Trade Shows

Congressional approval of long-delayed trade pacts was heralded this week as a moment of bipartisan cooperation between the White House and the GOP, but in fact there was great difficulty in reaching that achievement, underscoring how challenging it will be to find common ground in the future. In a single day, Congress accomplished a legislative feat that had eluded lawmakers for years, approving trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama that had been left over from President George W. Bush's administration.

"Boho chic" has evolved into an evergreen style in Southern California — thanks to perma-boho celebs including Nicole Richie and Lauren Conrad. And piling on beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings is an easy way to channel the hippie-luxe look. If you're looking to build your bead wardrobe, head to the Pasadena Bead and Design Show — a four-day shopping exhibition and trade show featuring more than 300 artisan booths showcasing loose beads (vintage and new), finished jewelry and a clutch of crafty fashion (felt vests and hand-made hats, for instance)

A feud has broken out among competing Los Angeles trade shows, and it's getting nasty. Also, it's about sex. For the last few years, the biggest show celebrating the adult entertainment industry at the Los Angeles Convention Center has been Adultcon, which is expected to draw an estimated 30,000 visitors during three events this year. But the managers of Adultcon have announced that they are canceling two of next year's shows because the city has refused to bar competing adult entertainment shows from operating at the convention center within three months of Adultcon.

If you walked the floor of the recent Magic and Project fashion industry trade shows, you probably noticed two major themes for fall 2011 casual wear: the Old West and a continuing interest in classic American work wear. The worn-in, vintage look of work wear has been extremely popular for men for several seasons, especially with the revival and hipsterization of labels such as Pendleton and Woolrich. Now that look is marching into fall for women's accessories, unisex knits and denim.

A week after a gunman killed six people and wounded 13 during a rampage at a political gathering here, several thousand people, many toting unloaded handguns and rifles, packed a nearby fairgrounds Saturday for a previously scheduled gun show. On sale were Glock 19 handguns and the type of extended ammunition magazines allegedly used Jan. 8 by the gunman ? and now a catalyst for a renewed national gun debate in the wake of the mass shooting. FOR THE RECORD: Some versions of this story said Charles Heller's guns included a Caltech 380 pistol.

Apple Inc. is nowhere to be found at the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas ? but its shadow is just about everywhere. Many of the world's largest electronics makers have come to the show to unveil new products aimed squarely at Apple's popular devices, but Apple does not participate in the year's biggest tech event. The trade show, which officially kicks off Thursday, will be inundated with iPad-like tablet computers, iPhone-like smart phones and Internet-enabled televisions to rival Apple TV. There is even an "iLounge" that will feature companies hawking carrying cases, docking bays, car chargers and other accessories for Apple products.

Based on the displays at the Action Sports Retailer trade show here last weekend, the future of the surfer dude's summer wardrobe (board shorts and T-shirts) is decidedly retro. But the clothing that will show up in stores next year has a definite 21st century twist—it took high-tech processes to create the decidedly low-tech looks. The ASR event, held at the San Diego Convention Center, drew about 10,000 attendees, many of them retail buyers looking for trends and to place orders for next summer's shoppers.

Say this about these Angels: They're not haunted by the past. The Angels traded three players and took on $24.5 million to get Scott Kazmir last year, a bust so far. They traded four players and took on $32 million to get Dan Haren on Sunday, with no regrets about the Kazmir deal. In the first inning of his first game with the Angels, Mo Vaughn tumbled into the dugout and wrenched his ankle. He had just become the costliest purchase in club history, and he was never the same again.

Electronic software professionals partied at Staples Center to the booming hip-hop sounds of Eminem and Usher. Video game reviewers from around the world spilled out of the Los Angeles Convention Center to stand in line for more than 15 minutes just to buy a cup of coffee. The Electronic Entertainment Expo was back in town this week, bigger and more raucous than last year — a sign, according to city officials, that Los Angeles is fast becoming a top-notch convention town.

For Marlene Baroli-Turati, life has become an obsession with sugar and fruit. After working two decades as a project manager for Boeing Co., she was laid off during a round of recession-fueled cutbacks in 2008. "I had always made jams and jellies as gifts," said Baroli-Turati, 44, who lives in Lake Forest and launched a line of preserves under the brand name DaSweetZpot. She sells the products online store on Etsy.com and at area food festivals and trade shows. "I figured, why not start making them as a business?"