Word: kamali
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
None of the items sold for more than $80, and no store could keep Kamalis in supply long enough to satisfy her votaries. In one day, New York's Saks Fifth Avenue sold out its entire stock. A few blocks away, Bloomingdale's was forced to close down its separate Kamali shop this summer because her clothes went so fast the manufacturer could not keep up with reorders; hoping that the cutters and stitchers will speed things up, however, Bloomie's will open an expanded version of that shop this month. Last spring, Kamali had to lock...
...combination of 1960s Carnaby Street funk and the locker room, the Kamali sweat look has captured the whimsical and practical sides of the American woman's fancy. "Her clothes have a little wit and a little dare," explains Vogue Editor Grace Mirabella.. But they have their drawbacks too. The exaggerated silhouette and overgrown pants and tops are not for the timid. Moreover, while sweat material is not delicate, it must get special care so it will not shrink or droop...
Whatever the perils of shrink or droop, they show no effect on sales. Manufacturer Kimmel figured he would do about $2 million this year in retail business. But Kamali already has grossed more than $10 million in the U.S. and eight other countries. Next year, sales could soar to $24 million. Variety may be one of the answers. No longer just humble gray, the sweats now come in stripes and seven colors. There are short cheerleader-type rah-rah dresses and skirts, harem pants, saucy knickers, long bomber jackets, and oversized sweatshirts to be worn over tights as minidresses...
...Ruttenstein, fashion director at Bloomingdale's, observes: "Norma Kamali took an obvious American idiom and made it sophisticated fashion. The woman who used to wear a suit and blouse now wears her sweats." And Bergdorf Goodman's Executive Vice President Dawn Mello proclaims: "Norma is queen of the sweatshirt. It's like when jeans started. Norma is the new Levi Strauss...
...dozen years ago, the 5-ft. 4-in., 107-Ib. Kamali began designing her couture line of alluring, often kooky clothes, among them wild, feathered jackets. Today she lets her fantasy run free on extravagant gowns constructed of genuine Tiffany glass beads ($5,000), bomber jackets made of python skins ($2,500), jumpsuits tailored from gold lame ($850). A body-conscious coterie of customers, the sexy avant-garde of fashion, are fanatic followers of Kamali. Raquel Welch is having Kamali design her costumes for her upcoming picture The Swindle, and Disco Goddess Donna Summer wore Kamali on her last tour...