When the California Public Records Act was signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1968, it promised state residents the right to know what their government is doing.

That promise has not always been fulfilled, in part because the act provides for no accountability and no penalty for government bodies that fail to honor requests for records.

But this could change soon if a bill working its way through the Legislature becomes law.

Assembly Bill 1479 would do two things that are overdue. First, it would require state and local agencies to designate a person or office responsible for responding to requests for records under the Public Records Act. Second, it would allow courts to assess penalties of $1,000 to $5,000 against agencies that delay providing records, that demand unreasonable fees, or that otherwise fail to act in good faith in response to records requests.

The bill is hailed by the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the American Civil Liberties Union and other First Amendment advocates for putting teeth in the Public Records Act. Those may be baby teeth, but AB1479 would send a huge message: State leaders take open government seriously.

The CNPA gave the Legislature several examples of governments failing to live up to the Public Records Act. One stemmed from the Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36 people in Oakland in 2016. The East Bay Times (our sister paper) sought Oakland city records regarding fire and building safety standard enforcement. The city didn’t provide a single document for six months — before turning over 600 pages of documents only under threat of a lawsuit.

Government officials shouldn’t be able to shirk their responsibility to the taxpayers in this way without consequences. Now, if AB1479 passes, they won’t be able to.

Introduced by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Oakland, and co-authored by Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Downey, AB1479 passed the full Assembly on Tuesday in a 71-1 vote and now heads to the Senate.

Californians who value their right to know what their government is up to should call on state Senate members to approve the bill, and Gov. Jerry Brown to sign it.

As much as Tory Burch is the main muse and inspiration for her brand, she likes to share the referential love with other impressive women. For resort, she homed in on the friendship between two accomplished style icons from very different backgrounds: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Princess Elizabeth of Toro. While the former probably needs no introduction, for those less familiar with the latter, she was a Ugandan princess who became the first female Uganda lawyer, one of the first three African women to be admitted to Cambridge University and the first to be admitted to the English Bar Association, the first African woman to have been given a spread in Vogue, the first woman to have served as Uganda’s minister of foreign affairs and the first to be its ambassador to the U.S..
“She’s stunning,” said Burch during a preview of the collection. Jackie and Elizabeth’s friendship began in the Sixties, so Burch drew on the signature silhouettes of the era as well as each woman’s personal style, mingling the classically American with the exotic. Not coincidentally, that mix is quintessentially on brand. There were soft space-dyed knits and A-line leather skirts with hardware details; fully embroidered maxi caftans; a

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The Veronica Beard formula of contemporary trends glossed with uptown polish and flirty femininity is fueling a retail growth spurt for the brand. During a preview of their resort lineup, Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard reported that their two stores — the original store on Madison Avenue and the recently opened SoHo shop — will grow to a network of five by January. They’re also launching denim and shoes for fall 2017.
What likely keeps the customer coming back to the brand is the combination of classic and sexy packaged in an accessible way. Swanson Beard described the resort lineup as “a very sexy equestrian moment” partially inspired by the Wellington Winter Equestrian Festival. “This is the tomboy side of her at the barn,” she said, noting a red V-neck cashmere sweater and jodhpurs, while a metallic leopard print ruffled and ruched dress was an “over-the-top feminine night out in Palm Beach thing.” The signature dickey jacket was updated in navy and red knit stripes. A pink tweed denim jacket and dress projected sweet girlishness, while army jackets with grosgrain ribbons and floral embroideries captured a boyish mood for the girly girl.

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Céline and Maxfield on Thursday night debuted a pop-up shop at the L.A. retailer featuring an early selection of fall merchandise that will be exclusive to the tony boutique for the initial rollout through June 11.
Among the ready-to-wear items on display in Tommy Perse’s one-of-a-kind Jean Prouvé “Nomade” house, which has become a de facto museum for several of Maxfield’s European designers — taking “experiential” retail to a rarified level — are a satin-back crepe wrap dress and blouse in lipstick red and off-white; a fluid jersey dress with leather trim, and a pink shearling coat.
Leather goods include the Bowling bag, luggage and classic bags in crocodile and new Clasp bag styles Cabas, Soft Medium, and Flap. Exclusive styles for Maxfield include the Compact Trotteur in plum and the Frame in red with jade contrast.

The Medium Frame bag in jade & bright red shiny smooth calfskin is exclusive to Maxfield. 

There is also a selection of shoes including mules, sandals, heels and boots, and jewelry. Retail prices range from $300 for small leather goods to $29,300 for crocodile luggage.
“Maxfield has a particular affection to the house of Céline, their teams and Phoebe Philo’s designs. Sarah Stewart, our buying director, systematically makes

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Demna Gvasalia — whose brash, urgent fashion shows for Vetements quickly became one of the hottest tickets in Paris — is stepping off the runway treadmill.
The designer has nixed plans to parade his spring 2018 collection during couture week and will instead unveil it to buyers and press by appointment in a Paris showroom scheduled for June 26 to 30 during men’s fashion week in the French capital.
What’s more, he plans to style and photograph the collection himself, and release the images to the media.
“There are simply just too many shows. I find it a little bit insane,” said Guram Gvasalia, chief executive officer of Vetements and the designer’s brother, who also lamented the multiplication of itinerant shows in “remote” locations around the globe. “When there were fewer brands, fewer shows, fewer fashion weeks and collections, fashion shows were something to look forward to. Now it feels like there is one long fashion week that never stops and goes for 365 days a year. And the routine takes away the excitement.”
The executive said buyers and journalists “all seem to be tired of all the shows, the fashion weeks, constant traveling and being away from their families for months.”
“Today shows have nothing

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Fur accents offer sophistication to fall’s furs.

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LONDON — The Central Saint Martins annual BA fashion show highlighted works from 41 students studying fashion design with marketing, knitwear, men’s wear, fashion print and women’s wear as their specializations. Designs ranged from the conceptual and expressive to the eccentric.
Goom Heo won the L’Oréal Professionnel Young Talent Award, which comes with an undisclosed cash prize. The fashion print student, who has already done internships at Molly Goddard and Kenzo, was inspired by the men she discovered during her travels across Asia. This was Heo’s first foray into men’s wear with ensembles including a layered look featuring a top made from a stack of vintage T-shirts. She paired the top with shiny black trousers.
Second place went to LVMH Grand Prix scholar and knitwear student Sarah Ansah, who created a red-and-white striped knit crop top and matching miniskirt.
Fashion design and marketing student Sheryn Akiki came in third. Her final look was based on a military flight suit done in soft linen. She meticulously twisted elastic into the oversize trousers giving them a distressed effect. Her dresses were handwoven and screen printed with enlarged graphic patterns.
Women’s wear student Xiaoming Shan was recognized for his creativity and won kudos from the judges for his

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Construction is complete on the Paul Allen–backed Stratolaunch aircraft, which will now undergo ground and flight testing.

A major sourcing event dedicated to British clothing, textiles and leather goods producers says the number of international visitors at this year’s event shows demand is rising for UK manufacturing and British-made brands.

Australian surfwear company Billabong International has named former Nordstrom executive Jim Howell as CFO, succeeding Peter Myers, who has served in the role since January 2013.