opening february 18 - WWD

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OPENING FEBRUARY 18OPENING FEBRUARY 18

GIORGIO ARMANI CORPORATION 114 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10011 T. 212.209.3595 F.212.209.3795WWD MONDAY - OVERSIZED COVER WRAP (4C) POSITION: Cover 2 ISSUE: 2-16-2009 DUE DATE: 2-3-2009 TRIM: 11.375" x 14.75" BLEED: 11.625" X 15" SPECS: DIGITAL

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Pile It OnMore is sometimes more, and it certainly

was in the terrific fall collection Diane von Furstenberg showed on Sunday.

There was plenty of mixing, matching and layering in coordinating or contrasting graphic patterns. Here, her bold shrug

and sweater coat worn with a velvet dress, leggings and a pom-pom hat. For more on the season, see pages 6 to 15.

Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • February 16, 2009 • $3.00

See M&A, Page 21

The New M&A Mantra: Buyers Are Out There, But Only for BargainsBy Whitney BeckettFor fashion and retail brands looking for an investor or buyer, there’s good news and bad news.

The bright spot is that there are actually still buyers out there looking to make deals despite the credit freeze and recession. The downer is that they only want to pay rock-bottom prices. Investor appetite for paying high multiples for apparel companies has gone the way of shoppers’ willingness to pay full-price at retail.

Those firms remaining on the acquisitions hunt include:

• Kellwood Co., which is eager to acquire a denim brand.

• Bagir Ltd., the makers of technologically innovative men’s and women’s suits, which is

WWDMonDayAccessories/Innerwear/Legwear

Page 1 MondayBEAUTY: L’Oréal

taps Attal as head of global R&D; Roze to

head U.S., page 2.

REVIEWS: More on Victoria Beckham,

DKNY, Nicole Miller, Barbie

and Calvin Klein Men’s,

pages 6 to 15.

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NEW YORK

collections/fall ’09

collections/fall ’09s FASHION: Ones to Watch at

London Fashion Week, page 22.

EYE: Partying with Prada and McQ for Target, page 4.

WWD.COM2 WWD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009

WWDMOnDayAccessories/Innerwear/Legwear

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coming this weekMONDAY: Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week continues (through Friday).• AccessoriestheShow, Curve NV, Moda Las Vegas and MRket, Las Vegas (through Wednesday).• ASAP Global Sourcing Show, Sourcing at MAGIC and Women’s Wear in Nevada, Las Vegas (through Thursday).

TUESDAY: ENK Vegas, MAGIC Marketplace and Pool Tradeshow, Las Vegas (through Thursday).• Fossil and Wal-Mart report fourth-quarter and year-end sales and earnings.

WEDNESDAY: Capsule, Las Vegas (through Thursday).• Project Show, Las Vegas (through Friday).• Dress Barn reports fourth-quarter and year-end sales and earnings.

THURSDAY: The U.S. Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for January.

FRIDAY: Rendez-Vous NYC, New York (through Sunday).• London Fashion Week (through Feb. 24).• The Labor Department

releases the Consumer Price Index for January.• J.C. Penney reports fourth-quarter and year-end sales and earnings. SATURDAY: Atelier Designer Collections, Designers at the Essex House, Designers & Agents and The Train, New York (through Feb. 23).

SUNDAY: AccessoriestheShow, Coterie, Curve NY and Moda Manhattan, New York (through Feb. 24).• About J, Milan (through Feb. 24).

WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2009 FAIRCHILD FASHION GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 197, NO. 34. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in January, May, October, November and December, two additional issues in April, June and August, three additional issues in March and September, and four additional issues in February) by Fairchild Fashion Group, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast Publications: S. I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, President/CEO; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice President/COO; Jill Bright, Executive Vice President/Human Resources. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40644503. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. 886549096-RT0001. Canada Post: return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Cre, Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6 POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615–5008. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008, call 800-289-0273, or visit www.subnow.com/wd. Please give both new and old addresses as printed on most recent label. First copy of new subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. For permissions and reprint requests, please call 212-630-4274 or fax requests to 212-630-4280. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OR LOSS OF, OR FOR DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO, UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO DO SO BY WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE.

To e-mail reporTers and ediTors aT WWd, The address is [email protected], using The individual’s name.

Classified Advertisements.................................................................................................27

FAshionNew York Fashion Week continued with collections from Diane von Furstenberg, DKNY, Nicole Miller and Lela Rose.

geneRALThe good news for brands seeking an investor or buyer is there are buyers out there, but the bad news is they don’t want to pay much.Band of Outsiders designer Scott Sternberg has struck a licensing deal with Pier SpA for his women’s line Boy by Band of Outsiders.ACCESSORIES: Independent jewelry designers are discovering new modes of survival: keeping prices modest and designs spectacular.

INNERWEAR: The Emporio Armani Underwear brand for men and women is taking its cue from the line’s rtw as it enters the U.S. market.

Lavelle Olexa, Lord & Taylor’s senior vice president and fashion director, is leaving the company on Feb. 27 after 20 years at the store.Fast-fashion chain Forever 21 plans to launch a prototype in Los Cerritos Center near Los Angeles this year that will double its average store size.Wal-Mart Stores has begun selling a new men’s line called American Classics from Russell Simmons to a small number of its U.S. doors.

WWD Accessories is included with this issue as a supplement.

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“we’re all hookers in one way or another.”

— kelly cutrone of People’s Revolution on Ashley Dupré, whom she let into Yiguel Azrouël’s

show and was subsequently fired. Page 16.

QUOTEDAILY

• Ongoing coverage of New York Fashion Week, including reviews,

parties and Fashion Scoops• Full runs of show from all the

collections• Videos of key shows

• Backstage beauty

DknY

L’Oréal Taps Attal to Head R&D, Roze for U.S. Unit

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coRRectionDavid Kennedy is president and chief executive officer of Revlon. His title was incorrect in a story on page 18, Friday.

TODAY ON

.comWWD

By Pete Born

AFTER FoUR SoMETIMES TRYING YEARS A at the helm of L’oréal’s North American opera-tion, Laurent Attal is being promoted back to the Paris headquarters to take charge of the indus-try leader’s global research and development ef-fort, plus its year-old innovation department.

Attal will be replaced in New York by Frederic Roze as the new president and chief executive officer of L’oréal USA.

Attal’s new title will be executive vice presi-dent and managing director of research and in-novation, succeeding Jean-François Grollier, who is retiring at age 65 after 40 years with L’oréal. In a telephone interview Saturday, Jean-Paul Agon, ceo of parent L’oréal, described Grollier as the driving force behind the company’s R&D effort, the largest in the industry accounting for 3.3 to 3.4 percent of sales (last year 17 billion euros) and employing more than 3,000 workers. Grollier had the vision of expanding the scope of beauty research beyond chemistry to include biology and life sciences while building a world-wide network of laboratories and evaluation cen-ters. Agon said that the innovation department, which is charged with “anticipating new trends and working with the labs at an early stage,” was linked to Attal’s R&D portfolio “to accelerate the innovation and make sure the R&D force drives to deliver [it].” Agon added, “we believe this is very important for the company. What sells now is innovation.”

Roze, 47, head of the mass-mar-ket Consumer Products Division for Europe, is to arrive in New York in March and succeed Attal by July 1. He joined L’oréal in 1986 and became managing director of the Consumer Products Division of L’oréal Russia before being named general manager of Gemey France in 1996.

Later, as managing director of L’oréal Argentina, Roze is credited with orchestrating the recovery of the business amid a financial crisis. He moved to Spain in 2002 as head of both the Consumer Products and Professional Products Divisions, and boosted market share in many categories, L’oréal said. Roze be-came director of the Consumer Products Division for Western Europe in 2004, then his duties were expanded across Europe.

Agon said Attal, 51, was picked to spearhead R&D and innovation, not only because he has a background in science but also for his strategic acumen and leadership abilities.

Attal, was a trained dermatologist and earned an M.B.A. before joining L’oréal in 1986. He built the company’s Active Cosmetics Division into a worldwide force before moving to New York in 2005 and taking the reins of L’oréal USA, which generated estimated sales last year of $5 billion.

The year after he arrived in the U.S., the department store world was rocked by the ab-sorption of May Co. into Federated Department Stores Inc., which is now Macy’s Inc. That was followed by a long period of destocking among retailers. In the last year, recession morphed into a financial meltdown and the entire luxury segment took a major body blow.

However, Attal sees his four years in New York as a number of pluses and one long struggle — the crunching of luxury.

Although some securities analysts have sharp-ly criticized L’oréal for weak quarterly sales results in the last year, exacerbated by what at least one financial house sees as a rollback of advertising, Attal maintains that the North American subsidiary has picked up market share in three of its four divisions — consumer products, professional salon products and the active dermatological division — during the past year. Attal admitted that fourth business, depart-ment stores, has been “challenging.” Agon only had praise: “He did a terrific job in a difficult environment during the last four years.”

Attal pointed with pride to the Garnier brands entry into skin care with Nutritioniste in January 2007, which netted L’oréal five share points into the highly competitive mass skin care market. The Consumer Products Division sailed into the downdraft of recession by ramping up its adver-tising by 10.9 percent for the fourth quarter. The result was a 2.3 percent increase in sales for the quarter while competitors suffered a 2.2 percent dip, said Joseph Campinell, division president.

Just weeks ago, David Cragg announced his re-tirement as L’oréal Professional Products Division’s president. While criticized by some on Wall Street, Attal was supported by Agon for making what he saw as key acquisitions, namely purchase of three salon distribution operations. Attal pointed out that

the move allowed L’oréal to do what it does in the rest of the world— sell direct to hair salons in a country that has over 200,000 salons. By acquiring control of distribution for almost 50 percent of its business “we can bet-ter control the destiny of our salon business,” he said.

Moreover, he argues, it gives L’oreal a direct link “allowing us to get closer to our hairdressers,” Attal said. This is particularly necessary in the case of beauty supply stores, which are patronized by booth rent-ers, who comprise a significant slice of the hairdresser population.

He also pointed to a strengthen-ing of the dermo cosmetics busi-ness, with the dermatological skin care products being merchandised in their sections of pilot CVS drug-stores, amounting to 700 doors in the Northeast and California.

In addition to improvements in the sales ef-fort in the last four years, Attal said he was proud of the modernization of L’oréal’s systems.

The financial community’s reaction was mixed. “Research and development is very important at L’oréal, it’s what differentiates the brand, that and its marketing know-how,” said Chicuong Dong, an analyst at Richelieu Finance in Paris. “We could also read into the news that there’s a desire to bring fresh blood to the U.S., which has been a dif-ficult market. It’s too early to tell. We’ll know more at the conference on Tuesday.” The analyst was re-ferring to L’oréal’s financial analysis meeting.

Dan Dolev, associate European HPC analyst of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. LLC said, “North America has clearly been a problem business for L’oréal for some time…so this move suggests that senior management is shaking things up.”

— with contributions from Brid costello

Frederic Roze

Laurent Attal

BeAUtY BeAt

tory Burch

For more on L’oréal’s business plans, see wwD.com.

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January Jones

Jason Wu

Fashion Week parties, see WWD.com.

Stealth ShoppersIN A FURTHER SIGN OF THESE MORE-SUBDUED

times, Prada’s party on Friday night was far calmer than seasons past. There were no rock bands or celebrities swilling beers till midnight, just a civilized group of

designers, editors and models who arrived to the SoHo fl agship for cocktails at 6 and were out of there by 9. Jason

Wu, Alberta Ferretti, Zac Posen, Maria Cornejo, Zoe Saldana, Akiko Ogawa and a host of others came to congratulate stylist Alex White, who designed the windows and interiors of the store for Prada’s Iconoclast series. White’s vision began with the “good” — an all-

white grouping on the Broadway side — and ended with the “bad” — a black-and-red display of mannequins wearing Mickey Mouse ears facing Mercer Street. Needless to say, most folks congregated toward the bad, where guests like Sophia Hesketh and Hope Atherton

were ordering Champagne and mojitos. Model Sasha Pivovarova did an impromptu (free) photo session for the photographers and snapper Roxanne Lowit shot pics of the fake mannequins.

Meanwhile, January Jones and Brittany Snow trekked all the way to St. John’s Center off the West Side Highway for a special VIP shopping night for the new McQ Alexander McQueen for Target line. The huge warehouse-like space was decked out with chain-link fence booths (stocked with ankle-zipper leggings, tattoo print Ts and studded jumpsuits), graffi ti art and, naturally, multiple well-stocked bars — all the better to loosen up any reticent shoppers.

While others crowded a makeshift stage where British band The Duke Spirit rocked out, actress Rose Byrne lugged a pile of clothes toward a dressing room. Gretchen Mol forewent the snaking line, discreetly trying her stash on in a corner. “It’s too long a wait,” she shrugged, before heading

off to pay for her hot pink-printed bathing suit.

EVERY NIGHT AT 8 THESE DAYS, MERCEDES RUEHL morphs into Eva Adler, an overbearing, manipulative mother who tries to protect her daughter Lili (Lily Rabe) from the evils of the world — or at least, the WASP-y suitors who wash ashore at the Catskills resort where they summer. As part of the Manhattan Theatre Club revival of Richard Greenberg’s “The American Plan” (on until March 15), Ruehl also dons very proper Sixties garb and very large gems. In real life, the 60-year-old actress is a year-round resident of East Hampton, where she lives with artist David Geiser and their son Jake (older son Christopher lives in Boston). She favors slacks, sweaters and her jewelry consists of silver rings and a semiprecious necklace she designed herself on a trip to Santa Fe, N.M. Ruehl is also a much more relaxed personality, perhaps in part thanks to her Oscar (for 1991’s “The Fisher King”), Tony and Obie awards.

Here, Ruehl speaks with WWD about swapping her Queens accent for a German one, stage versus fi lm and pink Uggs.

WWD: What made you want to do this role?Mercedes Ruehl: Theater is very grueling. When I do theater it has to be really worth it, because it means from Tuesday night through Friday, I don’t see my son. It’s gotta be a good character and it’s gotta be a well-written play. But mostly the character needs to be very attractive to me. It is and it was and it did and here I am.

WWD: How did you develop Eva’s accent? Were you concerned at all that it might be overpowering?M.R.: It happens to be an accent that came to me very easily, but a wonderful woman who works at Juilliard [also] made some tapes for me. She got a German woman to record every line in the play for me, so I was able to listen and pick and choose. The German accent has been done so much and parodied so much

that now the actual accent sounds like a parody. But if [Eva] comes across as a one-dimensional villain of the piece, it’s less interesting for everybody: the other actors on the stage, the playwright and the audience.

WWD: Do you have to do extensive preparation for the play every night?M.R.: Back in the day, I used to prepare the way

I hear the other actors in this show preparing. I would do the vocal exercises and sit and meditate and it would take about an hour. Now it takes me fi ve minutes.

WWD: On stage, your relationship with Lily Rabe’s character is fraught with tension. Do you get along with her offstage?

M.R.: I love Lily. We have a sort of brinksmanship about wearing interesting articles of clothing into the theater — “If you like this jacket, wait till you see the shirt I’m going to wear tomorrow.” I really gobsmacked her when I came in in fuchsia Ugg boots a few weeks ago.

WWD: Where did you pick those up?M.R.: My partner David is a painter and he got them for me. He’s not a man who confi nes

himself to earth tones. I used to say, a long time ago, “All actors should marry nurses and all actresses should marry bankers.”

But David is a very creative man and he’s exceptionally well read. His response to what he sees

on stage is always honest. So I depend on David for the true dish, because you never know when you are being shined on.

WWD: What about reviews? Do you pay attention to them? M.R.: A lot of actors don’t, but I want to get a cross-section of the piece and how my work in it is received. It’s amazing when you get everything from enormous kudos to “Oh well, I thought it was over-acting,” or “That accent is unbelievable,” and you think, “Did you see this on the same night, gentlemen?” But it’s good. Sometimes you don’t get an honest appraisal from everyone else because everyone wants to be your friend. I look at it all and I think about it all.

WWD: Do you feel the pressures of aging as an actress? M.R.: My mom always lied about her age. At one point when she went to the DMV to renew her license, there were so many different versions of her age in the records that they almost didn’t issue her a license. And she always forgot what her latest lie was. So at a certain point, I decided you have to look at this age thing and come to terms with the fact that it’s part of the experience of living. You have to cop to the age that you are and try to do it as gracefully as possible. I resent the idea that there’s something shameful about aging.

WWD: You have done extensive work in fi lm, TV and stage. Which do you prefer?M.R.: Stage is harder. Stage is scarier. Stage is eight times a week. And stage basically doesn’t pay. Having said that, I prefer stage, because it’s the only place the actor controls the proceedings. In fi lm, you are at the mercy of the director and the editor. In television, you are at the mercy of the editors and the writers. But theater is the actor’s medium.

WWD: What are you doing next?M.R.: I’d like to get involved with directing. In terms of acting, I take what comes. The best stuff in my life always comes barreling out of left fi eld when I least expect it — like “The Fisher King.” One day you are thinking, “Didn’t I have a career?” and nine months later you get an Oscar. My number came up in the celestial lottery, you know? But then fortune’s wheel has a way of turning. You go to the three o’clock and the six o’clock position, because you can only stay on the crest for so long. The good thing is, the wheel is always turning.

— Elisa Lipsky-Karasz

RUEHL BREAKER

Zac Posen and Sasha Pivovarova

“Stage is harder. Stage is scarier…And stage basically doesn’t pay. ”

— Mercedes Ruehl

Zoe Saldana

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Cecilia Dean at Prada.

eYe on travel

WWD’S neWeSt aDvertISInG oPPortUnItY

6 WWD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Diane von Furstenberg: If anyone knows fashion’s Darwinian dynamics, it’s Diane von Furstenberg, a woman who has proven she can persevere. And what better time to flaunt those killer instincts, as von Furstenberg did with a fun, feisty collection of terrific real clothes and fanciful headgear. “It’s about survival,” said von Furstenberg at her studio a few days before the show, adding that, for fall, her girl is “a nomad. Everywhere she goes, she fits in.” By that, she must’ve been referring to the endless layering, mixing and matching possibilities she provided because, worn together, these clothes were the stand-out, look-at-me sort.

Von Furstenberg’s was a charming vagabond, decked in feral prints, fabulous, funky knits and loads of texture. The looks came pared down, as in the first slinky, leopard-print velvet dress, and piled on: One vibrant outfit featured a plaid mohair coat, over a ribbed knit turtleneck, plaid mohair mini and graphic, tribal-print leggings, a nearly ubiquitous effect that came in camouflage, animal prints and fluorescent varieties, and added a fresh, ferocious feeling to the lineup. Likewise for the kooky knit caps festooned with pom-poms, an allusion to faux fur, which von Furstenberg let fly on hats, handbags and the trim of a bouclé coat. While there was plenty of shine in sassy sequin shift dresses and the final metallic liquid

jersey gown, some of the brightest moments came as homespun jackets, a few Navajo styles, beautifully done in purple and blue, in particular. Indeed, von Furstenberg showed a deft hand for earthy mixes, so much so that the graphic black-and-whites seemed out of place. Still, for all the primal references, this collection was highly evolved.

Victoria Beckham: “Madonna — you can’t do better than that!” Victoria Beckham joked when asked to identify her emerging customer base. (An early group of her spring dresses hit Bergdorf Goodman and Selfridges weeks ago.) She was referring to the current W photo shoot in which Madonna makes steamy stuff of one look.

In fact, Beckham has a broader base in mind. Though too early to tell a mere two collections into her second career, judging from the controlled lineup she showed on Sunday, it seems that she may indeed be no lightweight. (Figuratively, that is. The former Posh Spice is still a slip of a girl.) Beckham’s focus remains on curvy, sensual dresses that won’t date easily. Such was her launch raison d’être, which now, one very bizarre season later, seems ever so savvy. For fall, she added shorter, more relaxed looks and conversely, more demonstrative flourishes such as a glam fold to the bodice of a cocktail dress inspired by her wedding gown.

There were also “capes,” actually swing-back affairs with zip-up sleeves, and sultry evening gowns — some with long sleeves! — with a Forties siren feel. As for helping a gal suck it all in, Beckham removed the inner “obi” construction featured in numerous spring designs, in favor of offering a single, separate corset, retailing for $590. “That helps keep the price of the dresses down,” she said. Might it also signal an innerwear collection in the near feature? “Why,” Beckham mused, “that’s a very good idea.”

DKNY: What a difference six months can make. Last time around, the 20-year-old label paid homage to streetwear decadence; for fall, DKNY was “back to business,” according to Donna Karan. “It has optimism, but, at the same time, there’s a new reality, and I had a modern girl in mind,” Karan said of her collection, which focused on structured and straightforward suits (that girl, after all, has an office to go to). To wit, there was a slim red and gray houndstooth jacket and skirt, and a series of boxy, stretch wool jackets in gray

New York Heats UpFeisty, sultry or even down to business — whatever the mood, all kinds oF chic girls stalked the Fall runways.

Diane von Furstenberg

Diane von Furstenberg

NEW YORK



Victoria Beckham t

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WWD.COM7WWD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009

BRYANBOY’S BIG ADVENTURE: Marc Jacobs’ guest list might be dramatically slashed this season, but Bryanboy is winging his way to attend both the Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs shows. The Manila-based blogger’s fashion week action doesn’t end there — he’s set to film and narrate a 25-minute documentary on Jacobs’ fall-winter 2009-10 season for the Japanese market, debuting in July. According to Bryanboy, the film is being coordinated by Martin Webb for Marc Jacobs Japan, with “Lost in Translation” co-producer Stephen Schible tapped as producer. Filming in blogger reportage-style with a handicam, Bryanboy is due to tour Jacobs’ workshops, show rehearsals, backstage hair and makeup, front rows and the shows themselves. The blogger is an avid Jacobs fan — so much so that the designer famously named a bag after Bryanboy and FedEx-ed him the prototype. How is the New York Fashion Week virgin feeling about the prospect of being thrown in at the deep end of the event, with the promise of unfettered access to one of its hottest tickets? “Totally gobsmacked” he told WWD. “I thought the fairies had lost the plot! It’s an honor to have this very rare opportunity. I’m excited to be working on this project with Marc Jacobs Japan as Marc is one of my favorite designers.”

ALL FOR ALEXANDER: Sarah Jessica Parker is Harper’s Bazaar’s March cover girl, but that didn’t stop the actress from stealing a seat next to Anna Wintour at the Alexander Wang show on Saturday afternoon. The actress, who donned a black Wang number for the occasion, chatted up the Vogue editor in chief between posing for photo ops. “I haven’t gone to a fashion show in years,” said Parker, who reported she made an exception for Wang because “he’s such an amazing designer, especially in these economic times.” The “Sex and the City” star, who reported she won’t be attending any other shows this week, said she hoped to introduce herself to Wang backstage. “But only if he’s not too busy. I don’t want to bother him,” she said.

Those joining Parker in the front row at the Roseland Ballroom included rock offspring Alexandra Richards and Zoë Kravitz, Erin Wasson and Brooklyn-based singer Santigold, who wasn’t there to look for her next onstage ensemble. “They’re too nice to perform in,” she said of Wang’s designs. “I need to wear workout clothes.”

Meanwhile, the presence of Topshop’s Sir Philip Green at the show raised a few suspicious eyebrows. Could a collaboration between Topshop and the designer be on the horizon? Green downplayed the possibility. “Anna [Wintour] said I should come and take a look,” Green said. “I am just here to see what’s happening.”

For more Fashion Scoops, see page 16

and cerise. Hemlines dropped below the knee on pencil skirts, done in cozy tweed and flannel. The toppers, however, were the highlight: from jaunty capes and bomber jackets to a superb taupe mohair car coat, these pieces possessed a timeless quality. And there was sexier and versatile fare, too, as with a series of wool jersey wrap dresses with sweetheart necklines and a cool leopard-print minidress.

Koi Suwannagate: The economy has everyone on alert. After flexing her prowess in wovens last season, Koi Suwannagate returned to knitwear, with a lineup of 15 gorgeous hand-crafted looks. (A lone silk gown was a last-minute addition.) Suwannagate honed in on her favorite themes with sculpted rosettes aplenty on capes, vests and sweaters, but she tempered the frou with a subtle graphic edge, inspired by Swiss artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Take, for instance, the quilted geometric patterns on a plush cashmere jacket. The designer added a mannish vibe as well in a series of boyfriend cardis with a strong shoulder emphasis and some terrific trouser leggings, proving she’s capable of more than just the

romantic reverie. Soon, we might even see another side — Suwannagate let slip that she’s in talks to do

a private label for another company. “And it won’t be one season,” she noted. “It’ll be long-term.”

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Nicole Miller: After years of globe-trotting for inspiration, Nicole Miller decided to go for something closer to home — the imposing angles of New York City, perhaps? Instead of exotic prints, her collection was flush with architectural references, such as sharp lines, geometric cuts and origami effects, rendered mostly in black with strokes of cobalt blue and fuchsia. Miller worked the motif subtly at first with straightforward shift dresses, some with square shoulders, others with tucking, and escalated it into sexy sophistication with bondage details and bustier dresses. Exposed zippers and leather biker jackets hammered home this edgier, more urban Miller moment, which was a strong showing.

ADAM Adam Lippes: Adam Lippes made his outing an ode to Japanese iconography, inspired by a recent photography show at Boston’s Peabody Museum. And if the results sometimes approached the discordant side of versatile, many of the clothes looked great. Lippes favored vibrant colors and effects such as delicate cherry blossoms embroidered on silk and textured metallic detailing that recalled the

regalia of a Samurai uniform, putting the motif to work in an upbeat sportswear context. He moved between chic dresses, whether a cream wool sheath with gold side embroideries or a perfect navy shirtdress, and colorful silk suitings, one or two of which got lost in Eighties power mode. When it came to the sportiest looks, however, there were no such strays, as pilings anchored by lush sweaters and multiple textures imparted a delightful, slightly bohemian flavor. Among the hits: a gray cardigan over a basketweave sweatshirt, floral blouse and leggings; a thick handknit sweatercoat, and a classic anorak gone wacky with iridescent navy and purple fur lining.

Alexander Wang: Alexander Wang found inspiration in the 1992 flick “Batman Returns,” especially the scene when Michelle Pfeiffer turns from mousy librarian to latex-wearing, femme fatale Catwoman. The translation? Wang at his most aggressive, with a feral tough-chic vibe. “These girls grew up like a pack of wolves,” he explained. “They get what they want.” If a girl wants rocker fierceness with loads of skin-baring, flying fur and biker shorts galore, then Wang’s her guy.

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Ditto for fans of slicked-up Eighties-meets-Nineties power dressing; they’ll love his terrific sharp, slim tailored numbers. In fact, even though the single-minded slashing, studding and street-savvy tough chic grew repetitious, Wang has already connected big-time with the antiflowy frock set. Settling in for the show, Opening Ceremony co-owner Carol Lim noted that in just two weeks, Wang’s spring collection has had a 70 percent sell-through.

Vena Cava: Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock, known for lovely dresses that a certain chic but never too-girly girl wears, got a bit ambitious this time out, and cheers to that. Using their very salable silk frocks as a foundation point, Buhai and Mayock constructed snug jackets with asymmetric pleating, gowns with sexy torso cutouts and skirts toughened up with zippers and buckles. These were intricate and layered pieces, in hologram-esque colors of jade and granite, a nod to the collection’s inspiration — the American Museum of Natural History’s Hall of Gems and Minerals. Despite the heaped-on embellishments there was nothing fussy here.

Indeed, a hardness ran throughout the collection, which evoked the moody glamour of Eighties greats from Stevie Nicks to Kate Bush, effortlessly toeing the line between grace and edge.

Rag & Bone: Marcus Wainwright and David Neville’s sleek tailoring lent itself beautifully to this season’s dignified warrior theme. In women’s wear, fencing or cutaway coats were worn with chunky knits and chain mail that offered a balance to leggings or kilts, both accented with leather. The duo wisely showed lots of layers, playing with varying textures and soft prints that gave their sometimes stark collection a great pile-it-on feel and, perhaps more importantly in today’s economy, an army of gotta-have-it items.

In men’s wear, the designers’ highly tailored collection had a pleasing sobriety. Embracing the exoticism of a new “ninja” pant silhouette — voluminous and cinched at the knees and ankles — was a risk that paid off. Silver suits, chain-mail vests and officer jackets with crested buttons also gave the men a fighting spirit.

Rag & Bone Rag & Bone

Vena Cava

Alexander Wang


Reem Acra: Grecian draping was the theme at Reem Acra, and it was echoed in the backdrops at the show. While the evening looks were a mix of short and long, the focus was on a series of gorgeous gowns in silk satins, taffetas, chiffons and shantungs that were draped and twisted. The silhouettes had a certain similarity, but the dresses nevertheless looked distinctive in Acra’s rich palette of pastels and jewel tones. The black pleated top worn with a long iridescent silk sarong skirt was less formal. But what anchored the collection were the jewels: bold metal and stone or cloth clips, bracelets and necklaces

made in the designer’s studio. Most imaginative were the necklaces on nude illusion net that were inset on cowl-neck columns or attached to strapless dresses. These gave the effect of a gown accessorized by important jewelry.

Lela Rose: Dressed-up sportswear and sporty evening looks were the focus of Lela Rose’s lovely collection. She interpreted them with gentle contradictions and in graphic texture and pattern mixes: printed taffeta, for instance, in a skirt or trenchcoat, mixed with pieces in rich, gravel-toned tweeds. She combined hard and soft in

a ribbed cashmere coat over a draped, embroidered silk and wool sheath, while short little paillette tank dresses and a metallic tweed sheath also had a casual élan. Rose’s gowns played with paradox — a floating one-shoulder look, for instance, was shown in a strict black-and-white plaid paper taffeta. And it all made sense.

Hervé Léger by Max Azria: Few fashion houses delight in being a one-trick pony. Not so at Hervé Léger, where bandeau dresses rule — and will as long as there are heat-seeking starlets to go around. For fall, the look went utterly

primitive — Azria’s currently drumming, according to show notes, “to the beat of the urban tribe” — and, thus, concrete-jungle tough chic. Think Grace Jones-as-Zula hitting the Miami club scene. Azria’s Africana motif came out in graphic tribal patterns, slick snakeskin inserts and metal-plate embellishments. Colors, meanwhile, stayed earthy: browns, greens, coppers and blacks. As for the silhouette, it was thigh-grazing, body-conscious and sexy — natch. But Azria kicked it up an edgy notch with tight padded shoulders, à la recent Balmain, for an extra dose of warrior savagery.

Reem Acra Lela Rose Ashleigh Verrier

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“Strike while the iron iS hot” might well have been the driving force behind the strong, chic collection that Chicago designer Maria Pinto brought to new York on Friday for appointments. Michelle obama’s first go-to fashion person, Pinto enjoyed a boost during Barack obama’s campaign. “She’s been a fabulous part of my life,” Pinto said of her longtime client, who has recently opted for other young designers, notably for the inauguration. however, Pinto doesn’t feel forgotten. “i think Michelle just comes from her heart,” Pinto said. “like, ‘if i feel good in this dress, that’s what i’m going to wear today.’” luckily for all of Pinto’s loyal ladies, the designer did not lose focus for fall. in fact, judging from her expanded evening offerings, the obama buzz has helped her evolve beyond the great daywear for which she’s known.

not surprisingly, there were fabulous coats (“i’m a Chicagoan,” Pinto said, “so i can’t have enough”) in glossy alpaca and wool. Day dresses, meanwhile, were slim in the front with cocoon-like volume in back, a nod to Pinto’s “continuous curves” theme. Subtle curves were also worked into evening, as in hand-embroidered tulle and silk bias cut gowns.

the 90-piece collection wholesales from $400 to $1,200 and will be available at takashimaya in new York and at the designer’s Chicago boutique, though her wraps are sold at Barneys new York and Saks Fifth Avenue. whether any of it will make it into the First lady’s fall wardrobe remains to be seen. “we’ve reached out to her,” Pinto said. “But it’s not so urgent. i think she has a lot of other things on her agenda.”

Windy City Style

Ashleigh Verrier: The 1964 film “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” was Ashleigh Verrier’s inspiration, and the mood came through best in dressed-up sportswear: girly, high-waisted dresses; short, ruffle-waisted skirts, and slender pants. Soft shapes with frills were effectively balanced by strictly tailored jackets and coats. The ingenue motif worked splendidly when kept charming, rather than those echoes of little Lolitas. Some of Verrier’s more sophisticated looks were also notable: midnight or beige velvet dresses, a black satin wrap coat and a shapely wool jacket with hand-cut flowers — all splashed with crystals.

Boy by Band of Outsiders: With Bogart on the brain, Scott Sternberg’s take on classic all-American sportswear for women was pitch perfect. Layered with abandon, cardigans were extra long and rugby striped sweaters added a dash of cozy to his well-cut suiting. There was even a luxe quotient with the designer’s first foray into fur à la a chic gray chinchilla coat.

In men’s wear, Sternberg continued to nurture the cult following for his extremely narrow, boyish suits, adding a patchwork style of gray suitings to the repertoire. He also made concessions to a customer looking for a greater sense of ease, tailoring cozy trousers out of a shetland wool lined with

cotton jersey. And he devised a rubber, trompe l’oeil version of the classic boat shoe for his Sperry Top-Sider collaboration. For more on Band of Outsiders, see page 13.

Tom Scott: Tom Scott dubbed his collection “Things I Don’t Like.” One such example: Football, which he interpreted in his characteristically subtle, witty way. The linebacker-broad shoulders of alpaca sweaters, for instance, and pullovers with fringed knit pom-pom sleeves. Also great were Scott’s hairy “fur” alpaca coats and — in his first stab at the home market — his own luxe version of the blanket-cum-sweater Snuggie.

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collections/fall ’09Hervé Léger by Max Azria

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THISDAY/ARISE MAGAZINE’S four-collection presentation made a strong statement for the arts and aesthetics of Africa. While some looks were more literal than others, Nigerian Folake Akindele’s Tiffany Amber line was the most successful, displaying the best balance of fashion and tradition with elegantly simple, classic shapes, rendered in beautiful fabrics with intricate beading. The latter corseted a floaty caftan and hemmed crisp A-line dresses. Malian Lamine Badian Kouyaté’s sportswear for Xuly Bët included some terrific charcoal denim jackets and easy jumpsuits. South African Nkhensani Manganyi’s collection for Stoned Cherrie was inspired by singer-activist Miriam Makeba, whose stylish spirit was reflected in everything from a leather skirt and printed silk shirt with billowing sleeves to a floating orange chiffon evening dress worn by Alek Wek. And Nigerian Fati Asibelua of Momo brought the beasts from Africa with short, sexy animal-print dresses in gray silk or cashmere knits. There were lots of terrific clothes here, but it was only Grace Jones who, just by walking down the runway, brought the already show-weary crowd to its feet.

Lacoste: Christophe Lemaire’s newly named Black collection for Lacoste offered plenty of comfort in his women’s lineup of cozy knits, but voluminous double-faced wool coats had the most impact. In men’s wear, Lemaire showed strongest conviction with his milky-colored, fine-knit suits, but sweaters — from a shawl-collared, double-breasted cozy cardigan to geometric patterned pullovers — held the most appeal.

Preen: Calling all glamazons — with their racy peekaboo dresses and cutout toppers, Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi have got your numbers.

Lorick: Abigail Lorick’s fall lineup worked best in simple, tailored looks, as in shirtdresses and shifts, but verged on stale with gaudy fabrics and uninspired designs.

Cushnie et Ochs: Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs’ best looks were the midcalf black turtleneck dress and a series of second-skin ombré gray minidresses, but much of the rest seemed too much, too short and too tight.

Patrik Rzepski: Very dark romance was the vibe of Patrik Rzepski’s collection of mostly black separates and dresses, some with interesting metallic mesh details.

Graey: Janet Kim’s fall collection, her first to include dresses, found its strength in playful silk frocks with geometric color blocking, but fell flat in more simple designs with exposed puckered seams.

Staerk: Camilla Staerk worked black leather and lace into a beautiful collection of body-skimming skirts and pants, plus standout leather-accented coats, inspired by Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs of Patti Smith.

WWD.COM12 WWD, monDay, february 16, 2009

Talk abouT a Timeless beauty. barbie, that perpetually blonde, tan and tippy-toed clotheshorse, has hit the big 5-0. and in honor of america’s foremost fashion doll’s birthday, the CFDa asked 50 designers for their take on barbie’s dream wardrobe. Judging by the looks that walked the sparkly pink runway saturday afternoon, much to the delight of a buoyant crowd of barbie girls of all ages, the designers were happy to address the theme. michael kors, bryan bradley and kimora lee simmons were among those who dreamed up additions to barbie’s massive closet, which at last count held more than 105 million yards of fabric and one billion pairs of shoes. What ensued was a hit parade of frou, flou and loads of bubblegum pink, each outfit worn with a pair of shiny fuchsia shoes. The show was divided into three acts — Decade, Faux Reality and Future — and opened with Rachel Roy’s retro-glam-sequin swimsuit and bedazzled trench. From there, there was splendor, as in marchesa’s cascading lavender gown, and sport, by way of alexander Wang’s sparkly bodysuit and hot pink blazer. There was minimal — Calvin klein’s single-sleeve white dress — and maxed-out — bob mackie’s feathered and fringed gown and headdress à la Cher. and then there were glamorous barbie classics, such as Naeem khan’s short, sequined fit-and-flare number. but not a bit felt world- or economy-weary. This was a feel-good fashion frenzy to remind us all that getting dressed is supposed to be fun.

Christian Cota: Christian Cota presented his fourth and strongest collection to date. inspired by geology, he

developed beautifully complex prints and textures from photographs of cracked stones and crystals. stunners included an embellished high-waisted mini, and the designer showed his draping skills in a swirled silk satin-faced organza skirt that resembled rock strata twisted in an earthquake, paired with a speckled pebble print blouse.

Elise Øverland: For fall, elise Øverland presented a more sophisticated version of her usual leather array of unfinished,

grungy looks. This time around, the collection looked complete. There were plenty of desirable separates in metallic fabrics, paillettes and even velvet coats and jackets that, when all put together, were very much in keeping with the season’s rock ’n’ roll attitude.

Ohne Titel: in spite of difficult times, young designers are stepping up to the plate, giving the fashion world a much-needed lift. Case in point: alexa adams and Flora Gill, the duo behind ohne Titel, who turned out a tight lineup of chain-mail wrap dresses, black crystal stud tops and biker-inspired

jackets and pants. it sounds like this girl should be riding a Harley, but adams and Gill have a hand in tailoring and construction that elevated the collection’s chic rocker look.

Threeasfour: Natural as a concept doesn’t have to mean granola, especially in the hands of talented designers. in an almost-impossible-to-get-into presentation, Gabriel asfour, angela Donhauser and adi Gil of Threeasfour played with organic geometry. The collection featured straight lines and sharp tailoring on dresses, coats and pants. sleek and modern, yes, and for a space age feel, the trio worked oversize crystal embellishments for extra shine. beam me up.

A Living Doll

more from the shows...

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Brooks Brothers continued to draw on its long-standing heritage for its fall collection.

the season took inspiration from the palettes of a variety of paintings that helped update looks from the past. For instance, the tattersalls and tartans of the collection harken back to the verti-cal lines and primary colors of a work from Mondrian. and John James audubon’s bird paintings give new meaning to the sports-man’s theme.

a collegiate sensibility was also visible in the line, which intro-duced two new accessories pieces — a briefcase and duffle — in a vintage leather used for wilson footballs. in fact, the store is also re-tailing a cobranded limited edition football in the same material.

deep saturated colors — mainly purple and navy — were a hall-mark of the line, and Brooks Bros. also stepped ahead with its all-black evening story that included a bouclé double-breasted jacket paired with a pencil skirt for women.

cashmere, in coats, wraps and twinsets for women, was also a unifying statement in the line.

in the Black Fleece collection, designed by thom Browne, the women’s wear has lightened up. “we’re softening the girl,” Browne said, noting there are “more skirts and dresses” offered this time. “the collection is a lot more feminine, from the shapes of the skirts to the looseness of the knits.”

in men’s, the fabrics and details have evolved and include ticket pockets on the jackets and tartans in different fabrics. “the men’s line builds upon itself every season instead of changing [dramati-cally],” he said.

one of the most striking pieces is a full-length beaver overcoat for men that Browne said was inspired by a piece he found in the archives.

Brooks Bros. chief executive officer claudio del Vecchio re-ported the newly opened Black Fleece store on Bleecker street has started off strong. “it’s a novelty, so we can’t compare it to any other opening,” he said, “but it’s doing better than planned so far. and we’re only selling full price.” additionally, the women’s wear is doing better than it has traditionally done in Brooks Bros. stores.

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de Beers, the diaMond Jewelry company, has promoted chief operating officer hamida Belkadi to chief executive officer of u.s. operations.

the post had been vacant since alyce alston left in 2007. Belkadi, who be-came chief operating officer in July 2007, reports to worldwide ceo guy leymarie. she began working for de Beers in 2005 as vice presi-dent of sales and marketing, and previously worked at cartier for 18 years.

Belkadi spearheaded the growth of the de Beers store

network, increasing to 11 boutiques across the country from five. in 2008, stores opened in dallas, san Francisco, costa Mesa, calif., and naples and Bal harbour, Fla., joining units in new york, Beverly hills, washington, las Vegas,

waikiki and houston.the company’s u.s. strategy for

2009 is to bolster store sales by pro-moting bridal product, special collec-tions and classic diamond jewelry.

“we opened five stores last year,” Belkadi said. “we have to solidify those stores and get them going.”

— Sophia Chabbott

By Beth Wilson

despite plans to lay oFF soMe 7,000 eMployees, Macy’s inc. will Make good on its commitment to provide work space for six fledgling designers through the chicago Fashion incubator at Macy’s on state street.

the incubator, which launched last year as part of chicago Mayor richard daley’s effort to boost the city’s fashion industry, unveiled a new class of designers, attracting applicants from new york, rhode island and tennessee.

that the incubator drew such a diverse group, including those looking to relocate to chicago, speaks to the need in the fashion industry for such supportive initiatives, said Melissa gamble, the city’s director of fashion arts and events.

the 2009 designers in residence include ashley Zigmunt, who completed internships with Zac posen and peter som en route to creating her new line, Zamrie, and catherine Furio, a graduate of the rhode island school of design, both of whom will be moving to chicago. other participants include Jess audey, who designs cocktail dresses; cynthia ryba, who creates fluid silhouettes with her apparel; nora del Busto, who takes inspiration from architecture, and alonzo Jackson, whose urbanwear line, Fashion geek, has been worn by kanye west.

as part of the incubator, the designers will have access to Macy’s buyers, planners and merchan-dise managers as well as office and work space provided by Macy’s which also covers operational costs such as utilities.

last year’s group of six designers fine-tuned their businesses, with some advancing from capsule to full collections, launching web sites, gaining publicity, showing at chicago’s fashion week called Fashion Focus and growing their sales base.

“the first class of designers in residence at the chicago Fashion incubator made significant strides in developing their talent and sharpening their business and marketing skills,” said Mayor daley. “By partnering with a major retailer like Macy’s, we’re providing local designers with the foundation and knowledge they need to thrive in the fashion industry.”

By Marc Karimzadeh

NEW YORK — Band of outsiders designer scott sternberg has struck a five-year production and distribution licensing deal with pier spa for his women’s line Boy by Band of outsiders.

the move will allow sternberg to expand on the product range, lower his price points and in-crease distribution, particularly in europe.

sternberg launched Boy in 2007, focusing mainly on shirts and tailored pieces that were handmade in Brooklyn by venerable Brooklyn tailor Martin greenfield.

the designer became familiar with pier through stella ishii, president of the news showroom, which represents his line.

“at first, Boy was a bit of an experiment, but off the bat, there was an audience and custom-er, stores were buying it and selling through,” sternberg said. “the way i conceived the col-lection, i was using my men’s resources to make women’s clothes, but that wasn’t allowing it to

reach its full potential. at same time, pier was talking to stella about some younger brands they might license.”

sternberg’s fall Boy collection, which was presented on sunday, will be manufactured by pier, which is owned by diesel’s renzo rosso, and manufactures for the likes of Balenciaga, dries Van noten, givenchy, dior homme and azzedine alaïa, according to sternberg.

sternberg is selling the Boy collection to 50 doors for spring, with plans to add some 20 doors for fall. the news will continue to sell the col-lection in the u.s., and sternberg said the new agreement with pier will help him step up the distribution network in europe. sternberg also said the new manufacturing will allow him to add more classifications such as dresses and knits to the collection; have four deliveries a year instead of two, and lower his price points. previously, a blazer would retail for $1,800, but sternberg expects it can now have a suggested retail price of $1,200.

Macy’s Names 2009 Incubator ClassBrooks Brothers’ Artistic Bent

Looks from the fall collection.

Band of Outsiders in Production Deal With Pier

De Beers Names Belkadi U.S. CEO

Hamida BelkadiHamida Belkadi

For more, see WWD.com.

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Calvin Klein Collection: Welcome home, Calvin Klein. It can hardly be a coincidence that Italo Zucchelli’s first collection to be shown in Calvin Klein’s hometown stayed truer to the brand’s identity than any other of the creative director’s previous efforts.

The show opened with several similar looks — slim gray suits with monochrome furnishings — and continued with variations on the themes of sharp tailoring and mélange fabrics. Cleverly set to Leonard Bernstein’s darting score of “West Side Story” (a knowing wink to the show’s location), the repetition delivered cinematic intrigue. By showing so many ties with suits, Calvin Klein did far more for the neckwear industry than any other brand this season. (Ironically, its parent company is retreating from the neckwear manufacturing business.)

Commercial viability? Minimalism? Athletically toned physicality? Check, check and check. But the collection also succeeded in advancing Zucchelli’s unique body of experimentation. He exercised control over his urge to go all-in with industrial fabrics and narrowed his focus to one technique — normally used to make bicycle-seat padding — of bonding fabric to molded foam. Despite the padding, the silhouettes remained surprisingly streamlined. In fact, the foam was most appealing when it was applied most generously — that is, in a puffy coat that resembled reticulated armor thanks to the spacing of the molded surfaces.

Zucchelli added subtle industrial flavor to tailored outerwear by applying angular hardware including hook closures and flat, cylindrical rivets. Powdery leather bombers and shearling half-zip hoodies rounded out the outstanding outerwear offering.

The designer showed his previous 11 collections in Milan. The change of venue is supposedly temporary, but it suited him so well that he should strongly consider keeping it here.

Richard Chai: With his first men’s show, Richard Chai established a distinctive handwriting. Boiled wools and muted plaids in washed cotton had an outdoorsy flavor, but Chai’s fresh blend of sharp tailoring and rugged style was equally perfect for city or country.

Calvin Klein men’s made a strong return to new YorK — and the brand’s minimalist roots — as designers foCused on distinCtive details and sharp tailoring.

In America

Calvin Klein Collection Calvin Klein Collection t

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Reverse seams subtly highlighted the tailoring, and the designer’s placement of zippers as embellishment throughout the collection was masterfully controlled. His sense of volume and proportion made every model look elongated and powerful. The utilitarian cut of the trousers, with a slightly dropped crotch, also felt refreshingly masculine, especially when tucked into a heavy boot. Textured cashmere cardigans and long johns proved Chai’s background in knitwear. But above all, he proved that fashion sense and manliness can go hand in hand.

Robert Geller: Flush with prize money from GQ and the CFDA, Robert Geller staged an elegant show that gave full expression to his vision of rogue aristocracy. Geller found inspiration in Vienna at the turn of the last century. Boning up on history is a fine thing, but a fashion collection is better served if it’s styled for the present day. Costumey overaccessorizing was an unfortunate distraction from the collection’s strengths: tailored outerwear, dramatic knitwear and regal colors. Geller’s coats and jackets have always featured distinctive details, and this season he set the buttons of officer jackets on an S shape, following the curves of the overlapping front panels. That asymmetry spilled into button-front shirts as well. Dip-dyed shirts called extra attention to the palette of rose, purple and teal. Geller showed more knitwear than ever before, extravagantly layering the grandly proportioned pieces. Overall he continues to show great promise.

Patrik Ervell: Patrik Ervell’s show opened with a reinvention of the classic shearling-lined jean jacket in unwashed pale denim. The designer branched into ballistic nylon shoes (a Common Projects collaboration) and launched knitwear made from alpaca, deeming cashmere too common. He made a sensibly commercial showing of his bestsellers — hooded windbreakers and oversized blazers with slim pants — that fell a bit short on novelty. But under the economic circumstances, the conservative approach may be best.

Shipley & Halmos: Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos quoted Ayn Rand in their show invitation, and the mother of objectivism would surely have been impressed with the resolutely modern collection the duo created for fall — a darker, sleeker vision for the brand than seasons past. Models zigzagged through slender columns of an industrial loft space, carefully tracing a painted white line on the floor. The men were sheathed in slim black turtlenecks with sleeves that ended in fingerless gloves, over which they wore crisply tailored suits — some in shimmery silk fabrics — or abbreviated peacoats.

Women donned black bodysuits, layered beneath well-cut, structured dresses in wool or satin, many accented with zippers or TV-static prints. Jewelry by Philip Crangi and futuristic eyewear by Mykita finished off the precisely styled looks. “It’s a study in the aesthetics of self-empowered, determined individuals,” said Halmos. “They walk the line and never veer.”

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VALENTINE’S DINNER WITH ASHLEY DUPRE: Being fired by Yigal Azrouël for allowing America’s most notorious ex-call girl to sit front-row at his show didn’t deter Kelly Cutrone from continuing her Svengali-like relationship with Ashley Dupré. The former Emperor’s Club VIP escort hit the Davidelfin show after the Azrouël brouhaha on Friday, and then the Buckler men’s wear presentation on Saturday — after which Cutrone spontaneously invited WWD to a Valentine’s Day dinner with Dupré. Over pasta and salmon at L’Ulivo in the West Village, Dupré opened up about her hoped-for music career, her love of fashion and how she’s dealt with moving on from the Eliot Spitzer scandal. “It’s pop-rock, it’s going to be deep, not bubblegum. It’s definitely a personal record,” said Dupré, 23, of the album she is recording. She’s managed to land some serious producers in Peter Zizzo (who has worked with Avril Lavigne and Celine Dion) and Rob Fusari (who has worked with Jessica Simpson and Lady Gaga). But don’t expect any Spitzer-related songs. “I think I’ll stay away from that, it would be pretty tacky,” said Dupré, who is petite, gregarious and blessed with a flawless complexion. “I don’t want to sing about it and I don’t think anyone wants to listen to it.”

Dupré, who was pursuing a music career prior to her escort days, released several songs online in the aftermath of the Spitzer affair, but this first full album should drop in January 2010. Apart from Cutrone in her advisory role, overseeing Dupré’s career is David Kokakis, an attorney at The Foundry Media Group.

Dupré is also working on an autobiographical book and she is in negotiations now with several publishers. She passed on penning a lucrative tell-all immediately following the Spitzer scandal, but would now like to write a cautionary tale for young women who are facing life challenges. “I’ll discuss a few things about the escort business, but I’m not going to use any names or include any graphic details. That’s not the kind of person I am. And I don’t want to jeopardize people giving my music a chance.”

Following dinner, Cutrone took Dupré to see a top editor at an avant-garde fashion magazine, who immediately expressed an interest in shooting her this week for an upcoming issue. The editor produced a digital camera and snapped a series of test shots on the spot, with Dupré vamping like a pro in her trim black blazer, black jodhpurs and stiletto boots. “I’ve always had a deep interest in fashion,” she noted. “I used to be a big Yigal Azrouël fan, but not anymore.”

On that contentious matter, Cutrone said she had not invited Dupré to the Azrouël show, but did not want to make her leave when she showed up. “We’re all hookers in one way or another,” she said defensively of Dupré’s past. “It’s all a matter of perception. Yigal is terminating us, and that’s fair. I wish him every success.”

INSIDE THE BAND: Having successfully navigated the European collections in seasons past, Kanye West took in his very first informal presentation Saturday afternoon at Scott Sternberg’s Band of Outsiders. Low-key and smiling, West, who only met Sternberg last week, warmly greeted the designer in a lower Broadway loft. “I love his stuff,” said West, who admitted to cleaning out Barneys New York of its stock before seeking out Sternberg directly. As for his plans for the rest of the week, “I’m not sure yet, I just got in.” Meanwhile, Jason Wu waited patiently to meet and congratulate Sternberg. Stylist Tina Chai, who works with both designers, made the introduction. “I’m buying everything,” Wu said. “I have a hard time finding my size, but I buy everything I can from Barneys.” Maybe he’ll bump into Kanye there?

FOUR SCORE: Kellie Pickler, Alison Brie, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Brittany Snow were the fearsome foursome at Lela Rose’s Sunday morning show. Having just released her new single, “The Best Days of Your Life,” the 22-year-old Pickler and Taylor Swift kick off their Fearless tour this spring. Brie of “Mad Men” had to do some “guerrilla shooting in the middle of the California desert” with Olympia Dukakis and Haley Joel Osment for the forthcoming flick “Montana Amazon.” But the 77-year-old Dukakis really bowled her over, doing all her own stunts. Now that Snow’s latest film, “The Vicious Kind,” is good to go, she is ready to appear in “Blackwater Transit” with Laurence Fishburne. “The Ghost Whisperer” star Hewitt is gunning for a fifth season pick-up, but is reveling in the fashion scene for now. Rose’s front row was her seventh in less than 24 hours. She said, “It is such a different glamour [than Hollywood.] It is so high energy. I am sort of addicted already.”

STARS ALIGNED: Celebrity wattage was high for the homecoming of the Calvin Klein men’s collection, with Kanye West, Jared Leto, Chace Crawford and Patrick Wilson sharing a bench. West, who was a fixture at the Paris men’s shows, said the main difference between New York and European fashion weeks was the ability to sleep in his own bed. “I’m just here to see Kanye,” said Leto, giving his new friend some dap. Leto’s current projects are a new record, a movie and a $30 million lawsuit against Virgin Records. “It’s about fairness and what’s right,” he said. Crawford, who had the day off from taping “Gossip Girl,” pleaded ignorance about fashion even though the show is so stylish. “The fashion on the show is really for women,” he said.

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Kanye West

Kellie Pickler, Alison Brie, Jennifer Love

Hewitt and Brittany Snow at Lela Rose.

Kellie Pickler, Alison Brie, Jennifer Love

Hewitt and Brittany Snow at Lela Rose.

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PLASTIC FANTASTIC: Barbie fans galore fought over seats in order to catch a glimpse of the doll’s 50th-anniversary runway show in the tents on Saturday afternoon — Rachel Roy, Diane von Furstenberg, Heidi Klum, Simon Doonan, Jonathan Adler, Annie Leibovitz and Peter Som were just a few of the familiar faces in the front row who turned out to see the plastic fashion icon come to life. Kimora Lee Simmons was there with boyfriend Djimon Hounsou, who had his arms full with two limited edition Barbie dolls for Simmons’ daughters, Ming Lee and Aoki Lee, who walked in the finale. Simmons said she has been prepping for her own show, which will be later in the week, but is taking it easy since she’s due with her third baby, a boy, in just 12 weeks. “I’m feeling good,” she said, showing off her bump.

FROM DIANE TO DIANA: Diana Ross made a fashion week appearance to support Diane von Furstenberg, her confidante since the Studio 54 days. Ross took her seat in the front row right next to DVF’s husband, Barry Diller, and von Furstenberg paid homage to her friend by blasting “Upside Down” over the speakers as she took her finale spin — as Ross leaped to her feet and gave the designer a standing ovation. That’s what friends are for, after all.

FOR FASHION’S SAKE: The front row at Hervé Léger usually boasts a lineup of comely starlets outfitted in the brand’s saucy bandage dresses, and this season’s show, held at the Promenade on Sunday afternoon, was no exception. Lucy Liu, January Jones, Sophia Bush, Joy Bryant and Lily Collins, each sporting one of the house’s signature skintight sheaths, were on hand to pose for photo ops and take in the runway presentation. “The best thing about these dresses is, no matter what your figure, they look great on,” gushed Liu, who was attending the show for the first time. And she was fully comfortable in her clingy black number, despite the fact that it was Sunday brunch time. “It doesn’t feel like 2 p.m., it feels like it’s time to go out,” she said.

Jones, for her part, admitted to a bit of hesitation about the whole thing. “It seemed a little weird when I got out of bed this morning and pulled my body into this tight dress,” said the “Mad Men” actress. “But it’s all for fashion.”

LOVEBIRDS: Ben Harper and Laura Dern hit the Loden Dager show Saturday before a Valentine’s Day dinner. “We’ve been exchanging gifts all day,” said a smitten Harper — which caused Dern to pull back her hair to show off a pair of dangly jeweled earrings.

SCHOOL DAYS: If one goes by the casting at Friday evening’s show highlighting its graduate students’ collections, it seems the Academy of Art is aiming to be taken seriously by New York’s fashion crowd. Karlie Kloss, Chanel Iman, Edythe Hughes and Anja Rubik hoofed it for the school, drawing cheers from a student-heavy crowd. But about the clothes: A collaboration among San Francisco’s Britex Fabrics and 15 students yielded several strong and voluminous looks, notably a mohair coat and wool crepe dress; elsewhere, Heather Howard and Cat Janky worked whimsical prints — mossy-green trees, pale faces — onto shirtdresses, and their textured, burnout print peacoat showed technical savvy. The best was saved for last, though — a series of terrific, fluid silk dresses and printed wool coats by Emily Melville and Ivanka Georgieva, whose nine looks in putty and cream hues looked entirely appropriate on those hot steppers.

STAR APPEAL: At the DKNY show on Sunday, the photographers went into a frenzy over Hilary Duff, clad in a tailored red dress from the DKNY fall collection. “It scares me a little,” Duff said of the frenzy, taking her seat in the DKNY front row. “I am always worried I might trip over and fall into someone.” The actress and singer is designing a new line for DKNY Jeans called Femme for DKNY Jeans, but she had no plans to make a spin on the DKNY runway. “I am only 5 foot 2,” she said, admitting she was a “wreck” before she went down the runway at the Heart Truth Red Dress show on Friday. “I was so nervous, but then you walk off the runway and you think, ‘This was so much fun,’” she said. Don’t expect to see Duff at any other shows this fashion week. “My mom came to New York with me, so it’s a girl trip,” she said.

SHINY HAPPY METALS: Michael Stipe has become a regular at his friend Patrik Ervell’s runway shows, but he doesn’t wear the label. “I’m a 49-year-old man. I don’t think that would be appropriate,” he said. The R.E.M. front man (now sporting a full beard) has been sculpting since the band finished a long tour, he said. Last year he exhibited his bronze sculptures at Rogan’s store, and now he’s working with silver.

WHERE IS FRANCIS? Last season, Christian Francis Roth returned to the fashion week schedule with the Francis by Christian Francis Roth collection, but the designer is missing from this season’s schedule. The reason? His financial backer, the Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China, garment manufacturer Gold Palace Corp., decided not to go forward with their support. “We had a disagreement about where to develop samples, and another regarding overall operating capital, but I suspect it had mostly to do with the state of the economy,” Roth explained. “Thankfully, I had the right product at the right price and my bookings and distribution were solid,” he added.

Roth still owns 100 percent of the company and plans to continue his line, which was picked up for spring by Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Holt Renfrew, Macy’s and about 35 small specialty stores. “I’ve been self-financing the line since my backers left, which has been challenging to say the least, but now that spring is shipping, my receivables will allow me to carefully move forward until I find the right investor,” Roth said. He will start previewing the fall collection to select press and retailers on Feb. 23, and hopes to do a presentation next month. “It’s my plan to be back on the fashion week calendar in September for spring 2010, either with a show or presentation,” Roth said.

BLACK IS BACK: Fashion show invites can often offer a glimpse into the designer’s mood of the moment, and this season, there seems to be a surplus of all-black ones — from Baby Phat to Alexander Wang, Y-3, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Maz Azria, Iodice and Tadashi Shoji. Is it a coincidence or a statement on the current doom and gloom in fashion? The jury is out. “You can’t write the seat information on them,” said Steven Kolb, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, adding the sea of black tickets was probably less fashion commentary and more fashionable coincidence. “When Michael Kors [whose invite is always camel] goes black, then I will start to worry,” he said.

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Annie Leibovitz (left) had company at the Barbie show.

Michael Stipe

eye on SHoPPInG

eye on DInInG

eye on Hot SPotS

eye on beauty

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By Caroline Tell

INDEPENDENT JEWELRY DESIGNERS ARE DISCOVERING new modes of survival.

Unlike moneyed luxury houses or mass costume brands, small-er fashion jewelry fi rms that bridge the gap between fi ne and cos-tume are striving to hold their own in a time of crisis. With guid-ance from retailers, they are focused on keeping prices modest and designs spectacular.

“We should all be more price conscious from the very beginning of putting things together, it’s all about making pieces more affordable,” said Janis Savitt, designer of the fl edgling line Janis by Janis Savitt, which wholesales for $100 to $700. “If there’s any way I can get the same quality and same look across but be more affordable, I’m going to try to do that, more so now than ever. I am my own customer. I un-derstand people want to take the subway now instead of taxis.”

Savitt said she hasn’t seen any resistance from her accounts, which include Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus Direct, but has been working with them to deliver price-friendly alternatives to her signature pieces.

“I’m showing my buyers what I have and if it works, it works, but people are price conscious and instead of using a stone that’s $100, it will be $10, but that same look can be had with a $10 stone,” Savitt said. “I’m a little company and I have to do these things.”

For its lower-priced line Giles & Brother, jewelry fi rm Philip Crangi created a brass collection instead of silver, attributing the shift in part to the economy. Chief executive offi cer Courtney Crangi said after bringing her sales team in-house last year, she has grown increasingly sensitive to her buyers.

“Ironically, we started to shift to brass within the last year and a half,” Crangi said. “Philip has been focused on brass, he loves it as a material, which is signifi cantly less expensive than silver, so those price points are lower. It feels very good from a design standpoint. It’s not a sacrifi ce or a trade-off. It was a very deliberate decision.”

Anna Sheffi eld, designer of Bing Bang Jewelry and her high-end signature collection, has also begun dipping into mixed metals. She said her retail accounts, specifi cally Barneys New York, have been increasingly helpful in offering direction during the recession.

“It’s a partnership and you’re in it together,” Sheffi eld said. “The more feedback and support you have as a brand, the more apt you are to be successful with new materials and styles. Our

buyers are our information centers, they bridge the gap between us and our consumer.”

Janet Goldman, founder and chairman of Fragments showroom, has been advising her designers to work in lower-priced metals. She cited Miguel Ases as one of her top sellers, whose gold-fi lled ear-rings retail at around $250.

“It’s refreshing for the buyer. I think we have to look at what our opportunities are and our liabilities,” said Goldman, who also oper-ates two Fragments stores in New York. “We’re looking at our de-signers and seeing if they can be innovative and offer something different and fresh at a great price. Price is just so important.”

Other retailers are fi nding the new “sweet spot” price to be about $100 less than it used to be, hovering in the $200 to $300 range, and are grateful to those designers who are willing to lower their whole-sale prices.

“We’re focused on restocking our middle range at under $400. We saw at Christmas that was where people were looking, not ter-ribly higher than that,” said Tara Silberberg, owner of The Clay Pot in Brooklyn, which houses jewelry by Alexis Bittar, Me & Ro and Temple St. Clair. “It’s a very important place for us to be right now, it’s cheap and cheerful and recession-proof.”

Ann Watson, vice president and fashion director at Henri Bendel, said the store is working closely with designers and is looking for pieces that are timeless and not necessarily “of the moment.”

“I think the days of the smoke and mirrors are gone, people aren’t driven to buy because a designer has received amazing edi-torial press,” Watson said. “They want value now, pieces that are timeless and modern but not ‘must haves.’”

Designers are also working hard to expand into different geo-graphic markets, as well as atypical doors, such as design stores or museum gift shops. Alexis Bittar has seen his pieces fare well at the Conran Shop, a store known more for innovative furniture than ac-cessories. Bittar and designer Kara Ross have also entered a num-ber of new accounts that were once exclusively fi ne jewelry driven.

“We’ve opened a few accounts with our less-expensive line in traditional jewelry stores,” said Ross. “I guess they’re realizing that even if they can get product from their diamond suppliers — big large diamond houses that can afford to give goods on memo — they’re still not selling those pieces and it doesn’t help anyone. So they’re keeping stock smaller and tighter and branching into less expensive goods where they can sell more volume.”

Independent jewelry designers are also using fashion week col-laborations as a way to get their pieces in the public eye, at little or no cost. Sheffi eld is putting Bing Bang pieces on the Vena Cava runway, while Ross is partnering with Christian Cota. Bittar is doing shows in Paris and London, as well as Barbie’s 50th anniversary event in New York. Savitt, a veteran of such show collaborations, is supplying Ralph Lauren with colorful stones for his Collection, and Crangi is working with designer Jason Wu.

“It’s an unverifi ed market right now, the smart thing to do is con-solidate expenditures and focus on marketing, marketing, market-ing,” said Justin Giunta, designer at Subversive Jewelry, which will accessorize looks at J.Mendel, Rachel Roy and Trovata. “It’s all about fi nding new stores, new locations and new ways to get out there.”


Accessories Report

Indie Brands Sharpen Their Prices and DesignsPhilip Crangi

earrings.

A necklace by Subversive Jewelry.

A cuff byBing Bang.

Fll 2009imited diti oectin

WWD.COM19WWD, monDay, february 16, 2009

Accessories Report

By Sophia Chabbott and Samantha Conti

With impulse purchasing virtually gone, jeWelers are homing in on a segment that is driven by one of life’s tradi-tions — the bridal market.

jewelry brands large and small are focusing on engagement ring and wedding band collections in a bid to gain brand aware-ness and attract new, mostly young clientele.

there are 2.3 million american weddings each year and 1.9 mil-lion engagement rings are sold at an average price of $4,435, according to the american Wedding study.

andrew jassin, managing director of jassin & o’rourke group, a new york indus-try consulting firm noted that the bridal industry is a dependable one.

“engagement jewelry is a constant in the jewelry industry,” jassin said. “retailers like cartier and tiffany have gone out full-court press to advertise in locations like never be-fore to raise awareness to show that you can buy a two-carat stone or a 10-carat stone.”

tiffany & co. has a new engagement ring style called tiffany Bezet. the modern ring features either a heart, pear, princess, radiant-round or princess-cut diamond bezel-set in a platinum band with no decoration. the austere look is a departure from tiffany’s other styles, such as the lucida, legacy or the classic, six-prong setting. the ring will be available in tiffany stores this may.

jon King, executive vice pres-ident of tiffany & co., said the firm’s bridal business is healthy.

“people will trade down as far as flowers or food, but not with their engagement ring,” he said. “people realize [a dia-mond] is an investment.”

De Beers, the diamond jewelry firm, is trying to make marriage a little more economical. the brand has launched a collection of dia-mond engagement rings with a starting price of $1,450.

the Forever ring collection bears the De Beers quality guar-antee, the diamonds are brand-ed with a microscopic De Beers marque and recorded in the De Beers diamond registry. the di-amonds range in size from 0.30 to 0.70 carats and a moderate range of color and clarity.

guy leymarie, chief execu-tive officer of De Beers, said love appears to be untouched by the credit crunch. he noted there was a 45 percent increase in sales of engagement rings in December at the company and a 50 percent increase over the past 12 months.

“a very wide selection en-sures we have something for ev-eryone,” he said.

leymarie said men have become more flexible in their spending, no longer sticking to the three months’ salary rule.

“the decision is increasingly made by the couple together,” he said.

also, in honor of Brides maga-zine’s 75th anniversary, De Beers will introduce another diamond engagement ring design called the Duo. the ring’s design fea-tures a platinum band with an attached wedding band for a two-in-one look. the rings are in the windows at De Beers’ Fifth avenue flagship in manhattan. there will also be a sweepstakes to give away an $18,000 ring that will be featured in the march-april issue of Brides.

it’s not simply about selling jewelry either. established brands like harry Winston have started to offer seminars in its Fifth avenue flag-

ship on how to buy a diamond, followed by a presentation of the brand’s engagement rings, and late january marked the launch of a Web site called ringtutor.com that provides diamond evaluation and recommendation service geared toward the wedding industry. the site was created by David Fortunoff, a former principal of Fortunoff,

the bankrupt jewelry and home goods retailer.independent jeweler penny preville has introduced her first engage-

ment ring collection. the six-style line incorporates preville’s signature delicate and romantic look with filigree work and pavé diamond touches.

“there are very few women doing bridal collections,” said preville, who was in-spired to go into the category after designing an engagement ring for her now daugh-ter-in-law a few years back. “my concept is that each ring would have a love story and each would mean something.”

preville, who plans to add a bridal component to her advertising campaign as well, hopes her brand will garner a new following of clients.

“there will always be brides and they want something beautiful,” she said. “i think it’s a really great time to launch [the collection].”

Fine Jewelers Commit to Bridal Segment

Tiffany & Co.’s Bezet ring.

Source: AmericAn Wedding Study.

$161 billionThe volume of the U.S.

wedding industry.

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Emporio Armani Underwear Expands in U.S.

By Karyn Monget

The emporio ArmAni UnderweAr brAnd for men and women is taking its cue from the line’s ready-to-wear as it enters the U.S. market.

The rtw influence is especially strong in the men’s collection that was launched in europe in 1982 and in-troduced in the U.S. early last year, said John hooks, deputy managing director of Giorgio Armani SpA.

“The line is designed as an extension and heavily in-fluenced by elements in the ready-to-wear collection,” hooks said. “Green was a prominent color displayed and exhibited in the emporio Armani runway show in milan, and shown and sampled throughout the emporio Armani Underwear collection. new fabrics include poly-amide, microfiber, stretch modal and wovens. emporio Armani Underwear has also expanded into loungewear for fall-winter ’09, featuring body-conscious, draped sil-houettes in a combination of fabrics from 100 percent

woven cotton, jersey and stretch modal to a unique milk fiber composition.”

regarding the opportunity for the designer’s under-wear for men in the U.S., hooks said, “we have found that emporio Armani underwear appeals to everyone. most interesting to note is that we have gained a signifi-cant share of the young men’s market, the 18- to 25-year-old consumer. historically, emporio Armani apparel has appealed to a 25- to 45-year-old audience. it’s our goal to capture and maintain this younger audience and invite them in to a larger aspect of emporio Armani apparel.”

A wholesale sales projection was not available for the men’s line the first full year, but hooks said, “distribution is in emporio Armani stores and department stores with expansion into specialty stores in key markets. we see emporio Armani Underwear [for men] gaining a 5 per-cent share of the total department store channel.”

Sales for the combined men’s and women’s lines could generate revenues in excess of $20 million in the

first year, according to industry estimates. The women’s intimates line was launched for spring

and has since doubled its assortments of bras and coor-dinating undies for fall-winter 2009-2010 that combine fashion, fit, quality and function. inspired by flowers, new groups are orchidea, a mesh offering that includes a fitted camisole; Lilium, a matte-and-shine micro group that features a techno pattern and lace trim; bouquet, which focuses on a shadow stripe micro jacquard pat-tern with lace trim and offers a cami and a chemise, and fiordaliso, an embroidered tulle selection that includes a slip. in addition to basic colors, the palette includes a pale birch green, lilac, sage green, orange red, violet, aluminum and aqua.

The women’s intimates has also expanded the color range and additional daywear pieces in several groups introduced this spring, which include the Camelia, Gardenia and Tulipano groups, as well as logoed, round-neck T-shirts and bottoms.

2x5 (left)

Innerwear Report

deSpiTe The down eConomy And An UnCerTAin mArkeT week, 500 retail and industry executives partied at the annual femmy Awards on feb. 3 at Cipriani at 42nd Street in new york.

hosted by melissa rivers and staged by The Underfashion Club, the cocktail and dinner gala is held to honor executives who have contributed their support to the innerwear industry. The event also raises funds for scholarships for lin-gerie design students at the fashion institute of Technology.

Accepting awards on behalf of their companies were pete nordstrom, ex-ecutive vice president and vice president of merchandising at nordstrom inc.; Jockey international inc.’s president and chief executive officer ed emma, and mahesh Amalean of mas holdings.

Sara blakely, founder of Spanx inc., picked up the innovation Award, and Ann deal, ceo of fashion forms inc., was bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award.

As nordstrom accepted his award, he reminisced over his first encounter with the family store’s linge-rie department.

“i was a store manager in the late eighties and i re-member very clearly advice from my boss who was not my dad, ‘if you’ve got to go into the lingerie department, make sure you’re specific and focused, and get out. otherwise, people will think you’re a pervert,’” he said.

rivers interjected, “men and lingerie do have a very interesting relationship. Some buy for girlfriends, wives and boyfriends. The truth of the matter is it all looks the same bundled up at the bottom of the bed.”

deal remembered her first job as a buyer of intimates at rich’s in Atlanta in the early eighties.

“i was on the selling floor and a man came in looking for a nice nightgown for his wife for Christmas,” she said. “So i took him to what i thought were the most beautiful satin gowns in the department and the most expensive. he bought one, and i thought he’s going to have a nice Christmas. but the next day, his wife came in looking for me and she was furious. She wanted to know who the woman was who was trying to give her a message and sold her husband a burial shroud. burial shrouds are a Southern tradition.” — K.M.

Femmys Honor Industry Execs

A stretch cotton boxer and crewneck top from Emporio Armani Underwear.

A bra and panty set from the Bouquet group.

A stretch Modal V-neck

top and trunks.

A lace baby doll from the Gardenia group.

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Melissa Rivers and Sarah Blakely

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WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009 21

eyeing Hartmarx Corp. and eager to buy a knit-shirt-blouse brand.

• Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., owner of Calvin Klein and other brands.

• Fashionology LLC, which last year bought Ellen Tracy.• Rafaella Group, owned by Cerberus Capital.• Better knitwear firm Ava.And there are plenty of companies looking for buyers

or investors, including Italy’s IT Holding for its Ittierre operation and perhaps some of its other brands, which include Malo, Exte and Gianfranco Ferré; Lambertson Truex, which Samsonite is selling; Fortunoff, which is in Chapter 11 and might be headed toward liquida-tion; Peter Som; Brioni; de Grisogono; Mariella Burani Fashion Group and Mosaic Fashions, a subsidiary of the bankrupt Baugur Group that owns such U.K. chains as Karen Millen, Oasis, Coast and Warehouse.

Frederick Schmitt, managing director of Sage Group LLC, said that while both private equity and strategic buyers are worried about retail conditions and limited in their liquidity, two types of companies continue to be attractive investment candidates this year.

The first, he said, are companies that are still doing well even in the economic downturn. The second is a company in trouble that “needs to do a transaction to raise capital or fix their capital structure.”

The problem with the first type is that anyone who can is holding off on selling. Tory Burch, which sourc-es said continues to discuss the sale of a stake in the

company with several interested parties, is a notable exception. But sources doubt whether a price will be agreed upon, because Burch doesn’t require immedi-ate outside investment.

“Who wants to sell at what they perceive to be at his-torical lows?” said Marc Cooper, managing director and partner at Peter J. Solomon Co. “This is a terrible time to be thinking about the sales process.”

Hudson Jeans, a West Coast denim company that does more than $60 million in volume, has been approached by numerous potential bidders, including Fireman Capital Partners, but the firm is willing to wait for the right price and partner, according to Hudson president and chief executive officer Peter Kim. Fireman Capital declined comment.

“Obviously, for the right price, anything is for sale,” Kim said. “But our business is good — we’re actually on track to grow this year — and we don’t need to sell if there’s not a substantial opportunity.”

A few big players may go on the block as the econ-omy pushes them into bankruptcy — or pre-bankrupt-

cy looking to be saved through investment — as has already hap-pened this year for suit maker Hartmarx Corp. Numerous companies have expressed interest, including Bagir.

The cash-rich Bagir is potentially interested in making several acquisitions this year. In addition to eyeing the multibranded suit maker, Bagir would like to buy a knit-shirting-blouse company to help in its expansion beyond suits to tops, according to company executives.

“It’s like antique shopping,” said Tim Danser, Bagir vice president of marketing. “If you go in looking for one specific thing, you’ll overpay. We’re out looking for good deals on good companies.”

Bagir isn’t the only manufacturer looking to expand its business in these contracting times through a well-priced acquisition.

“Companies have lost volume and are looking to recover it through an acquisi-tion when they have a strong balance sheet,” said Jack Hendler, Net Worth Solutions Inc. president. “As the chan-nels of distribution are shrinking, where do we put the product? We try to help pair them with a company that has dis-tribution that they don’t.”

For example, he said a $500 mil-lion vendor is looking to buy a com-pany that has distribution at Kohl’s. Another trend he foresees is retailers and vendors linking up for a vendor’s brand to step in as the retailer’s pri-vate label, as stores seek higher mar-gins and find their credit restricted. For example, he said a 50-door chain based out of Boston is looking for a ca-sual women’s wear resource.

Kellwood has been searching for ac-quisitions for months, particularly a denim company to create a competency in that cat-egory that its other brands could leverage. At the same time Kellwood explores selling Hollywould, the Sun Capital Partners-owned firm is said to be eyeing a mainstream-priced West Coast denim company, as well as Joe’s Jeans Inc., which has been trading for about 30 cents a share and has about 60 million out-standing shares. Kellwood declined to com-ment on which companies it is in talks with. Other companies are said to be interested in Joe’s, as well.

A spokesman for Phillips-Van Heusen said the company was still eyeing strategic acqui-sitions, with a cash position that is strong enough to weather the economic storm even

with the purchase. Still, he noted, “the economy factors into all decisions today.”

Fashionology co-founder William Sweedler said the company receives several calls a day from companies looking for investors, and Fashionology is in talks to buy a profitable men’s brand and a profitable accessories brand, being cautious about distressed firms.

“Investing in fashion can be a dangerous business,” said Sweedler. “For the first time, I’m questioning free [not paying for the brand, just assuming ongoing costs] — which is what a lot of companies are going for right now. We’re not in deal mode — we’re in opportunistic mode — but our primary focus has to be on operating our existing business.”

Sweedler added the company is looking for brands with tangible licensing potential to guarantee con-tracted income, as well as diversified retail partner-ships to mitigate the risk of any particular store going out of business.

But while there still might be deals done in 2009 de-spite the recession, the year follows a dismal 12 months for M&A activity overall.

If the pace from September to January continues through the rest of 2009 — which is what M&A leaders predict, based on both credit access and the general gloom in retail these days — this year may rival 2002’s 23 deals for the fewest public ones done in the last de-cade, according to Factset Mergerstat LLC.

“It was a very tough year for M&A because 2008 was probably one of the toughest years in memory for retail performance,” said Cooper of Peter J. Solomon, adding their restructuring group’s work on the distressed mar-ket is paying the bills that M&A had formerly. “And 2009 has started off the same way 2008 ended.”

There were 40 public arena deals within the sector in 2008, down 31 percent from 58 deals in 2007, which was down 22 percent since 2006’s record 71 deals. Moreover, the total value of deals fell 56 percent to $2.4 billion in 2008 from $5.4 billion in 2007, according to Factset Mergerstat.

But not all of 2008 was a bust for industry M&A activ-ity. The first eight months of the year saw 35 deals. The slowdown came between September and November, which saw only two deals, while December picked back up with three.

So far in 2009, two relatively small public deals have taken place:

• On Jan. 19, Sportsclick Inc., a Canadian wholesaler of licensed sports goods, acquired Southprint Inc., a Martinsville, Va.-based wholesaler of licensed NASCAR apparel, for $2.4 million. Southprint had revenues of $15 million in 2007.

• On Jan. 21, Technology Resources Inc. bought the Kona, Hawaii-based Shaka Shoes Inc. for about $4 million, according to Factset Mergerstat,

and the parent company has adopted its new acquisition’s name.

Michael Dart, a principal at Kurt Salmon Associates and head of its private equity and strategy practice, said deals were being fund-ed by putting down at least double the equity

capital, versus debt capital, than required in the boom days of yore. With companies needing to put down 30 to 40 percent eq-uity, versus 15 to 20 percent previously, the size of deals that can be done is lim-ited. Dart said he expected middle mar-ket deals of $20 million to $300 million in enterprise value.

“Whatever deal you put in place [has to be able to allow the company to] survive continued negative comps for a continued time,” Dart said. “Companies are maintaining all of their capital to maintain liquidity. They are gaining on their weaker competitors rather than buying them. But for contrarian investors with a reasonable amount of capital and a long holding period, this could be a

great opportunity to make great long-term returns.”

And while elective deals may have slowed due to increased caution, distressed deals have increased, according to M&A sources. In these cases, both size and swiftness are essential. Those deals can happen for as little as free — assuming the cost of running the brand going forward — up to a small multiple, said sources. They also must be fast, before the retail situation worsens.

“There are people looking for value transac-tions. A lot of larger — $150 million and up, gen-erally speaking — privately held businesses with equity know that if they can add some good top line to their business [by buying a $30 million to $70 mil-

lion business], it will be of value,” said Allan Ellinger, senior managing part-ner of Marketing Management Group.

Continued from page one

M&A Outlook for 2009: Distressed and Small Deals Abound

ToTal value of M&a deals in 2008.(SOURCE: FaCtSEt MERgERStat.)

$2.4 billion

Hudson Jeans has been approached by numerous potential bidders.

Tory Burch is reportedly still discussing a sale.

The bankrupt Hartmarx, haberdasher to President Obama, is garnering interest from buyers.

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For more on M&A, see WWD.com.


London Preview

CONRANS’ CAF: Albion is a very old name for Great Britain, and it’s also the moniker Terence and Vicki Conran have given their new East London cafe. Albion is part of Boundary, a soon-to-open clutch of bars, eateries — and 17 guest bedrooms — housed in a converted Victorian warehouse in Shoreditch. Albion’s interior is stark and Scandinavian-inspired, with white-tiled walls, long communal wooden tables and an open kitchen with quirky, homely touches like hand-knitted tea cozies. The food is hearty British fare, including fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and blackberry crumble. It’s open from 8 a.m. until midnight daily.Albion at Boundary2-4 Boundary Street, E2 7JE; Tel.: +44-207-729-1051

CLOSET MADONNA: As Madonna continues to travel the world with the Sticky and Sweet tour, her wardrobe will be taking a bow of its own — in London’s East End. “Simply Madonna,” curated by Ted Owen in association with Marquee Capital, an investment firm specializing in celebrity memorabilia, opens at the Truman Brewery on Feb. 20. It showcases costumes from stage, film and music videos. Highlights include the bright pink “Material Girl” strapless dress; wedding gowns from the Like a Virgin tour and “Evita,” and the bustier with black and gold tassels from the “Open Your Heart” video. “Simply Madonna”The Old Truman Brewery91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QLmarqueecapital.com

ROOMS WITH A VIEW: One of the most sought-after invitations this season is to the Paramount private members club, perched

32 stories above London’s West End. Housed on the top three floors of Richard Seifert’s iconic Centre Point building, the club offers a restaurant, bar, viewing gallery and private event space designed by Mark Way and Tom Dixon. The copper, slate and sea green interior features

design elements that reference the modernist architecture of the building, such as bar stools designed by Norman Cherner. A large copper bar

that recalls the edge of a cut gemstone is the focal point of the dining room. In the restaurant, head chef James O’Connor’s traditional British menu includes roast loin of pork with applesauce and “bubble-and-squeak” — that’s shallow fried vegetables — and braised ox cheeks with baby onions, mushrooms and pancetta.Paramount103 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1DDTel.: +44-207-420-2900

ANGEL DELIGHT: My Sugarland, the fashion and lifestyle boutique that opened in London’s Angel neighborhood last fall, is Zoe Lem’s playground. Designs by London-based labels such

as SteveJ and YoniP, Belle Sauvage and Evie Belle sit alongside vintage accessories and furniture sourced by Lem, who is a former fashion stylist. In the vintage area of the 2,500-square-foot space, secondhand clothes and accessories hang against a scarlet wall while sumptuous antique furniture and birdcages and Lionel Dean hats sit on white podiums in a more futuristic area at the back.My Sugarland402-404 St. John Street, EC1V 4NJTel.: +44-207-841-7131

BEAUTY SPOT: Since retro makeup is now oh-so-modern, hipsters are bound to flip for The Powder Room, a Fifties-inspired beauty store and salon recently opened in East London. The bijou boutique, which boasts Americana touches,

offers makeup application, hairstyling, manicures and products by Bumble and bumble, Paul and Joe and Mavala. Those not tempted to try a radical makeover might just be tempted by the tea and cakes served. A 15-minute manicure or a speedy hairstyling session are priced at approximately 15 pounds, or about $21. The Powder Room136 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RGTel.: +44-207-704-8009

— Louise Bartlett, with contributions from Poppy Grant

Ones to Watch

Scene

A few names creating some buzz around London Fashion Week. By Nina Jones

Fresh FacesA clutch of new names is nudging its way onto London’s runways this season.

Mark Fast, a London-

based Canadian who’s made a name whipping up delicate, form-fitting knit dresses, is staging his first on-schedule runway show in London. “This collection tells the story of two lovers in a lightning storm,” said Fast, describing his fall inspirations. “I wanted to create a collection that

expresses the joy of being in nature, where it is just the trees and the breeze of the fresh mist from the side of the mountain.”

Meanwhile, Mary Katrantzou, an Athens-born Central Saint Martins graduate, will show back-to-back with Fast at the British Fashion Council’s Natural History Museum venue. This season, she has taken vintage perfume bottles as the starting point for her printed dresses. While Katrantzou, who is known for her bold, jewelry print dresses, graduated from CSM’s M.A. program only last year, she already counts Browns Focus in London, Colette in Paris and Joyce in Hong Kong among her retail clients.

head startHats are elevating in status from side show to main event, with emerging hat and headwear designers rapidly joining the schedule. Nasir Mazhar, known for his offbeat presentations — such as models wearing rusty scissors on their heads — will stage an on-schedule show.

Justin smith, who, like Mazhar, is a former hairdresser, will show his fall collection as part of the On/Off schedule at London’s Science Museum.Smith’s past collections have incorporated materials like oversize buttons, doll’s heads and bunches of pearls.

Piers atkinson, who got early exposure to the millinery craft when his mother made hats for the Royal Opera House and English National Opera, will show his collection as part of designer Ashish’s show.

Avant-garde London hairdresser charlie Le Mindu will also step into the fray, showing 15 wigs and hairpieces made from a mixture of hair, fabric and Swarovski crystals. “Somehow it’s all happened at the right time,” said Atkinson of the boom in London headgear. “The recession happened, and people wanted a bit of fun.”

east eNdersFashion East, a program that supports young designers and has in past seasons brought names such as Richard Nicoll, Marios Schwab and Jonathan Saunders to the fore, is now among London’s must-see shows. New to its lineup for fall are holly Fulton and Maria Francesca Pepe, who join Natascha Stolle in her second season as part of the group show. Fulton, a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, has garnered attention for her heavily embellished dresses in simple silhouettes. “References include Eduardo Paolozzi, robotic stuff and circuit boards,” said Fulton, adding she’ll work with materials including “Swarovski crystallized elements, lots of luxurious leathers, hand-enameled metal, laser-cut Perspex and a dash of digital print.” Pepe, meanwhile, started out designing graphic jewelry in silver and brass after graduating from the Central Saint Martins masters program, and will show a full ready-to-wear collection for the first time. “The collection will be very feminine without being obvious,” Pepe noted. “I…have built up a warrior woman who faces her femininity without being weak. There will be a great mix of trousers, jackets, coats, and dresses — plus vintage-inspired evening bags. The jewelry remains the prime focus, since it works as both the frame for the outfits and as a component itself.”

New iN towNKinder aggugini has already notched plenty of fashion accolades: He’s served as head designer at Versace and held positions at Calvin Klein, Costume National and Vivienne Westwood. Now, after presenting his namesake collection of silk puffball dresses and jackets in Paris last season, he’ll stage a runway show at London’s Paramount Club for fall. “The fall collection is inspired by the musical concept of mash up,” said Aggugini. “Pieces are created from the combination of two or more elements of overlaying shapes, textiles and ideas to form a bold, beautiful strong new silhouette.”

sienna and savannah Miller, meanwhile, are showing theirTwenty8Twelve label on the runway for the first time this season. Savannah Miller said inspirations for the fall line include Charlie Chaplin, highwaymen and Grace Jones. “When all chucked in to the melting pot, we have come out with a classic Twenty8Twelve feeling but with a much more modern edge than we have ever visited before,” said Miller.

London designer Maria Grachvogel is also back on the London schedule this season after a few years’ hiatus, and will show a collection of Thirties-inspired masculine tailoring in a presentation at Covent Garden’s Hospital Club on Feb. 23.

GeNeratioN NextThis season’s crop of New Generation-sponsored designers is rapidly becoming established on the London scene.

Known for his packed-to-the-rafters shows — often starring his best pal Agyness Deyn — henry holland says his House of Holland collection for fall will take inspiration from “paint sample cards and Pantone color sheets — as I’ve spent countless weekends in [British hardware store] B&Q trying to work out what color to paint my house.” Expect a collection full of sharp, tailored pieces in “tactile” cashmeres, silks and wools, says Holland.

Meadham Kirchhoff designers edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff, meanwhile, are taking their cues from desire, sex and luxury. “We’re exploring the introspection of falling in love through the use of multilayered and contrasting fabric textures,” said Meadham.

danielle scutt — who counts Michael Jackson and Picasso among her fall inspirations — said she’s worked up a collection “much more structured and tailored than the last. It’s about construction and physical change to the body this time, with corsetry in the garments and prints that aren’t as organic.”

For more on London, including the show calendar, see wwd.com.

the Paramount dining room.

albion cafe. inset: a look from “simply Madonna.”albion cafe. inset: a look from “simply Madonna.”

the Powder room

Mark Fast

holly Fulton

Kinder aggugini

WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 200924

By Anne Riley-Katz

Fast-Fashion chain Forever 21 plans to launch a prototype in california this year that will double its average store size.

the privately held retailer aims to open an estimated 80,000-square-foot store at Los cerritos center, a Macerich-owned mall near Los angeles, in late 2009. the space was acquired as a result of the liquidation of hayward, calif.-based retailer Mervyns.

the concept will feature a brightly lit floor space with women’s and men’s apparel divided by look — vintage, ca-sual or avant-garde, for example — sur-rounded by accessory walls along the indoor perimeter.

“it’s a way to use our fast-fashion heritage to offer more categories for more customers,” said senior vice president Larry Meyer. “We’re bringing in larger sizes, a more enhanced shoe collec-tion, lingerie and more categories.”

Forever 21 acquired 15 Mervyns leases in a joint bid with Kohl’s, which took over 31 stores, for $6.25 million in a court auction in December.

there is risk in open-ing a slew of a new-for-mat locations, especially during the recession. But Meyer said the new concept would help the chain appeal to consumers older than 24, a demograph-ic that represents more than one-third of Forever 21’s overall customer base, with 45 percent falling between 18 and 24 years old and the remaining 20 percent under 18.

the apparel retailer’s revenue has grown from $180 million eight years ago to roughly $1.65 billion last year, with about $2 billion projected for 2009, Meyer said.

“You see 15- and 18-year-olds shop-ping right next to 35-year-olds and none of them feel uncomfortable,” said Los angeles architect Jas nakaoka, who has designed Forever 21 stores for more than 10 years and handled the prototype.

“this is a new thing.”the move is part of Forever 21’s shift

toward department-store-size units. existing stores range from a 1,700-square-foot, accessories-only door called For Love 21 in Glendale Galleria mall to a 90,000-square-foot store that is to open in 2010 at 1540 Broadway in new York’s times square.

the typical Forever 21 is now less than 40,000 square feet, but has grown in this decade. in 2000, the average Forever 21 store was about 6,000 square feet, and in 2006 the Los angeles-based apparel com-pany opened its largest store in Pasadena, calif., a 40,000- square-foot site once home to saks Fifth avenue.

nakaoka said creating the larger con-cept has been a challenge.

“it was hard with 40,000 square feet, so how do you do it with 80,000?” nakaoka said. “We have to make it a new store, a non-de-partment style store in a department store-sized space. We fight about it; it hasn’t been easy. But it will be just right. nobody has ever done this before.”

executives said a department store-style concept has been part of owner Don chang’s plans for years, and will drive growth. the company has not yet identified other sites for the makeover.

“the costs are quite significant,” Meyer said. “that’s why it’s important that we get cerritos right first before moving on to other locations.”

the chain, which has about 430 mall stores, first tried to acquire Mervyns real estate in 2004, when target corp. sold the now-bankrupt value retailer for $1.2 billion to an investment group that included sun capital Partners inc. and cerberus capital Management LP.

Forever 21 is taking space at malls in arizona, Utah, new Mexico, texas and california, and has expanded overseas, opening stores in china, thailand and south Korea last year. it plans to launch in Japan’s harajuku district on april 29.

By David Moin

LaveLLe oLexa, LorD & taYLor’s senior vice PresiDent anD LonGtiMe fashion director, is leaving the company on Feb. 27.

her departure stems from cutbacks and centralization efforts by hudson’s Bay trading co., based in toronto, which operates Lord & taylor in the U.s. and the Bay, Zellers, home outfitters and Fields in canada. hudson’s Bay this month elimi-nated 1,000 jobs to offset declining business conditions.

“it was an extraordinarily good run,” olexa told WWD. she joined Lord & taylor 20 years ago, sur-

vived management and ownership changes, and, despite her shy and soft-spoken nature, re-mained the store’s highest profile executive for many years in media and fashion circles. she worked closely with the chain’s previous two chief executive officers, Marshall hilsberg and, more recently, Jane elfers. Brendan hoffman is the current ceo.

While still under the ownership of the former May Department stores co., which was taken over by Macy’s inc. three years ago, elfers and olexa worked to awaken the chain’s moderate image through merchandise upgrades and taking more chances with the advertising, marketing and visu-als. the process was accelerated by nrDc equity Partners, which bought Lord & taylor in 2006 and hudson’s Bay in 2008.

“one of the most rewarding parts of the job has been directing the Lord & taylor windows,” olexa recalled. she was particularly proud of filling them with artwork by Larry rivers, richard estes, Manolo valdez, chakaia Booker, and even tats cru, the graffiti group, among other artists. one time, under her direction, the windows re-created the streets of san Miguel in Mexico. For one Father’s Day promotion, the glass panes were re-moved to display corvette sports cars.

“We energized the windows, but we also had parties, book signings, performances and shops that supported them. What we attempted to do was elevate the store to make it interesting and differentiated. somehow the windows enabled me to bring many elements of the store together in a focused effort,” olexa said.

at Lord & taylor, she started as senior vice president of fashion merchandising. she eventually added public relations and sales promotion. her current title is se-nior vice president of public relations.

olexa’s retail career started at neiman Marcus in texas where she was an in-house model working for the late stanley Marcus. she quickly learned that fashion retailing was her calling. “i fell in love with a business that provided me with a world that was perfect for me and i knew it right away,” she said at a Laboratory institute of Merchandising party honoring her and the formation of a scholarship in her name in 2006. olexa was also a finalist in the Miss Universe contest.

after neiman’s, she became the fashion director at May D&F in Denver, and subsequently held the same position at Denver Dry Goods. From there, she joined Woodward & Lothrop in Washington as vice president and fashion director. she then moved to Lord & taylor, owned by May Department stores at the time. While May long insisted that its executives keep a low profile and not talk to the press, olexa was an exception. “i guess there was some level of trust because they gave me more latitude,” olexa said. “i never felt that they were in any way attempting to curtail my efforts.”

asked about her future after Lord & taylor, olexa replied: “My philosophy is to always look forward. that’s exactly what i am doing now.”

REALITY TRULY SETS IN: Joanna Coles, editor in chief of Marie Claire, may be a familiar face to the fashion world, but she’ll soon be judged by a whole different collective set when the magazine’s reality show, “Running in Heels,” premieres on The Style Network on March 1. Fashion director Nina Garcia became a household name with “Project Runway,” and she’ll appear in “Running in Heels,” even as she’s continued to film for the much-delayed new season of “Project Runway.” In that show, Garcia will be joined by 20 Marie Claire staffers for the final runway show on Friday, as sources now say that, contrary to rumors — and after much legal action — the new season will air later this year. As for “Running in Heels,” Coles and Garcia — along with staffers including executive editor Lucy Kaylin, senior fashion editor Zanna Roberts and senior shopping editor Zoe Glassner — were followed for nearly five months by four camera crews. “I did get used to the cameras very quickly,” said Coles. “We tried to make it as realistic as possible.” But it is a show, and she admitted some scenes were reshot if the camera didn’t pick something up the first time around. And Coles now gets to watch the rest of her staff on camera and hear their personal conversations. “I found out that there are a few divas here,” she admitted surprisingly — mainly because what would a fashion magazine be without a few divas? That list probably included three new interns who try to one-up one another to catch the eye of Coles and other editors. But for the interns, a harsh reality sets in at the end of the eight episodes: all three go home without a job. Coles maintained the program was never meant to be a competition. “In this economy? No. We weren’t raffling off a job.” — Amy Wicks

SWITCHING STRATEGIES: BlackBook is scaling back its print ambitions and hoping digital guides and mobile applications will do the trick. The magazine, which went from bimonthly to 10 times a year in 2008, is now reducing frequency to eight times a year. Last May, both editor in chief Steve Garbarino and publisher Joe Landry took off in

the same week, and the trickle of departures (voluntary and involuntary) since then has been fairly constant. More recently, BlackBook Media Corp. chief executive officer Ari Horowitz reportedly gave publisher Grayle Howlett his walking papers several weeks ago, though a spokesman for BlackBook called it a “mutual decision, representative of a decision to focus on the digital space.” That includes the mobile guides the spokesman said were already “the primary revenue stream” for the company. The spokesman said that rather than hire a new publisher, Horowitz will take over the sales side, with advertising director Brett Wagner serving as associate publisher. — Irin Carmon

LOTS WRONG, BUT WHAT’S RIGHT?: Panels on the future of media are a standby in this fast-changing age, but lately news seems so bleak that even filling them out can be a challenge, as Gene Stone, moderator of a panel hosted by Out Professionals on Thursday, found when he sought a book industry representative. “No one would even agree to sit in the audience,” he said.

So who did turn out? Former Martha Stewart chief executive and current Gilt Groupe chief executive officer Susan Lyne, who noted that when media is no longer scarce, allowing advertisers to bid up prices for limited space, all previous business models are destabilized; author James B. Stewart, who found some hope in the fact that Manolo Blahnik reportedly makes money on his blog through click-through e-commerce, and television and film producer Mary Murphy, among others.

Plenty of people could point to what went wrong. Lyne said the magazine business had erred in drastically lowering subscription prices to rely heavily on the advertising model, tying its fortunes to advertisers rather than readers. Nathan Richards, the ceo of ContentNext Media, said networks had failed to gain traction on their Web sites, which he said draw fewer readers than newspapers online. And while all the panelists said the prized wall between editorial and advertising was important to journalistic integrity, it had also left many journalists

ignorant of how their own business worked (or didn’t.) Outgoing Wall Street Journal media and technology editor

Rich Turner (who recently moved to a gig at WSJ.com) pointed out that it’s more fun now to be a consumer of media than ever, but in terms of news and information, someone was going to have to pay to gather it, and predicted The New York Times would have to make some tough choices. “I watched what happened with the Bancrofts,” he said, referring to the family that controlled the Journal’s parent, Dow Jones, before it was purchased by News Corp. “The discussions about preserving the integrity lasted about 30 seconds.” (He acknowledged the Sulzberger family was a different case, in part because it’s involved in day-to-day operations.)

But when it came to actually predicting the future — say, 10 years hence — few wanted to theorize. “You can’t plan your business for 10 years — it’s more like 18 months,” said Richards. “You have to be ready for uncertainty.” — I.C.

EASY GOING: Clive Owen has been to his fair share of runway shows in Milan, but he is leaving New York just in time to miss the madness at Bryant Park. After a long stretch of press interviews for his latest film, “The International,” Owen made one of his last official stops before heading back to the U.K. at Esquire magazine’s party on Wednesday night to fete the fifth anniversary of fashion director Nick Sullivan. He was joined by editor in chief David Granger, publisher Kevin O’Malley, David Lauren, Thom Browne, André Benjamin and Fonzworth Bentley.

Owen, who wore Giorgio Armani on the cover of the March issue and also to the party, didn’t make life too hard for Sullivan during the shoot. “He’s the most laid-back actor that I’ve worked with,” said Sullivan, who didn’t name names but added that he has worked with more than a few high-maintenance actors. He said there will be a focus on using models for fashion editorial going forward, but only models that are relatable to the average Esquire reader. And while some magazines are emphasizing budget-conscious options, Sullivan said he isn’t necessarily going to take this approach. “It’s more about finding the right pieces.” — Amy Wicks

Forever 21 to Open Larger Concept in L.A. Lavelle Olexa to Leave Lord & Taylor

MEMO PAD

A look from Forever 21.

Lavelle Olexa

WWD.COM25WWD, monDay, february 16, 2009

Financial For full daily stock changes, see WWD.com.

Gainers ChangePacific Sunwear 36.61Charles & Colvard 34.82Eddie Bauer 17.14Tefron 14.95Tarrant Apparel 12.79

Decliners ChangeParlux Fragrances -44.44General Growth -32.10Gildan Activewear -31.12Saks -29.41Developers Diversified -28.33

( )%CHANGEWEEKLY

ENDING FEB. 13

WWDINDEXComposItE

636.10

-40.34

* Editor’s note: European stocks are quoted in the currency of their principal exchanges. Shares on the London Stock Exchange are quoted in pence, Richemont and The Swatch Group are quot-ed in Swiss francs and Hennes & Mauritz is quoted in Swedish kronor. All other European stocks are in euros.

By Sharon Edelson

Vendors are turning to the internet to vent their frustration with slow-paying or nonpaying retail accounts.

Web sites are “outing” retailers with bad business practices, and manufacturers are using the public fo-rums to shame stores into paying their bills or steer clear of stores with bad online reputations. not surpris-ingly, stores are less than appreciative of these critiques — particularly since many of them are anonymous.

retailers have long been accused of making late pay-ments, requesting unearned discounts and bouncing deliveries back to vendors for minor offenses. in today’s economic environment, with many stores fighting for sur-vival, the concern among vendors is getting paid at all.

retaildish.com consists of a database of stores ranked by scores posted by users. For example, a post by “stevie” claimed that doing business with intermix “hurt. We made merchandise just for them and they took it in. their check bounced and then they had the audacity to return the merchandise after three months. it almost put us under.”

after perusing the site, Khajak Keledjian, chief executive officer and cofounder of intermix, said, “anyone can write whatever they want, not give their name or affiliation.…Clearly, it is not a reliable source for designers to be doing their research on retailers. Who knows the motivations behind the comments? of course we haven’t bounced checks.”

Postings about that Look, with three locations in new Jersey, included, “they do return goods frequent-ly. i am doing business with them but it’s not fun.” another poster said that Look “demands a discount for 60-day terms. they’re never happy with the mer-chandise. a very difficult customer.”

owner susan Consalvo said the charges are “com-pletely unjustified and unsubstantiated.” Consalvo, who was familiar with the Web site and its postings about her stores, said, “nobody likes to see their name tarnished. it’s just like a crying post to whine,” she said of the site. “it’s not a true barometer” of a retailer’s business practices.

retailbeef.com is an anonymous blog created for up-and-coming designers to share information about retailers, both positive and negative. the blog’s author is not named, but identified as a designer. “My goal is to promote awareness of the bad seeds in our indus-try,” the designer writes.

Kim Leone olenicoff, an attorney, and ali sedaghat, who has designed urbanwear and clubwe-ar, launched VendorProtector.com a year and a half ago. “We love dealing with the small boutiques but got sick of dealing with the payment and collection side,” Leone olenicoff said. “they’re [retailers] struggling. We understand. But it’s not right for them to place big orders at shows and cancel them.”

Leone olenicoff said the idea behind VendorProtector is “to be like a Zagat guide for the fashion industry.” she also offers mediation services for $75 an hour or a percentage of the recovered amount, whichever is lower. “Most small and medium manufac-turers don’t have the time and money to even go to small claims court,” she said. “a big store will challenge the court’s jurisdiction. if a retailer is struggling or going out of business, how are you going to collect?”

WEEKLY stoCKs82.06 13.66 Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) 4.3 27057614 22.78 1.82

26.78 9.04 Acadia (AKR) 9.4 1596455 10.50 -1.55

3.78 0.47 Aeffe * (AEF:MI) - 632065 0.58 -0.01

37.40 12.52 Aéropostale (ARO) 10.5 13703077 22.29 -1.37

29.40 19.32 Alberto Culver (ACV) 10.5 3413212 23.55 -2.37

12.69 1.45 American Apparel (APP) 6.7 1510083 2.30 0.10

23.73 6.98 American Eagle (AEO) 6.7 16123882 9.06 -0.58

29.23 3.74 Ann Taylor (ANN) 9.5 11083413 6.50 0.51

420.00 112.50 Asos * (ASC:L) 37.0 2764503 317.50 27.50

45.34 17.45 Avon (AVP) 10.6 21327943 21.37 -1.36

13.83 4.57 Bebe (BEBE) 8.6 2526138 5.57 -0.54

56.72 32.32 Beiersdorf * (BEI:HM) 14.4 3517474 35.29 -0.48

13.30 4.80 Benetton Group * (BEN:MI) 7.0 738871 5.82 -0.30

5.12 0.24 Birks & Mayors (BMJ) 0.2 123720 0.28 -0.05

44.29 28.27 BJs (BJ) 13.8 8988104 28.74 -1.51

0.29 0.07 Blue (BLHI) - 37747 0.07 0.00

5.50 0.55 Bluefly (BFLY) - 2446 0.80 -0.05

10.50 0.76 Bon-Ton (BONT) - 471814 1.49 0.10

18.44 3.68 Brown Shoe (BWS) 5.0 2557535 3.81 -0.74

44.57 13.57 Buckle (BKE) 11.0 3518413 23.94 -0.47

11.48 2.97 Bulgari * (BUL:MI) 7.9 8246740 3.39 -0.04

686.50 154.75 Burberry * (BRBY:L) 8.2 14414315 272.25 -17.50

16.29 4.18 Cabela’s (CAB) 5.0 1950743 6.31 -0.01

14.86 1.41 Caché (CACH) 9.9 275363 2.05 0.06

54.20 24.16 Carrefour * (CA:PA) 10.4 16482838 27.76 -0.09

22.39 11.94 Carter (CRI) 12.3 2947079 15.70 -1.14

4.95 0.35 Casual Male (CMRG) - 372670 0.40 -0.06

19.38 11.30 Cato (CTR) 14.8 816994 14.76 -0.24

27.55 2.53 CBL (CBL) 9.1 9696050 3.97 -0.83

9.70 2.75 CCA (CAW) 5.3 30583 3.05 0.26

1.57 0.18 Charles & Colvard (CTHR) - 333302 0.47 0.12

20.61 3.98 Charlotte Russe (CHIC) 58.4 989302 5.26 -0.52

6.42 0.57 Charming Shoppes (CHRS) - 1658775 1.05 -0.08

82.15 57.10 Chattem (CHTT) 19.0 918440 65.47 -0.01

36.97 11.55 Cherokee (CHKE) 10.3 172724 18.37 0.04

10.72 1.72 Chico’s (CHS) - 16408188 4.39 0.12

43.40 16.45 Children’s Place (PLCE) - 3800160 19.93 1.48

12.19 2.46 Christopher & Banks (CBK) 67.7 665674 4.86 0.35

33.73 19.51 Cintas (CTAS) 11.0 9457416 22.93 -0.91

28.12 7.01 Citi Trends (CTRN) 9.8 367823 10.85 -0.90

37.64 13.19 Coach (COH) 6.5 31259200 13.97 -1.90

8.31 0.91 Coldwater Creek (CWTR) - 1808168 2.95 -0.03

80.49 54.36 Colgate Palmolive (CL) 17.2 13899704 63.13 -2.53

21.00 3.85 Collective Brands (PSS) 23.2 4528707 10.89 -0.35

49.49 26.07 Columbia Sprtswr (COLM) 10.9 852729 29.71 -1.62

75.23 41.83 Costco (COST) 15.0 27955163 42.76 -2.45

34.75 0.79 Crocs (CROX) - 5257709 1.24 -0.07

0.18 0.02 Cygne Designs (CYDS) - 4594 0.04 0.00

146.60 46.27 Deckers Outdoor (DECK) 10.1 2013361 54.67 -1.79

3.50 1.50 Delia’s (DLIA) 208.0 321966 1.87 -0.17

9.15 2.09 Delta Apparel (DLA) 6.9 42626 4.05 -0.26

20.21 5.72 Destination Maternity (DEST) - 6224 8.22 0.23

45.66 1.73 Developers Diversified (DDR) 3.7 33649482 3.44 -1.36

23.11 2.50 Dillard’s (DDS) - 2723719 4.46 -0.24

17.93 6.16 Dress Barn (DBRN) 8.1 2513578 9.47 -0.36

20.69 7.30 DSW (DSW) 13.3 991780 10.11 -0.96

24.00 7.09 Duckwall-Alco (DUCK) - 2502 10.54 0.64

8.72 0.30 Eddie Bauer (EBHI) - 292964 0.82 0.12

21.79 5.18 Elizabeth Arden (RDEN) 33.3 1037216 6.53 -0.80

54.75 24.24 Estée Lauder (EL) 12.7 11326426 26.89 -1.23

32.50 18.00 Family Dollar (FDO) 15.7 16067895 26.61 -0.31

12.43 2.31 Finish Line (FINL) - 2347161 4.40 -0.54

38.08 11.00 Fossil (FOSL) 5.4 4200544 12.09 -0.41

3.99 0.16 Frederick’s of Hollywood (FOH) - 95489 0.28 -0.07

15.91 8.22 Freds (FRED) 37.2 1756954 9.29 -0.61

196.75 30.00 French Connection * (FCCN:L) 162.9 139900 51.00 3.00

21.89 9.41 Gap (GPS) 8.5 38053205 11.62 -0.32

44.23 0.24 General Growth (GGP) 3.1 27209495 0.55 -0.26

38.74 10.37 Genesco (GCO) 2.8 1120675 14.91 -1.04

23.00 4.07 G-III Apparel (GIII) 3.8 709259 4.03 -0.91

42.74 7.25 Gildan Activewear (GIL) 8.6 21635606 7.26 -3.28

13.46 0.75 Glimcher (GRT) - 1547302 1.51 -0.09

39.90 17.05 G&K (GKSR) 11.7 257568 19.95 -0.92

0.96 0.08 Gottschalks (GOTTQ) - 91801 0.15 0.01

45.21 10.26 Guess (GES) 7.1 6360838 16.66 -1.63

47.69 16.48 Gymboree (GYMB) 8.3 3545440 25.45 -2.12

12.80 2.05 Hampshire (HAMP) - 36300 2.50 -0.49

37.73 7.35 Hanesbrands (HBI) 6.0 7590027 7.60 -1.00

0.53 0.02 Hartmarx (HTMXQ) - 2051611 0.02 -0.01

433.50 239.50 Hennes & Mauritz * (HMB:ST) 17.8 20017514 329.00 -16.50

131.89 59.42 Hermès * (RMS:PA) 28.6 778961 77.62 -2.38

9.89 4.04 Hot Topic (HOTT) 23.5 4429447 9.31 -0.26

21.09 13.27 IAC Interactive (IACI) - 14366408 15.05 0.26

22.80 5.11 Iconix (ICON) 7.5 2445576 9.25 0.65

53.90 23.29 Inditex * (ITX:MC) 15.6 8484808 31.70 0.25

19.96 4.64 Inter Parfums (IPAR) 7.1 500507 6.92 0.20

1.96 0.16 IT Holding * (ITH:MI) - 0 0.18 0.00

50.35 8.02 J. Crew (JCG) 8.0 4509110 11.67 -0.10

51.42 13.95 J.C. Penney (JCP) 4.5 30219444 15.77 -0.06

7.70 2.00 Jaclyn (JCLY) - 1610 3.00 -0.50

1.67 0.24 Joe’s Jeans (JOEZ) 3.4 247215 0.30 0.02

22.12 2.34 Jones Apparel (JNY) - 13573328 3.44 -0.23

50.58 15.38 Jos. A. Bank (JOSB) 9.0 2164106 26.44 -0.55

19.74 5.52 Kenneth Cole (KCP) - 265116 7.10 -1.33

47.80 9.56 Kimco Realty (KIM) 9.2 44747872 10.40 -2.98

56.00 24.28 Kohl’s (KSS) 12.3 34249095 36.13 -2.35

20.76 9.55 K-Swiss (KSWS) 10.4 512428 10.52 -0.65

18.98 8.28 LaCrosse Footwear (BOOT) 9.4 2900 10.98 0.98

22.16 6.90 Limited Brands (LTD) 5.1 24538089 8.14 -0.71

20.60 1.46 Liz Claiborne (LIZ) - 6974133 2.52 -0.06

3.99 0.35 LJ Intl. (JADE) 7.4 236551 0.58 -0.04

99.97 50.00 L’Oréal * (OR:PA) 11.6 6399926 53.45 -1.50

37.33 5.91 Lululemon (LULU) 10.9 1574617 6.46 -1.36

26.66 10.62 Luxottica * (LUX:MI) 11.9 4169306 11.56 -0.18

89.36 38.10 LVMH * (MC:PA) 11.4 8750890 48.59 -1.44

76.50 8.31 Macerich (MAC) 7.1 20695257 13.54 -1.55

27.08 5.07 Macy’s Inc. (M) 5.3 57724156 8.63 -1.07

17.59 6.25 Maidenform (MFB) 6.5 859166 8.31 -1.23

669.00 191.90 Marks & Spencer * (MKS:L) 6.6 71586991 266.25 -3.25

27.64 8.33 Men’s Wearhouse (MW) 8.0 2594027 10.99 -1.30

26.17 5.94 Movado (MOV) 4.3 887707 7.29 -1.22

25.00 10.03 National Retail Prop. (NNN) 11.8 8785884 14.71 -1.63

12.12 0.82 New York & Co. (NWY) 7.9 2582733 2.39 0.20

0.10 0.05 NexCen (NEXC) - 1342450 0.07 0.01

70.60 42.68 Nike (NKE) 11.9 20031619 43.43 -5.25

1.85 0.02 Nitches (NICH) - 108513 0.06 -0.13

39.52 6.61 Nordstrom (JWN) 5.5 20571548 13.18 -1.01

10.53 5.95 Orchids Paper (TIS) 17.7 84008 10.99 0.64

29.88 4.48 Oxford (OXM) 6.1 424969 6.14 -0.43

14.04 0.72 Pacific Sunwear (PSUN) - 11341574 1.53 0.41

7.15 1.30 Parlux Fragrances (PARL) 20.9 1130555 1.40 -1.12

27.88 2.21 Penn Real Estate (PEI) - 4542508 4.68 -0.15

29.27 3.40 Perry Ellis (PERY) 3.4 887294 4.39 0.48

47.94 13.04 Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) 6.1 3255857 18.26 -1.98

2.10 0.22 Phoenix Footwear (PXG) - 1900 0.31 -0.04

82.02 31.22 Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) 8.4 11227126 37.27 -4.74

141.50 31.06 PPR * (PP:PA) 4.8 3769359 42.55 -3.34

29.73 10.35 PriceSmart (PSMT) 12.4 649402 18.52 -0.68

10.67 0.07 Quiksilver (ZQK) - 3770353 1.57 -0.33

8.84 4.85 R.G. Barry (DFZ) 7.5 72840 6.09 -0.09

24.28 3.45 Ramco-Gershenson (RPT) 3.6 637186 5.05 0.23

73.55 23.36 Regency Centers (REG) 13.8 11722232 29.27 -4.79

7.46 0.90 Retail Ventures (RVI) 1.6 1005228 2.22 -0.54

14.85 0.67 Revlon (REV) 2.2 1141912 3.71 -1.04

83.00 15.89 Richemont * (CFR:VX) 4.1 11248584 17.73 -1.23

41.56 21.70 Ross Stores (ROST) 13.7 10475762 30.70 -1.88

3.72 0.44 Safilo * (SFL:MI) 12.5 3411207 0.63 -0.10

17.50 1.89 Saks (SKS) - 9784547 1.92 -0.80

112.80 26.80 Sears (SHLD) 20.2 5498610 38.99 -2.43

106.43 33.78 Simon Properties (SPG) 23.0 39200995 38.05 -7.81

25.20 6.87 Skechers (SKX) 3.8 4548592 7.32 -0.10

3.37 0.15 Sport-Haley (SPOR) - 0 0.43 0.00

6.65 0.99 Stein Mart (SMRT) - 393525 1.14 -0.04

29.00 13.37 Steve Madden (SHOO) 12.6 1015125 16.95 -1.66

76.50 23.05 Swatch Group * (UHRN:SW) - 337375 28.40 0.05

17.86 5.43 Syms (SYMS) - 59684 6.26 -1.07

17.97 1.19 Talbots (TLB) - 1341547 2.79 -0.18

7.65 1.25 Tandy Brands (TBAC) - 118389 1.45 -0.24

3.37 1.55 Tandy Leather Factory (TLF) 7.7 40163 1.86 -0.06

46.30 24.62 Tanger Factory Outlet (SKT) 40.8 2898964 28.19 -3.58

59.55 25.60 Target (TGT) 9.7 68509297 30.08 -2.94

1.05 0.21 Tarrant Apparel (TAGS) - 123338 0.53 0.06

92.35 17.27 Taubman (TCO) 28.1 8584686 17.64 -2.78

3.65 0.18 Tefron (TFRFF) - 1595 3.23 0.42

49.98 16.75 Tiffany & Co. (TIF) 8.9 19826485 20.18 -2.71

19.41 7.19 Timberland (TBL) 15.8 2033536 11.64 -0.22

37.52 17.80 TJX Cos. (TJX) 10.5 24172171 21.64 -1.18

64.48 25.23 Tod’s * (TOD:MI) 11.5 276938 31.50 0.90

31.82 9.83 True Religion (TRLG) 6.9 1890160 10.56 -1.67

32.34 2.07 Tween Brands (TWB) 4.0 1637425 3.00 -0.49

45.30 15.75 Under Armour (UA) 21.3 3951939 15.82 -2.38

5.43 0.97 Unifi (UFI) - 4076034 1.13 -0.28

34.89 19.96 Unilever (UL) - 6643713 20.30 -0.43

38.40 12.33 Urban Outfitters (URBN) 13.3 23880710 16.50 -1.35

84.60 38.22 VF Corp. (VFC) 9.8 9173452 52.91 -5.56

28.88 6.39 Volcom (VLCM) 5.8 1506558 8.71 -0.81

63.85 46.25 Wal-Mart (WMT) 14.0 107185864 46.53 -3.10

53.89 12.22 Warnaco (WRC) 12.4 3817840 22.43 -1.62

40.00 8.27 Weingarten (WRI) 7.1 9242387 13.60 -2.80

5.54 1.85 Wet Seal (WTSLA) 6.9 2734196 2.71 -0.18

41.99 23.82 Weyco (WEYS) 15.7 53190 27.76 -3.80

31.21 16.24 Wolverine (WWW) 8.9 2583944 16.87 -0.87

30.89 1.11 Zale (ZLC) - 6771382 1.37 -0.21

28.84 4.50 Zumiez (ZUMZ) 10.9 1261795 9.01 0.20

52-WEEK VoLumE Amt

High Low Companies p/E Last Change

52-WEEK VoLumE Amt

High Low Companies p/E Last Change

Web Sites Flag Deadbeat Stores

WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 200926

By Jean E. Palmieri

Will the young urban customer shop at a mass market retailer? that is a question Wal-mart stores inc. will soon be able to answer.

last week, the bentonville, ark.-based retailer qui-etly began flowing a new men’s apparel line from hip-hop entrepreneur russell simmons to a small number of its u.s. doors. the line, american classics, has a preppy sensibility similar to simmons’ higher-priced argyle culture collection for macy’s that launched at the end of 2007. the Wal-mart line is being sold in approximately 350 stores as well as on walmart.com, accord-ing to a report in businessWeek. simmons’ name is on the label and his picture will be displayed on the sales floors near the mer-chandise. there are two hangtags on each garment. one sports an american classics logo and the second a quote from simmons with his signature.

a Wal-mart spokesman said the retailer was “not providing a comment” on the line at this time.

Wal-mart is clearly hoping american classics will have a better reception than the much-hyped ll cool J collection that launched exclusively at sears last year. although sales of that line were initially good, according to sources, it’s now struggling. there is widespread specula-tion the line may not have much life left in it.

in response, a sears spokesman said last week: “We’re getting ready to show ll cool J at new york Fashion Week [tuesday and Wednesday]. We think it resonates with the urban consumer and we’re showing it for fall.”

unlike the ll cool J collection, which boasts fleur-de-lis logos and tattoo-inspired t-shirts, simmons’ designs for Wal-mart are less embellished. “it’s preppy,” said one observer who has seen the collection, “sort of like a less expensive tommy hilfiger.”

the Wal-mart Web site shows argyle sweater vests and tra-

ditionally styled woven shirts under the american classics label along with classic five-pocket jeans, cargo pants and nautical-inspired jackets. prices range from $9.99 to $29.

simmons, who is on Wal-mart’s advisory board, could not be reached for comment and a spokesman at his com-pany, rush communications, said it “would not be issuing any comments right now.”

american classics looks very much like a lower-priced version of argyle culture.

equity analyst Jeff Van sinderen of b. riley believes the Wal-mart launch is a smart move. “Wal-mart has done an amazing job getting into areas where they haven’t traded before. Kudos for them for staying on the cutting edge,” he said.

although he did not have specific knowl-edge of the american classics line, Van sinderen said he expects the retailer to put the collection into “a trial mode and see how it works.” he said the young urban shopper is a “hard customer to reach,” but if a line is fashion-right, it will succeed — at least for a while.

“We’ve seen a lot of names come and go,” Van sinderen said. “sometimes there’s an initial run of success, but it’s followed by a steep decline. this customer base embrac-es what’s something for a while and then moves on to the next thing. Wal-mart is well

aware of what the progression has been in that space.”although Wal-mart did stumble several years ago when

it tried to offer more fashion-forward merchandise, the world’s largest retailer has shown it’s not afraid to test concepts and use its marketing muscle to jump on con-sumer trends.

last week, the retailer said it will add “twilight” shops to all 3,500 stores in march to coincide with the arrival of the DVD of the successful vampire-themed movie. the shops will carry apparel as well as messenger bags, totes and accessories, posters, the cD soundtrack and the four books by stephanie meyer that launched the teen craze.

aFter 37 years in the hanDbag business, Designer carlos Falchi is applying his signature style to bags for american men. For years, retailers and male friends asked Falchi for multiples of the custom designs he always made for himself, he said, and a few years ago he gave in, but only in Japan. the men’s collection now launching in the u.s. features plenty of Falchi’s exotic skins, but not as much color as the women’s — just black, brown, red and green — and no signature collages for now.

“my idea was to bring in the mixing of the materials and also make it younger and fresher, with attention to men who are antibag. For europeans it’s natural to carry a bag, but american men are just starting,” he said.

the skins include crocodile, alligator, python, ostrich and buffalo. many of the exteriors are a combination of canvas and skin, in consideration of the large dimensions preferred by american men.

prices for the messengers, totes, duffels and laptop carriers range from $3,000 to $32,000. (the top of the range is for an alligator duffel.)

all carlos Falchi products are handmade at the designer’s fac-tory on 39th street.

— Jean Scheidnes

By Andrew Roberts

MILAN — moody’s investors services downgraded safilo group spa on Friday on concerns the slow-down in demand and exchange rate fluctuations could dent operating performance this year.

moody’s revised down safilo’s corporate Family rating to “b2” from “b1” and the senior unsecured rating on its 195 million notes, or $250.8 million, due 2013 to “caa1” from “b3.” it also placed the ratings on review for possible fur-ther downgrades due to uncertainties surrounding safilo’s need to renegotiate existing financial cov-enants in its main bank facility and the company’s ability to meet future payment obligations.

“today’s downgrade reflects moody’s expecta-tion that 2009 will continue to be a difficult year for the company,” moody’s vice president and senior analyst paolo leschiutta said. “safilo was able to control operating margin erosion and in-ventory levels during full year 2008. however, moody’s remains concerned about the potential negative impact on safilo’s operating performance over the coming months due to the ongoing soft-ness in consumer spending and the volatility of foreign exchange rates, namely the u.s. dollar and the british pound against the euro.”

safilo, which licenses with giorgio armani, Dior, gucci and Valentino, among others, last week reported unaudited net profits of 14.6 mil-lion euros, or $21.5 million, in 2008, compared to 51 million euros, or $73.9 million, in 2007. (the 2008 figure excludes an extraordinary provision for deferred taxes of between 35 million euros, or $45.2 million, and 40 million euros, or $51.6 mil-lion.) sales for the 12 months through Dec. 31 fell

3.6 percent to 1.15 billion euros, or $1.69 billion, al-though at constant exchange they were flat, boost-ed by retail acquisitions in mexico and australia.

Fourth-quarter net profits fell to 100,000 euros, or $131,883, from 12.3 million, or $17.8 million, on sales that dipped 1.6 percent to 282.1 million, or $372 million. Dollar figures are converted at average ex-change rates for the periods to which they refer.

safilo chairman Vittorio tabacchi described 2008 as “a year of profound change and a turning point for the eyewear sector” after years of growth.

“the areas of our business most hit by the slow-down in demand and which have been downsized in terms of value and frequency of purchase have, without doubt, been high-end products and sun-glasses in particular,” tabacchi said.

he added that profits had been dented by “the impossibility in the short term” to scale down sig-nificantly industrial and other fixed costs in the context of reduced production volumes.

looking ahead, tabacchi said: “there is much work to be done during this year but the group is firmly committed to continuing with determina-tion all the projects already begun or under devel-opment, which will allow safilo to overcome the difficult market situation and emerge with a com-pany which is stronger and more competitive.”

safilo’s majority shareholder only 3t spa said last month it had contacted a few potential part-ners — thought to include private equity funds bain capital, apax partners and cVc capital partners — with a view toward strengthening and developing the group. according to sources, talks have since stalled as the tabacchi family, which owns 39.8 percent of safilo through only 3t, does not want to relinquish a controlling interest in the eyewear firm, even though this implied an unreal-istic valuation of its stake in the current climate.

italian media have speculated that safilo’s management was working on a plan to delist the company from the milan bourse.

Moody’s Downgrades Safilo, Citing Slowdown in Demand

Wal-Mart Wooing Urban Shopper

Court to Review Class-Action Status in Wal-Mart Case“Moody’s remains concerned about the [impact]…over the coming months due to the ongoing softness in consumer spending and the volatility of foreign exchange rates. ”

— Paolo Leschiutta, Moody’s Investors Services

Falchi Launches Men’s in N.Y.

PHOT

O BY

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Carlos Falchi with his men’s designs.

A look from American Classics.

Wal-mart stores inc. FriDay Won a rounD, anD a chance to substantially reduce its financial exposure, in the largest sexual discrimination suit in u.s. history when a federal appeals court in san Francisco agreed to reconsider whether the case should go forward with class-action status.

the case, originally brought by betty Dukes and five co-defendants in u.s. District court for the northern District of california in 2000, was granted class-action status in 2004, a decision that was upheld in 2007. if that decision were to be overturned, it would mean workers would have to proceed with individual actions against the world’s larg-est retailer rather than as a class of current and former employees encompassing at least 1.5 million women.

as lead plaintiff, Dukes claimed she was denied op-portunities for advancement based on her gender.

Wal-mart had unsuccessfully argued against class-ac-tion certification, stating the size of the class would make it unmanageable and that the individual experiences of the original plaintiffs weren’t indicative of Wal-mart’s working environment and policies.

Friday’s decision calls for the class-action matter to be subject to “en banc” review, larger than the three-judge panel that had heard recent arguments.

“We are pleased with today’s positive step in this case,” stated Jeff gearhart, who on Friday was named ex-ecutive vice president and general counsel for Wal-mart. “We look forward to presenting our arguments to a larger group of judges and are hopeful they will decide the case should not proceed as a class action.

“it is important to note that the merits of this case have not been considered by the courts,” he continued, “and we believe the experiences alleged by the six individuals who brought this suit are not representative of the experi-ences of our female associates. Wal-mart is a good place for women to work and fosters female leadership among our associates and in the larger business world.”

gearhart’s predecessor as general counsel, tom mars, was appointed to the new post of executive vice president and chief administrative officer of its namesake stores in the u.s. with responsibility for the oversight of human resource functions including diversity, compensation, tal-ent development and employment practices and policies, as well as corporate compliance.

calls to several of the plaintiffs’ attorneys weren’t re-turned over the weekend.

— Arnold J. Karr and Evan Clark

27WWD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009

COMMERCIALREAL ESTATE

WWD.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

For more career opportunities log on to fashioncareers.com. Call 1.800.423.3314 or e-mail [email protected] to advertise.

Spaces

Search hundreds of positions in fashion, retail and beauty.

214 W 29th StJust Steps to Penn Station

Units from

2,500 Sq. Ft. to 8,000 Sq. Ft.

Harve Schuster, SrVP212-696-7119

www.walter&samuels.com

WALTER & SAMUELS

Showrooms & LoftsBWAY 7TH AVE SIDE STREETS

Great ’New’ Office Space AvailADAMS & CO. 212-679-5500

Excellent Event Space Available Long/Short Term

SOHO, Manhattan peprealestate.com 212-925-3280 x100

FOR SALEContents of Apparel Manufacturer’sWarehouse for sale. Cutting, shipping,sample room & office equipment.

Call: 631-231-7876

Patterns/Samples/ProductionAny Style. We do Bridal/Evening

Gowns custom made & wholesale.Call: 212-278-0608/646-441-0950

PATTERNS, SAMPLES,PRODUCTIONS

All lines, Any styles. Fine Fast Service.Call Sherry 212-719-0622.

PATTERNS, SAMPLES,PRODUCTIONS

Full service shop to the trade.Fine fast work. 212-869-2699.

Dir. Fine Jewelry & AccessoriesThe Venetian/Palazzo Resort locat-ed in Las Vegas, NV. seeks exp’d.buyer to purchase designer jewelry,fashion jewelry, watches & designeraccessories. 5yrs min. exp. buyingjewelry.

Sr Buyer - RetailSeeking an exp’d. Sr. Buyer of ap-parel to develop, select & purchasemen’s & women’s clothing, child-ren’s apparel, logo accessories &other related products. 3-5yrs min.of product develoment exp. req.

Email your resume to:[email protected]

Accessories Company seeksProduction ManagerApparel & Footwear

Manage staff to meet company goals &obj. Daily comm w/factories for progressof samples, Manage & negotiate costsw/factories. WM/Target experience pre-ferred. Please send resumes & salaryreq to: [email protected]

BOOKKEEPER F/C $60-65K. Currentexp in apparel or software accessory coreqd. Queens loc. Will have duties com-parable to controller. Good work [email protected] 973-564-9236

CONTROLLER $115-125K. Currentstrong exp in apparel co required CPArequired. Will manage 25 indivs. NorthCentral NJ loca tion. Will report to CFO. [email protected] 973-564-9236

Credit & Collection Manager To $75K.Current exp in all aspects of credit & col-lection for apparel or accessory co reqd.

Must have good work history.Queens [email protected] 973-564-9236

Designer $100-125K BOE. Strong cur-rent exp in girls newborn. Must hang

with Ralph Lauren, Polo, TommyHilfiger, Quiksilver, J. Crew etc.

[email protected] 973-564-9236

Designer $100-125K BOE. Strong exp inboys infant toddler. Must hang withRalph Lauren, Polo, Tommy Hilfiger,Quiksilver, J. Crew [email protected] 973-564-9236

Designer shoes/boots $125-150K BOE.Current exp in design thru to finalprod devel req’d. Sketching, specing.Must have exp in China. Will travel toChina 4-6 times a [email protected] 973-564-9236

Neckwear DesignerFreelancer

Looking for candidate w/proven trackrecord of designing wovens.Work byphone and email. Email resume, exam-ples and rates to [email protected].

Overseas OpportunityJewelry

Fashion jewelry manufacturer seeksmanaging director for factory opera-tions and business development.•Minimum 10 years experience in thejewelry industry.•Good working knowledge of the pro-duction process of jewelry products(e.g. casting, plating, etc.)•Have experience/relationships withUS retailers for private label.•Requires relocation to Qingdao, Chi-na. 3-4 weeks vacation will be provid-ed for leisure travel.We provide a great compensationpackage for the right candidate includ-ing living expenses in China. Pleaseemail resumes with cover letter to:[email protected].

Planner to $95K Walmart proficient.Strong exp in planning for private labelapparel co dealing with Retail Link,Walmart 3-5 years min [email protected] 973-564-9236

Production Coord., Headwear Premier Wholesale Company seeks aProduction Coordinator. Comm w/ over-seas factories. Track prod & deliverystatus, send tech packs to factories, track& follow up on samples, etc. Maintainweekly shipping status reports & relatedresp.Wal-Mart/ Target Exp a plus.Please send resume & salary req to:

[email protected]

SPORTSWEAR TECH Min 2 year experience for NJ based co.

Please fax resume to:201-867-7789

TECH ASST/ADMINNY sourcing co seeks person w/ 1 yr+ expin fitting ladies garments along w/ prod’nknowl. & comp. skills. Strong follow upreq’d. Work w/ buyers + overseas offices.Fax/Email resumes to 212-683-4053

[email protected]

VIGOSSProfessional chargeback for Dept.Stores. Pl fax resume to (212) 764-6688or e-mail to: [email protected]

Regional Sales ManagersExperienced sales personresponsible for launchingweb-based registration, vid-eo & ecommerce productsfor the wholesale apparel,accessory & gift markets.No cap on earnings. Applyat: www.retailregistry.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVENYC based Women’s woven/knit co.seeks sales person to bring in new cus-tomer & take over est’d customer.w/min. 5 yrs exp. Email resume to:

[email protected]

Sales Exec. $200 +++ Min 5 yrs currentexp in young mens accessories oryoung mens casual sprtswr req’d. Privlabel. Popular priced. Los Angelesbased req’d. Company will not relo.Will lead to CEO position for aggressiveindiv w/ desire to become CEO in 3-4years. 65 mill vol [email protected] 973-564-9236

SALES KEY ACCOUNT EXEC - $$ Open .Current exp in private label Jr knit topsor private label missy blouses. Musthave current relationship w/ Target orKohls or Walmart or JC Penney req’[email protected] 973-564-9236

SALESPERSONFast growing leather handbag lineneeds salesperson for showroom.Email resume to: [email protected],or fax 212-730-2372.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEPremium Women’s & Men’s Apparel

Brand seeks industry leadingaccount executives to support

growth in top-tier Mens & Women’sspecialty retailers in the U.S.Minimum five years experienceselling premium apparel with

established boutique buyers in theNorthwest M/W, Midwest M/W,

and Southeast M regions.For immediate consideration,

please forward an updated resumealong with salary history to:

[email protected]

Sales Reps for EtienneAigner Eyewear

Mid west/ west coast/ south west/ FL/northern east/ Etienne Aigner Eyewearis looking for experienced sales repswith established account lists to intro-duce our line of sunglasses and read-ers. Email resume and cover letterto:[email protected]

VP SALESNY base moderate women sportswearco. seeking VP of SALES. Individualmust have strong contact with deptstore and specialty chains. Must beable to bring in new clients & takeover existed client base. Opportunityto grow. References required.Email resume to: [email protected]

creo

David & Victoria

Beckham

Filippo

Magnini

GIORGIO ARMANI CORPORATION 114 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10011 T. 212.209.3595 F.212.209.3795WWD MONDAY - OVERSIZED COVER WRAP (4C) POSITION: Cover 3 ISSUE: 2-16-2009 DUE DATE: 2-3-2009 TRIM: 10.875" x 14.75" BLEED: 11.125" X 15" SPECS: DIGITAL

WWD Feb16 Wrap Armani Covers3-4.qxp 2/4/09 5:03 PM Page 2

GIORGIO ARMANI CORPORATION 114 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10011 T. 212.209.3595 F.212.209.3795WWD MONDAY - OVERSIZED COVER WRAP (4C) POSITION: Back Cover ISSUE: 2-16-2009 DUE DATE: 2-3-2009 TRIM: 10.875" x 14.75" BLEED: 11.125" X 15" SPECS: DIGITAL

WWD Feb16 Wrap Armani Covers3-4.qxp 2/4/09 5:03 PM Page 1

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