The Cool School Crowd: Trio of Celebrities Drive Must-Have B-T-S Items

The party-hoppers were back in New York on Tuesday.

Odes to playgrounds of the rich and carefree inspired spring 2005 collections. Designers used shades of blue the colors of the Mediterranean Sea and the sky over Round Hill, Montego Bay, Jamaica. There’s a nod to Italy’s Amalfi Coast,…

THURSDAY, SEPT. 9
9 a.m.: Liz Lange, The Bryant, Bryant Park.
10 a.m.: Carolina Herrera, The Theater, Bryant Park.
11 a.m.: Cynthia Steffe, The Plaza, Bryant…

NEW YORK — Patrick Robinson’s spring collection for Perry Ellis, with its mix of pastels, ruffles, brocades and chinos, had lots and lots of charm, along with a girly, contemporary look. The designer blended the elements perfectly, and the…

Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan are the role models for schoolgirls this year, with buying up at the high end and off at mass.

HUGO BOSS GROWTH: The German fashion house Hugo Boss AG on Wednesday provided fiscal 2004 guidance that included a sales gain of 8 to 10 percent from 2003’s volume of 1.05 billion euros, as well as a 12 to 14 percent increase in operating…

Ralph Lauren’s new Italian flagship in Milan has a long-term lease with options to renew, but not less than 24 years. The length of the lease was incorrect in a story on Wednesday due to misinformation from the company.

Jackwyn Nemerov, the former president and chief operating officer of Jones Apparel Group, has been hired by Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. as executive vice president.

Under pressure to curb its surging apparel and textile exports, a Chinese official said Beijing would not bow to U.S. requests to impose quota limits.

NEW YORK — Struggling with manufacturing declines and facing more competition when apparel and textile quotas are lifted, Chinatown clothing manufacturers plan a trade mission to China to establish new business alliances.

The Greater…

NEW YORK — If Stella McCartney has her way, the new apparel line she has with Adidas will be worn at the world’s premier sporting event.

“I would love to see people at the Olympics wearing this,” the designer said at a…

Fresh off their gold medal wins in Athens, Amanda Beard, Natalie Coughlin and Michael Phelps modeled Axcelerate, Speedo’s new activewear line.

NEW YORK — Movado Group Inc. said on Wednesday that second-quarter profits jumped 22.7 percent on strong top-line gains.

For the three months ended July 31, the Paramus, N.J.-based luxury accessories manufacturer reported income of $7.1…

NEW YORK — A hodgepodge of celebrities helped kick off Olympus Fashion Week and the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s colon cancer screening initiative Wednesday under the tents at Bryant Park here.

The timing of the “Be…

Despite a rain-soaked morning, fashion week made an impressive start with strong collections from Perry Ellis, Kenneth Cole, Doo.Ri and Tocca.

A STAR IS BORN: When the word “fashion” appears in the vicinity of Lil’ Kim’s name, it’s usually followed by “don’t.” Now the curvaceous rapper has a new suffix: reporter. Starting today,…

Newcomer Sari Gueron showed an assured hand with her collection of clean-lined dresses, while Ruffian’s high-collared fare played up to expectations and Imitation of Christ staged theater of the absurd.

Imitation of Christ:…

MILAN — The newly remodeled 19th-century palazzo that houses Valextra’s headquarters and store is proof that the upscale brand’s turnaround that began in 2003 is starting to take off.

Housed in a five-story palazzo on Via…

A WTO panel upheld most of Brazil’s complaints on U.S. cotton subsidies, giving Washington until July 1 to end producer and export programs.

NEW YORK — Cherokee Inc. said on Wednesday that second-quarter profits rose 18.4 percent on modest revenue growth and lower costs.

The Van Nuys, Calif.-based marketer and licensor recorded income of $4.3 million, or 50 cents a diluted…

Body Bistro Unveils Expansion Plans

NEW YORK — Body Bistro, a two-year-old Ayurvedic facial treatment brand, is getting a makeover this fall. Parent company Blue Box LLC has set a multitiered launch and expansion strategy to begin in…

Levi Strauss said in an SEC filing that its lenders had agreed on its plan to sell its Dockers business, if a minimum price of $650 million is met.

NEW YORK — In the magazine industry, fall is launch season, and this year is no exception. Condé Nast Publications and Hachette Filipacchi Media both unveiled plans for major launches on Wednesday.

Condé Nast (a unit of Advance…

While the U.S. economy expanded in late summer, back-to-school sales were “spotty” and “disappointing,” the Fed reported in its Beige Book.

NEW YORK — Off-price retailer Loehmann’s Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it narrowed its second-quarter loss and posted a 130.8 percent jump in income for the first half.

The Bronx, N.Y.-based company lost 8 cents a diluted share, in…

Karl Kani Goes Live…Designer Denim for Gold Coasters…True Religion Gets Saltzman.

SAN DIEGO — On the Left Coast, ASR rides high into its 23rd year from Friday to Sunday. A veritable board meeting of the minds from surf and street, this is the action sports show where retailers battle it out playing dodgeball in between…

LONDON — Tanya Sarne, founder of the British fashion label Ghost, doesn’t own an iron or ever visit the dry cleaner. On Ghost’s 20th anniversary, she is still preaching the gospel of fluid fabrics, unstructured shapes and clothing as…

DALLAS — Retailers at the holiday and resort show at FashionCenterDallas had mixed feelings about business activity, with some anxious about spotty traffic and others pleased with gains of as much as 20 percent and buying budgets to…

Boating on Italy’s Lake Maggiore, for the chicest of weddings.

The 10-day Venice Film Festival began glamorously enough last week, with Scarlett Johansson and Miuccia Prada swirling through the opening dinner in a tent parked on the Lido’s beach. But not even Friday’s amFAR party…

SAYONARA SINDI: One of the front-row fixtures at New York Fashion Week won’t be making it to the tents this year. Rena Sindi, party-thrower extraordinaire, has relocated to Singapore with her two daughters. “I think the…