Shakira Wearing Maternity Coat from Seraphine

The beautiful Shakira was photographed earlier today wearing Seraphine in Barcelona. The singer stayed warm and cozy in Seraphine's Black Wool & Cashmere Maternity Coat as she enjoyed the day shopping with her family ($232; www.seraphine.com).  

American Apparel Replacing Dov Charney

The Board of Directors of American Apparel, Inc. (NYSE MKT: APP) today announced that it has appointed veteran fashion executive Paula Schneider as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 5, 2015. This appointment follows the termination of Dov Charney, former President and Chief Executive Officer, for cause in accordance with the terms of his employment agreement. Scott Brubaker, who has been serving as Interim CEO, will continue in the post until Ms. Schneider joins the company, after which he will remain as a consultant to ensure an orderly transition.

Read the full press release about American Apparel Replacing Dov Charney at http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141216006562/en/American-Apparel-Names-Paula-Schneider-CEO-Terminates

Learn more about American Apparel here on the Apparel Search fashion guide.

You may also be interested in reading additional blog posts about the apparel industry.

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas for Holiday 2014

The Holidays are just around the corner, and in case you still haven't finished your holiday shopping and need some ideas for gift ideas, here's a gift guide for the ladies in your life. Whether it is for a girlfriend, wife, mom or even just yourself, we picked out some of the best goodies this season.

 Zamrie Winterland Faux Fur Vest, $168 ; http://tinyurl.com/m8p8ty9

Swoon Universal Lip Applicator; $12; http://tinyurl.com/n32nxtm

Brevity 22k gold plated ‘2015’ necklace; $95; http://tinyurl.com/kro2jnj

cinda b iPhone 5 hard case in jet set black, $40; http://tinyurl.com/lt5y8dp

Hydropeptide Purifying Lift Mask, $46; http://tinyurl.com/n223vy8

Patricia Nash Tooled Dante Crossbody, $149; http://tinyurl.com/oqsa8zk

Trendy Stocking Stuffers for Holiday 2014

Our Instagram feeds have been filled with enough pumpkin spice lattes for us to all realize holiday season is upon us.  Here are a few little tips for the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for Holiday 2014.  They’re uber ‘gram worthy and don’t break the bank.

Cate McNabb Cosmetics | Cheeky Holiday Lips 

Cate McNabb is excited to launch their (first ever) 2014 Holiday Collection -- filled with six unique holiday sets! Two, new red lipsticks in a satin matte finish, will be emboldening the collections in All Pinned Up and Blood Orange. These classic, matte reds put the sass in your ‘pout, but not on your champagne glass. Perfect for setting any mood for all seasonal occasions, this collection was expertly selected to convey the holiday spirit with better-for-you ingredients and bold and beautiful hues. 

Foot Cardigan | Surprising Socks  

Foot Cardigan sends a new pair of delightfully unique socks, for just $9 a month. EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH. Even more delightful? You don’t get to choose what pair you get! Think of it this way: as a Foot Cardigan gift-giver, your friends get to play the sock lottery and win every time. Foot Cardigan’s scientific sock selection process guarantees that an instant conversation starter will always be conveniently located just below your knees. Sock subscriptions are available for men, women, and now kiddos, and you can easily get the party started by visiting their website.

Swell Caroline | Bold, Bright & Bedazzled

Swell Caroline costume jewelry delights in all things bright, colorful and monogrammed! Their fun and classic styles are just as lovely to gift as to receive. From Cable Cuff Bracelets to Sunburst Earrings, there’s a fresh style for every girl on your list.

Thank you for taking the time to read our holiday inspired fashion blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.

Sala Bianc 945 from Valentino

As you may have heard, the house of Valentino celebrated the opening of its Fifth Avenue flagship store Wednesday.

The evening, named Sala Bianca 945, featured a walk through an installation by Italian designer Fornasetti, followed by an Haute Couture fashion show designed by Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli.

To celebrate the opening of the Fifth Avenue store in New York City, Valentino unveiled a special capsule collection of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear items, accessories and a Christmas ornament decorated with a red heart, all designed by Creative Directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli exclusively for this occasion.

This almost invisible approach to the creative gesture leads to the use of the five senses as symbols that both Valentino and Fornasetti use to navigate the path of their utterly different vocabulary. In this experiential exchange among two of the most iconic Italian brands of fashion and design we will encounter what we could call a “parallel vision” making a lose reference to parallel processing which is the ability of the brain to simultaneously process incoming stimuli of differing quality.

The New York project is finally about participation, involving the viewer to become an essential element of the experiment and a witness of quality. Using as the “container” or the “packaging” for this collaboration is the amazing and iconic building by Marcel Breuer on Madison Avenue create a new dimension within the very nature of Valentino’s and Fornasetti’s production. The Breuer architecture with its changing scale and upside down window also challenges and enhances our sense and special experience as much Valentino and Fornasetti do. With New York as the universe we can see the Breuer building transform itself into a temporary time capsule, a spaceship where Valentino’s and Fornasetti’s journey take place looking both backwards and forwards at the same time and with a diminished intensity both ways. 

Valentino’s Fifth Avenue store opened its doors in August 2014. Situated at 693 Fifth Avenue, the 20.000 square feet flagship marks an important step in the development of Valentino’s worldwide retail network expansion, and it continues the innovative store concept developed by Creative Directors, together with David Chipperfield Architects.


The Fifth Avenue Flagship will carry all product categories: women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, along with a complete men’s collection. Valentino currently has 160 free-standing boutiques worldwide, including 14 U.S. boutiques.

Learn more at http://www.valentino.com/ 

Kate Middleton Debuts Dress From Seraphine

Kate Middleton was photographed in Seraphine yesterday in New York! The Duchess wore the Vanessa Dress under a bright pink Mulberry coat for her day of appearances.  Seraphine's Vanessa Dress is available for pre-order online and will be sold at their New York flagship store ($99; www.seraphine.com).

Thank you for taking the time to read our royal fashion blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.

Goodbye dELiA*s

Where did dELiA*s go wrong?  My daughter loves this fashion retailer.  How could they possibly go out of business?  Please add your comments at the bottom of this page.

Here are the two news releases leading to the end.

December 8, 2014 – Bankruptcy News


dELiA*s, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLIA), an omni-channel retail company primarily marketing to teenage girls, announced on December 8, 2014 that it, along with certain of its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), has filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in White Plains, NY (the “Bankruptcy Court”) on December 7, 2014. The Company will continue to manage its properties and operate its businesses as “debtors-in-possession” under the jurisdiction of the Bankruptcy Court and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code and the orders of the Bankruptcy Court.

As previously announced on December 5, 2014, after exploring strategic alternatives to raise financing and/or engage in a sale, merger, or other form of business combination, the Company’s Board of Directors concluded that it was in the best interests of the Company’s stakeholders to close its retail stores and liquidate its assets, that it had entered into an agency agreement with Hilco Merchant Resources, LLC and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC, to among other things, liquidate all merchandise owned by the Company and to dispose of certain furnishings, trade fixtures, equipment and improvements to real property with respect to the Company’s stores, and that it would commence a bankruptcy case to seek approval to conduct store closing and going out of business sales pursuant to the Agency Agreement.


In connection with the bankruptcy filing, the Company is seeking customary authority from the Bankruptcy Court that will enable it to continue to operate and serve its customers during an orderly wind down of the business. The requested approvals include requests for the authority to make wage and salary payments, continue various benefits for employees, as well as honor certain customer programs for a limited time, such as gift cards and returns on merchandise purchased prior to the bankruptcy filing. All sales are final on merchandise purchased during the liquidation.


In addition, the Company has negotiated a commitment for a $20 million debtor in possession (“DIP”) credit facility with Salus Capital Partners, LLC, which provides for immediate liquidity to continue operations and to conduct the store closing and going out of business sales while in bankruptcy. The DIP credit facility is subject to Bankruptcy Court approval and the satisfaction of specified closing conditions. The DIP credit facility would subsume all of the Company’s obligations under its existing credit agreement with Salus, which has approximately $18.5 million outstanding as of the date hereof.


The Company currently anticipates that some recovery will be available to general unsecured creditors in the bankruptcy cases, but does not currently anticipate that any value will be available to holders of the Company’s common and preferred equity, although this will be determined upon the conclusion of the bankruptcy cases.


On December 5, 2014, Tracy Gardner, Chief Executive Officer and a director, and Brian Lex Austin-Gemas, Chief Operating Officer, resigned from their respective positions effective immediately. As of such date, Ryan Schreiber was appointed as President and will continue in his capacity as General Counsel and Secretary, and Edward Brennan was appointed as Chief Financial Officer, having previously served as the Company’s Vice President of Finance.


Additional Information


The Company’s bankruptcy cases are pending in the Bankruptcy Court and styled, In re dELiA*s, Inc., et. al, Case No. 14-23678 (RDD) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.). Additional information regarding the Company’s bankruptcy cases, along with pleadings and documents filed on the bankruptcy case docket, are publicly available online for free at the Company’s claims and noticing agent’s website at https://cases.primeclerk.com/delias.

December 5, 2014 – Liquidation News

dELiA*s, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLIA), an omni-channel retail company primarily marketing to teenage girls, announced on December 5^th, 2014 that it entered into an agency agreement with Hilco Merchant Resources, LLC and Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, LLC, dated December 4, 2014, to, among other things, liquidate all merchandise owned by the Company and to dispose of certain furnishings, trade fixtures, equipment and improvements to real property with respect to the Company’s stores. Sales of merchandise under the agreement may begin as early as December 5, 2014.

The Company anticipates that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the very near term and will seek, among other things, the bankruptcy court’s approval to close all existing stores and distribution centers and to conduct store closing and going out of business sales. The Company determined to take this action after being unable to find a merger partner, or obtain an acquisition or financing proposal enabling the Company to remain a going-concern. The Company will provide more details in the near term about the plans for the Company’s bankruptcy proceedings, the liquidation of the stores and other assets, the status of the Company’s operations during bankruptcy, and the terms of the agency agreement.

The Company does not anticipate any value will remain from the bankruptcy estate for the holders of the Company’s common and preferred equity, although this will be determined in the anticipated bankruptcy proceedings.

About dELiA*s, Inc.

dELiA*s, Inc. is an omni-channel retail company primarily marketing to teenage girls. It generates revenue by selling apparel, accessories and footwear to consumers through its website, direct mail catalogs and mall-based retail stores.

Learn more about dELiA*s here on Apparel Search.

Update April 14, 2015: dELiA's may be back.

Thank you for taking the time to read our fashion industry news blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.

Breil Italian Timepieces Grows USA Presence

CRC, a New York-based public relations agency specializing in fashion, accessories and beauty, has been named the agency of record for Breil, an Italian timepieces brand circa 1939.  CRC will focus on the brand's consumer public relations strategy as Breil grows its presence and brand awareness in the United States.

“We’re thrilled to be named agency of record for Breil as the brand leverages its impressive reputation in Italy to gain more exposure in the United States,” said Cindy Riccio, President and Founder of CRC. “Breil makes edgy, sophisticated and luxurious watches unlike anything in the American market.”

Breil was founded in 1939 and since its very beginning has laid the foundations for its elegant, innovative watch designs. Breil represents a cutting-edge brand that can anticipate trends and set new style rules. The launch of each new product on the market comes from meticulous designing, technical excellence and aesthetic awareness, contributing to the production of seductive, cutting-edge collections that enhance the essence of materials through original and unique lines.

“We’re excited to partner with CRC, as we increase our marketing and communications in the US. Cindy’s longstanding relationships with the fashion and accessories press will enhance the attention Breil is currently receiving with key influencers,” said Claire Powell, the Executive Vice President of Marketing at Geneva Watch Group. “We believe the partnership will add great value as Breil increases its brand profile in the United States.”

Each of Breil’s timepieces pays tribute to their Italian heritage and epitomizes bold Italian sensuality, with all models artfully “designed in Italy.” After achieving immense popularity in the Italian marketplace, Breil now seeks to raise awareness of their innovative, trend-setting watches in the United States consumer.

For more information, please visit www.breilusa.com.

                                               

About CRC:

CRC is an independently owned full service marketing communications agency that creates innovative campaigns to help its clients achieve their annual business goals by fueling conversations between them, their most important publics and key influencers.  CRC provides PR services to a variety of apparel, accessories, food/beverage, home care and beauty brands.  The agency is comprised of innovative and passionate PR specialists to create, connect and communicate brand campaigns tailor-made to meet and exceed expectations.  For more information about CRC, visit www.cricciocomm.com.

Leslie Bibb in Monochromatic Shiraz Sheer Jersey

Leslie Bibb wore a VINCE ensemble to the Take Care premiere in New York over the weekend. The actress paired the monochromatic Shiraz Sheer Jersey Turtleneck ($145) and Mulberry Zip Detail Leather Leggings ($469) with the Winter White Contrast Trim Coat($695) for a chic red carpet look (www.vince.com). 

Bibb transitioned into film and television during the late 1990s. She played minor roles in a few television series before making her film debut in the Howard Stern biopic Private Parts. She scored her first recurring role in the show The Big Easy, followed by a film role in This Space Between Us.

Bibb's role as Brooke McQueen on the WB Network dramedy series Popular (1999–2001) brought her to the attention of a wider audience.

Arden Cho Wearing Tacori at Unforgettable Awards

Arden Cho was photographed wearing TACORI to the 2014 Unforgettable Awards over the weekend in Los Angeles! The actress accessorized her sleek and glamourous gown with TACORI Black Onyx Stud Earrings (style no. SE17119; $360; www.tacori.com) and Platinum 1.55ct Diamond Sculpted Crescent Ring (style no. HT 2611 OV 10X8.5; $15,590; www.tacori.com).

Arden Cho is an American actress, singer-songwriter and model, well known for her role as Kira Yukimura on Teen Wolf.