Kohl

The L.A. electro-pop duo YACHT has a visual aesthetic that's just as stylish as its music -- equal parts occult and urbane, with lots of triangles and mysticism and affection for Los Angeles. It's a good look -- one that might have been clandestinely appropriated by the mass-fashion retailer Kohl's for a T-shirt line. On Thursday, the band posted this image to its Tumblr account , linking to a shirt sold at Kohl's and Burlington Coat Factory that pretty clearly owes a debt to the band's imagery and the chorus lyric ("If I can't go to heaven let me go to L.A. ")

The L.A. electro-pop duo YACHT has a visual aesthetic that's just as stylish as its music -- equal parts occult and urbane, with lots of triangles and mysticism and affection for Los Angeles. It's a good look -- one that might have been clandestinely appropriated by the mass-fashion retailer Kohl's for a T-shirt line. On Thursday, the band posted this image to its Tumblr account , linking to a shirt sold at Kohl's and Burlington Coat Factory that pretty clearly owes a debt to the band's imagery and the chorus lyric ("If I can't go to heaven let me go to L.A. ")

Kohl's Corp is sponsoring a Spanish-language reality television show in an effort to raise the profile of its exclusive collections from Jennifer Lopez and soon-to-be ex-husband Marc Anthony introduced last fall. The brainchild of " American Idol" creator Simon Fuller, "¡Q'viva! The Chosen" sort of works like a Spanish, nomadic version of the blockbuster reality show that will send judges Lopez, Anthony and choreographer Jamie King to 21 countries on an "epic" journey to find talented entertainers.

Derek Lam is the latest designer to participate in the Kohl's' DesigNation collaboration series. His limited-edition spring collection of misses' apparel and swimwear will hit Kohl's stores and Kohls.com in April. Highlights include a button-down shirt dress in a wood-grain print ($70), a blue hooded snap trench jacket ($70) and a long pink drawstring skirt ($54). There are also print pants, knit tops, long maxi dresses and a shawl-collared vest.  Lam drew influence from a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro, according to a news release.

Kohl's Corp., one of the largest department store chains in the country, said it will hire more than 52,700 holiday workers for the 2012 holiday shopping season, the busiest of the year. That's 10% more seasonal workers than it hired last year, according to the Wisconsin-based company, which expects an average of 41 temporary employees for each of its more than 1,100 stores nationwide. In addition to stocking merchandise and manning cash registers in stores, the workers will also be tasked with helping the company build its e-commerce presence, Kohl's said Tuesday.

Question: I am a shareholder of Kohl's Corp. and want to know if I can expect better performance from the stock. Answer: The reality for the nation's department stores and their investors in 2011 is that high cotton prices are raising the cost of apparel and high gasoline prices are constricting shopper budgets. Shares of Kohl's (KSS) were down 7.5% this year through Friday. But the company's first-quarter earnings were up 6% compared with the previous year, even though it was hampered by markdowns and weak demand for spring merchandise.

Kohl's Corp., the mid-priced department store chain that has been aggressively grabbing market share, and apparel retailer Gap Inc., which is in the midst of a turnaround, both reported strong sales as well as double-digit profit gains for the fourth quarter. For the three months that ended Jan. 30, Kohl's profit increased 28% to $431 million, or $1.40 a share, compared with $336 million, or $1.10, in the year-earlier quarter, the company said Thursday. Total sales increased 8.5% to $5.7 billion, and sales at stores open at least a year -- known as same-store sales and considered an important measure of a retailer's health -- increased 4.5%.

Kohl's Corp. is opening its first-ever California design center in Santa Monica with an eye toward spotting West Coast trends while also expanding its New York design office. The 6,000-square-foot design studio, opening Monday, will house a team of 20 graphic designers who will focus on creating prints and embellishments for a variety of brands for the department store chain. "We will be on the ground gathering trend information, and we certainly respect L.A. as a major fashion hub," said Peggy Eskenasi, Kohl's senior executive vice president of product development.

Kohl's Corp. gambled big when it opened 30 new California stores last year amid one of the worst retail environments in decades. But in just a few months, the stores have turned out promising initial results -- attracting many first-time Kohl's customers and boosting business at the department store chain's existing locations. Although the new stores increased the number of Kohl's locations in California by one-third, statewide sales have grown more than 40% year over year since the Sept.

West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl bowed his head in sorrow and atonement Wednesday at a memorial to Czechoslovak villagers massacred by Nazi forces during World War II. Kohl, the first West German leader to visit Czechoslovakia in 15 years, made the short journey from Prague to Lidice to pay homage to the hundreds of inhabitants slaughtered in revenge for the killing of one of Adolf Hitler's top aides, Reinhard Heydrich.

Quietly giddy, Sarah Thornblade sat on the couch of a Pasadena home nervously anticipating the encounter. She'd been waiting for this moment for weeks; when it finally came she wasted no time. Thornblade stood, unzipped a soft, green case and extended both hands, carefully lifting her much awaited blind date: an $8-million Stradivarius violin. The connection last week was a test run for a more intimate rendezvous coming Thursday. Thornblade, second violin for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, will play the coveted instrument during the orchestra's all-Bach Valentine's Day concert.

Narciso Rodriguez's limited-edition collection for Kohl's DesigNation has arrived in stores and online, as of Wednesday. The collection was inspired by a trip to Turkey and features misses' outerwear, dresses, skirts, pants and shirts with prices ranging from $30 to $150. There are more than 100 pieces, and 30 of the styles will be available only on Kohls.com. This is the inaugural offering in Kohl's DesigNation series. Events Toni & Guy in Newport Beach plans an evening of beauty beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday featuring cosmetic surgeon Dr. Robert Kessler . Speakers will discuss fall hair, beauty trends and plastic surgery options.

Katie Holmes, Julianna Margulies, Emma Roberts and more stepped out to celebrate the new Narciso Rodriguez for Kohl's DesignNation fashion collection Monday in New York City. DesignNation is the store's new limited-edition collection concept and Rodriguez is the first designer to participate. His collection is scheduled to hit Kohl's stores and Kohls.com on Nov. 7. Margulies, star of "The Good Wife," walked the party in the Narciso Rodriguez for Kohl's long-sleeve, slim, two-tone ponte dress ($64)

Narciso Rodriguez , who has dressed the likes of Michelle Obama, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes and the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, has a limited-edition collection slated to hit Kohl's stores and Kohls.com on Nov. 7. Lucky Zoe Saldana has already scored one of the dresses -- that's one of the perks of being a much sought after, much photographed celebrity. We got a look at sketches of a few of the other pieces, such as the textured jacket (which will be priced at $150)

Kohl's Corp., the third-largest U.S. department-store company, plans to hire more than 52,700 workers for the holidays, an increase of more than 10% from a year earlier. The hiring will support business in stores and growth in e-commerce, the Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin-based company said today in a statement. Its distribution centers plan to add about 5,700 temporary workers. Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mansell is preparing for the holidays during which U.S. retail sales may rise 3.3% on improving consumer confidence, according to researcher ShopperTrak.

Kohl's Corp., one of the largest department store chains in the country, said it will hire more than 52,700 holiday workers for the 2012 holiday shopping season, the busiest of the year. That's 10% more seasonal workers than it hired last year, according to the Wisconsin-based company, which expects an average of 41 temporary employees for each of its more than 1,100 stores nationwide. In addition to stocking merchandise and manning cash registers in stores, the workers will also be tasked with helping the company build its e-commerce presence, Kohl's said Tuesday.

The Soviet media said West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl's offer Wednesday to scrap 72 Pershing 1-A missiles if the superpowers reach an arms accord was hedged with conditions, but later reports called it "a step forward." Tass, the official Soviet news agency, at first criticized the West German offer as containing "preconditions," but Radio Moscow later said Kohl's offer merited careful study.

--Madewell, the younger, more relaxed division of retailer J. Crew Group Inc., is going mobile this spring. Think less smartphone and more road trip. The brand, formally a work wear manufacturer in Massachusetts before getting rescued by J. Crew, is taking its denim line on a cross-country summer journey with a retro Airstream trailer. Retailers have been trying to shake up brick-and-mortar stores with more creative spaces such as pop-up shops, specialty stores and now stores on the go. Madewell's Airstream is rolling into Santa Monica Place this Saturday, loaded with stylists, discounts on jeans and a hair-braiding station.

--Consumers are likely to open their wallets this Easter holiday, with total spending expected to hit $16.8 billion on apparel, candy, food and decorations, according to the National Retail Federation. Americans will shell out an average of $145.28, up 11% from $131.04 last year. Nearly half will shop for spring fashions and accessories, while nearly 90% will go for classic Easter candy such as jelly beans and chocolate eggs. “Though the price of gas is on everyone's mind, Easter is one of the few holidays some consumers are willing to stretch their budgets, especially because many children look forward to treats and new outfits on Easter morning,” said Matthew Shay, the federation's chief executive.  --Designer Ralph Lauren has been tapped to create uniforms for the American team heading to the London Olympic Games in July.