TOMORROWKNOWS

NEWS FROM ANOTHER PLANET

For the uninitiated, Ms. Bice, 66, is the founder of Quacker Factory, a maker of appliqué sweaters and tunics and elastic-waist pants, the sort that typically are adorned with sequins and rhinestones and other doodads, in nautical, floral or holiday motifs. They are, in the words of the founder, "whimsical designs that help a woman feel better about herself."

Sold exclusively through QVC, Quacker Factory clothes are a $50 million-a-year business whose fans demonstrate a special brand of loyalty: when one spies another wearing one of Ms. Bice's distinctive designs, they quack at each other.

nyt