Needle and Thread Still Have a Home (NY Times)
"How is the garment district like a coral reef? A coral reef, as Animal Planet instructs us, shelters diverse species of sponges, snakes, clownfish and barracudas. So does the garment district."

Why Does This Pair of Pants Cost $550? (NY Times)
"Even in a season when designers made no secret about reining in prices... it is still possible to walk into a store and wonder what exactly they were thinking when a pair of khaki cotton pants... can cost as much as an iPad."

PPR says aims to improve profitability in 2010 (Reuters)
"French retail and luxury group PPR returned to growth for the first time after five straight quarters of decline with a 1.3 percent rise in first-quarter comparable sales, broadly in line with forecasts."

Zegna says Q1 retail sales up 20 percent (Reuters)
"Leading global menswear brand Gruppo Ermenegildo Zegna store sales rose more than 20 percent in the first three months of 2010, driven by growth in China and a recovery in the luxury market, it said on Wednesday."

McQueen Suicide Investigation Closed (WWD)
"Depression, anxiety, and work pressure all contributed to the suicide in February of Lee Alexander McQueen, according to the London coroner investigating the case."