WILL THE OTHER SHOE DROP?: Is Neiman Marcus cutting ties with the Ivanka Trump company to stop selling its jewelry?
That possibility was hashed out and (asserted by some) web sites Friday after noting that Ivanka Trump fine jewelry was no longer available on Neiman Marcus’ web site. But the retailer presented a different picture.
A Neiman Marcus spokeswoman said Friday, “Neiman Marcus has a very small Ivanka Trump precious jewelry business, which is comprised 100 percent of consigned merchandise (merchandise owned by the vendor). Based on productivity, we continuously assess whether our brands are carried in stores, on our web site, or both.”
Executives at Neiman Marcus did not respond to requests for comment about whether that arrangement will continue for fall. Unlike the Ivanka Trump clothing and accessories that are sold in department stores and specialty stores and are geared for working women, the label’s fine jewelry is more expensive and is not sold in mass stores.
Meanwhile, executives at Ivanka Trump have broken their silence about the state of the business, after a few weeks of declining to comment. Rosemary K. Young, senior director of marketing at Ivanka Trump, said in a statement Friday, “The Ivanka Trump brand continues to expand across

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Jeans giant Levi Strauss & Co is continuing to expand and publicly share its ‘Worker Well-being’ initiative, releasing a guidebook – ‘Managing Health at the Workplace’ – as a new resource and tool for factory managers that is also available to the wider apparel industry.

Cotton futures have edged up again, even though first forecasts for the 2017/18 crop are pointing to a rise in world cotton output thanks to an increase in the planted area.

Declining mall traffic continued to weigh on US women’s wear retailer Bebe Stores in the second quarter, as it booked a loss of US$5.2m and a 16.8% slump in sales.

Acquisitions helped to drive fourth quarter growth for Hanesbrands, but the apparel maker missed expectations as gains were partially offset by a weaker than expected retail environment in the US.

Teen apparel retailer The Wet Seal LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in as many years.

The big constant in Tomas Maier’s design philosophy is the weather. What’s it going to be like when the clothes hit the stores? For fall, “It’s warm one day, it’s not warm the next,” he said during a walkthrough of the lineup. That meant lots of layers and knits.
There was a pronounced softness and comfort to the clothes, many of which skewed casual but never sloppy. Blanket color-blocked blanket scarves and chunky cardigans in gray and red could be robustly rustic or chicly city-fied when belted over an easy cashmere dress. A lot of the offer, such as a red sweater and matching knit track pants, was the kind of stuff that would make you stand out in an airport lounge. Maier’s nice use of strong color turned classics into statement pieces.
As a counterpoint to all the dressed-down stuff, he worked office-appropriate felt in tailored silhouettes — a little dress, a blazer — but always soft, not structured. There were little crepe de chine dresses cut with ease and more structured quilted jackets, skirts and dresses. The lineup built up to some lax evening looks, included a velvet jumpsuit with a melting heart motif and a series of loose black

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Matthew Adams Dolan, the Parsons School of Design grad who was born in Massachusetts but raised in Sydney, had one of the last shows on the New York Fashion Week: Men’s schedule and showed models lazily lounging on a bed being filmed from above while wearing his oversize designs, which have been worn consistently by Rihanna.
Dolan, who has produced his collection for a few seasons, but is new to the official schedule, said he wanted to bring denim, a fabric that’s known for being heavy-duty and durable, into a bedroom setting. Models were swathed in quilted denim capes, oxford shirts with elongated sleeves, flared denim with snaps on the side and long corduroy jackets with Seventies-inspired collars. The designer also worked with nylon and created a rain jacket with a stuffed waist tie and a pink shirt and pant set that draped the model’s body.
From the look of this collection, his profile will continue to rise and Rihanna won’t be the only fan.

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It’s a wild time in the world and John Varvatos did his part to encourage the Millennials to stand up and be heard.
But the designer also had a message of his own to deliver — be adventurous and have fun despite all the challenges.
Varvatos took over the Diamond Horseshoe nightclub in Times Square for his fall show, calling it the ideal venue for his “chic and elegant” collection that still had his trademark rebellious spirit.
“There’s a wild side to all of us,” he said backstage before the show. “But young guys want to dress up again.”
He delivered to them a number of options that ranged from super-sharp tailored topcoats to velvet tuxedo jackets with shawl lapels and ultrafitted suits in double- and single-breasted models that he paired with turtlenecks.
Even so, Varvatos continued to offer his signature rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic with cropped leather jackets, an extended biker jacket and ultra-skinny waxed jeans.
But he injected more color into the offering, with hunter green, burgundy and some deep blues adding dimension to the blacks and grays.
Despite the dressier tone this season, the overall collection felt younger, a point he drove home with his liberal use of animal prints in coats, jackets, linings and

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COPENHAGEN — The French embassy in Denmark has awarded its Human Rights Prize to Eva Kruse, founder and chief executive officer of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit and former head of Copenhagen Fashion Week, for her work on sustainability in fashion and on promoting better working conditions in garment factories.
Kruse launched the Copenhagen Summit on sustainability in fashion on the margins of the United Nations’ “COP 15” climate change conference in 2009. Since then the biannual conferences have brought together fashion executives, humanitarian organizations, policy-makers and others to discuss ways to mobilize the international fashion industry to become more fair and environmentally sustainable.
In an early-morning reception at the French embassy during Copenhagen Fashion Week, Ambassador François Zimeray joked that the night had been short for many after an evening of fashion parties.
He pointed out that while the joy and frivolity of the fashion industry may seem opposed to the seriousness of human rights issues, both fields dealt with individual dignity and freedom of expressions.
“Wearing fashion says, ‘I am a person, I am an individual and I want to dialogue with the world,’” Zimeray said. “Fashion has to do with the dignity of the person, so it cannot work against the dignity of people [who work in the

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