It was the White House that catapulted Prabal Gurung’s label into mainstream American fashion, just shy of a decade ago. First Lady Michelle Obama had worn a twill dress from his Spring 2010 collection to an event at the National Museum of American History. Two months later, she donned one of Gurung’s custom creations — a red draped gown — to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The Trump years have afforded fewer opportunities. Most major American designers, including Gur

Retail planning is challenging in normal times — it’s a far greater dilemma during a pandemic. With COVID-19 continuing to spike, retailers have planned very conservatively for the first half of 2021, but they’re grappling with how to approach the second half. Should they gamble on a rebound in mall traffic and pent-up demand for apparel, as vaccinations roll out and people start going out again, to work and to events? Or proceed with extreme caution? Filled with uncertainty,

The pandemic is propelling a shift toward a cashless society in ways that no other single event has. Experts say that’s not necessarily a good thing. On a typical Sunday, patrons at Julien Cornu’s cheese shop used to load up on Camembert and chèvre for the week, with about half the customers digging into their pockets for euro notes and coins. But in the era of the coronavirus, cash is no longer à la mode at La Fromagerie, as social distancing requirements and concerns over h