Fashion Helps Fill Coffers As Bush Aims for $200M And Dean Leads the Dems

NEW YORK — The mystique of far-away places has emerged for spring in a variety of shapes, fabrics and patterns. Invoking that gypsy spirit, designers are making use of embroidery and embellishments to create looks that are elegant yet light and…

Industry executives are doing their part to fill presidential campaign coffers – and their loyalties are as divided as the Democratic field.

WASHINGTON — Legislation to extend and expand apparel and textile trade breaks for sub-Saharan Africa has been introduced in Congress, but it won’t be until next year before the measure is considered — too late for some 2004 apparel…

China, India and Pakistan are poised to gain market share when quotas end in 2005, but some other nations also stand to benefit.

The last Tuesday of every month, WWD publishes the current, month-ago and year-ago fiber prices. Prices listed reflect the cost of one pound of fiber.

Fiber: Price on 11/25/03; Price on 10/28/03; Price on 11/26/02

Cotton: 74.34…

NEW YORK — Lee S. Sporn will join Michael Kors (USA) as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, a new post.

The past two years, Sporn held a similar post at Kasper A.S.L., prior to which he was with Polo Ralph Lauren Corp….

MOVADO OPENINGS: Movado Group, Inc., has opened two more company-owned stores, in the Boston suburbs and Chicago, bringing its store count to 14. The Boston-area store is 2,800 square feet and located in the Chestnut Hill Mall in Chestnut Hill,…

Invista officials clarified a statement regarding the new Invista headquarters that appeared in a story on page 3, Monday. An Invista spokeswoman said “options being considered by Invista for the new headquarters have not yet been finalized.”

Barneys New York joined the increasingly festive tone of the luxury sector on Monday with third-quarter earnings that leaped 43.9 percent.

NEW YORK — When conventional means of keeping lipstick in its place failed them, two cosmetic entrepreneurs decided to take a reverse approach.

Cristina Bartolucci and Laura DeLuisa, the creators of DuWop — best known for Lip Venom…

A visit with retired ballerina Maria Tallchief, who was George Balanchine’s first muse and his wife, as celebrations begin for the centennial of his birth.

Luxury dry cleaners

Hattie Whitehead is opening her latest store, Tuberose, in Palm Beach, Fla.

NEW YORK — Perry Ellis International has signed a licensing deal with Utex Corp. to produce women’s rainwear and outerwear for the signature brand.

The new collection will debut this fall and ships to stores in the U.S. and Canada…

Career Day at FIT.

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. — When Ecko senior vice president Matt Fontana was deciding where to put the company’s first full-priced store, he scanned the local radio dial to see if there were sports, hip-hop and rock stations in the vicinity….

EASTERN BLOCK: An official of the multilateral trade system department of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said the Japanese government is working on a plan to raise tariffs on some yet-to-be-decided U.S. imports to counter American…

NEW YORK — Panicko “Pan” Philoppou, chief executive officer of Diesel U.K. for the past nine years, has been named ceo of Diesel USA, effective Jan. 1.

Philoppou succeeds Andreas Kurz, who joined Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. as…

Lebanese luxury retailer Tony Salamé controls more than 640,000 square feet of designer boutique selling space. Here’s his latest plan for expansion.

FASHION POLICE: Dressed in blue boat shoes, jeans, a turtleneck and a fleece vest, Joan Rivers wasn’t exactly showing off her camera-ready image as she crossed the red-carpeted finish line with Blaine Trump at Sunday’s…

IN THE BUNKER: Perhaps the only surprising thing about Diane Potter’s resignation from Gruner + Jahr last Friday is that she was forced to do it so publicly — the other G+J executives who know too much have quietly…

NEW YORK — Luxury today is about more than just a high price tag and exclusive distribution.

“Luxury is attention to detail and quality, backed by superior service,” said Jeffry M. Aronsson, the new chief executive officer of…

CAMDEN, Maine — There were lobster boats rocking tranquilly in the harbor and contemplative silence in the used bookstores here, yet an ideological “big bang” took place in this quaint seaside village last month.

Scientists,…

NEW YORK — “I’m not talking really about fees. I’m talking about talent. Are you talented?”

That was how Oscar de la Renta recalled one of his first conversations with Eleanor Lambert, the longtime fashion…

Departing Gucci Group chief Domenico De Sole pocketed a gain of $970,080 from trading in Gucci shares Nov. 17.