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Phoebe Neuman

US retail giant Sears Holdings Corp is to cut around US$1bn in costs across its operations in the next phase of its transformation plan that will see new efforts to drive efficiencies in pricing, sourcing and the supply chain.

What is thought to be the most extensive body size and measurement survey across the United States and Canada is underway to help retailers and brands improve their current sizing strategies and gain new insight into the population’s changing body shapes.

Freudenberg Performance Materials has taken thermal insulation one step further with the development of a continuous padding made from interconnected fibreballs for use in sports and outdoor jackets.

The UK’s high street retailers have just experienced their worst January sales in four years, according to new figures, with fashion retailers hit the hardest.

Import volume at major US retail container ports is expected to increase 4.6% in the first half of the year as the nation’s economy improves and retail sales continue to grow, new figures show.

Jonathan Cohen has a quirky imagination, as many creative types do. For his fall lineup, he conjured up a collaboration between the subversive photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and designer Carolina Herrera, the epitome of class and elegance, envisioning what that push-pull of their ideological exchange would entail. The resulting collection was dynamic, with an overall air of youthful charm.
“I love the complexity of a woman who is rebellious in her own way, but has a sense of class and tradition,” Cohen said at a preview.
Orchid prints were Cohen’s push this season, engineered to suit both Mapplethorpe’s stark photography style and Herrera’s ever-cheerful aesthetic. A fuzzy, black-and-white warped orchid evolved from photos Cohen took with the mindset of an inebriated Mapplethorpe. They were imposed onto bias-cut dresses, little silk tops with great shoulder pads and generally easy-to-wear separates. A colorful print inspired by Herrera was found on poplin shirting and off-the-shoulder dresses. The two aesthetics culminated in a print created with the idea of Mapplethorpe ripping up Herrera’s wallpaper and piecing it back together. Florals also appeared on shoes, a first for Cohen, through a collaboration with George Esquivel.
Playfully kitsch items outside the botanical realm included a “casual” hot pink mink coat, a cashmere robe

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Andrea Jiapei Li found inspiration in last year’s science fiction-drama movie “Arrival” for her fall collection. In particular, the designer focused on the protagonist, linguist Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams), who in her search for a way to communicate with aliens and protect humanity, goes through a process of self-discovery. Though this might sound a little too far-fetched for a fashion collection, Jiapei Li managed to create a real story with her clothes. The process of maturation was showcased through the evolution of fabrics and silhouettes, kicking off with a range of technical materials crafted into oversize outerwear pieces communicating a sense of protection. The collection then veered to self-conscious femininity with off-the-shoulder minidress and tops, the latter worn with flared pants with front slits, as well as asymmetric one-sleeved frocks. These clothes are not made for every woman on the planet, but with this collection, the designer demonstrated that her intellectual aesthetic can translate into a realistic wardrobe.

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In her second season as creative director, Julia Haart crafted an elaborate scene for La Perla’s debut at New York Fashion Week. Aromatic moss, ivy and overgrown blooms cascaded throughout the windows of the six-room, two-story “La Perla Manor,” where models posed and lounged on couches before walking, one by one, down a grassy runway.
Backstage before the show, where Haart was conducting televised interviews with her friend Gwyneth Paltrow, the designer said she was inspired by nature as seen through the eyes of artists throughout history. “From the Pre-Raphaelite painter Lawrence Alma-Tadema to modernist artists like Georgia O’Keeffe, the concept was nature as seen through the eyes of a human being — with vibrant colors, warmth and sensuality,” she said.
Specifically, Haart homed in on British gardens — “because they’re typically a mess, not like French gardens, where everything is manicured.” She worked floral motifs throughout her sexy lineup with generous bursts of color and texture. The looks certainly weren’t for everyone, but they did evoke a spirit of joyful irreverence. Naomi Campbell opened the show in a blue silk and lace slipdress under a macramé-embroidered tweed coat, a mischievous outfit one might wear to greet their lover at their bedroom

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This is quite the year for Ulla Johnson, as she is about to open her first store and just had her first formal runway show. (She has had presentations in the past.) It’s the right time: After 16 years in business, her collection has evolved into a whole lifestyle brand, including accessories, and now jewelry and eyewear.

Fashion-wise, Johnson spoke about a meditation on powerful women and what it means to be a lady in the midst of all that’s happening right now. As a result, her girls looked feminine yet self-possessed. They strutted out in traditional ladylike fabrics such as brocades that were done in subversive styles like an oversize puffer.

“We also continued to do the things that we love, like frocks,” she said. A beautiful metallic lame mid-length dress with a bow detail in the back stood out, which Johnson also rendered in a puff-sleeve miniskirt style. “Evening is a new exploration for us, but the idea is always about ease; with the lame, we took it and made it sexy but undone,” she explained.

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