Marks and Spencer teams up with Modern Pentathlon Association of Great Britain for Beijing Olympics

Marks & Spencer is to partner the Modern Pentathlon Association of Great Britain (MPAGB) in its preparations for the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympic Games, as part of the FTSE-BOA Initiative.
Marks & Spencer's support for MPAGB's preparation for the Games will include nutritional advice, professional support in regional development, business planning, IT support and branding advice.
Britain's modern pentathletes have already had an impressive year, with Heather Fell winning the individual Silver medal at the European Championships in Latvia earlier this month.
This week Georgina Harland, the Athens Olympic bronze medallist, secured a place in September's World Cup Final in Beijing by taking bronze in the last round of the 2007 World Cup series in Rome.
Jude Bridge, Marketing Communications Director at Marks & Spencer, said: "By partnering the MPAGB, we hope to help further the development of a unique sport, and to increase awareness amongst our customers and employees of the Modern Pentathlon, a complete sport where athletes need to be at the peak of mental and physical health."
Peter Hart, Chief Executive of the MPAGB added: "We are delighted that such a high profile brand as M & S has chosen to Partner with Modern Pentathlon. Marks & Spencer will provide MPAGB access to many areas of business expertise, from HR to marketing."
"This will play an important part in the development plans for our elite male and femaleathletes and the sport in general, ensuring that the Beijing and London Olympics will be further positive steps in the successful development of Modern Pentathlon in Britain."

Swim shorts - retro sartorial fun or object of ridicule?

By shopping.guardian.co.uk

Within weeks, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of British males will discover the personal and aesthetic pros and cons of purchasing swim shorts, or having a pair bought for them. Many will be wearing trunks, swim tangas or boardshorts printed with such outrageous retro floral and tropical designs as to suggest they have been sealed in a cargo container for 33 years, having been deemed too cheesy for the Seventies.
Only on the sands in August will most men learn whether this has been a hoax - a conspiracy between their girlfriends and the fashion industry to get them parading palely in pink- and turquoise-flowered Haiti briefs or gingham-check fashion water shorts in order to chuckle or even cackle at them - or whether wearing, with a 'hot tropicality' and a confidence just shy of cockiness, some lime-green palm tree-print boardshorts, rainforest surf shorts or hibiscus and psychedelic anchor-design Bermuda wide legs (from Topman, H&M, M&S or some cheaper or groovier emporium) will prove to be entry tickets to raves and babes abroad.
Many dull beaches and suburban balcony barbecues will be made more colourful by men sporting 'Atoll-wear' (beachwear decorated with images of lagoons enclosed by coral reefs). This tsunami of retro and post-postmodern Tahiti-esque designs may even come to be regarded as British males' first great angst-suppressing yet rather cheery dress rehearsal for global warming.
But the fear - and delight - remains that it's merely a ruse at the expense of dudes wearing fast-drying crinkle-cloth bathing garments decorated with seashells, bananas and bamboo huts and looking like they've been retro-designed on to a very old colour Xerox found in a skip on the King's Road.

Italy : Everlasting designer styles at Milan Fashion Show

The Milan Fashion show that ended on Wednesday presented everlasting styles for this spring. Italian designers displayed pocket handkerchiefs, neck scarves and waistcoats, leaving a mark in the mind of spectators.
Collections of Italian 1950 Cinecitta films along with the style of French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo was the theme of Gucci's Frida Giannini while Belstaff, recognized for its tough biker jackets, followed the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia.
Belstaff offered unique looks of blue and red check kilt, while and {Dolce & Gabbana} focused on mini swimming costumes.
Valentino Garavani's 'Historical themes of the maison' range was a seductive cocktail of colonial flavours and burlesque show of topless dancers.
Waistcoats of any kind bagged the winning title with many designers.
Motivated by rock stars with D&G anthology, models with Designer Donatella Versace waistcoats had the front dazzled with metal beads.
Many designers this time highlighted on clothes that were flexible to temperature changes with detachable collars, sleeves, skirts that could double up as jackets and trench coats pared back to a jacket.
Fabric like cotton and linens were the centre of attraction with summer colors like whites, pale greys and pastels, with splashes of summer sky blue and sun yellow.
Sizeable leather bag that folded into a flat rectangle to hang snug against the hip, was an accessory that was added new for men.

CIBC World Markets Consumer Conference

7th Annual Consumer Growth Conference

CIBC World Markets presents a number of conferences each year ranging from large multi-sector forums to intimate, industry focused gatherings. By bringing the investor community together with senior executives of major public and private companies and top - ranked industry analysts, our investor conferences have developed a well-earned reputation within the financial community.

USA: CIBC World Markets Consumer Conference will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts on Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at 10:55 a.m. ET.

Confirmed Companies (as of July 3, 2007)
July 10-11, 2007, July 12, 2007
1-800 Flowers (FLWS)
Aeropostale (ARO)
AFC Enterprises (AFCE)
Bare Escentuals (BARE)
Best Buy (BBY)
BJ's Restaurant (BJRI)
Bob Evans Farms (BOBE)
Buca (BUCA)
Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD)
Burger King (BKC)
Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. (CMRG)
Central Garden & Pet (CENT)
Charming Shoppes (CHRS)
Cheesecake Factory (CAKE)
Cherokee (CHKE)
Chico's FAS, Inc. (CHS)
Children's Place Retail Stores, Inc. (PLCE)
Christopher & Banks Corp. (CBK)
Church & Dwight (CHD)
Circuit City (CC)
CKE Restaurants (CKR)
Coldwater Creek (CWTR)
Darden Restaurants (DRI)
Denny's (DENN)
Design Within Reach (DWRI)
Directed Electronics (DEIX)
Domino's Pizza (DPZ)
Dressbarn (DBRN)
DSW Inc.(DSW)
Famous Dave's of America (DAVE)
Guess? Inc. (GES)
Gymboree Corp. (GYMB)
Hibbett Sporting Goods (HIBB)
Jamba Juice (JMBA)
Jarden Corporation (JAH)
J. Crew (JCG)
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (KKD)
Lifetime Brands (LCUT)
Liquidity Services (LQDT)
McCormick & Schmick's (MSSR)
Morton's Restaurant Group (MRT)
Nordstrom (JWN) - 1-on-1 meetings only
Panera Bread Company (PNRA)
Peet's Coffee & Tea (PEET)
Playtex (PYX)
Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (PBH)
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (RRGB)
Ruth's Chris Steak House (RUTH)
Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG)
Sonic Corporation (SONC)
Stage Stores (SSI)
Talbots (TLB)
Texas Roadhouse (TXRH)
Tiffany & Co. (TIF)
True Religion Apparel (TRLG)
Tupperware (TUP)
Urban Outfitters (URBN)
Volcom, Inc. (VLCM)
Weight Watchers (WTW)
Williams-Sonoma (WSM)
Ameristar Casinos (ASCA)
Bally Technologies (BYI)
Bluegreen Corporation (BXG)
Boyd Gaming Corporation (BYD)
Choice Hotels (CHH)
Evergreen Gaming *
Gamehost Imcome Fund *
Gaylord Entertainment (GET)
Great Canadian Gaming (GCD.TO)
Great Wolf Resorts (WOLF)
Hilton (HLT)
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
International Game Technology (IGT)
Isle of Capri Casinos(ISLE)
LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation (LNET)
MGM Mirage (MGM)
Morgans Hotel Group (MHGC)
MTR Gaming (MNTG)
Multimedia Games(MGAM)
Nevada Gold and Casinos (UWN) - 1-on-1 meetings only
Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK)
Progressive Gaming (PGIC)
Red Lion Hotels (RLH)
Silverleaf Resorts (SVLF)
Steiner Leisure Limited (STNR)
WMS Industries (WMS)
Youbet.com (UBET)

©cherryfashion.blogspot.com

Germany : KAFFEE ORIENTAL - Urban fashion from Arabian Nights

July 4, 2007
Independent streetwear labels, underground fashion & urban styles: 100 creative, international young designers will once again present an exceptional cross-over in trends away from the mainstream at the 7th Edition of Design Attack in Hall 13.
The programme in the Scene Area includes not only shoes, bags and accessories, but also Urban and Streetwear, lingerie as well as the most diverse lifestyle products.
The forthcoming Design Attack from 14 to 16 September 2007 enables the visitors to experience the oriental magic of the fascinating Moroccan regal city Marrakesh with all their senses under the KAFFEE ORIENTAL design and event motto.
The fair stands are presented true-to-original style as Arabian merchants palaces or Riads with filigree arches and ornaments in a warm colour spectrum ranging from orange to terracotta and bordeaux.
Oriental light spectacles, sensual rose petal, vanilla, cinnamon aromas, and as a highlight, an original oriental Souk bazaar, authentically reflect the exotic atmosphere of the historic old town edina.
On the bazaar street, there is the lively, colourful hustle and bustle between stands offering spices, different tea varieties, fragrances along with oriental carpet merchants, snake charmers and seductive belly dancers.
In the oriental boxes all around the catwalk at the KAFFEE ORIENTAL Plaza, anyone who gets too hot will find a genuine oasis with palm trees, refreshing cocktails and fountain as well as several water plume fountains. Several times a day KAFFEE ORIENTAL Shows are held there, which present extravagant looks and trends.

Fifth annual national underwear day at Freshpair from Aug 7

On Tuesday, August 7, 2007, underwear will come out of the drawer and into the streets, celebrating its status as the most important item worn throughout the day.
Commemorating its fifth anniversary, National Underwear Day will celebrate the importance of underwear with runway shows, give-a-ways and other surprises in the heart of Times Square.
National Underwear Day will also mark the beginning of an exciting new charitable program Freshpair, Freshstart to help provide basic necessities to people in need.
From 11AM - 2PM, male and female models clad in hottest brands including Wacoal, Le Mystere, Natori, DT Clothes and Chantelle will walk the catwalk in the latest styles.
Throughout the day, National Underwear Day will have changing stations set up for passersby to change into a free, fresh pair of underwear from C-IN2, Diesel, and Ginch Gonch.
Those enjoying the festivities of National Underwear Day will also learn about Freshpair, Freshstart, a program committed to providing basic, practical necessities.
National Underwear Day is the first of many Freshpair, Freshstart opportunities where the public can help people who are struggling to rebuild their lives. A day of friendly family fun, National Underwear Day is surely an event not to be missed!
Additional participants in National Underwear Day Festivities include: Barely There, Hanes, Go Softwear, Paul Frank, Male Power, Report Collection and Cotton Incorporated.
Freshpair is a leading online retailer of men's and women's intimate apparel selling over 100 brands. Freshpair is also the founder of National Underwear Day.
Freshpair's exceptional customer service and huge selection help make every shopping experience comfortable and convenient. At Freshpair, you can buy underwear in your underwear.

Winning Brands Corporation announces that Holland America Line will be adding the ms Amsterdam to the group of cruise ships it is converting to an environmentally friendly alternative to on-board dry cleaning.
The new system, SMART Wet Cleaning, does not use the solvent commonly associated with dry cleaning, Perchloroethylene (perc). The conversion is part of an ongoing commitment by Holland America Line toward excellence in all fields of operation, including environmental stewardship.
This will be the 8th cruise ship conversion by Holland America Line to the SMART Wet Cleaning System. The new system is targeted to go live on the ms Amsterdam in the next 90 days.
SMART Wet Cleaning Solutions are part of a system of hardware and environmentally advanced cleaning solutions that process "Dry Clean Only" garments by using water instead of hazardous solvents.
Winning Brands Corporation manufactures the SMART Wet Cleaning Solutions used on board. Winning Brands' mission is to replace hazardous chemicals in widespread use with safer alternatives. SMART Wet Cleaning products are distributed by Solvent Free Solutions Inc.

NEW YORK: Liz Claiborne, the designer of career clothes for professional women entering the work force en masse beginning in the 1970s, died Tuesday in New York. She was 78.

Her death, at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, was the result of complications of cancer, said Arthur Ortenberg, her husband. Claiborne learned in 1997 that she had a rare form of cancer that affects the lining of the abdomen. While undergoing treatments, she continued to pursue a second career promoting environmental conservation.

She had homes in Manhattan and the village of Saltaire on Fire Island, New York, and on a large farm in Swan Valley, Montana.

Before she became the most successful women's apparel designer in America of the time, Claiborne had worked for 20 years in the back rooms of Seventh Avenue sportswear houses like Youth Guild and Juniorite.

A strong-willed designer with an acute business sense, she defied the male-dominated ranks of the fashion industry by starting her own company in 1976 with her husband, Ortenberg, a textiles executive who had been her boss for more than two decades. In a reversal of roles, she gave him the corporate title of secretary.

Three last articles are published via www.iht.com

Shoals of fish and tumbling sea urchins are not familiar accessories on a fashion runway. But by the time a snaking sea creature was made up of wrist watches, Diesel had made a statement with its dive into the deep.

It was all done with holograms, projected on an ultrafine scrim. They created an oceanic setting for the sand-beige sportswear, the hooded tops, taut trench coats, crunchy knits and skinny pants, as Diesel staged its extravaganza at the Pitti Immagine Uomo fair.

"It's a first," said Renzo Rosso, Diesel's chief executive, describing the floating blue holograms as a "mood board" on the catwalk and a stimulation for its young consumers who surf the Internet for novelty. The show Thursday went live on Diesel.com.

At the rollicking after-party, Rosso had plenty to celebrate. The company, known for its ironic ads, has won the Cannes Lion for advertising for its spoof showing women taking a Diesel executive hostage as they steal intimate apparel.

The "Global Warming Ready" campaign this spring also created a stir with its surreal landscapes of transformed cities, from St. Mark's Square in Venice filled with tropical birds to Paris as a jungle and Manhattan half-submerged - all peopled by impeccably dressed Diesel-ites.

LONDON: Hearing that Victoria Beckham wanted to buy up her merry collection of frilled rompers and swirling dresses must have seemed to Kelly Shaw, a student designer, like the magic moment when Madonna picked out the fledgling Olivier Theyskens.

Shaw, from the University of East London, did not win the big award at the finale of Graduate Fashion Week. That went jointly to two menswear designers - even if Lanvin's Alber Elbaz, one of the judging team, along with Beckham, persuaded Jasper Chadprajong from Ravensbourne College to show his collection of enveloping parkas on female models.

The co-winner, Nicolas Thomas, from Bristol University, showed graphic dot and stripe knitwear worn with rubber boots that Elbaz gave him the cash to buy.

A mild survival theme (like the protective menswear from Kirsten Bridgewater, Westminster University) ran through the shows by the 10 finalists, drawn from the 20 colleges participating in the four-day event.

Zandra Rhodes, as colorful in her signature pink as many of the upbeat collections, picked out the romantic vistas from Jessica Clarke (Manchester Metropolitan University) as winner of the Catwalk Textiles Award. From the strong knitwear, the Pringle's designer Clare Waight Keller chose the ultra-light designs of Lilli Rose Wicks (Somerset).