Saks Fifth Avenue

Two Maryland employers have warned state labor officials of layoffs that could affect nearly 400 workers. Saks Fifth Avenue said it would terminate a third of its workforce, or 223 employees, at its Aberdeen distribution and order fulfillment center starting in late May, the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said Tuesday. Julia Bentley, a Saks spokeswoman, said the retailer was opening a new fulfillment center for saks.com in Tennessee and was phasing out such jobs in Aberdeen.

Two Maryland employers have warned state labor officials of layoffs that could affect nearly 400 workers. Saks Fifth Avenue said it would terminate a third of its workforce, or 223 employees, at its Aberdeen distribution and order fulfillment center starting in late May, the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation said Tuesday. Julia Bentley, a Saks spokeswoman, said the retailer was opening a new fulfillment center for saks.com in Tennessee and was phasing out such jobs in Aberdeen.

Nothing like a whiff of nostalgia for the holidays. There's comfort in remembering the old days, and this season fashion is getting cozy with the '50s and '60s. Those were the hostess-skirt decades. You may remember that outfit -- the house-party wardrobe staple of ladies who entertained. Hostess skirts had a strong following then, and still do in circles where a long tartan skirt and frilly shirt are pulled out for winter parties right along with Great-Aunt Madge's eggnog recipe.0FOR SHOPPING INFORMATION PLEASE SEE PAGE 22Shoping guidePage 6 -- Skirt, $145, sweater, $148, and vest, $235, at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Mariah Walton owns a trendy Philadelphia clothing boutique, West London. And this 29-year-old Philadelphian knows how best to show off the merchandise — by wearing it herself. We "glimpsed" Walton at the Havana Club, where she was a guest at the annual fundraiser for Holding the Line Foundation, founded by NFL free agent Jason Murphy to help underprivileged youth in sports mentorship programs. Walton looked oh-so-chic in a dress of her own design. It had a turquoise, yellow and black crochet bodice, with a black lace back and a black cotton bubble skirt embroidered with flowers.

On the day before he was charged with first-degree murder, George Huguely V walked the fairways and greens of Charlottesville's exclusive Farmington Country Club, the Blue Ridge Mountains at his back. The University of Virginia men's lacrosse team, ranked best in the nation, had just won the last regular-season game of Huguely's senior year. The 22-year-old and some teammates had gathered at the club with their fathers to celebrate the storybook ending and to look forward to the NCAA tournament.

Sears, Roebuck & Co. said yesterday that its chairman and chief executive, Edward Brennan, will retire Aug. 9 and be succeeded by Arthur C. Martinez, who now is chairman of the Sears Merchandise Group and credited for much of the company's dramatic retailing turnaround. He joined Sears in 1992 from Saks Fifth Avenue. Sears Vice Chairman James Denny will also be stepping down on Aug. 9.

The Fed had to raise interest. Too many of us have jobs.Lawrence Bell spent $4,323 from campaign contributions in New York on clothes for himself and the establishment is scandalized that he went to Saks Fifth Avenue, not J. Press or Brooks Brothers.When Gov. Ventura refereed a pro wrestling bout, he demeaned 1. politics, 2. rassling, 3. Minnesota, 4. himself or 5. none of those. Choose one.Save water. Use dry ice.

Saks Fifth Avenue is coming back to Baltimore -- at least temporarily.The upscale retailer, which closed its department store in Owings Mills Mall nearly two years ago, said yesterday that it will sell marked-down merchandise in a 20,000-square-foot space in Hunt Valley Mall starting Dec. 12.The warehouse-style outlet will be neither a Saks Fifth Avenue store nor an Off-5th store, said Jennifer A. Mann, Saks' business publicity manager."

The new catch phrase in the coat business is "precious fibers." Coats made of such fibers camel's hair, cashmere and to a lesser extent, alpaca and vicuna are leading fall sales at Saks Fifth Avenue."

Mariah Walton owns a trendy Philadelphia clothing boutique, West London. And this 29-year-old Philadelphian knows how best to show off the merchandise — by wearing it herself. We "glimpsed" Walton at the Havana Club, where she was a guest at the annual fundraiser for Holding the Line Foundation, founded by NFL free agent Jason Murphy to help underprivileged youth in sports mentorship programs. Walton looked oh-so-chic in a dress of her own design. It had a turquoise, yellow and black crochet bodice, with a black lace back and a black cotton bubble skirt embroidered with flowers.

On the day before he was charged with first-degree murder, George Huguely V walked the fairways and greens of Charlottesville's exclusive Farmington Country Club, the Blue Ridge Mountains at his back. The University of Virginia men's lacrosse team, ranked best in the nation, had just won the last regular-season game of Huguely's senior year. The 22-year-old and some teammates had gathered at the club with their fathers to celebrate the storybook ending and to look forward to the NCAA tournament.

We weren't surprised to find out Joe Fava is an interior designer and owner of the Fava Design Group in Florida. The 40-year-old attendee of the Family Tree's 19th annual Great Chefs' Dinner was as put-together as the table he designed for the event — a purple Pucci-themed creation. "Trendy with an edge" is how the Baltimore native describes his style. The look : Aubergine cotton button-down Nara Camicie shirt. Black velvet Dolce & Gabbana blazer. Gray and black striped Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo pants.

Even though it's always a packed house at the Fullwood Foundation benefit and awards breakfast, it's easy to spot foundation volunteers. They're the ones dressed in red. Volunteer Vicki Lynn Jenkins was a particular standout at Martin's West. Her outfit started with her plaid peep-toe pumps, says the 53-year-old property manager for Edgewood Management Corp. "I found them on sale, and then went looking for a suit to match them." Dressing up comes naturally to this Baltimore resident. "I grew up in a Christian-based family.

Even though it's always a packed house at the Fullwood Foundation benefit and awards breakfast, it's easy to spot foundation volunteers. They're the ones dressed in red. Volunteer Vicki Lynn Jenkins was a particular standout at Martin's West. Her outfit started with her plaid peep-toe pumps, says the 53-year-old property manager for Edgewood Management Corp. "I found them on sale, and then went looking for a suit to match them." Dressing up comes naturally to this Baltimore resident.

In old Hollywood movies, the stylish set all shopped at Saks Fifth Avenue. Women with gloved hands peered into windows accented with the store's signature script signage and dreamed of filling hatboxes and shopping bags with elegance and luxury. But few women wear gloves to go shopping or have much use for hatboxes anymore. As the times have changed, so has Saks -- becoming gradually more contemporary, while holding on with great determination to its upscale heritage and image. So how best to indicate to the world the department store's complex personality: New but familiar.

NEW YORK -- "Will this be used for Beyonce's hair?" asks Sandra Magsamen. She fingers a strand of crystal beading at Spaeth Designs, a New York company that creates lavish decorations for department stores. Surrounding her are dozens of carpenters, painters and electricians all busily working to transform her illustrated children's book, The Gift (Glitterati Books, 2003), into holiday windows for Saks Fifth Avenue. This is a perilous enterprise, as the original magic can easily be lost in the new version.

She helped blaze the trail in Tinseltown for many of today's African-American actors. Dorothy Dandridge was the first black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for best actress, for her starring role in the 1954 film "Carmen Jones." Now her life story is an HBO film. "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge" had its Baltimore premiere at the Senator Theatre, with HBO and TCI Communications of Baltimore serving as hosts of the event. Among the 800 people who packed the theater to enjoy a bit of Hollywood history, along with their popcorn, were Lisa Bryant, HBO affiliate relations director; Jean Davis, TCI Communications director; Rose Greene, executive secretary of the Baltimore Film Commission; Michael Johnson, founder of Heritage Shadows of the Silver Screen; Harriette Taylor, Baltimore City deputy comptroller; Debby Haskins, Loyola College assistant professor; Maria Broom, actress and dancer; and Gary Myers, Armani specialist at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Move over, Nicole Miller. Make room, Jerry Garcia. The latest designer name in men's neckties is John Lennon. Yes, that John Lennon.The pen-and-ink drawings of Lennon are the basis of a new line of ties manufactured by Burma Bibas through a licensing agreement with Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.Any doubt about demand for the product flew out the doors along with the merchandise when 3,000 of the silk ties, priced from $35, sold in the first 10 days they were...

Giving your old tuxedo a lift Make a resolution to give your traditional black tuxedo, white shirt and black bow tie a lift this New Year's Eve with these millennial extras from J.S. Edwards Ltd. in the Festival at Woodholme: A gray, wing-tip collar tuxedo shirt patterned with champagne flutes from Ike Behar. Also available in white. $157.50. Understated but elegant neckties from Stefano Milano that feature the number 2000 either striped down the center of a navy tie, or patterned all over, gray on black.