On Occasion

Festive attire takes center stage as Earnshaw’s finds many reasons to celebrate.

When Kathy Ireland spoke at the annual Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) Women in Industry luncheon in May, she encouraged the audience of prominent women and men to stretch out their arms and see how many lives they could touch. Being connected in the world, impacting others in a positive way, whether it is in your business or personal life, is a reason to celebrate. And this issue is about celebration: We celebrate K.I.D.S. and their work helping needy children; we celebrate our industry for gaining strength amidst continued economic challenges; and we celebrate the companies that are focusing on the magic moment market of special occasion apparel.

Since the month of July is a time of revelry in the United States, we also celebrate those companies who have made the choice to manufacture domestically. In “Born in the U.S.A.,” we highlight the reasons why companies made that decision and consider what the future holds for U.S. production.

Our Q&A, “An Occasion to Remember,” features West Coast-East Coast duo, Us Angels’ President Hank Shalom and Director of Sales and Merchandise David Gardner. We talk to them about the next phase in growing the special occasion brand that’s been a classic choice for flower girls since 1998.

With the festive season squarely on the radar of our retailer readers, we home in on holiday wear in reds, blacks and tartan plaids in our fashion story, “The New Romantics” shot by photographer Christophe Kutner, on a quaint miniature horse farm in Long Island, capturing the natural beauty of children in their finery. The darling (and diminutive) equines have already been penned on each model’s holiday list this year.

For those of you running behind on your holiday planning, our “Retail to Go” cheat sheet will help you get organized for the upcoming Fall/Winter season. And, as we’re halfway through the year, “Show and Tell” previews the trade show scene for the rest of 2012 so you can sync your calendars. And that includes making sure the Earnie Awards are on your agendas. Pen us in for August, as we’ll unveil the ballot for the 2012 Earnies at ENK, and again in October when we celebrate the winners and our 95 years in the business.

Enjoy your summer and see you at the shows.