Monday, 12 September 2016

The Saints have a long way to go and a short time to get there


Drew Brees’ long-awaited contract extension is the first of many steps.

The New Orleans Saints have finally signed Drew Brees to a contract extension –– too bad they didn’t do it when there were still quality free agents available.
The deal is relatively team-friendly: It’s a five-year extension, but only guaranteed for two seasons. The Saints will pay Brees $44.25 million through 2017, including $24.25 million in new money. It’s a nice payday for the 37-year-old Brees and lowers his cap hit from a whopping $30 million down to $17.25 million.
But since the Saints didn’t sign Brees to a new contract until Wednesday — just days before the two parties’ reported Week 1 deadline — they were financially handicapped during the offseason. And for the second consecutive year, they spent the little money they did have on ancillary offensive pieces instead of addressing one of the worst defenses in the league.
Tight end Coby Fleener will probably post career numbers alongside Brees, after agreeing to a five-year, $36 million deal with the Saints in free agency. But New Orleans already had one of the most potent offenses in the NFL last season, finishing eighth in points scored and second in yards. That money would’ve been better spent on upgrading the second-worst pass defense in the league.
With limited funds, the only notable veterans the Saints added to their defense were tackle Nick Fairley and linebacker James Laurinaitis. They spent three of their five draft picks on defensive players — including highly touted Louisville DT Sheldon Rankins — but it’s unrealistic to expect rookies to turn around this porous defense.
Even though Brees’ numbers are still awesome, the realistic window to win with him is diminishing. In order for the Saints to make the most of Brees’ final seasons, they must be one of the most aggressive and prudent front offices in the game over the next couple of years.

How much does Brees have left?

The numbers indicate that Brees isn’t close to being finished — he led the league in passing yards in four of the last five seasons, averaging 5,127 yards and 39 touchdowns per year during that time — but he battled injuries throughout the 2015 campaign.
Brees missed Week 3 with a shoulder injury after bruising his rotator cuff during the second game of the season. Though his play didn’t waver once he returned — Brees posted a 104.1 QB rating over his final 13 starts –– attention turned to his ailing foot in late December. The perennial Pro Bowler was diagnosed with torn plantar fascia Dec. 23, which he played through until the end of the season.
In isolation, those injuries aren’t a big deal. Brees has been remarkably durable during his career, playing in 15 or more games during all but one of his 15 seasons. But at 37 years old, the significance of each bruise is magnified.
Given that the Saints can void the final three years of the contract for no additional cost, it’s clear this isn’t a long-term play between the two sides. Brees can be expected to put up elite numbers for a couple of more seasons, but anything else should be considered gravy. The Saints must turn attention to their defense, which they’ve woefully ignored in recent years.

Focus on depth rather than stars

Unfortunately, teams that must win now can’t count on draft picks to make an immediate impact. That means the Saints may have no choice but to delve into the free agent market.
They know first-hand how reckless free agent spending sprees can be. Linebacker Junior Galette may be one of the worst signings in recent history, combining poor production with lousy leadership and a domestic violence charge. The Saints released him last summer on terrible terms.
Cornerback Jairus Byrd’s tenure in the Bayou State hasn’t been as colorful, but it’s been nearly as disappointing. He’s failed to live up to his six-year, $54 million contract and now holds a $10.9 million salary cap hit.
The Saints, who led the league in points allowed last season, have too many holes on defense to spend on just a couple of big-ticket names. They need to almost remake their defensive roster on the fly, which will require judicious spending and keen talent evaluation.

Instability is a reason for pessimism

While owner Tom Benson continues to be involved in a nasty lawsuit involving his daughter and her children over control of the team, general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton appear to have autonomy. Despite two straight 7-9 finishes — and only one playoff birth since his 2012 Bountygate suspension — Payton agreed to a massivefive-year, $45 million extension this offseason.
It’s fine that Payton is sticking around. He remains one of the more innovative offensive minds in the game and is the winningest head coach in franchise history, leading the Saints to their only Super Bowl title in 2009. But in order for New Orleans to return to the postseason, Payton needs a worthy defensive-minded sidekick. Rob Ryan certainly didn’t fit that bill, and Dennis Allen’s resume of recent failings doesn’t suggest he is, either.
Over the last two years, Loomis has largely ignored defense to add Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller and Fleener. Now that he has money to spend, there’s no guarantee his philosophy will shift without anybody steering him in a different direction.
Brees remains one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but the Saints’ recent run of futility shows he can’t lead them back to prominence alone. Time is running out for New Orleans to right the ship.


Terrorism has no link to Islam, Imam-e-Kaaba says in Hajj sermon


The Imam was delivering the Hajj sermon at the Namirah Mosque where he said that sectarianism has found roots among Muslims

The Clinton campaign’s bad damage control just made the health story even worse


Conservative media coverage of Hillary Clinton's health has been borderline hysterical. Okay, not even borderline — just plain hysterical. Amateur diagnoses of the Democratic presidential nominee on various news sites range from Parkinson's disease and cancer to radiation poisoning and aphasia. Mainstream outlets have generally dismissed such conjecture.
But after Clinton was forced to leave a Sept. 11 memorial service early Sunday — feeling overheated, according to her campaign — the journalistic scrutiny seems likely to intensify. And not only — or even primarily — because of the overheating.
The bigger issue is the secretive manner in which Clinton's campaign managed the incident. It is an approach that is sure to prove counterproductive than if reporters had been allowed to follow Clinton out of the ceremony or if aides had been faster to address her condition. A lack of information always makes journalists wonder whether something more serious is being kept hidden. It just does.
In the immediate aftermath of Clinton's exit, reporters tweeted their frustration at not knowing what was going on — and being prevented from finding out.

MQM leader Farooq Sattar suffers injuries in car accident on highway



KARACHI: Senior MQM leader Farooq Sattar and three others suffered injuries when their vehicle met a road accident on Karachi-Hyderabad highway near Nooriabad area, DawnNews reported.
Details reveal that Sattar was on his way back from Hyderabad after attending political meetings. He suffered injuries on shoulders and back.
The accident occurred when one of its tyres burst.
MQM leader Amir Khan, while talking to DawnNews, confirmed that the vehicle in which Sattar was travelling met an accident.
Sattar is said to have suffered serious injuries on his shoulders and is reportedly being taken to A O clinic, located in Nazimabad area of the metropolis.
The other three persons who suffered serious injuries in the road accident were the police guards who were sitting in the back portion of the double-cabin vehicle.

Sunday, 11 September 2016

LOOK: Confused NFL officials recreate the Fail Mary on an Eagles field goal



It's Week 1 for everyone, including the NFL's officials.
In the first quarter of the Eagles' season opener against the Browns, kicker Caleb Sturgis lined up to kick a 46-yard field goal. His kick, however, failed to go through the uprights -- I think. He might've made his kick.
I'm not sure, because the officials weren't either. Instead of telling us the result of the play, the officials did their best replacement-refs impression by recreating the Fail Mary on the field goal.


Jason Day withdraws from final round of BMW Championship with bad back





jason Day withdrew from the BMW Championship on Sunday after eight holes in his final round at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind.
Citing back issues, Day entered the round a lengthy 13 strokes back of leader Dustin Johnson. His round got off to a rough start, too, with a bogey and double bogey over his first three holes.
The World No. 1 player has been dealing with back issues this season -- tweaking it during the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin, which he would go onto win.
jason Day withdrew from the BMW Championship on Sunday after eight holes in his final round at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind.
Citing back issues, Day entered the round a lengthy 13 strokes back of leader Dustin Johnson. His round got off to a rough start, too, with a bogey and double bogey over his first three holes.
The World No. 1 player has been dealing with back issues this season -- tweaking it during the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin, which he would go onto win.
The withdrawal won't jeopardize his chances at the Tour Championship -- Day is still currently projected fourth in the FedEx Cup points standings.
With the tournament two weeks away, he should have plenty of time to heal before competing in the final FedEx Cup playoff event at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
The withdrawal won't jeopardize his chances at the Tour Championship -- Day is still currently projected fourth in the FedEx Cup points standings.
With the tournament two weeks away, he should have plenty of time to heal before competing in the final FedEx Cup playoff event at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Texans' Brian Cushing questionable to return with knee injury


Texans middle linebacker Brian Cushing suffered a knee injury during the first quarter Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Team officials said Cushing is questionable to return.
The severity and nature of the injury remain unknown as Cushing is still being evaluated by team doctors and trainers.
Cushing has a history of problems with his left knee.
Cushing led the NFL's third-ranked defense last season with 1110 tackles.
He had four tackles for losses and a forced fumble last year.
A former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Cushing tore his anterior cruciate ligament four years ago against the New York Jets. Signed to a six-year, $58.653 million contract extension that included $31 million guaranteed to become the highest-paid middle linebacker in the NFL, Cushing broke his leg and tore his fibular collateral ligament Oct. 20, 2013, against the Kansas City Chiefs on a low block from running back Jamaal Charles.
Cushing is regarded as the emotional leader of the Texans' defense.
Cushing has recorded 583 career tackles, a dozen sacks, eight interceptions and nine forced fumbles.

Ambulance man blasts 'absolutely shocking' scene as a couple run across SIX lanes of speeding traffic after a crash on the M25 

  • filmed a couple crossing the motorway on Friday night
  • Traffic was stopped after a crash and the pair decided to leave the road
  • Man went back and forth twice to collect bags before they dashed away 
An idiotic couple risked their own lives as they ran across the M25 motorway while high speed traffic races past in this shocking video.
Oncoming drivers beeped their horns at the reckless couple as they crossed the six lanes of motorway at about 9pm on Friday night.




Ambulance technician Kieran Williams, 29, caught the shocking footage while he was stuck in traffic following a crash near to the Dartford Crossing in Kent. 
He had spotted the man go back and forth across the main road twice to collect bags from the car. 
Mr Williams, of Dorset, said: 'It was amazing. Absolutely shocking. The lane was travelling at normal speeds at that time of night. 
'How he managed to get across there with out getting hurt or causing an accident I do not know. It was awful. 
'He had to go across four lanes of motorway before he got to a barrier and then a further two lanes after that.' 

Thursday, 8 September 2016

Apple Pay Coming to New Zealand, Russia and Japan This Fall

applepayjapanApple Pay is expanding to three new countries this fall, including New Zealand, Russia, and Japan. Apple today confirmed its plans to bring Apple Pay to Japan on stage at its iPhone 7 event, while theRussia and New Zealand Apple Pay sites were updated with info on an imminent launch.

As was previously reported, Apple Pay in Japan will be implemented through a partnership with Sonyand an iPhone 7 with support for the FeliCa tap-to-pay format, which has been widely adopted in the country. Apple Pay, which will work with Suica, will be coming to Japan in October.
Apple Pay is accepted anywhere Suica is available, so users can make quick everyday purchases and buy or reload a Suica card or commuter pass, all with their iPhone. Japan's major financial brands will also support Apple Pay, so shoppers can make purchases in many of the country's largest stores, at neighborhood shops and restaurants, and from their favorite online merchants.
Apple Pay in Japan will support credit and prepaid cards issued by AEON, Credit Saison, JCB, Mitsubishi UFJ Nicos, Orient Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, Toyota Finance, UC Cards and View Card, and carriers KDDI, NTT Docomo, and Softbank.

Apple Pay will be coming to New Zealand through a partnership with ANZ, and it will initially be limited to ANZ customers. A launch date has not been announced but it is expected to be released in October.
"Our customers in the nine markets around the world where Apple Pay is live today love how convenient it makes their day-to-day shopping, and we can't wait to bring Apple Pay to New Zealand so customers there can start making easy, secure and private payments in their favourite stores, apps and on the web," said Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay, in a statement.
Details on Apple Pay in Russia are limited with no word on which banks it will work with, but the service is expected to debut before the end of the year.

Apple Pay is currently available in nine countries including the United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, France, and Singapore. Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey has said Apple is "working rapidly" to expand the service to additional countries in Asia and Europe.

Hawaii: Lifeguards rescue woman apparently bitten by shark at beach

The Honolulu Emergency Services Department says lifeguards on Wednesday paddled out on rescue boards and brought the woman to shore.

Lifeguards say they have a rescued a woman, after what appeared to be a shark, bit her arm and shoulder at a popular Hawaii surfing beach. An expert will examine the woman’s wounds to confirm that it’s a shark bite.
The Honolulu Emergency Services Department says lifeguards on Wednesday paddled out on rescue boards and brought the woman to shore. Surfers in the water helped. The woman was about 300 yards from shore at Makaha Beach. The woman was taken in serious condition to a trauma center.
Officials say she frequents the Oahu beach regularly. No information was available on the type of shark.
Lifeguards have posted shark warning signs and cleared the water. Officials will reassess Thursday morning whether to reopen the beach.
The incident was the second on Wednesday. In the first incident an Australian man died after a large shark attacked him while he was kitesurfing in New Caledonia, a French island territory in the South Pacific, marine authorities said Wednesday.
The 50-year-old man had fallen from his board Tuesday in a large lagoon near the northwestern town of Koumac when the shark bit deep into his right thigh, said Nicolas Renaud, the director of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center.

The PS4 Pro Will Help Launch A New, More Complicated Era Of Console Gaming

Sony’s new, more powerful $399 console, the PS4 Pro, has been designed to improve the graphics of new and old PS4 games. But conversations with developers at the PS4 Pro’s reveal event in New York City on Wednesday made it clear that it will also make console gaming more complex, introducing greater variation in a game’s graphics from one model of PS4 to the next and among a range of TVs. The Pro will sometimes even offer improved framerate performance for those with lesser TVs.
These added options will excite some gamers and stress others. For better and worse, they will diminish the uniformity of experience that console gaming has tended to have in contrast to PC gaming.
Much of this will happen because the November-launching PS4 Pro will detect the type of TV to which it is connected and output distinct visuals as a result. That will increase the relevance, as no console ever has before, of the kind of TV a console gamer owns. It will also make it harder for owners of the PS4 platform to assume they are seeing more or less the same visuals as their fellow PS4 gamers and reviewers.
Experiences will vary like never before and will be subject to how developers tailor their games for each version of the PS4 platform (to say nothing of how multiplatform games will look on Xbox One and PC). Sony won’t let PS4 games play differently on the Pro and base model, but developers are permitted and encouraged to make them look better in any way that the Pro makes possible. As a result:
  • A PlayStation 4 Pro owner who has a 4K TV that supports high-dynamic range (HDR) visuals will see new Pro-supporting PS4 games display at 4K resolution and sport a wider range of colors that allows extremes of light and dark to better display at the same time.
  • A Pro owner who merely has a current-standard 1080p TV may also see marginal improvements to games that are programmed to use the more powerful console’s power for non-4K/HDR effects. According to developers working on games for the Pro, these gamers may see the game they’re playing running at a more stable framerate or with some improved graphical details.
  • Gamers who have a standard PS4 but a TV that supports HDR will be able to see some degree of HDR visuals in games that are patched or developed to support it.
  • People who are playing new PS4 games on a standard PS4 with a standard 1080p TV will see graphics that are likely worst among these options, though it’s not clear how far a drop-off they’ll have in graphical quality. This option might not be too bad, because, as any PS4 owner can attest, PS4 games have looked pretty damn good as is.
Confusing enough? There’s even a sub-variation: people who get a Pro but play older PS4 games on it that aren’t patched to tap the system’s added power. According to Sony, those games, when displayed through a Pro on a 4K TV “will have a more natural image quality and will look less grainy.”

Like the Nintendo 3DS’ glasses-free 3D and any virtual reality technology before it, 4K and HDR video game graphics are tough to appreciate without seeing them in person. They can’t be seen in a livestream or on regular TVs, which leads to those who have seen them providing eye-witness testimony for everyone else to judge. Unfortunately, words tend to fail when discussing differentials in graphical quality. The games at Sony’s NYC PS4 Pro event looked great on PS4 Pro event, which, well, it helps if you see it for yourself.
Some of the potential graphical differences were evident when Michiel van der Leeuw, the tech director at Guerrilla Games and studio boss Herman Hulst, flicked a demo of next year’s attractive Horizon Zero Dawn from one type of visual output to another. Running a demo of the game on a $6,000 Sony 4K TV, they first toggled from 4K output to 1080p. Horizon is set in the wilderness, and as they went from 4K down to the resolution on most of our TVs, a patch of foliage in the background switched from clear and distinct to a fuzzy mush. “The difference [is] you being able to distinguish the individual leaves in the distance, where it becomes kind of a blurred texture otherwise,” Hulst said. That difference, once pointed out, was stark, though possibly not noticeable in a game that has looked ridiculously good when shown at gaming conventions on 1080p displays. “It still looks amazing, I think, on a regular 1080p,” Hulst added.
If the difference in, say, the detail of foliage in a game that already looks great on 1080p seems marginal, it is. At the NYC event, developers of the game For Honor were talking about how the Pro would enhance things like the distinctiveness of pine needles in a tree and the quality of reflection on an axe. For some gamers, these are unimportant added sparkles. To others, they are the kind of visual improvements that previously made a 1080p graphics preferable to 720p or that made seeing a GameBoy game in color preferable to playing it in black and white.
Later in the Horizon demo, Van Der Leeuw paused as the in-game sun beamed through a thick cover of clouds. He switched the game’s HDR settings on and off. Here, the difference was far more pronounced. With HDR on, the sun’s rays splashed the clouds with a wide range of warm colors. Without HDR, the sky was still bright, but closer to a uniform gray.


Why is this Russian river blood red?

The residents of the Russian city of Norilsk, inside the Arctic Circle, have been posting photos on social media of an alarming sight: a bright red river. Is it the End Times, a chemical leak, or something else?
The Russian authorities have already started an investigation into the matter, and they're looking at a local metals plant as the possible culprit. Norilsk is a heavily polluted industrial city and it's home to Norilsk Nickel, a mining giant that has a nickel smelting plant upstream.
Russia's natural resources and environment ministry said that the blood red color was possibly caused by a "break in a Norilsk Nickel slurry pipe," according to The Guardian's translation of the Russian press release. And experts say the Russian authorities are probably looking in the right direction.

"That's a very typical color for a mine waste," says David Chambers, the president of the Center for Science in Public Participation and a mining expert. He hasn't visited or tested the site himself, but he has seen the same photos that have taken the internet by storm.
The bright red color is probably due to the oxidized iron contained in the waste, says Chambers. It's not clear what kind of nickel processing was used at the metals plant, Chambers says, but it's known that some types of high-temperature or pressure oxidation processes turn any sulfide minerals into iron oxide. If mixed with water, the waste turns it bright red.
It's also possible that the ore processed for the nickel also contains high amounts of iron, which is then discarded as waste. In this case, the iron-rich waste could have ended up in the river, turning it red, says Ronald Cohen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. The same has happened multiple times in Sudbury, Ontario, Cohen says, where a local nickel factory has sometimes turned a nearby river a very similar bright red.
The residents of the Russian city of Norilsk, inside the Arctic Circle, have been posting photos on social media of an alarming sight: a bright red river. Is it the End Times, a chemical leak, or something else?
The Russian authorities have already started an investigation into the matter, and they're looking at a local metals plant as the possible culprit. Norilsk is a heavily polluted industrial city and it's home to Norilsk Nickel, a mining giant that has a nickel smelting plant upstream.
Russia's natural resources and environment ministry said that the blood red color was possibly caused by a "break in a Norilsk Nickel slurry pipe," according to The Guardian's translation of the Russian press release. And experts say the Russian authorities are probably looking in the right direction.
"That's a very typical color for a mine waste," says David Chambers, the president of the Center for Science in Public Participation and a mining expert. He hasn't visited or tested the site himself, but he has seen the same photos that have taken the internet by storm.
The bright red color is probably due to the oxidized iron contained in the waste, says Chambers. It's not clear what kind of nickel processing was used at the metals plant, Chambers says, but it's known that some types of high-temperature or pressure oxidation processes turn any sulfide minerals into iron oxide. If mixed with water, the waste turns it bright red.
It's also possible that the ore processed for the nickel also contains high amounts of iron, which is then discarded as waste. In this case, the iron-rich waste could have ended up in the river, turning it red, says Ronald Cohen, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. The same has happened multiple times in Sudbury, Ontario, Cohen says, where a local nickel factory has sometimes turned a nearby river a very similar bright red.
If it really is a chemical leak, the town is in danger. Water with high concentrations of mine waste can be toxic, depending on what types of chemicals seep into the water and at what concentrations. "When that color is that red, then that isn't water that you want to drink and that is not water you want to use for irrigational water, and you don't want your livestock to drink it either," Cohen says.
There won't be much authorities will be able to do in terms of cleaning the river either, experts say. They will just have to wait for it to clear out, so that the metals dilute enough to make the water safe again. That could take hours or days, depending on the concentrations of metals, Cohen says.
This is not the first time that the city of Norilsk sees its river run red. Some social media users commented that the same had happened in June, according to The Guardian. And some point to the metals plant as the likely culprit, ABC News reports. Norilsk Nickel has denied any wrongdoing and has stated that the color of the Daldykan river doesn't look different from "its usual condition," according to Russian news agency RIA Novosti (by way of The Guardian's translation). However, the company said it was going to slow down manufacturing at the plant, The Guardian reports.
As the Russian authorities investigate, they should also make sure residents are protected, says Payal Sampat, the mining program director at Earthworks, an environmental organization. "This is an area where there are subsistence farmers and herders," Sampat says. "I would hope that the Russian authorities are able to identify the cause of the spill and protect the communities that are dependent on this area."
In any case, Sampat says, it's known that Norilsk is one of the most polluted sites in Russia. "It was a ticking time bomb that was on the verge of exploding," she says, "and it's gone off."

Fashion Week Watch: Collections by Kanye, Kiley and Kendall

Sisters Kendall Jenner, left, and and Kylie Jenner speak to the media at a party for their KENDALL + KYLIE collection in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday, Sept 7, 2016. Their fashion collection includes clothing, footwear and handbags.
Fashion kendall
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Fashion Week kicked off a day before its official start with Kanye West debuting his latest Yeezy collection far outside the Manhattan fashion fray and Kendall and Kylie Jenner talking about their own collection.
Some highlights so far:
___
AWAY FROM THE MANHATTAN CROWD

In sweltering heat, set to a slow, morose soundtrack, Kanye West debuted the fourth season of his Yeezy collection for Adidas at a park memorializing Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous four freedoms: of speech and worship, from want and fear.
Helping to kick off New York Fashion Week, West lured the fashion crowd, along with wife Kim Kardashian and two of her famous sisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, to Roosevelt Island just off Manhattan on Wednesday.
There, "multicultural" models, per his criticized casting call over the long holiday weekend, stood under a blazing sun as they greeted sweaty guests in beige and black leotards, bodysuits and other clingy, revealing foundation garments. Some were thonged. Some were two pieced and under-boobed. Some were non-distinct.
A handful of more than 100 models hired for the marathon afternoon (as opposed to fashion shows that usually take 10 minutes or so) just plain sat down in the grass where they stood barefoot, felled by sizzling temperatures and walking once or twice to a box of bottled water set up at the front just for them.
Music by performance artist Vanessa Beecroft heralded more models who actually walked, on a white runway that rimmed the knoll in thigh-high boots, including one poor soul whose stiletto-heeled pair weren't strong enough to hold her, forcing a sad wobble in her step.
Among West's walkers was a fierce-looking Teyana Taylor, the star of his new "Fade" video. Among his other celeb guests: Pharrell, Spike Jonze and Tyga.
--Leanne Italie
___
ALL IN THE FAMILY
It was quite the family fashion day for Kendall and Kylie Jenner, who came straight from brother-in-law Kanye West's Yeezy show on Roosevelt Island off Manhattan on Wednesday to their own party celebrating their fashion label, KENDALL + KYLIE.
The fashionista sisters (and reality TV stars) said they were gradually becoming more confident designers with each new collection.
"I think that every season we get more and more comfortable," said Kendall, 20, who as a model is a frequent presence on top-designer runways at Fashion Week. "It's super-awesome. The line grows with us."
Added Kylie, 19, also expected to be hitting the runway this week: "We've learned how to work with each other better. I mean, everything down to certain fabrics and patterns. We definitely learned a lot."
The sisters said they've benefited from appearing as models for designers they admire.
"I think it's cool to be able to see both sides," Kendall said. "I get to see the designers that I work with who are obviously on a much higher level than our brand at the moment. It's cool to see their process and what they have to go through behind the scenes, because it's kind of a goal to set and somewhere that I would like to be one day."
--Jocelyn Noveck
___
MACY'S FRONT ROW FASHIONS
Macy's held its second annual Fashion's Front Row runway show Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, mixing fall creations from several top designers with musical performances from Flo Rida and Ariana Grande.
The looks — all of them immediately available at Macys — were eclectic. Tommy Hilfiger offered a nautical theme with designs like navy blue pea coats and blue and white striped shirts, while the Rachel Roy collection offered bohemian looks that included different types of turbans. The show, hosted by TV personalities Giuliana Rancic and Brad Goreski, also gave a nod to the athleisure trend — designs from a collection of athletic brands like Fila, Reebok and Adidas were highlighted in a strobe-lit techno display. The runway show also featured looks heavy on floral patterns from Macy's private INC brand collection in collaboration with New York fashion icon Iris Apfel.
But Apfel said there is no such thing as a must-have in your fashion wardrobe.
"I don't believe in any musts," she said. "A must is what you want and what you like and what becomes you, what you can afford and what you're happy with."