Sarah Jessica Parker launches Bitten

Can sensibly priced clothing from a down-to-earth actress stand out in an increasingly crowded market for celebrity-branded fashion?
Sarah Jessica Parker's bubbly personality was evident as she strode through the Manhattan Mall's Steve & Barry's store Thursday at the launch of her clothing line, Bitten, greeting shoppers with a cheerful, "Hi guys!"
With Bitten, Parker joins Madonna, Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and other stars who are seeking success with celebrity clothing collections. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Organic apparel becomes fashionable

No longer just scratchy hemp frocks for hippies, organic clothes are riding the green fashion craze into consumers closets this spring.
Looking to capitalize on the popularity of eco-conscious products that have gained mainstream acceptance in grocery stores and car dealers, merchants from H&M to Barneys New York are hawking new collections of organic garments.
"All the retailers are rushing to organic. You can't afford not to. It appeals to the two biggest markets: youth and the baby boomers," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at NPD Group, a Port Washington, New York, research firm. "It's cool to care today. Five years ago, it was self-indulgence. Now it's self-indulgence with concern." (INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE)

Will Coach become too popular?


The stylish handbag maker had a blowout quarter. But rapid expansion may jeopardize its upscale image. Read more via Business Week

A vending machine for iPods?

Old-school vending machines, bulky bastions of high-calorie snacks and sodas, meet your new-school challenger: chic upscale gadgets stocked with consumer electronics and pricey cosmetics. As more of these machines pop up in high-traffic areas such as airports, the old quarter-chuggers may someday find themselves out-vended. The new vending machines sell iPods, cellphones, USB drives, headphones, DVDs, and a host of other gadgets. (CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR)
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Retailers try on dressed-up fitting rooms


Strewn with hangers, clothes and pins, fitting rooms — when you can find them — have long been one of retail's afterthoughts. Determined to make the most of every inch of selling space, retailers lavishly displayed fashions on the sales floor and left veritable closets for the trying on.
When Macy's asked customers what they most wanted to see improved in their stores, dressing rooms, wider aisles and more directional signs were most often mentioned. So when parent company Federated (FD) began redesigning its now-800-store Macy's chain last year, it invested more money in the dressing-room area than anywhere else. (USA TODAY)

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