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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

WWDTUESDAYReady-to-Wear/Textiles

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Pretty CleanMILAN — For spring, Karl Lagerfeld revamped his Fendi

collection with chic looks that had a Parisian joie de vivre.

As he put it, “We cleaned up a lot, non?” The key styles

included charming dresses, some belted, some with flirty

bows and others with fur trim. Here, a sleek little white

number. 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 spring

look from

Calvin

Klein

Collection.

Matthew

Williamson

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, 2005

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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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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’en

Rêve at the Fondation Cartier.

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


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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Eric LabaumeEric Labaume

A best-selling

look from the

fall-winter

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A best-selling

look from the

fall-winter

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The house cited

“excellent”

sales of the

July couture.

The house cited

“excellent”

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July couture.

Gaultier will launch a

complete eyewear

collection 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 looks

from Mario Boselli.

Cotton and wool

blends from Serikos.

Cotton and wool

blends from Serikos.

Frangi displayed vintage

and floral silk prints.

Frangi displayed vintage

and floral silk prints.Silks from Verga.Silks from Verga.

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Italian Shows Join Forces at Milano Unica

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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 ithad been “good” recently andthat she would boost the amountshe spent on fabrics this year bydouble digits over last year.

Though impressed by Tex-world, Landau said she had“been buying more Europeantextiles recently because peoplewant better quality.”

Leanne Greenall, with Pineapple Clothing in London,which makes garments for chains like Top Shop andSelfridges, said her budget would rise by about 35 percent.

“Business has been good,” she said, adding that tweeds,houndstooth and corduroys in “strong” colors such aschocolate and ocher headed her trend list.


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Texworld Buyers Provide Bullish Outlook

The Texworld fair. Buyers shop Texworld.


By Holly Haber

DALLAS — Avant, after a 28-year run as one of the leading con-temporary stores in Dallas, will close in December.

Owner Donna Chalker said her lease is up and the store’s lo-cation on lower Greenville Avenue is to be bulldozed to makeway for a bank. Although Avant did almost $1 million in sales forthe fiscal year ended in June, an 8 percent increase comparedwith the previous year, Chalker said competition in the contem-porary sector is fierce.

“It’s an incredible explosion of stores and everybody wantsthe same look and same labels,” Chalker said. “You have yourups and downs in retail, but even if he wasn’t bulldozing mybuilding, my lease was up and I would have wanted to take abreak anyway.”

She added, “I’ve been doing this for 28 years, and I need totake a good vacation. I might open another store in two years.”

Chalker said she may consider Firewheel Town Center, a largemixed-use lifestyle plaza opening this month in Garland, Tex., afew miles from her home in Sachse. She’s also weighing optionsfor a building she bought last month in Dallas’ Design District, in-cluding creating a wholesale showroom with an immediatelyavailable inventory of “cool clothing” and a photography studiofor her husband, Steve.

Avant, located in a nondescript pink building with iron barson the windows, built a reputation for sexy sportswear and fash-ion-forward evening dresses. Chalker takes credit for introduc-ing several key designers to the city, including Betsey Johnson,Leon Max, Vivienne Tam under her former East Wind Codelabel and Sue Wong under the Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit label.

More than a dozen independent retailers focusing on contem-porary clothing opened in the last four years within a few milesof Avant, including Octane, Premium 93, Off the Shoulder,Krimson & Klover, Source Paris, Cretia’s on McKinney, Movidaand Angie Amadi.

Dallas’ Avant to Shutter

By Julee Greenberg

NEW YORK — Designer Helen Wang,marking her 10th year in business, isplaying by her own rules.

Wang’s contemporary sportswear anddress company is relatively small, bring-ing in about $4 million in annual whole-sale volume, but having opened her firststore at 69 Mercer Street here twomonths ago and with more productlaunches in the works, Wang may soonhave something larger on her hands.

Next spring she will launch a small lineof shoes, mostly wedges and ballet flats, towork with her collection. They are beingproduced in-house for now, and she willsell them only in her store. Wang said sheis also thinking of launching a fragranceand a bedding collection, which wouldmost likely be licensed. In addition, Wangis planning to launch a higher-end collec-tion of dresses in the spring, also to be soldexclusively in the store.

“I’d love to make more expensivepieces to satisfy my hunger as a design-er,” said Wang, 39. “But they wouldn’t betoo expensive, I’m thinking between $600and $800 retail. The dresses in the storenow range from $180 to about $400.”

Ten years ago, Wang’s mother gave her$20,000 in seed money and she intro-duced her first collection at the FashionCoterie here, launching the business. Atthat show, she only had five velvetburnout dresses, four short, one long.They sold out almost immediately.

“There we were, at our first Coterie atthe Plaza Hotel, and we were selling likecrazy,” she said. “We opened accounts at

60 stores during that show. When I say wewere selling a lot, we really were.”

At that Coterie Wang found the signa-ture piece that would be an anchor in theline each season — the cute little dress.The first line was velvet and she changedthe fabric to cotton for the spring months.Stores couldn’t get enough of her dressesand she was soon selling to almost 1,000specialty stores.

“We used to sell every store that wantedto carry the line,” Wang said. “But now I re-alize that I really don’t want to be in everystore, but in those stores I feel good about.”

Wang sells in Neiman Marcus and inabout 460 other specialty stores in theU.S. and in Asia. In a few weeks, she willlaunch Helenwangny.com, an online store.And she is still celebrating the opening ofher first freestanding boutique here. The

2,500-square-foot space is on two levelsand serves as a ground-floor retail spot aswell as office space. On the lower levelthere is an office for Wang and her hus-band, Hiro Yamanaka, who runs the busi-ness, along with the sales showroom andsome design space. Wang closed her for-mer showroom in the Garment District acouple of months ago, so she could be inthe store every day.

“It’s really important for me to be hereto interact with the customers, see whatthey like, what they don’t...that’s the wholepoint of having a store,” Wang said, addingshe expects the store to generate about $1million in volume by the end of its firstyear. “I also like that when the buyerscome in they can see how the merchan-dise looks in the store and then go downto the showroom to order.”

Wang is hands-on with the customers.As an added service, she will work one-on-one with shoppers to make sure theitem fits right. Even in the store onSaturday afternoons, the designer willshorten a hem or a strap at no extra costand do more difficult alterations for $15to $25.

“I used to work at Barneys here, when Iwas attending Parsons,” she said.“Working there, I really learned a lot aboutretail and providing good service. Offeringalterations is key when it comes to goodservice. But while I alter it, I educate thecustomer on how it should fit them.”

In addition to Wang’s women’s collec-tion, the boutique also offers her chil-dren’s line, Mina (named after her two-year-old daughter), her men’s shirt linecalled Stripe, as well as an array of itemsfor gift-giving like costume jewelry, can-dles from Seda France and a few books.

“My goal here is to have a store wherea woman can come in and buy somethingfor herself, but also things for other mem-bers of the family,” Wang said. “I wantthis to be a very family-oriented store.”

She has begun looking at real estatefor her next store, which she envisions onMadison Avenue, and also has her eye onlocations in Greenwich, Conn., and LosAngeles.

“I have a loyal Upper East Side cus-tomer and will most likely open that storenext year,” she said. “L.A. will be a realchallenge for us, since we do so well onthe East Coast and have less of a presenceon the West Coast. But I do see us doingreally well there, and it’s a challenge Iwant to take.”

Turning 10, Helen Wang Eyes Bigger FutureWWD.COM

“It’s an incredible explosion ofstores and everybody wants thesame look and same labels.”— Donna Chalker, Avant

Helen Wang in her

new SoHo store.

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WWD, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2005 25

By Evan Clark and Kristi Ellis

WASHINGTON — The potential for lower-ing trade barriers is great, but the obsta-cles are many for upcoming World TradeOrganization talks.

Trade officials from around the worldface political and economic hurdles asthey head into a crucial meeting in HongKong in December that, if successful, willlay out a plan to complete the Doharound of talks aimed at decreasing globaltariffs by the end of 2006.

A broad assortment of policy wonks, for-mer trade officials and lawmakers who willultimately sign off on an agreement sound-ed more than a few notes of caution at“The World Trade Organization at 10 andthe Road to Hong Kong,” a two-day confer-ence held here last week at theGeorgetown University LawCenter. It was cosponsored by theAmerican Bar Association andthe Washington InternationalTrade Association.

Agricultural issues, includingsubsidies in rich nations, remainthe most difficult aspect of thetalks aimed at lowering interna-tional tariffs, but are not the onlytrouble spots. The erosion of pref-erential treatment for African na-tions could also provide somefireworks. There are 37 sub-Saharan countries receiving re-duced tariffs under the AfricanGrowth & Opportunity Act, anedge that would be diminishedas overall tariffs are dropped.

Wanting to hold onto theirspecial treatment, some Africancountries might oppose the lib-eralization of textile trade, rais-ing the specter of the September2003 ministerial meeting inCancún, Mexico, which fellapart when African trade nego-tiators walked out over agricul-tural subsidies in rich countries.

“Will we have a repeat of Can-cún, where countries felt therewas not enough on the table forthem?” asked Meredith Broad-bent, assistant U.S. trade repre-sentative for industry, market ac-cess and telecommunications.“We’ve been working…on this interms of defining the problem.”

The U.S. is looking for coun-tries that receive preferences tobetter define how a general dropin tariffs would affect them.

Given the breadth of the un-dertaking, the Doha roundcould produce dramatic results.

“The U.S. and China are theengines of the growth and weneed to find more ways to sparkeconomic growth international-ly,” Broadbent said.

Even if WTO trade ministerseventually resolve the thorny is-sues that have crippled the cur-rent round of talks — and thatwill require some heavy lifting— lawmakers on Capitol Hillwill have the final word on rati-fying the treaty in the U.S.

Rep. Ben Cardin (D., Md.), whoemphasized the appetite fortrade treaties in Congress hasbeen greatly diminished after thebruising battle over the CentralAmerican Free Trade Agreement,said a global deal that weakenstrade laws allowing the U.S. toimpose duties against unfairlypriced or subsidized importswould be the “single, largest bar-rier” to Congressional approval.

The Bush administrationagreed to place U.S. antidumping

and countervailing duty laws on the tablein the Doha talks at the behest of manycountries that oppose the use of the meas-ures by the U.S. and are seeking some reg-ulation of their use.

“There is no interest in Congress to

weaken our [trade] laws and this could bethe deal breaker,” Cardin said.

Rep. Jim Kolbe (R., Ariz.) said Repub-licans also have concerns about howagriculture subsidies are being negotiat-ed in the current round of talks.

“There is no doubt the U.S. andEurope have to reduce subsidies, butthat is a tall order,” said Kolbe. “We sim-ply cannot decide to shift subsidies[among various areas being negotiated].If it’s just a shell game of shifting subsi-

dies from one [area] to another, it couldmean the loss of having an agreement.”

The “sense of urgency about HongKong” stems from the timing of the expira-tion of the President’s Trade PromotionAuthority in June 2007, he said. Under the

authority, which must be approved byCongress, lawmakers can only vote for oragainst a trade agreement and cannot offeramendments, which is why it has sparkedso much controversy on Capitol Hill.

“There isn’t enough time for us to havea failure in Hong Kong and pick up thepieces in time before TPA expires in 2007,”said Kolbe, noting Congress has extendedthe authority in the past, although it hasnever been easy.

Clayton Yeutter, who was USTR from1985 to 1989, stressed there was still a longway to go in the Doha talks.

“I think we have to be very carefulabout the expectations that we have for aministerial meeting in Hong Kong,”Yeutter said. “There aren’t going to be anyhome runs in Hong Kong.”

WTO Talks Face Numerous ObstaclesWWD.COM

“There is no interest in Congress to weaken our[trade] laws and this could be the deal breaker.”— Rep. Ben Cardin (D., Md.)

By Marc Karimzadeh

NEW YORK — Note to designers fresh from fashion school —don’t get accustomed to a life without extracurricular activi-ties just yet.

More so than ever, young designers are required to lookbeyond their own collections and put in overtime elsewhereto make a living in fashion, from creating private label collec-tions for retail chains to consulting on Web sites or makingrestaurant uniforms.

The concept isn’t altogether new. Marc Jacobs has beendesigning for Louis Vuitton since 1997, and Michael Kors hada six-and-a-half-year gig at Celine, which ended last year. InEurope, Stella McCartney designs activewear for Adidas,Alexander McQueen makes footwear for Puma, andChristian Lacroix puts his spin on anything from trains tohotels and airplane uniforms.

But with New York’s young designers, moonlighting nowseems as ubiquitous as needles and thread.

Zac Posen leads the pack with several cobrandeddeals, from limited-edition jeans with Seven For AllMankind to tights for Wolford and driving gloves forJaguar. Derek Lam is unveiling his first apparelcollection for Tod’s in Paris this week, whileProenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough andLazaro Hernandez are said to be working ona watch for Movado. As Four designed appar-el for Kate Spade; Richard Chai is consult-ing creative director for OnwardKashiyama’s new Nave collection; TaraSubkoff designs shoes for Easy Spirit, andChristopher Deane’s duo ChristopherCrawford and Angela Deane are the designersbehind Freda, the in-house label for Londonboutique chain Matches.

An industry executive said a young American de-signer can earn a base rate of up to $500,000, and, de-pending on the nature of the deal, additionally cash inon royalties, from a percentage of overall sales to finan-cial compensations for personal appearances and edi-torial and advertising usage rights. Then the corpora-tions also often help designers with staging the fashionshow. That’s quite a lot of ka-ching, particularly foryoung, cash-strapped designers who survive from col-lection to collection and whose annual sales can beless than $1 million.

Designers looking to make the leap from a smallname to a Seventh Avenue player arguably face morechallenges than their established peers did decadesago. Department stores are struggling and often onlytry a new name if it’s on consignment; manufacturingcosts are rising, particularly for those sourcing inEurope, and putting on a runway show is nearly im-possible without the help of a corporate sponsor. Ithas virtually become impossible for a small designerto be self-financed, and rather than give up their inde-pendence and sell their names, many are now optingto take on secondary projects.

“It’s important to me because I would like to stayas independent as long as possible,” said Lam, whowas contracted by Tod’s for at least two seasons. “Ifyou’re new and someone comes and offers you a lot ofmoney, it’s tempting to give up part of your business.But having these side projects allows me to have an income into the company, so thatwe can stay afloat and independent and not have to sell out.

“Tod’s brings that expertise of leather goods, branding and direct retailing to thetable,” Lam continued. “Hopefully, the association also gives us greater authority inevery aspect…from editorial to walking into a fabric mill.”

These partnership deals can help designers gather experience in an unrelatedfield and get their names across to a wider audience. And they can often pave the wayfor licensing agreements down the road.

“I think this is one of the best things that can happen to a young designer who isstruggling to survive or starting in business,” said David Wolfe, creative director atThe Doneger Group, the buying office and fashion consulting firm here. “One of theproblems we have today is that young designers are often thrust into a position of re-

sponsibility without enough varied experience under their belt. I think the moreopportunity they have to explore the various facets of the industry, the better offthey are going to be.”

Stan Herman, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America,said, “I can’t remember a time when so many designers started their businessat so early a stage in their career. Now, they bypass the apprenticeship to gointo business very early. In a sense, taking on these projects is the new ap-prenticeship.…The best thing a designer can do is to take these kinds of jobsand use them as a grounding for their business.”

And Herman knows what he’s talking about. Among his various extracur-ricular design projects over the years was designing uniforms for clientssuch as Federal Express and Amtrak.

“I think that cobranding is a really crucial area to the development of anemerging brand in fashion,” said Marc Beckman, president of

Designer Management Agency, a consulting firm herespecializing in connecting fashion businesses with

other business segments, from electronics to auto-mobiles. “Down the road, it gives a certain

amount of authenticity when the designer pro-duces that product on their own. It sets it up forfuture deals.”

Susan Posen, chief executive officer, vicechairman and mother of Zac Posen, concurred.“They can be a precursor to licensing arrange-ments,” she said. “You are testing the waters

and seeing what makes a good partner. You arelearning. It’s a sort of selective brand outreach,

where the brands can enhance one another.”Susan Posen pointed to a recent collaboration Zac

Posen had with Invista. The designer traveled to thefiber company’s headquarters in Wilmington, N.C., where he

learned about new fabric technologies. As a result, the designer now coatsmany of his white fabrics with Invista’s Teflon. “In manyways, we get exposed to products we haven’t been in-volved with before, and it’s tremendous learning, bothtechnical and creative,” Susan Posen said.

In Alice Roi’s case, that will include learning how todrive. Beckman at DMA arranged a deal between Roi,who is also his wife, and General Motors, which waslooking for a fashion tie-in for its Saturn Sky carlaunch. As part of a deal, GM helped Roi with her fash-ion show and a VIP postshow dinner, and promised toteach the designer to drive. In return, Roi submitted aprint from her spring collection, which was painted on aSky Roadster car driven around Manhattan during fash-ion week. The relationship hasn’t ended with fashionweek: Roi is working with the company’s color depart-ment to develop custom colors for the cars. In addition,she is traveling to GM’s headquarters in Michigan tomeet with the design department, which could even leadto her designing her own car one day.

Roi is also a consultant on Match.com, where she is a“Dear Abby” type who advises readers on dress codesfor dates and things to avoid on dates.

“You are mixing two things you may not think will bea good marriage, but when you put the elements togeth-er, the result is unbelievable, like a car with a pink floralprint,” said Roi of collaborations. “It makes me look atfashion more from a popular culture point of view.”

Extending one’s repertoire can also change the pub-lic perception of a designer. “People look at you in dif-ferent eyes,” said Alvin Valley, who has recently part-nered with W Hotels, creating exclusive pieces for itsboutiques and the uniforms for Icon, one of the hotel’srestaurants. W Hotels also recently tapped Diane vonFurstenberg to design emergency beauty and fashion

kits. “You are no longer just a designer who has cre-ative ideas just within the fashion world,” addedValley, who has also held talks with Cole Haan for apotential collaboration next fall.

Valley is one of several designers to have a go atcreating uniforms for restaurants or airlines.Christian Lacroix recently redesigned the uniforms

for Air France, while Kate Spade was responsible forthe uniforms at Song. Kevin Carrigan, creative director

for ck Calvin Klein and the better-priced Calvin Kleinsportswear, created the outfits for Jean-Georges

Vongerichten’s Perry St., Vivienne Tam designed those for 66,and Yohji Yamamoto worked his pencil for Nobu 57.

Many consultants said there can be one snag, however. A designer who is willing to takeon extra projects must be able to balance them with their main collection and not spreadthemselves and their talent too thin, which could become a problem in the long run.

“I would advise designers to do as much as they humanly can and work as hard asthey can,” said Fern Mallis, executive director of 7th on Sixth and vice president ofIMG. “People are passionate about what they do, and they need to do enough andthen some, but not so much that they overextend themselves. Everybody has to findtheir balance and their breaking point of what they can accomplish.”

CFDA’s Herman agreed. “These deals will help them as long as they don’t suck theenergy out of their own business. That can’t happen. If it does that, don’t do it.”

Ready-to-Wear Report WWD.COM

Moonlighting to Make Ends Meet

Zac Posen

Above, Alice Roi.

Right, Roi’s floral

print was used

on a Saturn Sky

car during

fashion week.

Zac Posen and

Seven For All

Mankind jeans.

Zac Posen and

Seven For All

Mankind jeans.

Tod’s is launching Derek Lam-

designed clothing for spring.

Derek Lam

TOD’

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“The best thing a designer cando is to take these kinds of jobsand use them as a grounding fortheir business.” — Stan Herman,

Council of Fashion Designers of America

Former bartender? Check.

Makes a great martini? Check.

Welcome Brandon Holley,JANE editor-in-chief.

So JANE? Check.

Reason to celebrate? Check.

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By Meredith Derby

NEW YORK — Consumer products giant Procter &Gamble Co. completed the $57 billion acquisition ofGillette Co. on Saturday, and on Mon-day reaffirmed its confidence in thesuccess of the merger as well as itslong-term financial growth plans.

“I remain as confident today as I was in January thatcombining Gillette and P&G makes sense for con-sumers, for our customers, for our employees and forshareholders alike,” P&G chairman, president andchief executive officer A.G. Lafley said Monday duringthe company’s first analyst meeting as a merged entity.“The question I want to address with you today is, ‘Arewe going to make this a big success?’ I am confident thiscombination will not only work but also thrive.”

The company said the dilution to earnings-per-shareremains the same after adjusting for actual deal closingtiming. The deal closed on Oct. 1 as opposed to aroundJuly 1, as previously anticipated. Dilution to earningsper share is seen as 20 to 26 cents in fiscal year 2006 and12 to 18 cents in fiscal year 2007. The merger is expect-ed to be neutral to EPS for fiscal 2008, becoming accre-tive to earnings in the back half of that year.

P&G upped its top-line growth rate guidance in the bal-ance of this decade to 5 to 7 percent, excluding foreign ex-change impacts, up from a prior forecast for 4 to 6 percent.Clayton Daley, chief financial officer, said the company ex-pects to create $4 billion to $5 billion of value by accelerat-ing top-line growth by 1 percent annually through 2010.

Analysts are expecting the company to earn $2.81 ashare on sales of $59.96 billion in fiscal 2006. P&G isseen earning $3.09 in fiscal 2007 with sales of $63.11 bil-lion. Comparatively, P&G earned $2.66 in fiscal 2005while sales totaled $56.7 billion.

P&G said operating margins are seen reaching 24percent by 2010, including the impacts of expensingstock options. In fiscal year 2005, operating marginswere 18.5 percent.

Meanwhile, Lafley said his confidence in the mergerstems from four factors: both companies already havestrong business momentum; the combined company has“a pipeline of innovation we can commercialize with theindustry’s largest portfolio of leading global brands;”meaningful cost synergies can be achieved, and the com-

panies are “focused on the same strategies, leveraging thesame core strengths and operating with similar values,commitment and excellence.”

Regarding brands, Lafley said the merged company hasa diverse mix that can help it “provideretail partners with a larger and moreprofitable mix of brands and products,broader and deeper consumer and

shopper knowledge, more product and marketing in-novation and many more supply chain solutions.

“Innovation remains the primary driver of salesand earnings growth in the consumer products indus-try,” Lafley added, “and we are committed tostudying the pace of innovation and being thebenchmark for innovation, commercialization[and] success.”

Separately, Standard & Poor’s RatingServices reaffirmed its “AA-” long-term and “A-1+” short-term corporate credit ratings on P&Gand withdrew its “AA-” rating from Gillette.

Meanwhile, Lornamead Group, the U.K.beauty concern, announced Monday it ac-quired the Yardley fragrance and toiletriesbrand from P&G. While terms of the dealwere not disclosed, market sources used theindustry yardstick of one-times-sales to esti-mate the value of the transaction.

Yardley, which manufactures Old-Worldstyle talcs, soaps and scents, rings up global re-tail sales of about $100 million, according toLornamead.

“We believe there is considerable scope to expandYardley, exploiting the awareness of the brand world-wide as well as [in] new distribution channels,” statedMike Jatania, ceo of Lornamead. A spokeswoman forP&G Prestige Products Inc. said the Yardley luxury toi-letries brand did not fit into the firm’s mission of build-ing global blockbuster brands and regional stars, so itdivested the business, which accounted for about aneighth of 1 percent of the total P&G beauty business.

Lornamead, which is owned by the Jatania family, hasa strategy of acquiring brands that are noncore to multi-national companies. Its brand portfolio includes theHarmony and Te Tao hair care brands. Lornamead alsosaid it is looking into other acquisition opportunities.

— With contributions from Brid Costello

Boots, Alliance UniChem to MergeLONDON — Boots is about to grow a size bigger, and be-come part of what could be Europe’s leading retailpharmacy firm.

Boots Group plc, the U.K.’s leading health and beautyretailer, on Monday announced plans to merge withAlliance UniChem, a pharmacy retailer and pharmaceuti-cals wholesaler.

The duo will form Alliance Boots, an entity compris-ing almost 2,700 pharmacies across Europe and generat-ing sales of more than 13 billion pounds, or $22.8 billionat current exchange.

The deal, which the companies claim will formEurope’s leading retail pharmacy firm, is expected tobe completed next year, subject to regulatory and share-holder approval.

“This is very much a merger of equals,” said Sir NigelRudd, Boots’ chairman, during a news conference hereMonday. Rudd will hold the same position at AllianceBoots, while Richard Baker, currently chief executive of

Boots, will also be ceo at the new company.The merger should kick-start international expan-

sion for Boots, since Alliance UniChem brings 1,250pharmacies to the table, including more than 300 out-side of the U.K., in countries like Norway, theNetherlands, Italy and Switzerland.

Boots, which runs 1,400 doors in the U.K., has 100pharmacies in Thailand and Ireland, plus a partner-ship arrangement in the Middle East. Executives

said they envision “a pipeline of existing acquisitionopportunities in new geographical markets.”

“I’m generally enthusiastic about the deal,”said Peter Brockwell, a London-based ana-lyst at West LB. “It gives Boots a crediblepan-European growth profile that the or-ganization has been lacking to date.”

As part of the deal, Alliance UniChem’sstores will be rebranded as Boots.Following the merger, in the U.K., Boots willhave 1,500 “community pharmacies,” focus-ing mainly on prescription medication andhealth care service, and 800 “health andbeauty stores.”

Boots shareholders will own 50.2 per-cent of Alliance Boots and AllianceUniChem will own the remainder.The merger comes as Boots tackles stiff

competition from supermarkets — such asTesco and the Wal-Mart-owned Asda, which

are competing on price — and a general slowdown inU.K. High Street retail sales.

“To us, this seems a short-term ‘win’ situation, but inour view, it will be unlikely to solve the major problem —how to compete with the superstore operators,” London-based Seymour Pierce said in a research note Monday.

Boots shares spiked 4 percent on the London stockexchange Monday, closing at 633 pence, or $11.11.

Meanwhile, there is also speculation in the pressthat a deal might not go through. Press reports have sug-gested that private-equity players might be looking intoBoots as a possible acquisition target, and such a bid —if successful — would nix the Alliance UniChem deal.

“Whilst we are certain that private-equity buyershave been looking at Boots, we wonder whether anyonewill be brave enough to strike at this time of uncertaintyin the retail arena,” said Seymour Pierce in its note.

— B.C.

Watson to Buy Russian RetailerPARIS — A.S. Watson Group, Hutchinson WhampoaLtd.’s retailing and manufacturing division, announcedMonday its acquisition of the Spektr Group, a health andbeauty retail chain, with 24 doors in St. Petersburg,Russia. The buy marks A.S. Watson’s first entry inRussia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to A.S. Watson’s managing director, IanWade, the acquisition “is in line with our long-termstrategy to expand in Eastern Europe and it will help usto establish our footprint in Russia.” A.S. Watson willtake over Spektr in the next few months.

The deal is the latest in a string of recent A.S. Watsonacquisitions, including France’s Marionnaud Parfumeries,the Netherlands’ Portegies drugstores and Malaysia’sApex Pharmacy. A.S. Watson’s first store in Estonia is dueto be opened in mid-October, extending the company’sreach to 34 markets.

— Ellen Groves

Following Gillette Deal, P&G Reaffirms Growth

NEW YORK — Mergers and acquisitions are on a recordpace this year, with the number of deals 1.2 percent high-er than at the same period last year and the price tag ofdisclosed transactions more than double that of 2004.

At the close of the third quarter, there had been1,868 mergers and/or acquisitions in the consumergoods, apparel and retail sectors, which compares with1,845 deals in the same period last year, according toMergerstat, a research firm. The disclosed value is$147.9 billion, versus $72 billion last year.

The largest number of transactions has been at retail,which had 1,158 mergers and/or acquisitions at the closeof the third quarter. In 2004, there were 1,111 in the sec-tor in the same period. In the apparel sector, there havebeen 189 deals so far, compared with 179 last year.

In the consumer goods sector, the number of trans-

actions is behind last year’s pace. There have been 521deals, which compares with 555 in 2004.

Despite fewer transactions, the consumer goods sec-tor garnered higher total deal values. The tab on acquisi-tions in the sector is $73.3 billion, versus $17.5 billion lastyear. In the retail sector, the disclosed value of deals was$66.2 billion by the end of the third quarter, which com-pares with $48 billion last year. In the apparel sector, thetab is running at $8.5 billion, against $6.5 billion last year.

Some of the biggest deals have been in the consumergoods sector. They include: the $54 billion acquisition ofGillette Co. by Procter & Gamble & Co.; the $2.3 billionacquisition of paper and stationery supply companyMeadWestvaco Corp. by Cerberus Capital Management,and the $1.2 billion acquisition of Calloway Golf Co. byMacGregor Golf Co.

In the retail sector, the $11.6 billion acquisition ofMay Department Stores Co. by Federated DepartmentStores Inc. is the largest to date. Other notable deals inretail with big price tags include the $5.9 billion acquisi-tion of Toys ‘R’ Us Inc. by a consortium of private equityplayers, as well as the $5 billion sale of the NeimanMarcus Group to Warburg Pincus & Co. and TexasPacific Group LLC.

In the apparel sector, the biggest deal has been the$3.5 billion sale of Reebok International Ltd. to AdidasSalomon AG. Other high-priced, disclosed transactionsinclude the $1.9 billion sale of World Co. Ltd. to HarborHoldings Beta Co. and the $495 million sale ofNorcross Safety Products LLC to Odyssey InvestmentPartners LLC.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz

Mergers and Acquisitions Rise in Number, Worth

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Harvey Nichols Opens First Store in AsiaBy Vicki Rothrock

HONG KONG — The Landmark luxury shopping mall has gotten a bit funkier with theopening of Hong Kong’s first Harvey Nichols.

The British retailer opened its doors here last month after more than a year of reno-vations. The five-floor shop occupies what was a combination of retail and office space.The store is 60,000 square feet across five floors, with the upper two being larger.

The total investment was around 100 million Hong Kong dollars, or $12.8million at current exchange, said Brenda Wang, chief operating officer ofHarvey Nichols in Hong Kong. She declined to anticipate first-year sales forthe new store.

Hong Kong’s Harvey Nichols is the eighth unit worldwide for the group. Otherstores are located in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Leeds, Dublinand Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There are plans to open in Dubai in December and inIstanbul in September 2006.

Wang has been in Hong Kong for 12 years and witnessed the ups and downs of theterritory’s retail scene. Before, “a look was transported off the catwalk and on theperson,” she said. Now, it’s more experimental and more sophisticated.

There’s also the added dimension of catering to an increasing number oftourists from Mainland China who come to Hong Kong ready to shop because thesales taxes are lower. It becomes a balance for the retail sector to cater to this newemerging consumer base as well as the more sophisticated Hong Kong shopper.

The affluent Mainland Chinese “want brands,” Wang said, adding that HarveyNichols allows them to experiment and see brands that aren’t offered anywhere elsein Hong Kong, such as Kris Van Assche.

She is quick to clarify how she sees the new shop: “We’re not a department store,”she said. “We are a fashion specialty store.” In addition to fashion, the store also fo-cuses on beauty products.

“We’re very focused on creating our own points of view,” said Wang, adding the mar-ket can take more brands, which makes Hong Kong a prime location for expanding.“Hong Kong wants choices,” she said, adding she doesn’t see Lane Crawford’s flagshipat the IFC shopping mall as a competitor.

Landmark is a prime location that boasts nearly all the high-end luxury brands:Gucci, Fendi, Dior, Lanvin and Louis Vuitton among them.

“Landmark has always been that very iconic shopping area for luxury fashionand retail,” Wang said, adding that Dickson Concept Group has a solid relationshipwith Hongkong Land, which owns Landmark and many of the surrounding retailspaces. Harvey Nichols was bought by Hong Kong-based Dickson ConceptsInternational in 1991 and has beenprivately owned by Dickson Poon,the company’s executive chair-man, since 2003.

The Landmark location is alsoa consideration when it comes toproducts on offer. “HarveyNichols has to offer a complemen-tary product selection that en-hances Landmark,” she said,adding its brand portfolio is con-stantly evolving.

Harvey Nichols isn’t the typeto come into a new market shy.The store has injected playful-ness and bright lights intoLandmark, particularly with thedisplay above the store’s groundfloor entrance facing the atrium.A large Union Jack flag that isconstructed with yellow flashinglights and a red and gold Asian-motif print are the backgroundfor three mannequins.

Marc Baumann, general managerand visual merchandising and dis-play manager, said he was struck bythe flashing lights and neon of HongKong. He wanted that essence to bepart of the Hong Kong logo of the

shop, he said.“We wanted to bring the roots of Englishness and the vibrancy of Hong Kong into the

design of the shop,” Wang said.Head architect Christian Biecher, who also worked on the retailer’s Dublin

store, “wanted to make sure we weren’t just a typical white box,” Wang said.“Fashion can be from art to pop culture and he tried to put all that together tomake a statement about what Harvey Nichols is about.”

That British feel manifests itself in large, gold metal cut-out screens inspired by avintage lace pattern at entrances of the store. There also are floral vintage wallpaperdesigns throughout.

Each floor has its own atmosphere with different music, lighting, color schemesand mannequin styles.

The ground floor is a walk through the land of luxury beauty. Among the eightbrands showcased are Dior, Chanel and South Korea’s Sulwhasoo. The lighting isbright, with each brand getting either prominent counter space or an individualnook for privacy.

The first floor features the multibrand concept pioneered in the company’s flagshipin London: Beyond Beauty. Offered are organic brands, vitamins, fragrance and lots ofskin care. “In Asia, it’s more focused on skin care as opposed to makeup,” Wang said.

Brands include Organic Pharmacy and the men’s line Baxter of California.Eighty percent of the Beyond Beauty brands are exclusive to Harvey Nichols, said

Anita Yuen, beauty division director.As you move toward the second floor, the music changes from soothing to more up-

beat. This floor carries handbags and leather goods, in particular Goyard from France,Versace and Dolce & Gabbana. The second floor also has stationery and leather acces-sories from Smythson of Bond Street, as well as handbags and accessories.

Some brands, such as Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, have agreed to have HarveyNichols as the only place in Hong Kong where their merchandise can be bought otherthan in their respective shops.

The third floor is designer women’s wear, shoes and personal shopping. The spacehas little cocoons off the main walkways, which give shoppers more privacy. Brandsinclude J. Mendel and Carolina Herrera.

Maria Stratigakes, J. Mendel’s vice president for retail and merchandising, said ofHarvey Nichols, “We have the same feelings and ideas about luxury. Most people think ofus as furriers but we’re really a luxury brand and Harvey Nichols is a perfect fit for us.”

On the store’s fourth floor there are three sections for men’s wear: internationaldesigners geared toward a young crowd, which include New York’s Cloak andMarcel from Paris; tailoring with suits and shirts from Richard James and Kilgour,and contemporary with J. Lindeberg, Morphine Generation and Dark Shadow.There also is a denim wall with a Levi’s Vintage line, Blue Blood and Tag, as wellas a corner for Diesel.

The fourth floor also is home to a contemporary collection for women, which meas-ures about 8,000 square feet. Brands include Mint, Alannah Hill, Loy & Ford and Issa.

Between the men’s and women’s wear is a children’s section with designerbrands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Paul Smith and Juicy.

Similar to other Harvey Nichols, the Hong Kong store has a restaurant on its topfloor, dubbed Fourth Floor. The food is classicFrench cuisine cooked by a chef from Singapore.Unlike other restaurants that flaunt the celebrityof their cooks, Fourth Floor’s focus is on the foodand space — not so much on who the chef is,Wang said.

The restaurant has a low ceiling with a geo-metric, primary-colored design, which is echoedon the floor. Lunch service begins at noon andthe restaurant will stay open until the last cus-tomer leaves.

Much like the changing mood of each level,the restaurant has lights on the floor thatchange color to match the time of day. Themusic also shifts throughout the day in style andvolume from more relaxed to more club-like inthe evening.

— With contributions fromFionnuala McHugh

Several looks inside the new Harvey

Nichols store in Hong Kong.


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