Fabulous furs is how this Paris Fashion, J. Mendel, name became known worldwide. Totally Parisian chic and elegance is the rebranding that has occurred with heir apparent, Gilles Mendel delving into the silks and wools that he is becoming famed for. Legendary application of design techniques with fur – effervescence and shimmering are not usual adjectives applied to fur, Gilles has broadened his father’s empire into a full line of fashions, available at his boutique on Rue St. Honore in Paris, and in his New York City atelier, Manhattan of course. Exclusive is his middle name, with boutiques only in New York, London, Paris, Moscow and the elite neighborhood of Chevy Chase, Maryland. White and Black are perennial favorites, but this Spring and Summer 2012 collection has blossomed into joyful yellows and hot tangerines, turning everyone’s head walking down Madison Ave. Relatively new to the scene, start watching red carpet fashions as celebrities and gorgeous actresses discover his flowing, tastefully revealing and sensual gowns. It is easy to see why Gilles has extended into a full line of women’s clothing. His love of the female form is evident in his artistic creations.

Founded in 1963 with one women?s apparel store in Columbus, Ohio, Limited Brands is committed to building a family of the world?s best brands to create sustained growth of shareholder value by focusing its time, talent, and capital on the highest return opportunities. Historically, Limited Brands has been viewed as a multi-divisional, largely apparel-based, popular-priced retailer. Ten years ago, that was true. Lingerie, personal care and beauty made up less than 30% of its sales. Today?s reality is very different. Over the past ten years Limited brands has reinvented itself completely, becoming a predominantly a personal care, beauty and lingerie company, with over 70% of its sales coming from those areas, primarily through two great brands, Victoria?s Secret and Bath & Body Works.

During the 1960s and 1970s the firm popularized fashion trends such as the beatnik look, tweed suits, tight pants and tall, thigh-high boots, including the creation of arguably the most famous classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966, Le Smoking suit. He is the first to popularize ready-to-wear in an attempt to democratize fashion. He is also the first designer to use black models in his runway shows. Among his muses were Loulou de La Falaise, the daughter of a French marquis and an Anglo-Irish fashion model, Betty Catroux, the half-Brazilian daughter of an American diplomat. Source

Apparel, shoes and accessories.

Starting out as Daffy Dan’s Bargaintown, the new Daffy’s has revolutionized quality clothing stores by giving you the opportunity to wear the best designer collections while not breaking the bank to do so. Daffy’s became famous as the first fashion clothing store by making Madison Avenue and European designer brands available to all consumers. With their location in the heart of Madison Avenue, Daffy’s has been recognized as one of Manhattan’s premier clothing stores and is a must visit for anyone looking to do some serious shopping. With extensive selections of dresses, sweatsuits, sportswear and even houseware, Daffy’s is sure to have a little bit of something for everyone. Daffy’s fashion clothing store maintains the highest of quality control and makes a promise to its consumers to maintain these values. A family run business, Daffy’s allows its customers a chance to relax and feel at home with some of the best customer service available in New York City. Evolving from a single New Jersey store specializing in samples and irregulars to a 19 store corporation carrying the finest apparel available, Daffy’s has firmly established itself as one of the best New York clothing stores at bargain prices.

A French high-end retailer specializing in tailored men's and women's clothing. The company started humbly as a small custom tailor shop that Jean Goldberg opened in 1950 on Rue Paradis in Nice, France. By 1958 the small tailor shop was making custom tuxedos for Hollywood stars that were in the Cote d'Azur for the annual Cannes Film Festival. In 1961 Jean Goldberg's son, Albert, took over the shop and renamed it Façonnable, a variation of the word "Façonner," which means "to create." Under his watch the company expanded and in 1973 opens its first boutiques in Monte Carlo, Cannes, Saint-Tropez, Lyon, and Marseilles, however it was not until 1984 that Façonnable opened an outlet in Paris.

For any young business woman, Akris, located in Manhattan right off of Madison Avenue, is a stylish new twist on business attire. They have business ensembles with clean lines, gorgeous knit wear and double closure jackets, plus bright jackets and dresses. This New York City fashion boutique has absolutely gorgeous apparel and is perfect for any woman in the business world. You've never seen such elegant clothing gathered into one store. The store is very clean and proper, organized perfectly. The employees are sweet and helpful, very smart and they add to the professional atmosphere of the store. Even if you aren't a business woman, it is a great store for any classy party or gathering you may be going to. Swiss designer Albert Kriemler, designs for the woman’s personality to eclipse her apparel. The styles are mature and elegant representing perhaps the newest trends that will be touching down Spring-Summer 2012. If you feel the need to dress classy, with the small pop of color, and look more professional and smart, look no further. You'll look and feel very business-like and yet for those after hour affairs, you will certainly turn heads.

Bad-Ass Things With Hoods! The Hoodie Shop is a perfect convergence of style and fun - come visit and enjoy hagning out with awesome people at cool events, and choose from a selection of stylish (often hooded!) apparel.

agnès b. is a keen observer of life from which she draws inspiration as the sole designer for her collections for women, men, children, sport b., and Voyage, as well as a cosmetics line. She has often taken inspiration for her collections from everyday life, believing that the clothes are 'less important' than the person wearing them, and she has created a trademark style that is modern and pure, elegant but not conventional, and that has seduced people all around the world.

Ann Taylor stores have nearly 50 years of history providing fashion with great style...feminine, updated, classic sportswear that can take a woman from day into evening. The Ann Taylor collection spans a wide spectrum of clothing and accessories from the most refined to the most casual, appropriate for special occasion, business or casual lifestyle needs

Etro is synoonymous of style. It is a lifestyle based upon quality and sophistication, not only in terms of desigh, but also regarding materials and production techniques.

Liz Claiborne is a Belgian-born fashion designer. She immigrated to the United States in 1939, and was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She attended St. Timothy's, a boarding school then in Catonsville, Maryland. Rather than finishing high school, she went to Europe to study art. In 1949, she won the Jacques Heim National Design Contest, and then moved to New York City where she worked as a sketch artist at the sportswear house Tina Leser. She worked as a designer for Dan Keller and Youth Group Inc., before starting her own design company, Liz Claiborne Inc., in 1976. The firm grew from its origins designing affordable active sportswear for women and is now a multi billion-dollar enterprise. Source

The Years of Cristobal Balenciaga
1918 saw the founding of Cristobal Balenciaga’s first haute couture house in San Sébastian, Spain. Local admiration for his designs was so strong that a second haute couture house was opened in Madrid and a third in Barcelona. In 1937, 10, Avenue George V became the Parisian home of Cristobal Balenciaga’s creative influence. Balenciaga’s Paris flagship store is still located at this address.
Balenciaga soon came to embody Parisian elegance. Cristobal Balenciaga was hailed as ‘The Couturier of Couturiers’ and ‘The Master of us all’’ by designer Christian Dior. In 1946, the House of Balenciaga launched its first perfume, ‘Le Dix’, aptly named after its first atelier, 10, Avenue George V. ‘Le Dix’ attracted the same acclaim as the famous Balenciaga couture pieces, and the perfume soon even rivalled that of Coco Chanel herself. In 1968, Balenciaga closed his couture house, to the deep dismay of his favourite clients. Countess Mona Bismarck lamented the event by locking herself indoors for three days.

Vera Wang, a native New Yorker, understands women who embrace fashion. As a child, she accompanied her mother as she shopped Parisian and American couture. Vera studied at Chapin, Sarah Lawrence College and The Sorbonne.
Vera Wang has created a unique aspirational world that alludes to sensuality and youthful sophistication. Exquisite details, intricate draping and a nonchalant sense of style characterize the Vera Wang aesthetic.

Brands/ lifestyles include Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin Klein Underwear, and Calvin Klein Home.

Nine West or 9 West is a subdivision of Jones Apparel Group. Nine West is a women's fashion retailer/wholesaler with offices in sixty countries. There are chains of stores from Hawaii to Maine. It was co-founded by Jack Fisher. The footwear offices are located in White Plains, NY.
Distribution of all Nine West Goods in the United States is processed through 2 large warehouses both located in West Deptford, NJ. Source

Fashion on the Avenue of The Americas is best viewed the Old Navy way, a New York City clothing store that expresses the true value of the United States. With its Flagship in Manhattan and over 1000 stores nationwide, Old Navy focuses on the price minded fashion family while promoting a more wholesome and pure fashion clothing line with innovative differences. The Tech Vest, Flip Flops, and the Performance Fleece are all specialty items marketed by Old Navy giving them an advantage in unique fashion shopping that is also practical. In addition to clothing, Old Navy also sells a variety of accessories such as shoes, handbags, toys, hats, and sunglasses, along with a line of clothing and toys for dogs which puts it on a whole new level of shopping from many of its contemporaries. As a subsidiary of Gap Inc, Old Navy continues to strive for the principles that placed the parent company on the map with fantastic fashion, impeccable service and a knack for happy customers. Old Navy is a Manhattan clothing store rich in culture and should definitely be a part of any shopper’s itinerary when they are in the city.

Urban Outfitters, Inc. owns and operates three retail clothing brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People. The first store opened in 1970 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, focusing on "funky" fashion and household products. Today, the Urban Outfitters line has expanded from vintage, bohemian, retro, ironically humorous, kitschy, and oddly designed apparel and furniture to include many luxury brands such as Lacoste, Evisu, Diesel, True Religion and Seven for All Mankind. Currently headquartered in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Urban operates more than 140 shops in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Source

Returning after a season's maternity leave, Phoebe sent out a collection with crisp new shapes, proportions and vigour. A line dresses and stiffer couture fabrics were used with flares from the shoulder, and swinging skirts with models on great chunky platform shoes. Sixties ruffled skirts (so popular this season) were intricately worked in crunchy embroidery, organza applique and frills. Lots of new accessories like handbags were seen this season. Source

After traveling to India in the early '70s, Ferré dove into fashion, first with accessories, and later, launching his own label, Baila, in 1974. Signature women's and men's collections soon followed, and Ferré stepped onto the field of high fashion with the debut of his couture line in 1986. He took his philosophy to the house of Christian Dior, where he was stylistic director from 1989 to 1997. Still influenced by his first trips to Asia, Ferré's designs display an East-meets-West aesthetic that vehemently rejects trends and gimmicks, concentrating instead on a relaxed sophistication and casual elegance.

A high-end high street clothing retailer with more than 69 stores in North America. It is owned by Polo Ralph Lauren. An international men’s and women’s lifestyle brand with a distinctly urban casual point of view, best defined as a play of opposites: mining vintage with new, hard with soft and eclecticism with minimalism. Each season, Club Monaco offers customers must have fashion and key pieces that together are the foundation of a modern wardrobe.

After 20 years in the surf, skate and snowboard business, founder Chip Wilson took the first commercial yoga class offered in Vancouver and found the result exhilarating. The post yoga feeling was so close to surfing and snowboarding that it seemed obvious that yoga was an ideology whose time had come (again).