NEW YORK, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Anne Klein, a division of Jones Apparel Group, Inc., (NYSE: JNY) has appointed Isabel Toledo as the new Creative Director of the Anne Klein Designer Collection. Mrs. Toledo, the owner/designer for Toledo Studios, brings over 20 years of design experience and is regarded as one of today's most respected and influential designers in the fashion and visual arts arenas.

Peter Boneparth, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jones Apparel Group, Inc. said, "Isabel is one of the most dynamic talents in the industry and we are delighted to welcome her on board. We are confident that this partnership will allow us to significantly expand the value-creation potential of the Anne Klein brand and enable us to reach an even broader cross-section of sophisticated, successful and fashion-savvy women. Anne Klein has performed exceptionally well since we acquired it three years ago, and today is one of Jones Apparel's power brands. Under Isabel's creative vision and leadership, we now have a clear path forward to achieve our goal of securing Anne Klein's rightful place at the forefront of American fashion worldwide."

For more than 30 years, Anne Klein has been synonymous with American style, single-handedly defining how American sportswear is worn by most women today. Her innovative strategy, which introduced the concept of "mixed and matched" pieces such as constructed jackets, pants and other wardrobe staples, made her company the industry leader for decades. "Anne Klein's original vision of American sportswear designed to enhance the woman's body is even more relevant today, and Isabel's expertise and design aesthetic is in touch with the essence of this brand," noted Lynne Cote, Chief Executive Officer, Wholesale Sportswear, Suits and Dresses.

Mrs. Toledo's first collection for Anne Klein is slated to debut in fall 2007 and will be sold worldwide at select high-end department stores and specialty boutiques. As Creative Director, Mrs. Toledo will serve as the voice of Anne Klein across all label touch-points, including global product design, advertising, public relations outreach, trunk shows, personal appearances, and the long anticipated return of the runway fashion show. "Isabel's fashion influence and keen eye will be a great asset for the evolution of the brand. Her vision will encompass everything from fashion shows to product design, advertising and marketing initiatives," explained Stacy Lastrina, Executive Vice President Corporate Marketing, Jones Apparel Group.

Isabel Toledo, born in Cuba in 1961, received the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Fashion Design in 2005. She has been described as a "cult figure" by The New York Times; Women's Wear Daily has called her one of the "100 Designers That Count Around The World"; and Vogue Magazine has named her "An important raw talent." Isabel has an appreciation of machinery, practicality and comfort while retaining a love for traditional elegance. Narciso Rodriguez recently declared her a "genius" saying in a recent one-on- one interview with Mrs. Toledo, "There are very few designers today that possess the skill, precision, refinement and workmanship you have." Toledo's designs have been featured at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Mode Museum in Antwerp, and in solo exhibitions at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help evolve the intelligent fashion philosophy that Anne Klein initiated and I look forward to designing a new generation of future classics", stated Mrs. Toledo.

Marc Beckman, President, Designer's Management Agency (DMA) developed the brand's reinvigoration strategy and was the chief negotiator for Jones Apparel Group in the highly-selective identification process which ultimately led to the procurement of Mrs. Toledo.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (http://www.jny.com), a Fortune 500 company, is a leading designer, marketer and wholesaler of branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company also markets directly to consumers through our chain of specialty retail and value-based stores, and operates the Barneys New York chain of luxury stores. The Company's nationally recognized brands include Jones New York, Evan-Picone, Norton McNaughton, Gloria Vanderbilt, Erika, l.e.i., Energie, Nine West, Easy Spirit, Enzo Angiolini, Bandolino, Joan & David, Mootsies Tootsies, Sam & Libby, Napier, Judith Jack, Kasper, Anne Klein, Albert Nipon, Le Suit and Barneys New York. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Givenchy brand licensed from Givenchy Corporation and footwear under the Dockers Women brand licensed from Levi Strauss & Co. Each brand is differentiated by its own distinctive styling, pricing strategy, distribution channel and target consumer. The Company primarily contracts for the manufacture of its products through a worldwide network of quality manufacturers. The Company has capitalized on its nationally known brand names by entering into various licenses for several of its trademarks, including Jones New York, Evan-Picone, Anne Klein New York, Nine West, Gloria Vanderbilt and l.e.i., with select manufacturers of women's and men's products which the Company does not manufacture. For more than 30 years, the Company has built a reputation for excellence in product quality and value, and in operational execution.

Certain statements contained herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements regarding the Company's expected financial position, business and financing plans are forward-looking statements. The words "believes," "expect," "plans," "intends," "anticipates" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements also include representations of the Company's expectations or beliefs concerning future events that involves risks and uncertainties, including:

• those associated with the effect of national and regional economic conditions;
• lowered levels of consumer spending resulting from a general economic downturn or lower levels of consumer confidence;
• the performance of the Company's products within the prevailing retail environment;
• customer acceptance of both new designs and newly-introduced product lines;
• the Company's reliance on a few department store groups for large portions of the Company's business;
• consolidation of the Company's retail customers;
• financial difficulties encountered by customers;
• the effects of vigorous competition in the markets in which the Company operates;
• the Company's ability to identify acquisition candidates and, in an increasingly competitive environment for such acquisitions, acquire such businesses on reasonable financial and other terms;
• the integration of the organizations and operations of any acquired businesses into the Company's existing organization and operations;
• the Company's reliance on independent foreign manufacturers;
• changes in the costs of raw materials, labor, advertising and transportation;
• the general inability to obtain higher wholesale prices for the Company's products that the Company has experienced for many years;
• the uncertainties of sourcing associated with the new environment in which general quota has expired on apparel products (while China has agreed to safeguard quota on certain classes of apparel products through 2008, political pressure will likely continue for restraint on importation of apparel);
• the Company's ability to successfully implement new operational and financial computer systems; and
• the Company's ability to secure and protect trademarks and other intellectual property rights.

A further description of these risks and uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, including, but not limited to, the Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Disclosure and Item 1A - Risk Factors therein, and in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such expectations may prove to be incorrect. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Jones Apparel Group, Inc.

/CONTACT: Corporate, Efthimios P. Sotos, Chief Financial Officer of Jones Apparel Group, Inc., +1-215-785-4000; Media, Joele Frank or Sharon Goldstein, both of Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, +1-212-355-4449; or Public Relations, Stacy Lastrina, Executive Vice President Corporate Marketing of Anne Klein New York, +1-914-640-4228/ /Web site: http://www.jny.com/ (JNY)