WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012 ■ WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY ■ $3.00

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI

Down to Earth

Slimane Makes Comeback As YSL Creative Director

By MILES SOCHA

PARIS — Get ready for more Hedi times at Yves Saint Laurent.

The storied French fashion house will reveal today that men’s wear superstar Hedi Slimane is its new creative director — a dozen years after he exited YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme to heat up Dior Homme.

He is to assume “total creative responsibility for the brand image and all its collections,” while con-tinuing to pursue his career in photography, WWD has learned.

WWD.com reported on Feb. 25 that Slimane was poised to nab the YSL designer post, succeeding Stefano Pilati, who enjoyed a fruit-ful, if turbulent, eight-year tenure.

“As one of the most important French fashion houses, Yves Saint Laurent today possesses formida-

ble potential, which I am confi dent will be successfully harnessed and revealed through the vision of Hedi Slimane,” stated François-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief execu-tive offi cer of YSL parent PPR.

Slimane’s “exceptional talent and understanding of the spirit of Yves Saint Laurent heralds a promising new chapter in the his-tory of the maison,” echoed YSL ceo Paul Deneve.

Pilati received a standing ova-tion for his swan song collection on Monday, and exits the house at the end of his latest contract.

It is understood Slimane will show his fi rst new designs for YSL in June for resort. The format of that presentation could not imme-diately be learned.

Although Slimane did limited quantities of small sizes at Dior Homme, dressing such famous

SEE PAGE 8

Global Stock Markets SlideBy EVAN CLARK

STOCK MARKETS swooned Tuesday as investors worried about Greece’s down-to-the-wire debt ne-gotiations, pushing Wall Street to its worst trading day so far this year.

U.S. retail stocks fared rela-tively well, though, as the sector is seen as insulated from the mount-ing troubles in Europe. The S&P Retail Index slipped 1 percent, or 5.83 points, to 580.50. Even as the sector backed away from its all-time high of 587.84, set Monday, it is still up 11 percent so far this year, aided by solid February sales

and quicker job growth. The Dow Jones Industrial

Average fell 1.6 percent, or 203.66 points, to 12,759.15, the worst per-formance for blue-chip stocks since Dec. 8. The market is still ahead 4.4 percent so far this year.

The day’s fashion decliners in-cluded Fossil Inc., down 4.6 percent to $119.93; Lululemon Athletica Inc., 4 percent to $66.05; Coach Inc., 4 percent to $73.12; Michael Kors Holdings Ltd., 3.7 percent to $46.81 and Ralph Lauren Corp., 3.6 per-cent to $170.51.

Shares of Kenneth Cole Prod-uctions Inc. slipped 0.1 percent to

POT OF GOLDA PREVIEW OF THE LES ARTS DECORATIFS EXHIBIT

ON THE EVOLUTION OF LOUIS VUITTON. PAGE 9

EXCLUSIVE

Karl Lagerfeld dug deep for his Chanel inspiration — right to the center of the earth. Working in a mineral-inspired palette with metallic tweeds and raw-cut stones, his sporty coats and suits were actually grounded in reality, all of them shown with some

variation on pants. For more from Paris, see pages 4 to 6.

WWD

SEE PAGE 7

PARIS FASHION WEEK NEARS THE END WITH SHOWS FROM ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, MONCLER GAMME ROUGE

AND VALENTINO. PAGES 4 TO 6

THE HOMESTRETCH

WWD.COM2 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

Alexander Wang Disputes ‘Sweatshop’ Claims

Zegna Reveals Art Project

TO E-MAIL REPORTERS AND EDITORS AT WWD, THE ADDRESS IS FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME@FAIRCHILDFASHION.COM, USING THE INDIVIDUAL’S NAME. WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2012 FAIRCHILD FASHION MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 203, NO. 47. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in May, June, October and December, and two additional issues in February, March, April, August, September and November) by Fairchild Fashion Media, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, Chief Executive Offi cer; Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., President; John W. Bellando, Chief Operating Offi cer & Chief Financial Offi cer; Jill Bright, Chief Administrative Offi cer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offi ces. 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. Subscribers: If the Post Offi ce alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. If during your subscription term or up to one year after the magazine becomes undeliverable, you are ever dissatisfi ed with your subscription, let us know. You will receive a full refund on all unmailed issues. 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 requests, please call 212-630-5656 or fax the request to 212-630-5883. For all request for reprints of articles please contact The YGS Group at condenast@theygsgroup.com, or call 800-501-9571. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild Fashion Media 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.

ON WWD.COM

THE BRIEFING BOXIN TODAY’S WWD

Yves Saint Laurent will reveal today that Hedi Slimane is its new creative director, a dozen years after he exited YSL Rive Gauche Pour Homme to heat up Dior Homme. PAGE 1

Stock markets swooned Tuesday as investors worried over Greece’s down-to-the-wire debt negotiations, pushing Wall Street to its worst trading day so far this year. PAGE 1

The Ermenegildo Zegna Group on Tuesday presented its new ZegnArt project, which aims to strengthen the relation between fashion entrepreneurs and contemporary art. PAGE 2

Alexander Wang denied allegations that its factory in New York’s Chinatown was a “sweatshop” and vowed to defend itself against a lawsuit brought by an ex-employee. PAGE 2

Challenges continue to mount for America’s retailers despite the slowly improving economy, according to a new research report by WSL Strategic Retail. PAGE 7

Chinese designers Huishan Zhang and Marsha Ma both want to redefi ne what “Made in China” means. PAGE 8

Visitors to the “Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs” show at Les Arts Décoratifs get a vivid taste of how a luxury brand is born — and transformed for the modern age. PAGE 9

The loud music and colorful fl ashing lights at this year’s Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Awards could have easily drowned out the talent in the room. PAGE 9

Robert Kennedy Jr., Jeff Koons and Debbie Harry all appeared for Waterkeepers Alliance at the Art for Water cocktail party and auction in Chelsea Monday. PAGE 10

Lindsey Wixson backstage at the Haakan show.

PARIS FASHION WEEK: See the latest collections, as well as front-row and backstage images, from Paris Fashion Week at WWD.com/runway.

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Due to an editing error, the Succession story on page one Tuesday written by Miles Socha was incorrectly bylined WWD Staff. The Chanel story on page 9 was written by Socha as well.

By ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

ALEXANDER WANG DENIED allegations that its factory in New York’s Chinatown was a “sweatshop,” and the company vowed to defend itself against a $450 million lawsuit brought by an ex-employee. Filed last month in Queens County Supreme Court, the lawsuit claims Wang violated New York State labor laws, including provisions covering overtime compensation and minimum wage.

A spokeswoman for the fashion brand, which has yet to be served with the legal papers, told WWD on Tuesday, “The company takes its obligations to com-ply with the law very seriously, including the relevant wage and hour regulations, the payment of overtime to eligible employees and having a safe working envi-ronment for all of our employees. We will vehemently defend any allegations to the contrary.”

Forcing employees to work 16-hour days without overtime in an unventilated, windowless 200-square-foot room with more than 15 other workers were among the charges hurled at Wang by ex-employee Wenyu Lu. His attorney said roughly 30 of his former co-workers were added to the case.

The plaintiffs are demanding $50 million for each of the suit’s nine charges, including labor law viola-tions, breach of agreement and unjust enrichment.

Lu, who claimed to work 84 hours a week at the designer’s factory at 386 Broadway, said he suffered work-related illnesses, including an eye injury and kidney stones, which resulted in an emergency op-eration two years ago.

In one instance, the 56-year-old Lu alleged he passed out at his station after working 25 hours with-out a break. Ultimately, Lu, who started at the fac-tory in 2008, was fi red on Feb. 16 after complaining about the poor conditions and applying for worker’s compensation for injuries sustained on the job, his lawyer, Ming Hai, alleged.

“Bad labor conditions are everywhere in the Asian garment community. It’s horrible,” said Hai, noting that there are more than 20 garment factories in Chinatown.

“A lot of the workers are new immigrants and they don’t speak English,” he said. “They work long hours. It’s like a new kind of slavery.”

According to Hai, who regularly tries such em-ployment law cases, most factory owners tend to settle the disputes for fear of bad press.

By LUISA ZARGANI

MILAN — The Ermenegildo Zegna Group on Tuesday present-ed its new ZegnArt project, which aims to strengthen the relation between fashion entrepreneurs and contemporary art.

Anna Zegna, the firm’s image director and president of Fondazione Zegna, unveiled de-tails of the venture at the compa-ny’s sprawling headquarters here, underscoring that ZegnArt is an independent project but comple-mentary to the group’s philan-thropic foundation.

ZegnArt focuses on three sepa-rate areas, each with a different mission: Public, Special Projects and Art in Global Stores.

Public combines the commis-sion of a public work in collabo-ration with an international in-stitution in a selected emerging country; a residency will be of-fered to a local artist, who will be invited to study in Italy. “Public will help the company approach the effervescence of young peo-ple, who have an innovative vi-

sion, for a mutual collaboration,” said Anna Zegna, noting how the project will help promote new ways to communicate through contemporary art as well as ex-change resources and knowl-edge. The fi rst chosen country is India, with the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai as a partner.

“This is the only museum in India showcasing contempo-rary art,” said Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, director of the venue. “And no corporate house has ever before purchased or donated works to a museum in India. This is the fi rst time.”

Public will move to Turkey in 2013 and Brazil in 2014. “These are legs of a journey from Trivero [where the company was founded] into the world and a dialogue be-

tween cultures that one must get to know,” said Zegna.

The Special Projects division is made up of ventures in collabo-ration with cultural institutions. The fi rst, curated by Maria Luisa Frisa, is a commissioned instal-lation by Lucy and Jorge Orta, “Fabulae Romanae,” in partner-ship with and conceived for the Maxxi, Rome’s National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, designed by Zaha Hadid, and with the sup-port of the Centre for Sustainable

Fashion of the London College of Fashion. The work will be pre-viewed in Rome on March 21, and be on display from March 22 to Sept. 23. After that, a part of the installation will be donated by the Zegna group to the Maxxi and become part of the museum’s per-manent collection.

For the Art in Global Stores section, Zegna will ask interna-tional artists to create works “in-spired by the philosophy and spirit of the group,” which will be dis-played within the brand’s stores. “The project is in line with the identity of the group, which attri-butes to art a fundamental role as a necessary tool for research and development, and which allows the international public to get close to a work of art,” said Zegna. PH

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These are legs of a journey from Trivero [where the company was founded]

into the world and a dialogue between cultures that one must get to know.— ANNA ZEGNA, ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA GROUP

Anna Zegna

WWD. Available on iPad.®

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4 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

Chanel: What does one do after a magical undersea romp? Karl Lagerfeld booked a Chanel journey to the center of the Earth, fi lled with rich-toned minerals of sparkling hues, where the granite sand glistened and huge stalagmites of various grays and purples (think anthracite and amethyst) soared high beneath the dome of the Grand Palais. Tilting this way and that, they evoked an off-kilter urban skyline, prompting Lagerfeld to quip in a preview that “nature makes a good designer, no?”

Yes, especially when ghost-designed by Lagerfeld himself. If exploring the depths of terra fi rma didn’t inspire the same level of awe as spring’s masterful oceanic excursion, it still offered a wealth of great clothes and a welcome dose of entertainment near the end of a long season.

The designer was of two minds in terms of mood. His randomly slanted obelisks had a vaguely post-apocalyptic feel, and the girls walked with pounding attitude, their expressions stern under brows jeweled with raw-cut stones. But how genuine can angst be when delivered via so pretty a palette? The clothes, though they seemed to roam, were in fact rooted in a single fabulous idea: Chanel sportif.

Lagerfeld’s mineral mode made for a savvy way with color — deep purples, blues, greens, grays and some reds — that will look as chic off the runway as on. These appeared in great long coats and new suit variations, many with sporty jackets. Everything was shown with pants (most often skinny ones), which were Lagerfeld’s big item of the season. Some mimicked jeans, some were knitted; a peekaboo lace version went under a graphically patterned fur jacket. Lest anyone miss the subtler manifestations of dressing down, he deemphasized evening while celebrating intarsia sweaters in the manner of a luxed-up Dr. Huxtable. Through it all, there was sparkle aplenty, in metallic-shot tweeds, raw-cut stone jewelry and a split-personality shoe — half bootie and half mary jane, with acrylic and rock crystal heels, a wacky idea that worked. But then, what was it F. Scott Fitzgerald said? “The test of a fi rst-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, put them in a single shoe and retain the aura of high chic.” Or something like that.

Valentino: You would never know it from the parade of precise black leathers — among them a cape, a jumpsuit with a cut-out back, a long trench and Bermuda shorts — that opened the Valentino show, but Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were doing “folk in a very contemporary way,” Piccioli said during a preview. Then, the curly frogging on a coat and raw stitching on a top offered a clue. But even as the collection, which was full of beautiful pieces, progressed into more obvious thematic turf — a textural coat inspired by an exotic carpet, for example

— it was less about quirky charm or global eclecticism than elevating crafty details and treatments to the luxury stratosphere.

Way up there, folkloric free spirits are subject to the rules of chic and control. So while Chiuri and Piccioli’s mood board was piled with images of such colorful women as Janis Joplin, Penelope Tree and Twiggy, the main shades on the runway were black and beige. It would have been nice to see more of the gorgeous multitoned embroideries, but if

the designers white-knuckled the whimsy, the more sober fare was nice, too.

There were a lot of long-sleeve dresses and coats with high necks, fi tted bodices and gentle A-line skirts — the prettily modest silhouette that has become their default mode over the last several seasons. One is inclined to wonder

what else they have up their sleeves, but for now the look is

still a compelling canvas for serene chic, when shown plain or with lavish

workmanship. Of the former, there was a lovely scarlet dress with a square scalloped neckline; of the latter, a white coatdress trimmed in creamy passementerie, while a black one came in a patchwork of fur and exotic embroidery.

Alexander McQueen: Futurism — a theme core to the Alexander McQueen aesthetic over the years. Toward the end of his life, the house founder worked the topic to a dark conclusion: man’s abuse of his environment would lead ultimately to a (highly romanticized) reversal of the evolutionary process. In a bold statement of stewardship, Sarah Burton tackled the same theme for fall and arrived at a very different place. “It’s futurism with softness, not cold futurism,” she said in a preview. In her view, man and nature are not at odds. “It’s looking forward in a completely positive way.”

Burton expressed her viewpoint in a collection all about lightness with a core of power — and the emotion that makes McQueen McQueen. Her futuristic princesses may wear “exploded” silhouettes in pristine white jacquards or enormous froths of pink feathers, but they hide behind wide, sleek visors through which they both see and are shielded from the world.

Story-telling? Most defi nitely. But fashion needs stories and wonder and provocation, just as, ultimately, fashion brands need something to sell. The latter was nowhere in sight on Burton’s runway. But anyone doubting her affi nity for the essential declination from fantastical show pieces to the stuff of ultrachic viability — in case the Kate Middleton sightings aren’t enough — should visit the showroom. There, in shades of soft pinks and grays along with black, a knockout commercial collection connected back with savvy elegance, while indeed pointing to a positive future ahead.

PARIS: DAY SEVEN

Designers traveled from the center of the earth to a chic future, stopping off for a dose of modern-day folk.

FALL 2012

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Chanel

— it was less about quirky charm or global eclecticism than elevating crafty details and treatments to the luxury stratosphere.

Way up there, folkloric free spirits are subject to the rules of chic and control. So while Chiuri and Piccioli’s mood board was piled with images of such colorful women as Janis Joplin, Penelope Tree and Twiggy, the main shades on the runway were black and beige. It would have been nice to see more of the gorgeous multitoned embroideries, but if

the designers white-knuckled the whimsy, the more sober fare was nice, too.

There were a lot of long-sleeve dresses and coats with high necks, fi tted bodices and gentle A-line skirts — the prettily modest silhouette that has become their default mode over the last several seasons. One is inclined to wonder

what else they have up their sleeves, but for now the look is

still a compelling canvas for serene chic, when shown plain or with lavish

workmanship. Of the former, there was a lovely scarlet dress with a square scalloped neckline; of the latter, a white coatdress trimmed in creamy passementerie, while a black one came in a patchwork of fur and

Futurism — a theme core to the Alexander McQueen aesthetic over the years. Toward the end of his life, the house founder worked the topic to a dark conclusion: man’s abuse of his environment would lead ultimately to a (highly romanticized) reversal of the evolutionary process. In a bold statement of stewardship, Sarah Burton tackled the same theme for fall and arrived at a very different place. “It’s futurism with softness, not cold futurism,” she said in a preview. In her view, man and nature are not at odds. “It’s looking forward in a completely

Burton expressed her viewpoint in a collection all about lightness with

that makes McQueen McQueen. Her futuristic

Designers traveled from the center of the earth to a chic future, stopping off for a dose of modern-day folk.

WWD.COM5WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

FOR MORE PHOTOS AND REVIEWS, SEE

WWD.com/runway.

Alexander McQueen Valentino

Moncler Gamme Rouge: As fake snow fell on a set dotted with moving chairlifts at the Moncler Gamme Rouge show, you could picture the socialites in attendance making mental shopping lists. Giambattista Valli sent out Veruschka look-alikes with wildly back-combed manes and feathered Sixties eye makeup to model his glitzy skiwear, which featured acres of Mongolian wool. It was used for the graphic black or white hoods; for furry boots that stretched to the knee or thigh; as a horizontal trim on quilted coats; or all over on a black yeti coat with matching boots. The coats, some of which could be transformed into jackets thanks to oversize gold zippers splicing the waist, came in rich fabrics including a gray leopard print shot through with gold thread, and a waffle weave printed with images of mountaintops. Parading alongside the girls were a dozen grooms carrying luggage and sports gear, evoking a lost lifestyle that perhaps front-row guest Lee Radziwill could recall. Still, the outfits were modern enough to appeal to the new guard of bright young things.

Paco Rabanne: What a difference a season makes. After Manish Arora’s overstated sci-fi brash with little dash for spring, the designer toned things down considerably for his second season at the house — a smart move that resulted in a more realistic version of Paco Rabanne with a higher wearability factor. Arora played up sculptural

silhouettes and textural details, but with a sense of subtlety, as much as this brand can be. He used silver mesh as insets, surface panels and hems for a gray linear shift dress and a blue minidress to good effect, even if some of his gold chain-mail looks added an unnecessary heaviness to the lineup. Arora is challenged to find ways to update the namesake founder’s futuristic vision, which now looks almost amusingly dated. Fall was a first step in that direction, down to the finale dresses that mixed gold metal grids and black fur embellishments. They added a touch of whimsy and are sure to please the Barbarellas out there.

Pedro Lourenço: Pedro Lourenço sought to fuse city life with country ease, “an apocalyptic city and groomed country,” as he said backstage before his show. He also merged Eighties pop and Sixties couture to produce a collection with mixed results. The span of Lourenço’s nascent career has been consistent in its devotion to a square, futuristic silhouette, on which he experiments with fabric development and ambitious cuts. This season he favored coated linen that looked like slick patent leather and shiny, holographic paneling. Proportions were still cumbersome on boxy coats with dropped waists and trousers with flaps sewn on front to imply chaps, but Lourenço successfully softened things with sheer dresses done in neat photographic plaids that faded to black.

Hakaan: According to the collection statement, Hakaan Yildirim aimed to cater to a “strong iconic woman flirting with past and future.” The designer accomplished the mission for the most part with many architectural pieces in metallic textures, including a blue sculpted, formfitting dress with peplum details, and a boxy constructed coat with straight-cut pants in the same shiny material. They had a futuristic feel that was striking to look at, but restricted commercial appeal. Yildirim’s all-leather ensembles in burgundy added a slightly subversive sexual current to the clothes, but his strongest work was also his simplest, such as the great olive green double-breasted suit with a matching fur jacket or another, more casually fitting suit with a sportif leather jacket. They had the right touch of Eighties that actually looked timeless.

APC & Vanessa Seward: APC founder Jean Touitou and designer Vanessa Seward have long been fans of one another, so a collaboration between the two came as a natural progression. The 19-piece capsule collection of clothes, shoes and accessories merged Seward’s prim glamour with the

French contemporary label’s trademark clean lines. “We introduced these

couture fabrics, and the shapes are very APC,” Seward said. “Maybe the waists are a bit higher or the shoulder is a bit smaller, but it really respects APC’s spirit. It’s a bit like democratic couture.”

A collarless shirtdress came in a feather-light burnished gold lamé, while metallic brocades in light gold or silvery blue were used for a miniskirt, a dress and a short playsuit that looked like a dress from the back. Pieces in a dainty floral print, on a background of navy or lipstick red, rounded off the wearable and

appealing collection.

s Paul & Joe: No gimmicks, no overwrought effects. Sophie Albou’s runway show for Paul & Joe was all about clothes to be bought and worn in the everyday. She should have no problem there. Polished tomboys wore casually classic tailoring — plaid trousers and cropped bomber jackets — emboldened by luscious furs, some nice head-to-toe pajama prints and a leopard spotted trench and slim pants. It was a stylish, user-friendly look for real life.

Roger Vivier: The Roger Vivier collection continued to shine the spotlight on one of its younger signatures, the Prismick bag family, on which leather lozenges were patched together to create a geometric découpé effect. New interpretations included classic suede versions in autumnal colors or winter-sky blues and grays. There were also fancy ones clothed in marabou feathers that, in the eyes of the house’s creative director, Bruno Frisoni, “are nice and fluffy, like a poodle.” He reworked a Sixties bow from the archives into a graphic flat knot for the lovely Papillon round-toed stiletto range, as well as an evening tuxedo version in midnight-blue satin. Another striking number included the Scotch boot, named after Scotch tape, which was made from wide strips of glace leather, patent leather and suede. The house also introduced a new print dubbed A Thousand Buckles, where myriad of the closures on black satin created the effect of an animal print.

WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 20126

For more photos and reviews, see

WWD.com/runway.

fall 2012

COLLECTIONSPaRIS

Moncler Gamme Rouge

Paco Rabanne

Pedro Lourenço

Hakaan APC & Vanessa Seward

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$15.79. The company said Tuesday that a special com-mittee of the firm’s board of di-rectors hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch to help it evalu-ate Kenneth Cole’s offer to buy out other shareholders for $15 a share. The committee, in a letter filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday in connection with the hiring of Bank of America, said it “has also been authorized to solicit expressions of interest or other proposals for alternative transactions...and to review any such alternative transaction that may be proposed by third parties.” The letter, dated Feb. 27, asked the designer to “re-consider his position that he is unwilling to consider any alter-native proposals.” In Tuesday’s announcement, the company said Cole declined to change his stance.

Despite Tuesday’s stock market retreat, as well as concerns from some quarters that retail stocks are due for a pullback, the business out-look for the sector appears to be brightening.

“The number-one thing for consumers is income, and a big driver of income is jobs,” said James Smith, chief economist at Parsec Financial Management, which has about $1.2 billion under manage-ment. “We have pretty healthy job growth at last, and it’s likely to get a whole lot better.

That’s the number-one driver of confidence. Consumers are in the mood to shop for practi-cally everything.”

Smith said that the exten-sion of the payroll tax cut would more than offset the rise in gas prices and that the U.S. economy was not overly exposed to Europe’s troubles. “The Euro zone is a disaster,” he said. “It’s in a recession. It could get worse. It might be a depression.”

Greece is scrambling to convince bondholders, mainly European banks, to agree to a debt swap that would give in-vestors less favorable terms. The deadline is Thursday, and Greece needs to negotiate these new debt deals with bondhold-ers in order to unlock a further round of bailout funds from the International Monetary Fund and the European Union.

Paris’ CAC 40 slipped 3.6 percent to 3,362.56 while Milan’s FTSE MIB and Frankfurt’s DAX both tum-bled 3.4 percent to close at 16,218.06 and at 6,633.11, re-spectively, and London’s FTSE 100 fell 1.9 percent to 5,765.80.

The region’s biggest de-cliners included Ferragamo, down 5.1 percent to 14.02 euros; Yoox.com, 4.4 percent to 10 euros; Tod’s, 3.2 percent to 75.10 euros, and Geox, 3.8 percent to 2.43 euros. The euro traded at $1.32.

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7WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

Retail Hangs On as Dow FallsBy DAvID MoIn

ChALLEnGES ConTInUE to mount for America’s retailers de-spite the slowly improving economy.

A new research report by WSL Strategic Retail, titled “how America Shops, Mega Trends Moving on 2012,” reaches came to some startling conclusions. Among them:n 52 percent of Americans are struggling to afford the necessities. n The 18- to 34-year-old youth market is no longer retail’s “golden ticket.”n Consumers are less apt to trade up on brands they indulged in before.n Six-figure earners consider themselves “middle-class” and nearly 30 percent in the $100,000 to $150,000 income bracket claim they can only afford the basics.

The report is based upon an on-

line survey of 1,950 people nation-wide conducted from Dec. 1 to 12.

“There is a huge fundamen-tal issue when more than half of Americans can only afford basic necessities and people who earn up to $150,000 think they are poor,” said Wendy Liebmann, chief ex-ecutive officer of WSL Strategic Retail, a new York-based research and consulting firm.

As the economy slowly im-proves, “American shoppers are moving on and coming back to shopping, but at their own pace,” Liebmann added. “As a result, retail sales are precarious and likely to fluctuate up one month, down the next. That’s not going to change any time soon. Brands and retailers cannot ignore this. They will need to re-think the way they do business over the next three to five years or longer.”

The youth market, according

to Liebmann, has the highest percent of those who don’t have enough money to cover their basic needs, with 24 percent in financial turmoil.

She also has a dire outlook on brands. “Shoppers in general are placing a greater focus on price, with 67 percent of women agree-ing that trusted brand names are not worth paying more for.” Twenty-six percent of the women said they previously bought brands they could not afford, but no longer indulge.

other findings: 75 percent of women said it’s important to get the lowest price on everything; 68 percent regularly use coupons, and 45 percent only buy on sale. Also, 43 percent of women search online for discounts before they shop, and 14 percent use mobile phones in stores attempting to find lower prices elsewhere.

Report Shows Consumers Struggling

“EConoMICALLY stressed” mod-erate-income consumers responded to aggressive promotions at Stage Stores Inc. in the fourth quarter, lifting sales and earnings but leav-ing the bottom line below the com-pany’s and analysts’ expectations.

In the 13 weeks ended Jan. 28, net income rose 2.3 percent to $32.7 million, or $1.05 a diluted share, versus a consensus estimate of $1.07 a share. Year-ago earnings were $32 million, or 86 cents.

Sales rose 5.6 percent to $479.1 million, from $453.7 mil-lion in the year-ago quarter, ver-sus estimates of $468.2 million. however, with the costs of goods sold up 6.9 percent to $328.7 mil-lion, gross margin eroded to 31.4 percent of sales from 32.2 per-cent in the 2010 quarter. Same-store sales were up 1.3 percent.

Stage projected 2012 EPS of between $1.02 and $1.14 a diluted share, below the $1.21 anticipated

by analysts, with revenues landing at between $1.58 billion and $1.61 billion, 4.8 percent to 6.7 percent higher than in 2011 and above Wall Street estimates of $1.56 billion. The company said it expects to spend the $100 million remaining on its $200 million stock repurchase plan by the end of 2013, about half of it during the current year.

For the full year, net income dropped 17.7 percent, to $31 mil-lion, or 92 cents a diluted share, as revenues rose 2.8 percent to $1.51 billion.

—�ArnoLD�J.�KArr

Stage Guidance Below Estimates

{Continued from page one}

fashion behind closed doors.

FALL/WINTER 2012 SEASON

Coming in March

ISSUE 02

8

women as Nicole Kidman, Charlotte Rampling and Madonna, he has never done a women’s collection. Still, he en-joyed an enthusiastic following across the fashion and cultural spectrums, his notoriety fueled in part by Karl Lagerfeld, who famously shed more than 60 pounds to shimmy into Slimane’s stick-to-the-ribs suits. Rock stars from Mick Jagger to Pete Doherty have belted out songs decked out in his designs.

Slimane’s return to the fashion spot-light — and foray into women’s wear — is sure to generate a level of excitement among press and retailers to rival the buzz that surrounded Phoebe Philo’s comeback at Celine in 2009 after a three-year sab-batical. Given Slimane’s status as a men’s wear innovator, he is bound to electrify that market, too — and perhaps create anxiety among some of his design-er colleagues in men’s.

The appointment sig-nals that YSL parent PPR — which bills itself as a specialist in multiplying the scale of small- to mid-size brands — wants to ramp up development at YSL, which trails indus-try peers such as Chanel and Christian Dior.

It’s a bold move for PPR and Pinault, who last year took on direct oversight of the group’s four largest luxury properties: Gucci, Bottega Veneta, YSL and Balenciaga.

In recent years, the French group fre-quently found internal solutions to cre-ative succession, promoting design un-derling Frida Giannini to succeed Tom Ford at Gucci in 2006, and Sarah Burton to take over Alexander McQueen in the wake of the founder’s suicide in 2010.

Since exiting as Dior Homme’s cre-ative director in 2007, Slimane has moved to Los Angeles and devoted himself to photography, even as his skinny tailoring and low-slung jeans continued to have resonance in the men’s market. His art photos and sculptures carry four- and

fi ve-fi gure price tags in galleries including Almine Rech in Paris and Brussels. He has also done commercial photography for Prada, and editorial work for French Vogue, V and Another Man magazines.

Yet he has often hinted he would re-turn to design.

“I had enough time to defi ne my style precisely,” he said in an interview last year with WWD’s magazine Menswear. “It would have been different if I had left fashion before having defi ned it. I also never intended to give up on design, but to take a necessary and healthy distance.…I do still love design, and somehow have protected my passion for it.”

An art history graduate from the Ecole du Louvre, Slimane emerged from fash-ion’s shadows during his fi rst stint at YSL. Hired as an assistant in fashion marketing

at YSL in 1997 and then quickly promoted to de-signer, Slimane success-fully revved up the label’s Rive Gauche Homme col-lection with sleek, androg-ynous tailoring: leather trenchcoats, pinch-waist suits and plunging shirts. He was a pioneer in invit-ing contemporary artists like Ugo Rondinone to put works in YSL stores, positing his clothes in a broader cultural context.

Slimane resigned from YSL in 2000 to

pursue exclusive negotiations with its parent, then known as Gucci Group, for the launch of his own label. He ended up signing on with luxury rival Dior, embarking on an ambitious project that electrified men’s wear with his glitzy fashion shows and minimalist boutiques.

According to sources, Slimane main-tained strong relations with Bernard Arnault, chairman and ceo of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Before he parted ways with Dior Homme in 2007, he had been in talks to have Dior back a Hedi Slimane fashion house, long a dream of the designer, who was keen to branch out into women’s wear and other lifestyle cat-egories, such as home furnishings.

More recently, Slimane fi gured among candidates considered to succeed disgraced designer John Galliano as Dior’s next couturier. Among the sticking points was Slimane’s insistence on overhauling Dior’s extensive network of global boutiques, done up in sumptuous fashion by American architect Peter Marino, sources said.

YSL ended last year with 83 stores. At its results presentation last month, PPR said it would open an additional 15 in 2012.

It could not be learned if YSL plans to give Slimane the resources to overhaul the entire store network. Some locations retain the underlit, mostly black design concept from Ford’s tenure, while newer boutiques refl ect versions of the “Opium experience” decor introduced by Pilati in 2008.

To be sure, Slimane’s return to YSL is bound to be applauded by the old-guard YSL crowd, particularly by Pierre Bergé, who had given the cold shoulder to Pilati throughout his tenure. The French are also likely to hail the return of one of its own sons to the design helm, given their emotional attraction to the founder, whose designs closely echoed social evolutions.

In Parisian fashion circles, there’s a strong conviction that Slimane “under-stands YSL better than anyone else,” said one industry source.

Slimane, 43, steps into a healthy busi-ness with strong product pillars — and one that market sources estimate is roughly fi ve times larger than what he oversaw at Dior Homme.

While reporting 2011 results, Pinault lauded YSL’s “giant step” forward in terms of profi tability.

Full-year sales at YSL advanced 31.4 percent last year to 353.7 million euros, or $493.2 million, while operating income grew more than fourfold to 40.9 million euros, or $57 million. Dollar fi gures are converted from euros at average ex-change rates for the periods in question.

Sources suggested YSL would seek to in-tensify its rtw business, banking on Slimane’s keen instincts and tailoring prowess to bring a jolt of modernity and runway buzz.

While Pilati received uneven reviews for his rtw, he turned out a string of hit handbags and shoes and helped make YSL a go-to re-source for accessories. Last year leather

goods accounted for 35 percent of revenues, footwear 25 percent, apparel 24 percent and accessories and royalties 16 percent.

While Philo did a clean sweep of the product range at Celine, it could be a cost-ly maneuver for YSL to discard such star products from the Pilati era as the Tribute shoe, a platform sandal that continues to sell briskly fi ve years after its introduc-tion. Trib Too shoes, frequently worn by Pinault’s wife, the actress Salma Hayek, and Muse and Muse Two handbags are also considered key engines of the business.

Slimane’s challenge will be to entice a new clientele to YSL while holding onto some of the clientele that helped the company climb out of the red.

Known for his exacting standards, Slimane could also face challenges inter-facing with YSL’s beauty licensee L’Oréal, which acquired the business in 2008. Today, YSL Perfumes and Beauty is run out of the French beauty giant’s Luxury division, which includes designer brands such as Giorgio Armani Parfums and Cosmetics, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Maison Martin Margiela and Stella McCartney.

Fashion designers have exerted little control over the creation of beauty prod-ucts for YSL in recent history. The colors for its last lip-related line, Vernis à Lèvres, for instance, were created by YSL’s creative director for makeup, Lloyd Simmonds.

At Dior, which controls its beauty business, Slimane was also given pur-view over men’s fragrances.

Slimane is sure to take a hands-on approach building the fashion image of YSL and, like Lagerfeld does at Chanel, shoot all the campaigns himself.

— WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM JENNIFER WEIL

WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012

HUISHAN ZHANG and Marsha Ma both want to rede-fi ne what “Made in China” means. The two Chinese design-ers have nothing in common stylisti-cally, but both want to give “Made in China” a makeover.

I met Huishan in the show-room of Rue du Mail during Paris Fashion Week. His fall-winter collection is full of lace, with eyelet embroidery in wool. All this intricate fabric comes from Huishan’s hometown of Qingdao in Northern China.

“I am very lucky that these manufacturers are willing to pro-

duce small trail quanti-ty of fabric for me,” the designer said. “Usually, they only take big bulk orders for export. What I want to show is that ‘Made in China,’ if combined with ‘Designed in China,’ can be high quality and good. Not the cheap

stuff, or the fakes.”In another neighborhood of

Paris, at the Hanger showroom, Marsha is getting ready for her show on March 7.

“I am now on the sched-ule for Paris Fashion Week,” Marsha said. “I can do this be-cause we have our own manu-facturing facility now in China,

they can do small quantity and they can make my runway pieces in a hurry,” Marsha ex-plained. Her facility is a shared manufacturing workshop with two other Chinese designers, all based in Shanghai.

Unlike Huishan, who uses locally manufactured fabrics, Marsha said she imports hers. But having her own workshop allows her to produce small quantities suitable for young start-up designer lines.

It’s clear that the bulk-mind-ed manufacturing mentality in China has been a major problem for young designers. Often, it’s diffi cult to fi nd facilities that will handle small orders in a timely and quality-sensitive fashion.

But as fashion retail is bloom-ing in the country, investors are funneling much-needed cash to young designers to fi nance their ateliers, much like the shared workshop of Marsha Ma.

“It’s a new business model,” said Marsha of her co-op style business collaboration with Qiao Qiao and Qiu Hao. We all sell in One by One, a boutique owned by Qiao Qiao, and we share the manufacturing.”

This model is obviously working. One by One has 15 outlets in China already and

Marsha Ma, the label, can gener-ate a cash fl ow of 100,000 yuan, or $12,000, per day.

Why Paris? Why bother com-ing to Paris if the business is doing so well in China?

“Branding,” she said, without any hesitation. “Selling well in China is not a brand; I have to build a brand image and Paris is the right place for me.”

Although only a small per-centage of her business, Marsha is obviously proud of her inter-national orders. Her fall-winter collection will be sold in Spiga 2 in Milan, Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and Istanbul, and possibly Barneys New York.

Huishan has a completely different strategy. “I am not in a hurry to expand quickly,” said the designer who, to this date, has no presence in China. “It’s a huge market, China,” the design-er mused. “And it can swallow

me and my creativity if I am not ready.” Huishan had worked for Dior in 2010 and has a haute cou-ture line as well as ready-to-wear.

“I want to develop my style and reputation in the West and then move to China. Ultimately, China is where I want to make it big,” he added. Huishan is based in London and selling in Browns in the U.K. and Joyce Boutique in Hong Kong.

Both designers graduated from Central Saint Martins. Their styles cannot be fur-ther apart. Huishan is visibly Chinese with brocade and drag-ons, while Marsha is vexed by repeated questioning from the press in search of the missing China element in her design.

Interestingly, both design-ers are not shy about “Made in China.” In fact, they are proud of it. They just want to redefi ne what it means.

WWD.COM8

’’

’’

I do still love design, and

somehow have protected my passion for it.— HEDI SLIMANE

Hedi Slimane Returning to YSL as Creative Director

ChinaFile

BY HUANG HUNG

ChinaFile

Huishan Zhang with pieces from his fall collection.

Made in China, Branded in Paris

Accessories by Marsha Ma.

{Continued from page one}

Hedi Slimane

WWDSTYLEMEMO PAD

ALL AGLOW: Elisa Sednaoui was among the celeb set at Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel show. PAGE 11

Sweet TreatPARIS — The new exhibit opening Friday at Les Arts Décoratifs, “Louis Vuitton-

Marc Jacobs,” traces the evolution of the iconic luxury brand — including a literal chocolate box fi lled with the handbags designed by Jacobs in his

decade as creative director. For more, see page 10.

PHOTO BY FRANCOIS GOIZE

COSMOS ALL AROUND: The loud music and colorful fl ashing lights at this year’s Cosmopolitan Fun Fearless Awards Monday night at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel could have easily drowned out the talent in the room. That is if Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Liam Hemsworth, Dakota Fanning, Freida Pinto, Blake Shelton and other winners weren’t so determined to be heard. Rudd riffed, “Maybe there was a mistake…maybe it was reversed and they meant to choose RuPaul.” Apparently, even his wife, Julie Yaeger, was not buying the honor, he said: “She told me, ‘I’m not going to go to that dinner with you because that in some way will validate this great falsehood.’”

Hill, an Oscar nominee for “Moneyball,” was also armed with plenty of material. “I didn’t prepare a speech because I was positive Christopher Plummer was going to win,” he said, much to the crowd’s delight. “It’s funny because it hurts.”

After reminiscing as if he, Cosmo editor in chief Kate White and publisher Donna Kalajian Lagani were junior high friends, the 28-year-old actor admitted, “I’ve actually never won an award before. I’ve lost a bunch of them. Most of all I would like to thank you, Cosmo, for all the tips you’ve taught the very few women who I’ve tricked into sleeping with me.”

The remarks of Rose Byrne of “Bridesmaids” were considerably more clipped — two sentences to be exact — but not all that different from Hill’s. “They’ve got incredible sex tips which everyone can attest to,” she said before slinking back to her seat.

Emceed by Catt Sadler and Jason Kennedy of “E News,” the evening had a defi nite infomercial feel due mostly to the constant Cosmo plugs by all the honorees, which included Jessie Williams of “Grey’s Anatomy,” the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson, country music star Miranda Lambert and Lucy Hale of “Pretty Little Liars.” At 21, Hale had the Most Exuberant Winner title locked up, with the Honorable Mention going to a YSL-clad Pinto, who referenced her grandfather with affection.

Before sending guests on their way, Robin Thicke performed. Even he seemed a bit taken aback by the special effects in the room. “There is something quite strange about it and it’s a piano — that’s strange. It sounds like ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’”

— ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

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From Louis to MarcPARIS — It opens with a zoetrope — the whirling cylinder animating whimsical ink drawings of bulbous 19th-century dresses spewing out of trunks. It ends with a row of mannequins in sleek and sexy nurselike uniforms, sirens on their necks instead of heads, as a hip-hop soundtrack pulses.

Along the way, visitors to the “Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs” show at Les Arts Décoratifs that opens Friday get a vivid taste of how a luxury brand is born — and transformed for the modern age.

Conceived as a tale of two men, the multimedia exhibition examines fascinating, vastly different periods in the fashion industry: the 19th-century world of steamer trunks inhabited by founder Louis Vuitton, and the razzle-dazzle global business energized with potent seasonal fashion shows by Marc Jacobs, Vuitton’s artistic director since 1997. The exhibition runs through Sept. 16.

“What did Louis bring to the table?” were among the questions Pamela Golbin, chief curator of fashion and textiles at Les Arts Décoratifs, sought to answer with the show.

Plenty, as it turns out. After spending 17 years apprenticing at one of Paris’ 400 packing specialists, the house founder set up his own operation in 1854, noting “English Spoken” on his very fi rst label, thereby signaling his sharp commercial instincts and international ambitions.

The fi rst fl oor of the sprawling exhibition brings to life that genteel period, when well-to-do women would change dresses up to seven times a day and require dozens of trunks for a long voyage.

“He was very much involved in the fashion industry from its very origins,” Golbin noted, stopping before a trunk from 1888 bearing a plaque from the house of Charles Frederick Worth, considered the father of haute couture.

An astute marketer, Vuitton used the platform of universal

exhibitions to launch a variety of innovations he copyrighted: lightweight, waterproof trunks in 1867; a trunk containing a foldout cot in 1891. Golbin noted that up to 20 million people would visit such events — almost half the population of France at the time.

Besides plenty of trunks — including the fi rst one to bear the house’s now famous monogram, produced in 1896 as an homage by Georges Vuitton to his late father — such artifacts as order ledgers and product catalogues, another Vuitton innovation, are displayed.

As visitors climb the stairs to learn about the Jacobs era, the ambience and set design change dramatically. A wall of backlit images and videos, and snippets of the “South Park” theme, announce the fast-moving, cacophonous world of Jacobs, a street-smart New Yorker enlisted to launch Vuitton into the world of ready-to-wear and fashion accessories.

“It’s so chaotic,” the designer said of this high-tech inspiration board. “To me, it’s what my head feels like when I’m going into a collection.”

Jacobs said his mission was to summon a “parallel universe” to the one Louis and his descendants created, “being respectful of the monogram, but not relying on it.”

Does Jacobs see any parallels between himself and the man with whom he shares top billing? “It’s a question of obsession, and a passion for getting things right,” Jacobs mused, quickly adding, “and a love of craft.”

Yves Carcelle, Vuitton’s chief executive offi cer, noted that both men were “not Parisians, but fell in love with Paris. They both discovered Paris as young men.”

The two also possessed a vision about the “world transforming itself ” — advancements in travel and industrialization for the founder; and the communications explosion and

globalization for Jacobs.“When you see the two together,

you understand the richness of the past,” Carcelle said.

“For us at Vuitton, looking at the past and reinventing the past has always been a common passion,” he added. “While my role is to orchestrate that, [Vuitton] is not a one-man show.”

Indeed, the Jacobs fl oor showcases high-profi le — and commercially explosive — collaborations with the likes of artists Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami.

Designed by Gainsbury and Bennett, the exhibition is rich in moving parts — shoes are displayed on a wheel of legs mounted on gears — and sheer imagination, such as a clutch of

mannequins with animal heads wearing exotic skins, as luxed-up by Jacobs.

Video and sound are integral, especially on the Jacobs fl oor, where a voice-over in front of several displays has the designer narrating the backstory to his designs. There’s plenty of humor, too, with Jacobs naming several of the cases: “Blue-y Vuitton” for dresses in sky shades, and “Cage Moss,” which has a mannequin crouching behind bars in a fi nale dress once worn by Kate Moss.

The exhibition closes on a riotous note, winking at Jacobs’ stature as a pop-culture icon with a miniature version of the designer, dressed in tiny, bespoke

versions of the clothes he usually wears: a white Dior Homme shirt, a black Comme des Garçons kilt and Prada shoes.

What, no Vuitton? “I do have a Vuitton bag.

They made me a miniature crocodile Lockit bag,” Jacobs said. “It’s hysterical.”

Vuitton plans to broadcast Wednesday night’s opening party for the exhibition on its Web site and Facebook page, with British presenter Louise Roe commenting on VIP arrivals and touring the show. Roe recently covered red-carpet arrivals at the Oscars ceremony for ABC.

— MILES SOCHA, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS

FROM JOELLE DIDERICH

Water for PoliticiansMONDAY NIGHT found Robert Kennedy Jr., Jeff Koons and Debbie Harry all appearing for their charity of choice, Waterkeepers Alliance, at the Art for Water cocktail party and auction in Chelsea.

“It’s my favorite cause, the mighty Hudson!” cheered Harry, who sang a few bars of “Stormy Weather” before launching into “What I Heard” and “Wipe off My Sweat” for attendees including Cheryl Hines and Chuck Close.

“Jackie [Onassis] and my uncle [President John F. Kennedy] taught us

that great civilizations are judged by their artists, not the wars they fight or the people they elect,” Kennedy said. “That’s what we remember, the heart, the soul. That’s the mark of its greatness, its art….Art and the environment are inextricably linked: nature is the infrastructure of our community. It’s not just the birds and the fishes. Artists search for universal truths. Nature is that.” Works at the auction included pieces by Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Willem de Kooning and Jasper Johns. — ALESSANDRA CODINHA

FOR MORE PHOTOS, SEE

WWD.com/eye.

eye

Nurse mannequins and handbags designed in a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Richard Prince.

Kelly Rutherford in Son Jung Wan.

Doll clothes from the 19th century at the exhibit.

Jeff Koons, Cheryl Hines, Chuck Close and Robert Kennedy Jr.

Designs by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton.

Imperial HoedownON THE FIRST RING of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the School of American Ballet’s annual winter ball Monday night — festooned by Ron Wendt Designs with chandeliers, candelabras, floral centerpieces, sugared fruit baskets over red brocade tablecloths and a tableau vivant of models dripping in fur and Van Cleef & Arpels jewels — one thing was undeniable: a palpable sense of awe.

“I’ve seen a lot of events in this room,” said Peter Martins, the Ballet’s master in chief, as he took the podium to honor George “Mr. B.” Balanchine, the ballet’s original co-founder. “But none as stunning as this one.”

The crowd of benefactors, including Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky, Julia and David Koch and Kelly Rutherford, dined on beef stroganoff while advanced SAB students took to the dance fl oor in a high-energy and decidedly un-balletlike performance. The crowd quickly rose out of its seats to join in, leaving the dessert of oeufs à la neige largely ignored on the dinner tables. — KRISTI GARCED

WWD.COM

ROCK OF AGES: Celebrity guests including Katy Perry, Elisa Sednaoui, Poppy Delevingne, Zhou Xun and Michelle Chen marveled at the glowing crystal-studded set that Karl Lagerfeld dreamt up for his Chanel show at the Grand Palais on Tuesday. “At first I thought it was icicles, but now I realize that it’s really amethysts, and that’s just so much more beautiful and powerful,” said Alicia Keys, who claimed to know a thing or two about crystals.

“Every time I discover more of the meaning behind them, you realize how much they can have an impact on you,” said the singer, who was wearing an Indian style pendant over her forehead. “I think the Earth is such a powerful thing and we don’t recognize all the things that come from it and what type of power they hold, and I think he does,” added Keys, referring to Lagerfeld.

“It’s very purple, I love the amethyst theme,” enthused tattooed Canadian singer Béatrice Martin, aka Coeur de Pirate, noting she’ll soon be winding down her touring, as she is three months pregnant.

Virginie Ledoyen knows something about amazing locations. For “Farewell, My Queen,” the Marie Antoinette drama scheduled for release in France later this month, she got to spend time at the royal château in Versailles. “When you are all alone in the Trianon, waiting in Marie Antoinette’s chambers, you very easily let yourself get swept away,” said the actress, who plays Marie Antoinette’s confidante, Gabrielle de Polignac.

Kaya Scodelario was making a pit stop in Paris before flying back to Los Angeles to complete shooting opposite Jessica Biel and Alfred Molina on the movie “Emanuel and the Truth about Fishes.” “I go for a good title,” she quipped. Also look out for the “Skins” actress in “Now Is Good,” the story of a girl suffering from leukemia (played by Dakota Fanning) who makes a list of things to do before dying.

Brazilian actress Laura Neiva is preparing to return to Cannes in May to present a short film. It won’t be her first time at the prestigious film festival: Neiva was just 15 when she walked the red carpet with Vincent Cassel for her debut film “Adrift.” Her next feature film is a romantic comedy called “E aí, Comeu?” (“What’s Up, Did You Eat?” in English), which will be released in Brazil in June. — KAtyA FOREMAN AND JOELLE DiDERiCh

FULL CiRCLE: Chinese actresses Chen Ran and Kitty Zhang were among front-row guests at Valentino. Ran, in a floor-length lace Valentino dress, is filming a new movie with director Chen Kaige, most famous in the West for his 1993 film “Farewell My Concubine.” It will be released in August.

Nicky hilton was promoting her Art Deco-inspired jewelry line Chelsea, while model-turned-photographer

and blogger hanneli Mustaparta said she is boosting the social media presence of Calvin Klein, whose blog she has just begun writing on Tumblr. “It’s like coming full circle, because I used to model for them,” she said. — ALEX WyNNE

KEEPiNG tiME: Hermès said it is in discussions to acquire its supplier, Natéber SA, a high-end watch dial manufacturer based in Switzerland, through its watchmaking subsidiary, La Montre Hermès. An acquisition would further secure the company’s supply chain, which has been suffering from a production bottleneck in recent months due to high demand for luxury watches in emerging markets, as reported. In September 2011, La Montre Hermès acquired a 32.5 percent stake of Swiss watch case maker Joseph Erard Holding. — A.W.

GiRL POWER: thia Breen, president of North America for the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., was honored Monday night at the 27th annual Women’s Project Theater’s Women of Achievement Awards, hosted by Cindy Adams. The event, held at the Copacabana, also recognized Liz Duffy Adams, Barbara Goldsmith and Cornelia Guest. Adams, wearing a sequin-bedecked two-piece Valentino suit, opened the evening. “I’m delighted to be here,” she said. “As delighted as I can be without getting paid.”

Breen, who was presented with the award by Clinique’s global brand president, Lynne Greene, acknowledged “visionary force,” the late Mrs. Estée Lauder, as a constant source of inspiration throughout her career. “Women’s voices must be heard,” proclaimed Breen, who also saluted her company for supporting women’s rights.

Among the night’s attendees were Mark Badgley and James Mischka, Nora Ephron and Julie Crosby, who were also presenters; former Gov. David Patterson; Mica Ertegun; henry Buhl, and Muriel Gonzalez. — BELiSA SiLVA

ChARLOttE’S WEB: Gucci hosted two events in Paris on Tuesday to fete Charlotte Casiraghi, who is to appear in Gucci’s Forever Now advertising. The first focuses on the brand’s green and red webbing, inspired by the canvas girth strap on a horse’s saddle. Casiraghi is already an ambassador

for Gucci’s equestrian roots, and the brand’s creative director, Frida Giannini, created a special line of clothing for her. “It was very inspiring for me to work with Frida, who is very passionate about horse-riding, and the brand being strongly linked to that environment,” said Casiraghi. “We wanted it to be something really natural and strong, not just something commercial.”

“Charlotte represents one of the most modern, sophisticated girls of today,” Giannini commented at a lunchtime cocktail Gucci hosted at Paris restaurant La Société. “We really share the passion of horses. We wanted to celebrate the icons of the house, so starting from the equestrian world was perfect.” Casiraghi is to feature in a series of campaigns for the house over a two-year period. “It is a new image and presentation of the brand through Charlotte,” said PPR chairman and chief executive officer François-henri Pinault. — A.W.

PONy UP: Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. may have won the war against the U.S. Polo Association last year, but Monday, it lost a battle. After winning its trademark infringement case against the USPA, the apparel maker, now known as Ralph Lauren Corp., was denied its request for attorneys’ fees from the polo club. The decision comes nearly a year after New York federal judge Robert Sweet ruled that the USPA could not use a horse-and-rider symbol evocative of Polo’s famed logo in conjunction with the word “polo” to mark its fragrances.

Judge Sweet, who granted Ralph Lauren and its fragrance licensee L’Oréal USA Inc., a permanent injunction in May, said Monday that in order to be awarded attorneys’ fees, it must show that “extraordinary relief is necessary.”

Ralph Lauren and L’Oréal were unable to meet the legal criteria for “extraordinary relief,” according to the judge, and were thus denied their bid to recoup those costs. — ALEXANDRA StEiGRAD

NANEttE’S ChALLENGE: Nanette Lepore will be the guest judge Thursday night on “Project Runway All Stars” on Lifetime. Lepore’s challenge, posed to the four remaining contestants, was to design a garment that her apparel company could manufacture in New York City. The winning design will be sold in Lepore’s boutiques and online and will carry a special hangtag. All proceeds will benefit the Save the Garment Center organization.

“I had fun,” said Lepore, describing the three-day taping that took place last summer. “It was new for me, but it wasn’t that stressful. The stress and panic was in the buildup.” She said she enjoyed working with her fellow judges, including isaac Mizrahi. “He’s as much fun as he seems,” she said. Although she was unable to divulge the winner of the challenge, 120 units of the winning design have been manufactured. Lepore will host a screening party Thursday night at her Broome Street store in Manhattan, where they will be live tweeting. — LiSA LOCKWOOD

11WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2012ph

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