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Byline: BETH WILSON Burberry Ramps Up in Chicago CHICAGO Burberry more than doubled its presence on Michigan Avenue here this month, opening a five-story flagship that is set to serve [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson LOLLA LAND It's been 21 years since Perry Farrell founded Lollapalooza, and the sartorial scene at the most recent festival has come full circle. Denim cutoffs, neon [...]

Byline: by BETH WILSON Scott Baskin to Retire at Mark Shale After spending more than 35 years in the family business, Scott Baskin has retired as chief executive officer of [...]

MEMO PAD MACY'S GETS POPULAR: Spending some $120 million of its $1 billion in marketing money on digital media, Macy's isn't messing around when it comes to social media. Its [...]

Byline: BETH WILSON Topshop to Open Chicago Unit CHICAGO Topshop is getting ready to open its second American store at last. After opening a flagship in New York's SoHo in [...]

Byline: BETH WILSON L.K. Bennett to Open Chicago, Atlanta Units CHICAGO As part of its ongoing international expansion, British retailer L.K. Bennett will this spring unveil its first U.S. stores [...]

MEMO PAD TALK TO THE DROID: After Time Inc. made several big announcements about its expansion onto digital platforms last week, Condé Nast president Bob Sauerberg said Monday morning that [...]

Byline: DAVID MOIN WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SHARON EDELSON, HOLLY HABER AND BETH WILSON WICKED WINTER Bad Weather Slams Retailers From Midwest to New England Just as the economy seems to [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond Hits Chicago on Way to N.Y. CHICAGO Members of Chicago's upper echelon were clearly impressed. 'It's spectacular,' said J.B. Pritzker, of the 31.06-carat deep blue [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Recession Redefines Chicago's Oak Street CHICAGO Oak Street, long a mainstay of luxury here, is undergoing one of its most significant transitions in decades. In the fallout [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Hermès Stretches Out in Chicago CHICAGO Hermès has stepped up its presence here, more than doubling in size at a new retail location at Oak and Rush [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson SAIC Honors Gary Graham CHICAGO The School of the Art Institute of Chicago's annual student fashion show and fund-raiser 'The Walk' packed an extra dose of glamour, [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Young Designers Upset With Gen Art Young designers feel cheated by the failed Gen Art. In the weeks before the group which supported emerging fashion talent revealed [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Bottega Veneta Hits the Road CHICAGO Bottega Veneta is more than willing to cater to a client's special request. The luxury brand has customized luggage to fit [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Accessories, Moderates Lead Stylemax CHICAGO Looking for recession-friendly finds, Midwest retailers sought eye-catching accessories and lower-priced fashions at the Stylemax show. 'Even in the worst times, women [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Akris' Kriemler Puts Focus on Creativity CHICAGO Akris designer Albert Kriemler said the recession forced the Swiss-based luxury brand to reexamine the way it does business, and [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Chicago's Jake Shutting Down CHICAGO Jake, which became one of the Midwest's most influential luxury boutiques as it championed emerging designers, has filed for bankruptcy and will [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Maria Pinto Plots Next Chapter CHICAGO Maria Pinto, who gained national recognition for dressing Michelle Obama on the presidential campaign trial, is down but not out just [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Marc Jacobs Collection Hits Chicago CHICAGO Is Marc Jacobs International recession proof? According to president Robert Duffy, here to open a 3,000-square-foot sparkling, chandeliered Marc Jacobs Collection [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Maria Pinto Closes CHICAGO Apparently counting First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey as clients wasn't enough to keep this city's most prominent designer, Maria Pinto, afloat [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Stylemax Show Sees Uptick in Business CHICAGO Citing stronger recent sales, some Midwestern retailers sensed a turnaround and shopped the Stylemax show for summer and fall merchandise [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Lands' End Builds Up Canvas Line From its small town headquarters in Dodgeville, Wis., Lands' End, a company known for classic American sportswear, is on the move. [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson Chicago's Ultimo Shuttering CHICAGO Ultimo, one of the most influential luxury boutiques in the Midwest, is closing at the end of January. Owner Sara Albrecht said despite [...]

Culti Opens U.S. Unit CHICAGO As part of its ongoing expansion plan, Culti, the Italian design, beauty and spa brand, has unveiled its first U.S. location here. Culti's founder, Alessandro [...]

Chicago Shows Highlight Kids, Brides Come 2010, organizers of Chicago's Stylemax will make room for the kids kids' clothing, that is. Starting in January, Chicago's Stylemax, the Midwest's largest women's [...]

Joan Weinstein, Ultimo Owner, 74 Joan Weinstein, who became a fashion force with her influential Chicago boutique, Ultimo, died of heart failure last weekend in Miami, family members said. She [...]

MEMO PAD RICHER READERS: Ad pages may be down at fashion magazines, but household income at many titles appears to be on the rise perhaps because those are the people [...]

Chicago's Fashion Focus Crafts New Looks CHICAGO What a difference a year makes. Chicago's eight-day Fashion Focus event last year packed a bit of star power, launched by Fall Out [...]

Stylemax Ups Contemporary Offerings CHICAGO The Stylemax trade show presented a more contemporary array of brands and saw a strong showing from regional stores staying closer to home. Susan McCullough, [...]

Troubled Chicago Project May Bow Soon Despite a foreclosure lawsuit, developers of Chicago's Block 37, which includes a 285,000-square-foot retail component, are pushing to open a section of the center [...]

Michael Kors Opens on Michigan Ave. Chicago got a double dose of Michael Kors last week as the designer unveiled his latest Michael Kors Collection store along Michigan Avenue Wednesday. [...]

Capitalizing on Local Appeal Could the troubled economy be working in Chicago's favor? When it comes to Stylemax, the Midwest's largest women's apparel market, the answer, in some ways, is [...]

Focus Moves to Attract Trade In a move applauded by local designers, Chicago's fashion week, known as Fashion Focus, will for the first time in its five-year history coincide with [...]

Michigan Avenue Gets Mall Flavor CHICAGO Luxury labels have some new company on the Magnificent Mile here, with recent entrants such as Best Buy, Zara and Forever 21 adding a [...]

New Talent Lauded At Chicago Awards CHICAGO Fashion Group International of Chicago added some drama to its sixth annual Rising Stars Awards night last month at the James Hotel, announcing [...]

More Is More Vendors are playing the value card. Better. faster. cheaper. that's the mantra of some accessories vendors showing at this edition of WWDMAGIC. Simply put, many accessories companies [...]

Ne-Yo, Miss Piggy Strut Stuff At Macy's Glamorama Event CHICAGO It's hard to argue with La Pig. Billed as a surprise guest at Macy's Glamorama in Chicago, Miss Piggy emerged [...]

Buyers Focus on Price and Colors at Stylemax CHICAGO Taking the troubled economy into account, Midwest retailers shopping Chicago's Stylemax this month ordered closer to season, searching for colorful, well-priced [...]

easy options Accessories provide lots of flexibility. The three buzzwords in accessories next spring are colorful, casual and versatile, vendors say. That's because accessories companies, from jewelry to handbags, have [...]

white hot White, a segment of WWDMagic for women's better-to-bridge resources, keeps growing despite the economic slowdown. Launched in February 2007 with about 40 lines, the area known for its [...]

something extra With customers often reluctant to make a purchase, a unique twist can make the difference. Some women's sportswear vendors are counting on convertible clothing and bold colors to [...]

taking off Premium enters its second show with twice as many exhibitors. Since its inception in february, premium has come into its own. 'Premium really took off,' Christopher Griffin, WWDMAGIC [...]

MEMO PAD MARTHA'S NEW BOARD MEMBER: FrA[c]dA[c]ric Fekkai has been elected as a member of the board at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Fekkai has a long association with Stewart, from [...]

Lundgren, Hilfiger Push Chicago Fashion CHICAGO Terry Lundgren and Tommy Hilfiger are getting behind the effort to raise Chicago's fashion profile. Mayor Richard Daley said Tuesday that Hilfiger will serve [...]

Streamlined Fashion Focus Planned for Chicago CHICAGO The organizers behind Chicago's annual fashion week are hoping less is more. Fashion Focus will be condensed to a long weekend Oct. 22 [...]

Mood Improves at Chicago Market CHICAGO Buyers and showroom owners here said there were signs the most difficult days of the recession were behind them as some Midwest retailers reported [...]

Joining Forces StyleMax combines its dates with men's and special occasion shows. CHICAGO After successfully launching the concept last year, organizers of Chicago's August StyleMax will continue to conduct the [...]

Rucci Discusses His Life as a Designer They laughed, they gasped, they listened. 'People were captivated,' said Timothy Long, the curator of the costume collection at the Chicago History Museum, [...]

Target to Open Pop-up Shop in Chicago CHICAGO Target Corp. will unveil one of its largest pop-up shops to date along Michigan Avenue here today. 'We understand consumers are strapped,' [...]

Byline: Beth Wilson After garnering national attention as First Lady Michelle Obama's designer of choice on the campaign trail, Maria Pinto joined the likes of Anna Sui and Nicole Miller [...]