A new survey into fashion shopping habits has found that consumers no longer shop because they need something – and up to half of them buy more clothes than they need and use.

Water award

The Association of California Cities Orange County honored the Moulton Niguel Water District earlier this month with a “Golden Hub of Innovation” award for its work with the California Data Collaborative, which offers information and data about water. Information: mnwd.com.

Reading to dogs

The monthly “Tales for Tails” reading event will be held at 4 p.m. Monday, June 12 at the Laguna Niguel Library, 30341 Crown Valley Parkway. The event gives kids a chance to improve their reading skills by reading out loud to therapy dogs. The event is held on the second Monday of every month. Information: ocpl.org or 949-249-5252.

Snakes 101

Two experts will discuss snakes in a “Beware of Snakes and Their Bites” lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 15 at Crown Valley Community Park, 29751 Crown Valley Parkway. The free event will teach residents about snake identification, habitat and first aid recommendations. Information: cityoflagunaniguel.org or 949-362-4300.

Chamber breakfast

The Laguna Niguel Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly networking breakfast at 7:15 a.m. Friday, June 16, at El Niguel Country Club, 23700 Clubhouse Drive. Guests are urged to RSVP before June 14. Information: lnchamber.com or 949-363-0136.

India’s government is understood to have trimmed the country’s textile and clothing export target to US$45bn for the current fiscal year, as Chinese demand for cotton and yarn has waned and demonetisation hit the sector.

Graphene-based product supplier Directa Plus and Italian sportswear firm Deewear have partnered on the development of the first graphene-enhanced compression sportswear.

Crean Lutheran’s boys volleyball team let a lead in the first set get away and was unable to recover, losing to Bishop Montgomery in three sets in the semifinals of the CIF Division 3 playoffs last week at Crean Lutheran.

The scores in the match of Wednesday, May 17, were 26-24, 25-16, 25-18.

Tanner Petchul led Crean Lutheran (20-12) with eight kills, Nate Tjepkema had seven kills and Robrert Briones six kills to lead the Saints.

Crean Lutheran (20-12) had an 18-12 lead in the first set before Bishop Montgomery (19-9) rallied behind 6-foot-4 Daniel  Matheney and eventually won the first set.

Crean Lutheran was trying to reach the CIF finals for the second year in a row. Last year, the Saints lost to Saddleback Valley Christian in four games in their first appearance in the finals.

“It was a great season; we improved all year long,” said Crean Coach Eric Olson. “After losing some key players last year and having a great year and getting to the finals (last season), I think the sentiment on our team was, ‘what are we going to do.’

“We came out this February after the winter sports ended and got it together. I really admire these boys; I love them a lot.”

Olson realized the first set was the key to the match.

“We made a couple of uncharacteristic errors that let them back into that game,” he said. “But I got to tip my hat to Bishop Montogmery. They played two and half solid games after the first part of that (first) game. They played very well. I know they have a couple of outstanding players over there but everybody else on the court when their number was called and they had to make a play, they made a play.

“We’re just happy about our season; winning two league titles in a row and coming into a higher division and getting to the semis. It’s definitely not the result we wanted, but we’re still keeping our heads high. I praise God for the relationships I made this year with these boys. I coached boys volleyball since I was 18 years old and I haven’t had a team that I’ve liked this much. They are  really good kids and they treat each other well and it was a very fun season because of that.”

Crean Lutheran advanced to the semifinals by defeating Paraclete in the quarterfinals on Saturday, May 13. The scores were 25-16, 25-16, 25-20.

Petchul had 18 assists and 16 kills to lead the Saints. Tjepkema had 14 kills and Briones had six kills and three blocks.

It isn’t supposed to be easy. Never is, especially now. And it shouldn’t be.

If winning a Stanley Cup were easy, Toronto would have given its generations of fans one, rather than going four decades without. Vancouver and St. Louis would have provided their devoted followings the ultimate celebration. And we wouldn’t be coming up on 20 years without a repeat champion. (Pittsburgh may soon get its chance, though.)

Heck, even star-crossed coach Bruce Boudreau would have hoisted the Cup over his head by now if it were easy to attain. It’s not. The Ducks – no longer with Boudreau behind their bench – found that out again Monday night, coming close for the second time in three years but not close enough.

The two-month meat grinder that is the Stanley Cup playoffs took a big chunk out of the Ducks by the time the end came Monday at Bridgestone Arena, with the Nashville Predators having the smiling faces on the end of the handshakes as they’re off to a first Cup Final in franchise history.

A decade ago, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were in the Predators’ position, excited that what was possible – what they even dreamed about as kids – was actually within reach. Ryan Kesler also knows what it’s like when the Cup is right there, in sight. Unlike Getzlaf and Perry, he hasn’t been able to call it his.

Otherwise, the end is an empty feeling. All three shared that as they lingered in the visitors’ dressing room Monday, trying to come to grips with why they wouldn’t be playing next week.

His head buried under a towel until it was finally time to shed his gear, Kesler put the feeling these accomplished north-of-30 veterans had into words, few and direct as always.

“Chances go and you never know if you’re going to be back here again,” said the Ducks center with reddened eyes, following it up with a blunt, profane way of saying the feeling stinks.

Getzlaf called it “the worst feeling in hockey.”

“It’s a very frustrating thing for our group when we go out and worked as hard as we did all year, and all game for that matter,” he said. “And we didn’t get the results we needed.”

It felt worse because these Ducks made sure they would be fully invested from the moment they came back from their bye week in March. Whatever issues that would arise – and there would be many – weren’t going to sidetrack them. If they lost, it would be because they were beaten. There wasn’t going to be the feeling, like in prior seasons, that more could have been given.

A resolve that became one of their greatest strengths revealed itself through the often-thrilling 17-game postseason odyssey. Other Ducks teams wouldn’t have won four games after trailing by two goals or more in them. Others wouldn’t have erased a 3-1 third-period deficit when facing elimination.

“I thought it was tested. More than our team’s been tested in a long time,” Getzlaf said. “Our guys held their heads high for the most part. We played pretty hard throughout the whole thing.

“I don’t want to take away from what we did, what we accomplished this year. Again, if you don’t win the Cup, everyone’s not satisfied.”

The will was usually there, the execution when it was needed often wasn’t. Holes continually popped up in an air-tight penalty kill. The power play was often ineffective, never more so than Monday when Game 6 was theirs for the taking. Too often, they were playing uphill.

Losing Patrick Eaves in the second round and Rickard Rakell for the final two games took two top finishers out. John Gibson was up and down in goal. And then he wasn’t there, a hamstring injury leaving Jonathan Bernier to save the Ducks’ season, he couldn’t.

Depth players such as Logan Shaw also were sidelined. Injuries kept Clayton Stoner and Simon Despres out of the picture, though that opened up blue-line opportunities for Brandon Montour and Shea Theodore to show they’re ready for full-time duty.

And many of those who could play had their own ailments. Asked if he was playing injured, Kesler said, “I was out there. I was good enough to go.” More figures to be revealed when the Ducks gather for exit meetings and the cleaning out of their lockers, either Wednesday or Thursday.

The ones to lead the way went cold at the wrong time. Getzlaf had three assists in a Game 2 win but didn’t score another point. Perry had three overtime winners to become the third NHL player to do so but never got on a scoring binge. Kesler had one goal all playoffs and just one assist against Nashville. Jakob Silfverberg, who led the Ducks in goals, didn’t get one after Game 2.

The Ducks must stomach falling to the persistent Predators, who lost top center Ryan Johansen but won with support players such as Colton Sissons, Pontus Aberg, Austin Watson and Frederick Gauthier stepping up in the spotlight. Sissons’ Game 6 hat trick will help define Nashville’s all-hands-on-deck run to win the West.

There were those kinds of moments among the Ducks, from the unsung and the household names. But there weren’t enough of them. It wasn’t for lack of trying, even until the bitter end.

“All year, we showed a lot of character,” Bernier said. “Throughout these players, we never, ever gave up. That’s a really good sign. We won some big games. Game 7 (against Edmonton). And I thought we deserved a better fate. Especially after winning Game 7, that’s for sure.

“As a group, I thought we did everything we could.”

Winning a Stanley Cup is hard to do. It should be. It just got to be too much for a Ducks team that often took the hardest route.

DANA POINT  Thousands listened to the soulful sounds of blues, ate an assortment of foods and quenched their thirst during summer-like heat at the 20th anniversary of the Doheny Blues Festival at Doheny State Beach.

The two-day event, May 20-21, put on by Omega Events, drew nearly 20,000 with many coming from San Diego and Los Angeles counties.

Musicians played at three stages, the Doheny Stage, the PCH Stage and the Backporch, a smaller more intimate setting.

Crowd pleasers on Saturday, May 20, included 2000 LBS of Blues on the Backporch, a Southern California vs. Northern California duel between Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers, and Rick Estrin and the Nightcats.

The jam sessions included harmonica solos, guitar and keyboard jams.

Saturday’s headliners brought out devoted fans of Robin Trower,  an English rock guitarist and vocalist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960s, and then again as the bandleader of his own band.

Joe Walsh, who in a 40-year music career was part of five successful rock bands– James Gang, Barnstorm, Eagles, The Party Boys, and Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band–  closed the show on Saturday.

He played tunes like “Rocky Mountain Way,” “Life’s Been Good,” “Average Guy” and “Meadows.”

On Sunday, Chris Isaak, best known for his hit “Wicked Game,” as well as the popular hit songs “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing” and “Somebody’s Crying,” played on the Doheny Stage.

Other artists included Moreland and Arbuckle on the Backporch and Samantha Fish on the PCH Stage.

Melissa Etheridge closed out the night on The Doheny Stage.

Orange County Sheriff Department Police Chief Russ Chilton said his department had multiple medical aids because of dehydration, but other than that the event was peaceful.

“Saturday was a full house,” Chilton said, adding the venue site holds about 11,000 people. “Sunday, there were a little less.”

Chilton was a deputy in Dana Point 20 years ago when the event was first held. Since that time, he’s seen it improve and grow.

In recent years, the state park has added more concert events. Chilton said the Ohana and Driftwood festivals were both recent successes.

Doheny Days, an event he described as drawing “edgier bands” was a problem for law enforcement and won’t be back again, Chilton said.

Chilton added that Dana Point’s hub as a music venue also demands law vigilance.

Before the Doheny Blues Festival, as with all the larger venue events including the Dana Point Turkey Trot, Chilton and his deputies did extensive preparation to make sure the area is safe. Deputies and bomb-sniffing dogs walked throughout the festival on both days.

“I take security very seriously,” Chilton said. “I don’t want people to worry. If people feel safe, I guess I’m doing my job.”

As fashion muses go, it’s hard to beat Isabella Rosellini, on whom the Escada design team based its resort collection. She’s beautiful, stylish, independent, philanthropic — and she has Swedish roots, just like Escada founder Margaretha Ley.
The majority of the collection was cut from classic silhouettes — cigarette pants, shift dresses, angora ski sweaters and slightly retro lightweight wool jackets, all designed in wrinkle-free, packable fabrics. While the company looks for a new creative director, it felt like the studio stayed in the safe zone with traditional shapes, but went bold with color — bright yellow, orange and pink. The tones perked up the looks, though they won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
But not to worry — the resort collection was vast. Its breadth spanning beyond bright classics to include holiday fare, such as a nice metallic jacquard jacket, and sport, including puffer parkas that looked just as on-point as those from some of the trendier European luxury houses. There’s also a new lounge capsule collection of satin pajamalike robes and separates in blush and gray that acted as a major upgrade to ordinary sweats.
For the Escada Sport collection, it covered knits, denim, crisp white shirts and little black dresses done

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NEW YORK — The apparel industry and its customers are proponents of sustainability — but only if it’s economically feasible.
That was a key takeaway from a survey conducted by Cotton Incorporated and presented at a half-day seminar here Tuesday titled “Everything You’ve Heard About Cotton Is Wrong.”
Melissa Bastos, director of market research for Cotton Incorporated, said although the concept is appealing, sustainability is “not a primary purchase-driver for consumers.” Instead, they primarily seek a good fit, comfort and a price they consider reasonable, good quality, durability and the right style. The secondary reasons for purchasing are color, softness, performance features and laundering instructions. Further down on the list are country of origin, sustainability and brand name, she said.
And while all generations care about the environmental impact of their purchases — not just the socially conscious Millennials — this still does not drive them to the cash register. In fact, some 33 to 40 percent of consumers today expect manufacturers to produce goods that are environmentally friendly and blame the vendor if those rules are broken.
So what is the apparel industry doing to comply with these requirements?
Bastos said Cotton Incorporated surveyed 100 companies, a mix of manufacturers and retailers, and 55 percent said they

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