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SAKS FIFTH AVENUE NET FALLS/4 PUCCI SIGNS WILLIAMSON/6Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • October 4, 2005• $2.00

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Pretty CleanMILAN — For spring, Karl Lagerfeld revamped his Fendicollection with chic looks that had a Parisian joie de vivre.As he put it, “We cleaned up a lot, non?” The key stylesincluded charming dresses, some belted, some with flirtybows and others with fur trim. Here, a sleek little whitenumber. For more on the season, see pages 8 to 17.

See Jean, Page19

Gaultier’s Growth Year:Company Back on TrackFollowing RestructuringBy Miles Socha

PARIS — After a dark period that saw 31employees axed from the payroll and aspotlight shone on its deep financial woes,Jean Paul Gaultier is on the rebound.

Ready-to-wear sales are advancing at adouble-digit pace, a second Moscowboutique is in the works less than sixmonths after the first one bowed, and thedesigner’s Hong Kong partners arechomping at the bit to bring in Gaultier’scouture collection to solicit orders fromwealthy Chinese clients.

What’s more, the company — whichunveils its spring collection on the runway

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WWD.COMWWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005

FASHIONThe Paris collections got under way with some designers playing withabstract ideas, while others stayed rooted in reality.

GENERALAfter some tough times, Jean Paul Gaultier is on the rebound, with rtwsales going strong, and a second Moscow boutique in the works.

Saks Inc. filed delayed first-quarter results that showed profits declining 20percent to $16.2 million, on sales that rose 0.6 percent to $1.55 billion.

EYE: Breaking bread with Geoffrey Zakarian, chef and co-owner of Town,who’s itching to break into fast food…Where to go, eat and drink in Paris.

RTW: Young designers are increasingly forced to take second jobs, creatingprivate label lines, consulting on Web sites or making restaurant uniforms.

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WWDTUESDAYReady-to-Wear/Textiles

● DESIGNER RETURN: Prada said Monday that SimonettaCiampi has been appointed as design director of bags and acces-sories. Ciampi returns to the Italian fashion house after her ex-perience as design director of leather goods at Yves SaintLaurent, which she left in April. The Milan-born designerworked at Prada for 15 years. Ciampi created the horn-handledMombasa bag, YSL’s first hit in the accessories business.

● SAFILO EYES IPO: Eyewear giant Safilo is preparing to relistits shares on the Milan stock exchange, a Safilo spokesman con-firmed, although he said that timing and other details have yetto be determined. Safilo made its debut on the Milan stock ex-change in 1987, but the company was delisted in 2001, whenpresident Vittorio Tabacchi led a leveraged buyout of the com-pany. In May, Safilo chief executive officer Roberto Vedovottosaid the company was mulling a return to the stock market. “Weare thinking seriously about it,’’ said Vedovotto. “Bankers aretelling us the market is extremely good and the situation looksgood.” Safilo posted a net profit of 19.85 million euros, or $24.61million at average exchange rates, on sales of 939.76 millioneuros, or $1.17 billion.

● SAFEGUARD DELAY: The Bush administration delayed for athird time, until Nov. 30, decisions on four safeguard quota casesagainst China as U.S. and Chinese negotiators continue to try toreach a broad import restraint agreement. The pending peti-tions encompass $599.6 million in Chinese imports of sweaters,dressing gowns and robes, knit fabric and men’s and boys’ wooltrousers. The U.S. has imposed safeguard quotas this year on$1.9 billion worth of Chinese imports, holding them to 7.5 per-cent annual growth, under the safeguard mechanism, which ex-pires in 2008.

In Brief

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By Vicki M. Young

NEW YORK — Saks Inc. filed itslong awaited first-quarter re-sults Monday that showed prof-its declining 20 percent on asmall sales gain

The retailer also said it wouldpost second-quarter earnings bymid-month.

For the three months endedApril 30, 2005, net income fell to$16.2 million, or 11 cents a dilut-ed share, from $20.2 million, or14 cents in the same year-agoquarter. The quarter’s results

were lower than the company’sestimated income of $17.1 mil-lion, or 12 cents, in May due to alegal reserve established for aSept. 23, 2005 court ruling on aseverance-related lawsuit. Salesrose 0.6 percent to $1.55 billionfrom $1.54 billion, while same-store sales gained 1.9 percent.

The firm was late in filing itsquarterly results because of thedelayed posting of its 2004 annualreport, which was filed on Sept. 1.

During the quarter, the re-tailer operated two divisions, itsdepartment store group andSaks Fifth Avenue Enterprises.

The company said in the regu-latory filing with the Securitiesand Exchange Commission thatvendor allowances of approxi-mately $34.1 million had been im-properly collected from suppliersbetween fiscal 1996 through 2003,and reiterated that “no impropercollection was identified in fiscal2004.” The company will repayvendors $48.1 million includinginterest. The improper collec-tions gave rise to probes by theSEC and the U.S. Attorney’s of-fice in Manhattan. Saks reiterat-ed that the company is “fully co-operating with the SEC and theOffice of the United StatesAttorney.”

In the filing, the retailer said itwill be implementing controls

over how it records transactions,and has enhanced its monitoringand review controls in regard toaccounting for vendor-providedmarkdown support. In addition,Saks said it is training associateson the proper accounting anddocumentation policies related tovendor-provided markdown sup-port. It is also implementing newinternal audit programs to testand monitor accounting policycompliance throughout the year.

In addition to the markdownimproprieties, the company alsoadjusted for how it accountedfor purchase discounts.

In its regulatory filing, Sakssaid it receives discounts fromvendors on merchandise pur-chases when it meets certain pay-ment specifications. The compa-ny said that historically it treateda portion of these purchase dis-counts as prompt payment dis-counts, and recognized that por-tion immediately into earningsthrough a reduction of cost ofsales. “This portion of the dis-count, however, should have beenconsidered a cost purchase ad-justment along with the remain-ing discount and included as areduction in the cost of the inven-tory,” the filing said.

Like other retailers, Saks alsomade adjustments for how it ac-counted for certain lease issues.

Saks 1Q Profits Down 20%

Kay Krill, president of Ann Taylor Stores Corp., assumed the ad-ditional role of chief executive officer of the company on Oct. 1,replacing J. Patrick Spainhour. This information was unclear in astory that ran on page 20, Monday.

Correction

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By Marc Karimzadeh

NEW YORK — Calvin Klein Inc. said Monday it has signed an agreement with Fingen SpA to produceand distribute Calvin Klein Collection women’s and men’s apparel and accessories worldwide.

The deal confirms a page one story in WWD on Friday. Fingen is taking over the license from Vestimenta, which has filed for bankruptcy and is looking

to exit the apparel business. Privately owned by brothers Corrado and Marcello Fratini, Fingen isalso the parent of the Calvin Klein Jeanswear licensee in Europe and Asia and the ck Calvin Kleinbridge apparel licensee in Europe.

The deal between Calvin Klein and the Florence-based Fingen will begin with spring product,including the much-praised women’s wear collection that Francisco Costa, creative director ofCalvin Klein Collection for women, presented during fashion week here last month.

The change in licensees will not affect the creative team: Costa will remain creative director of CalvinKlein Collection for women; Italo Zucchelli, design director for Calvin Klein Collection for men, andUlrich Grimm, design director for shoes and accessories.

As part of the agreement, Fingen is taking overVestimenta’s existing manufacturing facilities and keep-ing key staff. It will also assemble a team of pattern-mak-ers, sewers, cutters and top management. CKI maintainscontrol over design, as well as marketing, advertising andpublic relations. It also has the final say over distribution.

Fabio Fusco will head up the Calvin Klein Collectionbusiness at Fingen. Fusco joins from IT Holding SpA,where he was chairman and chief executive officer for sev-eral of IT’s divisions. At IT, he headed the growth ofVersace Jeans, Gianfranco Ferré, D&G, Just Cavalli andseveral other brands in the Asia-Pacific region. At onepoint, he also oversaw the global Ferré business. Fuscoknows CKI and Fingen well: From 1995 to 2000, he was ceoof CK Jeanswear Europe SpA and Calvin Klein JeanswearAsia Ltd., both licenses of Fingen.

“Fabio Fusco has strong designer experience at ITHolding, and I have a lot of confidence in him. He has theexpertise and a solid track record,” said Tom Murry, CKI’spresident and chief operating officer.

Murry added that while Vestimenta had strong productdevelopment and manufacturing capabilities, the problemwas the funding, and in the number of people that werededicated to the Collection business. Fusco will focus onCollection exclusively. Simone Mantura will continue asgeneral manager of sales and marketing at Calvin KleinCollection, and Fausto Lazzaretti will join as sales direc-tor. Prior to this, Lazzaretti was a sales director for Cerrutiand Giorgio Armani.

“We will retain the best of the best there, and we will addto the organization,” Murry said. “With Fusco’s managementand leadership, we are convinced that we can start to growthis business. The next step is to improve on execution, and todeliver a quality product on time. That’s our primary focus.”

By Miles Socha

PARIS — Emilio Pucci said Monday that Matthew Williamson wouldbecome its new artistic director, showing his first collection for theFlorentine house next February.

WWD first reported Sept. 28 that Pucci was courting Williamson,a Londoner known for colorful, bohemian frocks and a celebrity fol-lowing. He succeeds Christian Lacroix, who showed his swan songfor the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned house last weekin Milan.

“We liked the soft, glamorous kind of attitude that Matthewdeveloped for his own line, and his sense of color and femininity,”said Pucci chief executive Catherine Vautrin.

She declined to give details of the contract, but characterized itas a long-term relationship, given Williamson’s “energy and motiva-tion” during the negotiations.

But Vautrin said the designer change would not alter the direc-tion of the historic brand, famous for its jet-set image and brilliantheraldic prints on silk jersey. “Christian [Lacroix] brought sophisti-cation, and his imagination with prints and colors,” she said.“Matthew will bring his own interpretation.”

Williamson was traveling Monday and could not be reached forcomment. However, he will continue to produce his signature collection, which he shows in New York.

Williamson has one freestanding store, in London; several shop-in-shops in Harvey Nichols storesand about 160 wholesale clients. His celebrity pals include Sienna Miller, Keira Knightley, Jade Jaggerand Helena Christensen.

“I think Matthew was a very interesting idea and choice,” said Laudomia Pucci, the daughter offounder Emilio Pucci and image director of the house. “We loved his colors, prints, his freshness andalso his jet-set-y lifestyle. I think that really complements Pucci. Also, he’s English but he shows in theU.S. and has an American approach to business. We’re hoping he’ll be a part of our ongoing growth strat-egy and we’re really happy and excited to have him.”

That said, she added, “I have to give a big thank you to Christian. He left Pucci on a high note.”Indeed, sales at Pucci have quadrupled over the past four years, totaling 45 million euros, or about

$55 million, last year. Before Lacroix joined Pucci in 2002, the creative director was American JulioEspada. The Pucci family has also collaborated with Antonio Berardi and Stephan Janson.

Lacroix said he plans to focus on developing his signature brand, which LVMH sold to Florida-basedFalic Group earlier this year.

TABLOIDS IN REHAB?: It looks likethe media tide may be turning forKate Moss now that she’s checkedherself into The Meadowsrehabilitation clinic near Phoenix.The Daily Mirror, which broke thestory of Moss’ drug problem lastmonth, still refers to her as the“cocaine-snorting model,”although even it has tempered itstone. On Monday, the paper told aheartwarming story of Moss’reunion with daughter Lila Graceat the clinic, and now it takespains to point out that Moss isundergoing a “tough regime”there. Its sister paper, TheSunday Mirror, meanwhile, hasbeen flattering Moss, quotingfriends who say she’s “cuddly andloving with her little girl.”

The tabloids’ about-face (justlast month they were running racyheadlines about Moss’ allegedlesbian orgies and louchelifestyle) should come as nosurprise. There’s nothing aLondon tabloid editor likes betterthan to tear down stars only tobuild them back up again.

Over the past few weeks, theBritish broadsheet papers havebeen more sympathetic. Not longafter the scandal, the Independentran “The Crucifixion of Kate,”naming all the people who“wielded the knife” against her.Sunday Times columnist IndiaKnight lashed out at the fashionindustry, saying “[Moss] deservesour pity, not our manufacturedmoral indignation orcondemnation. She’s like a sluttyout-of-it child, and slutty out-of-itchildren only get that way becausethey’ve been abused in one way oranother.” Even the Moss specialon Sky One on Monday night tooka sympathetic tone, withjournalists and others commentingon the model in gentle tones.

So how long will the love-inlast? Moss won substantial, butundisclosed, libel damages earlierthis year over claims by theSunday Mirror that she hadcollapsed into a cocaine-inducedcoma in Barcelona in June 2001.But the Daily Mirror pooh-poohsthe notion its pursuit of the modelis payback for her victory. “It wasjust a good, old-fashioned tabloidscoop,” said a Mirror groupspokeswoman of the front-pagephotos showing Moss allegedlytaking cocaine.

And there’s certainly more wherethat came from. — Samantha Conti

CONFIDENTIALLY SPEAKING: TimeInc. editor in chief NormanPearlstine angered First Amendmentpurists when he ordered a reporterat Time to reveal the identity of aconfidential source. Now he’swriting a book about the ins andouts of confidential sources. Thebook, “Off The Record: The Useand Misuse of AnonymousSources,” will be published in2007 by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday.“The experience of the last fewmonths just sort of set me thinkingabout the broader subject,”Pearlstine said Monday. Facing agrand jury subpoena with backingfrom the Supreme Court, heinstructed Matt Cooper to turn overhis notes regarding the ValeriePlame leak to a federal prosecutor.

“I wouldn’t have called it the mostdifficult decision I ever had to makeif I didn’t believe that a number ofjournalists and others whom Irespect would take violent exceptionto what I did,” he said, insistingthe book is no mere apologia. “Idon’t plan to duck the criticisms.Will I explain my decision? Yes.But I will fail the reader if I don’talso explain why some of myclosest friends in the businessdisagreed with it.” — Jeff Bercovici

LAST LAUGH: The magazine industryloves a good joke — just not at itsown expense. Four days after JonStewart laid a comic smackdown onfour top editors during an eventhosted by the Magazine Publishersof America, many industry voiceswere still grumbling that MPA hadshelled out a quarter of a milliondollars ($150,000 for Stewart,another $100,000 for the event,according to a source) only to have“The Daily Show” host questionthe relevance of print in front of aroomful of advertisers.

And then there were the shotshe took at the panelists: VanityFair’s Graydon Carter,Cosmopolitan’s Kate White, Time’sJim Kelly and Men’s Health’sDavid Zinczenko. “I think it’s safeto say we probably all felt a littleambushed,” said Whiteafterward. “We were led tobelieve it was going to be not aroast or anything of that nature,but a dialogue. The biggestfrustration was how poorlyprepared he was. He didn’t knowwhere to go, and the only thing todo was get nasty or toss it to theaudience.”

Unlike White, Kelly was notsurprised since he’d been a gueston “The Daily Show.” “I knewexactly what it would be,” hesaid. “There’s only one funnyperson. Do not try to be as funnyas he is. Do not try to get as manylaughs as he gets.” Kellyacknowledged, however, that hewas bothered by Stewart’scharacterization of magazines asirrelevant. “It is to me sotransparently obvious that forbusy people magazines are anecessity, not a luxury. My regretis I didn’t jump in right away andmake that point.”

No one took more abuse thanZinczenko, who tried to rattle offsome zingers of his own. Stewartresponded by calling Men’sHealth “so gay,” accusingZinczenko of “trying to sell me atime-share,” and threatening towrestle him. “I did what anyonebeing roasted would do: You grinand bear it, make some attemptsat humor to lighten theawkwardness and hope thebeating ends soon,” Zinczenkosaid later.

While the beating is over, thefallout may not be. According tosources, when MPA hired Stewartfor the event, it did so with anexplicit understanding the comic— and personality on that printrival, television — would notdisparage the magazine industryexcessively. Some were evensuggesting Monday that Stewart’sapparent violation of theagreement could be grounds forwithholding part of his fee. ButKelly, at least, thought MPA hadno cause for complaint. “If youhire a fire-eater to come to yourparty, the curtains are going to getsinged,” he said. — J.B.

6 WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005

MEMO PAD

Calvin Inks Global Collection Deal With Fingen

Williamson Signs On at Pucci

A springlook from

CalvinKlein

Collection.

MatthewWilliamson

WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005 7

By Rosemary Feitelberg

NEW YORK — Bergdorf Goodman marti-nis, an after-hours lavender lighting sys-tem and a flashy “5F” mailer are a few ofthe finishing touches the store hascooked up for its renovated fifth floor.

With most of what has been nearly ayearlong project completed, the FifthAvenue retailer is energized about 5F, anabbreviation for its fifth floor housingmore than 47 designer and contemporarysportswear labels and a shoe salon with34 brands.

In fact, editing is an essential part ofthe floor’s razzle-dazzle — as evidencedby everything from the focusedassortment to the 5F 10-pagemailer that trumpets suchthings as “Our 10 Most Wantedfor Fall,” “All that Glitters” and“A Cut Above.”

Jim Gold, the store’s presi-dent and chief executive officer,said, “Product is carefully se-lected so that our assortmentsreflect what Bergdorf Goodmanfeels are the fashion essentialsfor the season. We take a strongposition in the items and trendsin which we believe. We workclosely with the market to cre-ate as much distinction, exclu-sivity and excitement for ourclients as possible.”

With contemporary sports-wear getting a lot of attentionfrom retailers, including Bloom-ingdale’s, Barneys New York,Saks Fifth Avenue, Scoop andIntermix, Gold said BergdorfGoodman set out to take “a veryaggressive approach” to the cate-gory. Michael Gabellini of Gabel-lini & Associates was tapped tomodernize the floor without los-ing sight of the fact the FifthAvenue location was once a resi-dential Beaux Arts mansion.

Aside from opening up thespace to give shoppers more un-obstructed views of Marc byMarc Jacobs, Lee Angel, TrueReligion, Sunner, Tracy Reeseand other labels, the retailer in-stalled pliable walls and project-ed computer-generated photo-graphic and graphic design im-ages onto them. “There are end-less opportunities to change thelook and feel of areas on thefloor,” Gold said. “We wanted todo something that was a littlemore conceptual and is a freshand unusual take for a youngermodern spirit. We wanted to dosomething that didn’t look likesomething someone might ex-pect at Bergdorf Goodman.”

To trumpet its new digs andgive a tip of the hat to its signa-ture color, lavender libations willbe served in a yet-to-be opened5F bar and a band of lavenderlight wrapping around the fifthfloor will be illuminated at night.Both elements should be com-pleted by mid-November and arepart of Bergdorf Goodman’splans to brand 5F with its ownlogo shopping bag, labels, hang-ers and signage.

“Tens of thousands” of shop-pers got a sampling of what’s un-derfoot with the mailing of thefirst 5F mailer, said Gold.Instead of showcasing head-to-toe looks, each of the 10 pages ispacked with six key pieces.

Current bestsellers include a black se-quin Diane von Furstenberg dress at$1,995, a $1,198 sequin Tory Burch cardi-gan, Seven For All Mankind/The GreatChina Wall jeans retailing from $295 to$695 and a Miguelina mesh top with cop-per detail at $425.

Considering the price tag on the vonFurstenberg dress, it’s clear BergdorfGoodman isn’t afraid to push the bound-aries on price. “These are fun great itemsthat are priced well relative to fine ap-parel. This is not about inexpensive T-shirts and $200 jeans,” Gold said. “If theproduct is great, price doesn’t seem tostand in the way.”

Bergdorf’s Puts SpotlightOn Renovated Fifth Floor

WWD.COM

Must-haves from the new 5F catalogue. Military looks featured in Bergdorf’s new mailer.

WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 20058

Yohji Yamamoto: Is Yohji Yamamoto goading his audience? The collection he showed onSunday night made for something of a conundrum. His typically inventive cuts just

weren’t enough, yet were way too much in a relentless display of statement sobrietythat bordered on fashion hubris. What was the point? Certainly few women

would choose to walk around like glitter-eyed Charlie Chaplins in baggypants and overgrown shirts with starched appendages seemingly ready toslap their faces. Ditto in cumbersome clothes coiled in cords of garden-hose girth, or witchy wear finished with triangular-plated dragon tails.And what insight did the heavy, frilled camouflage motif bring to the wardiscussion? It really was all as odd and irritating as it sounds.

Yamamoto is one of fashion’s great creators: artist,intellect and technician in one remarkable

package. Perhaps with the major commercialpush Adidas is giving Y-3, he wants to go ever

more high-minded on his own. But some ofus just aren’t bright enough to get it.

Paco Rabanne: It’s been a year of changeand a season of soul-searching at PacoRabanne. The house had all but fadedfrom fashion consciousness before Patrick

Robinson stepped in to re-create thissleeper for today — not an easy mandate.

While Robinson’s debut brought a hard-edgedfemininity to the fore, this time he sought to

make a more ambitious statement, while at thesame time acknowledging the house’s past.

His look, a sharp futurism softened with the occasional spray ofcherry blossoms or chrysanthemum blooms, radiated promise ratherthan complete resolution. What it had in full were elaborate cuts andample details. Short, swingy dresses, some swagged with looping netgauze, were appealingly girlish with a hint of space-age sparkle. Apouf of a miniskirt folded into itself like an origami party favor.Tacked panels hitched together to make an apron-dress decoratedwith Japanese flowers. There were flyaway flaps, intricate folds andfeathered tabs on military jackets.

A lot of work went into these clothes, and if it was sometimes toomuch, at least Robinson has brought to the house an energy and

currency that had been long been missing. Now, it’s his task tostreamline and perfect his message.

Rick Owens: Anyone attending the Rick Owens show probably noticed hisp.r. crew working the show and, following common practice, dressed in last

season’s samples. Their intentionally pilled, drab looks stuck out like sore,depressive thumbs against the audience’s polished luxury, even one artfully

understated for a Sunday night. Therein lies Owens’ challenge.It was a welcome change that none of the above-mentioned nubby knits

appeared in the show. Instead, the spotlight shone on a parade of jackets, whichthe designer’s fans tend to crave. These were cut flatteringly high on the shoulder

and in varying combinations of materials: matte washed leather, a glossy patent,pleated organza, stingray, canvas, silk and more. Simpler versions were pretty,while those with flying flaps and bias slashes held together with knotted ties werehit and miss. Ditto the new offering of crisp, sheer organza sweatpants. And whydoes Owens continue to push those model-hobbling, long skirts that have scantretail or editorial value?

Undercover: Near the end of Jun Takahashi’s Undercover show, he sent out theperfect metaphor for his repetitive repertoire of deconstructed concert T-shirts: ablack T-shirt embellished with shiny grooved hunks of broken record. It made youwonder if the endless, sleep-inducing parade was intended.

That said, the designer is far from being a crafty teenager slicing and dicingDad’s old Cheap Trick and Grateful Dead Ts in his bedroom. His was an artful

rendering that turned necklines into jacket pockets or flipped them around onsleeves as holes for elbows to poke out from. Models turned out as cool rock and

hippie goddesses — some with loose straight hair crowned with thin chains, otherswith what appeared to be Pharoah-like headpieces wrapped in T-shirts — wove their

way through a spooky, Goth circle of half-melted candles. Departures from this normwent one of two ways: conceptual or commercial. The former was best seen in a hoodedcape crafted of printed felt circles with a shearing lining; the latter came in a surprisinglystraightforward finale of printed T-shirts with necklines as necklines, layered over jacketsand slim pants. Still, one left the show with a feeling of relative disappointment as thetalented Takahashi usually has a few more tricks up his sleeve.

Bless: Designers Desiree Heiss and Ines Kaag sent their “real people” models amblinground and round among the benches set up in their verdant venue: a plant market. Theslightly confused presentation featured tweaked — occasionally very tweaked — takes onsporty weekend staples of the T-shirts-and-jeans variety. Stiff nylon mesh pockets filledwith the usual pocket fare of Euro notes and coins, gum and cigarettes hung off sweatshirtsleeves. Elsewhere, sliced fringe on T-shirts was attached to dreadlocks forming curtainsover some unfortunate models’ faces. Nevertheless, the conceptual duo’s work is

interesting and witty, if a bit weird.

Paco Rabanne

The Paris spring collections got under way with some designers playing with abstract ideas, and the results ranged from frilled, camouflage Victoriana to deconstructed Ts. The best looks,

however, were rooted in reality: short, swingy dresses and asymmetric jackets.

High ConceptsPaco Rabanne

parisparis

Bless

9WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005WWD.COM

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“Sunday in thecountryside.”— Jean Paul Gaultier

“The Cecil Beaton Ascot scene in ‘MyFair Lady.’ ”— Vanessa Seward

for Azzaro

“I want to move forwardwith a pared-down andorganized ease.”— Phoebe Philo for Chloé

parisparis

“I created an imaginary voyageof a modern women visiting an

exotic fantasy realm.” — Ivana Omazic for Celine

OpeningGambitsGrand visual statements, great paintings and fanciful costumes are inspiring Paris designers for spring.

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“‘Gold Bedroom ofthe NymphenburgPalace, Austria,’ byJeremiah Goodman.”

— Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga

“Bold lines, bold colors,bold shapes and lots of leg.”— Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

“The newChanelproportion.”

— Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

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“I’m in a very romanticmood forspring. Thecollectioncontainslots of easypieces thatcan bemixed atyour will inorder torenew yourstyle.”

— Valentino


“Candid freshness, graphic simplicity and spontaneoussoftness.” — Lars Nilsson for Nina Ricci

“Intense colors — red, yellow and religious black.Homage to Lindner. Picassoin stripes in Saint Germain.More stripes. Gondolier’strousers. Tied taffeta.” — Sonia Rykiel

“A reinterpretation ofthe traditional whiteNeapolitan costume.” — Giambattista Valli

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“Jean Prouvé.” — Karl Lagerfeld for Lagerfeld Gallery

parisparis “‘All Blues’ by Miles Davis.” — Martin Grant

“Transformation. Metamorphosis. Likethe fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen,where the ugly duckling, first being castout, reveals herself as a beautiful and elegant swan.” — AF Vandevorst

“Ceremonial outfits for communion andwedding rituals, ornamented with jewelry

inspired by Surrealist voodoo.” — Véronique Leroy

“My men’s collection was aboutsculptors and painters. Mywomen’s collection is about theirmuses.” — Ann Demeulemeester

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“Women’s portraits byWhistler — long, slendersilhouettes combined withvolume. Precious fabricsare in raw materials, suchas silk and linen. Patternsand embroideries are inspired by old Japaneseprints (which were also influential for some ofWhistler’s paintings).” — Dries Van Noten

“Ungarissimo.Clack, clack gothe heels.Frou, frou isthe drapery,tailored are thesuits. A wink toIsabelle Adjani.”— EmanuelUngaro

parisparis

“From Blake Edwards’ ‘The Party’ to‘Belle de Jour’ with strong femininepersonalities, such as FrançoiseSagan, the Carita sisters, Capucine or Jean Shrimpton.” — Guy Laroche

Opening

“Heliotropics.”— Hussein Chalayan

“A sculpture from my favorite artist,Naum Gabo, is not something tolook at for literal interpretation,but the purity and complexity ofthe lines can be very inspiring.”— Sophia Kokosalaki

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“A contemporary version ofArtemis; she embodies grace,strength and independence.”

— Veronique Branquinho

“Ingres and his portraits of 19th-century women. Thefocus is always on the detail.”— Loulou de la Falaise

“Marisa Berensonthrowing an imaginaryparty at Villa Nirvana.”

— Andrew Gn

Gambits

“The collection reflects a bold visual statement — a convergence of history and technology.”— Patrick Robinson for Paco Rabanne

“An escape from a graphic,black-and-white ‘summerin the city’ to a yellowish,

longer-length ‘KarenBlixen-style,’ elegant

and bohemian safari inthe savannah.”

— Christian Lacroix

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By Robert Murphy

PARIS — Retailers here, faced with a tepid economy andmounting fast-fashion competition, are using more per-sonal and quirky flourishes to set themselves apart fromthe competition.

Take Galeries Lafayette, the mammoth departmentstore on the Boulevard Haussmann, which enlisted ris-ing architect Florence Doleac to renovate its women’sfashion department with a “warmer, organic look,”according Michel Roulleau, the store’s assistant chiefexecutive officer.

“Minimalism — its sharp corners and clean surfaces— was the opposite of what we wanted,” he said. “Thattype of interior now scares shoppers off.

“We were after something like a flea market, in whichthe shopper can be surprised and have the impressionthat they are discovering on their own.”

Doleac’s concept has been dubbed “a fashion garden”because brands now are laid out on a kind of roundaboutpath with curved wood fixtures and a treelike light installa-tion in the middle.

“Shoppers get bored very quickly today,” explainedRoulleau of the renovation — the third in six years forGaleries’ fashion department. “We need to be like a the-ater of fashion, and in a theater you change the decor.”

Meanwhile, lifestyle underscores what’s going onelsewhere at Galeries, which has experienced successwith its home concept and is now rolling it out to storesin the provinces.

The retailer also has just inaugurated a sports depart-

ment at its flagship here, with brands from Lacoste toSonia Rykiel.

“We call it sport attitude,” said Roulleau. “What wewant to say is that sport is about well-being. Women wearsports clothes beyond the gym.”

Over at the Bon Marché, the Left Bank departmentstore owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, thewomen’s fashion department has been renovated with a“homey” environment called the “apartment of fashion.”

Philippe de Beauvoir, the store’s president, calls thenew layout “convivial” and attuned to an easy and reassur-ing experience for shoppers perusing brands fromBalenciaga to Marni.

There are olive trees, for instance, interspersed withpaintings and other more “intimate” decorative touchessuch as intricate chandeliers. “It’s important to person-alize the shopping experience more,” he said.

That’s certainly the case at Les Belles Images, a shopjust opened on the trendy Rue Charlot in the Marais. Ithas a retro decor with furniture from the Fifties to theSeventies, which it offers for sale alongside brands suchas Véronique Leroy and Vivienne Westwood.

Sandy Bontout, a former Galeries Lafayette buyer whois now also commercial director at Véronique Leroy,called the store a counterpoint to the standardized shop-ping experience she found elsewhere.

“It’s an individual’s point of view,” she said. “Whatshoppers want is what they can’t find elsewhere.”

Meanwhile, shops have been popping up rapidlyacross the city.

Victoria Casal, known for her luscious fine jewelry, has

opened an outpost on the Rue des Saints-Peres, on the LeftBank, with a boudoir-like interior, while Spanish jewelryfirm Tous has opened a 700-square-foot space on the RueSaint-Honoré, its first here, with dark wood fixtures and aclean, pared-down interior.

For her part, Véronique Leroy, a fashion insiderfavorite, opened her first boutique, on the Rue d’Alger,down the street from Helmut Lang and Diane vonFurstenberg.

With her name visible in gold letters on the awning,Leroy explained she wanted to create “a shop that express-es the atmosphere I think of when I create my collections.”

She said the 600-square-foot shop — with walls cov-ered in chocolate brown velour or painted chocolate inshiny lacquer, red velour-covered mannequins and a bigwindow with a floor of brown marble — channels theworlds of David Lynch and Dario Argento, with a dark,sexy undercurrent.

“I wanted it to feel sensual,” explained Leroy. “It’simportant to give shoppers an emotion.”

PARIS — We’ve seen them slung aroundthe hips of Kate Moss and adorning theheads of Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson.Now, scarves are about to experience afull-throttle revival, thanks to top fashionhouses such as Givenchy, Pucci,Balenciaga and Celine, which are usingthe accoutrements as a chic canvas fortheir retro prints — all in the time it takesto tie a knot.

“We always [think back to] Europeanwomen and their elegant style and thefoulard was part of that,” said Givenchy’sRiccardo Tisci, for whom scarves con-jure up bygone icons such as Grace Kelly,Sophia Loren, Maria Callas and, ofcourse, Givenchy muse Audrey Hepburn.“Fashion is going back to elegance anddynamism.” He pointed to the versatilityof the scarf as an accessory that can beworn on the head, the wrist, around theneck or even tied to a handbag. “Likejewelry, it finishes the silhouette of awoman, expressing chicness, eleganceand classicism.”

For Givenchy’s spring 2006 accessorycollection, a large range of scarf styleswill be introduced, including a lineinspired by an archive design from theearly Fifties: a trompe l’oeil impressionof braided hair. In fact, a photo of a modelwearing that scarf was used onGivenchy’s spring 2006 prêt-à-porter invi-

tation, and the scarves are scheduled tomake their debut Wednesday during thehouse’s show in Paris. “When I first sawthis image, I was amazed by its moderni-ty — that Hubert de Givenchy used thosekind of surreal motifs at that time,” saidTisci. The scarves, which will retail fromabout $72 to $180, were designed in sev-eral colors and variations, such as alloverembroidery on chiffon.

Meanwhile, Christian Lacroix, in hislast season for Pucci, chose to take a moreromantic route with scarves after he visit-ed the firm’s archives at Palazzo Pucci inFlorence. He said he was amazed by thesheer variety of prints there, which rangedfrom African motifs to flowers to graphicblocks. “For the new collection, we [chose]a mix of romantic four-leaf-clover bou-quets and geometric octagons, unified byevery possible shade of Grecian blue,” saidLacroix, adding that, to him, the scarf sym-bolizes “timeless glamour.” The collectionwill retail from about $180 to $300.

According to Pucci’s image director,Laudomia Pucci, its scarves are best-sellers for Mantero, which licenses Pucci’sscarves, as well as those for Kenzo,Christian Lacroix, Diane von Furstenbergand Nina Ricci. “The romantic, sweet flo-ral designs are very unexpected forPucci,” Pucci said, noting that the house iscatering to a demand for alternative scarffabrics this spring. “We’re using variouscottons and beaded designs, as opposed tothe traditional twill silks.”

However, Balenciaga’s NicolasGhesquière is bringing back the scarf in a

different form for spring. The firm’sEdition line of shirts, created from vari-ous scarves, was inspired by CristobalBalenciaga’s designs from 1965 to 1968. “Ithought of scarves as an old-fashionedaccessory which had disappeared fromthe wardrobe for a few years and liked theidea of revising them as an element ofclothing,” said Ghesquière, whosefavorite archive pieces include the short-sleeved Encre (“ink” in French), circa1965, as well as the sleeveless shell topfrom 1967 and the strappy shirt from 1968.“We wanted to play on [these tops] using adifferent architecture.” The Editionshirts range from about $631 to $835.

Mars Rijkse, accessories design man-ager at Celine, also looked back to hishouse’s heritage to lift the scarf into

modern times. “We took traditional ele-ments such as the trompe l’oeil buckles,leather parts and chains and updatedthem using new graphics,” said Rijkse,adding that he steered designs awayfrom the house’s traditional golden toneswith more simple, clean designs in neu-tral shades. “We’ve also been playingwith traditional elements, such as theborder, where on one of the new designsyou’ll see, say, a motif running off theedge of the scarf.” Celine’s new scarvesretail from $72 to $216, and traditionalelements, such as light silk twill fabricsor hand-rolled edges, have been main-tained for quality. “The foulard accentu-ates, above all,” Rijkse said, “the housethat it came from.”

— Katya Foreman

Tie One On

Retailers Primp UpGaleries Lafayette

Bon Marché Les Belles Images

Victoria Casal

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A Fifties Givenchy scarf and a Pucci scarf.

VARIETY SHOW: Teen idol? Check. Controversialrock star? Check? Burlesque performer? Check.Charlie’s Angel? Check. Christian Dior promisesthat range of VIPs and more in its front rowtonight. Among those expected are Hilary Duff,Marilyn Manson and Dita Von Teese, Lucy Liu,Rachel Weisz and Sharon Stone. Meanwhile, aDior retrospective kicked off Sunday night inParis chez Didier Ludot, the vintage guru inPalais Royale, with the last dress — a 1955 silkfaille cocktail number — arriving well into theparty from Switzerland. “The clothes are asrelevant today as they were then,” remarked Diorpresident Sidney Toledano, surveying the frocks.Highlights include a gown made for the actressJosette Day for the Beistegui ball in Venice, a1978 Art Nouveau-inspired mink coat byFrederic Castet for Dior, and shoes made in 1954by Roger Vivier for Marlene Dietrich (who wasalso a spokeswoman for Dior stockings).

CHANGING PLACES: Nina Ricci, slated to show itsspring collection on Saturday, is about towelcome a new general manager. Christophe

Hebre, who had been general manager for fashion and accessories at Rochas, joins Ricci effectiveWednesday. Hebre had been at Rochas for three years and was instrumental in recruiting OlivierTheyskens as creative director there. Hebre succeeds Paul Deneve, who resigned after a two-and-a-half-year stint at Ricci, designed by Lars Nilsson. Hebre reports to Mario Grauso, president of PuigFashion. His successor at Rochas has yet to be named.

ONLY FOR MEN: High-flying Louis Vuitton is buttressing its men’s wear. Word has it the Frenchluxury giant has tapped Paul Heblers, a senior designer from Martin Margiela, to help boost thecategory. Heblers joined the avant-garde Belgian designer some three years ago and quietly movedover to Vuitton last summer.

PEER CHEER: Yohji Yamamoto is living up to his reputation as a designer’s designer. On Sundaynight, he had in his front row Azzedine Alaïa, the interior guru Andree Putnam and a lesser-known,but important name to watch: Pascale Mussard. Mussard is the niece of Jean-Louis Dumas and wasrecently named joint artistic director at Hermès. She and Dumas’ son, Pierre-Alexis, will assumetheir full creative reins once Dumas retires in January. Mussard said she rarely attends fashionshows unrelated to her family-controlled company, but she made an exception. “I’m a fan, sincethe beginning,” she said.

CAT’S MEOW: Eva Herzigova is flirting with the silver screen. The model presented her colorfulbeachwear collection Monday along with a short film by controversial French director Gaspard Noé.“He’s a filmmaker version of Guy Bourdin,” Herzigova explained. “He’s very shy, very subtle,almost manipulating.” Filmed in a light-flickering hotel corridor, the two-minute piece, dubbed“Le Petit Chat,” stars Herzigova in her own two-piece design frolicking with nothing moreominous than a kitten. “We wanted it to look intimate,” she said of the film. Not that hersupporting actor was a dream. “Don’t be fooled by the cute little kitty,” Herzigova said. “It wasincredibly difficult to work with.”

CLOTHES CALL: Stefano Pilati has tried out a different hat: magazine stylist. The Yves Saint Laurentdesigner styled a fashion shoot for the December issue of Harper’s Bazaar, mixing his own designsfrom his collection with pieces from Hussein Chalayan, Banana Republic and others. Glenda Bailey,Bazaar’s editor in chief, said the spread was shot by Tony Ward and was Patti Smith inspired. “Hemixed many different designers and price points,” she said. “He’s just got such a great eye.”

RUSSIAN AROUND: Model Natalia Vodianova is lurking around Paris Fashion Week, but not onrunways. On Sunday, the model and her husband, Justin Portman, joined a host of high-profileRussians in support of Igor Chapurin’s first show in Paris. A vodka and caviar-fueled party followed,where the likes of Aliona Doletskaya, editor in chief of Russian Vogue, rubbed shoulders withfilmmaker Wes Anderson, who said he’s in Paris scouting locations for his next movie.

MIRROR, MIRROR: With two treatment rooms, Institut La Colline offers sumptuous facials, relaxingbody massages and soothing eye treatments, with prices ranging from 90 euros, or $108, to 145euros, or $174. Highly appreciated in Japan, the beauty brand is known for its revitalizing skin

treatments. Can’t get enough?The creams, lotions and serumsare on sale, too.

STEP UP: Having achieved cultstatus as a clothes designer tothe social set, Andrew Gn is outto shoe his ladies, too, with afootwear collection to beunveiled today at his runwayshow. Not surprisingly, the shoesdraw on his proclivities forembroideries and decoration.“It’s really me: All about luxury,embellishment, but at the sametime very, very wearable,” saidGn. The collection spans 25

styles, in three heights, from stilettos to flats, with materials ranging from python and printed fabricto raffia and beads.

HIS AND HIS: Christophe Girard, director of fashion strategy at LVMH Moët Hennessy LouisVuitton and a deputy mayor of Paris, has presided over many marriages, including that of hisLVMH colleague, Celine chief Jean-Marc Loubier, last year. But on Monday, Girard playedgroom. At a private ceremony presided by Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoi, Girard said “I do” tohis companion of 10 years, filmmaker Oliver Meyrou. (Twelve of Paris’ 20 arrondissementsendorse “PACS” marriage-like partnerships between couples). Also said to have attended werepopular French newscaster Claire Chazal and her husband, actor Philippe Torreton, andMazarine Pingeot.

STAGE LEFT: Fashion may be a passion for model IrinaLazareanu, but she is very musically inclined, too. The 22-year-old Canadian is recording her first single, copenned thelyrics to Babyshambles’ “La Belle et la Bete” — sung bynotorious duo Pete Doherty and Kate Moss — and has justwrapped up writing an album for Anna Mouglalis, whom shemet while modeling for Chanel. “I find it much more nerve-racking to be on stage than to be on the catwalk, as sharingmy lyrics is sharing my private thoughts, which is quitedifficult,” confessed Lazareanu. The songbird, who is slated towalk for Balenciaga today, can also dance: She was trained inclassical ballet.

THIS YEAR’S MODEL: Who’s got the look? Casting directors have placed theirbets. “Bette [Franke] is the most beautiful new model I’ve season thisseason,” asserts Maida Gregory-Boina, a casting director who works for thelikes of Calvin Klein, Pucci and Jil Sander, where the Dutch 15-year-oldopened the Jil Sander show last week. Gregory-Boina also noted other freshfaces: American Heather Bratton, 17; Canadian Madeleine Berrevoets, 16,and 17-year-old Belgian Hanne Gaby. Meanwhile, producer Sarah McManussaid her new picks include 16-year-old Michaela Hlavackova from Prague,who is already being hailed as the new Daria Werbowy (absent this seasonowing to Lancôme commitments in New York); Romanian Elena Baguci, 18,who’s so sought after she refused a Gucci runway exclusive, and RussianAnna Kuznetsova, 16. What’s the new angle? “They are womanly, not girly,with a classical elegance that’s fresh and alluring,” offered McManus.

CINEMA FILE: The Cinémathèque Française, theinstitution venerated by New Wave directors and afavorite of film buffs since, has decamped to aFrank Gehry-designed building in eastern Paris thatonce housed the American Center. Renovated withfour screening rooms, two exhibition halls and afilm and video library, it is marking the transferwith a festival called “Renoir/Renoir,” anexamination of painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir andhis son, director Jean Renoir. The event issponsored by Christian Dior.

WIE IN NIKE DEAL?: Teenage golf prodigy Michelle Wieis expected Wednesday to make the long-awaitedannouncement that she has turned pro and signed adeal with Nike. A press conference is scheduled atthe Mandarin Oriental in Wie’s hometown ofHonolulu and will come six days before the Korean-American phenom turns 16 and is eligible forprofessional status. Nike executives declined tocomment Monday on whether they had signed Wie,but press reports said she is expected to announce adeal with the athletic giant that would pay herbetween $4 million and $5 million a year, and saidshe also has deals lined up with at least one other

sponsor. Wie, who has already played 24 times on the LPGA Tour, has been gaining attention in thewomen’s field since she was 12 and is considered a savvy marketing force. Nike in recent years hasbeen building up its golf business, and Tiger Woods is also one of its sponsored players.

WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005 17WWD.COM

Fashion ScoopsStyles from Andrew Gn’s

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The Gehry-designedCinémathèqueFrançaise.

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NEW YORK — Anyone who has ever eatenat Town, the pillar of sophisticated, high-end cuisine nestled in the basement ofthe Chambers hotel, may be intrigued tolearn its chef and co-owner of four years,Geoffrey Zakarian, is itching to break into

the fast-food market. “At some point in time, you need to develop a model

that both makes you popular and makes you money, sothe best way to do that is for us to go into more fast-food,cafe thinking,” he says. “We can do more covers, lessexpensive, and gather all those people that otherwisewouldn’t have a chance to try our food. So we can touchpeople that have $20 to spend.”

Zakarian’s latest culinaryendeavor, Country, in The Carltonhotel on Madison Avenue and 29thStreet, offers him that opportunity.The urban realization of Zakarian’scontemporary pastoral dream, it’scomprised of a downstairs cafe,which begins serving breakfast, lunchand dinner Wednesday, and a fancierupstairs restaurant, slated to open insix weeks, which will offer a set,three-course dinner menu, rotatingbiweekly and presented family-style.

“This is not the country of NormanRockwell; it’s more Russel Wright,more modernism,” he explainsbetween sips of a ginger beer he isauditioning for the downstairs bar. “Iwanted to do that in the rooms of anauberge with a great restaurant andgardens and all that and call it ‘Country,’ but this camealong and I decided to do my version, a grand cafe, andcall it ‘Country’ anyway because I can always do thatanother time.”

Along with executive chef Doug Psaltis, Zakarian hascreated a casual but refined menu, including disheslike a Croque Madame with truffled cream, the CountryBurger with shallot tempura on an English muffin andPoached Chicken Salad. But Country presents anenterprise on an even grander scale: In addition to theupstairs and downstairs rooms and four bars, thekitchen will provide room service for the hotel’s 350rooms and “white-glove waiter” room service, a privatereservation line and food consultations to residents ofthe soon-to-open 76 Madison condos next door.

Zakarian is no stranger to either the hybrid food-hotel world or the Midtown environment. After stints

at Le Cirque and 21 Club, he opened44 in the Royalton in 1989, back when,as he puts it, “having a restaurant in ahotel lobby was a no-no,” andfollowed up with the Blue Door at theDelano in Miami.

For Country’s design, Zakarianreteamed with his coconspirator fromTown, David Rockwell. The twocertainly had their work cut out forthem, considering the wrecked state inwhich they each encountered the

original landmarked building’s interior. (“It was a realmess,” says Zakarian, while Rockwell declares, “It wasgrim,” when he first began the project in 2002). Butthese bare beginnings only made the outcome that muchsweeter when Rockwell’s workers uncovered a Tiffany-style stained glass dome and Twenties mosaic floors.

Bertoia chairs from the Sixties combine withChesterfield-style sofas and glass-encased linen lightfixtures, while a semi-opaque green glass catwalk linksthe upstairs dining room to a champagne bar, to beaccessorized by specially designed Lalique glasses.There are even two crystal chandeliers in the secondfloor’s open kitchen that make it seem, as Zakariansays, “like a warm kitchen in someone’s home.”

If this all sounds a bit chicer than your everydayhome-cooked meal or cafe drive-by, consider it simply thedecorative icing on a conceptually old-fashioned cake.

“Modern is something, to me, that is just greatservice, great product and knowing how to take care ofyour guests,” says Zakarian. “You can throw a papertowel on the floor, folded chairs and if you have that,you will be modern and your restaurant will be packedand it will be in the paper and everyone will want toget in. If you’re modern because you look modern andyou’re not around in two years, what does that makeyou? It means you’re sort of out of touch, I guess.”

— Vanessa Lawrence

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CountryGentleman

STAR ON HIS OWN When chef Alain Senderensspurned his hard-earned threeMichelin stars in 2004, closinghis storied Lucas Cartongastronomic temple after 26years by saying he’d had enoughof the red guidebook’sdictatorial ways, he sent shockwaves through the foodiecommunity. But Senderens isback — and kicking harder thanever — with his born-againversion of a more “modern”restaurant, called Senderens,located in his old digs on theMadeleine. Featuring lighterand more straightforwarddishes, such as roasted foie graswith black figs or delectableporcini risotto, Senderens still amuses the palette — but at muchmore affordable prices. (Dinner for two, with wine, runs about 200euros, or $240 at current exchange). He has revisited the decor, too,giving his venerable wood-paneled dining room a contemporarytaste, and upstairs there’s a bar where tapas are served until 2 a.m.Senderens, 9 Place de la Madeleine, 75008; 33-1-42-65-22-90.

YOUNG BLOODWhat’s on the minds of twentysomething artists livingin Kiev, Iran or Ethiopia? Find out at the FondationCartier, whose current exhibition, “J’en Rêve,” ondisplay through Oct. 30, highlights the work of 100emerging talents from around the globe. The paintings,sculptures, photos, films and videos are done mostly bystudents or recent graduates and reflect how youngpeopletoday havethe sameaccess topopularculture, yetapproachthe artprocess indifferentways.LeanneSacramone,one of thecurators, says many of the artists explore childhoodmemories, be they happy or disturbing, and give apersonal spin to modern-day issues. “They’reexpressing interior worlds,” she explains. Among theinhabitants of these worlds: anatomically correctsnowmen and women and purple-faced children. Yoube the judge of whether the kids are all right…Fondation Cartier, 261 Boulevard Raspail, 75014; 33-1-42-18-56-50.

OOH, LA LA Café Chic — the name speaks for itself — issuited to the fashion flock. There are morethan 50 cocktails served until 5 a.m. andDaniele, formerly at the Mathis Bar, quietlycaters to patrons’ wishes. But Chic isn’t re-served for night owls: Isabelle Adjani, forone, recently enjoyed breakfast there.Other than cocktails, the café also offersclub sandwiches, salads or smoked salmonon Poilâne bread, all day long.Café Chic, 126 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008; 33-1-4-5-63-69-69.

PARIS SCENE

“I’m very passionately involved in eating,” declaresZakarian. Herewith, a few of his favorite New York boîtes:

● “I like Cipriani Downtown because it’s fun.”● “Saint Ambroeus — it’s chic.”● “Bouley is one of the most romantic restaurants inthe city.”● “WD-50 is good just to go crazy and it’s good energydown there [on the Lower East Side].”● “I like Wolfgang’s Steakhouse. It’s not anything cuttingedge — it is so de rigueur and predictable but I think it’sterrific. It’s what it used to be. And no one’s pretty andthere’s no fashion and Michael Kors didn’t do the aprons.”

ZAKARIAN’S PICKS

SenderensSenderens

Dining alfresco at Café Chic.Dining alfresco at Café Chic.

An image by Anastasia Yümeko Hill from J’enRêve at the Fondation Cartier.

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GeoffreyZakarianGeoffreyZakarian

The downstairs cafe at Country.The downstairs cafe at Country.

WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005 19WWD.COM

Continued from page onehere today — looks on track to break even in 2006, according to Eric Labaume, thecompany’s new president.

In his first interview since arriving at Gaultier in April from Balmain, Labaume ac-knowledged plenty of work ahead, particularly in the underdeveloped accessoriescategory and a stalled men’s wear business.

Mostly, however, he accentuated the positive, hailing Gaultier’s deep creative re-serves, improving morale within the company and product initiatives, like a new eye-wear collection licensed to De Rigo bowing at the Silmo show later this month.

“I am very confident that we will stay with double-digit increases,” Labaume said,affirming that level of bookings for the pre-spring collection shown to buyers in July.“When I came back from vacation, one of the first things I did was visit our boutiqueon George V. It was in late August and the manager told me he had already sold 45percent of what he had received. These are pretty good indications.”

The layoffs in January, which affected seamstresses, designers, sales and adminis-trative staff, were not the final retrenchment.

The future of the company’s store at 761 Madison Avenue is in flux, with some say-ing it has closed and others insisting it remains open. Sources said the terms of the

lease require it to remain open or Gaultier will have to pay a huge penalty. They saidthe store opens a few days a month just to satisfy that requirement. Calls to the storeon Monday were not answered. A staff member at Aeffe, Gaultier’s U.S. representa-tive, said the store is closed for renovation, while Gaultier officials in Paris declinedcomment on the unit, which opened withmuch fanfare in 2002 and has aPhilippe Starck interior and crys-tal clothing racks.

Labaume also was loathe todiscuss the particulars, but por-trayed it as inconsistent with alargely healthy U.S. business.Indeed, Bergdorf Goodman plans toopen a new in-store shop for Gaultierearly next year, he noted.

A soft-spoken, bespectacled execu-tive with the clean-cut demeanor of a uni-versity professor, Labaume, 53, is said to bebringing a greater sense of order to a familycompany often run on instinct.

Still, the pillars of the house remain intact,and Labaume reaffirmed a commitment to themoney-losing couture. He said it pays in spadesin press coverage, has enticed new customersto rtw and gives Gaultier an “ultimate” creativeoutlet that nourishes and inspires other prod-uct lines.

He declined to give sales figures for thelauded Ukraine-inspired winter couture collec-tion shown in July, but said he expects “an in-credibly good result.” That his Asian partnerswould like to import the collection to take or-ders in Hong Kong strikes Labaume, whose ca-reer includes stints at Mendes (maker of YvesSaint Laurent and Christian Lacroix rtw) andInes de la Fressange, as “amazing.”

In the Saint Laurent days, he recalled thatthe designer once sold couture in Tokyo, but “Idon’t believe it’s ever been done in Hong Kong.This is something new.”

That said, Labaume said the company is notin a position to expand its couture production,given the need for tight cost controls that led tothe layoffs.

As reported, the Gaultier business had over-stretched with its launch of couture, a retailrollout and a substantial investment in itsswanky new 50,000-square-foot headquarterson the Rue Saint Martin.

Labaume said the Gaultier house, whichcelebrates its 30th anniversary next year, re-minds him of YSL in the Pierre Bergé era, call-ing it a “traditional” company in its methods inthe design studio, atelier and press office. “Nothing is left to chance, but at the sametime, Jean Paul is very much creative,” he said.

And in rtw, Gaultier has been on a roll in the last year, with his elaborate gypsyskirts for spring 2005, priced from 1,200 euros to 7,000 euros, or $1,440 to $8,400, driv-ing “excellent” sell-through, Labaume said. Demand is similarly lusty for this fall’sshort coats with gold embroidery, another high-priced item (2,010 euros, or $2,412)that “is giving buyers more confidence,” he asserted.

The new Jean’s Paul Gaultier denim line, licensed to Italy’s Fingen SpA, is alsogaining traction in its third season, Labaume said, citing double-digit momentum fornext summer. The label is already sold in more than 650 doors.

Accessories is another story, since the house has yet to hit on an iconic bag to drivethe lucrative category. “It’s a small business. We are all aware that it needs to improve,”Labaume said. “Our boutiques need these accessories. Everyone wants accessories.”

Gaultier, extremely hands-on with all product categories, wants to launch acces-

sories on his own terms. “Mr. Gaultier is a manof excellence, detail and quality, so we are notready to market a line at 299 euros [$358.80] justbecause that is maybe what the market wants,”Labaume said.

However, Labaume hinted men’s wear is amore imminent rejuvenation priority, with ac-cessories coming at a later date.

To be sure, Gaultier’s workload is alreadydaunting: 12 collections for Gaultier per year,plus the new hat he wears as women’s rtw de-signer at Hermès International, which also holdsa 35 percent stake in Gaultier. He shows hisfourth collection for that house on Saturday.

Labaume said Gaultier devotes on averageone 12- to 14-hour day to Hermès each week,during which he is unreachable. “He is very wellorganized,” Labaume said. “And when he is atHermès, we leave him alone.”

Has the experience at Hermès enriched thehouse of Gaultier? Labaume replied, “I think itgave him new horizons.”

Not to mention a taste for cashmere, a fiberhe has shunned to date chez Gaultier.“[Cashmere] may come,” Labaume said with alaugh. “I would not be surprised.”

Consolidated sales last year at Gaultier de-clined 8 percent to 27 million euros, or $32.4 million at current exchange, accordingto the Hermès International annual report. About half of that comes from royalties,since Gaultier licenses rtw, knitwear, jeans, fragrances, watches, eyewear and beach-wear. Only jewelry, shoes, leather goods, scarves and ties are produced in-house.

Expressed in retail terms, sales of Gaultier branded products reached about 600million euros, or $720 million at current exchange rates, last year, with about 50 per-cent of sales generated in Europe and the Middle East; 25 percent in North America,and the remaining 25 percent in Asia.

In addition to Starck-designed flagships in London and Paris, there are more thana dozen other outlets, some franchised, in such diverse locations as Toulouse andCannes in France, Las Vegas, Kuwait, Singapore, Taiwan, Tokyo, Riyadh, Hong Kongand Beijing.

Labaume said locations on the board for 2006 include Kuala Lumpur, a secondHong Kong location and the second Moscow boutique.

Jean Paul Gaultier Sees an Upswing

“Nothing is left to chance, but at the sametime, Jean Paul is very much creative.”— Eric Labaume, Jean Paul Gaultier

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A best-sellinglook from thefall-wintercollection.

A best-sellinglook from thefall-wintercollection.

The house cited“excellent”sales of theJuly couture.

The house cited“excellent”sales of theJuly couture.

Gaultier will launch acomplete eyewearcollection later this month.

By Sofia Celeste

MILAN — The fate of the Italian textile industry will de-pend on presenting a united front against growing foreigncompetition, Milano Unica exhibitors and organizers said.

Italy’s four major textile shows — Ideabella, Moda In,Ideacomo and Shirt Ave. — joined forces for the first timeat the four-day fair that ended Sept. 16, bringing together609 exhibitors and drawing 27,500 visitors.

“Milano Unica is an important element in the opera-tion to relaunch Italy’s finest textiles at a moment inwhich there is a need to be united,” a show spokesmansaid. “Today, more than ever before, the Italian textile in-dustry feels the need to coordinate its efforts to betterpromote its image, characteristics, strength and leader-ship in the world.”

The effects of the European Union’s recent decision tolift quotas on the 87 million garments embargoed inEuropean ports cast a shadow over Milano Unica’s unionof Italian knitwear, wool, silk and cotton manufacturers.

“The fall of the barrier in European customs was theworsening of an already bad situation,” said FedericoBoselli, president of Mario Boselli yarns and jersey.

Pier Luigi Loro Piana, co-chief executive officer ofLoro Piana and president of Ideabella, said, “Being hereall together is a marketing strategy to highlight together the Italian textile industry’sleadership to the world. We need to continue with the strategies that we have alwaysdone well.”

Italian distributors showcased their latest advances in technology for finishes andresistant fibers throughout the fairground.

Featherweight wool, jacquards and velvet textiles quilted with insulated fiberspointed to a departure from oppressive bulky winter coats. The working woman’sdream of machine-washable, water-resistant cashmere finally came true this year,said Arianna Leone, marketing representative of Luigi Botta, while Loro Piana show-cased cashmere infused with denim, creating an insulated jean for a harsh winter.

Leone said Milano Unica opened up a marketplace of ideas and commerce.

“Having a presence among so many other designerswas a positive indication that we will be able to expandour range of clients,” Leone said.

After years of research, Serikos showcased luxurioussilk designs for winter at Ideacomo.

“People want more fashion and lighter fabrics,” saidBeppe Pisani, Ideacomo president and head of Serikos.“As Italians are very good at designing, the Chinese aregood at copying.”

He said there is a growing fear of designs and colorblends being transmitted over the Internet.

“Only we have to sell at $20 a yard and they are sellingnearly identical products at only $5,” Pisani said.

Boselli said he had no problems selling his high-enddesigns to top American clients like Donna Karan andCalvin Klein. American buyers make up 15 percent oftotal sales, he said.

“Things were bad, but we have been working triple,”Boselli said, after explaining how viscose and Lycra span-dex blend jerseys will make for a cool layer for wintercoats next year. “If we had just continued producing thesame things, we never would have broken even.”

Pushing business with U.S. firms has given Como-based silk firm Frangi a boost. The firm ended 2004 on apositive note with $16 million in sales and a positive out-

look for 2005. U.S. sales went up from last year and now constitute about 30 percent oftotal volume, with firms such as Tommy Hilfiger and Diane von Furstenberg amongits top clients.

Frangi’s bold vintage and floral prints illuminated the maze of booths in Milan’sFairgrounds. Asked what Frangi thought of having to sell goods this year in Milanrather in the silk capital of the world, where Ideacomo originated, Sabina Frangi said,“It’s better that we are all united now.”

For the family-run company, which sells and manufactures in the west, Asian com-petition was a wake-up call.

“We had problems with the speed of Asian manufacturing,” said Frangi. “In theend, it stimulated competition.”

MODA IN● Tweed: Italian textile designers said tweedwould be a prominent look for winter.● Cashmere: Cashmere is the key ingredient beingemployed for luxurious knitwear and outerwearnext winter.● Colors: Classic was the word on the showroomfloor. Expect subdued colors like bone, navy blueand velvety browns.

IDEACOMO● Patterns: They ranged from Eastern Europeanfloral to colorful geometrics. Designers saideveningwear will be infused with vintage looks.● Accessories: Secondo Stefano Pavese exhibitedelaborately jeweled pins and buttons reminiscentof the Twenties for Chanel.● Colors: Navy blue, violet, pine green and maroonwill dominate.

Luxury Fiber & Fabric

20 WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005WWD.COM

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Viscose and wool looksfrom Mario Boselli.

Cotton and woolblends from Serikos.Cotton and woolblends from Serikos.

Frangi displayed vintage and floral silk prints.

Frangi displayed vintage and floral silk prints.

Silks from Verga.Silks from Verga.

TREND WATCH

Italian Shows Join Forces at Milano Unica

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05-06 DesignerCollection

By Sofia Celeste

FLORENCE — An intimategroup of about 100 Tuscan tex-tile designers celebrated theirdeep-seated roots at the PratoExpo trade show, which endedits three-day run here Sept. 17.

Some 6,000 visitors madetheir way to Florence’s fair-grounds to see a show that high-lighted Prato’s flair for comfort-able wool blends. While thenumber of Italian attendees de-clined 16.5 percent, there was a2.5 percent increase in foreignvisitors, due to what organizerssaid is Prato’s special appeal.

“We are specialized in excel-lent textiles for women,” saidRiccardo Marini, Prato’s presi-

dent. “We want to be a comple-ment for Milan because we havesuch creative collections andtextiles with character.”

The organizers said Prato, asmall town outside of Florence,pioneered the fabric-making in-dustry on the banks of the Arnoriver nearly 1,000 years ago.Today, some 100 family-runbrands are contemplating join-ing the recently united Milanesetrade show Milano Unica.

Marini’s son Francesco, 27, isthe head of design at his father’splatinum label, Marini andClicconi. Smoothing his handsover carefully woven herring-bone tweeds and cotton and vis-cose blends printed with fleur-de-lis, Marini explained the

techniques applied to his 140new textile designs.

“We have things that are moreparticular,” he said, gesturing to-ward several worked fabrics, in-cluding a powdery damask rosefloral printed flannel. “There is areturn to things more elegantthis year. Definitely less cottonand more wool.”

Vincenzo Cangioli, presidentof Lanificio Cangioli, said hehas kept his family’s companysteadily afloat, making aturnover of nearly 30 millioneuros, or about $36 million, forthe last three years.

“Our challenge this year is tokeep on growing in a market con-dition where the majority of busi-nesses are shrinking,” he said.

Asked if he thought it wouldbenefit his company and his fel-low Prato-based manufacturersto join Milano Unica, he said,“We will follow the consensus.Trade shows don’t necessarilymean that we sell more or sur-vive more. Our work is done ona one-on-one basis.”

Marco Saccenti, design spe-cialist at Dinamo, said evening-wear for next season will boast amultitude of finishes. Dinamo’sbooth was covered in 60 materi-als in midnight blue to classicblack. Materials for jackets and

gowns ranged from velvet tosatiny linen blends.

“People are looking for tech-nical looks, like velvet madewith a cotton and linen blend,”said Saccenti.

Dinamo’s parent company,Ultra, also exhibited an array ofinnovations for its niche market.Primary color tartan plaids andhoundstooth patterns were mag-nified to accommodate a Sixties-inspired winter collection.

Started in 1999, ownerStefano Rigotti said his Prato-based company aims to “createa high-level product that utilizesthe latest in research.”

Rigotti said moving to MilanoUnica might be “something toconsider.” Although the num-bers were the same as last year,“We have to help clients notcomplicate their lives. It’s notlike they have two weeks to stayaway from their jobs travelingfrom Milan to Florence.”

Perusing the metallic blendsand linear designs paramount atUltra’s crowded booth, SusanneKlevorick, Nine West’s vice pres-ident of design, said she prefersPrato Expo over Milano Unica.

“It’s a little less crazy here,”

she said while looking for noveltyjacquards. “It’s much easier tocover and see here than in Milan.”

Lanificio Mario Belluccimixed cashmere with angora,wool and cotton for comfortablelayers under winter coats thisyear. Colors ranged from melonto heather gray.

Wool woven with mohair, al-paca and silky metallic yarnsand fabrics incorporated withrosy pink and grassy green col-ors characterized Prato’s over-all motif.

Taking a break from workinghis booth, Marini said, “We haveto decide what the future holds.We can stay or go to Milan andwe have to see if business doeswell here or there.”

On the fairgrounds of MilanoUnica, just two days prior,Massimo Dubini, president ofModa In, discussed economicchallenges facing the Italian man-ufacturing market. Dubini saidPrato’s presence was the missinglink in their united market front.

“We hope that Prato’s ex-hibitors come here,” Dubinisaid. “We would like to have acomplete [Italian] vision on theglobal market.”

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By Robert Murphy

PARIS — Buyers at the Texworld fabric fair here lastweek sought more sophisticated fabrics to stimulatesales in a tough retail environment.

“There is more demand for higher quality,” saidAruna Murarka, owner of Ventures, an Indian mill thatspecializes in embroideries.

Exhibitors reported brisk order writing, driven most-ly by buyers from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Buyers gave a solid outlook on business, with mostsaying they would increase the amount they spent onfabrics this season by more than 10 percent. With thedollar gaining value against the euro, buyers said theEuropean currency factored little into their buying de-cision at Texworld, especially since most mills at theshow priced goods in dollars.

Texworld, with 620 exhibitors, ran for four days at theCNIT complex at Le Defense,the business area west of Paris.Organizers said 18,595 peoplefrom 100 countries — includingSouth Korea, Brazil, China andIndia — visited the fair, 7 per-cent more than last year.

About 55 percent of the visitorswere from European Union coun-tries; 15 percent were from therest of Europe, mostly Turkey; 12percent were from Asia and 10percent from the Americas.

Because of the high value ofthe euro, Texworld has grown tobecome an alternative toPremière Vision, the concurrentfair across town that featureshigh-end European fabrics. Manybuyers said they were scoutingmore sources in places such asIndia. Even buyers from luxurybrands such as Louis Vuitton at-tended the fair, prospecting forpossible partners.

Though many buyers contin-ue to consider Texworld a sourcefor basic fabrics, including cot-ton, cotton and linen blends, anddenim, the changes underscorebroader industry trends, as com-panies seek to boost the bottomline by finding more economicalmanufacturing partners.

Indian mills were amongthose at the fair in highest de-mand from high-end firms.

“We are looking for high quali-ty from new sources in India,”said Nico Verheij, who runs aconsultancy in Antwerp, Belgium.“There is more quality from Indianow.”

Harmeet Singh, president ofAlliance Merchandising Inc., said,“Quality is going up for manyIndian companies now” even ifthe number of Indian mills whocould manufacture to top luxurystandards remains a minority.

Buyers shopping for for spring-summer and fall-winter said “sub-tler” embroideries attracted them.

Adrienne Landau, presidentof the New York fashion houseof the same name, said “an-tique” embroidery that was “so-phisticated” topped her list.

“Embroidery on a print makesthe garment come alive,” shesaid, adding that lace mixed withprints and bold appliqués werealso interesting. While she re-ported business “started a littleslow” this year, she added that ith

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