OPRAH WINFREY - OPRAH ENDS FEUD WITH HERMES

LATEST: OPRAH WINFREY has resolved her public spat with international clothing store Hermes by inviting the president and CEO onto her talk show to discuss her concerns.

Oprah hit the headlines in June (05) when she was refused entry to the Paris, France, branch and her aides suggested race might have had something to do with the snub.

Embarrassed Oprah has refused to discuss the incident, but brought US Hermes boss ROBERT CHAVEZ onto her TV show yesterday (19SEP05) to clear up reports suggesting she didn't want fans to shop at Hermes anymore, and purchase Berkin bags from the store.

Winfrey insisted that most of what was written about the incident was "flat-out wrong," adding, "I just want to say shame on anybody for thinking that I was upset for not being able to get into a clothes store and buy a purse.

"I was upset because one person at the store was so rude. Not the whole company.

"Everybody who has ever been snubbed because you were not chic enough or thin enough or the right class or the right colour or whatever - I don't know what it was - you know that that is very humiliating and that is exactly what happened to me."

Chavez publicly apologised to Oprah, insisting she encountered "one very, very rigid staff member" who honestly didn't know who the talk show queen was.

Oprah put an end to the public war or words, by hugging Chavez and urging viewers to "wear the Berkin bags. Shop, shop, shop, shop!"