Romance was in the air for bridal — of course — and Marchesa’s ruffles, lace and embroideries put a slight twist on the traditional bride.

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Kelly Faetanini showed a collection of pretty and tame gowns in traditional silhouettes for the bride searching for soft elegance. She imbued a sense of drama with one ballgown with a sheer skirt overlay, and another with a statement black feather skirt.

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COLE’S GIVE BACK PROGRAM: In honor of Earth Day, Kenneth Cole will continue its commitment to address the cycle of textile waste and will give back to communities in need.
Kenneth Cole is partnering with Goodwill using the Give Back Box platform to help customers clean out their closets, donate clothing and home goods to people who need it and recycle shipping boxes that often get thrown out.
Goodwill is a leading provider of job training, employment placement and other initiatives that benefit communities across the U.S.
The company’s goal with Give Back Box is to reduce landfill waste, support Goodwill and help address the Sustainable Development Goals set forth by the United Nations.
The way it works is once a customer receives their order from kennethcole.com, he or she needs to open his or her box and remove items, fill it with items they no longer need (clothing, bags, home goods), print the free shipping label and ship as usual. Once Goodwill receives their donation, the customer will receive a receipt that can be used for tax purposes.
The program goes live on April 22, so any order placed on or after April 22 will include the Give Back Box program materials encouraging people to print

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With a new collaboration with Equinox and another one in development with Swarovski, Caraa, a 16-month company that specializes in stylish bags for the gym-to-the-office, aims to generate $2.3 million in sales this year.
That would be a considerable hike for a company that started selling in January 2016 and tallied $250,000 in annual sales. “The Equinox Tote” has a hidden shoe compartment, ultralight waterproof nylon lining and matte black hardware. The Caraa x Equinox design doubles as a backpack, and it has enabled the start-up to increase distribution in Equinox clubs from five to 45.
During the initial design process, creative director Carmen Chen Wu camped out at the juice bar in Equinox’s SoHo club for people watching. Caraa cofounder and chief executive officer Aaron Luo said, “She sat there with the team pretty much off and on for three months to see what kinds of bags people were wearing. We always joke about how we are in the market to solve two problems for women — the too many bags problem and the ugly gym bag problem.
“We stopped a few members, chatted with them, we spoke with the stores. But for us, we don’t believe in coming up with a

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As part of its commitment to sustainability US retail giant Walmart is inviting suppliers to join a new platform, designed to help guide companies on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their operations and supply chains.

Sri Lanka must ensure its workers have the effective right to organise and bargain collectively, MEPs have said, if the country is to deliver on its promise of guaranteeing employee rights as the country looks to regain its GSP+ status.

Spanish clothing giant Inditex, German sportswear giant Adidas and US outdoor brand Patagonia have topped a new report ranking the efforts companies are taking to address forced labour, child labour and exploitation in their supply chains.

In the face of the fourth anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory complex collapse, a cohort of unions and human rights groups are calling for more apparel and footwear companies to join the likes of Nike, Adidas, H&M and C&A in pledging their commitment to supply chain transparency.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime.

Christine Valdivieso, 49, got to spend a week in New England meeting new friends and runners, including Met Meb Kelezighi, the first American to win the marathon after the Boston bombings in 2013, before running the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 17.

Valdivieso was one of more than 100 mostly female runners from around the world who joined Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon in 1967, and 261 Fearless, whose goal is to promote running for women.

Valdivieso finished with an official time of five hours, 32 minutes and six seconds, according to race results from the Boston Athletic Association.

She reflected on the experience of completing her 10th marathon and what the future holds.

Q: How did you prepare your body and mind for the race?

A: Preparations started last summer with three to four days of running five miles per week. I was originally registered to run the Las Vegas marathon in November 2016, but once I received the bib to run Boston, I decided to forgo that marathon and concentrate on a plan for Boston. I feel most confident with a six-month marathon prep training schedule. This time I was spoiled as I received support from the Boston Athletic Association and 261 Fearless in the form of training programs. It included weekly training schedules and long runs, as well as additional information including proper hydration and stretching. My training also included cross-training. I swam two days each week for upper body strength and conditioning.

For mental preparation, we were supported by amazing staff through 261 Fearless, who provided words of encouragement and support. We also had the privilege of three conference calls with Kathrine Switzer, who answered questions and was an amazing inspiration during training.

Last, a personal friend who provides meditation and mind preparation for several pro sports teams and high schools, Jim Madrid, provided one-on-one techniques that were very effective in keeping my mind focused and calm in preparation for race day.

Q: How did the experience of running the Boston Marathon compare to your previous marathon-running experience?

A: There is no comparison of one marathon to the next. They are all special for their own reasons and in their own way. That being said, this is the Boston Marathon. Any runner you meet or talk to that has run the Boston Marathon receives respect for running the most significant marathon in the world. The course has so much history and runner’s respect if just for that reason. To have the privilege to run the Boston Marathon is a runner’s dream.

Q: Was the Boston Marathon course easier or more challenging compared to the previous marathon courses?

A: The Boston Marathon was one of the most challenging marathons I have run. It was about the same difficulty level of the Big Sur Marathon, but in Boston you have far more crowd support, which helps carry you through the harder times you may have on the course. On April 17, we also had to contend with less than ideal running temperatures, 70 degrees-plus at the start with 63 percent humidity. The spectators were so gracious, offering bowls of ice to cool us down, opening fire hydrants for us to run through, and just overall amazing mental encouragement.

Q: What was going through your mind during the race?

A: The team, 261 Fearless, boarded buses at 5 a.m. from Boston to the start in Hopkinton. From there we staged for about three hours until our wave began at 11:15 a.m. The anticipation was a challenge. Keeping loose and mentally strong for that amount of time is much longer than a smaller venue. During the race your body goes through many different phases of pain and exhaustion. Along with hydration and fuel, I used a couple mantras: “I am fearless” and “I can do this.” But again, I have to say that the Boston crowd support is absolutely amazing and their shouts of encouragement, signs and large turnout make you want to do right by Boston.

Q: What will your remember most about your week in Boston?

A: The gravity and privilege of meeting Kathrine Switzer, being part of 261 Fearless, having all of the amazing experiences we shared as a team with Kathrine, and meeting women who I know will be lifelong friends. And, of course, being a Boston Marathon finisher.

Q: You said earlier that you might do a half-triathlon after completing your 10th marathon. Have you made a final decision?

A: Oh boy. Well, let’s put it this way, it is not outside the realm of possibility!

HOUSTON — At least the Angels’ ended their trip with a bang, if not a victory.

After enduring a quiet afternoon and managing just three hits in eight scoreless innings, the Angels mounted a ninth-inning rally on Thursday afternoon.

Unfortunately, it still came up short, as they left the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base in a 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros, their sixth loss in seven games on the trip.

They have lost eight of nine overall, hitting .185 and averaging 1.8 runs in the skid.

Although they didn’t do much for most of the afternoon, stymied by Astros starter Lance McCullers, they at least made it interesting in the ninth against Chris Devenski. Mike Trout led off with a homer to cut the lead to 2-1.

An out later, C.J. Cron singled and then Andrelton Simmons singled. Pinch-runner Cliff Pennington and Simmons executed a double-steal to move into scoring position while Cameron Maybin was up.

Maybin struck out, though. Danny Espinosa then struck out to end it.

On the bright side, Matt Shoemaker pitched his best game of the season, allowing just two runs in seven innings.

In fact, in the past five games each Angels starter has managed his best game of the season, as they’ve combined for a 2.23 ERA over the past five games.

Shoemaker gave up a homer to Carlos Beltran in the first and a towering blast to Jake Marisnick in the fifth. Otherwise, he was dominant. The only other hit he allowed was a ball that right fielder Kole Calhoun nearly caught after a long run into the gap.

Shoemaker’s few mistakes were still too many on a day when he got no offensive support.

Of the few baserunners the Angels had, they lost two of them by hitting into double plays.

In the fifth, after Simmons reached with the team’s first hit of the day, he got picked off first in a strange play. Simmons had taken a huge lead, but was neither trying to go to second nor trying to get back to first after catcher Brian McCann had the ball. McCann seemed almost surprised to see Simmons just standing there when he hesitated before throwing to first to get the easy run-down.

In the sixth, Trout came to the plate with a runner on, representing the potential tying run, but McCullers struck him on a 97 mph fastball.