In the most recent first-quarter filings from US apparel and footwear brands and retailers, Amazon booked both earnings and sales growth, Levi Strauss & Co saw sales increase but profits slip, while Hanesbrands is expecting sales of around US$1.38bn. Kate Spade, meanwhile, saw earnings slump on the back of sales declines and while Under Armour booked a net loss but beat analyst expectations resulting in a share price spike. 

“Twin Mythconceptions: False Beliefs, Fables and Facts About Twins,” the latest book from Nancy Segal, director of Cal State Fullerton’s Twin Studies Center, was released in February. Segal’s previous books include “Born Together — Reared Apart,” “Someone Else’s Twin,” “Entwined Lives” and “Indivisible by Two.”

Other recent faculty works:

–Sudarshan Kurwadkar, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, wrote the cover article for the March issue of the Journal of Environmental Sciences, “Uptake and Translocation of Sulfamethazine by Alfalfa Grown Under Hydroponic Conditions.”

–Claudia G. Pineda, assistant professor of child and adolescent studies, wrote “Let the Right One in: Ethnic Boundaries in a Colombian Immigrant Youth Program,” included in the January issue of the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.

Catering chef honored as humanitarian

Dean Weitz, executive chef for OC Choice Catering, has received the Madeline Evans Humanitarian Award from Special Olympics Orange County for his 10 years volunteering with the organization. OC Choice Catering is a division of CSU Fullerton Auxiliary Service Corp.

Seven faculty earn emeritus status

CSUF President Mildred García recently conferred emeritus status on the following faculty members:

–Andy Bazar, mechanical engineering, 27 years

–Maryanne Garon, nursing, 17 years

–Mohinder Grewal, electrical engineering, 43 years

–Ellen Kottler, secondary education, 16 years

–Irene Lange, marketing, 50 years

–Rebecca Otton, nursing, 10 years

–James Santucci, comparative religion, 42 years

Director of program for released convicts honored

For his vision and perseverance in expanding Cal State Fullerton’s program that helps formerly incarcerated individuals attend college, Brady Heiner has received the university’s Leadership Award. Heiner, CSF assistant professor of philosophy and director of Project Rebound, helped grow the program to six other California State University campuses by securing $1 million in grants, Heather Battaly, professor of philosophy, wrote in her nomination.

“Project Rebound simply would not exist at the systemwide level or at CSUF without him,” Battaly wrote.

Eight students are enrolled in CSUF’s three-year pilot program, and one is set to graduate in May. Five students are enrolled for the fall, Heiner said. Project Rebound offers special admission, tuition support, textbook stipends, meal vouchers, academic advising and mentoring to formerly incarcerated men and women.

“I hope the award is a signal of the institution’s support and that there is a long-term sustainable place for the program at Cal State Fullerton,” Heiner said.

The recent University Awards Program also recognized:

–Henoc Preciado, coordinator of the Titan Dreamers Resource Center, and Denice Vélez, coordinator of the Chicana and Chicano Resource Center, with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award for creating the Immigration Legal Clinic, where immigration attorneys provide private consultations without charge to students and their families.

–Joshua Bagshaw and Matthew Pagano of Facilities Management; Robin Crew, Nathan Jeffers and Eraj Shadaram of Information Technology; Selen Faire, Beth Goerges, Inez Gonzales and Jason Shepard of the Communications Department; Kristen Jasko of Parking and Transportation; Katie McGill of University Advancement/Communications; and Nelson Nagai of Contracts and Procurement, with the Teamwork and Collaboration Award for putting together a partnership with Univision to establish a local news bureau on campus that offers students hands-on experience.

“I am honored to lead such a tight-knit family of educators and proud that the Titans being recognized today are representative of all of our collaborative work and achievements,” President Mildred García noted during the University Awards Program.

BOYS SWIMMING

Empire League Prelims

North Hills League Prelims

Pacific Coast League Prelims

Sunset League Prelims

Trinity League Prelims

Selected results
200 free (1:48.50) – Lou (Nor) 1:40.37, Ingram (Foot) 1:41.94, Thomas (MD) 1:42.80, Bramm (Edi) 1:42.89, Hussong (Can) 1:48.15,
200 IM (2:02.90) – Munoz (Nor) 1:53.85, Whitmore (Edi) 1:55.19, Tingen (OL) 1:56.89, Macavei (Esp) 1:57.13, Ding (YL) 2:01.84,
50 free (23.20)— Brehm (HB) 20.88, Cavano (HB) 20.92, Hitchens (Nor) 21.25, Hockenbury (MD) 21.26, Press (Nor) 21.27, Scott (Foot) 21.48, Farr (VP) 21.52, Allen (Ken) 21.75, Lappin (Can) 22.84
100 fly (55.90) – Lee (Uni) 50.25, Tu (SM) 51.42, Svanda (Mar) 51.57, Harary (Brea) 52.32, Ding (YL) 54.50,
100 free (49.90) – Lou (Nor) 46.01, Knoell (Uni) 46.33, Hemmens (NH) 46.64, Wojciechowski (HB) 46.64, Brehm (HB) 46.85, Rossman (SM) 47.05, Hockenbury (MD) 47.08, Ingram (Foot) 47.15, Scott (Foot) 47.18, Lappin (Brea) 49.86,
500 free (4:55.70) – Hitchens (Nor) 4:36.11, Brune (SM) 4:37.45, Nesbit (Nor) 4:41.65, Mykkanen (Foot) 4:42.22, Hanson (NH) 4:44.43
100 back (57.90) – Nguyen (FV) 49.09, Tu (SM) 51.32, Archer (CdM) 51.63, Macavei (Esp) 52.06, Thurmond (Can) 55.96,
100 breast (1:03.90) —  Wu (Nor) 56.83, Farr (VP) 57.37, Schildwachter (CdM) 58.35, Qu (SM) 58.46, Minsterman (MD) 58.81, Christensen (Val) 59.06, Dalija (Edi) 59.41, Ciobanu (Can) 1:00.44
GIRLS SWIMMING

Empire League Prelims

Freeway League Prelims

North Hills League Prelims

South Coast League Prelims
Sunset League Prelims

Selected results
200 free (2:00.10) – Le (Edi) 1:51.42, Gray (Tes) 1:52.58, Johnson (TH) 1:54.32, Gong (AN) 1:54.54, Ault (Son) 1:56.55, Harper (Son) 1:56.78, Fimbres (Son) 1:57.32
200 IM (2:16.20) – Rouse (LosAl) 2:03.69, Tseng (SH) 2:04.81, McKendry (AN) 2:07.38
50 free (26.10) – Rouse (LosAl) 23.63, Davidson (YL) 24.22, Slivkoff (AN) 24.72, Mills (Tes) 24.78, Querner (DH) 24.83, Sur (Can) 25.17, Stacer (Son) 25.64,
100 fly (1:01.70) – J Epps (Tes) 56.13, Z. Spitz (NH) 56.42, Preciado (Son) 57.38, Hwang (Tes) 58.20, Octavio (Can) 1:01.25,
100 free (56.90) – A Spitz (NH) 50.77, Gray (Tes) 52.53, Slivkoff (AN) 53.73, Sur (Can) 55.06, Martinez (Son) 57.22,
500 free (5:20.10) – Ault (Son) 4:53.64, Erickson (FV) 4:57.15, Tseng (SH) 4:58.02, Crocker (HB) 4:58.65, Harper (Son) 5:02.71, Brown (AN) 5:02.80, Johnson (TH) 5:03.17, Fimbres (Son) 5:04.35
100 back (1:03.20) – A. Spitz (NH) 55.50, Hwang (Tes) 56.51, Gong (AN) 58.27, Joe (Tes) 58.99, Smiggs (MV) 59.47, Reeves (Wes) 1:00.79,Thurmond (Can) 1:02.72,
100 breast (1:11.80) – J Epps (Tes) 1:04.58, Nelson (FV) 1:05.61, Mills (Tes) 1:05.76, Kluck (Edi) 1:05.95, Baker (Tes) 1:06.01, Feng (AN) 1:06.02, Davidson (YL) 1:06.46

There’s nothing the least bit conventional about Will Eno’s plays, which often float between Samuel Beckett’s Absurdism and some of the more inscrutable stage works of the last couple of decades.

And that brings us to “Middletown,” now in its Southern California premiere at Chance Theater. Despite the heroic efforts of director Trevor Biship and his cast, Eno’s 2010 opus is almost willfully enigmatic – some might even say frustratingly so.

Mary Swanson (Lola Kelly) and her husband have just moved to Middletown and, as she relates, they and hope to start a family – but as we soon realize, he’s a spouse in absentia, his career keeping him perpetually away from home.

The opening scenes depict Middletown residents going about their daily business, their chitchat filled with typical Eno wordplay. The only person to offer Mary friendship is John Dodge (James McHale), a skilled handyman who loves the library and its books.

As the friendship deepens, Mary strikes us as fairly normal, albeit uncertain – but John appears is and loopy, with a habit of contradicting his own pronouncements. He’s also sad, lonely and desperate.

As the Librarian (Karen Webster) says, “Some people say the secret to life is being able to live in the middle of all our different ideas about life.” Fair enough – but it’s hard to locate that “middle” when the extremes are so bizarre and stretch out so far in every direction. Her observation that “we’re born with questions, and the world is the answer” is more profound, even if it provides few answers to us.

Cartoonist Gary Larson used his long-running single panel comic “The Far Side” to poke fun at people and animals dealing with biology, astronomy, medicine, archaeology, physics, philosophy and psychology. In “Middletown,” Eno seems to share those preoccupations, but with less of a definite set-up/payoff structure than Larson’s work.

A “Middletown” example is the scene of an astronaut named Greg (Ahmed T. Brooks) orbiting Earth, which hints that space travel has become bogged down in cold science and mathematical formulas instead of what it should be about: the cosmic questions space exploration raises, something huge we’ve all lost sight of.

Some issues voiced in “Middletown” have been debated for centuries: What does it feel like to be born? What happens when we die? What do you want out of life? Is a life without love or any meaningful human connection or interaction worth living?

Other points Eno raises have only been asked more recently, suggesting the view that American society has grown so disconnected and fragmented as to drain our lives of everything of real value, leaving only what Mary refers to as sleepless nights and “needless worry.”

Much of “Middletown” has more of the flavor and style of a “Saturday Night Live” opening monologue or sketch than scenes from a play. If this is an “Our Town” for our times, it’s with a nebulous and decidedly dark 21st-century spin.

Functioning much like the Stage Manager in Thornton Wilder’s play is the Cop (Robert Foran), who wanders from scene to scene, sharing his thoughts with us, acting as our window into the day-to-day life in the town.

Yet, as comforting and gentle as is “Our Town,” “Middletown” is quasi-surreal and baffling. Through an ending that includes a simultaneous birth and death, one point does emerge: Life doesn’t always make sense, and its unpredictability is fueled equally by happiness and grief.

Kelly is charmingly ingenuous as Mary. Too considerate to impose on others, she finds John as a kindred lost soul. By contrast, McHale’s troubled John is prone to panic attacks and crippling phobias. By the time he states “All life long, John Dodge in the wrong,” we realize he’s seriously ill and headed off a cliff since no one in Middletown is there to catch him.

The others in Biship’s cast – Foran, Ahmed T. Brooks, Ned Liebl, Karen Webster, Karen O’Hanlon and Marissa LeDoux – are also on target, and Bruce Goodrich’s intricately detailed set and Karyn D. Lawrence’s lighting are considerable assets.

“Middletown” depicts the prosaic existence we all occupy – everything that’s in “the middle” between the two extremes of human existence, birth and death. And like life itself, it offers no easy answers – just a lot of digging and sifting in the search for something meaningful.

‘Middletown’

When: Through May 21. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays

Where: Fyda-Mar Stage, Chance Theater at Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim Hills

Tickets: $21-$35

Length: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Suitability: Adults and teens (for content)

Information: 888-455-4212, chancetheater.com

LOS ANGELES — Without even checking, you know that nobody at UC Irvine has put the 2011 NCAA Charlottesville Super Regional in the past.

At least those Anteaters can look to Dodger Stadium and see that the guy that beat them wasn’t a passerby.

Chris Taylor was the hearbreaker that day, coming up with two out in the bottom of the ninth and getting the two-run single that eliminated UC Irvine, 3-2, and sent Virginia to the College World Series.

“That summer in the Cape Cod League, my roommate was Andrew Thurman, who was a pitcher on that UCI team,” Taylor said. “But we didn’t talk about it too much.”

Taylor became a fifth-round draft choice by Seattle and came to the Dodgers last year in exchange for pitcher Zach Lee. He made a few appearances last season, and he knows the shuttle to Triple-A Oklahoma City works almost non-stop.

But this time Taylor seems intent on engraving a reputation, if not a permanent clubhouse nameplate.

On Wednesday pinch-hitter Taylor stayed compact at the plate and sliced Jeff Samardzija’s fastball down the right field line to score Yasiel Puig. That gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning.

San Francisco then tied it in the eighth, keyed by a two-base wild pitch from Ross Stripling, and won it 4-1 in the 11th. That gave the Giants only their third series win of the season, and their second over the Dodgers.

Afterward, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Logan Forsythe, the regular second baseman, came out of a rehab game Wednesday with hamstring tightness. That probably means Taylor will gain some more major league time, not that he’s getting it by default.

Taylor is 10 for 30 as a Dodger with a .600 slugging percentage and two home runs. But then he hit .287 in 58 games for the Mariners in 2014, and he was once voted their minor league player of the year.

The Mariners changed regimes before the 2016 season when they hired General Manager Jerry Dipoto, and Taylor made two errors in the only game he played in the field for the big club. The trade happened soon afterward.

“I looked at it as a good opportunity because I was feeling sort of stuck over there,” Taylor said. “It was a fresh start. I kept going up and down between Seattle and (Triple-A) Tacoma, and unfortunately I didn’t have a good spring in front of the new people.

“The way it is here, you see the depth in the organization when people get called up. You have a lot of big-leaguers in Oklahoma City, and they’re ready when the time comes.”

Taylor made way for Chase Utley in Wednesday night’s lineup against Samardzija, who mystified the Dodgers so deeply that you had to keep checking to make sure he wasn’t left-handed.

Samardzija came into this game with an 0-4 record and a 6.32 ERA. But his most recent start, against San Diego, was a good one, and he was averaging more than a strikeout per inning. He gave the Dodgers only three singles, struck out 11 with no walks, and permitted no unearned runs. Puig, whom Taylor drove in, got to third when second baseman Joe Panik ran a long way to catch his no-man’s-land popup and then dropped it just before he crossed the foul line.

“We didn’t get many good swings,” Roberts said.

“He had that cutter working, that slider,” Andrew Toles said. “He didn’t make many mistakes and when he did, we weren’t capitalizing. And then he throws hard anyway, so it’s kind of tough to get that.”

The Dodgers weren’t any more productive against the Giants’ battered bullpen. They did get two men on in the 11th off closer Mark Melancon. Toles beat out a “swinging bunt” to second after a pinch single by Franklin Gutierrez. With Corey Seager up, you could feel a bit of a vibe, and Melancon appeared to fall behind 3-and-1 on a low outside fastball. Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called it a strike, however, and an exasperated Seager then grounded to third.

San Francisco got the lead when Gorkys Hernandez doubled to left off Grant Dayton. That followed a walk to pinch-hitter Nick Hundley that moved the go-ahead run to second. Kenley Jansen had appeared in the ninth to strike out the side, but Giants manager Bruce Bochy held onto his closer card until he got the lead.

The Giants are suffering their worst start since 1983 and don’t have shortstop Brandon Crawford or dirt-bike hobbyist Madison Bumgarner. But they only have 133 games to figure things out, and the resurgent Matt Cain gives their rotation some hope.

Taylor knows there is always time. In that UCI game, his error in the top of the ninth put Virginia behind. There were two outs, bases empty, and two strikes when the Cavaliers finally got baserunners against Matt Summers and set things up for Taylor.

“A couple of times a year, I’ll look back on what happened that day,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely something I’m not going to forget.”

He’s not alone.

Are you seeking adventure with pirates or wanting a watery tour of the jungle? Then Adventureland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is just the place to go.

Like Disneyland in California, Adventureland is reached by veering left out of the Central Plaza (the Hub) after walking up Main Street U.S.A.

(Editor’s note: Short opinions from the writer, a former Disney Imagineer, appear in italics.)

Unlike Disneyland’s Adventureland, there is a lot more room for attractions, shops, restaurants and room to walk.

When Walt Disney World first opened in 1971, it had three attractions very similar to its California cousin: Jungle Cruise, Swiss Family Treehouse and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.

Many visitors complained about the lack of an East Coast version of Pirates of the Caribbean. That was quickly remedied when the attraction opened in the winter of 1973 as part of the Caribbean Plaza addition to the land.

While four of the five attractions in the land are similar to their cousins in California, there are several differences. The Treehouse is on an island, the pirates are in a Spanish fort, and the singing birds are in a larger Tahitian Ceremonial House.

Thanks to the additional space, the shops are a little larger, too.

There is also a guest participation event called “A Pirate’s Adventure – Treasures of the Seven Seas,” designed for younger kids, where they set out with treasure maps in an attempt to find the treasure.

Dining and snacks

Just like in California, the Dole Whip can be found near the Tiki Room, at the Aloha Isle counter service facility. Keeping with the tropical bent, the Sunshine Tree Terrace offers soft-serve ice cream mixed with frozen juice, or a frozen fruit-flavored slush. Both cold items can be very welcome in the central Florida summer heat and humidity.

For quick fare with some seating in an air-conditioned space, Tortuga Tavern, located near Pirates of the Caribbean, has hot dogs, turkey legs and other quick-service items.

Near the entrance to Adventureland is its newest restaurant, the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen. (Yes, that’s its name – most just call it the Skipper Canteen.) There are three rooms at this table service facility: The Mess Hall, The Jungle Room and the S.E.A. (Society of Explorers and Adventurers) Room.

The menu has a large variety of items inspired by foods from the more exotic jungle areas of Asia, South America and Africa. Reservations are offered on a same-day basis only.

Adventureland Attractions

Jungle Cruise Step aboard, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for a voyage into the dark jungle on the “World Famous Jungle Cruise” with your experienced skipper as guide. Of course, the skipper mostly cracks jokes and groan-worthy puns during the journey.

Just like Disneyland’s classic, the Florida version has many of the same scenes, such as the rhinoceros trying to get its point across to the lost safari on the totem pole, and the elephant bathing pool.

There is also the famous trek behind the “backside of water” when the boat travels behind the waterfalls, the eighth wonder of the world. But after traveling behind the waterfalls, there is a scene that is not at Disneyland – a trip through an ancient shrine.

Inside the shrine can seen baboons, a tiger, cobras, large spiders with their webs and other jungle creatures, among the “artifacts.”

The additional space in Florida makes this a far better version of the Jungle Cruise than California. There are more scenes, giving the skippers a better opportunity to work with the crowd on board, and makes for better comic timing for their jokes and puns.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin This mild thrill ride places riders (up to four) on board a “magic carpet” that will fly them around in a circle.

While flying, the riders in front control the height of the carpet. When passing the camel on one side of the ride beware, it spits as some fly by – not real spit, of course, water.

Think of this as just like riding Dumbo, but on a faux carpet. I’ve always felt that Disney missed a chance to create a cool dark ride based on the Magic Carpet character from the movie “Aladdin.”

Pirates of the Caribbean You come seeking adventure with pirates, eh? The Florida version of the classic Disney attraction is inside a Spanish fort. (While outside, listen and watch the cannon, it periodically fires at imaginary pirate ships.)

The queue takes people through the Spanish fort before getting to the boat dock.

After boarding the boats, instead of a leisurely trip around a restaurant, the Walt Disney World version immediately sends you on your trip. Up first, a Davey Jones on a mist screen.

Next is the section with the caverns and the skeleton piloting the shipwreck then it’s down the waterfall right into the battle between the pirate ship and the fort. Just like Disneyland, they’re looking for Captain Jack Sparrow. From here the scenes are the same as the original version.

The redhead is still the preferred bride in the auction scene, and the town is still afire while the pirates sing “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.”  Then it’s on to the jailed pirates that are still trying to entice the dog to give them the key to their cell.

Finally, there is a scene with Captain Jack Sparrow with the treasure he’s found.

This is a truncated version of the classic ride – and it misses some of the things that make the Disneyland version work so well. There is no bayou to set the mood, with a restaurant nearby. There is only one waterfall drop, and a short one at that. There is no “going back up the waterfall” at the end. The ride just ends.

Now to anyone who has not seen the Disneyland version, it is probably fine. But those of us spoiled with having seen both, I prefer the original. I will say, however, that the Audio-Animatronic figures seem to move better and the audio is easier to understand in Florida.

Swiss Family Treehouse Walk up the 116 steps to see the home the Robinson family made in the trees after being shipwrecked on an island.

Based on the book and the Disney movie “Swiss Family Robinson,” this walking tour takes visitors high up into the tree, where they can check out the many rooms. Rooms include a living room, a “jungle lookout,” bedrooms, library and a kitchen.

Around the base of the fake tree is a water wheel that is used to carry water up to the kitchen.

The tree is not a real tree, but is artificial and even has a “scientific name” of “Disneyodendron eximus.”

This attraction is a pleasant diversion, especially for families with kids full of energy. Once the top of the Treehouse is reached, it affords a great view of the Magic Kingdom and some of Walt Disney World’s hotels.

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room Where the birds sing words and the flowers croon, as the song goes, inside the Florida version of the classic sit-down attraction.

Before entering the Tiki Room, visitors are entertained by Clyde and Claude, two toucans perched atop a Tiki god statue.

Once seated inside, it’s show time and it’s time to wake up Jose. Fairly quickly, all the birds, flowers and Tiki gods are brought to life, singing and cracking jokes.

But all the singing upset the Tiki gods, and they make it rain outside, or rather make it appear in the windows that it is raining outside. Then the show is over and its time to “disappear,” as one of the birds says.

Other than being a larger space, and the windows having a little bit more of a sophisticated look, this show is the same as Disneyland. It is a nice air-conditioned respite on the hot humid days that are a part of the central Florida experience. I think the show needs a big revamp, like one I helped developed that never did come to fruition. But that’s all I can say about that because of my non-disclosure agreement.

Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia made their first trip to Los Angeles on Wednesday on behalf of Oscar de la Renta for The Colleagues’ Annual Spring Luncheon, for which the fashion house has been a longtime supporter by presenting its runway show as the finale.
Kim was also making her first-ever visit to Los Angeles, but she didn’t even have enough time to adjust to the time difference, as the duo had to be back in New York to receive an honor at the Pratt graduate show on Thursday night.
“This lunch is kind of like the family tradition, something I know was dear to Oscar. Last night when we had dinner at Ginny and David Sydorick’s housem I really felt like I came to family instead of an event,” she said.
Kim said the resort collection was coming along well, but “we’re pulled everywhere for events so we really have to focus when we get back.”
She said it wasn’t hard to wear two design hats because “it’s a very different kind of girl we are dressing and that’s what makes it easy for us to design.”
Garcia noted, “I think it’s like playing a different character. You envision a different woman going different

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As part of its ongoing restructuring efforts, Marc Jacobs International is said to have laid off the majority of its European staff, based in Paris.
The exact number of job losses could not immediately be learned.
While a spokeswoman for parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton declined to comment specifically on layoffs, she said, “Since we began operating under a one-brand model, we have started to see the benefit of our focused strategy. We now need to drive further efficiency across our organization in order to operate in a fully integrated manner out of our global headquarters [New York]. The steps we are taking will position us to best leverage the power of the Marc Jacobs brand and position the company to enhance growth and improve performance.”
In 2015, Jacobs made the move to assimilate the contemporary Marc by Marc Jacobs label into the signature Marc Jacobs collection, as part of a plan to grow the company in anticipation of a possible initial public offering. Despite those moves, the business has continued to be a drag on LVMH’s performance.
Last month, LVMH’s chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony said Jacobs’ performance was “probably one of the few negative performances we have in the group.”
“The

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IT TAKES TWO: Pierre Bergé has tied the knot with his longtime partner, American landscape gardener Madison Cox.
Bergé, the longtime companion and business partner of the late couturier Yves Saint Laurent, married Cox in a private ceremony in Paris on March 31, he told French news agency AFP, confirming a report in tabloid magazine Ici Paris. An official at the Pierre Bergé — Yves Saint Laurent Foundation confirmed the information, adding that Bergé would be making no additional comment.
Bergé, who supported outgoing French President François Hollande’s move to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013, said he has known Cox, who is vice-president of his foundation, for four decades.
“I have lived two big love stories before, with Bernard Buffet during 10 years and with Yves Saint Laurent during 50 years. Gay marriage didn’t exist. Today, I am making my relationship with Madison Cox legal,” Bergé told AFP.
The businessman is the longtime president of Sidaction, which raises awareness and collects charitable funds for AIDS.
Cox has worked for celebrity clients in addition to hotels and resorts such as Ian Schrager’s Miami Beach Edition. He wrote the preface for the book “The Gardener’s Garden” and is the director of the Majorelle Foundation, an exotic garden

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UK retail group Marks & Spencer will be hoping to turn the fortunes of its non-food business around with the appointment Jill McDonald to the newly created role of managing director of clothing, home and beauty.