About 100 to 150 executive jobs in the central offices in Lord & Taylor’s Fifth Avenue flagship and at branch stores are expected to be eliminated, sources said to Women's Wear Daily. Executive positions in support functions such as human resources, finance and planning, and possibly department managers are among those said to be affected.

Hal Kahn, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s East, has come out of retirement to become ceo of Steve & Barry’s. The N.Y.-based specialty chain known its cheap celebrity-endorsed lines went bankrupt in July and was bought out of Chapter 11 by Bay Harbour Management in August.

In the first 90 minutes alone, shoppers at FFANY Shoes on Sale’s annual benefit Wednesday night at the Waldorf bought more than 33,000 pairs of half-priced shoes, raising more than $1 million for breast cancer research and education.

You don't have to be beauty blogger anymore to receive beauty "freebies" anymore thanks to Blush Media's beautyfix.com

The design duo Julie Park and Vanessa Vogel behind Parkvogel are preparing to launch The Organic Collection, a range of organic cotton separates and dresses for spring/summer 2009.

Mark Badgley and James Mischka will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their company this spring and to celebrate they are launching Badgley Mischka Couture a new fragrance that they will introduce in February.

Sustainability has become a buzzword in its own right in the fashion industry. In a business whose dominant goal is the ever changing world of trends, the idea of sustainability is one that is sure to ruffle a few feathers (ones that aren't going to just grow back mind you). Worn Through pointed out a conference titled Sustainability of the Fashion Industry Chain: Crop to Shop. This international conference being held in New Delhi, India on November 28-29, 2008 is accepting abstracts through August 15. Abstracts for papers are invited for the following themes: * Design interventions and Sustainability * Fashion Materials and Sustainability * Sustainable production processes, technologies and ethical issues * Sustainable consumption and retail * Policy and Environment We are particularly interested in the textile aspect of this conference. The materials of fashion are certainly one of the easiest places we can make an immediate impact. When the big guns like Premier Vision continue to add organic and sustainable sourced weavers to their roster there is certainly a market interest. Whether fashion can be sustainable or not as an industry remains to be seen, but certainly the nitty gritty of what we do in terms of textiles, sourcing and manufacturing has much to learn from the wider sustainability movements. And because we just can't do a post without suggesting a little something we have organic and theoretically sustainable (its in their promotional copy, what does it mean, who nows, go to the conference!) garments from Linda Loudermilk, Beau Soleil, and Viridis Lux

We've long been aware that a glass of red wine a day is good for the heart, but we've only just discovered its anti-aging benefits. As if we needed another reason to drink! Network partner Beauty Secrets Revealed informs us that red wine is chock full of key antioxidants, minerals, and something called Reservatrol that keep us, ahem, well-preserved. This cocktail of youth preservers is primarily found in red grapes, blueberries, and cranberries, and its benefits include, "anti-cancer, antiviral, neuroprotective, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and cardioprotective effects." So should we be swilling the stuff left and right? After all, heavy drinking isn't exactly a recipe for aging gracefully, as photos of many a washed up old movie star three times rehabbed can attest. According to BSR, just a glass will do ya, so take it easy. If you want to go beyond just ingesting the stuff, it seems a variety of skincare companies have caught on to the benefits of grapes and berries and offer topical products touting the same benefits. Grapeseed extract can now be found in the products of many organic lines. The most well known of these is Caudalie, a skincare line based entirely on the virtues of the grape. It's practically an institution in France (and we're forever trying to demystify the French woman's certain je ne sais quoi). Back in '93 at a vineyard in Bordeaux, a certain Professor Vercauteren told owners Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas that the grape seeds they were throwing away post-harvest were actually "the most powerful free radical traps in the plant world." They set to work to stabilize polyphenols (the key antioxidants) to render them effective on the skin, create a whole range of products and eventually open a Vinotherapie Spa, the first of its kind. Subsequent spas followed in Europe, and a stateside version arrived this year, housed in New York's Plaza Hotel. What exactly do the treatments entail? Think lounging in a jacuzzi, slathered in grape residue as your skin soaks up the youth juice, followed by a honey and wine wrap and sipping special teas. We haven't tried it ourselves so we can't tell you whether it works or not, but such a decadent, relaxing retreat would probably take years off our lives. This innovative use of grapeseed has inspired other companies to explore its anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and protective properties. Grapeseed extract has now become a key ingredient in the skincare ranges of Origins, Laura Mercier, Dr. Brandt, L'Occitane, and several others. Look for it on your next Sephora binge.