Wall Street Fashion

Ralph Lauren spent his life creating a luxury brand. But Wall Street seems determined to lump his company in with the fickle apparel business.

For three decades Ralph Lauren ran his own show, parlaying a $50,000 loan and a knack for neckties into a multibillion-dollar fashion empire. As he expanded into duds for men, women and kids and moved into perfume, luxury housewares and other items in 60 lines spanning thousands of products, the Bronx-bred designer answered to no one.His genius was to sell image, not products, and the image was redolent of English landed gentry. That gave him and his Polo brand a certain consistency in an American market that was usually a slave to trendiness and the flavor of the moment.

Then Lauren took on a not-so-silent partner:Wall Street. He pocketed almost half a billion dollars in an initial public offering, plus a further ...

Stock market fluctuations may cause jitters, but what really has Wall Streeters floundering is the latest decree from the powers-that-be at a growing number of firms. Places such as J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs have recently declared a 24/7 DD policy (that’s dress-down in layman’s terms, and we’re not just talking Fridays), and it’s rumored that Credit Suisse/First Boston and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter are to follow suit. “It’s a total crisis,” says Lincoln Ellis of Morgan Stanley. “Everybody’s freaking out. You should see Fridays as is. They’re a total fashion disaster.”

Fashion Crisis on Wall Street

Whatever is a boy to do? We asked Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York for counsel. “Don’t be fashion-y if you don’t feel it. Think of the American film heroes of the 40’s and 50’s: Robert Mitchum, William Holden. Otherwise you’ll to end up looking like one of the guys from The Sopranos.” “Which,” he added, “is a valid look, but not right for finance.”

Other wisdom from Doonan: “Top-Siders are a real drag,” and “Avoid sock exposure.”

(To send this e-mail to that special someone you think could use some fashion help, click on the “send to a friend” icon below.)

Brief overlook of what is Wall Street

The center of our Nation's economy does not rest at Fort Knox, Kentucky, with its millions of dollars worth of gold, or even the Treasury that prints the money that you use. At the center of the United States economy is Wall Street. Almost every larg e company in the US and around the world is traded on a Stock Exchange; from McDonalds to Lockheed Martin.

To learn more about how the stock market can earn money, and even keep the economy healthy, we have to look at how it works. With this tutorial, you will learn how the stock market was created and about the inner workings of the Stock Exchang e, brokerage firms, buying and selling, mutual funds, and much more.

Some of you might be wondering why should you care about the stock market. Maybe you are too young to be investing, or can't see how the market relates to your every day life. The fact is, even if you have no money in the stock market, or ar e in school, the stock market does affect you. It affects everything you do, from going to the mall, to buying that new outfit you have always wanted. After all, Calvin Klein has to get money to make those outfits!

This tutorial is designed to let you decide what you want to learn about. It is recommended that you read the topics sequentially, but it is not required. If you already know about a topic you may want to skip over it. After all, learning s hould be fun. So jump right in and select a topic.
Right now, the New York Stock Exchange has billions of dollars changing hands every day, with thousands of companies being traded, and millions of people being affected. If we trace the roots of the New York Stock Exchange to its beginning, we would find that it started out as dirt path in front of Trinity Church in East Manhattan 200 years ago. At that time, there was no paper money changing hands, or even the idea of stocks. Rather, they traded silver for papers saying they owned shares in cargo, that was coming in on ships every day. The trade flourished.

During the American Revolution, the Colonial Government needed money to fund its wartime operations. One way they did this was by selling bonds. Bonds are pieces of paper a person buys for a set price, knowing that after a certain period of time, they can exchange their bonds for a profit. Along with bonds, the first of the nation's banks started to sell parts or shares of their own companies to people in order to raise money. In essence they sold off part of the company to whomever wanted to buy it, which is the essence of the modern day stock market.

NYSEWall Street was becoming a major center of these transactions, and in 1792 twenty-four men signed an agreement that started the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). They agreed to sell shares or parts of companies between themselves and charge people commissions, or fees, to buy and sell for them. They found a home at 40 Wall Street in New York City. As they grew they later moved into what is currently the New York Stock Exchange Building.

ASEThe 1900s brought the Industrial Revolution, and along with it, a boom in Wall Street. Everybody wanted a piece of the action, and Wall Street grew. The New York Stock Exchange was not the only way to buy stocks at that time. Many stocks that were deemed not good enough for the NYSE, were traded outside on the curbs. This so called "curb trading," has now become the American Stock Exchange (AMEX).

Today, the New York and the American Stock Exchanges, have been joined by the NASDAQ, and hundreds of local and international Stock Exchanges, that all play a part in the national and global economy.
ned by the NASDAQ, and hundreds of local and international Stock Exchanges, that all play a part in the national and global economy.