1.   American designers are refining their signatures in surprising places.

2.   American designers could claim that Dior the fashion dictator retarded their independence from Paris.

3.   American designers may have threatened their global profile with their disunity.

4.   American designers sense a bit of snobbism.

5.   American designers, in particular, have refined the concept of easy sportswear dressing.

6.   American designers and retailers also felt the loss.

7.   American designers often have their most expensive clothes made in Italy, which has a reputation for superior fashion manufacturing and for doing sophisticated production for less.

8.   American sportswear may have infiltrated many parts of the world with its ease and understatement, but American designers have also been inspired by other cultures.

9.   Among the American designers with clients in tow spending serious sums was Scott Snyder, who is based in Palm Beach and Manhattan.

10.   American designer Dennis Miller is showing its T-shirt lounge chair and ottoman by Clodaugh, fully upholstered down- and foam-filled pieces with stained maple legs.