RETAIL: J. Crew’s Millard “Mickey” Drexler bets on Madewell ’37s jeans, page 3.

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A&F Stays on Message With a Global Strategy In Face of Falling SalesBy David MoinDespite a DraMatiC sluMp in sales, abercrombie & Fitch Co. is thinking big and not letting up on its strategy or image-building.

the sexual overtones, aspirational product and defiant nonpromotional stance go on vivid display Wednesday with the opening of Manhattan’s first Hollister store in soHo, the initial flagship for a&F’s mall-based teen chain and a linchpin to the brand’s goal of global growth.

it’s the mother ship — four levels and 40,000 square feet — being aggressively marketed as “the epic Hollister store.”

“Considering the scale of the store, epic seemed appropriate,” said Michael Jeffries, chairman and chief executive officer of abercrombie & Fitch Co., the parent of the

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Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • July 13, 2009 • $3.00

Inventive takes on the black jacket surfaced for couture, in lace or mohair, sculptural or languid. Here, Giorgio Armani injected Eighties glam into a soft tailored wool version with a jeweled zipper for Giorgio Armani Privé. For more on the trend, see pages 6 and 7.

Zip It

MEN’S: Club Monaco revamps men’s wear for fall, page 3.

s NEWS: Kellwood Co. tries to stave off bankruptcy, page 2.

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INNERWEAR: a crop of new innerwear designers, page 8.

WWD.COM2 WWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 2009

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coming this weekTUESDAY: Texworld USA, New York (through Thursday).• The U.S. Commerce Department releases the June retail sales report.• The U.S. Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for June.• Levi Strauss & Co. reports second-quarter sales and earnings.

WEDNESDAY: Première Vision Preview New York (through Thursday).• Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, Miami (through Sunday).

• The Labor Department releases the Consumer Price Index for June.• Joe’s Jeans Inc. reports second-quarter sales and earnings. THURSDAY: SIMM, Madrid (through Saturday).

SATURDAY: MRket, New York (through July 20).

SUNDAY: The Collective and Blue, New York (through July 21).• Cosmoprof North America, Las Vegas (through July 21).

To e-mail reporTers and ediTors aT WWd, The address is firsTname.lasTname@fairchildpub.com, using The individual’s name.

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FAshionThe black jacket got the tony treatment at Dior, Chanel and Christian Lacroix.

geneRALOn the eve of the first Hollister flagship opening, Michael Jeffries, chief executive officer of Abercrombie & Fitch, talks pricing, expansion and the future.Mickey Drexler, chief executive officer of J. Crew, discusses the denim market and Madewell’s jeans launch.Adidas by Stella McCartney has tapped Caroline Wozniacki, the up-and-coming Danish tennis star, as the face of its tennis collection.Under the direction of Timothy Farah, the new vice president of men’s design, Club Monaco is widening its fit options and creating a collection of tailored clothing, sportswear and furnishings.INNERWEAR: A fresh crop of lingerie designers, iconic brands and licensees are launching new lines for spring 2010.

ACCESSORIES: The founders of Links of London have started a new jewelry brand called Annoushka, which will launch next month at namesake boutiques in British department stores.

eYeUnseasonably chilly temperatures didn’t deter a fashionable crowd from turning out for the Serpentine Gallery’s annual summer bash.

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current environment are affecting sales in the short term...but we are confident that our positioning has always proved successful over the long term.” — michael Jeffries, chairman and chief executive officer of

Abercrombie & Fitch co. Page one.

QUoteDAILY

• Trend Report: Cover-ups from resort-cruise 2010• More looks from the black jacket couture trend

• More images from the Serpentine Gallery party in London• More looks from new intimates brands and designers

• Global breaking news• Daily stock prices

By Vicki M. Young

KeLLWooD Co. exeCUTIVeS ARe IN round-the-clock talks with financial and legal advisors in an effort to stave off a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

The company, which private equity firm Sun Capital Partners Inc. bought for $762 million in February 2008, has been in talks with its bond-holders for two months concerning $140 million in notes that mature at midnight on Wednesday. Sources said the latest negotiations involved exchanging maturing notes for new ones with a longer maturity and better terms on the inter-est payment. Deutsche Bank, Kellwood’s largest bondholder, is said to have balked at supporting the exchange.

The bank’s position is said to have taken participants in the talks by surprise, including other note hold-ers that back the exchange. Kellwood had not yet hired bankruptcy coun-sel, although Chapter 11 seems a likely option if Deutsche Bank main-tains its stance.

Sources familiar with the situation said it was not likely that parent Sun Capital would step up to the plate and buy out Deutsche Bank’s stake to save the exchange offer.

eric Hunter, Kellwood senior vice president for marketing and brand awareness, said negotiations were under way until midweek “when Deutsche Bank [Kellwood’s largest bondholder] said it may not agree to [the proposed] terms.”

Hunter said Friday the company is “looking at all options” and “bankrupt-cy is an option.” Hunter pointed out that if the firm had to file for Chapter 11, it would be due solely to the ac-tions of its largest bondholder and not because of business conditions.

It was unclear why Deutsche Bank was leaning toward not accepting the proposed terms. The bank did not re-spond to a request for comment. Sun Capital declined comment.

A Sun affiliate, Sun Capital Securities Group, acquired the apparel firm. Kellwood had op-posed the unsolicited bid since September 2007. At the time, members of the investment com-munity were confused by the purchase, since it didn’t appear to fit the usual Sun profile of buy-

ing underper-forming firms in need of a turnaround.

Some of Sun’s acquisi-tions have not panned out. Mervyns, which it acquired from Target Corp. in 2004 along with Cerberus C a p i t a l Management, Lubert-Adler a n d K l a f f Realty, filed for Chapter 11 in July 2008 and has liquidated. Sources famil-iar with the

transaction said that Sun recouped most of its investment shortly after its acquisition. Another nameplate under the Sun umbrella, Anchor Blue Retail Group, filed for bankruptcy court protec-tion in May.

“Since we were taken private by Sun, Kellwood has been remarkably profitable,” Hunter said. “We’ve shed over $100 million from our expense [structure] with the new management team that Sun put in place. We’re opening new retail stores for our Vince brand. From a cash flow standpoint, we’re in a very good spot.”

Kellwood has a number of recognizable brands in the moderate and better categories.

The brands include Phat Fashions, Vince, David Meister, Sag Harbor, Koret and Briggs New York.

Frederick Schmitt, managing director at in-vestment banking firm Sage LLC, said there’s a chance a bankruptcy might be avoided.

“There might be some gamesmanship involv-ing the bondholders,” he said. “In this economic environment, exchange offers are common. Few companies have the liquidity to meet debt offer-ings and many debt providers have to accept lon-ger maturities and maybe get something else in return. The situation is not unique.

“The most rational option is to extend the maturity date and hope to get back the full pay-ment later on over time,” Schmitt said. “If the company was forced into bankruptcy, there’s no guarantee the bondholders would get back 100 cents on the dollar.”

While it is unclear how a bankruptcy filing might alter the current ownership of Kellwood, a filing could subject its brands to a poten-tial sale, since bankruptcy laws require filers to consider options to maximize value to the debtor’s creditors. That’s true even though the debtor has the exclusive right to file a plan of reorganization, albeit for a limited time. Many of Kellwood’s brands are deemed saleable, par-ticularly given the emphasis on value in the moderate apparel category.

Kellwood Tries to Head Off Bankruptcy

A look from La Blanca.

“if the company was forced into bankruptcy, there’s no guarantee the bondholders would get back 100 cents on the dollar. ”

— Frederick schmitt, sage LLc

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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 198, NO. 8. 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 March, April, June and August, and three additional issues in February and September) 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.

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erin o’connor in Donna karan.

A fall look from kellwood-owned sag harbor.

kellwood has been opening stores for its Vince brand, like the one shown here in Beverly hills.

WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 2009 3

By David Moin

Millard “Mickey” drexler is bullish on denim.

and with the launch today of the Madewell ’37s jeans collection, drexler, chairman and chief executive officer of Madewell parent J. crew Group inc., is out to prove it.

The line is launching with a single “skinny skinny” ultralean, detail-free silhouette priced at $59.50, well below Madewell’s opening jeans price point of $78. The jeans are avail-able in five washes: black, plume, avalanche (modified acid-wash), dark ash and chimney (a bleached-out black-on-gray).

The ’37s launch is an important one, consider-ing denim is a core com-ponent of Madewell, rep-resenting 20 percent of the three-year-old brand’s vol-ume, according to market sources. boots, T-shirts and scarves are also big.

“instead of having an assortment [of jeans], we said, ‘let’s go with the skin-ny skinny,’” drexler said. “That’s our best shot. Most girls and women are wear-ing skinny jeans these days.

“We would rather be dominant in one great fit than sorting out more fits,” he said. “in today’s marketplace, clarity, focus and single-minded awareness is as important as anything.”

as drexler sees it, “There’s a new world today. The denim customer is no longer trading up to higher price points. With customers giv-ing us feedback and the marketplace changing, it was pretty clear there was a need to come out with a collection of jeans a bit more price friendly. Jeans at $92 to $110 represented the heart of the business. We are still maintaining that, but we are looking to expand our reach in the market right now.”

The denim business, he acknowledged, is highly competitive and loaded with labels.

“What isn’t saturated today?” drexler asked rhetorically. he said the jeans market is par-ticularly saturated at cheaper price levels and at $125 and above, but there’s an open-ing in the middle. Madewell also offers “rail straight” jeans, priced from $78, and the worn and torn “ex-boyfriend jean” at $95. almost all of Madewell’s jeans are less than $100.

“We don’t think [the jeans market] is satu-rated with cool, well-made, well-designed jeans at $59.50 and up to about $100, particularly with a style, fit and wash point of view,” drexler said.

With Madewell ’37s, the detail is in the fit, sil-houette and wash. “it’s not pocket design or logos,” drexler said. “We think it’s all about not having stitch-ing and logo-ing. People want a cleaner, more time-less jean. it’s what the original jeans were about, and it’s what Madewell’s heritage is about.”

Three years ago, drexler resurrected Madewell, for-merly a workwear label, into a relaxed casual sports-wear, shoes and accesso-ries brand. Workwear was founded in 1937, which is the inspiration for the new jeans label.

The tag line for market-ing the ’37s is “cool jeans. Great price. We’ve got your back.”

“it’s all about keeping its simple, cool jeans at a great price,” drexler said.

Madewell is growing, primarily through word-of-mouth, he said. With the ’37s, a variety of channels, including Facebook and Twitter, in-store events, blog buzz, campus outreach and partnerships are planned.

asked who the Madewell customer is, drexler said, “she loves jeans. she loves fashion. she loves style and doesn’t want to dress like every girl is dressing and doesn’t want to spend a for-tune on clothes. she is a cool, 20- or 30-some-thing girl, but there is also a teenage following.”

By Jean E. Palmieri

club Monaco is TurninG To Men’s Wear For fall.

under the direction of Timothy Farah, the new vice president of men’s design, the Polo ralph lauren-owned retailer is widening its fit options and creating a collection that encompasses tailored clothing, sports-wear, furnishings, outerwear and accessories. it also is bringing in third-party vendors for the first time, adding levi’s 501 jeans for men and women.

Farah joined club Monaco, which operates 60 stores in the u.s. and another 60 international-ly, seven months ago to oversee design of the men’s collection. before that, he was with brooks brothers working on the Thom browne-designed black Fleece collec-tion. his impact will be felt when the fall line begins hitting stores in august.

in the past, the company said, design of men’s and women’s was under the di-rection of the same person. now Farah works with caroline belhumeur, vice presi-dent of women’s design.

The men’s collection is the “boyfriend of the club Monaco woman,” Farah said. “We want to make sure our men’s product is as elevated as our women’s.”

The most visible change is in men’s suits, where club Monaco will offer two silhouettes, the Wright and the kennedy. The Wright is a modern, slender fit for the more fashion-forward customer with narrow lapels, high-button stance and shortened center-back length. Pants are flat-front with a narrow leg and barrel-cuffed hem. The kennedy is designed for a more classic cus-tomer with a straight-leg pant and a traditional lapel and closure. both models retail for less than $500 and feature full-canvas construction, roped shoulders, pick-stitching on lapels and pockets, working buttonholes and oxford-weave striped linings. For fall, fabrics in-

clude tropical weight wool and flannel in solid heather, nail head and prince of wales. blazers are now offered in short and long lengths.

“The suits are the important building blocks to the collection,” Farah said. but they’re designed to work with the other elements of the line, which include ox-ford shirts, cashmere sweaters, quilted vests, puffer jackets and chinos.

“i think of it like a true collection, not categories of items,” he said. “Guys can dress head-to-toe in a suit or they can break it down.”

Farah said by offering options, club Monaco encour-ages customers to select the best pieces to create

their own individual look.“The entire collection has been elevated

in terms of quality and sophistication, but we’ve kept the price points,” he added.

The company would not disclose what percentage of the mix men’s wear repre-sents, but said it is viewed as a growth area.

in releasing fourth-quarter earnings May 27, Polo reported that same-store sales at club

Monaco were down 20.8 percent. For the year, comps fell 9.7 percent. however, first-quarter

business has been strong, and the company is ex-pecting a bump-up in sales for fall as frugal consumers look for lower-priced apparel options, a spokeswoman said.

one switch is the addition of levi’s jeans. Three styles for men and two for women will be offered begin-ning in august. although club Monaco will continue to have its own private label denim, many customers tradi-tionally pair its shirts and jackets with levi’s, prompting the addition, the spokeswoman said, adding the compa-ny is looking at other third-party products as well.

“We will pick and choose very carefully who we bring in,” Farah said.

This is quickly becoming a trend among vertical retailers. J. crew has added Thomas Mason shirts, Macintosh jackets and other classic men’s wear items to

its mix in the past several years. Farah said the fits reflected in the suits also will

be available in pants. shirt styles have been updated and are available in slim, classic and relaxed fits. “it’s our intention to offer options,” he said. To support the new men’s wear effort, a marketing campaign will be launched in september.

By Lisa Lockwood

adidas has a neW Face for the fall-winter 2009 adidas by stella Mccartney tennis line — danish star caroline Wozniacki.

The 19-year-old up-and-comer, ranked ninth on the World Tennis association tour, will kick off her new role at the u.s. open in Flushing Meadow, n.y., which starts aug. 31.

Wozniacki will play tour-naments in adidas by stella Mccartney apparel and foot-wear and will be featured in promotional and retail mate-rials. Terms of the long-term deal weren’t disclosed.

The adidas by stella Mccartney tennis collection will arrive next month in stores such as lane bryant, isetan, harrods, holt renfrew and nordstrom, as well as shopadidas.com and sports retailers world-wide. Prices include $175 for the skynde shoe; $130 for the perfor-mance dress and $175 for the tennis image jacket. The tennis collec-tion includes colorful eighties-inspired skirts combined with feminine ruching and gathering, as well as tops with draped sleeves.

launched in 2005, the adidas by stella Mccartney collaboration consists of apparel, footwear and accessories for golf, running, gym dance, gym yoga, gym studio, tennis, swim and winter sports.

“For me, it is essential to wear products that combine performance and style,” Wozniacki said. “i need to have breathable apparel and footwear that is lightweight, stable and well-cushioned. With the adidas by stella Mccartney tennis line, i feel like have everything any fashionable female tennis player always dreams about: cutting-edge adidas technologies combined with stella’s unique designs that actually perform.”

asked why she selected Wozniacki, Mccartney said, “because she is an amazing tennis player with stella attitude.”

Wozniacki will wear key styles from the collection, which includes the Performance dress featuring adidas climalite technology, the Performance hot Pant and bra in smoked pink and the tennis image jacket in dark grape. she will also sport the skynde tennis shoe in seed pearl, dark grape and white.

Wozniacki said she was especially pleased to be able to offer input into the tennis collection, working “alongside the adidas product team who are experts in technical performance products” to give “them an insight into the individual needs of female tennis players.”

and after her tennis career, she said, “i would love to own a fash-ion line.…hopefully i can learn a lot from stella.”

Adidas by Stella McCartney Taps Wozniacki as New Face

J. Crew Group Launches Madewell ’37s Jeans

Club Monaco Revamps Men’s Collection

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Kensington gardens more resembles a Japanese fantasy world these days, due in part to the new installation in the serpentine gallery pavilion.

Kazuyo sejima and ryue nishizawa of sanaa in tokyo — the same architectural firm that designed the new museum of Contemporary art in manhattan — created the sparkling aluminum and stainless steel canopy that floats like smoke through the grass and trees in Hyde Park. “We wanted a space where visitors could enjoy in their own way, and where kids could run around,” says nishizawa. “now we’re curious to see how people actually use it.” the structure, which spans about 6,000 square feet, houses a cafe and lecture space and is open to the gardens on all sides.

“sejima and nishizawa’s design is our dream come true,” says serpentine director Julia Peyton-Jones, who runs the pavilion program with Hans Ulrich obrist, director of international projects. “[their] pioneering buildings have created an architecture that marries aesthetic simplicity with technical complexity, defining a new architectural language that plays with light and perception.”

since 2000, curators have been commissioning original designs by architects who have never before worked in the U.K. Zaha Hadid, oscar niemeyer, toyo ito, rem Koolhaas and Frank gehry are among the artists who’ve transformed past pavilions, which are

displayed from July to october and then sold for approximately 40 percent of the cost.

the turnaround time for these projects is sharp: chosen architects have fewer than six months to execute the project — a nanosecond compared with the years it takes for most works of this scale to come to life.

“You have to work in a different way,” says nishizawa. “it was a challenge to do it quickly. it never really felt like fun, until it was completed.”

in addition to new York’s new museum, sanaa has collaborated with companies including Christian dior and Prada on retail spaces, and is working on a satellite of the louvre museum in lens, France, a social housing project in Paris, and the neruda tower in guadalajara, mexico.

now that they’ve made their big U.K. debut, sejima and nishizawa would love to pick up some work in the U.s. “there are no commissions yet. but we’re ready and waiting,” says nishizawa.

— Samantha Conti

WitH Her saUCer-siZe eYes, Wide grin and HYPerKinetiC energY, aCtress anna Chlumsky, 28, still bears an uncanny resemblance to her prepubescent character Vada in the 1991 cult coming-of-age film “my girl.” appearances can be deceiving, though, as Chlumsky has done a lot of growing up since her macaulay Culkin-kissing years. a graduate of the University of Chicago and a resident of Clinton Hill, brooklyn (with army reserve husband shaun so), Chlumsky took a brief hiatus from acting postcollege. this summer, she’s back on the big screen in “in the loop,” a clever british political farce about anglo-american diplomatic relations, also starring James gandolfini and out July 24. (tonight, the Cinema society and the new Yorker are hosting a special screening.) Chlumsky plays an american intern in d.C. whose war philosophy paper causes a brouhaha. it proved a pleasant opportunity for the actress to flex her academic muscles. “i finally used [my college major], international relations, in my acting,” laughs Chlumsky.

— Vanessa Lawrence

WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK: Chlumsky didn’t have to do much research to play a political intern. she spent a summer working for the better government association in Chicago, a city known for its corrupt politics. “they are basically Chicago politics whistle-blowers,” says Chlumsky of the organization. “they worked with these investigative reporters and i would go and search the campaign contributions to see who gave what and what thing passed after that.”

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Chlumsky moved to new York right out of school with a writing career in mind. Her first job was an entry-level fact-checking position at Zagat, followed by a yearlong stint at HarperCollins editing science fiction and fantasy books. “i was so unhappy. and then suddenly all the things started to click and i was like, ‘i need to act again,’” she says. so Chlumsky did some intensive training with the atlantic theater group before returning to the fold.

COMMUNICATIONS: Considering that her first gig was a Carson Pirie scott department store ad when she was 10 months old, Chlumsky has managed to avoid all the pratfalls of young stardom. “my experience is that i learned so much of the ugly part of the business as a teenager that when it started to show its ugly head again.…i realized that it doesn’t really matter,” she explains of her rather seamless transition to adult roles. “i was sort of really able to step away and realize that when i got back into it, it was because i wanted to communicate texts, tell stories. it’s not necessarily because i want to be on the cover of a magazine. that’s fine; i’ll take it, but that’s not the end-all.”

Girl of Summer: Anna Chlumskymirror image

The BriTs apparenTly Take The axiom “rain or shine” quite seriously. Unseasonably chilly temperatures didn’t deter a fashionable crowd from turning out Thursday night for the serpentine Gallery’s annual summer bash, which celebrates the unveiling of its new

architectural pavilion.“nowhere else in the world would huge numbers of people gather for a

party outside in the cold, with a high possibility of rain,” said savile row tailor Richard James. “This is a very english party.”

Guests, including Bianca Jagger, Kanye West, Gareth Pugh, Hussein Chalayan, Pharrell Williams, and Sir Philip Green, sipped Champagne and rose tea cocktails and mingled under the aluminum canopy designed by Japanese architecture firm sanaa (see related story, this page).

Culture vulture West was naturally well acquainted with the serpentine. “i’ve already been to the gallery twice this week to see Jeff Koons,” he gushed, referring to the artist’s popeye series show that opened July 2.

Dasha Zhukova was ready to put the september issue of pop — her first — to bed. “There will be a lot more art and travel — it’s very exciting,” she said.

Wet Paint

Thandie Newton in Matthew Williamson with the designer.

Bianca Jagger in Lanz.

Pharrell Williams

Rosamund Pike

Jacquetta Wheeler

Gareth Pugh and Carson McColl

Jade Jagger in her own design.

Jade Jagger in her own design.

For more, see WWD.com.

s Erin O’Connor in Donna Karan.

Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue NishizawaSANAA’s reflective

canopy at the Serpentine Gallery.

Anna Chlumsky

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FASHION SCOOPS

By Ellen Groves

PARIS — Marking the end of couture season here, the fashion world on Thursday celebrated the 100th birth-day of distinguished couturier Madame Carven.

Paris’ Musée Galliera was festooned in green and white, Madame Carven’s signature colors, which were featured in at least one outfit in each of her fashion shows. Many guests also wore the colors in homage.

A picture of health and elegance, the petite designer, who was born the same year that Louis Blériot became the first man to fly across the English Channel and con-struction began on the Titanic, conducted interview after interview while keeping watch on the rest of the party.

“All my life, I always have an eye to what’s happening,”

she said, as she surveyed guests, who included Loulou de la Falaise, Yves Carcelle, Alexis Mabille and Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

The secret to longevity, she summed up as: “Work. I’m 100 years old, and I worked in couture for 50 years.”

During that time, Madame Carven has seen the num-ber of couture houses dwindle from some 100 when she founded her company in 1944 to just 11 today. “Now, couture is too expensive,” she said. “There are no lon-ger many [clients]. Even people with great fortunes are obliged to be careful.”

Jean-François Lesage recalled, “I worked with her a lot, from ’49. We did lots of green and white. It was the era when people had their own couturier. It wasn’t about marketing, it was about clothes.”

Credited as the first to design ready-to-wear by Didier Grumbach, president of the Chambre Syndicale, Madame Carven said her goal was always to make women beautiful.

“I never did it for myself,” she said. “I did it for the youngsters that came to see me, to teach them how to dress, to give them confidence in their own beauty — how to show themselves off through colors, styles, everything.

“Designers [today] unfortunately think about mak-ing their mark on their design,” she continued. “I didn’t think of my designs like that. I thought about the young girls, the young women that I dressed, even my models, to show off their beauty to the maximum. In a young girl, there’s always something beautiful if we try to discover it and bring out the best. I think that should be the work of couturiers in whom someone has placed their trust because they must have a very pretty dress to go to a soiree. Couturiers, they do things as if it was for them.”

France’s new minister of culture, Frédéric Mitterand (nephew of the former French president François Mitterand), hailed Madame Carven as “one of the most eminent designers of French fashion,” and also, given that his mother wore the label, “someone who is part of my family.”

The minister, who was notably absent from Christian Lacroix’s show Tuesday, seized the occasion to reassure an industry shaken by the misfortune that’s befallen the house. “I would like to express just how attentive I am to the work, to the hopes and to the dramas, that they [fashion houses] can experience. I refer here to the dif-ficulties experienced by the Christian Lacroix house at the moment,” he said as he closed his speech.

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Madame Carven and the French minister for culture, Frédéric Mitterand.

Véronique Leroy and Vanessa Bruno

Loulou de la Falaise and Alexis Mabille

NEW FACE IN THE TENTS: Maybelline New York, which touts itself as the top-selling makeup brand in the global mass market, is said to be close to signing a deal to become a lead sponsor of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Bryant Park. Maybelline, a division of the Paris-based L’Oréal, has never played a role in the Bryant Park shows, but the brand has had fashion sponsorships in Germany, according to sources. Maybelline’s new sponsorship deal is thought to be for a two-year period for both the September and February shows, first in Bryant Park and then at Lincoln Center. A L’Oréal spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The move comes after MAC Cosmetics, the previous cosmetics industry backer of the fashion shows, was said to be in talks to become a lead sponsor for runway shows and presentations at Milk Studios during fashion week. According to sources, MAC is withdrawing its sponsorship from the Bryant Park shows in favor of backing the Milk Studios venue. A MAC spokeswoman confirmed late Friday that MAC will no longer be the cosmetic sponsor of fashion week at the tents. However, the company will continue to do the backstage makeup for a multitude of shows.

MICHELLE, MA BELLE: Michelle Obama sure knows how to be a bona fide fashion diplomat. On the first official presidential visit to the Vatican last week, the First Lady chose to wear a mix of Italian and American clothes to meet Pope Benedict XVI. Continuing her love affair with Michael Kors, she donned the designer’s black wool crepe coat. The rest, however, was all Moschino, from the black organza bow top and the black crepe skirt to the striking black silk Moschino veil.

On her extended European trip, Obama rotated her group of core American regulars, wearing pieces from the likes of Kors, Narciso Rodriguez and Jason Wu.

She was back in Kors for the first family’s arrival in Ghana, where she wore the designer’s black square neck sheath dress.

ASIAN DREAMS: Geoffroy de La Bourdonnaye, Liberty’s chief executive officer, is in Japan meeting with customers and touting the London flagship’s transformation into an edgy, fashion-forward specialty store. He also revealed Japan’s role in its future strategy. Liberty, famous for its color-rich prints, will feature a Japanese theme in its fall/winter 2010 collection of fabrics. The company is also planning collaborations with a few Japanese artists and designers, including Tsumori Chisato, Yoshie Watanabe and Mika Ninagawa. “Japan has always been the number one source of inspiration,” said de La Bourdonnaye, noting Liberty’s founder, Arthur Lasenby Liberty, started his career selling Japanese fabrics and objects d’art in 1875. The executive said the company might open a store in Japan for its Liberty of London range of apparel and accessories at some point, although there is no concrete plan at the moment.

In other Liberty news, the brand is preparing its latest collaborative effort: a special one-off range of bags, accessories and other items designed with 10 Corso Como. The store is also planning something special for Christmas, when it will hand over the creative reins to Luella Bartley, who will develop quirky in-store displays and windows for the season.

IN THE MOOD: Chris Klein, Rumer Willis and Amanda Righetti were among the celebrities who turned out last week to celebrate Moods of Norway’s first store, a 2,500-square-foot space on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles. “It’s a beautiful, beautiful new line,” said Klein. Moods of Norway, founded in 2003 by Norwegian designers Simen Staalnacke, Peder Børresen and Stefan Dahlkvist, has something of a celeb following, including Dave Navarro, Gwen Stefani

and Will.i.am. “Los Angeles is just a fantastic place. We love the sunshine, we love the fashion, and I think our funky colors really go hand in hand with the taste here,” said Dahlkvist, who plans stores next in New York and Miami.

CLOSE TO HOME: Los Angeles designer Eva Varro, whose vivid print and stretch designs are sold at Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and boutiques across the U.S., will open her first store in Macerich’s Santa Monica Place next year. The Hungarian-born designer started her career with swimwear and resides in Santa Monica, making the soon-to-open shopping center a close-to-home fit for Varro, who has celebrity clientele including Eva Longoria Parker, Jane Seymour and “Twilight” actress Ashley Green. Celebrity fans aside, Varro’s designs have gained traction because of their reasonable prices, typically ranging from $100 to $200.

The Frank Gehry–designed indoor mall is in the midst of a $265 million conversion to an open-air shopping center, but has been delayed several times. Earlier this year, owner Macerich announced Santa Monica Place would open in the middle of 2010, but plans now call for an August 2010 debut as a way to avoid opening amid the downturn. Other tenants include anchors Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom, as well as local and national brands like Coach, Kitson, True Religion, BCBG Max Azria, Ed Hardy and Joe’s Jeans.

SUMMER EXHIBIT: Donna Karan has an affinity for art. Her late husband, Stephan Weiss, was a sculptor and painter, and she has used his former studio on Greenwich Street for several art exhibits. This Sunday, the designer is welcoming artist Dana Matthews at her Urban Zen store in Sag Harbor, N.Y. with a daytime tea and lemonade party. It will serve to kick off a summer show of Matthews’ New York landscapes and pieces from the “Botanicals and Outer Space” series at the store. Those who don’t make it out east this weekend need not fret, though: The pieces will be on display at the store through August 5.

BOYS’ CLUB: For the eighth anniversary of New York-based sportswear label Robert Graham, president Neil Kusnetz and designer Robert Stock

journeyed across the country to Santa Monica, Calif., where they feted the occasion with actor Billy Baldwin and other fans at the boutique Ron Robinson at Fred Segal. In addition to launching a club for customers who have amassed more than 100 of the line’s colorfully embellished shirts, the company plans to introduce hats, silk shirts and freshly laundered shirts next spring, along with a fragrance and shoes in the next 12 months. It’s also eyeing New York’s West Village for the location of its first freestanding store. The new shop certainly would help Baldwin satisfy his craving for Robert Graham, which is the source of a seersucker jacket and a few shirts hanging in his closet. “This is versatile clothing. You can use it for a lot of different things,” Baldwin said. “If you’re going to an event with a jacket and a tie or you can just sort of, you know, walk around your house in your underwear in it if you want.”

TOUR DE FORCE: As Lance Armstrong strives for a record eight Tour de France victories, the Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in Paris is hosting “Stages,” an exhibition of leading artists including Richard Prince, Cai Guo-Qiang and Aaron Young, who’ve created works inspired by Armstrong to raise cancer awareness. Sponsored by Nike, the pieces will be revealed next Thursday, where a host of participating artists including Tom Sachs, Ed Ruscha and

Shepard Fairey, plus Nike’s chief executive officer Mark Parker, are due to attend. The show will head to the U.S. this fall with proceeds going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Livestrong, established before the cyclist knew he would survive his own cancer. On his regularly updated Twitter feed, Armstrong said all the bikes he’s ridden this tour, customized by the likes of Marc Newson and Damien Hirst, are to be auctioned off for Livestrong. On seeing the Hirst bike, which he’ll use in a later stage, Armstrong tweeted he was “speechless.”

RISE AND SHINE: Luxury linens firm D Porthault, whose French business went into receivership last month, is forging ahead with store openings. The firm, whose business in the U.S. and Asia remains solvent, will open two new stores, in London in October and in Palm Beach, Florida in November.

Porthault’s French operations had accrued debt of $3.7 million by the end of 2008, largely due to the construction of a new factory.

Michelle Obama in

Michael Kors and Moschino.

Dana Matthews’ “Helliconia” piece will be on exhibit at Urban Zen in Sag Harbor.

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Jacket Club

The black jacket got the tony treatment, whether rendered in point d’esprit lace at Dior, toughened up with slashed sleeves at Chanel or decorated with folkloric embroidery at Christian Lacroix.

PARIScouture/fall ’09

Givenchy

Jean Paul Gaultier

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Christian Lacroix

Christian Dior

By Karyn Monget

The recession isn’T sTopping a crop of new lingerie de-signers and iconic brands and licensees from filling the marketplace.

fresh resources said despite the harsh economy and retail climate, there is still a demand for creative, innovative merchandise, especially at a time when inventories are practically bare and selling floors are ready for innovative product, ideas and concepts.

although intimates have been regarded as a recession-proof cat-egory, sales the first half of the year were down 10 to 12 percent, industry executives said.

Three major players are headlining the entry in the lingerie cat-egory: Jessica simpson intimates, a full range of lingerie, undies, shapewear and sleepwear produced under license by Vandale industries inc.; XoXo, a licensed line of bras, panties, daywear and bustiers at dreamwear inc., and the licensed lucky brand that will feature contemporary fare at the d2 Brands division of delta galil industries ltd.

The new brands to be unveiled in august for spring 2010 include aspir-ing entrepreneurial designers such as sara romoli at sr designer fashions llc, who is launching her eponymous corsetry label; Kristin williams, who specializes in dual-purpose sleepwear and loungewear called KMadison, and denise Johnson, a former lingerie retailer who founded posh intimates, a collection of colorful and printed cotton and Modal pajamas and robes called posh Tea Time. There’s also a new line of dual-purpose, robe-style dresses from los angeles created by fashion entrepreneur emy hovanesyan called Bones and roses hollywood.

also making an entrance for the first time in the U.s., will be Qi loungewear, a line of at-home wear pieces of cashmere that will be produced by knitwear and cashmere sweater maker Qi; slimminizers, a collection of fashion-forward, color reversible shapers by Muse creative group, and plié shapewear, a new con-trol brand to be launched by Brazilian denim specialist Mosa inc.

These launches follow a plethora of innerwear introductions this year, including italian luxury brand intenzioni, the classic izod brand and contemporary intimates label aBs at Vandale, as well as the first collection of ellen Tracy sleepwear and loungewear at the Komar co. and ellen Tracy intimates at The chelsea design group, a unit of Komar.

all of this activity doesn’t leave out the repositioning of the licensed Tommy

hilfiger line of signature all-american sleepwear and loungewear at delta galil, and two top designer labels: donna Karan intimates and dKnY foundations at Maidenform Brands inc. and sleepwear and at-homewear by donna Karan intimates and dKnY at the Komar firm.

it’s difficult to pinpoint a first-year wholesale sales projection for new designer brands that operate on shoestring budgets that range from as little as $10,000 to $100,00, but industry estimates place the av-

erage beginner’s revenues at $250,000 to $1 million. established brands and licensees, as well as celebrity franchises, can generate annual sales of $25 million to $50 million, according to industry estimates.

sara romoli, a native of florence, is not a typical designer of intimates. she studied criminology at the University of florence and was interning at a law firm in new York when one client on seventh avenue stimulated her desire for fashion. she quit a law career in 2007 and joined ready-to-wear company Morgan & co., which is now out of business.

“i was very good at marketing and learned how to do everything firsthand when it comes to designing,” said romoli, who worked for the apparel company in india and dubai, and created a line of corsetry for europe bearing her name. “i love corsetry and was inspired by la Belle epoque and paris.”

romoli created her company and e-commerce site sararomoli.com in september and hooked up with frank Bibbo, president of worldwide solutions, a manufacturing consultant who oversees production. They are looking for a showroom.

“My experience is the young designers are very exciting and creative, but when it comes to the business side they don’t have the business expertise, and people like me can guide them financially,” said Bibbo, whose 30-year background includes private-label pro-duction for cachet stores. “one advantage is we make the garments in new York city, with a 30-day turn, not 60-to-90 days from asia.”

romoli said her corsets are sized “one-size-fits-all, from extra small to large, because its a Victorian lace-up so it doesn’t have to be graded by size.” The embellished corsets of silk, satin and stretch cotton will average around $240 at retail. The collection was unveiled at a cocktail party and fashion show at Bar italia in Manhattan on June 30 to benefit the Make-a-wish foundation.

Kristin williams, who is based in greenwich, conn., said she chose the category because “people need multiple reasons to make a purchase these days.”

“rather than spending $100 on something you can sleep in, you are spending $100 on something you can sleep in, lounge around the house in, wear out to grab a cup of coffee, and even wear as a beach cover-up,” said williams, a former sales representative.

regarding the economy, williams noted, “no time is ever going to be perfect and you can’t keep putting things off until they are, which is why i decided not to hold back on launching my collection. also, i have found that due to the tough times, stores are looking for new, refreshing lines to bring in.”

The collection, of micro Modal and spandex, incorporates retro-inspired colors and prints. suggested retail is under $100. williams exhibits at trade shows at Moda, Magic, surf expo, and regional markets including atlanta and dallas. information about the line can be found at kmadisondesigns.com.

denise Johnson, who owned The lingerie collection boutique in winter park, fla., until it closed last year, said she has always had a “passion” for lingerie. That passion was the impetus to create a line of pajamas and robes trademarked under the name posh intimates.

“My mother and i used to travel to france and see all of the beau-tiful lingerie,” she said. “That’s where the desire to create a collec-tion came from. Two years ago, i made some pajamas and one day came home put on a pair of pajamas and was having tea with my mother, when she said, ‘why don’t you design a collection of paja-mas? i remembered that women in their 50s and 60s shopping at my retail store still wanted something fun, colorful and very cheery.”

retail prices are $100 to $110 for pj sets, $28 for boxers, and $120 for short wrap robes.

WWD.COM8 WWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 2009

Tapping Into the Next GenerationInnerwear Report

XoXo’s flirty bra and garters.

Seersucker bra and undies by Jessica Simpson Intimates.

KMadison’s dual-purpose loungewear.

For more, see WWD.com.

Sara Romoli’s animal-print

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Accessories Report

By Samantha Conti

LONDON — Links of London founders Annoushka Ducas and John Ayton are back in business with a collection of fine jewelry that will roll out to stores across the U.K. later this month.

The collection, Annoushka, will be sold through eponymous bou-tiques at stores such as Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty, House of Fraser and Brown Thomas, with prices ranging from 150 pounds, or $246, for a yellow gold eternity ring, to 20,000 pounds, or $32,800, for a diamond cocktail ring.

Husband-and-wife team Ayton and Ducas cofounded Links in 1990, and sold it to the Greek fashion jewelry company Folli Follie in 2006 in a deal valuing it at $84 million. They will directly operate the in-store concessions, which they acquired when they purchased the British jew-elry retailer Pascal last year.

The flagship Annoushka boutique will be at Harvey Nichols on Sloane Street, in the former David Morris space. It will measure 700 square feet, while the nine others will range in size from 500 to 700 square feet.

“We had the opportunity of getting back into the business, and went for it,” Ayton said. “We enjoy working together, and Annoushka has a great passion for jewelry. By the time we open all the stores, we will be the best-distributed jewelry brand in the U.K.”

Ayton said the two would be more focused on developing the craft than on rapid-fire expansion. There are no plans for a wholesale business or for expansion outside the U.K.

Annoushka is being positioned as a bridge collection between silver fashion jewelry and the big Bond Street jewelry brands. Ayton said the closest comparison would be the Italian brand Pomellato. At department stores, Annoushka will be sold alongside brands such as Stephen Webster, Cartier, Theo Fennell and Shaun Leane.

The two plan to sell one-off designs and offer limited runs of handmade jewelry, in addition to more commercial pieces. Everything in the collection is made from 18-karat gold.

Ayton said he expects sales to be 8 million pounds, or $13 million, in the first year and rise to 20 million pounds, or $33 million, in three years’ time. Freestanding stores are also on the drawing board.

All figures have been converted from the pound at current exchange. The collection has a bohemian, handcrafted feel to it, and could easily be sold in a gallery space, with jewels that

range from slim, stackable diamond pavé rings, small charms and clip-on amulets, to bolder pieces created around diamonds or semiprecious gemstones such as

aquamarine, tourmaline, smoky quartz and chrysocolla.Some of the boutiques will offer a “bar” where customers will be able

to toy with designing themselves, choosing from a variety of diamond pavé ring frames and gemstones and customize their own jewels.

“I really want to take the reverence out of jewelry — to make it feel less scary and formal,” Ducas said during a walk-through of the collection at the couple’s Chelsea home. “I also want women to see jewelry as a wardrobe: Something that can be built up over the years, or worn layered like clothing.”

Ducas is working once again with the British jewelry designer and university lecturer Elizabeth Oliver, with whom she worked

at Links. Asked about launching a jewelry line during tough economic

times, Ayton said it’s something he’d done before. “We founded Links — which was a simple business like this one — during a reces-

sion, and took advantage of the opportunities available to us,” he said. “We think the product is very ‘now.’ People are moving away from the

flashy brands, and we’re offering them quirky, versatile jewelry with a value proposition.”

SHOE BIZ: Kooba will launch footwear on Aug. 5 at the FFANY New York Shoe Expo. The collection will feature platforms, flats and gladiator sandals with a similar look to the firm’s classic hobo bags and totes. The shoes will retail from $225 to $450 and will be offered at spring market to the same distribution channels as the bags, including high-end department and specialty stores. “I’ve always been obsessed with shoes, so after building a successful handbag business, it just seemed like a natural next step to translate our unique mix of rich and interesting leathers, attention to detail, and an effortlessly chic sensibility into footwear,” said Abbe Held, founder and creative director at Kooba.

VINTAGE SHOPPING: Yoox.com is partnering with jewelry collector and historian Deanna Farneti Cera on a series of themed sales taken from Cera’s collection of vintage costume jewelry. The first sale later this month will focus on “Revisiting the ’80s” and will include 20 pieces from the era, such as a Karl Lagerfeld by Ugo Correani Plexiglass and metal ruffle cuff and Yves Saint Laurent rectangular wooden earrings. Yoox.com will feature a sale every two to three months. Last week, the Bologna, Italy-based e-tailer said it was preparing for an initial public offering and could list before yearend.

DIMASSO AND DEVI: Accessories firm Devi Kroell has tapped Tony DiMasso as president and chief operating officer, a new post. DiMasso has joined the company after five years as chief operating officer at Jimmy Choo, where he was instrumental in expanding the brand’s U.S. presence. Before that, he was the chief operating officer of Diesel USA. “[Kroell] has an international presence and a lot of unexplored potential,” said DiMasso. “I am looking forward to a fantastic partnership with Devi as we look to take the brand to the next level of growth and drive its retail and wholesale operations.” DiMasso reports to Devi Kroell, designer and chief executive officer.

MERCI GABLONZ: Parisian concept store Merci has unveiled a treasure trove of colorful vintage rhinestone jewelry crafted by the women of the Czechoslovakian village of Gablonz, where Daniel Swarovski began his glittering career. The collection’s previous owner, a Gablonz native, was selling several pieces at a flea market in Vienna where it was spotted by Merci’s artistic director, Daniel Rozensztroch, who bought the entire stock, until then stored in a box in a garage. Comprising 70 brooches, bracelets and holiday decorations, made from cut glass and mercury glass beads, the pieces date back to between 1900 and 1930. Designs take inspiration from the animal kingdom, be it an elephant brooch or a lobster tree decoration, or more playful themes, such as a teddy bear, or a Mickey Mouse, proving the character was already a cultural phenomenon in Eastern Europe. Pieces are 300 euros, or $420 each, and go on sale in September.

DIVA-MADE SHADES: The House of Deréon label, cofounded by Beyoncé Knowles and mother Tina Knowles, signed a licensing agreement with Allure Eyewear to produce an eyewear collection under the brand. The initial collection of Deréon eyewear consists of optical frames and sunglasses in bold colors and oversize, glamorous silhouettes. It will be sold at major department and specialty stores around the country and retails from $40 to $200.

“Sunglasses and eyewear add an incredible amount of appeal and they are truly an essential accessory for any look,” Tina Knowles said.

FINDINGSDucas and Ayton Unveil Annoushka

Family Legacy Leads to Fine Jewelry

A sketch of Kooba footwear.

House of Deréon’s

sunglasses.

By Sophia Chabbott

NATASHA COLLIS WAS AT A CrOSSrOADS SEvErAL years ago.

An abstract painter, Collis had started to dabble in fine jewelry making to supplement her artist lifestyle. When the indie jewelry business took off, she had to decide which medium she would pursue. She stuck with jewelry, but wearable art has been in Collis’ lexicon since childhood in London.

Her grandmother, Joan Burstein — known as “Mrs. B.” — cofounded Browns, the directional British retailer that sells edgy apparel by the likes of Stella McCartney, Dries van Noten and Comme des Garçons.

“Basically, I’ve lived and breathed in fashion and am very lucky for it,” said Collis, 36. Her mother, Caroline Burstein, is Browns’ creative director and her uncle, Simon Burstein, is chief executive officer.

“[Fashion] has never been forced on me,” she said. “It felt very natural to me to be amongst the buyers. I’m not really fazed by it. It’s been a good role for me in my jewelry [business].”

Burstein’s pieces are delicate and whisperlike, un-like much of the fine designer jewelry in the market-place. Using 18-karat gold, the designer and her two as-

sistants fire up solid gold nuggets and bead them along

with diamonds, and sapphires in muted

tones of gray and blue onto deli-cate cluster chains, fringe earrings and light bracelets. All the jewelry is handmade by Collis in Ibiza. Collis relocated there three years ago from London.

Collis counts nature as her chief inspiration and prefers her pieces

to be layered for a more promi-nent effect.

“Its about subtlety,” said Collis of her signa-ture line. “It’s about the oddness and the ran-domness of nature.”

This fall, Collis will begin selling in the U.S. through Muse, a jewelry showroom that has a list of independent jewelers such as Yossi

Harari, Monique Péan and Sally Sohn. retail

prices for the line range from $400 to $10,250.In July, Collis will open an atelier in Ibiza, which

will double as a store and factory.Collis’ first U.S. accounts include Hirshleifer’s in

Manhasset, N.Y., and Barneys New York in Manhattan and Beverly Hills. There are plans to open up to six ad-ditional stores within the next year. Internationally, the brand is sold at retailers such as Feathers and Browns in London and vulcanize in Tokyo.

Annoushka’s rings and gold cuff (below).

Jewelry by Natasha Collis.

WWD.COM

LONDON — Illamasqua is taking its nighttime make-up concept, or makeup that’s meant to be worn after dark, to New York City’s Times Square.

The London-based cosmetics brand, which bowed here last year, will make its debut in the U.S. on July 31 with the opening of Sephora’s 5 Times Square location.

“[Sephora’s buyers] loved our ethos and our ide-als,” said Kate Massarella, marketing and product director at Illamasqua, which is positioned as a cosmetics brand capable of helping women liberate their alter egos. She added in the U.K. and Ireland,

where Illamasqua is sold through seven doors, false lashes and nail polishes are among best-sell-ing products. “If nails and lashes are doing well, it shows that our positioning as a nighttime makeup brand has worked.”

“For Sephora, we are particularly excited by the brand’s exceptional quality, artistry heri-tage, and, above all, its unique brand positioning — ‘makeup for your alter ego,’” said Margarita Arriagada, Sephora’s senior vice president of merchandising. “It is the latter of these attributes that presents the most interesting opportunity for engagement with our clients as self-expression and individuality through color has become a more prevalent form of escapism and pleasure in this economy.”

According to industry sources, the brand is on track to generate first-year sales of 2.6 million pounds, or $4.2 million at current exchange. Those sources estimate it will ring up 4.4 million pounds, or $7.1 million, in its second year. Following the Times Square opening, Illamasqua is slated to roll out to 24 more Sephora doors in the fall. It will also be sold on sephora.com.

— Brid Costello

Mary Kay Sues YahooMary Kay Inc. last week filed a lawsuit against

Yahoo Inc. that alleges the Web provider’s e-mail ser-vice points users towards unauthorized sellers of its beauty products.

The trademark suit centers on a new feature of the mail service that automatically scans messages and, based on key words, generates ads linking to online sellers.

In the suit, Mary Kay says it only sells through its network of direct-to-consumer salespeople, and that such sites often offer expired or improp-erly handled product. Thus, the beauty firm alleges, “Yahoo’s conduct is likely to dilute the distinctive-ness of, and to tarnish, the distinctive and famous Mark Kay marks.”

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo did not re-spond to a request for comment. Mary Kay filed the complaint on July 6 in federal court in Dallas, where the company’s headquarters is based. The beauty firm is seeking an injunction and unspeci-fied damages.

London’s Illamasqua Coming to U.S.

BEAUTY BEATAn Illamasqua counter at Selfridges.

WWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 200910

By Vicki M. Young

CIT GroUp INC.’S boNDS AND SToCK prICeS FeLL Friday amid concerns the financial powerhouse might be un-able to raise capital through bond sales in the private sector without additional help from the U.S. government in form of debt guarantees.

The crown jewel among CIT’s assets is its factoring division, which is the main source of financing for many firms in the fashion industry.

of concern is a bond maturing in August. private sales of debt would enable CIT to pay off the August debt bill, as well as other debt coming due next year. Some industry sources said it was still too early to predict what might hap-pen, or even whether CIT might have to consider a Chapter 11 filing.

A spokesman for CIT’s factoring arm could not be reached for comment.

Haresh Tharani, president of fashion firm Tharanco Group, which relies on CIT financing, said, “This is a different world where cracks are beginning to be filled in. The CIT issue is par-amount. It is an important one for our industry and for Main Street U.S.A.

“The next 48 hours will be critical,” he said. “As a com-pany, we are fine and we are not looking for alternatives to financing. I remain extremely positive that the government will assist CIT.”

Gary Wassner, president of Hilldun Factors, said, “CIT works with exactly the kind of companies and workers president obama reached out to during his election campaign. The de-signer apparel and manufacturing industry in this country is vital, as vital as any core industry. CIT insures much of it against catastrophic failure. It would be hard for manufactur-ers and designers to ship their products to retailers today with-out the security of a factor’s guaranty, and CIT is the largest factor in the U.S.”

Wassner, who expects additional federal governmen-tal support for the financial giant, added he would be “shocked” if the obama administration allowed CIT to fail “if it truly understood how many small and medium busi-ness rely on CIT credit guarantees to protect themselves from retail failures.”

CIT is a participant in the federal Troubled Asset relief program, after receiving approval to change its charter to a bank holding company last year.

Markdowns Strike Early, Cut Deep By Sharon Edelson

SUMMer SALeS AT reTAIL AppeAr To be deep and early.

Key department and specialty stores held week-end promotions in which spring and summer mer-chandise was reduced 40 to 80 percent.

Store executives and industry analysts said the markdowns seem to be slightly bigger and earlier, emblematic of a period when retailers fear consumers won’t go back to paying full price. The markdowns come after dismal June same-store sales and as retailers focus on lean inventories.

bloomingdale’s Designer Finale sale, which started Sunday, offered an extra 50 percent off almost all per-manently reduced women’s American and european designer spring and summer collections for a total savings of 65 to 80 percent. A silver lace Moschino dress, for ex-ample, was marked down from $1,790 to $644, then re-duced 50 percent to $322.

Saks Fifth Avenue ran print ads heralding an ad-ditional 50 percent off, for savings up to 70 percent off original prices. Macy’s touted a one-day sale on Saturday in which clear-ance items were further reduced 25 percent, for savings of 40 to 70 percent.

“Since the holiday season, we’ve been in a new environment where promotions are steeper than in past but inventory levels are leaner,” said Dana Telsey, chief executive officer and chief research officer of Telsey Advisory Group. “Consumers of all income levels are looking for promotional prices. There’s a new way of shopping and a new way re-tailers are having to execute. The high-end cus-tomer is responding to discounts, too. We’ve seen a change in the temperament of all consumers, and

retailers continue to adjust.”A retail executive, who asked not to be named,

said the level of discounts is the same as last year — however, some stores held sales earlier. “We don’t know how it’s going play out,” the executive said. “You saw all the numbers [June comps]. I

don’t think they’re any sur-prises there. The upscale business remains diffi-cult….All we can do is stay focused on the business.”

Another retail expert, citing the intensity of the discounts, said they are “so much more centered on the Northeast, for department stores in particular got killed last month with all the rain. I also think inven-tories are still on the high side, though stores have been working them down. I would say that, overall, the discounts look pretty steep, — more so on the high end.”

Terry Lundgren, chair-man, chief executive offi-cer and president of Macy’s Inc., said in May that “most retailers got inventories in line with sales. As long as that’s the case, there is no need for crazy discount-ing….our inventory is where we want it to be.”

Asked if the price cutting at the time was any deeper than a year ago, Lundgren said, “price promoting at

Macy’s is very similar to last year. bloomingdale’s is slightly more.”

Sales in July are “a continuation of what we saw in June,” said Joseph Feldman, a managing director and the senior research analyst at TAG. “June was pretty heavy [in terms of] discounts. From a consumer perspective, it feels very promotional, and there are a lot of choices out there and lots of merchandise.”

once inventories get sufficiently lean, Feldman said, consumers will have to adjust to paying full price again. “That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen any time soon,” he added. By Matthew Lynch

A FeDerAL JUrY oN FrIDAY FoUND DooNeY & bourke co-founder Frederic bourke guilty of conspiracy for his role in a plot to bribe officials in Azerbaijan.

bourke, 63, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Manhattan of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt practices Act and of making false statements to the FbI. The jury acquitted the Greenwich, Conn. resident on one count of money laundering.

bourke was indicted in 2005 on charges that he was part of an investment group that paid hundreds of millions of dollars in cash, stock and gifts to administrators in the for-mer Soviet state in the late Nineties. According to investiga-tors, the co-conspirators sought to ensure the purchase of the State oil Company of the Azerbaijan republic through a rigged auction.

bourke’s attorney could not be reached for comment.He faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and

$500,000 in fines. Judge Shira Scheindlin scheduled his sen-tencing for oct. 13.

prosecutors said bourke had invested about $8 million in oily rock Ltd., a company run by Czech financier Viktor Kozeny. The Harvard-educated investor bought privatization vouchers through the firm and planned to exercise them in the takeover of the state oil company, prosecutors said.

To ensure its bid, the investment group bribed Azerbaijan officials throughout 1997 and 1998, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. prosecutors argued that bourke knew about the payments and went so far as to obtain medi-cal treatment in New York City for two corrupt Azeri bu-reaucrats in 1998.

At the time of his arrest, in 2005, a Dooney & bourke attor-ney said that bourke’s private investments were totally sepa-rate from the handbag and accessories firm he helped found in 1987. A personal attorney for bourke said his client had been a victim of his co-defendants at the time.

The Norwalk, Conn.-based Dooney & bourke is privately held and counts Coach and Kate Spade among its competitors. According to Yahoo Finance, the company had revenues of $6.2 million and 104 employees in 2007, the last year records were available.

The business media dubbed Kozeny the “pirate of prague” for other plots to profit off the privatization of state-owned as-sets after the fall of the Soviet Union. According to prosecu-tors, bourke and Kozeny were neighbors in Aspen, Colo.

Kozeny is currently fighting extradition from the bahamas, according to reports.

Bourke Found Guilty of Conspiracy

Fears Rise Over CIT’s Future

Retailers engaged in heavy discounting over the weekend.

WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 2009 11

MEMO PADTHE FIRST HALF BLUES: The Publishers Information Bureau reported first half advertising and paging figures on Friday and, as expected, both categories are down significantly. Total ad revenue during the period fell 21 percent, to an estimated $9.1 billion (assuming no discounting) against the previous year and pages were down 28 percent to 79,245. Fashion and beauty titles were hit hard, particularly those trading heavily in the luxury sector. W’s ad pages were down 44 percent to 491, while Town & Country fell 43 percent to 429 pages and Allure dropped 32 percent to 501. Vogue wasn’t far behind, down 31 percent to 916 pages, followed by Lucky, which fell 30 percent to 506 pages. Harper’s Bazaar was down 27 percent to 645 pages. Time Inc.’s In Style posted a decline of 26 percent, to 1,005 pages, and Elle dropped 24 percent to 889 pages. Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire all posted roughly 20 percent declines, to 688 pages, 633 pages and 479 pages, respectively.

PIB reported the sectors most severely affected by the economic downturn, including automotive, retail and finance, also posted the greatest declines in ad revenue and paging. As for the bright spots, there were a few within larger ad categories: Under “toiletries and cosmetics,” hair accessories and men’s hygienic products showed an uptick in spending and pages; culinary ingredients and seasonings, as well as confectionery and snacks under “food and food products” provided some relief. — Amy Wicks

KUSHNER’S OBSERVATIONS: New York Observer owner and real estate scion Jared Kushner has mostly stayed on message since the June 1 exit of editor in chief Peter Kaplan and the subsequent layoffs of a third of the newsroom, but in a profile in this week’s New York magazine, he is considerably blunter. “I found the paper unbearable to read; it was like homework,” he told Gabriel Sherman, who was a reporter for the paper until shortly before Kushner bought it in 2006. The story has a lot of juicy detail on Kushner’s family dramas — including Kushner’s father, Charles, hiring a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law and sending a tape to his sister — but also describes the tension between Kushner and Kaplan’s visions for the Observer. Kushner recalls telling his newly hired ceo, “No one would believe what was going on [at the paper] if I tried to explain it. We called it ‘Weekend at Bernie’s,’ because it was like dead people walking around.” To Observer staffers, Kushner said, “Kaplan is a classy guy, but he’s old school. If we were doing our jobs right, Gawker wouldn’t have a reason to exist. Curbed wouldn’t have a reason to exist.”

New York had previously assigned a profile of Kushner a couple of years ago, to Isaiah Wilner, but the story never ran. Kushner has been known to confound reporters and editors with bland pleasantries, maintaining public relations speak even off the record.

Although The Observer has helped transform him into a bold-faced name, showing up in press releases and appearing on the red carpet with fiancée Ivanka Trump, Kushner admits he was blindsided by the scrutiny that came with owning a newspaper, as well as by the timing. He

told New York, “I didn’t expect to be walking into this at the worst time to be buying newspapers.” — Irin Carmon

TABLOID TRAUMA: Rupert Murdoch’s News International is blasting back at London’s Guardian — and as far as the police are concerned, the case is closed. Last week, the Guardian stirred a media blitz, charging the News of the World tabloid, part of News International, with “criminal methods” in asking private investigators to hack the cell phones or illegally obtain the personal details of scores of celebrities and political figures. But London’s Metropolitan Police said last week they won’t take the matter further. The department’s assistant commissioner, John Yates, said “no additional evidence has come to light since the case has concluded….I therefore consider no further investigation is required.” For its part, News International on Friday issued a lengthy denial to the allegations, stating, “all of these irresponsible and unsubstantiated allegations against News of the World and other News International titles and its journalists are false.”

The allegations are linked to a 2007 legal case, when the News of the World’s royal editor, Clive Goodman, along with a private investigator, was jailed in London for intercepting Prince William’s voice-mail messages. News International had said at the time that Goodman was the only journalist who had hacked into phone messages to obtain stories. — Nina Jones

IN BRIEF• SEVEN’S STORE BLITZ: Seven For All Mankind has signed leases for five new stores. The premium denim label plans to open shops in San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif., Scottsdale, Ariz., Honolulu, and Houston between August and October. Designs for the stores will continue to push the label’s modern contemporary aes-thetic with the use of Zebrano wood, stone floors and polished marble. The label has 18 bou-tiques in the States and 15 in-ternational locations. Its first store opened in Los Angeles in November 2007.

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YOU WILL

LOVE.

WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 200912

Continued from page one

Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, Gilly Hicks and soon-to-be-shuttered Ruehl brands. “Those that share the experience with us will understand.”

With same-store sales dropping more than any competitors — 32 percent company-wide in June and 28 percent in May — A&F is under enormous pressure.

The outlook from both inside and outside the company is for some closings next year. Certain analysts expect a significant number of them, along with a few openings and relocations. The company has started scrutinizing locations in malls across the country, with 70 leases across all brands coming up for renewal at the end of this year, and another 210 leases expiring between 2010 and 2011. Rents and other terms will be negotiated with landlords, as well as closings.

Last quarter, Hollister’s comps fell 32 percent to $262.4 million. A&F overall re-ported a 24 percent decline in sales last quarter to $612.1 million from $800.1 million in the year-ago period. The company lost $26.8 million against earnings of $62.1 mil-lion in the year-ago period. Analysts have been critical about its laid-back approach to both styling and price promoting at a time when shoppers are primarily bargain hunting and not as hungry for basics and preppie styles.

Jeffries addressed the concerns, saying, “Cyclical trends and the headwinds we face in the current environment are affecting sales in the short term, but we are confi-dent that our positioning as all-American, classic and aspirational brands has always proved successful over the long term. Our brands are healthy, and we are happy with our assortments. The international rollout and expansion is going extremely well.”

Asked what teens are looking for, Jeffries replied, “Hollister is all about fun colors and graphics. Teens love skinny jeans, flirty skirts and dresses. For the guys, they love fun, energetic graphics and plaids. The laid back, Southern California baha vibe is true to the Hollister personality. We continue to be a destination for anything plaid.”

The brand’s Southern California sensibility of chilling on the beach is embedded in the SoHo flagship. There is a real pier just inside the entrance at 600 Broadway, on the corner of Broadway and Houston Street, with a view at its edge over the en-tire store. There also are 77 flat screens with a live feed of the surf straight from Huntington Beach, Calif. The store is designed with surf shacks selling different cat-egories, and maintains the dark, moody ambience true to the A&F aura.

“We have brought SoCal’s Huntington Pier to SoHo,” Jeffries said. “We do that through sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and positive energy.”

While it’s just one store, the response from U.S. consumers, international tour-ists, Wall Street analysts and developers will be critical in light of the investment, which the $3.3 billion A&F won’t disclose, and the expansion strategy. A&F has barely scratched the surface overseas but is intent on becoming a global brand.

“It has been a significant investment to build our first Epic Hollister store, but we anticipate a strong and positive reaction,” Jeffries said. “This investment will support our international Hollister roll out.”

No other flagships for Hollister in the U.S. have been announced, but insiders said they are being considered. The international expansion for Hollister is mall-based, meaning smaller stores, while for the Abercrombie & Fitch brand, it’s about building major flagships in the heart of key cities. Hollister debuted in the U.K. last October, and there are four stores operating there now. Ten are expected by the end of the year on the way to an eventual total of 30 in the U.K. Hollister will enter Germany and Italy by the end of the year, with one unit in each country.

Abercrombie & Fitch flagships opening this year include Milan in October, which will be the first encompassing adult and children’s merchandise under one roof. Other flag-ships are set for Tokyo’s Ginza in December and on the Champs-Elysées in Paris in 2011.

The A&F flagship in London is said to be still generating comp-store sales gains since its March 2007 opening, while the Fifth Avenue flagship is below the 2007 peak of more than $100 million. Fifth Avenue is not posting positive same-store sales lately, though the site still does a hefty volume.

“International expansion is our biggest growth opportunity,” Jeffries said. “Our New York and London Abercrombie & Fitch flagships and Hollister stores in the U.K.

support that. There are plenty of real estate opportunities.” Although retailers are discounting, A&F has stayed relatively discrete. The

Hollister flagship and all A&F flagships are always full-priced. “There is no special pricing for the opening,” Jeffries said. “We’re nothing but con-

sistent in that area. We built our model to compete on quality product, unique store experience, aspirational positioning — not on price. That said, we’re also trying to be responsive to the current environment, as is evident when you go into our stores.”

The company seems to loosening up by offering customers better values and just completed a summer clearance. While the markdowns are not blasted in ads, there is more signage in stores signaling sale. The markdowns tend not to be as steep or glaring as at other chains, where discounts this summer are often as deep as 50 to 60 percent off. At Hollister, seasonal polos are ranging from $16 to $25 in clearance, compared with $29 to $35 regular price. At A&F, men’s polos at clearance are priced from $30 to $40, compared with $50 to $60 full price.

Special higher-priced products exclusive to the Hollister flagship, which Jeffries called “personality pieces true to the Hollister heritage and the vibe of Southern California” will elevate the aspirational appeal. They include saltwater-washed premi-um denim jeans, priced at $79.50, and an Epic fragrance, priced at $50 for 2.5 ounces.

There is also a lot of new marketing, including castings to find “the coolest, best-looking” store models (boardshorts and flip-flops required) and offering the chance to appear in advertising photographed by Bruce Weber.

A&F’s marketing typically features bare-chested young men, and there will be at least two in boardshorts sta-tioned at the entrance to mingle with shoppers.

“We had a lot of fun pro-grams for the A&F opening on Fifth, and likewise for London,” Jeffries said. “This is Hollister; we’re just doing things a little differently.”

As consumer spending plum-meted “Abercrombie held its

pricing, but within the last few months they have come around to the fact that their customer is looking for value,” said Howard Tubin, retail analyst at RBC Capital Markets. He said the company has become “louder about in-store clearance,” and it has spread its signage out.

Back-to-school floor sets are already in stores, and while there are some new items, “there needs to be more newness,” Tubin said.

He praised the flagship strategy, here and abroad, and said it helps attract new customers, primarily tourists. “But job number-one has to be improving the core U.S. domestic business and increasing the fashion….The problem is, if you look at the track record of same-store sales, the question becomes, ‘Is the brand as meaningful as before? Is it a product issue or a product and brand issue?’”

Chandi Neubauer of Majestic Research said year-to-year prices at A&F are down slightly but still relatively expensive. “I have seen a little bit of new merchandise at Abercrombie and Hollister, but the problem is that the inventory is so lean, that they are selling out fast.”

This may be problematic for b-t-s, and Neubauer said keeping the inventory so lean may mean executives anticipate “sour sales without hurting margins.”

“They are not getting enough information to see what sells and what is a dud,” she said. “They are working hard to play it safe, but I don’t think there’s enough inventory.”

Regardless, if the company does have more newness, Neubauer believes the con-sumer will “come back.” And shutting the small Ruehl division, she added, means the company has begun taking off the blinders.

Jennifer Black of Jennifer Black & Associates expects A&F’s comps to continue to be weak until August, which will mark the onset of double-digit comp declines a year ago.

“In the meantime, we have seen what we consider to be improvement in the styling on the women’s side, including some new camis and skirts that are unlike merchan-dise we have seen previously at A&F (e.g., Ophelia cami and Laila skirt),” Black wrote in a research report. “However, we believe that the price points on some of these new items may be unattainably high and note that it will likely be the spring of 2010 before we start to see lower prices at A&F, as that is when better merchandise buys are likely to kick in. We would note the AUR’s [average unit retail price] decreased a minimal 3 percent in June versus down 7 percent in May. This increase was the result of newer fashion merchandise sold at higher price points.

“In addition, we would point out that women’s dresses were a standout in June, even though there were very few styles of them,” Black wrote. “We believe the company will be receiving more dress styles this month as part of its back-to-school offering.”

— With contributions from Alexandra Steigrad

A&F Pushes Forward Despite Sales Slump

A 40,000-square-foot “epic” Hollister opens Wednesday in SoHo.

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WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 2009 13

U.S. Sees China, India, Vietnam Apparel Imports Rise

Nine West Does ‘Vintage America’

By Liza Casabona

WASHINGTON — Apparel imports from China, Vietnam and India increased in May despite the continuing over-all decline of combined textile and apparel shipments to the U.S.

The Commerce Department’s Office of Textiles & Apparel said Friday that shipments of apparel from China increased 8.9 percent to 592 million square meter equivalents in May compared with a year earli-er. Shipments from Vietnam rose 2 percent to 120 mil-lion SME, and imports from India spiked 17.1 percent to 83 million SME. Combined shipments of textiles and apparel to the U.S. from all trading partners declined 11.5 percent to 3.8 billion SME in 12-month compar-isons. Apparel imports fell 9.2 percent to 1.6 billion SME in May, and textile shipments decreased 13.1 per-cent to 2.2 billion SME. Apparel and textile imports have been dropping in year-over-year comparisons for 13 consecutive months, the Commerce Department of-fice said.

Year-to-date apparel and textile shipments dropped 11.1 percent to 17.9 billion SME, the lowest level for the five-month period since 2005.

China’s overall shipments of textiles and apparel in May declined 5.3 percent to 1.7 billion SME, dragged down by a double-digit drop in textile imports.

Vietnam continued to show overall growth. Imports of textiles and apparel grew 27.2 percent to 176 million SME for the month. Bangladesh increased shipments 2.5 percent to 145 million SME. Vietnam and Bangladesh were the only countries in the top 10 to show higher im-port levels.

“Those are still the go-to countries,” said Julia Hughes, senior vice president of international trade

for the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel. “If you’re talking about where apparel execu-tives are sourcing from, if they are going to expand, you’re looking at what we should call the big three: China, Vietnam and Bangladesh.”

Six of the top 10 apparel and textile supplier countries reported declines in imports of 15 percent or greater in May, including Mexico, Canada, Honduras, Indonesia, Pakistan and South Korea.

May imports from Honduras, where a military coup on June 28 created turmoil, dropped 15.7 percent to 92 mil-lion SME. Apparel executives have said they are moni-toring the situation, but so far, production has been un-affected. If unrest and political uncertainty continues in Honduras, a member of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, import levels from the area could drop fur-ther. Data about shipments for the period after the coup was not yet available.

Seven industry associations, including the American Apparel & Footwear Association, National Council of Textile Organizations, U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel, Retail Industry Leaders Association and the National Retail Federation, sent a letter to President Obama on July 9 urging him to keep apparel and textile interests in the region in mind in dealing with the situation in Honduras.

The top five apparel suppliers to the U.S. in May were China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Honduras and Indonesia. China was also the top textile shipper, followed by Pakistan, India, South Korea and Mexico.

The nation’s trade gap narrowed to $26 billion in May from $28.8 billion in April. The improvement came pri-marily from petroleum. Exports also showed a “welcome improvement,” said Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist, IHS Global Insight.

By Marc Karimzadeh

NINE WEST IS LOOK-ing for its very own “American Idol.”

Next month, the divi-sion of Jones Apparel Group Inc. is introducing the Nine West Vintage America Collection, and to support the launch, the brand is staging an online talent search.

The new label, which will be merchandised and marketed separate-ly from the core Nine West brand, is inspired by an authentic, all-American aesthetic. It features looks with a ca-sual, worn-in feel, from plaid shirts and cropped sweaters to distressed jeans and cowboy boots.

“It was important to me to offer the Nine West customer a more casual option,” said Fred Allard, Nine West’s creative di-rector. “I love the idea of going back to what we love from American fashion — your favorite jean, rich leathers, relaxed boots.”

The line will launch at Nine West stores, ninewest.com and better department stores such as Macy’s in time for back-to-school.

“From a lifestyle perspective, we watch the influenc-es coming out of the West Coast,” said Stacy Lastrina, Jones Apparel’s executive vice president of marketing. “We watch this casual, denim-friendly look.…All the things that are worn and loved and nurtured over time are becoming favorite pieces in women’s wardrobes. We believe that Nine West has an opportunity to be in this business.”

It will be merchandised separately from Nine West’s main line, with wholesale prices from $25 to $84 for foot-wear, $19.50 to $35 for jeans and $35 to $70 for handbags.

Lastrina declined to give sales projections, but said: “We do see it as a growth vehicle, but growth in this time is very hard to pinpoint.”

Nine West selected singer Miranda Lee Richards as the new label’s brand ambassador. Richards will lead the Vintage America Voices Contest, a talent contest that kicks off Tuesday.

Nine West is asking people to submit an original song and video at YouTube.com/ninewestfashion. Weekly win-ners will be crowned through Sept. 1, and a panel of judg-es will select seven finalists and a winner, who will be announced at ninewest.com/vintageamericacollection. The panel includes Richards; Allard; Lucky magazine’s merchandising director, Rebecca Babcock, and Danny Strick, co-president of Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The winner will be given the chance to record and release a single through Hickory Records, a division of Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

“The concept of social media and video marketing is an opportunity to engage these consumers in a much more personal way,” Lastrina said. “We think the con-cept of listening to what our consumers have to say, and how they want to express themselves, will make us smarter about what we do, and how we stay relevant to them.”

To support the launch, Nine West also is planning a micro-site, sweepstakes, events and a Facebook page. In addition, it’s teaming up with the charitable Soles4Souls organization and is planning special shoe drives in its stores.

N.Y. Senate OKs Sales Tax Increase AFTER A FIVE-WEEK STANDSTILL IN LEGIS-lation because of political infighting, members of the New York State Senate worked until 2 a.m. Friday passing more than 100 bills includ-ing a sales tax increase for New York City.

After much debate, senators agreed to raise the sales tax by one-half of a percentage point to 8.875 percent, making it one of the highest rates in the country. It was passed by a measure of 43 to 19.

However, the exemption on clothing purchas-es for $110 or less remains. That may come as a relief to critics of the sales tax increase who worried it would deter today’s already cash-strapped shoppers from spending.

The Senate was able to get back to business Thursday, after Bronx-based Pedro Espada Jr. returned to the Democratic caucus. He had ef-fectively immobilized the state government by switching camps last month.

In response to news of the sales tax hike, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he would lift the city’s hiring freeze. The increase was a key part of the $59.4 billion budget he proposed in May that would help generate $1 billion in new taxes and limit additional spending cuts and layoffs.

The increase applies to the city’s portion of the sales tax, which when added to a state tax and transit tax lifts the total rate to 8.875 per-cent. The city’s portion of the sales tax has only gone up once since 1974, and that was a tempo-rary 0.125 percentage-point increase from 2003 to 2005.

— Rosemary Feitelberg

A Nine West Vintage America handbag and an ad for the new brand.

Lawyer Defends Publicist In Dolce & Gabbana CaseBy Matthew Lynch

THE LAWYER REPRESENTING DOLCE & Gabbana publicist Ali Wise, who was arrested on charges of hacking a woman’s voice mail ac-count, said she has “done nothing illegal and has done nothing wrong.”

Wise is still employed by the fashion house, attorney Mark Jay Heller said.

Wise was arrested July 7 on one count each of computer trespass and eavesdropping, both felo-nies, for allegedly hacking into interior designer Nina Freudenberger’s voice mail.

According to a criminal complaint, Wise, 32, told a detective she used a service called SpoofCard to access Freudenbereger’s voice mails. Wise broke into the account 54 times be-tween Jan. 2, 2008, and March 15, 2008, the com-plaint said.

Wise was arraigned Wednesday in New York Criminal Court, where a judge issued a tempo-rary order of protection and released her in her own recognizance. She is due back in court Oct. 19.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office de-clined to comment on the case, which has not been brought before a grand jury.

Heller said Wise’s statement to the detective was taken out of context and would not be ad-missible in court, contending SpoofCard does not provide a service that allows users to access another person’s voice mail.

He said authorities had misapplied new laws governing technology. The eavesdropping charge should be dismissed because, among other rea-sons, Wise had not overheard or recorded a con-versation, Heller said. Of the computer trespass charge, he said authorities had not alleged or proven, “that Ali engaged in any ‘unauthorized’ conduct in conjunction with a computer or com-puter service.”

Dolce & Gabbana’s New York office declined comment Friday on Wise’s employment status. Heller said the company had taken a “prudent approach” and frozen her position pending the outcome of the investigation.

Before joining Dolce & Gabbana in 2005, Wise worked at Christian Dior and Los Angeles public relations firm Harrison & Shriftman.

Wise’s on-off relationship with hotel owner Jason Pomeranc has been a gossip page fixture in recent years.

WWD.COMWWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 200914

Financial For full daily stock changes and more financial news, see WWD.com / business-news.

Gainers ChangeCygne Designs 50.79Phoenix Footwear 18.00Joe’s Jeans 16.36CCA 12.26Unifi 11.48

Decliners ChangeJaclyn -36.36Safilo * -24.43Talbots -21.93Bon-Ton -21.82Casual Male -18.88

( )%CHANGEWEEKLY

ENDING juLY 10

WWDINDEXComposItE

729.73

-8.67

* 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 quoted in Swiss francs and Hennes & Mauritz is quot-ed in Swedish kronor. All other European stocks are in euros.

WEEKLY stoCKs65.00 13.66 Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) 13.6 22293112 23.14 -0.84

26.14 8.50 Acadia (AKR) 14.4 1457343 11.81 -1.34

3.78 0.43 Aeffe * (AEF:MI) 39.5 223366 0.51 -0.05

37.96 12.52 Aéropostale (ARO) 13.5 17186014 33.07 -0.83

29.40 19.32 Alberto Culver (ACV) 10.9 2519206 24.85 -0.43

10.25 1.20 American Apparel (APP) 61.0 940992 3.01 -0.03

18.00 6.98 American Eagle (AEO) 16.7 21626881 12.80 -0.91

27.55 2.41 Ann Taylor (ANN) - 10347200 7.11 -0.69

425.00 112.50 Asos * (ASC:L) 24.3 3769367 330.00 -28.75

45.34 14.40 Avon (AVP) 18.7 17670236 25.11 -0.44

11.26 4.57 Bebe (BEBE) 18.7 3269834 5.90 -0.61

56.72 28.70 Beiersdorf * (BEI:GR) 13.9 2172036 31.75 -1.69

13.30 4.30 Benetton Group * (BEN:MI) 7.0 1253513 5.59 -0.49

2.68 0.20 Birks & Mayors (BMJ) - 8531 0.58 0.02

44.29 27.26 BJs (BJ) 13.1 10368531 31.58 0.10

0.29 0.03 Blue (BLHI) - 1400 0.06 -0.01

3.78 0.32 Bluefly (BFLY) - 3792 1.10 -0.04

6.28 0.76 Bon-Ton (BONT) - 391774 2.58 -0.72

18.44 2.04 Brown Shoe (BWS) - 1528181 6.54 -0.66

44.57 13.57 Buckle (BKE) 12.1 7345860 29.71 -0.64

11.48 2.76 Bulgari * (BUL:MI) 35.4 13383152 3.41 -0.39

686.50 154.75 Burberry * (BRBY:L) - 17280408 414.75 -6.00

15.75 4.18 Cabela’s (CAB) 10.8 1961881 11.55 -0.13

14.86 1.41 Caché (CACH) - 236527 3.55 -0.02

54.20 22.06 Carrefour * (CA:PA) 17.0 11171924 31.00 -0.77

25.36 11.94 Carter (CRI) 16.4 2654382 22.71 -0.47

4.95 0.26 Casual Male (CMRG) - 936989 1.59 -0.37

21.05 11.30 Cato (CTR) 13.5 1960358 16.73 0.67

23.28 1.92 CBL (CBL) 55.6 14611933 4.40 -0.66

7.23 2.05 CCA (CAW) 19.7 63377 3.48 0.38

1.17 0.18 Charles & Colvard (CTHR) - 113728 0.46 -0.06

17.71 3.98 Charlotte Russe (CHIC) - 1071105 11.65 -0.87

6.35 0.45 Charming Shoppes (CHRS) - 2787515 3.62 -0.06

82.00 50.10 Chattem (CHTT) 17.3 3112896 63.30 -3.17

26.25 11.29 Cherokee (CHKE) 12.1 99989 18.92 -0.72

10.71 1.72 Chico’s (CHS) - 26596392 8.68 -0.43

43.40 16.45 Children’s Place (PLCE) 9.0 6503137 25.72 0.52

12.00 2.46 Christopher & Banks (CBK) - 1497299 5.64 -0.46

33.73 18.09 Cintas (CTAS) 10.7 6823240 21.61 -0.59

27.64 7.01 Citi Trends (CTRN) 16.9 690908 24.50 -0.19

32.96 11.41 Coach (COH) 11.5 32897280 23.56 -2.24

8.31 0.91 Coldwater Creek (CWTR) - 5041710 5.28 -1.09

80.49 54.36 Colgate Palmolive (CL) 19.4 18089464 71.23 -0.85

21.00 3.85 Collective Brands (PSS) - 5090609 13.43 -0.28

49.49 24.63 Columbia Sprtswr (COLM) 12.6 510824 30.20 -0.59

74.26 38.17 Costco (COST) 18.0 25842315 44.97 0.33

10.55 0.79 Crocs (CROX) - 10174392 2.72 -0.49

0.20 0.02 Cygne Designs (CYDS) - 95195 0.19 0.06

128.76 37.24 Deckers Outdoor (DECK) 11.3 1709581 65.25 -3.04

3.50 1.38 Delia’s (DLIA) 3.5 227451 2.00 -0.23

9.00 2.72 Delta Apparel (DLA) 8.5 17123 6.71 -0.16

18.13 4.42 Destination Maternity (DEST) - 81301 17.30 0.81

41.55 1.38 Developers Diversified (DDR) - 16805631 4.19 -0.49

15.37 2.50 Dillard’s (DDS) - 3208051 7.93 -1.05

17.93 6.16 Dress Barn (DBRN) 13.1 4677429 13.42 -0.43

16.32 6.66 DSW (DSW) 19.5 759939 10.69 0.13

19.14 7.09 Duckwall-Alco (DUCK) 77.7 27522 17.47 0.46

8.72 0.12 Eddie Bauer (EBHI) - 0 0.15 0.00

21.79 3.93 Elizabeth Arden (RDEN) - 565276 7.43 -1.07

54.75 19.81 Estée Lauder (EL) 17.0 7481182 30.27 -2.16

35.00 19.70 Family Dollar (FDO) 16.5 28596749 30.18 2.23

12.43 3.42 Finish Line (FINL) 101.7 2917308 7.38 0.22

32.96 11.00 Fossil (FOSL) 11.7 2519470 21.66 -1.75

1.31 0.12 Frederick’s of Hollywood (FOH) - 58417 0.57 -0.02

15.91 8.22 Freds (FRED) 27.8 1083313 12.59 -0.04

196.75 30.00 French Connection * (FCCN:L) - 38002 56.25 -2.75

20.80 9.41 Gap (GPS) 11.3 54038631 14.96 -0.43

38.74 10.37 Genesco (GCO) 27.7 2164899 17.57 -0.87

23.00 3.24 G-III Apparel (GIII) - 748173 10.00 -0.87

28.14 5.66 Gildan Activewear (GIL) 13.9 4640789 13.72 -0.56

11.62 0.75 Glimcher (GRT) - 782495 2.44 -0.33

38.15 15.32 G&K (GKSR) - 584558 20.84 0.64

43.00 10.26 Guess (GES) 11.0 6568820 23.29 -1.37

42.00 14.02 Gymboree (GYMB) 11.6 5142225 35.49 1.21

9.00 1.50 Hampshire (HAMP) - 3986 2.41 -0.39

28.03 5.14 Hanesbrands (HBI) 17.8 4525700 13.69 -1.03

0.53 0.00 Hartmarx (HTMXQ) - 2555075 0.01 0.00

433.50 239.50 Hennes & Mauritz * (HMB:ST) 21.0 6409673 385.00 3.00

131.89 59.42 Hermès * (RMS:PA) 33.9 267921 93.44 -3.80

16.54 1.40 HSN (HSNI) - 2049800 8.76 -1.16

13.87 4.61 Hot Topic (HOTT) 13.9 7712231 7.10 0.03

18.07 13.23 IAC Interactive (IACI) - 10021423 15.83 -0.25

17.95 5.11 Iconix (ICON) 13.5 3138951 14.91 -0.17

53.90 23.29 Inditex * (ITX:MC) 17.0 7940082 33.27 -0.54

16.46 3.50 Inter Parfums (IPAR) 10.4 359875 6.99 -0.10

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

38.00 8.02 J. Crew (JCG) 35.4 5916180 24.46 -0.53

44.20 13.71 J.C. Penney (JCP) 12.4 37913382 26.27 -1.01

8.00 2.00 Jaclyn (JCLY) - 2043 3.50 -2.00

1.67 0.22 Joe’s Jeans (JOEZ) 9.7 398429 0.77 0.11

22.12 2.34 Jones Apparel (JNY) - 15165452 9.62 -0.45

42.50 15.38 Jos. A. Bank (JOSB) 10.0 2189625 32.44 -0.23

18.50 4.89 Kenneth Cole (KCP) - 320247 6.67 -0.28

47.80 6.33 Kimco Realty (KIM) 15.1 51095161 8.61 -0.73

56.00 24.28 Kohl’s (KSS) 15.1 27668914 42.72 1.47

20.76 6.44 K-Swiss (KSWS) 25.6 775205 9.25 0.15

17.63 7.00 LaCrosse Footwear (BOOT) 13.9 8782 10.09 0.27

22.16 5.98 Limited Brands (LTD) 29.4 36228729 10.58 -0.99

20.14 1.46 Liz Claiborne (LIZ) - 9992835 2.61 -0.23

2.23 0.35 LJ Intl. (JADE) 16.3 581541 1.80 0.04

99.97 46.00 L’Oréal * (OR:PA) 15.5 4257829 51.20 -2.55

30.00 4.33 Lululemon (LULU) 22.7 3529930 11.82 -0.44

26.66 9.41 Luxottica * (LUX:MI) 18.2 4288558 14.35 -0.74

89.36 38.10 LVMH * (MC:PA) 12.5 4205567 53.48 -1.13

70.98 5.45 Macerich (MAC) 11.0 14834109 14.96 -2.04

22.96 5.07 Macy’s Inc. (M) - 48659674 10.61 -0.39

16.64 6.25 Maidenform (MFB) 10.7 861828 11.66 0.52

669.00 191.90 Marks & Spencer * (MKS:L) 9.9 36176680 319.00 3.50

26.43 8.33 Men’s Wearhouse (MW) 16.5 3674621 17.11 -1.19

26.17 4.65 Movado (MOV) - 671605 9.52 -0.38

25.00 10.03 National Retail Prop. (NNN) 11.2 5760364 16.11 -0.72

12.12 0.82 New York & Co. (NWY) - 3044614 2.86 -0.37

0.26 0.05 NexCen (NEXC) - 314335 0.18 -0.02

68.00 38.24 Nike (NKE) 15.4 13801486 51.30 0.24

0.75 0.02 Nitches (NICH) - 7610 0.06 0.00

37.00 6.61 Nordstrom (JWN) 11.9 23039498 19.52 0.89

21.98 5.95 Orchids Paper (TIS) 19.3 269018 21.50 1.50

29.02 3.14 Oxford (OXM) - 716254 9.47 -1.21

9.50 0.72 Pacific Sunwear (PSUN) - 2262650 3.04 -0.12

7.15 0.59 Parlux Fragrances (PARL) - 90033 1.60 -0.11

24.29 2.20 Penn Real Estate (PEI) - 2953487 3.99 -0.83

27.70 3.31 Perry Ellis (PERY) - 626529 6.69 -0.29

45.77 13.04 Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) 19.6 3722465 26.61 -1.14

1.53 0.11 Phoenix Footwear (PXG) - 55340 0.59 0.09

82.02 31.22 Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) 12.5 6176673 50.54 -1.06

141.50 31.06 PPR * (PP:PA) 12.9 1799202 55.16 -2.85

24.82 10.35 PriceSmart (PSMT) 12.0 1616641 16.25 -0.21

9.30 0.80 Quiksilver (ZQK) - 4449721 1.54 -0.24

8.24 4.85 R.G. Barry (DFZ) 8.8 16275 6.50 -0.26

24.10 3.45 Ramco-Gershenson (RPT) 11.1 598422 8.71 -0.48

70.95 20.72 Regency Centers (REG) 19.8 6943180 30.87 -2.08

5.17 0.90 Retail Ventures (RVI) - 561831 2.24 -0.11

14.85 2.30 Revlon (REV) 2.7 1043322 4.43 -0.79

83.00 14.18 Richemont * (CFR:VX) 10.7 9854088 21.78 -0.68

41.85 21.70 Ross Stores (ROST) 16.7 16004477 40.84 2.95

3.72 0.28 Safilo * (SFL:MI) - 8231638 0.35 -0.11

12.30 1.50 Saks (SKS) - 27049583 4.07 -0.77

10.50 2.66 Sally Beauty (SBH) 11.6 5998533 5.69 -0.25

108.75 26.80 Sears (SHLD) 55.9 5187723 57.35 -5.13

106.43 24.27 Simon Property Group (SPG) 24.0 26073695 46.24 -2.08

24.00 5.20 Skechers (SKX) 13.7 2164500 9.37 0.22

2.39 0.13 Sport-Haley (SPOR) - 28261 0.36 -0.01

9.20 0.99 Stein Mart (SMRT) - 2612171 8.98 0.19

30.40 13.37 Steve Madden (SHOO) 13.3 1116665 24.39 -0.60

76.50 23.05 Swatch Group * (UHRN:SW) - 339318 33.70 -1.55

17.51 4.22 Syms (SYMS) - 57710 6.69 -0.79

17.97 1.19 Talbots (TLB) - 4769101 3.81 -1.07

5.90 1.25 Tandy Brands (TBAC) - 20683 2.35 -0.09

3.07 1.55 Tandy Leather Factory (TLF) 10.0 32204 2.50 0.12

46.30 24.62 Tanger Factory Outlet (SKT) 20.1 2079890 29.81 -0.99

59.55 25.00 Target (TGT) 13.7 44175696 37.80 0.35

0.85 0.21 Tarrant Apparel (TAGS) - 294410 0.82 0.03

92.35 12.43 Taubman (TCO) - 7491833 22.55 -2.15

5.00 0.18 Tefron (TFRFF) - 0 3.85 0.00

45.80 16.70 Tiffany & Co. (TIF) 17.4 20543780 24.62 0.33

19.41 7.19 Timberland (TBL) 18.0 1771326 12.55 -0.44

37.52 17.80 TJX Cos. (TJX) 15.6 31177084 31.88 2.08

64.48 25.23 Tod’s * (TOD:MI) 14.1 275588 38.51 -1.40

31.82 7.80 True Religion (TRLG) 10.7 2090594 19.64 -1.74

15.70 1.01 Tween Brands (TWB) - 2018135 6.28 -0.28

43.52 11.94 Under Armour (UA) 26.1 1962245 20.42 -1.98

5.43 0.44 Unifi (UFI) - 706159 1.36 0.14

30.21 16.95 Unilever (UL) - 3338146 23.26 -0.36

38.40 12.33 Urban Outfitters (URBN) 17.6 19591390 19.35 -0.50

84.60 38.22 VF Corp. (VFC) 10.8 4541752 54.68 1.15

26.00 6.39 Volcom (VLCM) 16.7 699377 11.25 -0.92

63.85 46.25 Wal-Mart (WMT) 14.1 84692288 47.57 -0.22

53.89 12.22 Warnaco (WRC) 21.6 2572153 30.71 -1.23

40.00 7.96 Weingarten (WRI) 9.6 9365010 13.29 -0.52

5.54 1.85 Wet Seal (WTSLA) 11.2 4903060 2.84 -0.19

41.99 20.11 Weyco (WEYS) 17.5 65862 21.55 -1.19

29.45 13.15 Wolverine (WWW) 12.8 2329766 21.25 -0.27

30.89 0.89 Zale (ZLC) - 2910811 3.98 0.22

20.09 4.80 Zumiez (ZUMZ) 17.0 2630174 7.88 0.00

52-WEEK VoLumE Amt

High Low Companies p/E Last Change

52-WEEK VoLumE Amt

High Low Companies p/E Last Change By Arnold J. Karr

Retail stocks tReaded wateR foR most of the week, but wound up with a small gain despite weak same-store sales results on thursday and concerns about the fall season.

the s&P Retail index closed friday at 309.62, down 0.6 percent for the day but ahead 0.2 percent for the week and 10.9 percent for the year.

in contrast, the major indices all finished in neg-ative territory for the week. a 0.5 percent decline friday left the dow Jones industrial average at 8,146.52, down 1.6 percent for the week and 7.2 per-cent for the year. the s&P 500 concluded the week at 879.13, off 0.4 percent on friday, 1.9 percent for the five days and 2.7 percent in 2009.

the Nasdaq is up 11.4 percent for the year after a 2.3 percent decline for the week and a 0.2 percent advance on friday to 1,756.03.

Phillips-Van Heusen corp. on friday rose 19 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $26.61, 4.1 percent behind its close before the extended July 4 weekend but up 32.2 per-cent on the year.

on thursday, standard & Poor’s Ratings services revised its outlook for PVH to “negative” from “stable” but left its corporate credit rating at “BBB-minus.”

although PVH is expected to benefit from cost-saving initiatives, including the paring down of its retail portfolio, and higher margins in its calvin klein licensing business, s&P credit analyst Bea chiem noted operating results will be under pres-sure because of weakness at retail, where the ratings agency doesn’t expect improvement until 2010.

PVH’s credit rating could be lowered if its le-verage ratio moves above 3.5, s&P said, estimating that it moved up to 3 from 2.3 in the year ended may 3.

while other retailers were reporting same-store sales for June on thursday, Bebe stores inc. flew slightly under the radar when it reported its compa-rable-store sales for the fourth quarter ended July 4 had slipped 29.2 percent and earnings per share for the period would be “at or below” the low end of its previous guidance of 2 to 10 cents a share. shares ended the week at $5.90, 9.4 percent below their week-ago level.

last tuesday, charles & colvard ltd., the de-veloper and manufacturer of the man-made jewel moissanite, suffered the worst decline of all stocks tracked by wwd — a 28.2 percent drop to 42 cents — after ending its management services agreement with Bird capital Group inc. and beginning a search for a chief executive officer to succeed Richard Bird. However, shares rebounded slightly and finished the week down 11.5 percent at 46 cents.

Bird and his firm were retained in february. However, c&c said the agreement was ended be-cause of “mounting evidence that recovery of the depressed worldwide jewelry markets will be later and slower than previously expected” and the deter-mination that its business model “must be modified to work within the current economic environment as a low-cost operation.”

Stocks Eke Out Gain for Week

15WWD, MONDAY, JULY 13, 2009

COMMERCIALREAL ESTATE

WWD.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

For more career opportunities log on to WWDCareers.com. Call 1.800.423.3314 or e-mail fpclassified@fairchildpub.com to advertise.

Professional Services

WWD.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

For more career opportunities log on to WWDCareers.com. Call 1.800.423.3314 or e-mail fpclassified@fairchildpub.com to advertise.

Spaces

NY - Barry: (212) 967-8100

LA - Alfred: (909) 476-8128

Email: info@waitex.com

www.waitex.com

Complete end-to-end supply chain solutionswaitex provides

• 28 years of experience in the garment industry

• 3 million square feet of modern

distribution facilities in NY, NJ, & LA

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• Pick, pack & ship by piece or pre-packed carton

• GOH/Flatpack storage by carton/unit/sq.ft

• Air/Sea world-wide cargo forwarding

• Garment and label manufacturing

• Hoffman Press / Steam tunnel

• 3000 world-wide service specialists

ECONOMIC STIMULUS RELIEF

OVERHEAD CHOKING YOU?

Is it a toss-up to pay the staff or feed your family? Spendingmore time with daily minutia than Growing Sales? Feelingyour life’s work and energy is being sucked out of you?

Become part of ELITE GROUP, LTD.Convert the daily drain of your cash into a variableexpense incurred only when you ship!We do all the things you dread.We take care of Administration, Data Entry & Warehousing. All you do is focus on Sales, Design & Production.

Email: mitch@emsgroupltd.com Or call: 212-515-2400

Showrooms & LoftsBWAY 7TH AVE SIDE STREETS

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

Spacious, airy showroom on 39th &7thAve, heart of the garment district.4000 sq ft, entire 14th floor. Frt. & passelevator access. Avail now to sublease.

Call 714-799-6333

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.

1st PATTERNMAKERMust be able to create 1st patternsfrom original sketch. Draping and flatpatterns making skills a must. Strongtailored jacket/pant exp. 5–10 yearscontemporary designer/bridge market.Submit resume to:

productionjobs@bcbg.com

CFO / Controller to $150K.CPA required. Strong exp in garment

operations, + managing staff. Familiarw/ tax procedures. $100 mil vol co. exp

required. N. Central, NJ location.JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

Designer $100-125K. Current exp in Jr.or girls surfwear lifestyle

sportswear required. Midtown kids co.Will consider relo from L.A. to NYC.

JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

Designer $100 - 150K BOECurrent exp in branded home

furishings. Towels, sheets, pillowcases, top of bed, etc. Midtown co.

JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

Designer $165-190K. Current exp indesigner market required. Must haveEuropean sensibility and hang with

Prada, Balmain, Marni, Martin Margiela,etc. Tailored clothing, casual, career. Refined

taste. To design for bridge market. JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

KNITWEAR DESIGN SERVICES -Patternmaking -Prototypes -Salesman Samples -Spec Packs -Computerized Marking and Grading

Experts in full package manufacturing services for over 100 years

Contact: sales@fesslerusa.comPhone: 800.253.2924

Factory Plant Manager Assist. $40-50K. Current exp in men’s or women’sshirts required. Must have supervisedminimum 20 individuals. NJ location

JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

Fine Jewelry DesignerAlexis Bittar, Inc.

Seeks an exceptionally creative finejewelry designer with working knowledgerequired to launch the company’s firstfine jewelry collection. Responsiblefor all stages of development from conceptto sample creation. An ideal candidate hasa bachelor’s degree, excellent portfolio,min. 3yrs of fine jewelry design experiencein a corporate environment, ability tohand sketch and render via CAD, andexcellent organizational skills. Plssubmit resume incl. salary history to:

rie@alexisbittar.com

Graphics Mgr/Art Director $80-100K.Current exp in Mac to manage graphic

devel. and sample processes. Handson. Translate print concepts for

production. Supervise 6.JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

Internal Auditor, South Hackensack, NJ:Conduct audit assess effectiveness ofcontrols, accuracy of financial records,and efficiency. Examine records of depart-ment and interview workers to detectand control frauds and to ensure recordingof transactions and compliance withlaws and regulations. Inspect accountingsystems to determine their efficiencyand review records pertaining to materialassets. Prepare reports of findings forManagement. Mastering Aria software:for downloading trial balances andstatements and running audit tests.Balance sheet, Income Statement andstatement of cash flows, and the abilityto run various reports under Aria forthe daily operations reports. RequireBBA and commercial Science degreemajoring in Auditing. Foreign educationequivalence is acceptable. 24 monthsexp req’d in job offer. Mon-Fri, 9 am to5 pm, 40 hr/wk @ $ 26.00 pr/hr. Fax re-sume to LK @ 201 641 0666.

LETYOURTALENTS SPARKLEwith a career in Rhode Island.

SENIOR MARKETINGMANAGERWe are seeking a Senior Marketing Manager to manageall locally designed and implement all centrally developedfashion related product management and marketing activityto support all business channels. Minimum of eightyears related marketing experience in fashion/accessoriesrequired. This position is located at our headquartersin Rhode Island. We are seeking local candidates orcandidates willing to relocate.

To view the full job description and apply, please log onto: www.swarovskicareers.com/us

Swarovski offers quality compensation, medical/dental/lifeinsurance, bonus program, tuition reimbursement, and agenerous company discount.

EOE

IT Help Desk $45-50KCurrent exp in Mac and PC required.

Follow up on all trouble shooting.Midtown garment co.

JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

Licensing Director $100 -150K. Currentexp in writing proposals to pursue andbring on new licenses for garment co

required. Managing marketing, advertis -ing, corporate sponsorships. Midtown co. JARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

Merchandiser $$ OpenCurrent exp in merchandising brand-

ed home furnishings required. Towels,sheets, etc. Must hang with Revman,

Franco, Hillfiger, etcJARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

PATTERNMAKERHigh-end brand looking for pattern-maker. Minimum 5 years experience.Send resume to:

office@eliseoverland.com

SENIOR ARTISTChildrenswear Co. has immed. openingfor a head artist who has min. 10yrsexp. The candidate must be current toreflect today’s trends for the mass andmid-tier markets. They should alsohave exp. in creating relevant graphicart, knowl. of the latest screen techniques,capable of designing trend right printsand strong skill for color usage. E-mailresume w/ salary req: hroffice@inbox.com

SOURCING MANAGERHandbag company seeking experi-enced sourcing manager for full time,part time or consulting basis. Candi-date must have previous referencedexperience in excess of 3 years withChina based manufacturers ofhandbags. Must be able to travel,speak English, Chinese and Mandarin,ability to perform QC, productiontracking and factory communications.Please e-mail resumes to:

kallie@theboogiebag.com

SALES.....................................$100-175KIntimates, JCP, Target, Wal-Mart

Jennifer Glenn SRI Search 212-465 8300Jennifer@srisearch.com

SALES/MKTG/PRFAITH CONNEXION seeking Sales-person, Marketing and PR associates.Sales candidate must have knowledge,exp & relationships with specialtyshops or strong account list. Benefits,salary commensurate w/exp. Emailresume to:

faithconnexion.us@gmail.com

Retail Store Manager $100 - 120K +bonus. Must have current exp in

better/expensive mens suit store. Exp in de -veloping new stores. Will become director.

Midtown. $3,000 men’s suits, etcJARALINC@comcast.net 973-564-9236

For more information on advertising, contact Christine Guilfoyle, publisher, at 212-630-4737, or your WWD sales representative.

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WhatVegas...all year

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MAGIC prevIew

Supplement

Issue Date: Aug. 17

Close: Aug. 24

veGAs prevIew

Section II

Issue Date: Aug. 20

Close: Aug. 4

MAGIC 1st dAy

Section II

Issue Date: Aug. 31

Close: Aug. 13

MAGIC 2nd dAy

Issue Date: Sep. 1

Close: Aug. 26

MAGIC wrAp-up

Issue Date: Sep. 9

Close: Sep. 2

veGAs wrAp-up

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Close: Sep. 3

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