Lady Gaga demonstrates the Volantis transport prototype "flying dress" designed by TechHaus - Studio XO during the ARTPOP album release and artRave event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) by Verena DobnikAssociated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Lady Gaga's album sales are already stratospheric, so why not her evening wear? The "Applause" singer unveiled a high-tech, white vehicle she bills as the world's first flying dress. The contraption lifted her up inside a mammoth building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where she held a launch party for her new album on Sunday.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, left, accompanied by Rev. Herbert Daughtry and Hazel Dukes, president of the New York State chapter of the NAACP, speaks to the media outside Macy's flagship store, in New York, after a meeting with the CEO of Macy's to talk about racial profiling, Monday, Nov. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) by Deepti HajelaAssociated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Rev. Al Sharpton said he and other civil rights leaders had a "brutally honest" meeting Monday with the CEO of Macy's over racial profiling, and demanded that the department store lay out how they will guarantee the practice doesn't happen before the holiday shopping season begins. The meeting on Monday with CEO Terry Lundgren follows an incident in which an actor on the HBO series "Treme" was detained by police after buying his mother a $1,350 Movado watch. Robert Brown filed a lawsuit last month after he said he was stopped inside Macy's flagship Manhattan store last June because he is Black. Brown's accusation came after two other Black shoppers said they were racially profiled and detained by police after making expensive purchases at Barneys New York. In a statement, Macy's said it doesn't tolerate discrimination of any kind and "considers its loss prevention policies to be among the very best and most progressive in the retailing industry."
In this Nov. 11, 2007, file photo, recording artist Jay-Z performs at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. (AP Photo/Gary He, File) by Anne D'InnocenzioAssociated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) — When big-name celebrities pair up with big businesses, customers often believe the adage: You are the company you keep. Rap artist Jay-Z is learning that firsthand. He has complained this week that he's been unfairly "demonized" because he hasn't backed out of his collaboration with Barneys New York after the luxury retailer was accused of racially profiling two Black customers.
In this May 14, 2012 file photo, entertainer Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter arrives at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) by Karen Matthews and Nekesa Mumbi MoodyAssociated Press Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z — under increasing pressure to back out of a collaboration with the luxury store Barneys New York after it was accused of racially profiling two black customers — said Saturday he's being unfairly "demonized" for just waiting to hear all of the facts.
This undated image provided by H&M shows plus-size model Jennie Runk, who is a size 12 or 14, in a swimsuit ad from 2012. (AP Photo/H&M) by Mae AndersonAP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to women's clothing sizes, there's some funny math going on. The average American woman is about 25 pounds heavier than she was in 1960. Yet women's plus-size clothing, generally defined as size 14 and up, still makes up only about 9 percent of the $190 billion spent annually on clothes. What's wrong with this equation? It's not that plus-size women aren't into fashion. Rather, the fashion industry doesn't seem interested in them.
Trayon Christian, 19, was arrested after he bought a $360 designer belt because the shop assistant didn't believe he could afford it. (Facebook Photo) by Deepti HajelaAssocitated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) — A civil rights group said Thursday it was seeking a meeting with the CEO of Barneys New York in the wake of racial profiling claims by two shoppers at the high-end department store.
Nicki Minaj launches her fashion line at KMART on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP) by Nicole EvattAssociated Press Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nicki Minaj knows celebrities-turned-designers aren't always taken seriously in the fashion world, but she doesn't mind. At a launch event Tuesday for her Kmart collection, Minaj said skepticism of stars lacking formal design training is "understandable," but she insists it's "not about being a designer." The "Starships" rapper says her intention is simply to make clothes that she would love to wear.
