fast fashion

Wondering what looks and styles will transfer from the Fashion Week runways to the mall this autumn? We got the inside scoop from fashion directors at Macy's, J.C. Penney, Banana Republic and Forever 21.

New York Fashion Week is over, but the work is just getting started at the nation's big chain retailers. DailyFinance asked fashion and trend directors at Macy's, J.C. Penney and Banana Republic what we'll be seeing this spring.

While well-known retail stocks like Wal-Mart and Best Buy get most of investors' attention, another path to investment success is to find and buy misunderstood or overlooked stocks. Ascena Retail Group and rue21 are two such stocks, relative unknowns that are performing quite well in today's difficult economic climate.

The nation's big retailers are betting on exclusive lines to ring up back-to-school sales, and also targeting kids and teens where they wile away the hours -- online -- with digital campaigns designed to both entertain and stoke a social-shopping experience tailor-made for the tech-savvy generation.

If stores seem picked over this year, don't be fooled into thinking you just missed a crazy sale. It's deliberate. Retailers expect growth and profits in 2010 won't come from new stores, but rather from merchandising the existing ones to the hilt -- with less, but more exclusive merchandise.