Pack Your Bags ... The Perfect Packs For Your Summer Travels Lily of France® Dazzles The North Face, Inc. Takes Manhattan Global. Life. Style. As the global leader in the apparel industry, VF has the strength to outfit our consumers for life, with comfort, quality and style. Brand News is designed to highlight the latest product lines from our leading brands while also sharing best practices across divisions and coalitions. Our focus on meeting consumer needs better than any other apparel company is what unites our associates, brands and operations around the world. Front cover image from the Belcor® brand image archive Images on these pages from the Riders® brand image archive Get Ready To Be Dazzled! The Lily of France® brand is redefi ning “sexy” in the intimate apparel marketplace. Striving to meet the needs of their target consumer, the Intimate Apparel Enthusiast, the Lily of France® brand offers fashion- right intimates with a contemporary, fun, sexy, and mischievous fl air. It’s sexy – with a wink. This spring the Lily of France® brand is dazzling consumers with the innovative, versatile, sexy new Dazzler™ bra. Carefully designed down to the smallest detail, the Dazzler™ is the perfect sexy bra to wear everyday. The Lily of France® Dazzler™ bra is available in lightly- lined and average underwires. Seamless, stretch satin fabric gives a sleek, smooth look. Each bra is designed with adjustable straps that can be worn basic, criss-cross or halter. The soft stretch foam pad and microfi ber lining make this bra not only sexy, but comfortable too. A matching bikini bottom completes the sexy Dazzler™ look. Every woman will be dazzled by the look and feel of the Lily of France® Dazzler™, sold in chain and department stores. The Dazzler™ launch was supported with a national print campaign featured in March and April issues of Cosmopolitan, People and In Style magazines. In-store support included a Buy-1-Get-1-Free mail-in offer to drive trial purchases with eye-catching posters to draw consumers to the displays. Because product endorsement begins with the retail partner sales associates, the Lily of France® brand provided each with the opportunity to try the Dazzler™ bra before it hit the store shelves. “Our gratis program, targeted at store sales associates, includes product information as well as a free bra offer. Thanking sales associates in advance gives them a good feel for the wonderful benefi tsDazzler ™ has to offer,” said Randi Leyton, marketing director for the Lily of France® brand. Sales associates were also given a special Lily of France® gift set, including a makeup bag with sexy surprises inside including a candle, mints, bra and panty push pins and nail polish, along with a thank-you note for their support of the Dazzler™ launch. “It’s another way of thanking sales associates for their hard work and support of the brand,” said Leyton. “It’s important to get both the sales associates and consumers excited about the product.” To add to the excitement, the Lily of France® brand sponsored an in-store display contest for the VF Intimates merchandising team. Merchandisers were encouraged to create original, dazzling in-store displays to promote the launch of the Dazzler™ line with the opportunity to win a $500 grand prize bonus, a $200 second place bonus or a $100 third place bonus. Bra Basics 101: Finding Your Fit Pregnancy, weight changes, and the inevitable effects of gravity all can have an impact on bra size, and industry experts estimate that 75 to 80 percent of all women buy bras in the wrong size. A well-fi tted bra should feel comfortable and compliment your natural shape. Below are guidelines for determining your correct bra size: 1. Band size: Using a measuring tape, measure directly underneath your bust around the rib cage. If the measurement is an odd number, add 5 inches; if the measurement is even, add 6 inches. For example, if you measure 33”, your band size is 38”. Tip: When measuring, place your index fi nger under the tape measure to allow for expansion when sitting. 2. Bust size: Measure across your breasts at the fullest point (do not stretch tape tightly). 3. Cup size: Take the difference between your bust and band measurements. For example, if your bust size is 42” and your band size is 38”, you’re a D cup. If the difference is: 1 inch ................... Cup size A 2 inches................. Cup size B 3 inches................. Cup size C 4 inches................. Cup size D Correctly measuring your band and bust is the key to fi nding the perfect bra. Remember, whether your preference is for a Vanity Fair®, Lily of France®, Vassarette®, ™ or Curvation brand bra, different styles fi t differently, and each style must be tried on to assure a proper fi t. pack your bags... the perfect packs for your summer travels The JanSport® Polaris 33 multi-purpose pack is perfect for a day hike or trip to the beach. With 2000 cubic inches of carrying space, the Polaris can easily accommodate a beach towel and volleyball or all the essentials for the quintessential mountain hike. The Polaris 33 is available in scarlet (shown here) or sea blue. The JanSport® Minuet will be music to your ears. With a single strap and CD player compatibility, it is the ideal size for an afternoon of shopping or picnic in the park. The Minuet is the stylish accent to any summer ensemble, and is available in some of the hottest colors for summer including: bubble gum (shown here), ice, lavender and chrome. Leave all other duffels at home! The 30” (shown here) and 36” wheeled duffels from the JanSport® brand, with cavernous compartments, can facilitate the wardrobe of any overpacker. Whether you’re headed away for the weekend or the week, a wheeled duffel is always the essential element for the active traveler. continued next page Stuff It Stuff socks into the shoes Good taste is always in style. The Eastpak® you’re packing. This Low Rider epitomizes function and fashion. maximizes your packing Perfect for a weekend getaway or dropping space and prevents shoes your children off at camp, the Low Rider will from getting crushed. To meet every need with style. With wheel and keep shoes – and the rest carry options, the Low Rider can go virtually of your clothes – clean, anywhere. Available in fi re red, cotton candy, pack them in plastic bags. lilac (shown here), navy and whisper blue. Daypacking Learning to pack your backpack can be a time consuming and frustrating job, but there is a method to the madness of packing. As a general rule, heavy items go in the bottom and close to your back and light weight, frequently needed items, go in last or in an outside pocket. The Neck Tie Solution Hold the end with the narrow point in the palm For the adventure enthusiast in everyone, of your hand. Roll the tie The North Face® Terra 40 is essential for tightly around your hand any backpacking expedition. Whether it’s (removing thumb after a trip through the hostels of Europe or an fi rst “wind”). Pack the impromptu overnight hike, the Terra 40 can rolled-up tie, making sure handle the challenge. Look for the Terra 40 the wide end isn’t bent or in nickel gray, goldfi nger yellow (shown here) loose. and deep-water blue. Roll With It When packing your clothes, avoid folding as you would in a dresser. If you do, they will crease when compressed. To avoid creases and wrinkles, roll your clothes. This works well with pants, skirts and sports shirts. Lay the item face down, fold back packingthe sleeves and then roll tips... from the bottom up. The Riders® Brand Bottoms Have Found A Match! Looking for the perfect match? The Riders® brand (www.ridersjeans.com), the leading national jeans brand for women in the mass channel, has introduced the Riders® tops collection at more than 350 Wal-Mart stores across the U.S. “Brand extension is the best way to leverage Riders® core products into a lifestyle brand and firmly establish mass retailers as a prime apparel shopping destination,” states George Weldon, director of North American licensing, who is in charge of the Riders® tops licensing program. According to STS Market Research, one out of five casual apparel purchases are made at mass retailers, and large mass retailers lead the pack in terms of women’s spending on casual apparel. “The Riders® tops collection is a natural extension of the Riders® brand that allows women to create outfits to suit their casual lifestyles,” explains Holly Stewart, senior marketing communications manager, VF Jeanswear. “The tops are trend-right and a great value for the money.” Each top is designed with the missy Riders® brand consumer in mind, so pairing her favorite jeans with a great top is seamless. The collection includes wovens, knits and sweaters to perfectly complement the Riders® brand bottoms. Fifteen to 20 new tops debut in new colors each season. Point-of-purchase visual displays are updated seasonally and combine visual elements from the Riders® tops and the Riders® brand bottoms collections. The woven collection consists of classic American denim, stripes and white poplin. The knit collection offers the Henley top with three-quarter length sleeves, while the sweater collection features the Johnny Collar, an updated polo-style shirt. Each top is priced from $10 to $15. “Our consumer is constantly juggling her roles as wife, mom and worker, and she benefits from ourRiders ® one-stop-shop,” adds Stewart.