PHOTO BY STEPHANE FEUGERE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012 WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY $3.00

WWDJet BleuA jumbo airplane installation, replete with seating for 250, set the stage for Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel couture collection. And what a high-flying success it was. The clothes were done up in a “monochrome rainbow” of blues, many of the looks embellished with sparkle, all of them mesmerizing. For more, see pages 8 to 10.

PARIS

SPRING 2012COUTURE

SEEING RED

Louboutin, YSL BattleEnters Second Round

By ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

NEW YORK — Christian Louboutin sat nervously at the end of a dark, wooden bench in the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in Manhattan Tuesday afternoon, listening attentively as his law-yers argued before a panel of three Appeals Court judges who will soon determine the fate of his red-sole trademark.

“For YSL and [its parent company] PPR Group, this might just be a legal matter, but that’s not the case for me,” Louboutin told WWD. “On the contrary, to me it is very personal: After all, this is an intrin-sic part of my life and my company, which bears my name — and which I have built over the past 20 years and still independently own. This is why I had to be there in person.”

Louboutin was flanked by Diane von Furstenberg, a friend and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, who swooped into the court-room wearing gold-rimmed aviators and a long black sparkly knit sweater over an off-white turtleneck and black skirt.

The French footwear designer was stoic as his lawyer, Harley Lewin of McCarter & English LLP, faced off against David Bernstein, lead counsel for Yves Saint Laurent.

At issue was whether a Manhattan Southern District judge came to the correct conclusion in August when he denied Louboutin a preliminary in-junction, which would have stopped YSL from selling its red, monochromatic pump from the 2011 resort collection. In addition to siding with YSL, the lower court called into question the validity of the red-sole mark, which Louboutin obtained in 2008.

After Judge Victor Marrero delivered his ver-dict last summer, Lewin promptly filed an appeal, which led to Tuesday’s hearing before Judges José Cabranes, Chester Straub and Debra Livingston.

SEE PAGE 3

M-commerce on Rise

SEE PAGE 12

By RACHEL STRUGATZ

NEW YORK — If 2011 was seen as the year e-tail ex-ploded, it was a mere precursor to what’s expected in 2012.

Mobile commerce spending on smartphones is ex-pected to reach $10 billion this year, said Sucharita Mulpuru, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, and this projection doesn’t even include tablet shopping.

“The holiday season in retail is the first time we saw numbers of real significance. It’s really a crys-tal ball for what we’re going to see in online retail in 2012,” Maureen Mullen, director of research and advisory at New York University think tank Luxury Lab, or L2, told WWD.

And the big are getting bigger. Sites such as Amazon.com, eBay and macys.com have outpaced the growth of smaller players, she said.

“Amazon is largely leading that charge. The inter-esting trend around Amazon is that it’s growing at five times the rate of overall retail and three times the rate of e-commerce in the U.S. — and the most staggering statistic is that 37 percent of m-commerce transactions occur over Amazon,” Mullen said, draw-ing a comparison to Wal-Mart in the Nineties, which at the time controlled 9 percent of all U.S. retail.

These numbers mean that Amazon boasts more than a third of the fastest-growing channel in re-tail — and, according to Mullen, this is sure to have major implications on brands and retailers as they

DO’S AND DON’TS FOR CHINA’S YEAR OF THE DRAGON. PAGE 3

BY HUANG HUNG

ChinaFileBONDING WITH BON-TON

BRENDAN HOFFMAN NAMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF DEPARTMENT STORE CHAIN. PAGE 2

WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 20122

Coach Profits Rise 14.5% in 2nd Qtr.

Hoffman to Take Reins at Bon-Ton

TO E-MAIL REPORTERS AND EDITORS AT WWD, THE ADDRESS IS FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME@FAIRCHILDFASHION.COM, USING THE INDIVIDUAL’S NAME. WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT ©2012 FAIRCHILD FASHION MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 203, NO. 16. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in March, May, June, October and December, two additional issues in April, August, September and November, and three additional issues in February) by Fairchild Fashion Media, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, Chief Executive Officer; Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., President; John W. Bellando, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer; Jill Bright, Chief Administrative Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40644503. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No. 886549096-RT0001. Canada Post: return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Cre, Rich-Hill, ON L4B 4R6. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615 5008. FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008, call 800-289-0273, or visit www.subnow.com/wd. Please give both new and old addresses as printed on most recent label. Subscribers: If the Post Office alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. If during your subscription term or up to one year after the magazine becomes undeliverable, you are ever dissatisfied with your subscription, let us know. You will receive a full refund on all unmailed issues. First copy of new subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. For permissions requests, please call 212-630-5656 or fax the request to 212-630-5883. For reprints of articles, please contact Scoop ReprintSource at 800-767-3263 or via e-mail at sales@scoopreprintsource.com. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild Fashion Media magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OR LOSS OF, OR FOR DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO, UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO DO SO BY WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE.

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Up Close and Personal at Tod’s Party: Intimacy was on public display at the launch of Tod’s new shoe collection at Paris’ sultry Hotel Amour. For more, see WWD.com/eye.

THE BRIEFING BOXIN TODAY’S WWD

Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent do battle in court over the former’s red-sole trademark. PAGE 1

If last year was a strong one for mobile commerce, 2012 is expected to be even stronger. PAGE 1 ▼

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. is betting on Brendan L. Hoffman to lift the business from the doldrums as its new president and chief executive officer as of Feb. 7. PAGE 2

Coach converted strength in its men’s and international operations into bottom-line gains. PAGE 2

Sienna Miller and her sister Savannah have exited the label Twenty8Twelve, which will continue with a design team. PAGE 3

Susan Metzger, chief executive officer of women’s wholesale better sportswear at Jones, leaves the company. PAGE 3

Huang Hung looks at why some of the Chinese fashion set spend each Chinese New Year hailing cabs in Europe. PAGE 3

Designers at Copenhagen Fashion Week are likely to have an increased focus on capturing international buyers. PAGE 4

Times Three Clothier LLC has filed a lawsuit against LF USA Inc. alleging the infringement of several of its shapewear patents. PAGE 6

American Express makes another donation to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. PAGE 6

The race begins to dress the Oscar nominees — and the newbies are likely to be the most in demand. PAGE 7

Fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart gleans life and career lessons from designers such as Dries Van Noten and Helmut Lang in his new book. PAGE 11

Lalique, which stopped producing jewelry in 1903, is to launch fine jewelry collections at Baselworld. PAGE 12

By ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

ENTICING PRICES AND burgeoning men’s and in-ternational businesses pushed Coach Inc. to a 14.5 percent jump in second-quarter income, driving shares of the New York-based handbag maker up 5.8 percent to $67.97 Tuesday.

“There has been a structural shift in spending over the last decade, where women are spending more on accessories,” said chairman and chief executive officer Lew Frankfort, explaining that the category has grabbed share from apparel and grown 5 percent to 10 percent over the last year.

Shoppers continued to flock to bags priced around $300, or Coach’s “sweet spot,” said the ceo, noting that the flight to value isn’t indicative of a waning economy but instead a hunger for new ways to update their wardrobes.

“Consumer sentiment has really improved over the last 90 days, and actually 60 percent of consum-

ers now in North America believe the economy is stable or improving, and that’s up from 48 percent just three months ago,” he said. “It’s also evident that consumers are beginning to borrow more and save somewhat less.”

This translated to second-quarter profits that ex-panded to $347.5 million, or $1.18 a diluted share, from year-ago net income of $303.4 million, or $1 a share.

Net sales for the quarter ended Dec. 31 rose 14.6 percent to $1.45 billion, from $1.26 billion a year earlier.

Coach exceeded analysts’ expectations of earn-ings per share of $1.15 on sales of $1.43 billion.

The retailer’s direct-to-consumer sales, which now include its Singapore business, increased 17 percent to $1.28 billion from $1.1 billion a year ago.

Some of this success is due to the retailer’s men’s business, which is on track to double again in fiscal 2012 to over $400 million globally, or roughly 8 percent of annual total sales, Coach said. The com-pany sees men’s growing to $1 billion in sales in the next three to five years.

By DAVID MOIN

THE BON-TON STORES INC., struggling with weak sales and looming debt concerns, is betting on Brendan L. Hoffman to lift the business from the doldrums.

On Tuesday, Bon-Ton confirmed a WWD report that Hoffman would become president and chief executive officer on Feb. 7, succeeding Bud Bergren, who will continue as chairman. The 43-year-old Hoffman is cur-rently president and ceo of Lord & Taylor, which he successfully guided through the recession with sales gains, image updating and some remerchandising to-ward a more moderate point of view.

“I’m incredibly proud of the results” at Lord & Taylor, Hoffman told WWD. “We just had another terrific year, refinanced our loan and everything worked out well.”

Nevertheless, Hoffman said he became discontent with how his responsibilities had changed, noting that he was losing authority to the shared services unit of L&T’s parent Hudson’s Bay Co. The Toronto-based shared services group includes finance, IT, supply chain, logistics and store operations. “The job shrunk a little bit as shared services became a bigger part of the equation,” Hoffman said. “My need to grow wasn’t going to happen. I wanted a ceo role that encompasses all the disciplines of a retail company, from the front of the house to the back of the house.”

Hoffman said that for months, he had been dis-cussing his concerns with Richard Baker, governor and ceo of HBC, regarding his desire for a bigger role, but Bon-Ton ultimately met his needs. Hoffman said he wasn’t squeezed out at Lord & Taylor, de-spite consolidations. On Monday, HBC disclosed that it significantly delev-eraged by reducing L&T debt by about $500 million and reorganized manage-ment by naming Bonnie Brooks president overseeing the merchandise, marketing and store operations of both the L&T and The Bay divisions.

Hoffman said he was further attracted to Bon-Ton because — with $3 billion in sales, and 276 stores in 23 states under a variety of banners including Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s, Younkers and Parisian — it’s larger than Lord & Taylor, with about $1 bil-lion in sales. “It’s a much bigger platform and my re-sponsibilities are much broader,” he said.

Bon-Ton is also a public company, unlike the privately-held HBC.

Bon-Ton has a relatively low profile, partly since it lacks a New York flagship, though Hoffman said that didn’t really concern him. “Being a high-profile guy isn’t what drives me. What drives me is adding value to a company, having success and having fun with it.…I enjoy being in the department store arena. There are only a few department stores left. So it was fortuitous that an opportunity presented itself at one when I was ready for the next challenge,” he said.

Discussing the upcoming priorities at Bon-Ton, Hoffman cited improving the recent sales perfor-mance. He said he took great pride of the comp-store sales record he built at L&T. “I would expect nothing less at Bon-Ton,” said Hoffman, who will be based in

Milwaukee, where Bon-Ton houses its merchandise, marketing and store functions. The company’s fi-nance and systems operations are based in York, Pa.

He downplayed the possibility of making major changes in the staff at Bon-Ton. “I hope not,” he said. He added that he was “proud” that, in the past, he tended to reassign people to different jobs rather than make wholesale changes.

“It’s a funny feeling to find someone to replace your own job,” said Bergren. “But Brendan has done a very good job at Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus. We had a couple of internal and a couple external candidates that we considered, but there wasn’t an extensive list.

“We had a tough 2011 in terms of sales, so Brendan will focus on turning that around and roll-ing out initiatives that have worked well to more stores,” Bergren said.

He cited e-commerce as a big focus, particularly since it only represents 3 percent of the company’s total revenues. “Our goal is to grow it about $30 mil-lion a year,” Bergren said.

He said the company is remodeling stores, in a program that began last September with seven in the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, “our worst performing market.” The goal is to have all stores re-modeled over the next four years, he noted. Another goal is to gradually increase private label to 25 per-cent of total volume over the next few years, from

the current 21 percent.The company, which re-

cently disclosed that full-year losses would range from $1 to $1.30 a share, must refinance $480 mil-lion in debt coming due in March 2014. “We don’t consider that a high risk,” Bergren said, adding, “There’s no short-term li-quidity issue with us.”

Hoffman has been ceo and president of Lord & Taylor since October 2008. For six years prior, he held the same titles

at Neiman Marcus Direct, where he grew neimanmarcus.com and oversaw the launch of bergdorfgoodman.com. Prior to that, he was vice president of Neiman’s Last Call clearance division and divisional merchandise manager of men’s of Bergdorf Goodman. He began his career in the executive training program at L&T and rose to divisional merchandise manager of men’s furnish-ings before leaving in 1996.

“Brendan is a good choice for Bon-Ton because he is a classically trained department store execu-tive with a broad spectrum of experience including dot-com and outlets so he truly has a multichannel point of view,” said Jaimee Marshall, senior vice president at Kirk Palmer & Associates.

Others have indicated that it could be a chal-lenge for Hoffman to mesh with the current team, which includes Anthony Buccina, vice chair-man and president of merchandising. However, Emanuel Chirico, chairman and ceo of PVH Corp., said, “Brendan’s strong leadership skills and ap-proachable management style are a perfect match for Bon-Ton’s corporate culture.”

“Brendan will be able to meet the challenges that he will face and formulate a strong plan for sales and profit growth,” added Burt Tansky, the former chairman and ceo of Neiman Marcus Group.

— WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM JEAN E. PALMIERI

Bon-Ton operates 276 stores in 23 states.

By LISA LOCKWOOD

NEW YORK — Things appear to be in flux at The Jones Group Inc.

Susan Metzger, chief executive officer, women’s wholesale better sportswear at Jones, abruptly left the company last week. Her depar-ture came on the heels of news that the firm was restructuring its Anne Klein New York division, which consists of the Anne Klein New York bridge collection and AK Anne Klein better line.

An e-mail, obtained by WWD, was sent to Jones employees saying that Metzger “retired” after 15 years with the firm. Metzger, 58, joined Jones as vice president of sales for the Lauren division in May 1996. She was promoted to her current role in

July 2007. The e-mail said, “Although we will all miss Susan, she has worked hard all of her career and has earned the opportunity to enjoy more time with her family.”

Metzger couldn’t be reached Tuesday for comment.

Sources indicated that the compa-ny would not be shipping a fall 2012 Anne Klein New York collection, and said several seasoned sales execu-tives at Jones were let go last week.

Wesley R. Card, The Jones Group Inc.’s chief executive officer, told WWD, “We are making substantial progress in reinvigorating our tra-ditional core brands and growing our newer and primarily upscale contemporary brands. As we do this, we are focused on streamlining and finding efficiencies while continu-ing to invest in the right places for

growth. As part of this effort, we continue to make some changes in our sportswear divisions, including Anne Klein, to better align our tradi-tional core brands with Jones’ brand strategy and long-term vision.” He declined further comment on the fu-ture of the Anne Klein division and Metzger’s departure and successor.

Stefani Greenfield was hired last fall as chief creative officer to reinvig-orate the corporate culture and port-folio of brands at Jones. She is work-ing with the creative teams across all Jones brands, reporting to Richard Dickson, president and ceo of brand-ed businesses, to help identify new talent where needed. According to Dickson, her role is to “really drive the branded point of view more clear-ly and distinctly through merchandis-ing, design and creativity.”

Standing before the grand, wood-paneled courtroom, Lewin said Judge Marrero “erred” because he viewed Louboutin’s mark as encompassing every shade of red, and not one shade of red, namely the brand’s signature Chinese red. As a result, Judge Marrero concluded that no one designer should have a “monopoly” on any color.

Lewin, who is also von Furstenberg’s lawyer and was introduced to Louboutin by the designer, told the judges: “We don’t claim anything but the mark as it is registered.”

When it was his turn to speak, YSL’s lawyer Bernstein

of Debevoise & Plimpton told the judges, “Mr. Louboutin believes he’s an artist. He’s not a cobbler and we agree.”

Clad in a navy pin-striped suit, a frowning Louboutin gave a Gallic shrug as the rest of the courtroom, which was filled with a mix of fashionistas and lawyers, snickered.

“We make monochrome shoes,” said Bernstein, who argued that single-color design is integral to YSL’s DNA. “We don’t want to find out we can’t make red shoes.”

Periodically, the trio of judges interrupted both sides, inquiring not just about the red-sole trademark, but also criticizing Marrero’s opinion, which was only a positive for Louboutin.

“There are some far-reaching principles in this opin-ion,” said Straub. “What findings did he make to base this? I can’t find it. Show me where he recites in detail the basis for his holdings.”

According to Fordham Fashion Law professor Susan Scafidi, who was in the courtroom, such questioning doesn’t mean the judges will side with Louboutin, but if Marrero was present, he would have been “red-faced, had he been listening”

Now that the hearing is over, the judges will decide whether Marrero’s verdict stands, or if it will be re-versed. If reversed, Louboutin and YSL will return to court to begin discovery in preparation for a trial.

“I was impressed by the way the judges ran the hear-ing,” Louboutin said. “The company remains confident that the appeals court will adhere to its conviction that the red sole, this integral and long-held part of the brand’s identity and recognized by consumers world-wide, will continue to be recognized as the Christian Louboutin trademark.”

WWD.COM

EVERY YEAR, the fall fash-ion shows in Europe inevita-bly fall on Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. It only goes to show that we Chinese have no clout in the interna-tional fashion industry despite the fact China is becoming its most important market. How else can you explain the fact that we are all in Europe des-perately looking for taxis rath-er than being with our fami-lies on the most important day for families all over China?

Why is this? I thought hard and realized perhaps

this is our own fault. We have no buyers in China, at least not in Mainland China. Every department store here (except Lane Crawford) operates as a landlord, rather than a traditional Western, multi-brand department store. Counter space is leased to brands and the store takes no risk in the merchandise. This has also been a major stumbling block to the de-velopment of a fashion industry in China. So far, we remain as manufacturers.

The second reason that makes us spend holidays working is very embar-

rassing to admit — we are copycats. Till recently, the biggest local fashion brands simply copied the West. I remember once dining with some major league Chinese fashion brand owners and asking them why big local brands like to label themselves after animals: Northeast Tiger, Baoxiniao (St. Angelo), which means Happy Bird in Chinese,

and Sept Wolves. “You know,” one of them confessed

after a few glasses of wine, “the first fashion brand that sold really well in China is the crocodile jerseys. So, we all thought if animal sells, let’s all give our-selves animal names!” Hence, a real zoo in Chinese fashion labels.

This is sad, but it is the reason why we spend our one major family holiday away from home fighting for cabs thousands of miles away. We don’t have originality.

But today is New Year’s Day; I cannot end this column on such a down note. So for all those who are not celebrating Chinese New Year, here are some “dos and don’ts” for the Year of the Dragon:

TIP 1: Being a dragon in a dragon year is a dangerous thing. So you have to wear something RED to fend off the spirits who are trying to get you. Most preferably, a red belt. Big brands are mak-ing red things for the New Year, from red underwear by Calvin Klein to red dragon handbags by Ferragamo. Can someone just make a red belt please?

TIP 2: Chinese language is evolving very quickly in the age of social networking. In the old days, the num-ber 4 should be avoided in Chinese because when pronounced, it sounds the same as the word “death.” This is old, very last season. For this year, please do not use the number 2. For some reason, 2 has taken on the meaning of stupid, moronic and just dumb beyond salvation. I went to a conference where the organizer proudly gave away a silk scarf with a huge 2 on it to commemorate its second year. Two is definitely worse than 4, to be labeled 2 is worse than death itself.

TIP 3: Have you seen the crowd outside the Apple store when the iPhone 4S came out in China? People lined up all night for it. There were so many scalpers that iPhone had to halt the sales of 4S in China. But the fashion statement is not the phone, it’s the phone cover. There are these outrageous 3-D relief phone covers for iPhone. It’s the latest rage, a perfect combination of bling, kitsch and high-tech.

Happy Year of the Dragon.

Being a dragon in a dragon year is a dangerous thing.

So you have to wear something RED to fend off the spirits who are trying to get you.

Most preferably, a red belt.

3WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012

Susan Metzger Exits Post at Jones Group

The Dragon Is Born

BY HUANG HUNG

ChinaFile

Louboutin, YSL Face Off in Appeals Court

SIENNA AND SAVANNAH MILLER are ending their partnership with Twenty8Twelve after a six-year run. The line will continue under the current design team.

The sisters were the brand’s co-creative directors since the label’s introduction in 2007. They have de-cided to pursue other ventures.

“We’ve had a brilliant six years at Twenty8Twelve and are now looking forward to new pastures. We wish the brand the best of luck for the future,” said the Millers. The sisters were unavailable for fur-ther comment. The label takes its name from actress Sienna Miller’s birthday.

Nish Soneji, managing director of Twenty8Twelve, said: “We’ve had a great partnership with the Miller sisters. From the beginning, our mission was to cre-ate a contemporary label with its own identity and strong directional design, as well as an emphasis on

quality, cut and finish-ing. That vision, along with the uniquely British style the col-lection has become known for, will contin-ue under the direction of the Twenty8Twelve design team.” He said the company, which is a division of the Pepe Group, based in London, will continue to explore retail store investments and e-commerce as part of its rebranding efforts.

Starting with the fall line, the label will read, “Twenty8Twelve London,” rather than “Twenty8Twelve by s. miller,” said Soneji. He noted that the Miller sisters’ input “came much more from the product perspective.” At present there are

three freestanding Twenty8Twelve stores in London, located in Notting Hill, Westfield Centre and Covent Garden. “I’ve been struggling the last five years to find a location in New York,” said Soneji.

According to Soneji, the brand is sold in 20 coun-tries. In the U.S., it is sold at stores such as Nordstrom and Intermix, and available on Shopbop.com and Zapposcouture.com. Soneji said there are plans to add e-commerce and a new Web site this fall. The brand will show as part of London Fashion Week on Feb. 28 and will collaborate with an artist. — L.L.

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Miller Sisters Parting With Twenty8Twelve

Sienna and Savannah Miller

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A red-soled Louboutin shoe.

WWD.COMWWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 20124

ONES TO WATCH

Designer SpotlightNames to know from the Danish fashion scene.

EliSE GuGDescribed as the “sleeping beauty” of Danish fashion by one industry insider, Elise Gug is known for her immaculate fitting and finish.

In business since 1986, her collections are produced entirely in Italy and are stocked in more than 80 stores around the world, mainly independent boutiques. The U.S. is the company’s second-biggest export market. Wholesale prices average 135 euros, or $175 at current exchange.

The designer will show her latest creations at the Gallery trade show.

HunkonHunkon designer Anne Skovgaard Schøler’s aim is to use her fabric knowledge — following training at TEKO, she used to source materials in Asia for some of Denmark’s leading brands — to bring newness and fun to her country’s fashion lineup. After a small group for this spring that was tested in a handful

of Danish stores to positive reaction, the fall lineup is Hunkon’s first true collection.

The brand is based in Hangzhou, China, and sources its fabrics in Japan, South Korea and China. Schøler is targeting stores in Denmark and Sweden initially.

The brand’s long tinsel-and-polyester open-backed dress with rope detailing is priced 1,399 kroner wholesale, or $243.

FivEunitSDanish denim brand Fiveunits is based on the idea that five different pairs of jeans should cover women’s fashion needs each season.

The collection showing in February is divided into two lines — a party range called Week.end inspired by rock icons like Debbie Harry of Blondie, and the Week.day basic offering, this season with

a beach and stone theme.This is the brand’s first time

at Terminal-2, and head of design Camilla Dam hopes to gain visibility in international markets thanks to the show,

especially in Sweden, Benelux and Germany. The brand’s positioning is mid- to high-end, with wholesale prices ranging from 80 to 120 euros, or $103 to $155.

— A.W.H.

By AlEx WynnE HAUET

WITH DAnISH retail in the doldrums, designers at Copenhagen Fashion Week, which runs Feb. 1 to 5, are likely to have an increased focus on capturing interna-tional buyers.

Exports of Danish fashion increased 13.4 percent in 2011 to an estimated 24.8 bil-lion kroner, or $4.31 bil-lion at current exchange, representing 94 percent of the total market of 26.38 billion kroner, or $4.59 billion, according to esti-mates from trade organiza-tion Dansk Mode & Textil. In 2008, exports accounted for 90 percent of sales, proving the increasing im-portance of international sales to Danish designers.

A characteristic of the Danish fashion community is that it groups together an impressive number of small designers — estimat-ed at around 800, although the lion’s share of the mar-ket is held by majors like Bestseller.

“[Danish designers] tend to create something you don’t see elsewhere,” said Michael Hillmose, Dansk Mode & Textil’s head of international affairs. “And they are really hav-ing a hard time at the mo-ment because multibrand stores are not doing well in Denmark. They are seek-ing to grow their business in other markets, because the Danish retail market is very weak at the moment.”

Denmark’s biggest export markets for tex-tiles are Germany, the rest of Scandinavia and the netherlands, Hillmose said. Together, they account for nearly two-thirds of exports. The U.K. and Spain are also strong markets.

The share of emerging markets is growing, however. “Danish brands are getting more global and notably receiving more attention with buyers from Asia — mainly China, South Korea and Japan,” Hillmose said. “That’s a major change.”

Despite Europe’s dreary fi-nancial horizon, Copenhagen Fashion Week chief executive officer Eva Kruse is convinced that her country’s design prop-osition, which she describes as “functional and affordable,” has something to offer in the current climate.

The atmosphere in the run-up to the shows is posi-tive, she claimed. “We have

the largest number of run-way shows ever, new brands as well as some major brands back on the runway.”

There will be 40 designer runway shows, compared to 31 last February. (This is in addi-tion to trend shows organized by the trade fairs.)

One of the brands returning to the runway for the first time since 2007 is 30-year-old Sand.

“The designers are fighting against the times and market-

ing their way out of the crisis,” Kruse commented. “It’s now a question of, will the buyers come and will they have the budgets?”

At the trade shows — the key aspect of Copenhagen Fashion Week — expectations are somewhat tempered. Jan Busch Carlsen, founder of the CPH Vision trade show, which has now teamed with compet-ing show Terminal-2, said,

“We have reached a level where we cannot go much lower. In terms of exhibi-tors, we have a full house, however, and are able to maintain quality.”

Fashion week’s four concurrent fairs — which also include Gallery and Copenhagen International Fashion Fair — expect to attract 65,000 trade visi-tors, on a par with last February’s numbers, ac-cording to Kruse. About 40 percent of these are inter-national buyers.

The combined shows have 2,300 exhibitors. CIFF, Gallery and CPH Vision are focused on contemporary women’s ready-to-wear, while Terminal-2 features denim and streetwear.

CPH Vision’s Busch Carlsen said preregistra-tion numbers were up at press time, and that he expected visitor numbers to be flat or slightly up.

This season, CPH Vision and Terminal-2 will be held in separate venues for the last time, before coming under one roof for their August editions.

To make life easier for buyers, the organizers have introduced smartphone ticketing via QR codes.

It has also improved its smartphone catalogue, making it more interactive, so visitors do not have to carry a heavy paper version around.

Fashion week events will in-clude the opening of a new bou-tique for denim brand Acne, as well as a Green Rock night hosted by liam Gallagher at the Zen nightclub on Feb. 1 and a White Swans & Black Knights event for Marc by Marc Jacobs at Simons on Feb. 2.

Courting the International SetA view of terminal-2.

A look from Elise Gug.

A style from Hunkon’s debut collection.

For more, including the calendar, see

WWD.com/fashion-news.

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GLANCEKey dates and locations for fairs around town and common runway

venues. for more details, see wwd.com/fashion-news.

RUNWAY SHOWSFeb. 1-4, various locations, including:City Hall: Rådhuspladsen 1, Copenhagen Vthe Royal Danish Academy of Music: Concert Hall, Rosenørns Allé 22, Frederiksbergnimb: Bernstoffsgade 5, Copenhagen V

TRADE SHOWSCopenhagen international Fashion FairFeb. 2-5, Bella Center, Center Boulevard 5

CPH VisionFeb. 2-4, Øksnehallen, Halmtorvet 11

Terminal-2Feb. 2-4, Otto Buses Vej 5A

GalleryFeb. 2-4, Forum Copenhagen, Julius Thomsens Plads 1

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AMEX’S DONATION: American Express is donating $250,000 to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund from all of the proceeds of the sale of its skybox packages during New York Fashion Week. The donation represents the fifth year American Express has supported the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in both the spring and fall collections for a total of 10 seasons. Amex will have the usual skyboxes at Lincoln Center and is also offering designer meet-and-greet packages to cardmembers for MADE Fashion Week at Milk Studios, featuring designers such as Jeremy Scott, Simon Spurr, John Bartlett and Zero + Maria Cornejo. Also on the agenda is a cardmember-only consumer runway show for Tommy Hilfiger’s spring 2012 collection on Feb. 16 featuring the fictional Hilfiger family. The show will be of the current spring collection. — VICKI M. YOUNG

PICKLER’S PICK: Tuesday was a big day for Kellie Pickler. Not only was the “American Idol” alum and country music artist celebrating the release of her third album, “100 Proof,” she was also showcasing her charitable side. Pickler made an appearance at the ASPCA in Manhattan to show off the limited edition sweater she designed with Geren Ford for Fresh Step cat litter. The sweaters, which sport a banjo-playing cat and a moonshine jug, will sell for $35 at ASPCA.org with 100 percent of the proceeds going to raise money for abused and abandoned animals. “This may open up more opportunities as far as design and fashion goes,” she said while playing with some of the cats available for adoption at the shelter. She said that while it was a given that the sweater would include a cat in the design, it was her idea to have it playing a banjo. “It ties in well with country music,” she said. “My grandpa gave me an old banjo of his that was over 100 years old and it was in pieces. But we had it put back together and it’s now hanging in our house.”

Her new album is the most autobiographical to date, with Pickler co-writing six of the 11 tracks. Next up for Pickler is an appearance on “Good Morning America,” followed by a visit to the “Ellen” show.

— JEAN E. PALMIERI

INTO THE GROOVE: Carlos Souza, a stalwart in Valentino’s press organization, is one proud papa. His two sons — London-based photographer Anthony, 25, and Sean, 28, a yoga teacher who splits his time between Brazil and England — are budding DJs who have caught the ear of Madonna. The brothers spun house music at New York’s Boom Boom Room following the Ziegfield premiere of her film “W.E.,” and they may accompany her on a forthcoming tour for after-party duty. “They’re thrilled, and she [is] very protective of them,” Souza related on Tuesday.

— MILES SOCHA

GOLDEN GIRLS: A beaming Cameron Diaz was among the first to congratulate Jessica Chastain at the Armani Privé show in Paris Tuesday for her Academy Award nomination in the best supporting actress category for her role as Celia

Foote in “The Help.” “Brava,” exclaimed Roberta Armani, clapping her hands, while Livia Firth immortalized the moment by snapping pictures on her mobile phone. The actress said she would spend the next three months working on

Kathryn Bigelow’s as-yet-untitled thriller about the military’s hunt for Osama bin Laden.

For the third year running, Firth — the Italian wife of Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth — is asking top designers to come up with eco-friendly gowns for celebrities to wear during awards season, in what she has dubbed the Green Carpet Challenge. Brands including Tom Ford, Chanel, Valentino, Stella McCartney, Lanvin and Gucci have joined the initiative, said Firth, owner of the London boutique Eco Age. Armani made

her a gown for the Golden Globes using a fabric called Newlife. “The one I’m wearing today is an Armani cocktail dress which is in the same fabric,” Firth said, stroking her black bustier dress. “It feels like silk, but in fact it’s recycled plastic bottles.”

Meanwhile, L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt and her daughter Françoise Bettencourt Meyers — who are involved in a long-standing bitter family feud — were spotted side by side at the show.

— JOELLE DIDERICH

FLIGHT PATTERNS: “I brought my own jet lag,” Cameron Diaz laughed as she settled into seat 12D of the dazzling jetliner set at Chanel’s couture show Tuesday. The actress explained she’s in Paris to shoot a couture story for the May issue of In

Style magazine. A few rows

back, actress Elizabeth Olsen recounted a film schedule that should have her earning tons of air miles. She’s just back from the Sundance Film Festival for the screening of two movies: “Red Lights,” opposite Robert De Niro and

Cillian Murphy, and “Liberal Arts,” in which she plays an undergraduate student. “It got a standing ovation, and it’s a comedy,” she marveled about the latter film.

Next up is a project with a French accent: “Therese Raquin,” a period film set in 1884 and also starring Glenn Close. “I am so excited,” Olsen enthused. “Our costume designer is in Paris, so I’m going for fittings.” Filming is to take place in Hungary and Serbia.

Busy model Alice Dellal, who appears in campaigns this season for Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Ermanno Scervino and Dr. Martens, said she’s convinced diet is the key to avoiding jet lag, having just seen a documentary on that very subject. “You’re not meant to eat a full meal on the plane,” she advised.

Chanel scattered its VIPs across two shows. They included Vanessa Paradis, Diane Kruger, Clémence Poésy and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey.

— M.S.

WWD.COM

Times Three Files Suit Against LF USA By KARYN MONGET

TIMES THREE Clothier LLC has filed a lawsuit against LF USA Inc. for patent infringe-ment. LF USA is a U.S. subsid-iary of privately held Li & Fung Limited, the Hong Kong-based sourcing and apparel manufac-turing conglomerate.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Dec. 22 in Manhattan fed-eral court, alleges that LF USA infringed several of its patents by making and selling products under the Logo Instant Chic by Lori Goldstein brand. The complaint also notes that it in-formed LF USA of the patents in question at least as early as Jan.

20, 2010, but LF USA manufac-tured and sold the knockoff gar-ments despite a cease and desist letter on Sept. 21, 2011.

Heather Thomson-Schindler, who serves as Times Three’s president, said she was “forced to file a lawsuit.”

“Rick Darling [president of LF USA] called me to discuss my three-panel tank prior to its patent filing….He wanted to meet me, and I brought my business partner Eric Rothfeld with me. [Darling] thought I had a great idea, but he never fol-lowed up. Then we found knock-offs in the market. That’s when I decided to protect our intellec-tual property.…The knockoffs are still on the market,” said

Thomson-Schindler.Officials at LF USA could not

be reached.This is not the first time

Thomson-Schindler — a former stylist for Sean John by Sean Combs, Sweetface by Jennifer Lopez and House of Deréon by Beyoncé Knowles — has sought patent protection for her Yummie Tummie shapewear designs.

In August 2011, a $6.75 mil-lion settlement agreement was reached between Maidenform Brands Inc. and Times Three Clothier. The litigation involved copyright design patent infringe-ment of Yummie Tummie de-signs and Maidenform’s multi-million-dollar Fat Free Dressing by Flexees line of shapewear.

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LOS ANGELES — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may have only released its Oscar nominations on Tuesday, but the fashion world has already chosen its favorites.

Stylists said the crop of new faces among the nominations gives designers a whole new group of young actresses to battle over for the red car-pet. The four likely to be in most demand are Jessica Chastain, who was spotted front row at the Armani Privé couture show in Paris on Tuesday; Michelle Williams, who already won a Golden Globe; Rooney Mara, and Bérénice Bejo.

“I can promise you that these girls are already setting up who they want to wear to the Academy Awards,” said Jessica Paster, whose clients include Emily Blunt, Hilary Duff and Dakota Fanning.

With those actresses committing to design-ers, Paster added that the competition may heat up to dress presenters, especially if the likes of Cameron Diaz and the cast of “Bridesmaids,” which includes Rose Byrne, decide to present.

Evaluating the fashion in the award season thus far, Paster expressed disappointment at

top designers’ unwillingness to work with actresses who aren’t the youngest and the thinnest in Hollywood.

“I want to see some of the designers be more open-minded and not be so very vapid,” she said.

For the biggest celebrities, the trick is to be the fi rst to nab exclusives with the design-

ers of their choice. “There are a lot of exclusives, so the list of

go-to designers is becoming smaller and smaller,” said George Kotsiopoulos, who dresses Freida Pinto and is co-host of the E network’s “Fashion Police.” “Even if you are a huge star and you call Versace or Valentino, they may tell you they al-ready have an exclusive, so that already rules out those collections. It is getting a lot more diffi cult.”

As for what to expect among the presumptive biggest gets, Williams has the longest Oscar ré-sumé. The actress fi rst made a splash at the 2006 ceremony, as a best supporting actress nominee, with then fi ancé and “Brokeback Mountain” co-star Heath Ledger. She has kept up her high marks since donning that year’s now-famous marigold Vera Wang gown. She favors Fifties party-dress sil-houettes, be it Proenza Schouler, Dior or Marni, short shift dresses (all the better to channel Mia Farrow), and full-length bias sheaths in black and white. Chanel, Givenchy and Miu Miu tend to be her go-to designers, but this season she has shown range in Victoria Beckham and Jason Wu.

Chastain tends to accentuate her petite curves, porcelain skin and red hair with body-conscious styles and bright colors, and it’s clear the ingenue is relishing the opportunity to play dress up. “The clothes are a great part of this whole experience,” Chastain said recently at the Critics’ Choice Awards. “I’ve learned so much about fashion, it’s like going from zero to 100. I get to wear things I never dreamed I would ever wear.”

Since bursting onto the scene, Mara, who was handpicked by director David Fincher to star as Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” has been on a red-carpet whirl for the fi lm’s international premieres. Because she is still sporting her character’s black bangs for the sequel, Mara has wisely chosen to play into her dark, edgy style. With midriff cutouts, geometric shapes and a mostly monochrome palette, she has quickly developed a signature look that she’s un-likely to veer from come Oscars. Her Nina Ricci gown at the Golden Globes would have also been appropriate for the big day.

As for what to expect from Bejo, the actress named names at the British Academy of Film & Television Arts’ pre-Golden Globes tea party earlier this month. Elie Saab, the French actress said, is her favorite designer.

“I would wear him every time if I could,” she ex-plained. “His dresses fi t me perfectly, and my style.”

Of course, personal preference doesn’t always win out. Bejo walked the Globes carpet in Gucci.

This year’s crop of fi nal decisions and fought-over exclusives will be revealed Feb. 26, when the ceremony is broadcast on ABC — during Milan Fashion Week, as usual.

But while Kotsiopoulos hopes actresses will take risks at the Oscars, he doubts it will happen.

“If you want to sell yourself as a serious ac-tress, it may not be the best idea to wear the cra-ziest outfi ts to award shows,” he said. “I get why people play it safe. There is so much at stake now. People are selling themselves as brands.”

— MARCY MEDINA AND RACHEL BROWN

WWDSTYLE

PHOTO BY STEPHANE FEUGERE

In the RunningTalk about fashionable timing. Jessica Chastain was sitting front row before the start of the Armani Privé show at Paris Couture Week when she got a phone call informing

her of her Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress in “The Help.”

thus far, Paster expressed disappointment at

MEDIAWWDST

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OSCAR OUTLOOK

Designers Seen Chasing The New Crop of Stars

8 WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012

Couture Day Two

Chanel: Between references to air travel and the color blue, one could quip for days about Karl Lagerfeld’s latest couture effort for Chanel. The sky’s the limit! Karl’s Rhapsody in Bleu! Fashion’s higher plane! Up, up and away! And not any of it hyperbole.

Yet wordplay can sometimes divert attention from the essence of it all. Simply put, time and again Lagerfeld proves himself the master of his craft, and his relationship with Chanel, the gold standard of such pairings.

The Chanel collection that took flight on Tuesday morning was remarkable. In what must be a major effort to one-up himself every time out, here Lagerfeld commissioned a plane — the inside of one, at least, constructed of anodized aluminum — for installation in the Grand Palais. With its superwide, 164-foot aisle; sleek, modernist seating for 250; double-C monogrammed carpet and the niftiest bar cart you’ll ever see, it convinced you in the moment that air travel was chic once more.

Any shtick, however, is only as compelling as

the main event. And in fashion — particularly the couture — the clothes must be the main event. And so they were, in countless shades of blue comprising Lagerfeld’s “monochrome rainbow.” There was fashion news aplenty, starting with a lean, straight silhouette with pockets positioned low on the hips for a mood that was young with a sly shot of attitude. The prevailing collar on jackets and dresses was a stand-up boat line running from shoulder to shoulder, often held in place with jewel-encrusted panels invisible from the runway. Sleeves were full, and many of the skirts, long.

Evening was nothing short of mesmerizing, a litany of blues from the gentlest pale for an unembellished ingenue organza dress to high-gloss navies for a bevy of high-shine stunners: a pleated tiered dress; a little halter tossed over frothy sleeves; an elegant, elongated chemise. These were decorated inventively, each embroidery different from the next, right down to saucy sparkle that shimmered on the nude hose. In fact, the materials for night and day resulted from

intense fabric development. Thus, the glimmer came a myriad of ways, from the traditional trappings of couture (crystals, bugle beads, sequins) to more unusual treatments (cabochons, PVC petals) to a remarkable range of fabrics, from dégradé tweeds to one that looked like crisp, whisper-thin cellophane.

After the show, Lagerfeld emerged from the cockpit to take his bow. His assessment? “No Fifties, no Sixties, no Seventies. Just what I like.”

Armani Privé: With guests settled into their seats before the Armani Privé show, a small cheer rose up from the middle of the front row. Jessica Chastain, Giorgio Armani’s celeb guest of the afternoon, had just learned in real time that she’d been nominated for an Oscar for her role as Celia Foote in “The Help.”

The moment spoke volumes about a couture reality. With much of the paid business coming from the Middle East, Asia and Russia, couture’s greatest visibility in the West is on the red carpet. The pretty Chastain will be a major coup for whichever designer

An ode to blue, a penchant for chartreuse and a trio of white stunners were highlights on Tuesday’s runways.

Chanel Chanel Armani Privé

WWD.COM9WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012

gets her nod. Surely, then, the Armani camp is as hopeful today as she: Chastain hopes to win Oscar; the house hopes to win her.

Who knows? Maybe the collection’s primary color — chartreuse — was decided upon in Chastain’s honor, playing to the truism that redheads look fabulous in green. If so, Armani kept mum on the matter backstage. Rather, he said the collection, called Metamorphosis, is for “the woman who is at first calm and easy and then is drawn out of her own skin.” If that female molting process was difficult to grasp, there was a snakeskin motif at play — not the real thing, but incarnations of mesh, prints, jacquards and honeycombs.

Though not without its awkward moments (stiff shiny pants, side-draped organza skirts), Armani worked his daywear in lean, flattering proportions, with numerous takes on a favorite jacket — cut slim with a peplum and demonstrative shoulders. But his haute heart belongs to evening. He sent out some beauties, including an asymmetrically banded

mermaid with dégradé sequins and a pair of oddly dour but interesting gray silk printed ballgowns. Most alluring of all: a vibrant sequined gown with gracefully flared skirt. Chastain would look divine.

Givenchy: Riccardo Tisci poured many of his passions into 10 couture dresses. There was Fritz Lang’s 1927 “Metropolis,” a favorite movie of his since childhood; “Aelita,” an obscure Russian science-fiction title from the same era whose score is said to have influenced Germany’s techno movement, and lastly, pushing Givenchy’s atelier to experiment with new techniques.

The result was spectacular, building on the dark romance Tisci has brought to Givenchy over the past seven years. He also added new elements, including a looser line, bias cutting, a downpour of crystals and even a pair of flowing black trousers. “It’s a very sparkly collection, which, in a way, is very couture,” the designer said.

The Oscar nominations were announced Tuesday, and Tisci hinted that actresses are already angling for

certain looks. They should, especially the three white stunners with delicate, T-shirt-simple bodices and micro-sequins painstakingly applied to long bias skirts so as not to disturb that special drape. One of the most striking white ensembles — echoing the proletariat-versus-elite plotline of “Metropolis” — paired a cotton-cashmere tank with a long, sinuous skirt slung over one shoulder on a heavy chain. It scintillated with a rain of crystal fringe.

The workmanship on crocodile looks was astonishing: 350 hours to disassemble a skin, bleach, re-dye and remount it on tulle for a sweeping gown. It was time well spent to achieve that soigné Art Deco glamour.

Tisci moved Givenchy’s high fashion off the runway four seasons ago, and now makes a group portrait by Willy Vanderperre the climax of his presentations. This season, the models, who ranged in age from 18 (Kati Nescher) to 48 (Kristen McMenamy), stood in a row in the oldest gymnasium in Paris, under a basketball net. It was the picture of exciting, modern-day couture.

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10 WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012

Van Cleef & Arpels: “It’s this idea of re-creating balance without going into geometry or symmetry,” said Nicolas Bos, vice president and worldwide creative director of Van Cleef & Arpels. With that, he pointed to a pair of colored asymmetric drop earrings in 18-karat white and pink gold — one with a bird perched atop a row of round baguette and pear-cut sapphires and diamonds, its ornate tail designed to curve around the top of the ear; the other earring depicts a bird in flight.

The creation was a highlight of Van Cleef ’s Couleurs de Paradis fine jewelry collection being presented at the brand’s Rue de la Paix headquarters this week. Honoring birds, one of the house’s favorite inspirations, the line offered both figurative and abstract takes on the theme. In the latter camp, there were five sautoirs with linked feather-inspired curlicue motifs, including a turquoise, white gold and diamond necklace reminiscent of some of the Sixties Van Cleef & Arpels pieces Elizabeth Taylor had in her personal collection. Also lovely was a necklace with a central ornament depicting a phoenix in full flight, its decorative tail feathers set with dégradé pink diamonds, flanked by dramatic strands of blood-red spinel beads.

Dior Joaillerie: Dior Joaillerie’s creative director Victoire de Castellane gave WWD a sneak preview of the house’s latest fine jewelry story, which will be presented during Paris Fashion Week in March. The line honors one of Dior’s most recognizable symbols, the cane motif, inspired by the Napoleon III chairs used for the house’s couture shows back in the day. “It’s a very classical collection, like ribbons of gold straw,” said de Castellane, slipping

on a vintage-looking cuff in yellow gold woven with gold filigree threads. (Versions encrusted with colored stones were also designed.)

Copies of the house’s

first jewelry book, titled “Dior Joaillerie” and published by Rizzoli, were on display as well; the tome covers every collection designed by de Castellane since she joined the company in 1998. “We realized that time is going by so fast and we’ve never done a book,” said the designer, who will be signing copies of it on March 10 at Le Bon Marché in Paris.

Stéphane Rolland: Stéphane Rolland celebrated the fifth anniversary of his eponymous label with a collection that distilled the essence of his boldly architectural style. Cue a sequence of sharp column gowns, some softened with panels of mille-feuille-like chiffon, in a palette of ivory, black or scarlet, set off by chunky gold jewelry, belts and hardware on platform sandals. Rolland pulled out all the stops for the grand finale, which featured Yasmin Le Bon laboring her way down the catwalk in a red jersey wedding gown that required 49 yards of fabric and two assistants to handle its massive train.

Alexandre Vauthier: With celebrity supporter Beth Ditto sitting front row, Alexandre Vauthier sent out a lineup of outfits fit for a diva. There was sleek kimono-inspired tailoring for day, such as a slim black coat split at the sides to show off skinny pants. But most of the eveningwear brought to mind J.Lo’s infamous Versace dress at the Grammys — read: acres of double-sided tape required. Even so, a model in a lavender chiffon number with matching fox-fur sleeves was exposing more than was decent by the show’s end.

Atelier Gustavo Lins: Looking to Seville’s flamenco tradition, with a range of intense colors inspired by the mineral riches of his native Brazil, Gustavo Lins explored his sensual side this season. That translated into curvaceous, long flouncy black skirts and colored silk-scarf dresses artfully draped around the body to reveal windows of skin, offering a womanly evolution on the designer’s signature stark kimono-style designs. The quality of craftsmanship remained top-notch here, yet the lineup lacked freshness, with Lins’ signature classic tailored pieces coming off best. Case in point: the smoking jacket in black double crepe, which was highly elegant.

Iris van Herpen: Dutch sensation Iris van Herpen knows how to make an impact. Her sculptural creations and intricate workmanship are impressive, but often to the point of extreme. With a soundtrack of sinister pulsating techno music, her models hit the runway encaged in short dresses made of metallic and rhodoïd strips that swirled or spiked around their

bodies like computer-generated plants, while a more organic dress looked like the model was wrapped in intricate tree roots. And one girl had to cautiously negotiate the runway wearing van Herpen’s latest designs for United Nude — multiheeled shoes. That said, there were two “wearable” looks, but they lacked the inventiveness of the rest of the collection.

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Van Herpen’s multiheeled shoes for

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PARIS — There is no single path to success as a designer, editor or public relations professional, according to a man who has witnessed four decades of fashion history in France.

In a dense new book comprising 30 interviews with famous names and hidden talents, Paris-based fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart gleans life and career lessons — and unearths some candid snapshots of yore that alone are worth the price of admission.

The 308-page French-language tome, “Des Vies et des Modes” (“Life and Fashion,” in English), is to be unveiled during couture week. Self-published and sold on Picart’s new Web site and at select booksellers in Europe, its cover price is 33 euros, or $42 at current exchange rates.

Picart, 64, insists the book is not a biography. That will come later.

Rather he sees it as a chance to give keen followers of fashion — and future

generations — insights from the likes of designers Dries Van Noten, Helmut Lang and Popy Moreni to fashion scribe Suzy Menkes and the public relations guru Laurent Suchel.

Picart sees “integrity” as a common thread among the diverse, handpicked personalities.

“All of them are very honest. They didn’t pretend to be someone else,” Picart says, his signature knit polo buttoned up to the throat. “There are many ways to be happy in fashion, and not in a fake way with air kisses and all that side, which to me is completely out of touch.”

Another key piece of advice: “Don’t try to please everyone.”

He deliberately chose as his co-author Frédéric Martin-Bernard, a journalist at French daily Le Figaro, because Martin-Bernard specializes in men’s fashions and would bring fewer judgments to the task.

He dispatched Martin-Bernard and armed him with a particular line of questioning, probing the outset of people’s careers, the difficulties they faced, when success finally came, and their vision for their jobs. Picart injects his commentary, in his own handwriting, in the margins, and sits for multiple interviews.

A passion for fashion is another common thread across Picart’s witness accounts.

Menkes relates how, as a fashion student in Paris in the Sixties, she and a friend disguised themselves as cleaning ladies to sneak into a Chloé show by Karl Lagerfeld. Arriving at the venue hours early and clutching brooms, they hid under the bleachers until the collection hit the runway.

Flipping through a proof of the book, Picart explains his choices of subjects: broadcast journalist Marie-Christiane Marek, “because she did a good job in France to make fashion more popular”; Kris Van Assche, “because it was so difficult for him to take the seat of Hedi Slimane (at Dior Homme)”; and Lacoste creative director Felipe Oliveira Baptista, “because he works with his wife, which is not at all the same as a business partner.”

Designers are frank about their challenges and failures, and Picart takes some lumps from some of his former assistants from the days he worked in p.r. beside Christian Lacroix, whose couture house, backed by luxury titan Bernard Arnault, earned an avalanche of acclaim but never a penny.

“It was quite a slap in my face. They are critical of the way Lacroix and I used to run the company. But those were the rules of the game for this book,” says Picart, who worked as a press attaché for a litany of designers, including Guy

Paulin, Thierry Mugler and Jil Sander, before launching his own advisory in 2000.

Lang, who exited the industry in 2005, confesses he doesn’t miss fashion’s inferno quality, “that intensity that consumes all.”

Asked about the revival of his fashion house, now under the creative direction of Lady Gaga stylist Nicola Formichetti, Mugler replies: “From what little I’ve seen, today’s collections seem to me a bit backward-looking, though I don’t wish to be overly critical.

“I have the distinct impression that what I consider a minimum service of our profession — knowing how to make a woman beautiful and allowing her to look her best through my clothes — is less of a consideration by designers today.”

Lacroix, who exited the house that bears his name following the shuttering of

couture and rtw operations in 2009, muses on his challenges. Yet Picart deliberately includes a recent photo of the acclaimed talent, totally in his element working on elaborate costumes for a recent ballet at the Opera Garnier in Paris.

Why this image? “Because I want this new generation

to understand that there is no end to fashion, if you don’t want it to end,” he says. “It’s not only work or a job or a business; it’s your life.” — MILES SOCHA

11WWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012

Picart’s Picaresques

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SALESI am seeking a position with manufac-turer of Junior, Junior Plus & Kids.Experienced & aggressive with contacts.

917-359-3741

PATTERNS, SAMPLES,PRODUCTIONS

Full service shop to the trade.Fine fast work. 212-869-2699

SAMPLE ROOMPatterns/ samples/ small lots.

Call Angela: 212-944-6900www.thefactory212.com

DESIGNER NYC based apparel importer - withproduction out of India, China and In-donesia - seeks DESIGNER with mini-mum 3 years design experience in Wo-ven Tops, Dresses, and Skirts, servingmid-tier specialty stores in the Junior /Missy market. Candidate must possessa strong sense of color - creating andrecoloring of print and pattern work -and skills to translate emerging trendsinto commercial consumer styles.Need a team player with ability towork in time sensitive operations andwillingness to travel overseas. Knowl-edge of standard design and computertools like Adobe Illustrator, Photo-shop, Pointcarre etc. required. Applyat jobs@krazykat.com with completeresume and SALARY HISTORY.

Assistant DesignerLADIES SHAPEWEAR

Seeking individual with minimum 2years experience in shapewear to joinour team in design, merchandising,product development, etc. Excellentopportunity. Email resume to:

info@bodynancyganz.com

DESIGNERMissy Sportswear Company doingDresses, Tops, Sweater Dresses, Skirts& Jackets seeks designer with knowl-edge of Latest Missy Trends; hasspecialty & department store relation-ships. 5 yrs min exp. Email yourresume to hr.shescool@gmail.com orfax at 212-398-2579

Draper/Patternmaker1st thru production. Delicate fabricsfor designer eveningwear. Strongdraping skills a must / exp with em-broidery. Top salary for best. Email to:

bridget.charlton@mac.com

Vice President, Retail Operationsneeded by Fendi in New York, NY, tobe responsible for overseeing, plan-ning, and directing United Statesbased multi-store retail operations forthe company. Requires a Master’s inEconomics, Marketing or a relatedfield and two (2) years of experience inmanagement of retail operations with-in the luxury fashion industry. Experi-ence must include development of re-tail and wholesale marketing opera-tions strategies; management of corpo-rate retail locations, third party distrib-utors, and buyers; contract negotia-tions with product and real estate ven-dors; and large-scale retail and whole-sale budgeting. Also requires periodictravel to retail stores throughout thecountry. To apply, mail resume to T.Mininson, Fendi North America, Inc.,677 Fifth Ave., 4th Floor, New York,NY 10022. Refer to Job #101-N.

SALES PERSONAn Established Sportswear Company(Junior & Junior Plus) doing Dresses,Tops, Sweater Dresses, Skirts & Jack-ets Seeks Energetic Salesperson hav-ing established relationships with ma-jor Specialty chain stores who canGuarantee Minimum $5 Million DollarSales Annually. Please fax yourResume @ 212-398-2579 or email at:

hr.shescool@gmail.com

SALES REPSNY salespersons with current exp. inselling Prom, MOB, social to majors &splty stores. Email beetag@gmail.com

SALES REPSuccessful International Manufacturerof bottoms for last 35years, speciallyDenims. Looking for help in buildingsales relationship with retailers. Look-ing for seasoned sales executives withgreat knowledge and relationship forprivate label business. Candidate shouldbe highly motivated. Email resume inconfidence to: intlmfgjob@gmail.com

FT Retail Sales Associates

SHANGHAI TANG, a unique andmodern luxury lifestyle brand hasimmediate openings in our MadisonAvenue Store. We are looking for ex-perienced and motivated individualsto work in a fast-paced and dynamicworking environment.

Requirements: Minimum 2 years ofretail sales experience in luxury fashion industry is essential.

• Possess strong sales & customer services skills.• Self-starter & have enthusiastic personality.• High degree of responsibility with positive working attitude.• A good team player who is able to work independently; and multi- task in a dynamic environment.

Interested parties, please email resume to:ny_hr@shanghaitang.com EOE/MFVD

By ALEX WYNNE HAUET

PARIS — Lalique is marking its return to its roots.

The company, which stopped producing jewelry in 1903, is un-veiling a fine jewelry collection and a lower-priced line playing on Art Nouveau and Art Deco themes that will be presented at the Baselworld watch and jew-elry fair in March. “When Silvio Denz bought Lalique four years ago, reintroducing jewelry was part of his development strate-gy,” said Anne Kazuro, Lalique’s creative director of jewelry.

Kazuro and designer Quentin

Obadia joined the company nine months ago from a major Place Vendôme jeweler, where they worked together. Both said they relish the creative freedom given them since they joined Lalique.

The house is developing what it describes as an “emotional, po-etic” jewelry collection, to seduce a younger clientele, between 25 and 45 years old. “Lalique crys-tal tends to appeal to older peo-ple. This is about being able to wear Lalique instead of having it around you,” Kazuro explained.

The collection, dubbed The Sacred Fire Odyssey, is a con-temporary interpretation of the company’s original drawings.

The central muse is the fire god-dess Vesta from Greco-Roman mythology. The collection of around 100 items is centered on a four-piece fine jewelry set made up of a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings.

Worked with feather motifs, the Vesta necklace is made from white gold, diamonds and two bezel-set moonstones, and its centerpiece boasts a detachable brooch representing the goddess. The piece is expected to sell for upwards of 500,000 euros, or $647,400 at current exchange, and was made in Paris by vari-ous houses specializing in each technique it uses.

The jewelry collection, man-ufactured entirely in France, builds on René Lalique’s passion

for Art Nouveau and Art Deco de-signs. The Art Nouveau pieces in-spired by flora and fauna feature colorful dragonflies, peacocks and poppies. A peacock pendant with yellow, green, blue and black sap-phires as well as diamonds and turquoise, will sell for around 30,000 euros, or $38,844. The Art Deco creations are based on nev-er-ending circle designs, and are priced between 1,500 and 7,000 euros, or $1,942 and $9,064. The collection includes bridal pieces, priced between 500 and 1,500 euros, or $647 and $1,942.

Initially, the jewelry collection will be offered in the company’s own boutiques. There are around 90 Lalique stores worldwide, in-cluding franchises, and export ac-counts for 80 percent of revenues.

WWD.COMWWD WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 201212

Lessons Learned and Looking Aheaddevelop their digital strategies for 2012.

EBay reached a record $5 billion in mobile purchases (from smartphones and tablets) in 2011 and predicts this number will climb to $8 billion by the end of this year, according to Steve Yankovich, vice president of eBay Mobile, who noted that the most significant lesson learned from the holiday season was that the vast ma-jority of mobile shoppers had intent (ver-sus just browsing or “snacking,” which Yankovich describes as when you’re “stuck with time to burn and you snack on your phone,” whether it be through texting, e-mailing or shopping).

“This also suggests is that there’s an opportunity on mobile to create an expe-rience where they [users] will just access us to engage and discover. When they shop, we know they have intent, so for us, [it’s figuring out if] eBay can be a snack and if the consumer will browse for an item when they don’t have a purchase in mind,” Yankovich said. “We nailed intent, so the next frontier for us is to get more engagement and traction and go after browsing and discovery.”

EBay Inc.-owned PayPal estimates its mobile payment volume will hit $7 billion this year, a 75 percent increase from last year’s $4 billion, according to Anuj Nayar, director of communications. Mobile sales via PayPal went from less than $1 million in 2006, to $7 million in 2007, to $25 million in 2008 — and thanks to the introduction of the iPhone, this number jumped to $141 million in 2009 and $750 million in 2010. In just one year — from 2010 to 2011 —mobile volume multiplied by almost 600 percent.

According to experts, further mobile growth in 2012 will be fueled by offering mobile-exclusive offers to consumers; differentiating mobile experiences by device; merging mobile shopping with the in-store experience; broadening mo-bile and tablet capabilities beyond Apple products, and social commerce.

Nayar noted that, for the first time, a spike in shopping was seen on Thanksgiving Day right after lunch, but only with respect to mobile devices — which could be a prime time for retail-ers to drive sales for the next holiday shopping season with limited-time offers available via mobile.

Another wrinkle to the differentiating-the-mobile-experience-by-device equa-tion relies on the convergence of mobile and in-store commerce.

Gary Lombardo, manager of e-commerce solution Demandware, which works with cli-ents such as Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Crocs, Barneys New York and Elie Tahari, believes that merging m-commerce and brick-and-mortar under the same roof will revolution-ize the entire shopping experience.

“There are a ton of retailers who have seen a lot of mobile traffic to their sites — [and] the sister part of that is mobile transcending into the store. [This will] really bring Web commerce specifically into the store and extend inventory from the online channel,” Lombardo said of stores ramping up the usage of mobile devices and tablets. “Retail is really try-ing to change its model because of the whole online channel, [and] mobile is helping to exacerbate that. Stores are using in-store mobile capabilities to le-verage and give consumers access to in-ventory that might not be available — but in all the brand’s stores.”

Tory Burch implemented an in-store mobile strategy as a pilot in a few of its New York stores last fall, and the brand is working on a full store rollout now that it expects to have completed by the end of 2012, according to chief marketing officer Miki Berardelli. Sales associates are able to log onto the site with personalized log-ins on their iPads so all activity could be linked to that employee and store.

“We see mobile as the true bridge be-tween online and offline. Our customer carries her device with her at all times and enters our stores more informed than ever,” Berardelli said. In addition to merging the shopping experience in the online and offline worlds, brands dif-ferentiating between mobile, tablet and Web strategies will be key going forward.

Lombardo notes that smartphones and tablets are used for different shop-ping reasons, and because of this, retail-ers serving up their traditional Web sites without modifications for tablet users won’t cut it. He cites eBay smartphone and tablet-specific apps as a particularly good example of this.

Mullen agrees, adding that tablets are where many brands will focus their ener-gies this year. “Mobile is just becoming a bigger and bigger share [of the online re-

tail marketplace], and then when you add in the tablet — specifically the iPad — this is where we’re going to see a lot of growth as we move forward,” Mullen said. “The tablet is the beacon for e-commerce, and what’s happening with the iPad is that brands are seeing conversion rates that are double or triple what they see on their Web sites — and a lot of that is being driv-en by when consumers are shopping.”

From L2’s research, Mullen is confident that 2012 will see even more $1 billion on-line shopping days than last year, which she believes is a direct correlation to the investments that retailers have made in bolstering their online strategies and pumping capital into digital initiatives.

On Jan. 12, Sephora took the top spot in L2’s first Prestige 100: Mobile IQ Index that ranked the digital innovation of prestige brands in the fashion and beauty indus-tries — which was mostly due to the retail-er’s job at innovating and creating unique mobile experiences (Nordstrom, Macy’s, Net-a-porter and Bloomingdale’s took the remaining four of the top five spots).

She noted that only 16 percent of the brands featured in the index had unique iPad-specific content — Sephora among them — as the majority of companies cur-rently offer iPad content replicated from an iPhone app.

Sephora has a mobile site that is m-commerce compatible, an iPhone app that integrates with an in-store retail experience and a highly engaging iPad app that allows consumers to follow how-to videos that teach them how to apply various products.

“For us, mobile is some-thing we felt was a huge cus-tomer service [tool] early on, so when the iPhone hit the market, it really changed the notion of what you can do with your phone and we built an app for that. In early 2011, we added an iPad app which leveraged the ben-efit of that device,” said Julie Bornstein, senior vice president of Sephora Direct.

She calls mobile the bridge between a rich e-commerce and in-store experi-ence, a tool that can enrich the brick-and-mortar component to the retail equation. “[We’re] creating an ecosystem that works together to ease the consumer’s shopping experience. You need to leverage all of these. Our product assortment is the same [across the various platforms] and the stories are the same, but the way people navigate and the tools they have to use on each of those devices is specific.”

However, Oliver Walsh — founder and chief executive officer of discovery

platform Discoveredd and Wednesday London, a digital agency that has worked with Mr Porter, J. Crew, Alexander McQueen, Giorgio Armani and Moncler — believes that this isn’t always the case.

He’s an ardent believer that if a site has a “responsive design,” then the brand’s message should work cross-plat-form without developing a differentiated experience for a desktop, smartphone or tablet — not to mention the exorbitant cost related to achieving this that can be quite an obstacle for smaller retailers.

Another leading trend Walsh sees emerg-ing this year — via Discoveredd, an online scrapbook that allows users to save prod-ucts, places and images that they love and find on a daily basis — is social commerce.

“I’m interested in how people discover new products that are relevant to them. It’s about integration of the social graph and social discovery,” Walsh said. “It will be quite tangible — this notion of social discovery and how the world has evolved from search-based discovery to algorith-mic-based discovery. This is the most im-portant thing — and a lot of sites haven’t taken advantage of it yet.”

Facebook, to a degree, has taken advan-tage of this with its “like” button, but the new breed of discovery-based social com-

merce sites such as Pinterest and Discoveredd aim to cater to this budding category in an innova-tive way. To Walsh, shopping with friends is the most powerful tool to drive revenue.

The jury is still out on Facebook commerce, or F-commerce, though. Mullen said that brands and retailers still have yet to fully recognize the op-portunity around the medium as it pertains to shopping, but this could largely be realized by the end of the year. Lombardo con-curred, saying it’s too early to call F-commerce a “flop.” Although he doesn’t think Facebook itself will ever be a huge driver of rev-enue, it will be a place where fans

can engage and brands can offer promotional deals and sales that drive the experience back to the branded site.

He also thinks that being able to le-verage the data from the platform onto a brand’s site — mashed up with data pulled from its e-commerce system — has a lot of potential for these companies to merchandise using Facebook data, which is rife with information about consumers, including products their friends might like or when it’s their birthday.

“That type of thing is hugely powerful. That’s the kind of personalization we’ve been talking about for a long time and Facebook is allowing for retailers to smart-ly think about it,” Lombardo said.

THE YEAR IN E-TAIL

Social discovery platform Discoveredd.com.

EBay’s mobile site.

Lalique Launching Fine Jewelry

{Continued from page one}

One of the new Lalique pieces.