Henri Bendel Foyer, courtesy of Henri Bendel

Henri Bendel Plans to Stop Selling Clothes This Summer (The New York Times)
“A venerable name in New York retailing, Henri Bendel, is planning to stop selling clothes this summer and focus on accessories and beauty products as it struggles to lure shoppers during a prolonged recession.”

Consumer confidence improves (Drapers)
“Consumer confidence improved by three points to -27 according to the GfK NOP Consumer Confidence Index.”

Hugo Boss Q1 operating profit eases (Reuters)
“Hugo Boss reported an 8 percent drop in first-quarter underlying operating profit on Thursday as demand for its suits and dresses eased amid the economic downturn.”

House Reintroduces Design Piracy Bill (WWD)
“A bipartisan group of House lawmakers reintroduced a modified version of a bill on Thursday that would provide three years of copyright protection for fashion designs.” (Subscription required)

New Fashion Empire Builders, Part 1 (JC Report)
“As part of their multi-part series on New Fashion Empire Builders, JC Report interviews Ghadah Paris.”