This is kind of disturbing, considering we're in a recession. French luxury goods group Hermes apparently is hard pressed to keep up with the demands for luxury leather bags, which can cost over $48,000. There just aren't enough crocodiles, apparently.

"It can take three to four crocodiles to make one of our bags so we are now breeding our own crocodiles on our own farms, mainly in Australia," Patrick Thomas told the Reuters Global Luxury Summit in Paris.

Hermes already faces a major challenge producing 3,000 crocodile bags a year, Thomas said, adding: "The world is not full of crocodiles, except the stock exchange!"

Read the full story on Reuters.

Those poor crocs.

Here's a list from WWD.com.

Coach ranked highest, followed by Jos. A Bank Clothiers and Aeropostale. Scores are ranked by W Scores, which incorporates economic performance and consumer satisfaction.

As the housing market went down, I guess it would make sense the furniture market would as well.

The housing and retail downturn caught up Wednesday with the N.C. parent company of Boyles Distinctive Furniture as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Conover-based Hendricks Furniture Group and sister company Classic Moving and Storage plan to shed debts and continue operating the five Boyles stores in the Carolinas, including locations in Pineville and Hickory. Another Boyles near Northlake Mall closed in March.

Read the rest at the Charlotte Observer.

We love vintage.

Check out this news release from newly opened Huntersville Vintage:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On June 5, 2009 Huntersville Vintage located at 501 S. Old Statesville Road, Suite A is opened their doors to the public. Huntersville Vintage is not to be mistaken as your average vintage store. Huntersville Vintage, a vintage boutique combines gently recycled designer clothes with brand-new runway looks. The selection includes men, women and children’s garments.  Huntersville Vintage guarantees that 80% of their merchandise will be priced below $100. Designers include but not limited to: Burberry, Christian Dior, Ferragamo, Evan Picone, Max Studio, Pierre Cardin, Brooks Brothers, Laundry by Shelli Segal, BCBG, Ralph Lauren, Jones New York, Kasper, Kenneth Cole, Donna Karan, Diesel, Armani Exchange, Adidas, Benetton, J. Crew, Zara, Wish Collection & Alternative Apparel.

Owners Warner and Tina Galloway explain why they decided to open Huntersville Vintage “In times of economic uncertainty, we wanted to provide a place with the best in vintage fashion and encourage the development of young fresh designers by providing both to the public at an affordable price. We believe that when you look good you feel good but it does not have to break the bank. That is important to us and we wanted to provide that to the Charlotte area as well.  We spend a lot of time and travel looking for the absolute perfect pieces to feature in our boutique. We also encourage new designers to reach out to us well. We chose Huntersville because of its hometown yet trendy fresh feel. We appreciate the support we have already received from the Huntersville community and look forward to being a first stop for all.”

As a welcome gift to the neighborhood, Huntersville Vintage is offering 15% off all merchandise in the month of June.

What about hard to find, niche items? Huntersville Vintage will carry a limited number of wedding and eveningwear attire. If they do not carry their team of professional shoppers will locate that special item for you, no additional charge. Visit their website for hours of operation @ www.huntersvillevintage.com or call at 704-907-2038.

Does anyone wear Eddie Bauer anymore?

Three-consecutive years of losses and a high debt load may be too much for Eddie Bauer Holdings (EBHI)to overcome.

The outdoor clothing retailer may seek bankruptcy protection as soon as this week, according to five people with knowledge of the discussions.

Read the rest of this USA Today story here.

Ever wonder where the most popular sneakers get their names from? Well, here's a neat informative piece on WSJ.com. For example, did you know that ADIDAS did not get its name from the acronym, "All day I dream about soccer"? Who'd have known?

Only one N.C. store was given the opportunity to carry the exclusive Nike Air Jeezy, rapper Kanye West's new shoe, and that store was Niche in SouthEnd.

With only 18 pairs of the highly coveted kicks in all of North Carolina, how does a person manage to snag a pair? They camp out.

More than two-dozen people camped out Friday night in front of a SouthEnd shoe store, each hoping to snag a pair of rapper Kanye West’s new $300 sneakers, the Air Yeezy.

When Tyler Mansour heard the coveted shoes would be sold in Charlotte, he grabbed two of his friends and headed north from their homes in Charleston, S.C. They arrived in the Qcity around 10 a.m. Friday and set up camp, the first in line.

The trio waited all day Friday then sat through a cold, steady rain later that evening and into the night.

“When you have a passion for sneakers, you gotta go where you gotta go,” said Mansour, 19, who said he works at a Charleston sneaker store.

Read the rest of this story at QCityMetro.com.

A Pennsylvania woman has filed a suit against lingerie company Victoria's Secret over a bra design.

Heather M. Knox, of Monroeville, filed a lawsuit yesterday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh claiming that the store's new BioFit 7-way bra infringes on her design.

Knox patented her "multi-layer uplift bra" in 2006 with the federal government.

Knox says she came up with the idea because she had difficulty finding the right bra for her frame.

Read the full story here.

The sequel to the popular vampire flick Twilight isn't due out till November, but retail and accessory store Hot Topic is already getting hyped up. They've snapped up an exclusive deal to promote New Moon. And the T-shirt is only $22.

After cashing in on Twilight’s success, Hot Topic has snapped up an exclusive deal for New Moon, the much awaited movie sequel to the star-crossed vampire romance.

And in good time too.

Priced at $22, the New Moon T-shirts might just be Hot Topic’s trump card for the season, and it looks like the retailer is leaving nothing to chance when it comes to promoting them.

Ads for the T-shirts hold top spots on its website.  The company has also been sending out promotional emails to leverage interest in the items, available months ahead of the movie’s Nov. 20 release.

Read the full story on Reuters's Shop Talk blog.

If you're interested in purchasing a New Moon T-shirt, click here.

And by the way, if you haven't seen the new trailer, here ya go.

Check out this press release:

Charlotte, NC  – The Bag Lady announced today that it is hosting a shoe drive to benefit Soles4Souls™ Inc., the international footwear charity that delivers shoes to needy people around the world.

During the shoe drive, The Bag Lady will be offering a discount coupon to all customers who bring in gently worn pairs of shoes toward the effort.  The shoe drive will begin on June 1 and will end on July 31, 2009.  The Bag Lady is located at 1710 Kenilworth Ave. in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte, NC.

“Soles4Souls is such a worthy cause,” said Susan Burns, Store Manager of The Bag Lady.  “It’s a meaningful and easy way to get the local community involved in a global effort.  Plus, it’s a great incentive to clean out our closets!” she said.

"We are excited that The Bag Lady is working with us to spread joy to people, both here in the United States and around the world," said Wayne Elsey, Founder of Soles4Souls.  "It is only because of proactive retail stores, such as The Bag Lady, that we are able to accomplish our goal of getting shoes on the feet of people who need them most," he said.

For more information on how you can get involved with this shoe drive and take advantage of the discount toward a new pair of shoes, contact The Bag Lady at  (704) 338-9778. You can also visit their web site at www.thebagladync.com.