Vince Camuto Dies: Fashion Community Reacts

Designers, retailers and fans have taken to social media to mourn the death of legendary shoe designer Vince Camuto. The fashion icon, 78, died this week. Hewas remembered by close friends and contemporaries, who praised his contributions tothe footwear industry.

Camuto, who cofounded Nine West, receivedmoving tributes from Jessica Simpson, who called him my mentor, my family, Ivy Kirzhner, Kenneth Coleand Joyce Azria. FN talked to those close to the designer as well:

Blake Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Inc., said: We have lost a special person within the footwear industry. He was as talented a person Ive had the good fortune of getting to know. Interestingly, as each year passed he literally got more enthusiastic about the customer and the business. He loved being on the floor, talking to the customer, and because of his rich background and innate skills, he instinctively season after season came up with great product. We would talk every couple of months and I always got a huge lift from being on the receiving end of his infectious spirit for the business. Our family and team extend our thoughts and prayers to Vinces family and co-workers.

Liz Rodbell said Camuto was an example of true determination and realizing the American dream. His story of success is rooted in an eye for fashion, true leadership and great style. Vince was someone who really cared and treated people like they were a part of his extended family. I was honored to call Vince a friend, said the president of Lord & Taylor and Hudsons Bay.

I met him when I was 23 years old and an assistant buyer at Kinney Shoe, said Bob Campbell,chairman and CEO, BBC International. I admired Vince from day one. I knew him as a salesman when he and Jack Fisher sold domestic shoes way before Nine West. He was a great, great shoe guy and probably one of the best design people.

Steve Madden said: Vince always had his eye out for young talent, he was an early supporter and believer in what I was doing and it really meant a lot. He was the giant of the shoe industry, along with Jack Fisher. Those two guys were like the [John] Lennon and [Paul] McCartney of the shoe business. Weve had a very friendly rivalry; he was just amazing. The way his career had such longevity, maybe hes the greatest shoe man that ever lived. Youre never going to see his type again.

Footwear veteran Sam Edelman shared similar sentiments: Vince Camuto was a visionary and some might say the greatest shoe man of all time. Libby, our son Jesse and I have the utmost respect and admiration for all he accomplished throughout his career. Our thoughts are with Louise and the entire Camuto family.

CEO of Kurt Geiger Neil Clifford spoke similarly of the designer, saying:I am totally broken about the news. To me, Vince Camuto was the American Dream and a personal motivator for me so driven, passionate and knowledgeable. He had inexhaustible energy for his business and his people, and no matter what he achieved tomorrow, he would do it better tomorrow. Hes an irreplaceable legend.

I was in a meeting with him when I was at May Co. We were reviewing the Nine West line and there was a room full of shoes, rememberedKen Hicks, executive chairman of Foot Locker. I asked him what his 10 best shoes were. He got up and left the room. Five minutes later he came back with a handful of shoes. I said, Vince, these arent in your line. He said, no, but you asked me what I thought the best shoes were. He knew his company and he knew what would sell. He had a view of the business and a way of developing lines. He didnt just develop shoes, he developed brands and lines with staying power.

On Instagram, friends shared:

@andrew_marc On behalf of the Andrew Marc and the GIII family, we take a moment to reflect and celebrate the life of Vince Camuto, and the everlasting impact he has made on the fashion community. May he rest in peace. #VinceCamuto #ripvince #icon #legend #fashionicon #fashion

@ivykirzhner Thank you, Vince. Thank you for believing. Thank you for all the encouragement and for blessing us with your wisdom and passion. Thank you for inspiring us to become the best we could be and for making us realize that there are no limits in what a person can achieve. I feel so honored and so blessed to have learned directly from you. High five, Jedi master. May you rest in power #VinceCamuto.

@oliviaandjoy Very sad day in the world of fashion. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the @vincecamuto family and team #rip #legend #classic #vincecamuto #icon #fashion

@aimeekestenberg A kind and inspirational man who I feel lucky to have had the chance to know and work with. The world misses you already and sending my blessings to the @vincecamuto team and family. #vincecamuto #legend #youwillbemissed

@joyceazria To a friend, a mentor, a true gentleman I will miss you and never forget you @vincecamuto

@lordandtaylor To our friend, an inspiration and a legend. A true Life of Style. @VinceCamuto, 1936-2015

@kennethcole Hearts out to a true pioneer, a #shoe industry icon & legend a man who consistently defied all industry odds and a role model for so many. #RIPVinceCamuto he will be missed. @VinceCamuto #vincecamuto

On Twitter, everyone from Gilt founder Alexis Maybank to shoe designer Donald J. Pliner shared their thoughts on Camuto:

Sad to learn of the passing of @VinceCamuto an early entrepreneur and longstanding fixture in the fashion and accessories world

Alexis Maybank (@giltfounder) January 22, 2015

Saddened to learn that legendary footwear designer Vince Camuto passed away. Our thoughts are w his family & friends. http://t.co/X45AngWo3v Accessories Council (@AccessoryNews) January 22, 2015

Source: http://footwearnews.com/2015/influencers/power-players/vince-camutos-dies-fashion-community-reacts-8934/

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Box Opens At $20.20, A 44% Pop

BoxBox CEO Aaron LevieCloud-based enterprise storage company Box opened at $20.2o, up 44%.

Its IPO was priced at $14.

It's now up 52%, to $21.44.

It's a nice pop for a company that had a lot of negativity surrounding its IPO.

Box's revenue growth has been slowing down. In the third quarter of 2014, revenue was up 70%. But that's down from 81% in the prior quarter. And that's down from 94% in the quarter prior to that.

On the plus side, Box has gotten its sales and marketing expenses under control. Thoseexpenses were only $55 million during the quarter, less than the $57 million in revenue. Overall net loss was $45 million for the third quarter last year.

On the day before the IPO, Box got a big endorsement from Jim Cramer who argued the stock was worth buying at $18 or less.

We'll be keeping an eye on the stock all day, and will update this post.

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/box-pricing-2015-1

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Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Dead

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has died, Saudi state television announced early on Friday local time.

Abdullah's designated successor is Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, his 79-year-old half-brother.

Abdullah had been in poor health in recent months. Reuters reports that the king had been admitted to a Riyadh hospital in December for medical tests. The royal court announced in January that Abdullah was suffering from pneumonia.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry listens as King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud speaks before meeting at the king's private residence June 27, 2014, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz is believed to have been born in 1923 or 1924 as one of 37 sons of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdulaziz Al Saud. Abdullahs mother was the eighth of the founders 16 wives and young Abdullah was brought up in a traditional setting, living long periods of time in the desert.

Abdullah officially came into power in 2005, after the death of his half-brother, King Fahd. However, he had been the de-facto ruler since 1995, when Fahd was incapacitated by a stroke.

The new king, Salman, is a former defense minister and governor of Riyadh. He is widely reported to be in poor health and is rumored to suffer from dementia. Last year, King Abdullah appointed his youngest surviving brother, 69-year-old Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, as second-in-line to the throne. Salman is considered moderate and is experienced in balancing the kingdom's rapid modernization with the country's conservative power base.

In this image released by the Saudi Press Agency, Crown Prince Salman gestures during a session at the Shura Council, where he delivered an annual televised speech on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/ Saudi Press Agency)

Saudi Arabia's absolute monarchy rules over a country of vast wealth and influence. Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter and has guardianship of Islams two holiest sites.

The kingdom is a key ally of the United States and has contributed to the military campaign against the Islamic State militant group.

King Abdullah's funeral will take place Friday afternoon in Riyadh, the Saudi Royal Court said. Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Khalil Al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah would cut short trips to attend the funeral. President Obama expressed his condolences for the late king, saying, "I always valued King Abdullahs perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship." Joe Biden was to lead a presidential delegation to Saudi Arabia in the coming days.

Oil prices surged on news of King Abdullah's death.

King Abdullah's death comes at a time of extraordinary challenges for Saudi Arabia.

Plummeting oil prices have strained the nation's domestic spending and support to foreign allies. The kingdom's regional dominance is increasingly threatened by Iran, Saudi Arabia's bitter rival. Extremist groups like al Qaeda and the Islamic State have vowed to target the kingdom.

The new king's age and reported illness raise the prospect of protracted instability. Saudi tradition passes the crown down the line of the sons of the kingdom's founder, Ibn Saud. But with the youngest son nearing 70, scores of grandchildren are now eyeing power. Meanwhile, Saudi activists fear that political uncertainty in the kingdom could further undermine the country's dismal human rights record.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/22/saudi-arabia-king-dead-dies_n_6527616.html

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Hollywood's Streaming Nemesis Popcorn Time Gets A VPN, But You'll Have To ...

Christmas is a time for family, which by extension makes it a period for sitting back and watching a lot of movies and TV. Maybe thats why Sony released The Interview on Christmas Day. That controversial flick will set you back $6 to rent or $12 to buy (unless you join the legions torrenting it), but the folks at Popcorn Time believe you should be able to watch what you like for free and now theyve added a VPN to the streaming service which isHollywoods worstnightmare.

Popcorn Time, for those whoarent aware, is a servicethat lets you streama tonne of top films and TV shows to your computer for free. It uses unlicensed torrents on the internet forcontent, which naturallyraises a gamut of legal issues. The original service closed down earlier this year in response to those questions, but a number of anonymous groups resurrected theproject, the most notable of which is probablyPopcorntime.io, whichadded an optional VPN to itsdesktop service today.

VPNs, which essentially route a devices internet through a different country, are seen as an important addition to Popcorn Time. Some usersin Germany were fined for using Popcorn Time earlier this year, so a VPN could help movie fans avoid repercussions for their borderline-legal viewing activity which we at TechCrunch do not condone, by the way.

Weve seen VPNs in Popcorn Time before another groupadded a free one to its service in Junebut Popcorntime.ios promises to be more robustsinceit isrun by VPN.ht.

Mega caveat though, users will have to pay for it.

VPN.ht is priced at $4.99 per month, butPopcorntime.io users can get it for $1 for the first month after which they can cancel. Alternatively they can pay $3.99 per month on a yearly deal.

Currently in Alpha, the addition is all well and good, but we cant help thinking that there are some issues. The cost of free is a primary appeal ofPopcorn Time, thus it is unclearwhethermany users willpony up $30-plus for a VPN service, even though itmay be beneficial to them.

Thoselikely to use VPNs have probably already bought them.Anecdotally, folks shopping for a VPN tend to take their time and weigh up their options from the crowded field. Integrating with Popcorn Time may well giveVPN.ht an initial sales boost, but Im not sure it will make a sizable difference to the service or Popcorn Times userbase in the long-term.

A freemium option offeringa free first month of use or a limited monthly servicelike Tunnelbear would have been amore impactingaddition for both sides.

VPN.ht does support Bitcoin and a range of payment options, but the fact remains that asking peopleto get their credit cards out even just for a few dollars is enough of barrier to deter many.

Beyond the VPN, Popcorntime.io is also promising to revamp its existing Android app withall kinds of amazing features soon. Youll wantto keep an eye on the project if that sets your Christmas bells aringing.

Featured Image: Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock (IMAGE HAS BEEN MODIFIED)

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/25/popcorn-time-vpn/

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'Supergirl' found: CBS casts 'Glee' actress

After an extensive search, CBS has cast itsSupergirl.The network has signedGleeactress Melissa Benoistin the starringrole ofKara Zor-El in its series version of the classic comic-book story.

Benoist played Marley Rose inseasons four and fiveof Foxs Glee and wasalso in the 2014 indie film Whiplash.The shows official description:Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped amid its destruction years ago. Since arriving on Earth, shes been hiding the powers she shares with her famous cousin. But now at age 24, she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.

Supergirl is thefirst super-hero showon CBS in 25 years (since 1990s short-lived The Flash) and follows up on sister-network building its audiencewithDC heroes like onArrow.At the TCA press tour earlier this month, CBS entertainment chairman Nina Tassler told critics the new Warner Bros.-produced seriesversion of Supergirl will be a crime procedural (naturally).The beauty of it is now with shows likeGood Wife and Madam Secretary, you can have serialized story elements woven into a case of the week, Tassler said. Shes a crime solver, so shes going to have to solve a crime. Shes going to get a bad guy.

Tassler further described the CBS version of the DC Comics icon as a very strong, independent young woman. Shes coming into her own. Shes dealing with family issues. Shes dealing with work issues. Its a female empowerment story. If you look at the strong female characters we have on the air, it really is resonant of that Were big feminists. Its her intellect, its her skill, its her smarts. Its all of those elements. Its not just her strength, which she does have.

Tassler also emphasized the actresshas to carry the series. Shes got to be an every woman, she said. Shes got to be specific. Shes got to be a terrific actor its looking for someone who embodies both the freshness and the exuberance of being a young woman in todays challenging climate and being someone who can carry this kind of series on her shoulders. Its a big, big show.

The executive added that Supergirls costume design is awesome. Until thats unveiled, well just have to enjoy this shot of Benoist in Glee and hope her newoutfit is better than this one:

Benoist is far from the first actress to don Supergirls red cape. Helen Slater portrayed the heroine in the 1984 eponymous film, while Laura Vandervoort suited up on The CWs Smallville. Even geek goddess Summer Glau (Dollhouse, Firefly) voiced Kara inthe direct-to-video animated film Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.

Previous: CBS talks Supergirl.

Source: http://insidetv.ew.com/2015/01/22/supergirl-melissa-benoist/

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Super Bowl 2015: 'Deflategate' Overshadowing Potentially Classic Matchup

The New England Patriots probably cheated in their AFC Championship win over the Indianapolis Colts. Eleven of 12 game b***s, approved by referee Walt Anderson two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff, per ESPN's Chris Mortensen, were deflated sometime before their usage in the 41-7 romp.

There are two explanations I can come up with for this:

1) A seismic activity explainable only by someone with the intelligence level ofNeil deGrasseTyson or Stephen Hawking deflated the ballsunbeknownstto anyone in the Patriots organization. Cuz, you know, global warming or something.

2) Someone knowingly deflating the b***s to give the Patriots an advantage.

I'll allow you to draw your own conclusions on that one. As will I allow you to continue the mind-numbingly inane and increasingly hot-takey debate about what a proper punishment would be, assuming the NFL doesn't hire Tyson to investigate how air-sucking particles got into 11 of those 12 footballs.

By now, everyone's made his mind up on the topic. There are a few general camps, none of which is particularly rational. Some believe the Patriots are habituated cheaters and deserve to be punished with force that would literally be unprecedented. Count Gregg Doyel of theIndianapolis Starand Chris Chase ofUSA Today,who believe the Patriots should be banned from the Super Bowl, in said camp.

Then there's the subsect of folks who think this is no big deal. That it's a borderline witch hunt rooted in jealousies about the Patriots' continued success. They'll point to Aaron Rodgers admitting he likes to over-inflate b***s, Eli Manning's longstandingadmission of doctoring footballs and other instances and wonder what's the big deal.

Most of these people are from Massachusetts and have "#Sox. #Pats. #Bruins. #Celts. #DunkinDonuts" or some variation in their Twitter bios.

Then there's the rest of us, hanging out on Twitter waiting for every last #hottake to drop so it can be mocked and ridiculed. As if it's not at leastkind of a big deal that an organization with a history of skirting NFL rules did so in one of the league's three biggest games.

Result asidethe Patriots would have beaten the Colts if their footballs were made of concretethis is a controversy worth about half as much coverage as it's getting. Which in today's society means it's a pretty big deal. "Deflategate" and "Spygate" are forever on the historical legacies of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. The controversies will be reasonably high on the list of things we discuss when their careers are over.

Belichick is the greatest coach of his generation, closing in on the all-time Mount Rushmore. Brady's already a Rushmore candidate at quarterback. These are two men with otherwise unimpeachable resumes who are now twice linked to cheating scandals.

And that's a bummer. The whole situation is a bummer. The near-constant discussion, the hand-wringing about potential punishments, the eventual dissatisfaction with whatever punishment the league office decides to hand down. All of it stinks. Roger Goodell again finds himself consumed with a scandal that threatens the "integrity" of the game, which both makes me want to take acinder blockto my skull and makes medisappointed about howawesome the buildup to this game should have been.

After an absolute nightmare of a regular season, Goodell got what on paper looks like an Ali-Frazier I-level bout. The Seahawks and Patriots are the two best teams in football. Given the injuries to Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning late in the season, I don't think it's particularly close.

Football Outsidershad Denver and Green Bay separating No. 1 Seattle and No. 4 New England at the end of the regular season, but those numbers didn't account for the aforementioned injuries. Pro Football Reference's Simple Rating System had the Patriots first and Seahawks third. However you want to slice it, the game is shaping up as a matchup between the two no-doubt-about-it alpha dogs of their respective conferences.

The Patriots have their best all-around team since the 18-1 bunch in 2007. Josh McDaniels has implemented an offense that can run almost any style. The Patriots can break out a Chip Kelly-esque warp-speed spread and then pound you to death with six offensive linemen in the same game. Their downfield throwing options are nonexistent, but that's just fine for Brady, whose downfield accuracy has not-so-quietly been abysmal for a few years now.

Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington are providing the most stability New England's had in the secondary since the Ty Law era. A good deal of the Patriots' leap to 11th in defensive DVOA this seasonafter more than a half-decade of below-average play can be attributed to Revis' arrival. Praised at the time as a smart rental, Revis is the low-key MVP of turning New England into a Super Bowl team.

The Seahawks are the most complete team in football. Exempting wide receiver, it's hard to find a better-constructed roster in the Super Bowl era. You know, other than last year's Seahawks team.

Russell Wilson is (probably) a future Hall of Famer derided far too often for being a game manager. If you don't think Marshawn Lynch is about that action, you can hol...Marshawn Lynch is very good at football. Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor being in the same secondary is so unfair it seems like something a seven-year-old would do to cheat inMadden. Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin, Michael Bennett, Russell Okungthe list can just keep going.

This is the type of matchup network executives, the commissioner's office and fans can all agree is great for the sport.WhatIfSports ran 1,001 simulations ofSuper Bowl XLIX and came away with, on average, a two-point separation in favor of the Seahawks.

What's more, one could argue this is the last, best chance for both teams to hoist the Lombardi Trophy with their current core. New England's reasoning is rather self-explanatory. Brady is 37. Revis will become a free agent this offseason. Rob Gronkowski made it through a whole season healthy for the first time in forever-and-a-half. The Pats are still relying on Julian Edelman and a bunch of castoffs at wide receiver. Their offensive line is shaky at best.

While the Seahawks have more talent and are a generally young team, having a whole bunch of good, young players eventually means paying them. With contracts already in place for Sherman and Thomas and a massive extension coming for Wilson during the offseason, the depth Pete Carroll and Co. have enjoyed the last couple seasons is about to go bye-bye. Seattle already watched Walter Thurmond, Golden Tate, Browner and others leave in free agency last offseason.

Simple cap logic has the Seahawks going from the deepest team in football to a top-heavy, star-laden bunch in no time. The Seahawks and Patriots both need this game because they have no idea whenor ifthey'll be back. Seattle wants its defensive core to go down among the greatest of all time before it's broken up. Belichick and Brady want to finally get that elusive fourth Super Bowl in their third try.

All that hype, all the "one last time" feel-good narratives that would have followed Belichick and Brady around, all the talk about Wilson's status among the best quarterbacks in football is gone. Here we are talking about pounds per square inch and ball deflation.A cheating scandal has tainted one of the few good things about this NFL season and threatens to hang a cloud over the sport's biggest day.

Given the way we started this season, it's only fitting we end this way. Football's a flat circle, man. (Especially when the Patriots are playing.)

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2338090-super-bowl-2015-deflategate-overshadowing-potentially-classic-matchup

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UK's Chris Matthews a surprising Seahawks star

Jonathan Lintner, jlintner@courier-journal.com 1:45 p.m. EST January 20, 2015

The Seattle Seahawks' Chris Matthews and DeShawn Shead celebrate after an overtime win in Sundays NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers.(Photo: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Chris Matthews, former Foot Locker worker and security guard, will on Feb. 1 become the 30th former University of Kentucky player to suit up for a Super Bowl team.

The Seattle Seahawks might not be headed to a meeting with the New England Patriots if not for Matthews, who recovered the pivotal onside kick during the fourth quarter of Sunday's overtime victory against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game.

Matthews, a backup Seahawks receiver, said he was looking to make a tackle before he realized the Packers' Brandon Bostick bobbled the kick. So he went up for the ball and made the biggest play of his career.

"It was just a surreal moment for me," said Matthews, who told Sports Illustrated he nearly skipped out on his chance to try out for an NFL team, which called one day this time last year and requested he fly to Seattle that same night.

"I don't get off of work until 9 p.m.," he told the Seahawks. "I don't know if I'll make it."

Of course, Matthews came to his senses. And though he made just three appearances at receiver this season and didn't catch a ball, the work paid off on that kick with 2:09 left to go in regulation Sunday.

The 6-foot-5 receiver transferred to UK from Los Angeles Harbor College in 2009. In his second and senior season as a Wildcat, Matthews broke out to catch 61 passes for 925 yards and nine touchdowns two more scores through the air than Randall Cobb, a college teammate who plays for the Packers and made this year's Pro Bowl.

Matthews' name wasn't called during the NFL draft, though. He was later cut from the Cleveland Browns' roster and instead signed on with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, where he went on to become the Rookie of the Year.

An injury limited Matthews' second year, and then it was off to Foot Locker and working as a security guard at least until the Seahawks called.

"Man, I almost messed up, bad," Matthews told SI of nearly skipping the tryout. "And look at this now."

Seahawks teammate Jermaine Kearse, speaking at a press conference Monday, simply referred to the onside kick recovery as "the Chris Matthews play."

"That was huge," Kearse added. "I talk to Chris a lot and just to see his progression, even when he was on practice squad and when he got activated to the 53, just to see him maximize opportunities is definitely joyful."

Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.

Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/1Bzvtha

Source: http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/01/20/ex-kentucky-football-player-chris-matthews-surprising-seattle-seahawks-star/22046805/

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