Fashion News

MILAN (Reuters Life!) - Julia Roberts has returned to work with Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani to raise money for the fight against AIDS in Africa, designing a T-shirt to be sold under the "Red" label.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Los Angeles prosecutors have dropped 30 of 59 sexual abuse charges against Indian-born celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander, as jury selection got under way for his trial in California.

LOS ANGELES - Without explanation, prosecutors on Wednesday dropped more than half the sexual assault charges against fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander just before jury selection began for his trial.

MILAN (Reuters Life!) - Giorgio Armani will design his first villas for a $1.85 billion gated community development in Egypt that is just two hours' drive from Cairo, the Italian fashion designer said on Wednesday.

New York - Judging by the sheer number of high-tech mascaras currently on the market, the days of buying any random mascara in "black" and applying two coats are numbered, if not already gone.

CINCINNATI - The Procter & Gamble Co. is linking laundry to fashion in what's billed as the biggest product launch yet for its venerable Tide brand.

THE PRODUCTS: Procter & Gamble Co.'s new Tide detergent and Downy fabric softener "Total Care" line is hitting store shelves this month.

FREETOWN (Reuters) - Women carrying corn on their heads and children selling peanuts stop to stare as a leggy model in a tiny, blue dress strikes a pose outside a steel-doored clothes shop in Sierra Leone's capital.

New York - Japan Fashion Week's Spring 2009 season of collections commences on Sept. 1, but for those New York residents unable to make the journey to Tokyo, Japan Fashion Week (JFW) organized a showcase of some of Japan's most promising emerging designers—Ato, Mikio Sakabe, Somarta, Ylang-Ylang, G.V.G.V., Mercibeaucoup and Ne-Net—at the newly opened Japanese-owned boutique Aloha Rag on Tuesday, Aug. 19, in New York.

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Is your sweaty old tracksuit a fashion statement or just comfy clothing?

NEW YORK - No matter what your taste, there's probably a Madonna for you.

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The adjectives hip, chic and fashionable are not usually used when speaking of Sears, an American retailer better known for selling practical items like power tools and appliances, sturdy jeans and boxy shirts.

PARIS (AFP) - With the help of some of the best of French haute couture, Madonna is to kick off her new "Sticky and Sweet" world tour next week in a slinky dominatrix-style frock coat in black stretch satin designed by none other than Givenchy.

PARIS (Reuters Life!) - Madonna has chosen French Haute Couture house Givenchy to design clothing for her new "Sticky and Sweet" world tour which starts in Britain this month, the fashion firm said on Tuesday.

PARIS - The upscale French fashion house Givenchy will help dress Madonna for her upcoming "Sticky & Sweet" world tour, a spokeswoman for the label said Tuesday.

NEW YORK - Steve Hale has discovered a reason to splurge on clothing again: the slim silhouette in suits to shirts that's replacing the baggier fits of past years. But his wife, Cathy, has slashed her monthly apparel spending, saying she's "bored" by what's out there.

WHAT'S NEW: In tough economic times, men are traditionally the first to cut back on buying clothes, but there's been a major shift. Over the past year, men — enticed by a new slimmed-down silhouette — have been on a buying spree, while women have pulled back even more. The lopsided fortunes is creating a rare sales disparity that hasn't been seen in years.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - U.S.-based modeling agency Wilhelmina is planning an initial public stock offering (IPO) this year, according to a German daily.

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Joe Corre was born to rail against the establishment and now has the store to power the movement.

BEIJING (Reuters) - The fashion world has finally cottoned on that sportswear is big business with designers competing to make their mark on the Olympics and win a place in the huge Chinese market.