Holiday’s Golden Hue: Jewelry Stores Bullish About 2nd-Half Demand

Fine jewelry retailers at JCK expect a strong second half driven by women buying for themselves.

PAS DE DEUX: Kathy Ireland launched her new jewelry collection in collaboration with Elizabeth Taylor called Kathy Ireland Jewelry exclusively for House of Taylor Jewelry at JCK in Las Vegas, as reported in WWD in…

Peter Arnold, executive director of the CFDA, will leave to become president at John Varvatos Enterprises.

JONES LEAVES GOODY’S: Max Jones, executive vice president, merchandising at Goody’s Family Clothing, has resigned. Fred Mershad, president and chief merchandising officer, will take over direct responsibility for the…

TUESDAY: Licensing 2005 International, New York (through Thursday).

WEDNESDAY: Hennes & Mauritz reports second-quarter sales and earnings.

THURSDAY: Finish Line and Rite Aid Corp….

Regulars on the party circuit this week were either bidding on nude pictures or talking about their Skivvies … At sea with Maud Fontenoy

NEW YORK — To anyone who’s seen the film “Open Water,” wherein two scuba divers are stranded in shark-infested waters after their tour boat leaves them behind, the idea of finding oneself alone in the middle of the ocean is…

NEW YORK — Henri Bendel has started its first lingerie co-branding effort with designer Samantha Chang.

The strategy behind the designer-retailer union, which is being marketed as Samantha Chang Exclusives for Henri Bendel, is to offer…

NEW YORK — Hanro USA, the American unit of Hanro of Switzerland, will launch a luxe collection of vintage-inspired lingerie at the Jan. 23-26 edition of the Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris.

The compact collection, which was…

NEW YORK — More than 200 customers packed the lingerie department of Bloomingdale’s flagship here at a cocktail party and fashion show for the new Nicole Miller Collection of luxe intimates.

Shoppers enjoyed…

NEW YORK — Skyrocketing oil prices did little to quell the bulls on Wall Street last week as all the major indices rallied.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 44 points Friday as stocks climbed for a fifth straight…

ROME — Burberry opening in Moscow and Saks Fifth Avenue entering the Middle East are just the beginning.

Despite the recent buzz surrounding China, the Asian giant isn’t the only emerging market out there. Executives at luxury goods…

Pucci has opened a new boutique in Capri, where Emilio Pucci kicked off his career in 1951.

 Douglas to Acquire S.A. Lavigne

BERLIN — Douglas Perfumeries is quadrupling its number of doors in France.

The German beauty retailer has agreed to acquire the French perfumery group S.A. Lavigne, effective…

BEENE THERE: Geoffrey Beene’s three-bedroom Long Island house is on the block for $4.9 million. The fact that the famously private designer lived on the 15-acre Oyster Bay Cove hideaway has attracted “quite a few”…

Terri Eagle, former chief operating officer of David Yurman, is headed to John Hardy as president and ceo.

LOS ANGELES — Von Dutch Originals, the car culture-influenced apparel line that hit full throttle two years ago, is suing its former designer, Christian Audigier, his nephew and three sales representatives in an alleged scheme to extort millions…

MILAN — A strong euro and increasing competition from China and other low-cost countries spurred Italian manufacturers showing at Modaprima to find new ways to be competitive.

In addition, the interest of Japanese buyers visiting the…

ALPINE SLIDE: Citing inventory write-downs, a slump in the general snowboard business and restructuring costs, French ski firm Rossignol SA last week reported a full-year net loss of 25 million euros, or $31.6 million, in the year…

Department stores might be a shrinking breed, but not all are shrinking violets.

After years of bankruptcies, mergers and consolidations, the statistics show that those with real staying power — notably, Federated Department Stores Inc.,…

Where to buy clothes used to be a relatively simple matter. There was always the question of style and selection. The customer, however, had a limited number of retail options — local merchants, department stores, specialty stores and mail-order…

Consumers are trying to find ways to stretch their disposable time even more than their disposable dollars.

With more than one-third of consumers indicating that price is the most important store attribute in WWD’s first Where America Shops survey, it’s clear that Americans are still having a love affair with the bargain.

For the right…

The world’s largest company continues to morph and, despite its challenges, shows no signs of slowing.

Women are more likely to buy a greater number of items at cheaper prices to refresh their wardrobes.

Kids love jeans, and will go anywhere and to all price points to find them.

Low prices and an efficient experience dominate when shopping for casual clothes.

Consumers prefer department stores for dresses,

Victoria’s Secret takes high honors.

Variety is the key to accessories.

The bare-bones approach at warehouse clubs appeals to bargain-hunting apparel shoppers.

Shopping online is becoming easier and more secure, and consumers are taking full advantage.

Connected and disconnected: Wireless technologies are making shopping easier any time, any place.

How does the world’s biggest retailer cater to a small, highly specialized community? WWD went to Ohio to find out.