton NEW YORK -- After launching three targeted beauty brands in quick succession, BeautyBank is aiming to draw in the entire family -- including the dog. The division of the Estee Lauder Cos., which launched...

SKIN DOCTORS COSMECEUTICALS TARGETS QUICK-FIX CONSUMERS.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Bryn Kenny NEW YORK -- Skin Doctors Cosmeceuticals, a line of solution-specific antiaging products from Australia, was started almost by accident. Now it's available in 139 May Department Stores Co. doors and is rolling out to 10...

MEN'S CORNER: THE SUNNY SIDE OF SHARPS.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Matthew W. Evans NEW YORK -- Niche men's grooming marketer Sharps Barber and Shop is getting into sun care while eyeing locations for -- what else? -- a barbershop. First up for Sharps, which is projecting wholesale...

CALGON BEGINS ITS WORLD TOUR.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Molly Prior NEW YORK -- Coty Beauty's Calgon brand wants to travel the world, with plans to hit a slew of breathtaking locales along the way. Leaning on its ubiquitous tag line "Take Me Away," the specialty bath line will...

SHIKAI ADDS STYLING TO COLOR REFLECT.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Andrea Nagel NEW YORK -- Fresh from launching Color Reflect, a line of natural hair care products, ShiKai is now focusing on styling. Beginning in September, a six-item styling line will bow, designed not only to maintain and...

CRITICAL MASS: WHEN RETAIL BUYERS BECOME SUPPLIERS.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Faye Brookman NEW YORK -- Chris McClain's six years at Wal-Mart trained him not only to be a shrewd merchant, but a savvy marketer as well. He's just one example of many industry executives who have successfully transitioned...

SNIPPETS: CONVERTIBLE HAIR...MORE MICRO...SPRING FEVER...
June 3, 2005... CONVERTIBLE HAIR: Celebrity hairstylist Ken Paves -- the man behind Jessica Simpson's enviable do's -- has partnered with Chrysler Group, billed as "America's Convertible Company," to promote driving with the top down this season. Tooling...

SPA TREATMENTS GO HIGH-TECH.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Kavita Daswani LOS ANGELES -- Cutting-edge technology is being found in spas more than ever before. As the arena of medical spas continues to expand, spa equipment manufacturers are coming up with increasingly high-tech ways to...

BIOLAGE OFFERS NEW TREATMENT OPTIONS.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Andrea Nagel NEW YORK -- Biolage is catching on to the in-salon treatment craze. The $200 million brand has recently launched Cera-Repair Pro4, its first treatment formulated specifically for professionals. Pro4 uses a patented...

MEMO PAD: WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, DENNIS?...NO LONGER TEEN QUEEN...MIU MOVES.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Jeff Bercovici, Sara James WHAT'S THE FREQUENCY, DENNIS?: It's looking increasingly likely that Time Inc. or Hearst Magazines, or both, will launch weekly men's magazines in the not-too-distant future. Two former Maxim editors are...

EDITOR FACE-OFF.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Sara James NEW YORK -- One is a guarded editor who doesn't self-promote. The other courts his own fame even as he skewers the famous. So who are they? Step forward Adam Moss and Maer Roshan. If their DNA were spliced, they just...

OLD NAVY ADS GET NEW LOOK.
June 3, 2005... Byline: David Moin NEW YORK -- Gap Inc., already high profile and celebrity-oriented with its advertising, is getting even more marketing-driven as it builds a roster of agencies working for its brands. It's an attempt to resonate...

IMPORT SURGE CAUSING TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Evan Clark WASHINGTON -- As a trade storm brews over surging Chinese imports, the long-term ramifications of buying the vast majority of apparel from abroad are rippling through intertwined segments of the economy. ...

FASHION SCOOPS: FASHION'S CROWD...JUST FRIENDS...SOMETHING DIOR?...
June 3, 2005... FASHION'S CROWD: Monday's 2005 CFDA Fashion Awards look set to become a star- and crystal-studded gala. Among those said to be attending are Linda Evangelista with Lanvin, Rachel Weisz with Coach and Evan Rachel Wood with Prada. Behnaz...

LENA BRYANT DESCENDANTS CONTINUE FAMILY TRADITION.
June 3, 2005... Byline: David Moin NEW YORK -- Michael and Nicholas Kaplan like to talk about their great-grandmother, Lena Bryant, who, like Demi Moore, felt women should celebrate impending motherhood, not conceal it. A pregnant Moore appeared naked...

REALITY CHECK FOR NEW FASHION GRADS.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Sharon Edelson NEW YORK -- Ashleigh Verrier, Parsons School of Design, Class of 2004, was one of the lucky few. Verrier sold about 30 designs that constituted her senior thesis to Saks Fifth Avenue after she was named...

SUZY: LEGALLY BLONDE...BABY NAME GAME...SWEET SYMPHONY.
June 3, 2005... Byline: Aileen Mehle The London Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the grand finale of its centenary year in London on Wednesday and Thursday. Many fans will be participating in this year's benefactor program with exclusive events,...

NIP AND TUCK.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... NEW YORK -- Giorgio Armani knows how to cut a sharp jacket, lately favoring feminine curves and scuptural collars. For his Collezioni cruise collection, the designer worked light crinkled leathers and floaty raw silks into those sexy shapes,...

SAKS' CHARGEBACK CRISIS: INTERNAL PROBE WIDENS AS CEO MAKES AMENDS.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Sharon Edelson and David Moin, With contributions from Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Saks Fifth Avenue is in mea culpa mode. The retailer's parent, Saks Inc., said Friday that it has launched a "supplemental inquiry" into...

WAL-MART CITES CHALLENGES AT MEETING.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Katherine Bowers FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Wal-Mart's struggles with its reputation, sluggish sales and stagnant stock price tempered the customarily festive annual shareholders' meeting, which was replete with the national anthem...

COMING THIS WEEK.
June 6, 2005... Monday: New York Resort Market (through June 17). Quiksilver reports second-quarter sales and earnings. Tuesday: Luxe Pack New York (through Wednesday). Wednesday: Sourcing Apparel-India Expo, New York (through Thursday). ...

IN BRIEF: RALPH'S HARLEM HONOR.(lauren's revitalization of Harlem and his opening of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention brings award)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... RALPH'S HARLEM HONOR: The Abyssinian Development Corp. chose Ralph Lauren as one of its Renaissance Honorees this year. Lauren is being recognized for his efforts to help the revitalization of New York's Harlem neighborhood. In 2003, Lauren...

DISSED DASH LASHES OUT ABOUT ADS.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Lauren DeCarlo NEW YORK -- After almost a year of speculation about the fate of Rocawear, founding partner Damon Dash, not co-founder Jay-Z, appears to be on the outside looking in. Rocawear's fall advertising campaign...

VALEXTRA SIGNS DEAL TO MARKET IN JAPAN.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Alessandra Ilari MILAN -- Italian luxury goods firm Valextra has signed a contract with Sazaby Inc. to exclusively distribute its products in Japan. The first step will be a 3,240-square-foot store featuring Valextra's entire...

CONGRESS PREPARES FOR CAFTA BATTLE.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON -- Congress returns from a Memorial Day recess today to begin weighing in on the Central American Free Trade Agreement, possibly among the most dramatic and definitive trade votes in more than a decade....

FASHION SCOOPS: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT...SAO PAULO SUPERPOWER...FOR ART'S SAKE...
June 6, 2005... TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT: Talk about last-minute changes. Rachel Weisz broke her knee and won't be able to join Coach at the 2005 CFDA Fashion Awards tonight. Mandy Moore, who stars in Coach's ad campaign in Japan, is expected to come in her place....

PUB CRAWL.(From party to party.)
June 6, 2005... NEW YORK -- Pre-parties aren't just for the prom set. It seemed that almost everyone at the Young Landmarks Celebration party on the Lever House terrace last Thursday -- where the summer dress-ready crowd included Rachel Peters, Samantha...

CHIC OF THE WEEK.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... In his fall 2005 collection, Alexander McQueen opened with an homage to the iconic Hitchcock blonde, complete with Tippi Hedren-worthy hair and wasp-waist pencil skirts. But it was a sizzling, raven-maned Jennifer Connelly who stepped out in...