http://www.stores.org

Stores.org

Stores is the monthly magazine of the National Retail Federation (NRF), and stores.org is its online home. Like the magazine, the website focuses on the global retail industry.

The site provides highlights from the latest issues of Stores, it aggregates retail news from many different online sources, and, most importantly, it offers unique content like web seminars and detailed lists of top retail companies.

These seminars and lists are free and easily accessible. Recent interactive web seminars include “Across the Pond: What North American Retailers Can Learn From Their European Counterparts” and “The Impact Of Wireless Technology On The Retail Industry.” Also, the site houses the annual Stores supplements, like the Top 100 Retailers and Hot 100 Retailers. These lists include information on revenues, earnings, and number of stores, as well as the annual percentage change of each. The site also publishes its Top 250 Global Retailers, which includes in-depth analysis of the forces driving the retail industry worldwide. Finally, the Retail Industry Buying Guide, another annual supplement to Stores, can be searched by keyword or browsed by category.

The user interface of stores.org is simple, though it takes some navigating to get to the best content. And keep in mind that the site's intended audience is senior retail executives. However, those wishing to research the retail industry or learn more about the issues concerning retail management will find this site, as well as its parent nrf.com, a useful starting point.

Reviewed by Library Staff Member - Jeremy Salfen - S.F.

Do you like the creativity, drama and suspense of Project Runway? Then you will love Imogen Edwards-Jones’ newest book, Fashion Babylon.

Fashion Babylon is a fast-paced romp through the ins and outs of an up-and-coming designer’s collection, from design inspiration to textile sourcing, catty models to catwalks. Edwards-Jones interviewed numerous top designers in the fashion industry and used this book to tell their stories. While the book’s main character is fictional, the incidents included are true, compiled here into one compelling read.

The book begins with the close of a spring/summer runway show and takes the reader through the challenges and successes involved in creating the fall/winter line. Not unlike the drama of Project Runway, the designer in Fashion Babylon faces inspirational block, derogatory tabloid press, impending deadlines, backstabbing allies, financial distress, and all the other glories of the fashion industry on her way to New York Fashion Week. The characters and events keep you turning the pages: will her line succeed? Or will she end up another washed-up, broke, has-been?

Unlike how other books approach the fashion industry from a distance, Fashion Babylon gives an up close and personal experience of designing a small independent line. It doesn’t shy away from the stresses and scandals, and it is a fun puzzle to guess which real-world designers offered their anecdotes for anonymous inclusion. Whether you’re an aspiring designer or simply a fashion aficionado, Fashion Babylon is an enjoyable read for everyone.

Reviewed by Library Staff Member - Rachel Clarke