Women's fashion titan Liz Claiborne Inc on Thursday posted a 13 per cent year-on-year jump in third quarter earnings as it defied the retail slowdown thanks to higher sales and better inventory management. The New York-based firm, behind brands such as Liz Claiborne, Bora Bora, Lucky Brand and Crazy Horse, said its net income climbed to $83.5 million, or 78 cents a diluted share, from $72.6m, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago period.