EXHIBIT 99.1


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JONES APPAREL GROUP, INC.

CONTACTS:

Jones Apparel Group, Inc.               McNaughton Apparel Group Inc.
-------------------------               -----------------------------
Wes Card, Chief Financial Officer       Peter Boneparth, Chairman and Chief
Anita Britt, Senior Vice President,     Executive Officer
Finance and Investor Relations          Amanda Bokman, Chief Financial Officer
(215) 785-4000                          (212)947-2960


        JONES APPAREL GROUP, INC. AND McNAUGHTON APPAREL GROUP INC.
                       ENTER INTO A MERGER AGREEMENT

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- April 16, 2001 -- Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (NYSE:JNY)
and McNaughton Apparel Group Inc. (NASDAQ:MAGI) today announced that they have
entered into an agreement pursuant to which Jones will acquire 100% of the
common stock of McNaughton in a merger transaction. McNaughton is a leading
designer, marketer and distributor of women's and junior's moderately-priced
separates and collections of career and casual clothing with net sales of $522
million for the trailing twelve months ended February 3, 2001. McNaughton
markets its products nationwide to department stores, national chains, mass
merchants, and specialty retailers, including J.C. Penney, Kohl's, Federated,
May Department Stores and Sears. Brands include Norton McNaughton, Erika,
Energie, Jamie Scott and Currants.

The transaction is valued at $21.00 per common share of McNaughton, comprised
of $10.50 in cash and approximately $10.50 in stock, based on a fixed exchange
ratio of .282 Jones shares per McNaughton share and based on Jones' average
share price over the 10 trading days prior to the signing of the agreement. At
$21.00, McNaughton's common equity is valued at approximately $275 million
(net of options costs). Including assumed debt of $297 million as of February
3, 2001, the transaction has a total value of approximately $572 million.
McNaughton has approximately 15.8 million shares outstanding, including stock
options. The transaction is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of
this year, and is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval
by the shareholders of McNaughton and clearance under the Hart Scott Rodino
Act.

Sidney Kimmel, Chairman of Jones Apparel Group, stated, "This acquisition is a
perfect strategic fit for Jones. By merging with the best company in the
moderate business, we are able to accelerate our growth strategy to become a
leader in this market segment. We are pleased that Peter Boneparth, current
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McNaughton, will be joining Jones as
Chief Executive Officer and President of the McNaughton Apparel Division and
as a member of our Board of Directors. Peter provides the quality of
leadership that we believe will complement our existing Jones management team
and drive further expansion in the moderate channel."

Jacki Nemerov, President of Jones Apparel Group, commented, "We estimate the
addition of McNaughton will increase our revenue in the moderate channel from
5% of total net sales in 2000 to 10% on a proforma basis. This acquisition
provides further diversification to Jones Apparel in terms of distribution
channel and customer, strengthening our presence on the moderate floor of
department stores such as Federated and May Department Stores, and in national
chains such as Kohl's, J.C. Penney and Sears."

                                 - continued -


Peter Boneparth, Chief Executive Officer of McNaughton Apparel Group, stated,
"We are very pleased to be joining forces with Jones Apparel Group. We think
this combination is highly attractive for both Jones and McNaughton. By
leveraging Jones' competencies in areas such as footwear, accessories and
denim, we will be able to enhance the growth of our three sportswear
divisions: Norton McNaughton, Miss Erika and Jeri-Jo. We believe that
McNaughton can provide established sourcing, production and marketing
expertise within the moderate channel to benefit Jones Apparel in their own
moderate brands of Joneswear, Evan-Picone and the upcoming launch of Nine &
Company planned for fall 2001. McNaughton's shareholders will receive an
excellent value for their investment and will have a strong continuing
interest in a great company."

Wesley Card, Chief Financial Officer of Jones Apparel Group added, "This
merger meets all of our acquisition criteria: strong management, powerful
brands, channel diversification, and solid core growth. Under the leadership
of Peter Boneparth and his team, McNaughton has delivered double digit sales
growth and dramatic improvement in profit margins. This acquisition is a key
element for our growth and diversification strategy and will enhance our
growth in the moderate channel. We expect this addition to be accretive to
Jones' earnings in the first year."

The actual number of shares of Jones stock, in addition to $10.50 in cash
consideration to be exchanged for each McNaughton common share, shall be (i)
 .282 if the average Jones stock price for the five trading days period ending
on the second trading day prior to the closing is greater than or equal to
$29.78 and less than or equal to $44.68, (ii) equal to $12.60 divided by the
average Jones stock price if the average Jones stock price is greater than
$44.68, or (iii) equal to $8.40 divided by the average Jones stock price if
the average Jones stock price is less than $29.78.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Jones, and Merrill Lynch acted as
financial advisor to McNaughton. Cravath, Swaine & Moore is legal counsel to
Jones, and Torys is legal counsel to McNaughton.

Jones Apparel Group and McNaughton Apparel Group would like to invite
investors to listen to a broadcast of the Company's conference call discussing
this merger. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet on Monday,
April 16, 2001 at 3:00 p.m.. (EST) and can be accessed by visiting the
investor relations web page at http://www.jny.com.

Jones Apparel Group, Inc. (www.jny.com) is a leading designer and marketer of
branded apparel, footwear and accessories. The Company's nationally recognized
brands include: Jones New York; Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Ralph by Ralph Lauren,
and Polo Jeans Company, which are licensed from Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation;
Evan-Picone, Rena Rowan, Todd Oldham, Nine West, Easy Spirit, Enzo Angiolini,
Bandolino and Napier. The Company also markets costume jewelry under the Tommy
Hilfiger brand licensed from Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. Celebrating more than
30 years of service, the Company has built a reputation for excellence in
product quality and value, and in operational execution.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based
on current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of
factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those described in the forward-looking statements. These factors and
uncertainties include: the risk that Jones Apparel's and

                                 - continued -


McNaughton's businesses will not be integrated successfully, failure of
McNaughton shareholders to approve the merger, national and regional economic
conditions, the overall level of consumer spending, the performance of the
products within the prevailing retail environment, retail conditions for
women's and juniors' apparel, customer acceptance of new designs, effects of
vigorous competition, changes in the costs of raw materials, labor and
advertising and the ability to secure and protect trademarks and other
intellectual property rights. For a detailed discussion of these and other
factors and uncertainties, please see Jones Apparel's and McNaughton's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Statement
Regarding Forward Looking Disclosure" in the Jones Apparel Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000 and the "Safe Harbor
Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995" in Item
7 of the McNaughton Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
November 4, 2000. Neither Jones Apparel nor McNaughton assumes any obligation
to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or
future events or developments.

Jones Apparel and McNaughton will file a proxy statement/prospectus and other
documents regarding the proposed acquisition described in this press release
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS
ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE,
BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT JONES APPAREL, MCNAUGHTON
AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. A definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be
sent to security holders of McNaughton common stock seeking their approval of
the transaction. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the
definitive proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents
filed by Jones Apparel and McNaughton with the SEC at the SEC's web site at
www.sec.gov. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents may
also be obtained for free by directing a request to:

Jones Apparel Group, Inc.
250 Rittenhouse Circle, Keystone Park
Bristol, PA 19007
Attn: Investor Relations
Tel:  (215) 785-4000

and

McNaughton Apparel Group Inc.
463 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10018
Attn: Investor Relations
Tel:  (212) 947-2960