Liz Claiborne signs a legend: Isaac Mizrahi

It's been awhile since shareholders of Liz Claiborne (NYSE: LIZ) have had any good news. In the past year, the company's stock has declined from north of $45 per share to Monday's closing price of $16.40: the lowest the stock has traded since 1998.

If anyone can save the struggling fashion house, it's the man they just signed to be creative director of the company's flagship brand: Isaac Mizrahi. You can be sure he didn't come cheap, but he's just what they need. After all, this is the guy who actually managed to make Target (NYSE: TGT) a cool place to shop for clothes.

Liz Claiborne has a lot of potential. In the press release announcing the signing, Mizrahi himself summed it up best: "Liz Claiborne is an American fashion icon. Her clothes were not only beautiful, not only smart, they were revolutionary. She invented separates, and invented an entirely new category in the department store. She made fashion friendly and accessible and in doing so she became every woman's best friend. These are all ideas I treasure and I'm honored to have the opportunity to build on this fantastic legacy and excited to reestablish the label as a must-have." (emphasis mine)

There are no sure things in fashion, but at a discount to its book value and a low price/earnings multiple, you have to like the chances of a Mizrahi-led Liz Claiborne line delivering value to shareholders for the first time in a long time.