The stakes could not be higher for Apple.

This is not a good time to be in a deckchair on a pavement on Fifth Avenue next to Central Park. It's hot and disgustingly muggy, and when you are not sitting in a pool of sweat you are being drenched by torrential rain accompanied by flashes of lightning.
The conditions in New York are so extreme they are almost biblical, which is appropriate because the people gathered on the pavement are here on the 21st century equivalent of a pilgrimage. Take Greg Packer, first in the queue. He has been sitting on the same spot since 5am on Monday.
The "it" is the iPhone, the latest offering from that sanctuary of techno-worship, Apple. Wags on the blogosphere have dubbed it the jesusPhone, and they are only half joking.
The iPhone went on sale at 6pm yesterday in New York and selected outlets across the US, including the Fifth Avenue Apple Store outside which Mr Packer and dozens more are camping.
So ubiquitous has Apple's marketing of the product been over the past six months, with tens of thousands of articles written and millions of internet hits, that six out of 10 Americans surveyed said they knew it was coming (compare that with the two out of 10 Americans who can locate Israel on a map).
Steven Levy, author of the history of the iPod, The Perfect Thing, says Mr Jobs's reputation hangs on the next few months. "He is the face of the iPhone. He has been out there pushing it in a way that he has never done with any other product."
Jobs called the iPhone "revolutionary" when he announced it earlier this year.
Part of its potential attraction is that it pulls functions performed by many different gadgets together into one neat package.
It combines the capabilities of a video-playing iPod with a high-end mobile phone which can take photos, process email like a BlackBerry and surf the internet.
For the first time, full web pages can be displayed, and manipulated with ease on the iPhone's glass display by scrolling with a finger. Another first is that the buttonless, keyboardless screen can pick up more than one instruction at the same time, allowing users to zoom in or out of pictures or web pages simply by stretching or closing the thumb and forefinger.
Reviewers have had gripes. They are divided by the new form of typing by touch rather than key (the Wall Street Journal loved it, the Times did not), and they are not impressed by the fact that the iPhone is not 3G, the most advanced form of communications, but depends on wireless access where available or on a very sleepy service from AT&T.
But initial reactions appear to be that the gizmo is sleek, gorgeous, and easily useable. It has found the holy grail that has until now proved to be so elusive: a mobile device that brings together all forms of digital communications - internet, email, music, videos, phone - and makes them pleasurable to experience.
"This is the next step in convergence," said Ryan Block, editor of web magazine Engadget.com. "It is taking what is already out there and making it useable for ordinary human beings."
That has always been the strength of Apple: it combines marketing brilliance with design beauty and technical functionality so seamlessly that you can hardly tell where the style ends and the substance begins.
And the pilgrims love it.
Vincent Nguyen, number 11 in the Fifth Avenue line, took the red-eye flight from Arizona on Tuesday night to be here. He runs a website called myiTablet.com. "I screamed like a little girl when they announced the iPhone," he says. "I haven't slept properly ever since. I'm hoping on Saturday I'll finally find some peace."

How it measures up

Apple iPhone

Finger-based touchscreen non-3G phone with a 2 megapixel camera, and up to 8GB of memory, which means it is able to hold 2,000 songs. Can read some email, has iPod functions and costs $599 with a phone contract for the higher specification model.

Nokia N95

Flagship handset from the Finnish mobile giant is available for free if you sign up for a contract. It is the market heavyweight, carrying a 5 megapixel camera, music player, 3G and wireless internet, as well as built-in satellite positioning. Memory is small but expandable, and there is no touchscreen.

BlackBerry

Popular device focused on email on the go: top of the range 8800 packs a punch, with instant messaging and GPS (satellite navigation) - but it doesn't have Wi-Fi or a camera, and the full keyboard makes it hard on the eye. More aesthetically pleasing models, such as the BlackBerry Pearl and Curve, are available but are less powerful.

Ed Pilkington in New York and Bobbie Johnson

Saturday June 30, 2007

The Guardian

Fresh Fashion 'end-of-season-sale' at Pantaloons, India

Pantaloons Fresh Fashion, India's leading fashion retailer has announced its 'end-of-season-sale' for consumers commenced on July 12, 2007.
The Pantaloons end-of-season-sale promises discounts of up to 50% on all the major categories such as men's formal, casual & sportswear; women's ethnic & western wear; kids wear, infant wear and accessories.
The sale is on at Pantaloon Fresh Fashion stores in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Agra, Delhi (NCR), Hyderabad & Bangalore stores.
The sale at Pantaloons stores has something for everyone. The Pantaloons End-of-season-Sale offers discounts on all large categories like apparel and accessories for all kinds of customers. Also it offers products on discounts for all age groups including kids and infants.
Some of the popular brands on sale are - John Miller, Lombard, Urbana, Scullers, RIG, UMM, BARE Denim, BARE Leisure, JM Sport, Ajile, Annabelle, Honey, Akkriti, Chalk, BARE 7214, etc.
Said Mr. Sanjeev Agrawal, CEO, Pantaloons, Pantaloons Fresh Fashion is truly committed to providing consumers, fashionable apparel and accessories. It has been our constant endeavour to refresh the apparel and accessories collection for our customers. The end-of-season-sale is a great platform, which helps us reach out to larger set of consumers.

Armani, with attitude

By Suzy Menkes
It began with Giorgio Armani's "Rock Symphony" and ended at midnight Wednesday with a barefoot Courtney Love in a Givenchy couture gown belting out "Samantha" until even the wrought iron banisters of the august Paris fashion house were shaking.
So the haute couture autumn/winter season rocked? Not exactly. Although the former model Claudia Schiffer dressed as a "Libertine" as seen through the lens of Karl Lagerfeld - the image unveiled at a party awash in Dom Perignon Champagne - did suggest the rock-the-baroque scenario of Sofia Coppola's movie "Marie Antoinette."
But parties with a decadent glamour are nothing new for couture, especially in a season with so many landmark celebrations. The surprise was to find a new vision from the maestro of Milan: Armani with attitude.
Citing his muse as David Bowie and switching from beige to shocking pink, Armani Prive challenged pre-conceptions about the designer. And although a lot looked forced (think pink - and more pink) the show had an energy and dynamism you don't get from ladylike couture.
"Soft rock," said Armani. "I thought about the women of today - a lot has changed in the world even for the wealthy. And women who may be old still want to dress young. I am designing for a woman who wants to be assertive."
You would certainly be noticed in a shawl made up of a tangle of pink and blue plumes, a pink feather coat, a bright orange bolero with ballooning, frilled sleeves and what Armani called "crinoline rock." That was a strapless dress with an egg-shaped skirt, split to one side to show off boots and recalling some of Gianni Versace's wilder creations.
But since Armani Prive has built a serious client list, the partygoers did not need to take all the hoopla too seriously. It was as if a rock band in full swing was trying to drown out the bass notes.
But those were there in the collection: a lean tuxedo, fancied up with a shocking pink shirt and one of the crumpled mini fedoras, which had a rakish charm. Then there were the opening daytime outfits that seemed eons away from glam rock, with their small jackets, deep belts and full, girlish skirts. They too came in colors, but including an inky ikat blue.
For those who wanted impeccable evening wear, silver came up as the new neutral shade and the line was slender, nipped in at the waist.
The general feeling was that Armani was testing himself, trying to break out of his own shell, rather than seeing the 60-piece collection as a wild departure from his signature style. Often the funky pieces were accessories: a single fingerless, studded glove; an egg-shaped clutch bag in vivid pink; glitter bootees; and those multicolored shawls that the designer has tinkered with in ready-to-wear.
It didn't make for a cohesive vision. But the front row guest Cate Blanchett got the show.
"It was fanstastic - so rock," she said, picking out for the red carpet a black gown with a swoosh of chartreuse taffeta. "And God is in the details - I loved the shoes."
Suzy Menkes is fashion editor at the International Herald Tribune.

Paris Fashion: The jewelers of Place Vendome get in on the act

By Suzy Menkes
With rose-red rubies dangling in the trumpet of a flower and sapphire petals spreading over diamond branches, the "Catherine" necklace from Boucheron opened up its garden of earthly delights.
This nature-inspired collection was part of a general botanical jewelry theme that sprouted as the jewelers of Place Vendome opened their doors for the haute couture season.
Haute Joallerie, as the French call it, is living up to its rarefied name now that the hedge fund managers and oligarch's wives are zoning on jewelry.
As befits their big ticket prices, these floral classics of the industry now come in eye-popping sizes with a sculptural three-dimensional effect.
Boucheron's "Fleur Fatale" has a femme fatale allure, with trembling branches of stones and diamond serpents emerging from abundant nature.
Many of these flamboyant pieces can also be un-clipped to produce a smaller brooch or pin. Shown in the salon against boxwood greenery and mesh fencing, the collection also has a more approachable side, with a tiny owl on a chain and gold grapes.
Chanel's camellia is the house signature, but shown in a scenario of a crystal cherry blossom tree, the diamond tracery of the flower took on a new dimension. So did the classic 1930s feather, its whiskers of brilliant-cut diamonds buried in the tail of a white peacock.
The jewels - including the bold J12 watch - were shown in Coco Chanel's personal apartment at the Ritz hotel, decked out for the presentation with Mademoiselle's own objects, like a camellia-patterned fan and two sculptures of deer. In the autumn, the Chanel jewelry store on Place Vendome will be renovated to showcase a collection that is still rooted in the 1930s comet pieces that Coco designed but also contains imaginative new pieces.
For Van Cleef & Arpels, flowers are always in fashion and the big crowd that showed up for the open house evening gawped over both the big pieces and some of the charming additions to the sweet Alhambra range, including mother-of-pearl butterflies.
De Grisogono, famous for its black diamonds, went green. But that meant a selection of emerald jewels in exceptional mixes of cuts, from briolettes to pave work, so that the jewels looked like haute gravel on a bracelet or like stamen heads at the center of a floral ring. Also in this garden, a diamond serpent bracelet with emerald eyes.
Dior had bouquets of multi-colored flowers in its Diorette collection, where lacquered surfaces gleamed on the nestling blooms.
Chaumet's world was sea blue at its merry summer celebration, where the courtyard of its Place Vendome store had a mock swimming pool - the better to make a big splash with its new version of its iconic diving watch. The Class One 39 MM has a Mediterranean blue face washed over with white diamonds while the face of the Haute Joaillerie version is a foaming surf of pave-set stones.

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.