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 FASHION RETAIL BEAUTY SPORTSWEAR EYE MEMOPAD TEXTILES ACCESSORIES FINANCIAL  | Tuesday, February 27, 2007 TODAY'S TOP STORIES C'est Magnifique Welcome to Paris! The land where anything is possible in matters of la mode, including zapping the fashion-jaded out of their ho-hum doldrums. Claiborne to Close Mexx's U.S. Units With a new chief executive officer, Liz Claiborne Inc. is beginning to re-examine its brand portfolio, and the first casualty has hit the floor - Mexx's U.S. business. Gap Punts on Forth & Towne Gap Inc. will close its fledgling Forth & Towne division, and, while the closure will cost the group $40 million before taxes, it is just a baby step toward reviving the complex, $16 billion retail conglomerate. _________________________________________________ Web Designer Allison DiSiena We're looking for some full-time or temp to perm web designers in New York that have all the following attributes (and maybe some we haven't thought of): A knowledge of logo development, identity systems, color theory, typography, composition, user interface design, motion graphics and 1980s cartoon theme songs. This means you have the ability to evolve concepts into highly-polished, dynamic and enticing user experiences that everyone else wishes they had come up with first. Please respond with "WWD Web Designer" in the subject line of your email. Apply at wwd@24seveninc.com _________________________________________________ WWD MILESTONES The Embroiderer: Lesage Francois Lesage's first encounter with Christian Dior was as a teenager, when he would accompany his father to present embroidery samples at the house. The American Way In fewer than five years, Pamela Baxter and Terry Darland have turned Dior's North American beauty business from a staid and languishing assortment into a fashion-forward line. For the Boys He Launched a haircut and made tight, low-slung jeans and skinny suits the epitome of cool, compelling a famous couturier (Karl Lagerfeld) to shed more than 90 pounds in order to shimmy into his spare, exacting threads. Victoire de Castellane: Playing With Jewelry Carnivorous plants, Cinderella's slippers and blood-seeking vampires might not be typical themes in the fine jewelry game, but since Victoire de Castellane arrived at Dior nine years ago, she's been busy shaking things up. Christian Dior's Little Dictionary of Fashion Never one to mince his words on the subject of style, Christian Dior in 1954 released the house's "Little Dictionary of Fashion" littered with sartorial advice and the occasional acerbic gem. Here, some highlights: The Muse: Mitzah Bricard Christian Dior's cosmopolitan muse, the formidable Mitzah Bricard, has such a reputation that the house's current couturier, John Galliano, is in thrall to her mystique as described by Dior in his memoirs. The Beauty Pageant Parfums Christian Dior is the pi?ce de r?sistance of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton's beauty portfolio. Ten Years That Shook the World "Monsieur Christian Dior, the stout and startled-looking grand vizier of the high-fashion Paris dressmakers, is the main reason most women look the way they do today," Collier's Weekly reported in 1955, eight years after the couturier set the fashion world spinning with his waist-cinching, fan-skirted New Look dresses. The Retail Plan Red and gray anyone? Last fall, Christian Dior christened a 3,650-square-foot unit in Moscow's GUM department store, facing the world-famous Red Square. Ferre at the Fore An Italian at the helm of a great French couture house? Mon Dieu! By Alessandra Ilari Assuming the Mantle "Christian Dior was my master. The only one I recognize. I became his assistant at 18 and until his death, I shared his worktable. It was an incredible, moving exoiret, Madeleine Vionnet, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, Madame Gres. Still, each time I reread magazines from the 1950s, Christian Dior's magisterial talent astonishes me. The Essentials Christian Dior's thirst for all things new didn't stop at clothes: He even shook up the industry's traditional perception of fashion models. The Seamstress: Christine Platz Seamstress Christine Platz spent almost four decades working under each of Christian Dior's successors, from Yves Saint Laurent to John Galliano. Hair Today, Geisha Tomorrow From real snakeskin glued onto eyebrows to tresses wound around shoehorns, Christian Dior's runway makeup and hair take a wild ride from extravagant to impoverished. Tinker, Tailor Men's wear existed at Dior long before Hedi Slimane. But it was a radically different business, founded on traditional tailoring and sporty outfits more fit for the yacht club than the dance club. Steering the Ship Pop into the Christian Dior flagship on Avenue Montaigne in Paris on a Saturday afternoon, and you have a pretty good chance of running into Sidney Toledano, the fashion house's tireless and charismatic chief executive. Fantasy Island From pirates to hobos, John Galliano's 10-year tenure at Dior has been filled with the fantastical while keeping the house mantra firmly in mind. By Miles Socha _________________________________________________ STILL NOT A SUBSCRIBER? WWD.COM is the fashion industry's must-have business tool! Get all the day's industry news, up-to-the-minute breaking news, web exclusives, complete classified listings and more. Subscribe now and receive one month free! http://www.wwd.com/jump/subscribe _________________________________________________ INNERWEAR REPORT Brooklyn Industries Gets Artistic in "Southburg" Brooklyn Industries, the indie spirit apparel label, has converted one of its facilities into a permanent contemporary art gallery with the hope of it eventually becoming an art institution or museum. FASHION Potential, Challenges for Russian Fashion With near-evangelical fervor, Anna Lebsak-Kleimans preaches the potential of the Russian fashion industry. A Fine Vintage The rarest vintage Christian Dior finds, according to Paris dealer Didier Ludot, are suits made from 1947 to 1949, estimated to be worth around $25,000. Fashion Scoops: Love Story... Double Life... Pressing on... Chanel's efforts to stamp out counterfeiting extends into the celebrity realm - and its latest target is Courtney Love. ACCESSORIES Art, Jewelry Inspire Lace Lace inspired by geometric jewelry and Art Deco motifs, along with matte finishes and neutrals were among the key trends for spring 2008 at Premi?re Vision, with lace exhibitors citing solid orders. Carry On Christian Dior's revolutionary and dramatic New Look didn't exactly cry out for a statement handbag. TEXTILE & TRADE REPORT Amid Texworld Tweaks, Basics Still Rule A change of venue marked the newest stage of development for Texworld. A Sixties Influence Among FIG Trends Dresses, metallics, skinny denim jeans, bright geometric prints and anything with a Sixties' twist inspired buyers at Fashion Industry Gallery's recent market, as retailers rounded out their spring and summer buys and shopped some early fall collections. READY-TO-WEAR REPORT Proceeding With Caution Though not present, thrifty consumers were never far from the minds of attendees at two trade shows here last week. Market Basket Oscar de la Renta will be the VIP guest at Kent State University's annual student fashion show. FINANCIAL Travel Troubles Affect Crowd at Moda Manhattan Blame the lull in traffic at Moda Manhattan's first February show on the Jet Blue Airways fiasco. Gaultier Expanding With Store Openings The enfant terrible of French fashion is out to become a terrific retailer. Emerging Markets, Eco-Friendly Products Spur Premiere Vision Mills exhibiting at the Premi?re Vision textile show found that the market was being driven by two distinct and sometimes divergent consumer segments. RETAIL Fashion Diplomacy Sixty years to the day since Christian Dior presented his first collection in Paris, an exhibition documenting the designer's special and often surprising relationship with Germany opened at Berlin's Kunstbibliothek. In Dior's Galaxy Screen icons like Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren are known to have been devotees, while loyal royals include Princess Grace and her daughter Princess Caroline, the Duchess of Windsor and Princess Diana. Nordstrom Profits Gain in Qtr., Year Full-priced selling bolstered gross margins at Nordstrom Inc., leading to a 22 percent profit gain on a 14.6 sales increase for the fourth quarter. Cracking the Code The house of Dior may be synonymous with Parisian chic, but the seeds of the designer's creative consciousness can be found in a dwelling of the brick-and-mortar kind at Christian Dior's childhood home: Les Rhumbs, or Compass Rose, situated in Granville, Normandy. Strong Revenues Buoy Warnaco Net Warnaco Group Inc. delivered robust fourth-quarter and full-year results that were boosted by the acquisition of Calvin Klein Jeans and related businesses in Europe and Asia. Tiffany Stakeholder Seeks Better Results Financier Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday that it wants to help Tiffany & Co. ramp up the luxury jeweler's performance. GENERAL In Briefs The Women's Jewelry Association will hold its fourth annual"Women in the Know"conference on March 17 at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Kate Murphy amphitheater. EYE Mellow Yellow Where has all the suspense gone? As expected, Vanity Fair drew an enviable guest list to its post-Oscar bash at Morton's Sunday night, with the restaurant and tent teeming with types who don't need last names: SPORTSWEAR REPORT Kellwood to Discontinue Meister Sportswear Kellwood Co. is eliminating David Mei?ster sportswear after this spring. MEDIA/ADVERTISING Memo Pad: Bringing Sexy Back... Starring Role... Tyler, Two Book publisher Assouline is a darling of the fashion world with its tomes on style, design and art and its chicly minimal stores. Now its admirers can hire it - and not for vanity projects. BEAUTY REPORT Lolita Lempicka Lifts Sales at Pacific Creation Parfums Lolita Lem?picka has reason to celebrate. Among other good news, especially about sales performance, the brand turns 10 this year. |  | ||||||
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