Happy everyday

The bag's out at Burlington Coat Factory's Fendi trademark infringement. Photo: eBay.com












I told you once, I told you twice. That's what Fendi must be thinking with its whopping $4.7 million win against Burlington Coat Factory.

After a trademark infringement spat over counterfeit goods was resolved between the two in 1987 -- the court ordered an injunction against Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp. from selling any Fendi-labeled products, the two were at it again in 2006. 

Fendi North America Inc. filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan claiming that Burlington Coat Factory had violated the injunction by continuing to sell counterfeit bags bearing Fendi's logo. 

Now the verdict is in and Judge Leonard Sand was all for Fendi, reports WWD. The court found Burlington Coat Factory in contempt of the injunction and ordered the retailer to pay up: as in $4.7 million up! The amount includes the profits the retailer earned plus interest and attorney's fees.

Fendi's CEO Michael Burke was plenty pleased with the outcome and spoke out on the responsibilities of retailers. Burke told the paper, "Retailers have a duty to society and their customers to do a certain amount of due diligence. Clearly [Burlington Coat] did not." 

But the bad news may not be over for Burlington Coat Factory just yet. Judge Sands is still pending the magistrate court's recommendations for damages for infringement, which were not included in the $4.7 million penalty. 

Trademark infringement seems to be the court date of choice these days. See who Marc Jacobs is suing.







  
										  
  

  
     

 15th
 04 -
 2010
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2ehu Brian Reyes to Guest Star on ‘Ugly Betty’_649
  










Brian Reyes to Guest Star on 'Ugly Betty'




The cast of Ugly Betty may be rock solid, but unfortunately the show is falling by the wayside. Photo: ABC

ABC's "Ugly Betty" may have been given the pink slip -- news of the show's cancellation broke last week -- but there's still one very stylish guest star to ensure that the show goes out with a bang.

Designer Brian Reyes is set to appear as himself on the fashion magazine-centric series this Wednesday in a fashion week story line. The scene takes place in a restaurant where a show is about to take place, according to WWD.

"Onion rings are involved," Reyes told the paper. While food and fashion, um, aren't exactly known for going hand in hand, the cameo seems to be the product of a long red carpet relationship.

The Oscar de la Renta alum has previously dressed Betty star America Ferrara, including for the 2007 Golden Globes and for "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" premiere, where the actress wore a bright blue strapless number

But don't expect Reyes to jump ship for Hollywood anytime soon. With a real-life fashion week coming up and runway collaborations with British shoe maven Georgina Goodman and Ukrainian artist Oksana Mas, the designer is plenty busy.

As for a future in Tinseltown? The New York-based designer joked with WWD on his acting skills, "I'm definitely not quitting my day job."

Despite his ladylike designs, Reyes' history of collaborations isn't so prim and proper (well, not prim, at least). He last teamed up with condom brand Proper Attire.







  
										  
  

  
     

 14th
 04 -
 2010
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9gyo ‘Project Runway’ Back to New York for Season
  
No offense to the City of Angels, but StyleList was thrilled to hear our favorite fashion reality show, “Project Runway,” has gotten over its awkward flirtation with Los Angeles and is heading back home to New York City.
Lifetime TV announced the frenetic design competition will bring a new cast of 16 characters back to the nation’s true fashion capitol when Season 7 premieres on Jan. 14 at 10 pm ET/PT.
The announcement took us a bit by surprise since it seems like we just finished our interview with Season 6 winner, Irina Shabayeva. (Okay, it was November, but December is one of those months that just flies by.)
Even if it seems a little premature for a new season, we welcome a return to the Big Apple. Design mentor Tim Gunn seemed out of place so far from NYC’s Parsons School of Design, the Atlas Apartments and, of course, the essential show backdrop, Mood Fabrics NYC outpost. (If PR ever stops airing we think Gunn should just buy the place).
While we admire LA for all its breezy styles and the allure of its celebrity culture, there was something missing in Hollywood: Ratings for one thing.
They dipped considerably after the show’s Season 6 premiere. Critics complained the show had lost its fashion edge since leaving original network, Bravo. Some even suggested the cast was in need of some mending. We tend to agree with Season 5’s superstar winner, Christian Siriano, who recently confided to StyleList that none of the Season 6 finalists’ Fashion Week collections “blew me away.” 
But what bothered us most about the LA season, was the conspicuous absence of judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia. Sure, they showed up every now and then, but were no longer true regulars. Few of the celebrity guest: judges were as skilled at ripping bad designs apart at the seams. When paired with host-judge-supermodel Heidi Klum, the original trio is a style force of nature. 
So here’s hoping that now that the show’s edgier contributors no longer have to catch the red-eye to be part on the action, we’ll see more of them! Lifetime, please, “Make it Work!”
Meanwhile, followers of last season’s fan and cast favorite Carol Hannah Whitfield, should check out Season 7’s official Web site for her blog welcoming the new cast. Her first insider post contains hilarious footnotes from Season 6 designer and hottie Logan Nietzel, leaving us to wonder if all their charming on-screen flirting has led to more personal projects off camera.

'Project Runway' Back to New York for Season 7

The cast of "Project Runway" Season 7. Photo: Courtesy of Lifetime
  
										  
  

  
     

 14th
 04 -
 2010
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ipvc ‘Project Runway’ Episode 2 Recap- Models Get
  










“Project Runway” is back in New York City for Season 7, a fact we’ve been shamelessly celebrating for weeks. So, now that we’ve met the designers and established that they’re in the Big Apple, the show goes and switches things up, landing the designers at a muddy farm somewhere in the sticks. Huh? That’s what we said. 
The Hog Wild Challenge: Designers go on a field trip to a farm where they are greeted by models, clad in burlap potato sacks. Design mentor Tim Gunn challenges the contestants to convert the rough fabric into evening wear, manifesting their vision of the age-old expression, “She’s so beautiful, she’d even look good in a potato sack.” Good one, Tim.
 The Twist: The “Models of the Runway” get to choose the designer who will create their look. This is a nerve-wracking collaboration since they have to wear their burlap-couture to a real live “industry party.” Hmm, Lifetime is working hard to plug its after show spin-off.
The Drama:  Some of the models actually abandon their episode 1 designers, causing hurt feelings. Eyes are dabbed with burlap scraps? 
The Workroom Entertainment: The sniping between the talented Mila Hermanovski, 40, and our favorite drama queen Anthony Williams over the move of Mila’s week one model, Alexis, to camp Anthony. Mila is bewildered, but we know why Alexis splits: Anthony is just more fun! Williams says of Mila’s nasty asides, “She can kiss me and my entire family’s asses.”
The Guest Judge:  Lauren Hutton. Ah, a timeless style icon with nothing to plug, who demonstrates a real appreciation of the designers’ work. And so smashing at age 66, she would even look good in a potato sack. Can she please stay on? 
The Runway Show: This really impressed the judges. Were those dresses really burlap sacks a day ago? Wait a minute. Here comes Ping Wu’s dress and was that her model’s butt cheeks showing? You bet your ham hocks it was.
That over-exposed moment lands Wu (who made the top three last week) in the bottom three. It also has the judge’s questioning if they want to see more of the kooky designer’s looks. But sure they do — the edit room is planning a story line around her. 
Meanwhile, Hermanovki gets revenge and lands in the top three by transforming her burlap into a stunning, body-hugging, metallic-looking frock.
Best Line By a Judge: Goes, once again, to designer Michael Kors for his critique of designer Pamela Ptak’s cheap-looking denim-esque sheath. “Actually, she might look better in a potato sack,” he says of Ptak’s model. Ouch!
And see which actress wore an PR alum’s gown to the Golden Globes.
Who’s In: Gap children’s wear stylist Jay Nicolas Sario for an intricate party dress that Hutton calls, “abstract and lovely.” A huge coup for the designer, considering that Gunn was frantic Sario would not finish dying his ambitious garment, never mind constructing it.
We Want To See More: Of Texas designer Amy Sarabi’s looks. She lands in the top three with a way cool halter dress, noteworthy for impeccable construction and the way it transformed blah burlap into a thing of wonder. 
Who’s Out: Ptak. Which is too bad because the 47-year-old college instructor seems like a nice lady and got kudos for a stunning dye job on her garment. The judge’s question her taste level and she’s cleaning up her work space to head home to PIttsfield, Mass. Once judge Nina Garcia pronounces your look “cheap” you just can’t make it work.







'Project Runway' Episode 2 Recap: Models Get Sacked!

Those dresses look like sacks... oh wait, they are. Photo: Mylifetime.com
  
										  
  

  
     

 6th
 04 -
 2010
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pmvy Vermieter kann ohne Grund kündigen_702
  
Vermieter kann ohne Grund kündigen

Sollten Sie mit Ihrem Vermieter in einem Zweifamilienhaus wohnen, so kann es unter Umst?nden sein, dass Sie eines Tages ohne Begründung Ihre Wohnungskündigung im Briefkasten vorfinden.

Der Deutsche Mieterbund informiert, dass Mieter, die zusammen mit ihrem Vermieter in einem Zweifamilienhaus wohnen, einen geringeren Kündigungsschutz haben. So steht dem Vermieter in diesem Fall ein Sonderkündigungsrecht zu, dass ihn befugt, den Mieter praktisch ohne Grund zu kündigen. Dies bedeutet, dass der Mieter, auch wenn er seine vertraglichen Pflichten erfüllt hat, es seitens des Vermieters kein Eigenbedarf besteht und auch keine ?Verwertungskündigung“ existiert, durchaus seine Wohnung verlassen muss. Beruft sich der Vermieter auf dieses Sonderkündigungsrecht, so verl?ngert sich aber die Kündigungsfrist um drei Monate, so der Mieterbund.

Anspruch auf Mietminderung bei mangelnder Beheizung

Zu wenig Heizen und Lüften kann nicht nur für eine kalte und stickige Wohnung sorgen, sondern auch Feuchtigkeitssch?den und gesundheitsgef?hrdenden Schimmelpilz verursachen. Was muss man tun, um solche Sch?den zu verhindern? Und was soll man machen, wenn sie dennoch entstehen?

In der Heizperiode ist es meist günstiger, die Heizung nie ganz abzustellen, da das Aufheizen einer kalten Heizung sehr viel Energie verbraucht. Lüften sollte man mindestens zwei Mal t?glich. Es reicht, alle Fenster ca. 5-10 Minuten ganz aufzumachen. Bei Wasserdampf, etwa vom Kochen, Duschen oder Bügeln, sollte m?glichst sofort gelüftet werden.

Je nachdem, wie gravierend die fehlende Beheizung oder die Feuchtigkeitsm?ngel sind und ob sie eine Gesundheitsgef?hrdung darstellen, kann die Mietminderung bis zu 100% betragen (LG Hamburg WuM 76, 10). In schweren F?llen von unzureichender Beheizung bzw. extremer, nicht vom Mieter verschuldeter Feuchtigkeit kann der Mieter fristlos kündigen (OLG München ZMR 59, 233; LG Landshut WuM 89, 175; LG K?ln WuM 80, 17; AG Waldbr?l WuM 86, 337).

Arcandor verhandelt mit Metro, Karstadt schreibt schwarze Zahlen

Für Arcandor ist es die erste gute Nachricht seit Langem: nach gescheiterten Antr?gen auf Staatshilfen und der daraufhin angemeldeten Insolvenz berichtet die Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) jetzt, dass Karstadt im vergangenen Gesch?ftsjahr Gewinn gemacht hat. Dieser positive Trend bedeutet für Arcandor eine verbesserte Ausgangsposition für Verhandlungen mit m?glichen Investoren. Gespr?che werden jetzt nicht mehr nur mit Metro geführt.

Meanwhile, some analog stations will be running a “night light” service for the next few weeks–basically a public-service announcement confirming that antenna viewers need to get a DTV converter box if they wish to continue receiving the channel. (My take: if the FCC had mandated a more aggressive version of this sort of on-screen reminder months ago, people would’ve been better informed, and no delay would’ve been necessary.)

Despite 'delay,' DTV transition starts today

Just last week, President Obama signed the DTV Delay Act into law. But despite appearances, the delay isn’t mandatory: about one-third (650-plus) of the nation’s TV stations will be pulling the plug on their analog towers by the end of Tuesday. The remaining stations will be taking advantage of the new legislation, transitioning to digital between March 14 and June 12.

Which stations are switching early? An updated document at the FCC’s DTV Web site will let you know which (if any) stations are in your area (PDF). Here in New York–as in most large metro areas–no stations are transitioning early. But those of you with antennas in smaller or rural markets may begin to see stations blink out in the next 24 hours, if they haven’t already.

Collecta searches (some of) the Web in real-time

Collecta is a new real-time search engine that taps into Twitter, Flickr, blog comments, and news sites–all at once. Users are able to quickly filter which sources they want to search from, and can leave multiple searches running continuously, so that the latest content keeps rising to the top.

See also Wednesday’s launch of Twitter search engine CrowdEye, which was made by the former head of Microsoft’s search unit.

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