As a bride to be, Mary Thornally was dreading the experience of shopping for a wedding dress and, ultimately, paying an exorbitant price.

“My sister and I had planned to go look around at stores, but then the whole thought of it was really daunting to me,” said Thornally, a stay-at-home mom and San Francisco Bay Area resident, feeling “overwhelmed” by the thought of trying on dresses in person and making a decision on the spot. 

With gowns and alterations averaging $1,509 per bride in 2017, according to wedding site TheKnot.com, Thornally said she needed a “practical” alternative because she is “drowning in student loan debt” and trying to avoid unnecessary expenses.  She worked to keep costs down, for instance, by buying her bouquet at Safeway and having her sister serve as photographer.

She also decided to buy her wedding dress on the internet, joining a wave of brides who are shopping online for a product long dominated by specialty stores and boutique shops. Online retail, social media, personalized fashion trends, alternative choices and declining marriage rates collectively pose a serious threat to brick-and-mortar wedding retailers.

TELL US: Did you find ways to save on your wedding? Share your tips with us on Twitter or Facebook.

Thornally ended up buying her dress for her late-August wedding for about $180 and getting it tailored for $160. And she was thrilled with the quality.

“All in all, I think $340 is incredibly cheap,” she said. 

Wedding retailers get divorced

As more customers like Thornally embrace online alternatives, average gown prices are falling, and physical stores are struggling to adapt:

• David’s Bridal, once known for the tight grip it held on the wedding business, is facing serious financial challenges. David’s Bridal still sells about one in three U.S. wedding dresses through its more than 300 stores and website, with estimated annual retail revenue of $791 million, according to market research firm IBISWorld.

But the company recently hired restructuring adviser Evercore to evaluate its options amid what S&P Global Ratings called “weak operating performance and weak liquidity.”

• The Gap cut its Weddington Way brand, which primarily sold bridesmaid dresses at Banana Republic locations, in 2017.

• J. Crew ended its bridal-wear line in fall 2016.

• Many mom-and-pop shops and other wedding retailers have gone out of business, including Alfred Angelo Bridal, which abruptly closed its about 60 stores in a 2017 liquidation that left many brides scrambling to get dresses.

Another problem for traditional wedding dress sellers: Renting a gown is now just as easy as buying – and less expensive.

To be sure, wedding retailers often make money on other products, such as high school prom dresses or wedding accessories. But they live and die on the bridal gown business, which makes up about 43 percent of the wedding retail industry’s revenue, according to IBISWorld.

The trend of Americans waiting longer to get married, or deciding not to altogether, isn’t helping. The number of new marriages per 1,000 Americans was 6.9 in 2016, down from 8.2 in 2000, representing decline of about 16 percent in the wedding rate, according to the U.S. government.

With upstart online retailers offering lower prices and customized dresses, brides aren’t abandoning traditional gowns altogether. But the days of wedding dresses coming in a limited number of shapes, sizes and prices from a select group of stores are coming to an end.

More: Alfred Angelo closes, files for bankruptcy, panicking brides

More: Destination weddings: The good, the bad and its effect on the budget

More: Planning a wedding? Bucking tradition can help you save big

More: At a wedding: Ask not what the party can do for you, but what you can do for the party

That might be good news for consumers seeking deals and choices. The average price paid for a wedding dress fell 3.5 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to TheKnot.

But physical retailers often can’t afford to stock a wide mix of choices yet must continue paying steep real estate costs and invest in costly digital systems.

“The number of weddings has gone down over the last few years, but then there’s also a trend of brides spending less on their wedding gowns,” said Mathew Christy, S&P Global Ratings analyst who studies David’s Bridal. “A shopper can go online and do a price comparison between a number of different, similar adjacent products.”

David’s Bridal left at the altar

For years, David’s Bridal has been the giant in the budget wedding business. The company’s wedding dresses average $599, according to IBISWorld. 

But the company, which was acquired in 2012 for more than $1 billion by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, has an “unsustainable” amount of debt and not enough money coming in to pay for it, Christy said. The company is turning a profit before interest, taxes and debt payments, but is facing a $520 million term loan due in October 2019. 

Ratings agency Moody’s ranked David’s Bridal among retailers that could default on their debts or file for bankruptcy protection in 2018. 

The retailer plans to close nine stores in 2018 for a total of 309 remaining locations by the end of the year. The company’s digital sales have improved but are still “lagging behind other competitors,” according to S&P.

David’s Bridal said in a statement to USA TODAY that “our financial outlook is strong and we have ample liquidity to meet our key business objectives today and in the future.”

“The company continues to work with its long-time external legal counsel and has hired an external financial adviser to evaluate a number of options to strengthen our balance sheet so we can increase our financial flexibility and further invest in our business,” David’s Bridal said.

The company said it is “laser-focused on operational excellence” and “providing a great experience for our customer base.”

To be sure, most wedding dresses are still sold in person – about 95 percent, according to online custom-wedding seller Anomalie. That could ultimately benefit David’s Bridal if it can do a better job of seamlessly integrating its stores with its digital experience.

Alternatives sprout

But the pursuit of deals, customized dresses and convenience is fueling an online surge that many physical retailers aren’t well equipped to counteract – much like department stores Sears and J.C. Penney have struggled to adapt to the digital age.

The internet, including social media outlets such as Pinterest, has usurped other sources as the primary method of wedding planning. About 92 percent used smartphones to plan their wedding in 2017, up from 42 percent in 2014, according to TheKnot.

Former Apple supply chain guru Leslie Voorhees co-founded online custom-wedding dress seller Anomalie in 2016 after experiencing a “pretty painful” in-person dress-shopping experience and “outrageous prices” when she was engaged to her now-husband and co-founder, Calley Means.

“It’s crazy to have to pay thousands of dollars for a brand that you haven’t even heard of, for a dress that you’re only going to be wearing for one day,” she said.

Anomalie provides brides with the option to customize their dresses and choose from a wide range of sizes that are often difficult to find in physical stores.

Voorhees, who has hired multiple former David’s Bridal employees to join her team at Anomalie, said David’s Bridal has “an amazing supply chain and operational ability, but their process is antiquated.”

“Women are understanding that there has to be a better way,” she said.

The customization trend is especially problematic for traditional wedding stores, which can’t necessarily afford to stock a wide range of dresses. Put simply, brides increasingly want a personal touch to their dresses. It can take the form of embroidery, a touch of color, special pockets or neck line adjustments.

“Women still do love the traditional bridal silhouettes and colors but want to put their spin on it, especially given the trends of customization in other areas of shopping,” Voorhees said. “We can really incorporate personal touches that makes the dress special.”

For her wedding, San Francisco-area resident Thornally ended up buying her dress on ASOS.com, which sells a wide variety of apparel, including hoodies, jeans, skirts and men’s items.

She wasn’t expecting much. But with free shipping and 30 days to return the dress, she figured, why not?

“It was very low risk for me to purchase the dress,” she said.

When she took it to her local tailor, she felt vindicated in her decision to go digital.

“The seamstress said she was really impressed with the quality of the fabric,” Thornally said.

Thornally said she had considered going to David’s Bridal but never did. She had also heard from a friend about a local boutique store.

But when she looked it up, “it was closed permanently,” she said. “You’re seeing a lot of these boutiques close.”

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2BWaTzi

The leaves are falling and so is the temperature. 

People on the internet are ready to embrace the season’s fashion, because who likes light summer clothes anyway? 

Make way for cold weather fashion in all its long sleeved, oversized, padded glory.

All the autumn style inspiration you’ll ever need is in the “start dressin” meme thats been doing the rounds since the first drop in temperature.

According to Know Your Meme, the “Really Start Dressin” meme got started with this post from Twitter user @DHGOTWAVES, referencing the iconic cartoon Ed, Edd n Eddy. 

The meme quickly pivoted towards photos of dudes wearing comically oversized clothes:  

Thank god it’s the season for comically large clothing again. 

Aint no jacket large enough.  

Freezing Bernie Sanders is style inspo.

The A/W fashion of Scranton, PA, is certainly something.

Sad IKEA monkey is forever #coatenvy.

This Twitter round up of course wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory Lenny Kravitz giant scarf post. Enjoy. 

Bring on the new season, we could not be more ready. 

The Football Association has submitted a bid to host the Women’s European Championship in 2021.

England hosted Euro 2005 and reached the 1984 and 2009 European finals.

FA head of women’s football Baroness Campbell told BBC Sport: “It would be enormous to have a major championship like this on home soil.

“Uefa will want a bigger and better tournament than the last one and we’ve got Wembley as a key card to play, to host the final.”

A final decision on the successful host nation will taken by Uefa on 3 December 2018, with Austria and Hungary also believed to be in contention.

The FA’s decision to submit its bid, which has the backing of the government, follows England successful Euro 2017 campaign in the Netherlands which saw the Lionesses reach the semi-finals, generating a record peak audience of four million TV viewers in the UK.

The proposed cities and stadiums included in the bid are Brighton & Hove Albion’s Amex Stadium, Brentford’s Community Stadium, MK Dons’ Stadium MK, Manchester City’s Academy Stadium, Notts County’s Meadow Lane, Peterborough’s Abax Stadium, Rotherham’s New York Stadium and Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane.

What is the state of women’s football in England?

Women’s football in England has grown since it turned semi-professional with the start of the Women’s Super League seven years ago, with attendances in the domestic game peaking at an average of 1,128 after England finished third at the 2015 World Cup.

Last season, there was a record Wembley crowd of 45,423 at the FA Cup final but WSL crowds dipped, coinciding with a move back to a winter league after six years of summer fixtures.

In January, the FA announced an additional £50m of investment in women’s and girl’s football over the next six seasons, taking the total investment from the 2018-19 season onwards to £114m.

A positive showing under England boss Phil Neville at the 2019 World Cup in France would also help boost the game’s popularity.

Neville’s side are fourth in Fifa’s rankings behind the United States, Germany and France, who they beat at the last Euros for the first time in 43 years.

“Our bid to host Women’s Euro 2021 reflects our strong commitment to supporting and growing women’s and girl’s football in England,” said the FA’s chief executive officer Martin Glenn.

“We have invested heavily in the women’s game in recent years and the opportunity to bring the tournament to England would represent a landmark moment for women’s football in this country.

“Our aim is to make Euro 2021 the biggest and best showcase for women’s football ever seen in Europe.

“We have not only the ambition, but the tournament hosting experience, infrastructure and incredible spectator demand to ensure we would deliver a truly memorable tournament.”

When David Katz gunned down two fellow video game enthusiasts in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, the question followed: Was this the act of an enraged gamer bent on revenge or an individual who should not have had access to a gun?

In hindsight, the latter seems logical, particularly in light of court documents from his parents’ bitter divorce that suggest Katz’s psychological troubles started more than a decade ago.

But in legal terms, Katz, 24, who killed himself at the scene after also injuring a dozen others, lawfully obtained his two handguns in a state — Maryland — that is among a dozen with comparatively high hurdles to firearm ownership.

According to a ranking of states based on the toughness of their gun laws, Maryland rates an A-, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Violence, placing it just behind California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York.

Specifically, Maryland goes a few steps beyond federal laws — which prevent the sale of weapons to those “adjudicated as a mental defective” — and restricts sales to anyone with a history of violent behavior or those who voluntarily have spent more than 30 days in a mental health facility.

Applicants also must submit to fingerprint-based background checks and take firearms training courses.

So even though Katz had, according to a summary of online court records reviewed by USA TODAY, been sent for a short spell as a teen to Maryland’s Sheppard Pratt Health System and spent a few months at Utah’s RedCliff Ascent Wilderness Treatment Program, none of this would have disqualified him from future gun ownership.

More: Who is David Katz? Suspect in shooting at Jacksonville Madden video tourney was 24

More: Electronic Arts cancels ‘Madden 19’ video game qualifiers after Jacksonville shooting

“We set a high bar for removing someone’s gun in the U.S., and getting mental health treatment doesn’t meet that bar,” said Susan Sorenson, professor of social policy at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert on gun violence prevention.

“People get disappointed and angry and often that results in a tragedy,” she says. “But those reactions aren’t unique to people with disorders, they’re unique to being human.”

Investigators in Florida are still trying to piece together Katz’s final days in order to try and determine a motive for his attack, which left Elijah Clayton, 22, of California, and Taylor Robertson, 28, of West Virginia, dead.

Diving into the details of Katz’s past behavior may offer clues, says Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research.

“The best predictor of future violence is prior violence,” he says. But, he adds, “Being treated for a mental health condition is a poor predictor for future acts of violence. The vast majority of people being treated for mental illness aren’t a threat.”

From a public policy standpoint, Webster says restricting access to goods or services based on treatment for mental health issues risks stigmatizing those who seek help.

In the case of Katz, “If we rolled back the clock and you showed me his background, would I say he’d commit a mass shooting?” he says. “I wouldn’t.”

But Katz was not without deep issues. He was at the center of a bitter divorce between his father, Richard, a NASA engineer, and his mother, Elizabeth, who worked for the Food and Drug Administration.

Divorce proceedings frequently cited David’s psychological volatility. He would, said Howard County Circuit Court Judge Lenore Gelfman, go “days without bathing,” play video games until dawn and was “extremely hostile” toward his mother, according to court transcripts cited by the Baltimore Sun.

Katz also was taking an anti-psychotic drug used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, according to court records. Despite his issues, Katz graduated high school in 2011 and, a few years later, enrolled at the University of Maryland.

While his studies were not exceptional, Katz had developed a reputation as a winning video gamer, which included a Buffalo Bills Madden championship in 2017. It was at another Madden contest in Jacksonville last weekend that Katz returned to compete, but where he instead became unhinged.

More: ‘It must always be people over profits’: Jacksonville shooting survivors to file lawsuit

More: Multiple fatalities at Madden tournament shooting in Jacksonville

Gun policy experts agree that Katz did not fall through any cracks in Maryland’s system, emphasizing that only previous acts of violence or extreme threats of violence would have provided a warning of things to come. 

But some states provide families and law enforcement with concerns about certain individuals to flag past incidents and, when necessary, revoke gun ownership.

Called the Extreme Risk and Protection Order, which currently is in full effect in California, Oregon and Washington, the measure allows applicants to petition the court for temporary removal of weapons from anyone who displays warning signs of potentially violent behavior.

“If Maryland had had ERPO, it could have in theory allowed law enforcement to deny the issuing of a handgun permit (to Katz based on his past psychiatric episodes),” says Allison Anderman, managing attorney for the Giffords Law Center. “But so far we don’t know if he showed any behaviors that would have warranted such an action.”

Instead, Anderman cautions that while previous mass shootings have been carried out by individuals with mental health issues — including Sandy Hook Elementary School killer Adam Lanza, and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killer Nikolas Cruz — that remains the exception, not the rule.

“Most mentally ill people are not only not violent or a threat, but they’re statistically more likely to be victims of violent crime,” she says.

Gun control remains a deeply contentious topic in the U.S., especially with the escalating number of instances of mass killings such as the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 died in 2016, and the Las Vegas concert massacre, where 58 were killed in 2017.

In the wake of the shooting in Jacksonville, National Rifle Association spokesperson Dana Loesch tweeted that the incident highlights the need to revisit so-called “gun-free zones,” which prevented patrons, such as the ones at The Landing, from bringing guns to the premises. 

In contrast, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived a shooting while on the campaign trail in 2011 and now runs the gun prevention organization, posted on the law center’s website that the nation should not “accept these horrific acts of violence as routine. Congress knows steps they can take to stop this madness.”

While gun control certainly will be in the spotlight as voters head to the polls in November, it remains to be seen if this latest tragedy will fit the narrative on either side of the debate. 

Katz was an adult who legally applied for and received a firearms permit in a state that takes gun access seriously. And his mental health issues appear to have been largely in the past, with no apparent signs of alarming violence in recent years.

More: Jacksonville shooting has e-gamers questioning U.S. gun laws, and rightfully so

More: Gunmaker selling online plans to print 3D guns

In truth, it’s likely no present gun control measures would have kept a firearm from Katz.

Gun policy expert Webster suggests that going after individuals with mental health challenges risks missing far more at-risk gun permit applicants. 

“Sure, objectively individuals with some sort of mental illness are probably better off if they don’t have guns,” he says.

“But the bigger issue is we’re still allowing too many people with histories of violence to purchase handguns and legally carry them around, things like domestic abuse. That’s incredibly dangerous and not justifiable.”

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2PNdTkk

Image: Pixelformula/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock (9448492ea)

Balenciaga have come out with another head-scratching doozy, and this time it’s way more expensive than its t-shirt shirt and car mat skirts.

More money doesn’t buy more sense though, with the imminent release of its $9,000 seven layer coat as part of the label’s autumn/winter collection.

As described by Matches Fashion, the navy parka coat is made of of seven separate layers for cold weather.

The coat comprises of “plaid shirts, jersey hoodies, and technical fleeces, featuring cuffed sleeves, two front patch pockets, a drawstring hood and a coordinating hem.” 

To put it simply: It’s a jacket, over many other jackets.

Aside from the fact you could do the same thing by stacking a whole bunch of jackets hiding in your closet together, the whole ensemble also appears to be pretty damn heavy.

As @caleb_stephen pointed out on Twitter, it’s like that Friends episode where Joey wears all of Chandler’s clothes. 

Do we get a commission if Balenciaga come out with pants stitched onto pants next? TBH, you guys can have the idea for free.

[h/t Hypebeast]

The Iranian government has arrested tens of people after accusing them of being spies working for foreign governments.

Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Wednesday that several suspects held dual nationalities, but refused to specify which countries they belonged to.

“I have repeatedly asked people to inform us if they know any dual national. The intelligence ministry’s anti-espionage unit has successfully identified and arrested tens of spies in different governmental bodies,” Alavi was quoted by ISNA, a semi-official news agency, on Tuesday.

Alavi did not specify the exact number of people arrest, nor did he say when they were apprehended.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality, but does not routinely announce arrests or charges of dual nationals.

After Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments about “infiltration” of Western agents in Iranian decision-making bodies, the number of arrests of dual citizens has increased.

According to the Reuters news agency, at least 30 dual nationals have been arrested in recent years by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, mostly on espionage charges.

Last week, an Iranian-British dual citizen was released for three days after being accused in February of plotting to overthrow Iran’s government.

Israel and ISIL

ISNA also quoted the Iranian minister saying “you have recently heard that we brought under our control a member of a cabinet of a powerful country”, without specifying which country.

This accusation potentially referred to former Israeli Energy Minister Gonen Segev, who was charged in June by Israel‘s internal security service for spying for Iran. 

Segev, minister in 1995 and 1996, was arrested by Israeli authorities in 2004 for attempting to smuggle ecstasy pills into the country.

After his release in 2007, Segev moved to Nigeria, where he made contact with the Iranian embassy in 2012 according to Israeli investigators.

Alavi also talked about the arrest last month of at least one member of the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) and the disbandment of a “terrorist cell” in the north of the country.

In June 2017, ISIL gunmen and suicide bombers attacked Iran’s parliament in central Tehran and the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini in the south of the city, leading to the death of 18 people.

Wednesday announcement comes at a time when tensions between Iran and the US are at an all-time high, with US President Donald Trump withdrawing from an international nuclear deal with Tehran, and re-imposing sanctions in a bid to further restrict the Iranian nuclear programme. 

Under the breakthrough 2015 deal in Vienna, the Iranian government agreed to cut down its uranium stockpile and scale back its enrichment programme far below the level required to build a nuclear weapon.

Iran also agreed in perpetuity to notify United Nations inspectors if and when it builds a new nuclear facility. 

In exchange, UN-approved sanctions were lifted in January 2016, and Tehran was allowed to resume trading oil and gas on the international market. A total of $100bn in frozen Iranian assets was also released.

Trump pulled out of the pact on May 8, fulfilling a 2016 campaign promise to withdraw from a deal which he once described as the “worst ever”.

The reimposition of US sanctions against Iran is a direct result of Trump’s decision, with US officials quoted as saying that Washington would exert “maximum economic pressure” on Iran and force it back to the negotiating table.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Striker Hal Robson Kanu has retired from international football with immediate effect.

Robson-Kanu and defender Neil Taylor were absentees from the Wales squad to play the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in Nations League qualifiers.

The 29-year old West Brom forward confirmed the news in a statement shortly after the squad announcement.

Newcastle defender Paul Dummett, who previously asked not to be selected for international football, is recalled.

Robson-Kanu retires having made 44 Wales appearances, scoring five goals, including two at the Euro 2016 finals. Most famously, he scored Wales’ second goal in their stunning 3-1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals of that tournament.

“I have made the decision to retire from international football. Long thought, but a decision made; commitments to my family and dedicating what time I have available to them and choosing to focus on my club career within sport and time needed away from the game,” Robson-Kanu wrote.

“I wish Ryan Giggs and the team continued success in the years to come, and appreciate his understanding and support, a new generation to continue building on what Gary Speed and Chris Coleman have set in place.”

Manager Giggs says he understands the decision made by the West Brom forward, who he believes has secured his status as a Welsh football “icon”.

“I spoke to him yesterday and it was a difficult decision for him,” Giggs said.

“He’s had a difficult six months, with the birth of his baby, and he wants to focus on his family and his club career.

“He’s an icon in Welsh football with the goal he scored against Belgium and I wish him all the best.”

Teenage forward Tyler Roberts is selected in the Wales squad, as is Manchester City’s 18-year old Matthew Smith and Chelsea defender Ethan Ampadu.

However, Euro 2016 squad member Jazz Richards misses out.

Wales manager Giggs also confirmed defender Ashley Williams will remain as Wales captain despite being sent off in two of his past four club appearances.

Giggs said he was pleased to be able to recall Dummett, who asked not to be selected for a qualifier in Serbia in 2017.

“It is a boost. I spoke to Paul when I took over and he wanted to focus on Newcastle at the time.

“But I’ve had a chat with Paul and he’s in a good place now.

“He’s playing regularly and captained his boyhood club on the weekend. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Wales squad: Hennessey, Ward, Adam Davies, Gunter, Roberts, Chester, Williams, Mepham, Lockyer, Ben Davies, Dummett, John, Ampadu, Allen, Smith, Ramsey, King, Ledley, Wilson, Brooks, Lawrence, Woodburn, Bale, Vokes, Roberts.

Associated Press

Published 6:40 a.m. ET Aug. 29, 2018 | Updated 6:50 a.m. ET Aug. 29, 2018

Image: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

For ages, you could hook up your Facebook account to Twitter, allowing you to automatically post tweets as a status update.

That feature stopped working earlier this month when Facebook made changes to its API, and as reported by TechCrunch, Facebook status updates that were crossposted from Twitter mysteriously vanished around Tuesday.

A Facebook spokesperson explained to Mashable that the deletion resulted from a Twitter administrator’s request for the app to be deleted, but it’s now been fixed.

“[It] resulted in content that people had cross-posted from Twitter to Facebook also being temporarily removed from people’s profiles. However, we have since restored the past content and it’s now live on people’s profiles,” the statement reads.

Given that Facebook stores so much of our online conversations these days, the sudden deletions prompted complaints from users.

Over the past year, Facebook has tightened up its developer policies following the well-publicised Cambridge Analytica scandal, where the personal data of approximately 87 million users were improperly used.

Facebook announced in April that it would stop allowing third parties to directly publish posts to the platform by Aug. 1, affecting roughly 60,000 apps. 

Watch: Ireland v Afghanistan – second ODI – Live – BBC Sport

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