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Positive growth forecast for the year overall, hugo boss
DATE: 08/24/2010 02:55:00 / MOOD: excited
Positive growth forecast for the year overall, hugoboss
July 30, 2010 (Germany)
hugoboss AG is back on track for growth in 2010. With sales increasing by 7% to EUR 325 million the second quarter recorded much more dynamic growth then the first quarter that was still affected by the orders of our retail partners that recovered slowly from the 2009 recession. In the first half of the year, Group sales totaled to EUR 769 million (-2%), nearly on previous year’s level.Growth in the company's own retail business has made a big contribution to the success during the reporting period. The corresponding sales increased by 25% to 288 million Euros (H1 2009: EUR 230 million). This also includes sales from the retail outlets and the hugoboss online stores. In the Group's own stores, like-for-like sales increased by 10%, and in the second quarter by 13%. Online sales in the first half of the year totals EUR 8 million (H1 2009: EUR 2 million), after the key American market was opened up further with this business model in the second quarter. The number of company-owned stores including outlets increased by a net 26 new locations in the first half of 2010, now totaling 458 worldwide.In the context of its international expansion, hugoboss is now making its mark in the Asia/Pacific region through a joint venture established with the Rainbow Group on July 1, 2010. Our shared activities will contribute to an expansion of our retail network to 34 locations and an increase in the proportion of our sales that are earned outside Europe. In addition to this, the opening of around 20 additional stores has also seen the size of the Group's own retail network double.In the first half of the year, sales in the whole of Europe (including the Middle East / Africa) went down by 9% to EUR 490 million (H1 2009: EUR 540 million), with just a slight fall of 3% being recorded in the second quarter. The consistent development of the growing markets of America and Asia/Pacific, however, meant that this was luckily offset. In these growth regions, sales both in the local currency and the reporting currency increased by double digit percentages. On the American continent, turnover in the reporting currency increased by 14% to reach EUR 169 million (H1 2009: EUR 148 million), in the Asia/Pacific region, sales increased by 17% to EUR 92 million (H1 2009: EUR 79 million).The operating income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and special items (EBITDA before special items) increased in the first half of the year by 7% to EUR 123 million (H1 2009: EUR 115 million). Accordingly, the EBITDA margin also increased in comparison with last year's value to 16.0% (H1 2009: 14.6%). The group’s net income increased by 31% to EUR 63 million (H1 2009: EUR 48 million).diorsuits canalimens suits georgioarmaniA consistent pricing policy also contributed to these clearly improved profits after tax, as well as the increased proportion of retail sales, the optimization of the operational costs structure and the lower interest payments. Despite dividend payments totaling EUR 66.6 million, the net financial position fell by an additional EUR 40 million to a total of EUR 339 million. Over the last twelve months, financial debts have been reduced by EUR 190 million。
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Photo finish for Aussie election
DATE: 08/24/2010 02:29:55 / MOOD: excited
Photo finish for Aussie election
With polling day on Saturday, Australia's first woman prime minister is working overtime to overcome a strong challenge from the colourful conservative opposition leader Standing at the lectern in a "When I wanted a bigger mortgage to extend my house, I was pleased that the bank said: 'Yeah, sure'. But when I face higher repayments, I think: 'The bloody banks, they're screwing me blind'."Abbott has 200 undecided voters in a town hall-style meeting in Sydney's blue-collar western suburbs in the palm of his hand. He's the sort of bloke you'd expect to meet at the pub or chat to at a BBQ over a cold beer.fmgxj0824He's made sure there have been plenty of photo opportunities with him on gruelling daily workouts, including triathlons.The pinnacle of his tough-guy image is the pair of small "When I wanted a bigger mortgage to extend my house, I was pleased that the bank said: 'Yeah, sure'. But when I face higher repayments, I think: 'The bloody banks, they're screwing me blind'."Abbott has 200 undecided voters in a town hall-style meeting in Sydney's blue-collar western suburbs in the palm of his hand. He's the sort of bloke you'd expect to meet at the pub or chat to at a BBQ over a cold beer.He's made sure there have been plenty of photo opportunities with him on gruelling daily workouts, including triathlons.The pinnacle of his tough-guy image is the pair of small red swimming trunks he dons on surf patrol at his local beach, universally known as his "budgie smugglers" and a rich source of imagery for cartoonists. He's been harassed more than once by hecklers wearing their own skimpy versions.Less than a year ago, Rudd enjoyed a 70% approval rating after steering the country through the global financial crisis with no recession and low unemployment. But, according to veteran social researcher Hugh Mackay, the seeds of Rudd's downfall were already sown. "Expectations were too high," Mackay says. "They couldn't be delivered. Too much hype, overstatement and overpromise -- everything was the biggest and the toughest."One of Rudd's key policy platforms was action on climate change, which he called the "greatest moral challenge of our time"."To put things in such stark and hyperbolic terms really created the probability of some sort of disaster," Mackay says. "The euphoria that surrounded Rudd in 2007 made a disappointed electorate inevitable. And when the government stumbled, greysuit disappointment was correspondingly greater."By April this year Rudd was in trouble. After failing three times to get the centrepiece of his climate change legislation -- his Emissions Trading Scheme -- through the upper house of Parliament, he dumped it until at least 2013, blaming the opposition. The public blamed him. "The magic had gone and he'd become a liability," Mackay says. By mid-year Labour party apparatchiks were imploring Gillard to move against her boss.She had a reputation inside the party as a highly competent strategist. Her family's roots in working-class Wales have instilled in her the value of hard work, according to author David Marr.Gillard is also quick-witted and a formidable opponent in question time, reflecting her legal background, Marr says. "When I see her in a brawl with her opponents, I see a woman lawyer at work. She knows about being tough and sharp but also about the useful limits of aggression."But, as a woman, Gillard has been given a hard time on the campaign trail, with personal attacks criticising everything from her dress sense and physical features to the fact she is unmarried. Her long-time partner, hairdresser Tim Mathieson, has been notably absent from her public appearances. One opposition politician in 2007 accused the childless Gillard of being "deliberately barren".Commentators say her support is divided partly along gender lines. "I think women like her and respect her," says Jordan Baker, from The Australian Women's Weekly magazine. "They don't really worry that she's not married or has a partner."Then there have been questions about her loyalty. Rudd has denied leaking damaging material to tarnish her reputation during the campaign.Gillard has tried to neutralise Rudd's policy failures, with mixed success -- she was his deputy throughout and a member of his influential "kitchen" cabinet.Her proposal on climate change -- a "citizens' assembly" of 150 randomly selected people to forge community consensus -- has been ridiculed as a white elephant.In the fight with the country's big miners over a new profit-based tax, which damaged Rudd, she backtracked, meaning that the companies will not pay as much as originally proposed. It's been enough to get the mining industry's anti-government advertising off air, but her capitulation was noted.On asylum seekers -- always an important election issue -- her proposal for a regional processing centre in East Timor was immediately rejected by the Timorese Parliament. Her leadership started to look shaky. Now the opinion polls suggest a photo finish.Abbott's journey from rightwing ideologue to the cusp greysuit of power has surprised everyone. Nine months ago he was an opposition backbencher with a history of gaffes. As a minister in John Howard's conservative government, Abbott was chief head-kicker, prepared to test public reaction on controversial policies. He bore the flak with pride. Many saw him as a man of the past, not the future. "Abbott is known to have a tentative interest in policy and not a firm grasp of economics," Marr says. "It's no surprise Gillard is a contender to be prime minister -- what is a surprise is that Tony Abbott is in this position."Mackay agrees. "When Abbott was elected leader, the general mood was, 'Good grief!' Even Abbott himself seemed surprised."He became party leader nine months ago, defeating his predecessor by one vote. The conservative Liberal opposition was in the wilderness, racked by infighting after a long period in power."Abbott comes from an unusual place in the political spectrum," Marr says. "He's essentially an anti-scientific, old fashioned, conservative Catholic."A former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he represented the university at boxing, he was a trainee priest who once called Australia's record on abortion "shameful". He's also a climate change sceptic who once famously described human-induced global warming as "crap".But above all, his campaign has been about border security -- stopping boats carrying asylum-seekers landing on Australian shores. Refugees represent less than 5% of immigrants to Australia, but fears about them resonate in many marginal electorates."The opposition has done more than anyone to drive this xenophobic panic about the boats into the gutter," Marr says. "Many would say Labour has followed them, trying to look tough to win votes."The strategy is about more than refugees, Mackay says: "Saying something that sounds tough or reassuring on asylum-seekers is subliminally saying: we're secure, we'll protect you from rising crime and even anxiety about terrorism."The election campaign has been negative, with neither side willing to stick out its neck on any visionary policy. That's not surprising: a uniform 2,3% swing across the country is all it will take to change the government. trunks he dons on surf patrol at his local beach, universally known as his "budgie smugglers" and a rich source of imagery for cartoonists. He's been harassed more than once by hecklers wearing their own skimpy versions.Less than a year ago, Rudd enjoyed a 70% approval rating after steering the country through the global financial crisis with no recession and low unemployment. But, according to veteran social researcher Hugh Mackay, the seeds of Rudd's downfall were already sown. "Expectations were too high," Mackay says. "They couldn't be delivered. Too much hype, overstatement and overpromise -- everything was the biggest and the toughest."One of Rudd's key policy platforms was action on climate change, which he called the "greatest moral challenge of our time"."To put things in such stark and hyperbolic terms really created the probability of some sort of disaster," Mackay says. "The euphoria that surrounded Rudd in 2007 made a disappointed electorate inevitable. And when the government stumbled, disappointment was correspondingly greater."By April this year Rudd was in trouble. After failing three times to get the centrepiece of his climate change legislation -- his Emissions Trading Scheme -- through the upper house of Parliament, he dumped it until at least 2013, blaming the opposition. The public blamed him. "The magic had gone and he'd become a liability," Mackay says. By mid-year Labour party apparatchiks were imploring Gillard to move against her boss.She had a reputation inside the party as a highly competent strategist. Her family's roots in working-class Wales have instilled in her the value of hard work, according to author David Marr.Gillard is also quick-witted and a formidable opponent in question time, reflecting her legal background, Marr says. "When I see her in a brawl with her opponents, I see a woman lawyer at work. She knows about being tough and sharp but also about the useful limits of aggression."But, as a woman, Gillard has been given a hard time on the campaign trail, with personal attacks criticising everything from her "When I wanted a bigger mortgage to extend my house, I was pleased that the bank said: 'Yeah, sure'. But when I face higher repayments, I think: 'The bloody banks, they're screwing me blind'."Abbott has 200 undecided voters in a town hall-style meeting in Sydney's blue-collar western suburbs in the palm of his hand. He's the sort of bloke you'd expect to meet at the pub or chat to at a BBQ over a cold beer.He's made sure there have been plenty of photo opportunities with him on gruelling daily workouts, including triathlons.The pinnacle of his tough-guy image is the pair of small red swimming trunks he dons on surf patrol at his local beach, universally known as his "budgie smugglers" and a rich source of imagery for cartoonists. He's been harassed more than once by hecklers wearing their own skimpy versions.Less than a year ago, Rudd enjoyed a 70% approval rating after steering the country through the global financial crisis with no recession and low unemployment. But, according to veteran social researcher Hugh Mackay, the seeds of Rudd's downfall were already sown. "Expectations were too high," Mackay saysgreysuit. "They couldn't be delivered. Too much hype, overstatement and overpromise -- everything was the biggest and the toughest."One of Rudd's key policy platforms was action on climate change, which he called the "greatest moral challenge of our time"."To put things in such stark and hyperbolic terms really created the probability of some sort of disaster," Mackay says. "The euphoria that surrounded Rudd in 2007 made a disappointed electorate inevitable. And when the government stumbled, disappointment was correspondingly greater."By April this year Rudd was in trouble. After failing three times to get the centrepiece of his climate change legislation -- his Emissions Trading Scheme -- through the upper house of Parliament, he dumped it until at least 2013, blaming the opposition. The public blamed him. "The magic had gone and he'd become a liability," Mackay says. By mid-year Labour party apparatchiks were imploring Gillard to move against her boss.She had a reputation inside the party as a highly competent strategist. Her family's roots in working-class Wales have instilled in her the value of hard work, according to author David Marr.Gillard is also quick-witted and a formidable opponent in question time, reflecting her legal background, Marr says. "When I see her in a brawl with her opponents, I see a woman lawyer at work. She knows about being tough and sharp but also about the useful limits of aggression."But, as a woman, Gillard has been given a hard time on the campaign trail, with personal attacks criticising everything from her dress sense and physical features to the fact she is unmarried. Her long-time partner, hairdresser Tim Mathieson, has been notably absent from her public appearances. One opposition politician in 2007 accused the childless Gillard of being "deliberately barren".Commentators say her support is divided partly along gender lines. "I think women like her and respect her," says Jordan Baker, from The Australian Women's Weekly magazine. "They don't really worry that she's not married or has a partner."Then there have been questions about her loyalty. Rudd has denied leaking damaging material to tarnish her reputation during the campaign.Gillard has tried to neutralise Rudd's policy failures, with mixed success -- she was his deputy throughout and a member of his influential "kitchen" cabinet.Her proposal on climate change -- a "citizens' assembly" of 150 randomly selected people to forge community consensus -- has been ridiculed as a white elephant.In the fight with the country's big miners over a new profit-based tax, which damaged Rudd, she backtracked, meaning that the companies will not pay as much as originally proposed. It's been enough to get the mining industry's anti-government advertising off air, but her capitulation was noted.On asylum seekers -- always an important election issue -- her proposal for a regional processing centre in East Timor was immediately rejected by the Timorese Parliament. Her leadership started to look shaky. Now the opinion polls suggest a photo finish.Abbott's journey from rightwing ideologue to the cusp of power has surprised everyone. Nine months ago he was an opposition backbencher with a history of gaffes. As a minister in John Howard's conservative government, Abbott was chief head-kicker, prepared to test public reaction on controversial policies. He bore the flak with pride. Many saw him as a man of the past, not the future. "Abbott is known to have a tentative interest in policy and not a firm grasp of economics," Marr says.greysuit "It's no surprise Gillard is a contender to be prime minister -- what is a surprise is that Tony Abbott is in this position."Mackay agrees. "When Abbott was elected leader, the general mood was, 'Good grief!' Even Abbott himself seemed surprised."He became party leader nine months ago, defeating his predecessor by one vote. The conservative Liberal opposition was in the wilderness, racked by infighting after a long period in power."Abbott comes from an unusual place in the political spectrum," Marr says. "He's essentially an anti-scientific, old fashioned, conservative Catholic."A former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he represented the university at boxing, he was a trainee priest who once called Australia's record on abortion "shameful". He's also a climate change sceptic who once famously described human-induced global warming as "crap".But above all, his campaign has been about border security -- stopping boats carrying asylum-seekers landing on Australian shores. Refugees represent less than 5% of immigrants to Australia, but fears about them resonate in many marginal electorates."The opposition has done more than anyone to drive this xenophobic panic about the boats into the gutter," Marr says. "Many would say Labour has followed them, trying to look tough to win votes."The strategy is about more than refugees, Mackay says: "Saying something that sounds tough or reassuring on asylum-seekers is subliminally saying: we're secure, we'll protect you from rising crime and even anxiety about terrorism."The election campaign has been negative, with neither side willing to stick out its neck on any visionary policy. That's not surprising: a uniform 2,3% swing across the country is all it will take to change the government. sense and physical features to the fact she is unmarried. Her long-time partner, hairdresser Tim Mathieson, has been notably absent from her public appearances. One opposition politician in 2007 accused the childless Gillard of being "deliberately barren".Commentators say her support is divided partly along gender lines. "I think women like her and respect her," says Jordan Baker, from The Australian Women's Weekly magazine. "They don't really worry that she's not married or has a partner."Then there have been questions about her loyalty. Rudd has denied leaking damaging material to tarnish her reputation during the campaign.Gillard has tried to neutralise Rudd's policy failures, with mixed success -- she was his deputy throughout and a member of his influential "kitchen" cabinet.Her proposal on climate change -- a "citizens' assembly" of 150 randomly selected people to forge community consensus -- has been ridiculed as a white elephant.In the fight with the country's big miners over a new profit-based tax, which damaged Rudd, she backtracked, meaning that the companies will not pay as much as originally proposed. It's been enough to get the mining industry's anti-government advertising off air, but her capitulation was noted.On asylum seekers -- always an important election issue -- her proposal for a regional processing centre in East Timor was immediately rejected by the Timorese Parliament. Her leadership started to look shaky. Now the opinion polls suggest a photo finish.Abbott's journey from rightwing ideologue to the cusp of power has surprised everyone. Nine months ago he was an opposition backbencher with a history of gaffes. As a minister in John Howard's conservative government, Abbott was chief head-kicker, prepared to test public reaction on controversial policies. He bore the flak with pride. Many saw him as a man of the past, not the future. "Abbott is known to have a tentative interest in policy and not a firm grasp of economics," Marr says. "It's no surprise Gillard is a contender to be prime minister -- what is a surprise is that Tony Abbott is in this position."Mackay agrees. "When Abbott was elected leader, the general mood was, 'Good grief!' Even Abbott himself seemed surprised."He became party leader nine months ago, defeating his predecessor by one vote. The conservative Liberal opposition was in the wilderness, racked by infighting after a long period in power."Abbott comes from an unusual place in the political spectrum," Marr says. "He's essentially an anti-scientific, old fashioned, conservative Catholic."A former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he represented the university at boxing, he was a trainee priest who once called Australia's record on abortion "shameful". He's also a climate change sceptic who once famously described human-induced global warming as "crap".But above all, his campaign has been about border security -- stopping boats carrying asylum-seekers landing on Australian shores. Refugees represent less than 5% of immigrants to Australia, but fears about them resonate in many marginal electorates."The opposition has done more than anyone to drive this xenophobic panic about the boats into the gutter," Marr says. "Many would say Labour has followed them, trying to look tough to win votes."The strategy is about more than refugees, Mackay says: "Saying something that sounds tough or reassuring on asylum-seekers is subliminally saying: we're secure, we'll protect you from rising crime and even anxiety about terrorism."The election campaign has been negative, with neither side willing to stick out its neck on any visionary policy. That's not surprising: a uniform 2,3% swing across the country is all it will take to change the government. , Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard commands her audience with a sharp smile and calm, deliberate words."I learned some things about hard work and about making up your mind and standing for what you believe in," she says. "I learned about listening and learning from others and trying to understand what they wanted and needed."Hard work could be the theme of her campaign. The past month has seen her circumnavigate this massive continent several times, meeting, greeting, pressing the flesh in a way that few thought she would have to.When Gillard became prime minister on June 24, it was a relief for the Labour Party. The popularity of her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, had nose-dived - with an election due in months, the party needed a new direction and a scapegoat.Gillard seemed the perfect solution and was embraced as the country's first woman premier. But within weeks it became clear a major battle lay ahead.With the election looming, Gillard is visiting her old state high school in the leafy suburbs of Adelaide. In a marginal seat Labour wants back, she has the perfect audience of 1 200 starstruck teenagers who whistle and cheer.She looks surprisingly relaxed for someone under enormous electoral pressure. She presents herself as a big sister rather than an Iron Lady.About 1600km away, conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott's chiselled cheekbones look tanned. His super-fit frame sits snugly in a fitted greysuit. His image is macho, with language to match.
"When I wanted a bigger mortgage to extend my house, I was pleased that the bank said: 'Yeah, sure'. But when I face higher repayments, I think: 'The bloody banks, they're screwing me blind'."Abbott has 200 undecided voters in a town hall-style meeting in Sydney's blue-collar western suburbs in the palm of his hand. He's the sort of bloke you'd expect to meet at the pub or chat to at a BBQ over a cold beer.He's made sure there have been plenty of photo opportunities with him on gruelling daily workouts, including triathlons.The pinnacle of his tough-guy image is the pair of small red swimming trunks he dons on surf patrol at his local beach, universally known as his "budgie smugglers" and a rich source of imagery for cartoonists. He's been harassed more than once by hecklers wearing their own skimpy versions.Less than a year ago, Rudd enjoyed a 70% approval rating after steering the country through the global financial crisis with no recession and low unemployment. But, according to veteran social researcher Hugh Mackay, the seeds of Rudd's downfall were already sown. "Expectations were too high," Mackay says. "They couldn't be delivered. Too much hype, overstatement and overpromise -- everything was the biggest and the toughest."One of Rudd's key policy platforms was action on climate change, which he called the "greatest moral challenge of our time"."To put things in such stark and hyperbolic terms really created the probability of some sort of disaster," Mackay says. "The euphoria that surrounded Rudd in 2007 made a disappointed electorate inevitable. And when the government stumbled, disappointment was correspondingly greater."By April this year Rudd was in trouble. After failing three times to get the centrepiece of his climate change legislation -- his Emissions Trading Scheme -- through the upper house of Parliament, he dumped it until at least 2013, blaming the opposition. The public blamed him. "The magic had gone and he'd become a liability," Mackay says. By mid-year Labour party apparatchiks were imploring Gillard to move against her boss.She had a reputation inside the party as a highly competent strategist. Her family's roots in working-class Wales have instilled in her the value of hard work, according to author David Marr.Gillard is also quick-witted and a formidable opponent in question time, reflecting her legal background, Marr says. "When I see her in a brawl with her opponents, I see a woman lawyer at work. She knows about being tough and sharp but also about the useful limits of aggression."But, as a woman, Gillard has been given a hard time on the campaign trail, with personal attacks criticising everything from her dress sense and physical features to the fact she is unmarried. Her long-time partner, hairdresser Tim Mathieson, has been notably absent from her public appearances. One opposition politician in 2007 accused the childless Gillard of being "deliberately barren".Commentators say her support is divided partly along gender lines. "I think women like her and respect her," says Jordan Baker, from The Australian Women's Weekly magazine. "They don't really worry that she's not married or has a partner."Then there have been questions about her loyalty. Rudd has denied leaking damaging material to tarnish her reputation during the campaign.Gillard has tried to neutralise Rudd's policy failures, with mixed success -- she was his deputy throughout and a member of his influential "kitchen" cabinet.Her proposal on climate change -- a "citizens' assembly" of 150 randomly selected people to forge community consensus -- has been ridiculed as a white elephant.In the fight with the country's big miners over a new profit-based tax, which damaged Rudd, she backtracked, meaning that the companies will not pay as much as originally proposed. It's been enough to get the mining industry's anti-government advertising off air, but her capitulation was noted.On asylum seekers -- always an important election issue -- her proposal for a regional processing centre in East Timor was immediately rejected by the Timorese Parliament. Her leadership started to look shaky. Now the opinion polls suggest a photo finish.Abbott's journey from rightwing ideologue to the cusp of power has surprised everyone. Nine months ago he was an opposition backbencher with a history of gaffes. As a minister in John Howard's conservative government, Abbott was chief head-kicker, prepared to test public reaction on controversial policies. He bore the flak with pride. Many saw him as a man of the past, not the future. "Abbott is known to have a tentative interest in policy and not a firm grasp of economics," Marr says. "It's no surprise Gillard is a contender to be prime minister -- what is a surprise is that Tony Abbott is in this position."Mackay agrees. "When Abbott was elected leader, the general mood was, 'Good grief!' Even Abbott himself seemed surprised."He became party leader nine months ago, defeating his predecessor by one vote. The conservative Liberal opposition was in the wilderness, racked by infighting after a long period in power."Abbott comes from an unusual place in the political spectrum," Marr says. "He's essentially an anti-scientific, old fashioned, conservative Catholic."A former Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he represented the university at boxing, he was a trainee priest who once called Australia's record on abortion "shameful". He's also a climate change sceptic who once famously described human-induced global warming as "crap".But above all, his campaign has been about border security -- stopping boats carrying asylum-seekers landing on Australian shores. Refugees represent less than 5% of immigrants to Australia, but fears about them resonate in many marginal electorates."The opposition has done more than anyone to drive this xenophobic panic about the boats into the gutter," Marr says. "Many would say Labour has followed them, trying to look tough to win votes."The strategy is about more than refugees, Mackay says: "Saying something that sounds tough or reassuring on asylum-seekers is subliminally saying: we're secure, we'll protect you from rising crime and even anxiety about terrorism."diorsuits canalimens suits georgioarmani zzegnaThe election campaign has been negative, with neither side willing to stick out its neck on any visionary policy. That's not surprising: a uniform 2,3% swing across the country is all it will take to change the government.
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Out of fashion
DATE: 08/24/2010 02:11:44 / MOOD: excited
Out of fashion
Leading fashion designers are abandoning celebrity drawcards and going back to using bona fide models for their runway shows and advertising campaigns.
The September issues of the big fashion glossies, which are currently hitting the newsstands, are traditionally the fattest and most lucrative of the year. If you do manage to find any actual editorial coverage lurking amid the high-budget, high-profile, autumn/winter advertising campaigns then you're a better woman - or even man - than many.fmgxj0824
A considerable fortune is spent on the placement of these ads, which are in effect the fashion industry's single most important marketing vehicle. And naturally, a huge amount of time and money is also invested in finding the right photographer, the ideal stylist and, most importantly of all, the perfect "face" to represent the brand - whether it is the ultra-chic or the cheap-and-cheerful.
Take Chanel, for instance, the high fashion label that over the past decade has used actresses such as Nicole Kidman and Keira Knightley as models - the former famously being paid US$3.71 million ($5.06 million) for her efforts. Other famous faces as diverse as those of Madonna and Mikhail Gorbachev have fronted campaigns for Louis Vuitton. Then there were Lindsay Lohan and Vanessa Paradis for Miu Miu, Charlotte Rampling and Dakota Fanning for Marc Jacobs, anyone and everyone for L'Oreal ... The list goes on and on. The symbiotic relationship between fashion and celebrity, as seen everywhere from the red carpet to an increasingly sophisticated print media, has been the most ubiquitous and, it almost goes without saying, money-spinning phenomenon of the era. That is, until now.
This time last year the Prada Group sent out a press release to accompany the launch of its new women's wear campaign for Miu Miu stating, in the opening paragraph, that it marked "the return of the model as opposed to the celebrity" to fashion's most hallowed frontline. Shot by the super-fashionable duo Mert Alas and Marcus Pigott, the images established just that, featuring an array of painstakingly sought-out new models remarkable for their fresh personalities and entirely unrecognisable faces.
In February this year Marc Jacobs very publicly rid his catwalk show's front row of the formerly requisite A-list contingent, telling the influential American Vogue website Style.com that his love affair with celebrity was over.
"It generated so much press [but] at a certain point it was like, 'Did anybody actually watch the show?"' Even the season before that, only Lady Gaga and Madonna had been in attendance, Jacobs added. For her part, La Ciccone "just called and said she was coming: there are certain things I can't control" - the will of Madonna included apparently.
Given that Prada and Jacobs are two of the most influential names in international fashion, it's small wonder that the rest of the industry is now following versacesuits.
And so it is this season, with the big campaigns almost unanimously casting bona fide models centre-stage. These aren't models of the "super" variety either - the likes of Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell are all household names and have long had celebrity status in their own right. This time around, the women chosen, while they may be well-known and even celebrated within the fashion industry, are united by their anonymity outside of it.
Sceptics may argue that this development is at least partly attributable to budgetary constraints - it's no secret big names require big salaries to match. But there seems to be rather more to it than that, prompting many insiders to wonder if fashion's long-running love affair with celebrity is finally over.
"What I need to focus on is attitude, and this comes from a great, experienced model," the designer Stefano Pilati told Women's Wear Daily in April, of his decision to cast 26-year-old Daria Werbowy for Yves Saint Laurent's latest campaign. "[Models] can feel the clothes and make them relevant from a fashion point of view." But though it is true that a model's experience of the way clothing performs may be more extensive than that of an actress, there is also a certain suspension of ego required in order to put fashion, as opposed to mere vanity, first.
"I think it's a very contemporary approach," says Frida Giannini, the creative director at Gucci, which has chosen another experienced model, 27-year-old Raquel Zimmermann, as its leading lady. "The other issue with celebrities is that they are characters who are often associated with a certain film, for instance. I prefer a strong, generic face that's not related to any particular world."
So there it is: the model as blank canvas, knocked off her pedestal for many years by recognisable actors, is making a return. And though this approach is in some ways more elitist - there are those who will inevitably argue that the unfamiliar is somehow also intimidating - there's something to be said for allowing people to project their own dreams on to an image.
Leave it to Karl Lagerfeld - rarely backwards in coming forwards - to address this issue in just the faintly dismissive tones for which he's known and loved. Fashion's most protean player has also cast models, not actors, for the autumn campaigns of Chanel, Fendi and his own signature label (all of which he designs). "Why? Because I love them. They have the right look and class." Ah, class ... and with this in mind, he adds, "Their overexposure in 'people' magazines also makes it that one may be a little tired of celebrities and the red carpet."
It wasn't until the 80s that the relationship between fashion and celebrity began to gather momentum, and the seeds were planted for the behemoth it has become today. Giorgio Armani dressed Richard Gere in American Gigolo, and the response was such that the great Italian designer soon ensured the front rows of his twice-yearly men's and women's wear shows were as star-studded as his jewelled evening gowns. Gianni Versace was quick to enter the fray. Speculation was rife as to just how much either designer was prepared to pay anyone, from Sofia Loren to George Michael, to attend their shows, resplendent in Armani or versacesuits.
Versace, in particular, went on to invest huge amounts of capital in advertising campaigns shot by big names such as Irving Penn, Bruce Weber and Richard Avedon that featured everyone from Elton John to Madonna (yes, her again) and from Jon Bon Jovi to Lisa Marie Presley. The fact the label had the weight to employ not only the world's most feted photographers but also so many of its most famous stars was a potent formula that few could ever match. By the late 90s it was rumoured that Nicole Kidman was being paid no less than US$2 million simply to wear Christian Dior to significant social occasions.
It was also during this period that fashion magazines began featuring celebrities as opposed to models on their covers on a regular basis - and it was doubtless quite a coup when, for the December 1998 issue of American Vogue, Anna Wintour landed Hillary Clinton for that purpose.
Within five years, however, the effect of such originally ambitious intentions had been watered down beyond all recognition. Testament to this was the appearance of the alleged TV "stars" Amanda Holden, Hermione Norris, Tamzin Outhwaite and Ulrika Jonsson on the cover of the November 2002 issue of British Vogue, a decision that moved some high-minded commentators to bemoan a celebration of the "trash-ocracy" in British culture. This was hardly "aspirational", the thinking went, and that, surely, was the point of such glossy titles.
"Models come and go so quickly these days that they have no recognition factor," Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman replied somewhat testily in The Independent. "We are not a boutique magazine aiming to sell 35,000 issues. When you want to sell as many magazines as we do, that is very important."
And therein perhaps lies the point. Where previously the world of designer fashion had kept itself remote - that was an integral part of its appeal - by the turn of the millennium it had been well and truly "democratised".
This may have seemed like a good thing, but while magazines upped their sales by employing such tactics, the effect mostly proved less positive. The concept of a team of people creating either life-enriching clothing or a fantasy world that takes the consumer to a more beautiful place appeared to be taking a back seat.
This kind of thinking always had its detractors, of course - designers who believed using celebrities did nothing but detract from the main event. It is the stuff of fashion versacesuits folklore that, in 1999, Alexander McQueen refused to invite Victoria Beckham to his show, arguing her presence would be an unwelcome distraction. "I can't get sucked into that celebrity thing, because I think it's just crass," McQueen said at that time. "I work with people who I admire and respect. It's never because of who they are."
McQueen's contemporary, Hussein Chalayan, has been equally outspoken. At the British Fashion Awards in February 2000, he was named designer of the year for the second time. "I'd like to take this opportunity to say how disappointing it was this week that all the press were still so impressed by celebrities appearing on designers' catwalks," he said when he went up to accept his gong. Again Mrs Beckham, this time opening and closing Maria Grachvogel's less than outstanding catwalk presentation, knocked every other designer off the news pages. "It was especially disappointing," Chalayan continued, "because that space could have been given to all the designers who bust their gut in the last week or so. It's Fashion Week, not Celebrity Week."
With all of this in mind, it perhaps makes perfect sense that fashion is finally reasserting its less approachable side and the value of the model over and above more familiar names.
It's no secret, after all, that once an idea has become mainstream, it is unlikely to be tolerated for long by industry movers and shakers. So is celebrity finally going out of fashion?
The last word goes to Lagerfeld, of course.
"Celebrities want to do their own lines, their fragrances," the designer told Women's Wear Daily with only thinly veiled contempt. "A change was needed."
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Valentino garavani steals city's heart
DATE: 08/24/2010 01:57:43 / MOOD: disappointed
Valentino garavani steals city's heart
VALENTINO Garavani may never have heard of Brisbane until two years ago.
With a villa in Rome, a chalet in Gstaad and a mansion in London, the Italian couturier may not have had the Queensland capital on his radar.fmgxj0824
But Brisbane is certainly familiar with valentinosuits. Last Friday night, Valentino: Past, Present, Future opened, a ravishing exhibition of 100 couture pieces by the man who retired in 2008 after 50 years at the helm of his fashion house.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and exhibition curator Pamela Golbin welcomed guests to the gala champagne opening at the Gallery of Modern Art, for which many people adopted the splash of red recommended on their invitations, including Bligh and Golbin, who was resplendent in a red Valentino evening dress.
Guests, many in floor-length evening gowns, were giddy with excitement after viewing the show, queuing up to buy $60 season passes to return repeatedly.
Queensland is far from an obvious location for the exhibition's first outing from Paris, where an expanded version of it opened under the banner valentinosuits: Themes and Variations at the Les Arts Decoratifs museum in Paris in 2008.
But such was the tenacity and vigour with which GoMA director Tony Ellwood and partner organisation Art Exhibitions Australia pursued it that resistance was futile, says Golbin, Les Arts Decoratif's curator-in-chief of 20th-century fashion and textiles, who curated the show.
"Very simply, between GoMA and AEA they were both so persuasive that we really couldn't say no," she says.
The zeal with which GoMA director Ellwood is pursuing and promoting fashion (the museum also held a retrospective of British milliner Stephen Jones's work in April and last year devoted another to Brisbane label Easton Pearson) is emblematic of a broader push in Brisbane to establish style as a key component of the city.
You can see it in the re-invigoration of Brisbane's James Street precinct, which is now home to the flagship stores of Brisbane designers such as Easton Pearson, Paul Hunt and Chelsea de Luca.
You can see it in the work of Josh McPherson and Andrew Byrne, whose menswear label, Pistols at Dawn, delivers well-tailored suits and shirts in lighter fabrications perfectly attuned to the Australian climate. You can also see it in the Jean Brown chain of luxury designer stores, founded in Brisbane by Amber Long, where the personal service and labels stocked (Celine, Chloe, Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent) are of a quality to rival stores internationally.
And it's there in the work of young Brisbane designer Gail Reid, whose Gail Sorronda label last month became the first Australian finalist in the important Who is on Next competition for emerging designers, run by Italian industry body Altaroma.
Look also to the work of Suzy Vaughan, head of Queensland University of Technology's fashion school, who is nurturing a new generation of Brisbane designers, of which 22-year-old Jeremy Gillis is particularly promising.
It's a pity Brisbane style was lacking in the opening parade of the Brisbane Fashion Festival on Saturday night. Admittedly valentinosuits are tough act to follow, but a show predominantly comprising international labels of varying quality is not a strong or inspiring statement about Brisbane fashion, which after all is the point of the BFF.
Yes, the money the multi-brand boutiques paid to be in it is a crucial revenue stream for BFF director Lindsay Bennett, whose festival is in its fifth year, but it would have been better to open with Brisbane designers and let the city's retailers spruik their wares later in the week.
The next show was better. Local labels Easton Pearson, Paul Hunt and Pistols at Dawn were joined on the runway by Scanlan & Theodore and Akira Isogawa in the BFF's marquee at Southbank.
Easton Pearson and Akira Isogawa presented their resort ranges, with the former including scalloped and tiered fringed dresses that recalled beach umbrellas and A-line tie-dye sundresses in cobalt and yellow.
Navy and red nautical stripes also featured, with plenty of the embellishment and intricate embroidery that are the hallmarks of the label.
Isogawa made me consider marriage with his opening sequence of pitch-perfect strapless ivory gowns with floral appliques and sprinkles of silver bugle beading at the bust. The designer's signature wide straps, A-line shapes and East-West fusion were all present and correct in olive and aubergine shifts overlaid with sheer fabric.
They were followed by a Technicolor burst of bright floral prints on stretch fabric in coats and separates.
Melbourne label Scanlan & Theodore also went for colour, showing graphic print day dresses and a beguiling backless evening dip-dye effect silk dress, all perfect for a steamy Brisbane summer.
Paul Hunt does not do directional fashion. Year after year, he simply produces well cut and finished clothing that is elegant and eminently wearable.
Now, with fashion's obsession with a more womanly silhouette and grown-up look, thanks to labels such as Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton, Hunt finds himself bang on trend. I'm not sure how large the Australian market will be for his finale sequence of enormously poufy ballgowns, but Hunt is on to a winner with his smart pencil skirts and hand-beaded diaphanous blouses.
The BFF's new location is in the middle of the Southbank cultural precinct, nestled between GoMA, the State Library and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The festival has a unique opportunity to stand out from other consumer fashion festivals across the country by allowing people to engage with fashion in a more cerebral sense.
The best example of this is the Fashion After Hours program at the State Library, a series of forums and panel discussions on topics such as the state of menswear in Australia, the relevance of couture and the challenges of starting and nurturing a fashion label. Launched during last year's BFF, the program has proved immensely popular, with double the number of talks this year.
The valentinosuits exhibition at GoMA is the most high-profile example of creating connections between the BFF and nearby cultural institutions, but QPAC also hosted an informative lunch on Saturday showcasing Brisbane fashion designers, and plans for film screenings and more salon-style presentations at the precinct are also on the agenda for next year.
IT was at the QPAC lunch that I met Gillis, who showed in the QUT graduate parade on Tuesday night. Gillis is an aspiring menswear designer fascinated by dandyism. He works feminine elements into masculine pieces: a thigh-length riding coat with organza ruffles inserted at the vent, for example, or a draped herringbone vest with a soft shawl collar that unzips to become a neckpiece or scarf.
The unisex quality of his clothing has already garnered him several commissions from stylish Brisbane women. Given the niche nature of the menswear market in Australia, unisex could well represent the way forward for him.
Paula Walden is another name to know. A former model, Brisbane-based Walden designs sculptural headpieces, rings and neckpieces under the name Paula Kyle Walden. The use of acrylics gives her statement visors and headbands a slick, futuristic feel, while oversize sterling silver rings run from organic shapes such as raindrops to the incorporation of more quirky pieces such as oversized Monopoly houses.
There are an inordinate number of swimwear labels in Brisbane compared with the rest of Australia, unsurprising given the climate and the city's proximity to the Gold Coast. For this reason - and because of its popularity with the photographers' pit - the BFF swimwear show usually receives excellent media coverage.
On Sunday, however, it had to compete with the Coalition's campaign launch, which was taking place next door at QPAC.
Undeterred by the presence of police and protesters outside, Rebecca Manning showed a range of bikinis and one pieces with cut-outs, accessorised with hats and heels more appropriate for the Melbourne Cup Carnival than Coogee.
Karen Neilsen wisely chose retro bathing caps to complement her 1950s-influenced collection of pink and baby-blue gingham swimsuits. Shirring and ruching were the hallmarks of Neilsen's range, which also included retro pineapple prints. The two labels were the best in a group show that also included White Sands, Riot and Ivana & Katerina.
Filled with evening and bridal designers, Brisbane Arcade is a repository of old-fashioned stereotypes about the city (bling, colour and razzle-dazzle) and the premiere destination for aspiring Australian Miss Universe contestants. Bora famously dressed Jennifer Hawkins in a copper gown for the evening section of the 2004 Miss Universe competition, which she won, and Darb Bridal Couture has dressed several other aspiring contestants through the years.
At the BFF's Brisbane Arcade show, the former presented silk column gowns cut on the bias in emerald and lavender and some lacy cocktail options in coffee and cream colours, before closing with the obligatory bride.dolcegabbana online hugobossDarb Couture showed more structured pieces incorporating corsetry and underwire support. Everywhere you looked there were ostrich feathers, Swarovksi crystals, sequins, beading and embroidery, with the exception of a single red-off-the shoulder gown that stood out for its unusual lack of embellishment. Yes, you can have a giggle at the over-the-top nature of the designers in Brisbane Arcade, but remember that many of them have been in the business for decades and can tailor and drape far more adeptly than some of the so-called hot young designers today.hugoboss clothing menstrousers
With Bligh and Governor-General Quentin Bryce sitting in the front row, the latter in a chic, lipstick-pink, skirt-suit with a leopard-print clutch, and plenty of cheers from satisfied brides in the audience, the Brisbane Arcade show was a fitting finale to my visit to the BFF.
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The men’s hotlist for autumn 2010
DATE: 08/24/2010 01:27:00 / MOOD: lonely
The men’s hotlist for autumn 2010
Military-style overcoats at the Burberry autumn/winter 2010 catwalks how Photo: GETTY
Savile Row tailor Richard James has come up with a collection of ready-to-wear suits, shirts and accessories for John Lewis. Jacket, £265; trousers, £130; shirt, £60; tie, £45 (08456-049049). 
Puff jacket by Pharrell Williams for Moncler, £995 (020-7235 0857) 
Double-breasted jackets are big news, shown here for Marc Jacobs a/w 10. Camel double-breasted jacket, £1,435, by Marc Jacobs (020-7907 2515). 
American actor Garrett Hedlund, star of the most anticipated blockbuster this year: Tron: Legacy Photo: REX FEATURES  fmgxj0824
Trend: Military Military-style overcoats dominated the catwalks this season, with some of the best spotted at Burberry, D&G and z zegna. From shearling bombers to durable trenches, all in an autumnal palette of gunmetal greys and khakis, you can’t go wrong this season with a heavy-duty coat that has some hardcore hardware attached. OK, so they may be cut to perfection, made from the finest cashmere and totally unsuitable for combat, but these coats are as masculine as it gets. Kale textured-wool felt pleated-back military topcoat, £1,995; dark indigo lightweight-denim military stonewashed shirt, £175; black wool twill slimfit tailored trousers, £495; black leather shearling-lined boots, £495, all by Burberry (burberry.com).
Richard James for John Lewis Following the success of Joe Casely-Hayford’s collaboration with the store, the Savile Row tailor Richard James has come up with a collection of ready-to-wear suits, shirts and accessories for John Lewis. Bringing James’s expertise to the high street means you can invest in a beautifully tailored suit for less than £400. Jacket, £265; trousers, £130; shirt, £60; tie, £45 (08456-049049).
Pharrell and Moncler The luxury brand Moncler has joined forces with the Grammy Award-winning musician, fashion designer and all-round king of cool Pharrell Williams to create a collection of black jackets. Each one is made using futuristic fabrics by Bionic Yarn, an American company owned by Williams that makes all z zegna its materials out of recycled plastic bottles, and linings featuring 'dark forest’ photographs by the Japanese artist Keita Sugiura. Puff jacket by Pharrell Williams for Moncler, £995 (020-7235 0857).
Trend: Double-breasted There is no menswear look climbing the fashion ladder faster. Shown here for Marc Jacobs a/w 10, it features in overcoats, knitwear and blazers, and has been slimmed down to a slicker, fresher cut for the modern man. Camel double-breasted jacket, £1,435, by Marc Jacobs (020-7907 2515).
One to watch The American actor Garrett Hedlund, 25, has the weight of expectation on his shoulders as the star of the most anticipated blockbuster this year: Tron: Legacy, the long-dreamt-of sequel to the 1982 film Tron, at cinemas in December. Hedlund plays the tech-savvy son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), who finds himself drawn into a cyber universe where his missing father has been living for 25 years. Together they must navigate their way through gladiatorial games to survive. And Hedlund, who made his screen debut as Patroclus in 2004’s Troy, hones his cult credentials even further in Walter Salles’s adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, in which he plays Dean Moriarty.
Great outdoors Both Trussardi and Salvatore Ferragamo’s a/w 10 men’s collections presented layers of fringed lumberjack shirts, masculine chunky knits, heavy shawls and checked overcoats. For adventuring in the wild this winter, accessorise with thick gun socks and heavy lace-up boots. Big horse optional. Coat, £1,885; trousers, £629; shirt, £159; cardigan, £1,125; hat, £289; boots from a selection, all by Ferragamo (020-7629 5007).
SC Napoli Now stocked at Matches, the Italian brand SC Napoli offers brogues and loafers, all made from luxurious washed leathers in smoky charcoal tones. 'These are staple shoes that work with every modern man’s wardrobe,’ says Stacey Smith, the head menswear buyer at Matchesz zegna. 'Every discerning gentleman should own a pair.’ Boots, £438 (matchesfashion.com).
The Ivy Look (Frances Lincoln, £12.99) is a lovingly researched guide to the classic clothing worn by the Ivy League university fraternity in the 1960s, a look that a certain stylish breed of men have never grown out of. In their book, Londoners Graham Marsh and JP Gaul, enthusiasts of all things button-down and cool, dissect the key elements, from the width of the lapel to the shininess of the Bass Weejuns and the perfect tilt of the trilby, a jaunty version of which (they probably wouldn’t approve) M&S sells for £15. buy suit brown suit white suit wedding suits suits
Rock jewellery The jewellery designer Rob Upritchard has scoured the beaches, forests and riverbeds of his native New Zealand looking for pieces of granite to carve into tiny but weighty pendants for his latest Rock Jewellery collection. Hung on plain or coloured ropes, his mini shovels, pickaxes and ice axe heads are perfectly formed and ultra manly. The Rock Jewellery collection is exclusive to b Store, at prices from £350
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unique wedding favor ideas
DATE: 08/23/2010 03:21:30 / MOOD: excited
Planning a wedding can sometimes be a very nerve-wracking occasion but there are some facets of planning a wedding ceremony which may be a good deal of fun. Selecting wedding favors may be one of the aspects which can be fun. Many brides and grooms may spend a good deal of time, weddingsuits energy and cash planning on the location and the food for their wedding but they may not realize the marriage ceremony favors they give out may be a very important part of the wedding ceremony planning. This is because the wedding active favor is the one item the guests take home and will as a consequence be the one item which the guests remember for the remainder of their lives. For as long as they have your wedding active favor, it will serve as a reminder of your wedding. Keeping this in mind you will probably want to choose a wedding active favor that is truly unique. fmgxj0823
Books can make a really unique wedding favor. The majority of people do not think of giving books as wedding party favors but they can make great wedding day favors. This is particularly true if you select a book which either weddingsuits the style of the wedding ceremony or a novel which is a great image of the love you and your new spouse share for each other. For example a manuscript of love poems which you and your partner find particularly inspiring can create a great wedding favor.
Charitable donations made in the name of your invited guests are another unique idea for a wedding day favor gift. Traditional conventional wedding party favors include knick knacks or other items which are not very helpful. These sorts of wedding party favors often become clutter in the houses of your buddies or relatives or could be discarded after a short time period but a gift such as a donation to a favorite charity is liable to be more special to your invited guests.
Items like t-shirts with the name of the the happy couple and the date of the marriage ceremony also make unique wedding gifts. These are not common but they’re certainly a gift that will serve as an aid to your memory of your wedding. Your invited guests won’t likely where their favors while they are out running errands but they could where them around the house. You can make these gifts more personalized by choosing colors specifically for each gift or giving different styles of t-shirts to various guests. You can even use permanent marker to write a brief message to each guest on the shirt to make the gift more special.
Another unique wedding active favor idea is a gift of spices. This can working better with your theme if it focuses on cooking or could be right even though your wedding doesn’t have a particular style.weddingsuits Try affixing a ribbon to each spice with a short note about how love is the spice of life. This play on words can help to make the favor appropriate for a wedding. Although, it is also a gift your invited guests are likely to appreciate as it is genuinely something they can use. Unlike several other types of favors which might not be very useful, a favor of spices is a good idea which is both unique and helpful.
A final concept for an unique wedding favor is a bottle of you and your new spouse’s favorite beer. Many brides and grooms give their guests small bottle of wine or champagne as a wedding day favor gift. Yet, if your not a big fan of wine or champagne and much prefer a nice cold beer, you can employ beer as your favor instead. This will be considerably more affordable and will be a more accurate representation of your individual style. If you prepare you could even be in a position to have the labels customized to include your names and the date of our wedding so your guests will think about your fondly when they enjoy their beer.
Visit my website for more free, helpful information about weddingsuits.valentinosuits versacesuits greysuit
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Whitman softens stance on U.S. health care law
DATE: 08/23/2010 01:59:33 / MOOD: excited
Whitman softens stance on U.S. health care law
If elected governor, Republican Meg Whitman plans to add California to the list of states suing to overturn the new federal health care law. Or maybe she won't.fmgxj0823
The most recent statements by Whitman's campaign are much more equivocal than the position she took in March, during the Republican primary. When supporters at a campaign event asked her whether she would "force (her) attorney general" to join the health care brown suit, she said yes.
Questioned by reporters later that day, Whitman acknowledged that a governor couldn't order the independently elected attorney general to sue, but said she would "strongly encourage" a suit.
Last week, however, campaign spokesman Darrel Ng said Whitman might not take either of those actions, even though she still objects to parts of the new law.
"Whether she does a new (legal) effort, encourages the new AG (attorney general) to join an effort or not is really irrelevant," Ng said by e-mail. He said a pending lawsuit by Virginia's attorney general "will decide the issue." With the future of that case unknown, he said, "it would be premature to make a decision."
The Virginia brown suit and a separate lawsuit by more than a dozen states in a Florida federal court challenge both aspects of the health law that Whitman opposes: its requirement that all Americans buy insurance by 2014 or pay a tax penalty, and the costs that it allegedly shifts to the states.
The candidates for attorney general also are divided: San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, favors the federal law, while Republican Steve Cooley, the Los Angeles district attorney, has "some concerns" but is undecided about a suit, according to a campaign spokesman.
Whitman's migration from yes to maybe on a health care brown suit is the latest of several apparent turnabouts on major issues.
During the Republican primary, for example, she stressed her toughness on illegal immigration and her endorsement by her campaign chairman, former Gov. Pete Wilson, who was the chief booster of Proposition 187, the 1994 initiative that sought to eliminate all benefits for illegal immigrants. dior suits canali mens suits georgio armani z zegna
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Robert B. Jacobs: Suits, arbitration settle differences
DATE: 08/23/2010 00:54:12 / MOOD: excited
Robert B. Jacobs: Suits, arbitration settle differences
By Robert B. JacobsContra Costa Times Correspondent
Posted: 08/22/2010 12:00:00 AM PDT fmgxj0823
Nobody wants to buysuit. But most people want to buy a house. So what happens when homebuyers discover they bought the house of their dreams -- but one of their dreams is a nightmare?
The first step is often to call the seller. If the home is new, the seller is usually a developer, and most developers provide a warranty with their homes. In these cases, a buyer can sometimes have construction problems fixed at the seller's expense.
But what happens when the seller is another homeowner instead of a developer? They often don't have the resources to repair major problems. In some cases, sellers claim they didn't know of problems (when they actually might have). In other situations, even a developer may be unwilling to acknowledge a problem or repair it.
If buyers and sellers can't agree about repairing problems with a house, they often get lawyers involved. The lawyers may exchange several phone calls and letters.
If an agreement can't be reached, the next step may be to buysuit.
Are lawsuits effective? They can be. Every suit is eventually resolved either by agreement between the parties, or by a judge or jury at trial.
They can be, and typically are, expensive. The expense depends on how the lawsuit is handled and the length of time before it is resolved.
Many trials are held approximately one year after the lawsuit is started. The cost of a lawsuit through trial can be surprisingly high.
Is there any way to reduce the costs of a lawsuit? Yes, through binding arbitration.
Binding arbitration is dispute resolution without a lawsuit. In arbitration, a dispute is submitted to an arbitrator who is often an attorney or a retired judge.
Both sides present their case at an arbitration, which is similar to a trial. "Binding" means the result is final and generally there is no right to appeal. buysuit
Arbitration is similar to a trial in that both processes use a hearing before a decision maker.
At arbitration, the decision maker is an arbitrator.
At trial, the decision maker is a judge (or a jury). In both processes, the decision is legally binding between the parties.
Arbitration is different from trial in several ways. It is often less intrusive.
In many arbitrations, neither side has the right to ask the other side any questions beforehand. This can make the process less expensive than a lawbuysuit, because in a lawsuit both sides have the right to ask the other side many questions.
Arbitration is often concluded in a matter of months instead of nearly a year or more. It is usually thought of as faster and less expensive than a trial.
One of the primary differences between trial and arbitration is the right to appeal.
Because arbitration is designed to be final, there is usually no right of appeal (although there can be exceptions). This can make the process much shorter.
But if an arbitrator makes an error, the parties often have no recourse. This means that arbitration may be faster and less expensive than trial, but it may also be less predictable.
There is no general answer as to whether trial or arbitration is better in any given situation. Each situation must be evaluated individually.brownsuit whitesuit weddingsuits
Persons considering whether to choose trial or arbitration should contact a lawyer.
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How to Grow Up in Style, Pete Campbell Edition: Mad Men Episode 4 Recap Read more
DATE: 08/23/2010 00:15:07 / MOOD: excited
How to Grow Up in Style, Pete Campbell Edition: Mad Men Episode 4 Recap Read more
Don Draper is chain-smoking. He's got dark circles under his eyes. Peggy is hanging out with lesbians and learning about Malcolm X. But the star of Sunday night's episode of Mad Men, "The Rejected," is one Peter Campbell. He's got some very exciting news, and we're all wondering how it's going to sour. But of course, I'm staring at his tie.fmgxj0823
Now, Pete is annoying. For going on four seasons, he's been at best a silly brat and at worst nothing short of a snake. And, honestly, I've felt a little manipulated by his fashion choices. Don't mistake me: I am a big fan of the blue, and not just because it matches actor Vincent Kartheiser's eyes — a suit bordering on navy makes every man stand out in a crowd, especially to a lady, with looking too garish. menstrousersStill, it's hard to dress a babyface, and you can overemphasize youth rather than experience if you miss the subtle details. The skinny ties and narrow labels of the time have, admittedly, done Pete no favors, but he spent the first half of the '60s sporting the thinnest of both — and so the sourpuss became something of a balloon.
A few tips ever man can glean from the evolution of the Pete Campbell wardrobe, 1960-1965:
1. Mind the menstrousers. A lot of guys get this wrong, and I'm sure it's because they would rather err on the side of baggy than be accused of wearing leggings. Your bottom and your hips shouldn't strangle, but too loose in the caboose is just no good.
2. Color: great. While it's a little ham-fisted matching your suit to your eyes, it's a good guide for your possible color chart. Although you can go with a textured fabric, make like Father Pete and avoid the loud stripes. Best to start with a conservative, matte fabric and always keep the silhouette slim if you want to avoid looking like a pimp. Which — don't tell slap-happy Draper — you do. menstrousers So don't wear the blue suit every day, either.
3. The pin collar is a bold look. And I actually don't recommend it for slight men unless your suit is serious enough to support it. On the whole it's a pretty sexy accessory, but it should be coupled with a heavy, lustrous silk tie, and a shirt in simple white. At all times, you should be able to fit one finger between your collar and your neck when everything's all buttoned up,menstrousers and sometimes nice pearl buttons on a shirt do a lot more for women than bling.
So, it seems that Pete Campbell may be finally growing into that blue suit of his. Perhaps, as his would-be idol Don says, "You can't tell how people are going to behave based on how they've behaved in the past."trousersuits ermenegildozegna pants buyarmani suits
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