Liz Claiborne waves, in this Aug. 30, 1949 file photo, as she arrives at Penn Station in New York en route to Paris for a ten-day trip after winning the Harper's Bazaar Design contest. Claiborne died Tuesday, June 26, 2007.
The story is a familiar one: two T-shirt designers from L.A. create a product so hot even Jennifer Lopez knocks it off. Then they go to Paris and vamp around at the couture. Before you know it they're selling the business and talking about new lines for handbags, perfume, and makeup. It's called empire building, Hollywood-style.