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GRAMERCY—This morning, the Gramercy Park Hotel debuted new uniforms for Rose Bar and Gramercy Terrace staffers designed by Sophie Theallet. Lunch-lady smocks these are not: The dresses are cut from curve-hugging silk crepe and come in two colors, red with orange lining and midnight blue with black lining. Theallet tells the Wall Street Journal that she wanted the hotel's employees to enjoy wearing her creations, and it shows. [WSJ]
NEW YORK CITY—If your sales associate is lying to you, cut her some slack: According to a new study, her job is probably driving her crazy. Median wage for retail workers in New York is $9.50, and only three out of every ten retail employees gets health insurance. Most local retail positions are part-time, and 40% of workers say their hours shift every week, which can be especially difficult for anyone who's trying to balance multiple jobs or arrange childcare. Also, of the people interviewed, less than half told researchers that they got paid sick days, and many said they never took any. [NYT]