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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1

[BLAIR CORPORATION LOGO]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACTS:
Blair Corporation
Bryan Flanagan, SVP/ Chief Financial Officer
814 723 3600


               BLAIR CORPORATION ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER DIVIDEND

WARREN, Pa., (July 19, 2005) - Blair Corporation (Amex: BL), (www.blair.com), a
national multi-channel direct marketer of women's and men's apparel and home
products, today announced that the Board of Directors has declared the Company's
regular quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents per share. The dividend will be
payable on September 15, 2005, to stockholders of record as of August 19, 2005.
The Company has paid a quarterly cash dividend for 287 consecutive quarters.

It is the Company's present intention to increase its regular quarterly cash
dividend to 30 cents per share. This increase will occur subsequent to the
successful completion of the previously announced tender offer for 4.4 million
shares of its outstanding common stock and the close of the sale of its credit
portfolio to Alliance Data Systems that is currently scheduled for the fourth
quarter of 2005.


ABOUT BLAIR

Headquartered in Warren, Pennsylvania, Blair Corporation sells a broad range of
women's and men's apparel and home products through direct mail marketing and
its Web sites www.blair.com and www.irvinepark.com. Blair Corporation employs
more than 2,000 people and operates facilities and retail outlets in
Northwestern Pennsylvania as well as a catalog outlet in Wilmington, Delaware.
The Company, which has annual sales of approximately $500 million, is publicly
traded on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX:BL).

BLAIR CORPORATION SECURITY HOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ BLAIR CORPORATION'S
TENDER OFFER STATEMENT WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AS IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT
INFORMATION REGARDING THE TENDER OFFER. BLAIR CORPORATION WILL NOTIFY ALL OF ITS
SECURITY HOLDERS WHEN THE TENDER OFFER STATEMENT BECOMES AVAILABLE. WHEN
AVAILABLE, BLAIR CORPORATION SECURITY HOLDERS MAY GET THE TENDER OFFER STATEMENT
AND OTHER FILED DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE TENDER OFFER FOR FREE AT THE U.S.
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION'S WEB SITE (www.sec.gov). IN ADDITION, BLAIR
CORPORATION SECURITY HOLDERS MAY REQUEST A FREE COPY OF THE TENDER OFFER
STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE TENDER OFFER FROM BLAIR CORPORATION
WHEN AVAILABLE.


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This release contains certain statements, including without limitation,
statements containing the words "believe," "plan," "expect," "anticipate,"
"strive," and words of similar import relating to future results of the Company
(including certain projections and business trends) that are "forward-looking
statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Actual results may differ materially from those projected as a result of certain
risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to, changes in political and
economic conditions, demand for and market acceptance of new and existing
products, as well as other risks and uncertainties detailed in the most recent
periodic filings of the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

