WWDPrim WittedSome of fall’s most charming looks have a chic yet quirky edge, such as this silk faille top and skirt by Harvey Faircloth, worn with the label’s cotton blouse and acrylic fur scarf. For more, see pages 4 and 5.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013 $3.00 WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY

STYLED BY KIM FRIDAY; PHOTO BY GEORGE CHINSEE

MEN’S WEAR MOMENT

Saks Sets RolloutOf Private Label

By JEAN E. PALMIERI

NEW YORK — Saks Fifth Avenue is accelerating the rollout of its men’s private label.

Starting this fall, the line will have a new name, three subbrands and devoted shops in key markets. And the retailer did not rule out the possibility that it would wholesale the collection in the near future.

“We are a brand,” said Richard Cohen, vice presi-dent of business development for Saks, who came on board last year to spearhead the development of the label. Called the Saks Fifth Avenue Men’s Collection, the line was launched in 2009 and has grown into the retailer’s largest-selling men’s wear brand. That suc-cess has spawned the development of a women’s pri-vate brand collection as well.

The men’s line will now be called simply Saks Fifth Avenue New York, but within that will be Black, White and Platinum subbrands that will be differen-tiated by the color of their interior labels. Black and Platinum product are being designed by Kim Herring, who had worked with Cohen at Ermenegildo Zegna, while the White label is being designed by Rhett Bonnett, a fledgling men’s wear designer who also produces a line under his own name.

“We created three different labels,” Cohen said. “Black is our international line; White is our modern, younger line, and Platinum is our top-of-the-line.” The idea behind separating the labels is to take the Saks customer “on his journey, from a twentysome-thing all the way up till he becomes ceo.”

The Black component offers suits, furnishings, sports-wear, outerwear and shoes. White is more firmly rooted in sportswear, and Platinum offers premium outerwear.

But while the color of their labels may be differ-ent, the subbrands are designed to work together and also will complement the multibrand assortment on the floor.

“We feel comfortable that this can sit easily with the other people we buy from,” Cohen said.

SEE PAGE 8

Court Boosts Off-Pricers

SEE PAGE 9

By KRISTI ELLIS

WASHINGTON — Discounters and off-price retailers scored a major victory Tuesday when the Supreme Court handed down a decision that permits the pur-chase of foreign-made goods abroad and their subse-quent resale online or in U.S. stores.

The High Court’s decision essentially upholds a re-tailer’s right to buy authentic products from middle-men or distributors abroad and resell them at lower prices in the U.S., a common practice among retailers in the secondary market, under existing American copyright law.

It also shifts the balance of power back to dis-counters and off-price retailers after they lost the battle to manufacturers in a 2010 Supreme Court case that pitted Costco Wholesale Corp. against Omega SA. In the Costco-Omega decision, the Supreme Court up-held a manufacturer’s and brand’s right under U.S. copyright laws to regulate the distribution, price and resale of its products that are made overseas and im-ported to the U.S.

The case decided Tuesday — Supap Kirtsaeng vs. John Wiley & Sons Inc. — involved a Thai mathematics doctoral student attending a U.S. university who pur-chased a publisher’s textbooks, produced in Thailand at reduced prices, and resold them in the U.S.

The publisher of the books, John Wiley & Sons, sued Kirtsaeng for violating the company’s copyrights and the lower courts ruled in favor of the publisher, ordering Kirstaeng to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the books he resold.

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STEPHEN BURROWS LOOKS BACK IN A

RETROSPECTIVE AT THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW

YORK. PAGE 12

RIVIERA VIEWFACONNABLE AIMS TO GROW WITH MORE STORES AND A

REFOCUSING ON ITS FASHION ROOTS. PAGE 3

2 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

OTB Taps Stefano Rosso; Riccardi Exits Diesel

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 ©2013 FAIRCHILD FASHION MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 205, NO. 57. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in March, May, June, August, October and December, and two additional issues in February, April, September and November) by Fairchild Fashion Media, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, Chief Executive 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. For New York Hand Delivery Service address changes or inquiries, please contact Mitchell’s NY at 1-800-662-2275, option 7. 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 all request for reprints of articles please contact The YGS Group at condenast@theygsgroup.com, or call 800-501-9571. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild Fashion Media magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RETURN OR LOSS OF, OR FOR DAMAGE OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO, UNSOLICITED MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO DO SO BY WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE.

ON WWD.COM

THE BRIEFING BOXIN TODAY’S WWD

Saks Fifth Avenue’s men’s private label, starting this fall, will have a new name — Saks Fifth Avenue New York — as well as three subbrands and devoted shops in key markets. PAGE 1 The Supreme Court on Tuesday handed down a decision that permits the purchase of foreign-made goods abroad and their subsequent resale online or in U.S. stores. PAGE 1 Façonnable is planning to celebrate the opening of its new boutique in Bellevue, Wash., today as it unveils the new course of the brand under artistic director Julian Neale. PAGE 3 Dylan Lauren has teamed up with Le Sportsac on a handbag collection featuring prints inspired by her candy store. PAGE 3 As the number of fashion weeks across India continues to grow, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week remains the main event both designers and buyers take seriously. PAGE 6 Laurel Kamen, a former American Express executive, is launching apparel for women who have undergone a mastectomy. PAGE 9 The Asia Society threw its fifth annual gala at The Pierre hotel in Manhattan on Monday, honoring designer Jason Wu. PAGE 10 Diane Lane and Edward Norton narrated an homage to Frederico Fellini at Venetian Heritage’s annual black-tie gala. PAGE 10 Photos depicting a resemblance between a coat from Céline’s fall runway and a 2004 design by Geoffrey Beene have been circulating among fashion folk in Paris. PAGE 11 Jeffrey Lubell has stepped down as True Religion Apparel Inc.’s chief executive officer as the company continues its search for strategic alternatives. PAGE 11 With the Museum of the City of New York unveiling a retrospective of his work, Stephen Burrows recaps his career, sizes up the fashion scene and maps out what’s next. PAGE 12 Paul Caine, Time Inc.’s chief revenue officer, is leaving the company at the end of the month. PAGE 12

Scarlett Johansson as Margaret in Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” For more, see WWD.com

EYE: Julie Weiss, costume designer for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” has an unusual story about how she first found her métier. For more photos, see WWD.com.

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SBy ARNOLD J. KARR

NEIMAN MARCUS INC., drjays.com and Revolve Clothing have settled charges from the Federal Trade Commission that they falsely mislabeled garments con-taining real fur as “faux fur.”

The three companies were cited for violations of the Fur Products Labeling Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The Humane Society of the U.S. filed a grievance about the three retailers and eight other firms in November 2011, although an FTC spokesman couldn’t confirm a connection between that petition and the settlement.

Under proposed consent orders that apply for 20 years, the companies are barred from violating the Fur Act but will not be held liable if they don’t embellish or misrepresent claims provided by the items’ manufacturers, don’t sell them as private label product and

weren’t aware or couldn’t have been aware that the products were marketed in violation of the act. The settlement doesn’t require any payments by the three retailers.

The alleged violations by Neiman Marcus involved three items — a coat from Burberry, a flat shoe from Stuart Weitzman and a coat by Alice + Olivia — carried on its Web site. The fur content of shoes sold in its cata-logue, in ad materials sent to consumers and on its bergdorf-goodman.com Web site was also misrepresented, according to the complaint.

The complaint about drjays.com involved misrepresenta-tion of fur content and failure to disclose content on the exterior and lining of jackets and vests. Eminent Inc., which does busi-ness as Revolve Clothing, alleg-edly either failed to disclose the animal name for the fur on four items or misrepresented the composition of the fur.

Confirming the agreement, Neiman Marcus said it “is dedi-cated to providing complete and accurate information to our cus-tomers. To this end, we main-tain a robust program to comply with all laws and regulations intended to protect consumers, which is as good or better than any program in the industry.” In addition to its commitment to “identify correctly and promote accurately” fur and faux fur products, the retailer said it will continue to work with vendors and the FTC to provide “trans-parent and accurate product information that our customers expect and desire.”

Calls seeking comment from drjays.com and Revolve weren’t returned.

The agreements will be avail-able for public viewing, the FTC said, and public comment will be possible until April 18, after which the FTC will de-cide whether to make the settle-ments final.

Federal Trade Commission Settles Fur Complaint

By LUISA ZARGANI

BREGANZE, Italy — Change is afoot at Diesel and parent company Only the Brave Srl, whose name has now been cut short to OTB SpA.

Stefano Rosso, son of Diesel founder Renzo Rosso, has been appointed co-chief executive of-ficer of OTB. In a separate development, Daniela Riccardi, ceo of Diesel, will leave the denim and sportswear brand on April 1. A Procter & Gamble Co. veteran, Riccardi joined Diesel in 2010 with the goal of boosting global expansion. No information on a successor was provided at press time.

Renzo Rosso said the appointment of his son provides “a message of continuity and involvement of the family,” reiterating that he has no intention to publicly list OTB. “We have resources to grow on our own,” he said.

OTB, which controls Maison Martin Margiela, Viktor & Rolf and Staff International, acquired a majority stake in Marni at the end of last year. Staff International produces and distributes collections for Just Cavalli, Dsquared2, Vivienne Westwood Red Label and Man, and Marc Jacobs Men. Stefano Rosso’s brother Andrea runs the 55DLS brand.

Through OTB, Renzo Rosso is determined to build a successful multibrand fashion group. “We are not looking at creating a huge conglomerate but a beauti-ful, cool, fresh, modern firm. Big, yes, but also a group that makes you dream. We want to represent excellence,” said Rosso at the group’s state-of-the-art headquarters here, near Italy’s Vicenza. The entrepreneur compared giant automotive group Fiat and luxury car maker Ferrari, indicating the latter as his aspiration for his own company.

In line with this strategy, Marina Tosin, the long-time ceo of Only the Brave, will focus on business development. “It’s such a moment in the market, when you can bring home beautiful operations over the next few years, and she will dedicate her time to develop the group, giving it more structure and more contractual power,” said Rosso.

“The organic growth has not reached its poten-tial, and we can further expand through additional acquisitions,” said Tosin, clarifying that the group will not diversify. “We won’t get into highways,” she said, in a reference to the Benetton family whose interests range from the fashion brand to motorway catering. “We will scout brands and companies in line with our group philosophy, and complementary to our existing business. They must be international and iconic brands.”

A sizable group will allow for more contractual power, Rosso conceded, but is also part of a strategy

to safeguard Made in Italy production and invest in small production activities, he added.

Rosso and Tosin admitted they worked hard to secure the Valentino brand last year, losing out to cash-rich Mayhoola for Investments, a vehicle backed by a private investor group from Qatar.

“We want to grow in the high-end range, and we were ready to go crazy for Valentino, which is the most ambitious iconic brand,” said Rosso in his usual energetic manner. “That was a deal that hap-pens once in a lifetime. We talked to Italy’s govern-ment, but Qatar had an exclusive signed, and we got there late,” he lamented.

Tosin and Rosso also were enthusiastic about Marni, which they are still “studying” to create effi-ciencies and integration. “Marni’s customer loyalty is exceptional and very rare in the women’s wear business,” said Tosin.

Speculation about Rosso backing former Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière sur-faced after the interview, but a spokeswoman had no

comment on the speculation. With his calm and soft-

spoken manner, Stefano Rosso is the yin to his fa-ther’s yang. “We are comple-mentary. I am much more impulsive, and I often turn to him for his sound and mod-ern opinions,” said Renzo Rosso of his son, who is cur-rently talent mapping and creating a structure aiming at the development of the group through the management of human resources. “The corporate governance that worked for Diesel won’t work for a larger multibranded group,” said Stefano Rosso.

The company has been tapping new employees in fi-

nance, administration and technology, among others. OTB currently employs 6,600 people.OTB last year closed with sales of about 1.5 bil-

lion euros, or $1.9 billion at average exchange, up 10 percent from the previous year. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose more than 10 percent compared with 181 million euros, or $251.6 million, in 2011.

Rosso attributed the growth to strong sales in the Far East, the U.S. and Japan. “I’m very happy with the double-digit gains, especially in light of the slow-down in the last quarter of 2012,” said Renzo Rosso.

The Brave Kid production and distribution arm of children’s wear for brands including Diesel, John Galliano and, more recently, Dsquared2 Kids, which will bow for spring 2014, is also under the OTB umbrella.

As for Diesel, Rosso believes there is still un-tapped potential for the brand in markets such as Asia, South America and Russia. He expects the brand to close 2012 with a “good single-digit” in-crease in sales. “Diesel is a beautiful, revolutionary machine,” he said.

Renzo and Stefano Rosso

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BY LUISA ZARGANI

NICE, France — Façonnable is planning to cel-ebrate the opening of its new boutique in Bellevue, Wash., today as it unveils the new course of the brand under artistic director Julian Neale.

Across from Lake Washington, the directly op-erated 3,500-square-foot unit, modeled after a new store concept, is located at upscale shopping cen-ter Bellevue Collection. The new store blueprint is fashioned after a house on the French Riviera, with striped awnings and facades, a sea-blue color palette and an outdoorsy feel. Shelves come in bleached oak, and wood planks embellish the ceiling.

“For the past 12 months, we’ve worked with high-er end and more sophisticated materials and details, expanding the lifestyle component of the label, our Mediterranean story reminiscent of [Pablo] Picasso, [Brigitte] Bardot and the coast from Monaco to Saint-Tropez,” said chief executive officer Moustapha El-Solh at the company’s headquarters here. The U.S. and Europe account for 70 percent of company sales, which last year totaled almost 170 million euros, or $217.6 million at average exchange. El-Solh said his goal is to reach revenues of 300 million euros, or $391 million at current exchange, in two years, through global expansion and investments in retail.

In the U.S., Façonnable has long been one of the key brands at Nordstrom, which previously owned it. “We are looking at our positioning in American department stores, which also include Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York, raising our standing and location placement within,” said El-Solh. In the U.S., Façonnable has boutiques in San Francisco; Beverly Hills; Costa Mesa, Calif.; Denver; Aventura, Fla.; Coral Gables, Fla.; New York; Atlanta, and Dallas.

El-Solh noted that the strong performance in the Florida stores is traction for business in Latin America, singling out Mexico and Venezuela as solid markets. “Customers in those areas know about the brand, relate the collection to a lifestyle and are educated and demanding,” he said, noting that there are plans to open directly operated stores in Latin America. A unit was opened in January at the airport in Panama. Three stores exist in Chile and, through a partner in Peru, the company is finalizing locations in the region. A new store will open in Mexico this year and El-Solh is looking at directly entering Brazil.

While admitting to a general lackluster econ-omy and “more cautious” growth in emerging markets, the executive remains confident about Façonnable’s untapped potential. “Our growth is exceeding our expectations, while we remain atten-tive to capital expenditures,” said El-Solh.

He is also concentrating on expanding in emerg-ing countries, which today account for 30 percent of revenues. In 2013, Façonnable will directly roll out units in four cities in China: in April, at the Takashimaya Mall in Shanghai; in June, with a flagship in Chengdu and a freestanding store at

the Sanya island resort, considered China’s Saint-Tropez, and a shop-in-shop at Beijing’s Galeries Lafayette in September.

Elsewhere, a unit will open in Beirut in May and, with a new Russian partner, two boutiques and one duty-free unit will open in Russia in 2013.

The brand also is moving into smaller coun-tries, with stores in Lithuania and Latvia opening in December last year, as well as in Dubai’s luxury shopping Mall of the Emirates.

The company currently has 34 directly operated stores and 37 franchised units. The brand is avail-able at about 800 multibrand stores globally. Retail accounts for 55 percent of sales, but the company has plans to expand this share through its new bol-stered store network.

Neale, who was previously creative direc-tor at Rena Lange and whose first collections for Façonnable bowed for pre-fall 2012 for both men and women, said that, “like with many brands, they get to a mature point, and they have to go forward to maintain existing customers and attract new ones at the same time. Façonnable had gone to sleep and needed to return to its Monte Carlo sensibility; it’s a happy sunshine brand. I felt it was a shame that its

story wasn’t being told in an honest way.”

Façonnable, founded in 1950 by Jean Goldberg, reached its peak in the Sixties, and became known in the Eighties for its fun, colorful shirts. Lebanon-based M1 Group acquired the brand in 2007.

Neale, who was born in Turkey and raised in Hong Kong, compared clothes to “friends you rely on, spending time with them like with people. You keep your friends, don’t you? With clothes it’s the same, it’s about collecting.”

Believing that seasonal collections are an old-fashioned concept, Neale opts for feel-good and comfortable designs, superb fabrics in sun-bleached, light hues.

“Dressing is not only a visual activity, it’s tactile, and it’s about how you feel. The industry is so much about how other people perceive you, there’s so much insecurity, but you must be true to yourself,” said the designer.

His fall collection for men ranges from cozy hand-knit or reversible cable sweaters to cash-mere parkas, poplin shirts with a tweed brushed effect, soft corduroy jackets and chino velvet pants. “Casual doesn’t have to be casual and formal doesn’t have to be formal — I don’t think that way,” he said. Façonnable’s trademark stripes pepper a number of outfits, sometimes as tie prints. The more sophisticated Sartorial and Atelier collec-tions made in Italy are also part of the offer.

Neale said there is room to “experiment more” with women’s for the brand, as the division is less steeped in history. “The Façonnable woman bor-rows from the boys, it’s tomboyish and younger,” said Neale, showing a selection of striped silk wrap dresses, printed silk pajama shirts and a wool and cotton coat with a knit back.

By ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

DYLAN LAUREN wants to el-evate candy to lifestyle status.

Like her father, Ralph Lauren, Dylan is in the branding business, and she hopes to lift her company, Dylan’s Candy Bar, to an “aspirational” level through fashion collaborations. While she’s introduced rain boots, stationery, tech ac-cessories and jewelry, her most recent deal, a handbag line with LeSportsac, sig-nals an international push for her brand.

“Unlike our other licens-ing deals, this is more of an international push,” Lauren told WWD. “It will be a big thing in Asia.”

LeSportsac, which is owned by Japanese company Itochu Corp., has broad dis-

tribution in Asia, she said, explaining that the bags will be available in LeSportsac’s freestanding stores world-wide and in her candy stores. Shoppers can also buy the bags on lesportsac.com and on dylanscandybar.com.

That distribution will ensure that the collec-tion, which includes 14 LeSportsac silhouettes in three vibrant candy prints,

will be available in Japan, Korea, Latin America, the Middle East, France and the U.S. Called Candy Spill, Sweet Talk and Sugar Cube, the three main prints ac-company two styles, the Sweet Stash Tote and the LeSweetsac.

All styles are made of LeSportsac’s rip-stop nylon and include a gum-ball charm, and will range in price from $18 to $188. The collections will hit stores in two waves, the first will be available in August, and the second in November.

When asked why she chose LeSportsac for her first bag collaboration, Lauren underscored the brand’s broad appeal. “It’s not too elitist,” she said of the bag-maker. “It’s very ac-cessible but considered fash-ionable around the world.”

The “world” is the op-erative word here, noted Lauren, who said that even though she has shops in Los

Angeles, New York and Miami, she’s looking to bring her passion for candy to inter-national locales

like Dubai and London.

I n s p i r e d by the film

“Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” as well as by the strong imagery and intense col-ors in Pop Art, the former art history major

admitted that she had always been eager to integrate candy into design and fashion.

Coming from a notable fashion family, it’s hard to imagine Lauren’s father’s re-action to her desire to bring candy to the people instead of jumping squarely into the family business.

“If anyone understands, he does,” she said. “I want to elevate candy.”

Dylan’s Candy Bar’s LeSportsac weekender bag

in the Sugar Cube print.

Dylan Lauren in Pact With LeSportsac for Handbags

3WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013PH

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TRADE SHOW Liberty Fairs, founded this year by Sam Ben-Avraham, is expanding to the New York market. The first Manhattan show will be staged on July 22 and 23 at 82 Mercer Street, a location that previously housed rival trade show Project NYC before the latter moved this past season to Pier 92.

Ben-Avraham expects to host about 120 denim and contemporary brands at the New York edition of Liberty Fairs, about half the number he is targeting for the first edition of his Las Vegas show in the Sands Expo in the Venetian-Palazzo complex in August. “We wanted to create a single solution for brands and buyers in both New York and Las Vegas,” he said.

Ben-Avraham, who founded Project in 2003 and sold it to Advanstar

Communications in 2005, has brought on Adriano Goldschmied as a partner in Liberty Fairs. Goldschmied, founder and creative direc-tor of GoldSign and men’s creative director at Citizens of Humanity, has made an equity investment in the trade show. He joins Adam Bernhard, founder and chief executive officer of HauteLook, as a stakeholder in the start-up.

Also taking an equity stake in Liberty Fairs is Sharifa Murdock, a longtime Project veteran whom Ben-Avraham poached to become his head of sales. A former Project merchandising ex-ecutive, Stephanie Seeley, has joined Liberty Fairs to head up merchandising and its West Coast operations in Los Angeles.

— DAVID LIPKE

Liberty Fairs Adds N.Y. Show

Façonnable Sets New Course

The new Façonnable in Bellevue, Wash.

For the past 12 months, we’ve worked with higher

end and more sophisticated materials and details,

expanding the lifestyle component of the label.

— MOUSTAPHA EL-SOLH, FACONNABLE

4 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

Prim WittedPRIM YET NOT EXACTLY

PROPER. CUT IN DEMURE SHAPES WITH OFFBEAT

DETAILS, FALL’S DRESSES HAVE AN AIR OF ONE

MARGOT TENENBAUM, SHE OF THE 2001 CULT CLASSIC

“THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS.”

Nicolino’s viscose dress with beaded collar necklace.

Wren’s silk dress. Jennifer Ouellette hat; Bass loafers.

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WWD.COM5WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

Haus Alkire’s cashmere and wool coat with lamb fur collar

embellished with Swarovski Elements and

eelskin and cotton top;

Kate Spade’s collared

silk blouse, cotton skirt and leather

handbag. Bass loafers. Lotusgrace’s

polyester gazar dress with beaded collar. Wrapped journal.

Marc by Marc Jacobs’ shearling coat and ALC’s rayon dress. Coach handbag; Carolina Amato gloves.

Twenty8Twelve’s acrylic, mohair and polyamide coat and leather dress. Carolina Amato gloves; Hirotaka ring; Wrapped journal.

6 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

Anrealage: Kunihiko Morinaga is known for his innovative collections based around a singular concept. His fall show started with a series of looks in black, white and gray prints, with color slowly appear-ing in the form of bright aqua polka dots and pink flowers. Halfway through, two

models, dressed in what looked like stark white lab coats, walked onto a revolving platform in the center of the stage. As the platform turned and the lights came up, the colors of the clothes morphed into candy-hued pastels reminiscent of Easter eggs. This technique carried on for the

rest of the show, which capped off with a few dramatic pieces in layered lace.

Motonari Ono: Motonari Ono incorporated influences from both men’s wear and interior furnishings into his lineup, using checked suiting fabrics and heavy floral

jacquards for ladylike pencil skirts and fitted jackets. His signature feminine details showed up in peplum dresses and satin cocktail frocks trimmed in black

lace. Velour tuxedo jackets, a black leather mini cape, twill anorak jackets and tight denim jeans and skirts with contrasting jacquard

piecing at the back added a modern edge.

Mint Designs: Designers Hokuto Katsui and Nao Yagi often turn out zany, loud prints at Mint Designs. Here, they showed a series of dresses and coats in a letter motif and a couple of playful dresses in a print composed of puzzle pieces. Tamer yet still interesting fare included riffs on the skirt suit and a sequence of eye-catching coats in an oversize check pattern in green and blue. The models sported taped-up heads, lending an abstract touch to the show.

Christian Dada: Christian Dada designer Masanori Morikawa often veers into macabre territory and this season was no exception. A choir sang an eerie tune to accompany the mostly black lineup of sharp shirts, pants and coats featuring rich embroidery and lace-up detailing. Sportier items included a few quilted garments and a shorts-kilt hybrid for men. While black dominated the show, a few closing looks in gold, vibrant red and blue made it easier to see the intricate nature of Morikawa’s handiwork. Feathered platform shoes provided additional dramatic impact.

Et Momonakia: Design duo Joga Naoto and Tamaki Hiroto staged a game of musical chairs for their Et Momonakia collection, sending models out to play the children’s game for a lighthearted presentation. They started out with a series of tartan dresses before progressing to other ladylike looks incorporating colorblocking, 3-D bow appliqués and plenty of fur, including an entire dress made of the fuzzy stuff.

By MAYU SAINI

NEW DELHI — As the number of fash-ion weeks across India continues to grow — more than 20 at the last count — Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, sponsored by the Fashion Design Council of India, or FDCI, here remains the main event both designers and buyers take seriously.

The five days of shows ended Sunday with 58 designers showing and 57 booths in the exhibition hall. There was certainly a step up in elegance and more of a focus on cleaner cuts and an emphasis on styl-ing rather than embellishments. This was evident in the works of both established and newer designers, including such names as Rahul Mishra, Payal Pratap, Ranna Gill and Shivan & Narresh.

There was considerable hype that de-signer Tarun Tahiliani was again showing at the event. Over the last two years, many of the country’s best-known designers have kept away from India Fashion Week or showed off-site. This time, instead of one of the coveted late night spots, Tahiliani did a 5:45 p.m. show, drawing a large audience.

His collection of flaming yellows and burnished reds was held together by what he is known best for — his sensuous drapes — but this time with more layer-ing and a play of materials. The colors of the collection were enriched by the layers as well as the materials he chose, including silk, velvet and crepe wool, which he combined with traditional mo-tifs and prints such as paisleys. Inspired by the “careless sensuality of the sadhus and the dervishes,” Tahiliani told WWD that his inspiration came from a journey he undertook recently. “I went to Kumbh Mela and this excited me,” he said.

The Kumbh Mela is a pilgrimage that takes place once every 12 years, in the city of Allahabad.

The Woolmark Co. sponsored a show by Rajesh Pratap Singh to mark its new association with the designer. Amir Sheikh, India coun-try manager for Woolmark, said ex-perimentation with wool was being taken to more creative heights. “We hope to take wool awareness to its next level,” he said. Singh’s show had a strong dramatic element with leaves lining the ramp denoting fall and fake snow being generated. He used circular knit wools, tweeds and patterned wool combined with zips and circular pockets.

The collection is slated to re-tail in the designer’s own stores as well as in international multi-brand stores.

New to the fashion week as well was Masaba Gupta, who re-cently was appointed creative di-rector for Satya Paul. Known for her quirky style, Gupta continues to work with her own label but was brought into Satya Paul to update the collection; this was her first show for the label. “The brand is reaching for a new and younger audience,” a brand representative ex-plained, “and the new Western lines and the saris are indicative of this. The brand has a lot of new energy and is making a statement of change.” Although Satya Paul’s trademark saris were still part of the collection, dresses in neon colors with abstract designs gave the label an energet-ic, vibrant look.

Joy Mitra’s collection focused on Bollywood with photos of legendary actors splashed across pockets, dresses and other forms of detailing. While this wasn’t the first time Bollywood icons have been used like this, Mitra said that it was an inspired collection to mark 100 years of Indian cin-ema in 2013. “Movies are a great leveler in our society. They take away the edge from

caste, class and every other form of separa-tion. So why not of fashion?” he said.

Elsewhere, there were elements of the fantastic and futuristic — from design-ers Alpana and Neeraj, for instance. The duo, who have designed for Lady Gaga, showed off fish-tail styles of fitted dresses with detailing in fake leather and stones. “Performers and people in show business all over the world have been watching our styles and picking up our designs,” said Alpana Chauhan, who said that most of the garments were corseted. “We like to play with textures and make it glamorous, with honeycomb and chain patterns.”

The grand finale was a form of home-coming for designer Manish Arora, who showed at the event after an absence of more than four years. During that time, he was in Paris as creative director at Paco Rabanne and more recently showed his own collection during Paris Fashion Week.

His show at WLFW held a combination of anticipation and a touch of disappoint-ment — it was the same collection that he showed at Paris Fashion Week in February. Deepak Bhagwani, managing director of the brand, said that it was only a few weeks after the showing in Paris and that the styles from the Paris collection are not being marketed or sold in India.

While many designers commented that the number of buyers appeared to be di-minishing each year, partly as a result of the global economic situation — others said buyers were a function of the collections of different designers and their offerings. Nachiket Barve, who had a booth near the entrance of the exhibition space, said there had been no shortage of buyers and sales at the event were strong. Designers agreed the number of buyers from the Middle East were on the increase, as were the number from the fast-growing domestic market.

Japan Fashion Week: Fall 2013

Just a few days into its fall cycle, there are already a few clear trends emerging at Japan Fashion Week, held in Tokyo March 17 to 23. Black and neutrals are more prevalent than in past seasons, while texture, prints and furs are also key elements. Here, highlights from the shows.

Old and New Converge in IndiaPH

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Rajesh Pratap Singh

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Christian Dada

Mint Designs Et Momonakia

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Ron Frasch, Saks Inc. president and chief merchant, said the journey for Saks started just more than three years ago when Peter Rizzo, who now heads cre-ative merchandising for the company’s Off 5th division, told him that the store had every great men’s label but one — its own. “He got me thinking that there’s a place for us. We have a distinc-tive and desirable fashion-able point of view. And it also fulfilled our need to increase exclu-sives within our men’s offer,” Frasch said.

Rizzo worked with the existing team to create the first collections, and “very quickly it became a very significant business for us,” Frasch said. Rizzo then moved to the discount di-vision and Saks hired Cohen. In order to elevate the brand further, “we realized we needed true de-sign talent,” and Herring came on board, Frasch said. “This is his first fully developed collection, and we’re really proud of it.”

To show it off, Saks knew it had to enhance the presentation in stores. “If we want to play with the big boys in the men’s business, we have to present it in the same way,” Frasch said.

The first, a 2,000-square-foot hard shop, made its debut earlier this month at the revamped Beverly Hills men’s store. “New York is next,” Cohen said, noting that it would be 2,500 square feet

and located on the sixth floor. It is ex-pected to open this summer. That will be followed by shops in the men’s stores in Boca Raton and Bal Harbour, Fla., as well as Chicago, where the men’s wear is being relocated into the main store from a freestanding unit nearby.

“By the end of the year, we will have four very significant shops,” Frasch said.

“Then we start working on 2014. We re-ally believe in it.”

Cohen said in larger stores such as New York, where the

classic and contemporary collections are separated,

the shops will offer Black and Platinum product while White will be merchandised with other modern brands. But in smaller stores, all three labels will be

merchandised together.The first hint of the re-

vamped brand quietly hit Saks’ warm-weather stores

for the cruise season, where patterned swim-wear and shorts have

been selling strongly, Cohen said. “We attacked the warm-weather stores

first,” he said. “We created a cruise collection in bright colors — shorts all year long. It’s in stores now and doing very well.”

Within the Black line, the tailored clothing is now being produced by Samuelsohn in Canada and will sport a dual label. It will use performance fab-

rics, have full canvas construction and retail for under $1,200. “This takes the collection to another level,” Cohen said. Dress shirts will use Italian fabrics and patterns chosen specifically by the Saks

team. They will sell for $195. Ties will be made in Italy, and outerwear will include travel jackets, topcoats with standing collars and leather jackets. There will also be accessories such as printed scarves and gloves with bright-ly colored linings.

Key pieces include a double-breast-ed wool peacoat in an above-the-knee length; a quilted Italian napa lamb leather vest that reverses to a cash-mere-blend flannel; half-zip cashmere sweaters with suede piping; cotton gingham checkered shirts, and chunky wing-tip brogues with lug soles.

The Platinum collection focuses on Italian outerwear and includes a clas-sic bomber in calf leather with remov-able beaver lining. There is also a col-lection of shoes that will retail for $425 to $495.

The White collection features a tailored, slimmed-down aesthetic of sportswear. “I wanted to redefine mod-ern,” said Bonnett, who signed on to de-sign the line in early December. “When people hear that word they think aus-tere, slick, cold, black, gray. This offers a streamlined silhouette and lots of great color.” Key pieces here include a knit color-blocked peacoat with a blanket stripe at the waist; colored corduroy pants; a wool-nylon quilted shirt jacket; an updated varsity jacket; a reversible leather bomber jacket; cotton-blend knit pants, and an argyle knit polo.

Cohen said he and men’s fashion di-rector Eric Jennings interviewed several designers before deciding upon Bonnett. “We wanted to add a modern component with an American point of view. We like Rhett’s sensibility, and his freshness and his use of color appealed to us.”

Cohen said this multipronged ap-proach to the creation of a collection “extends beyond the doors of the store. We’re not knocking anyone off, and it’s not less expensive. It has great value and offers an American point of a view with a European twist.”

When asked if Saks is planning to wholesale the line, he responded, “It’s something we’re considering.”

Frasch said the company’s inter-

national partners in Dubai, Mexico and Kazakhstan currently purchase the line, and at the most recent Pitti Uomo show in Florence, the store set up a showroom in a local hotel. “It’s clearly an opportu-nity if we decide to pursue it,” he said. “A lot of great specialty stores around the world have inquired about it. But this is a long-term initiative for us, and we want to do it slowly and meticulously. It’s our name and we can’t afford any missteps.”

It’s also an initiative that Saks is try-ing to replicate within the women’s arena. Frasch said the store recently installed Linda DeFrances, one of its top divisional merchandise managers, to oversee women’s private brand ini-tiatives. “We’re going through the exact same process as in men’s,” he said.

Frasch said that retailers often look at private label as something that has to be hidden behind made-up names in an at-tempt to elevate its positioning. “But we have a great brand name, we’re proud of it and we will use it. This is just the be-ginning,” Frasch said.

8 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

Saks Revamping Men’s Private Label

A jacket and shirt, plus accessories, from the Black subbrand.

Items from the Platinum collection.

Left: an ensemble from the White line.

{Continued from page one}

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By SUSAN WATTERS

WASHINGTON — The night before surgery is never easy, especially for anyone used to taking charge. Laurel Kamen, a retired top executive at American Express here, was packing for a trip to Georgetown Hospital for a bilateral mastectomy when the idea hit her. Blasting through the blogs of sweatshirts and fleece, she envisioned a niche market providing chic options for women like herself.

Kamen stopped packing, picked up the phone, and started dialing. Fifteen

months later, she is ready to launch.Thanks to the support of Wall Street

insiders, American Express alumni and a designing cousin, Kamen’s company, Alloro, kicks off today with an invitation-only cocktail party.

“I want women who love fashion and color to know there is a place to celebrate the contour of their body, to find fashions that don’t hug the body but help you re-member that you have one,” said Kamen, who also ap-pears on a video on Alloro’s Web site, where the line is available for sale.

Next month, Kamen and her cofounder Christine Irvin, a former Wall Street trader, will start a 10-city national tour opening in New York City. “We want to host trunk shows in all the major cancer centers to create a bazaar for women to meet and feel good about fashion,” said Irvin.

The company’s name, Alloro, is a playful nod to Kamen’s first name, dreamed up by her husband Al, who writes the award-winning Washington Post column “In the Loop” chronicling the ups and downs of anyone who matters in Washington.

The D.C. launch is nothing if not a high-profile af-

fair. The three-day fest starts with a cocktail party at the prestigious Jones Day law firm followed by a two-day trunk show on Capitol Hill across from the Shakespeare Theatre offices. The whole shebang is being organized pro bono by Prism Public Affairs. Prism’s founder, Dale Leibach, served as assistant press secretary in Jimmy Carter’s White House and communications director for retiring Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa). And Leibach isn’t the only D.C. political veteran reaching out to help.

“What I find fascinating is that she and her cofound-er have put together an entire business in less than a

year,” said Ann Stock, the former Clinton White House social secretary and Bloomingdale’s alumna who runs the State Department’s Fulbright program “These are elegant pieces designed to help women look beautiful and move forward in their lives. I’m considering work-ing for several hours each week pro bono.”

Stock first heard about Kamen’s idea last month at a luncheon hosted by Neiman Marcus’ Friendship Heights store to introduce Kamen’s line to the local medical community. Kamen credits Neiman Marcus vice president and general manager Martha Slagle with coming up with the idea.

“I was shopping there for something to wear when I found a jacket I couldn’t afford,” said Kamen, who start-ed talking to the salesperson about her idea. “Within minutes she had walked me into the back office where Martha Slagle listened to the idea and immediately de-cided to support it.’’

Kamen also got a boost from her friend and former boss

James Robinson 3rd, who retired in 1993 as Amex’s chief executive officer. In addition to serving on the board of Coca-Cola, he is cofounder of RRE Ventures, a private eq-uity firm with $850 million in assets. “We went to see him. He introduced us to another colleague, a partner, who gave us good advice and names of people to see,” said Kamen.

All in all, Kamen and Irvin talked to about 100 peo-ple in the American Express alumni circuit. Along the way, they received pro bono offers of support from Jan Rogers Kniffen, former treasurer of May Department Stores Co., and J. Michael Schell, a former Citibank

dealmaker who worked until recently as head of mergers and acquisitions for Alcoa. What brought everyone together is the idea of hosting trunk shows in the top 10 cancer centers to bring women together to heal.

The line is made up of 14 pieces ranging from $40 for a camisole to $250 for a little black dress, all made with their style-conscious, post-op styl-ing. Alloro’s signature design is the bo-lero jacket priced at $225 with hidden inside pockets for post-op drains dur-ing recovery. Other items include The Mary Louise, $250, a European hand-kerchief linen camp shirt, made in New York City, cut full under the arm and gathered into a loose cuff, and a silk charmeuse and spandex, hand washable camisole for $125.

Trunk shows in the top 10 can-cer centers start April 21 and 22 in New York’s Chelsea neighbor-hood, followed by shows in Houston; Baltimore; Rochester; Boston; Durham, N.C., Stanford, Calif.; Seattle; Chicago, and Los Angeles.

“We use dolman sleeves to make the clothes easier to put on and off. Our camisoles have nothing to rub or chafe on the sides. The seams are all in the

center of the back,” said Kamen. “Everything is constructed of the lightest fabrics with the least weight on the shoulders. Each piece has a very feminine shape without hugging the body at a time when the body is healing. And we use great colors — fuchsias, red, mint, purples, shimmering black and tangerine orange. Cancer drains the color out of women.”

Higher-end price points serve for items sewn in New York’s Garment District using fabric designed in France. “We want every woman to be able to afford at least one piece,” said Kamen, who is donating 25 percent of Alloro’s profits to a nonprofit organization specializing in preven-tion and mobile mammogram screening for Hispanic and African-American women in underserved regions.

For all the help, Irvin has no illusions about how tough business can be. Still, they are running things on their terms. “We went to one venture capitalist that of-fered to buy the idea,” said Irvin, who said they turned the offer down. “We are not building a business to be bought and sold. We want to make women feel better.”

9WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

Off-Pricers Prevail in Supreme Court Copyright CaseThe Supreme Court reversed the ap-

peals court ruling in a 6-3 decision on Tuesday and threw out a copyright in-fringement award to John Wiley & Sons.

The legal argument centered on a pro-vision under U.S. copyright law known as the “first-sale doctrine,” under which a manufacturer’s rights to distribution of a product end upon the first authorized sale it makes. Any individual or company that owns a copy of a product lawfully made under the statute can then sell or dispose of the copy without the authority of the copyright owner.

The court addressed the legal ques-tion of whether the doctrine applies geo-graphically and held in Tuesday’s major-ity opinion that the “first-sale doctrine applies to copies of copyrighted work lawfully made abroad.”

Considered by legal experts to be among the most important business and consumer cases of the court’s term, the case has implications for companies such as Costco and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., as well as consumers reselling products on online marketplaces like eBay.

Justice Stephen Breyer, who wrote

the majority opinion, cited an argument made by retailers in an amicus brief filed by the Retail Litigation Center.

“Retailers tell us that over $2.3 trillion worth of foreign goods were imported in 2011,” Breyer said. “American retailers buy many of these goods after a first sale abroad. And many of these items bear, carry or contain copyrighted ‘packaging, logos, labels and product inserts and instructions for everyday packaged goods from floor cleaners and health and beauty products to breakfast cere-als.’ The retailers add that American sales of more traditional copyrighted works, ‘such as books, recorded music, motion pictures and magazines, likely amount to over $220 billion.’”

An interpretation that the first-sale doctrine does not apply to goods made abroad “would subject many, if not all, of them to the disruptive impact of the threat of infringement suits,” Breyer said.

The majority decision on Tuesday su-persedes a split decision on the question in the 2010 Costco-Omega case, in which half of the eight justices participating

found that the first-sale doctrine did not apply to imported products. That deci-sion let stand an appeals court ruling that found Costco liable for copyright in-fringement when it sold Omega watches it bought from a middleman abroad at heavily discounted prices without the Swiss company’s authorization.

“As Justice Breyer recognizes in his majority opinion, the ability to lawfully purchase goods manufactured abroad pursuant to valid copyrights and import and sell them in the U.S. is really im-portant to the whole system of retailing that we currently have in the U.S.,” said Deborah White, president of the Retail

Litigation Center. “It was very impor-tant that Justice Breyer recognized those principles are embedded in American retailing today in his decision.”

“What we have now is no geographi-cal distinction to the extent to which copyright protection is afforded to manu-facturers, whether the goods are made in the U.S. or [produced] overseas and imported legally into the U.S.,” said Joel Benoliel, chief legal officer at Costco. “The big-picture view is this is a vic-tory for consumers because in those in-stances where the combination of manu-facturers and retailers in the U.S. price goods that are imported in a way that causes U.S. consumers to pay significant-ly more than what the same exact item would cost in other countries, this is a way of skirting that problem and offering those same goods in the U.S. to custom-ers at a more rational price based on the cost to manufacture them.” Benoliel said.

“We are very happy with the decision. We know that the fight over this is not over. It will shift now to Congress.…,” he added. “For now, we are happy. We think it is the correct decision and we think it is an ap-propriate pro-U.S. consumer decision.”

The big-picture view is this is a victory for

consumers.— JOEL BENOLIEL,

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP.

{Continued from page one}

Laurel Kamen’s Alloro Launch Shows It Takes a Village

I want women who love fashion and color

to know there is a place to celebrate the contour of their body, to find fashions that

don’t hug the body but help you remember that you have one.

— LAUREL KAMEN, ALLORO

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Laurel Kamen and Christine Irvin

MANHATTAN’S MEATPACKING DISTRICT may evoke thoughts of balmy summer weather, but a little snow couldn’t detour the downtown scenesters from a night of drinks, food and shopping at Monday night’s Open Market fund-raiser at the Highline Stages, hosted by the Meatpacking District Improvement Association.

“Hey, it’s New York in March — anything can happen,” shrugged Theory founder and president Andrew Rosen.

General public tickets to the Rosen and Diane von Furstenberg cohosted event were sold in advance for $150 a ticket, with a VIP option available for $350, allowing early entrance into the venue and an overstuffed gift bag to take home. All proceeds, including those from the night’s silent auction, went directly to the assocation.

“I’m so glad that my wife is not here,” noted one guest as he surveyed the rows of booths boasting designer brands at sample sale prices.

Tory Burch, Helmut Lang, Rag & Bone, DVF and Theory were among the brands represented, holding court in their individual booths, while nearby food stations offered small bites and large drinks to keep guests well nourished.

Popular options included pork-belly steamed buns from Morimoto, fresh sushi from Catch and the Tippler’s signature Bootsy Collins cocktail, as well as a

fully functional pop-up Biergarten, complete with girls in lederhosen doling out soft pretzels.

“Tonight is to show off the Meatpacking District,” Rosen said. “It’s such a cool area with so much going on.”

Decked in a vibrant overcoat from her fall 2012 collection, von Furstenberg reflected upon her own history with the district. “When I started to work again about 13 or 14 years ago, I bought a little carriage house on West 12th Street,” the designer said. “Everyone said that I was crazy; that the neighborhood smelled bad and nobody wanted to work there. I just didn’t listen.”

The self-proclaimed “Godmother of the neighborhood” grabbed some chips and guacamole from the Dos Caminos booth before ducking out, narrowly missing Geordon Nicol and Leigh Lezark of the Misshapes kick off their set with the crowd-pleasing Solange hit “Losing You.”

Latecomer Olivier Theyskens slipped in just before 9 p.m., making a beeline to the Theory booth, where he divulged his favorite Meatpacking hot spot. “I love Pastis. They have this thing that I love that’s fried eggs, beans and toast. It feels like breakfast but you can have it for lunch,” he said. “If you are slightly hungover, it’s the best thing.” — LAUREN MCCARTHY

“IT’S SUCH a lyrical language, isn’t it?” one of the few nonbilingual attendees of Venetian Heritage’s annual black-tie gala said on Monday night, listening in on a neighboring conversation. “It’s okay to eavesdrop if you can’t understand what they’re saying.” Italian doyennes, most of whom spoke in their native tongue, and New York-based Fellini fans convened on the second floor of the Pershing Square Center awaiting “Caro Federico” (translation: “Dear Federico”), a Guido Torlonia-helmed production in homage to the late director Federico Fellini. The evening raised funds for Venetian Heritage, a nonprofit which seeks to preserve the city’s Italian cultural institutions.

“I viewed him mostly as my father’s friend. To me Federico was one person as my father’s friend and another when it came to his films,” Isabella Rossellini said, procuring a glass of white wine from a passed tray early in the evening. “He was a very funny man, so whenever I think of him I have a smile on my face.”

A procession of floor-grazing taffeta and chiffon (mostly of the Fendi variety; the label sponsored the event) trickled into the Frank Gehry-designed theater to take in the 90-minute tributary treatise of the beloved filmmaker. Amusing archival interviews with the director, as well as clips spanning the breadth of his work — from “La Strada,” “La Dolce Vita” and “8 !” — rolled with Edward Norton and Diane Lane

taking turns narrating. Afterward, guests including Lauren Remington

Platt, Fe Fendi, Zani Gugelmann, Shala Monroque, Laure Heriard Dubreuil, Aaron Young, Waris Ahluwalia and Maggie Betts feathered out into the lobby-turned-dining-area, where cream-clothed tables and vases flush with hydrangeas and orchids beckoned. “I’m glad the humor came across,” said Lane, beaming in an ecru Fendi pantsuit, of her oration. “I was so happy to hear the audience’s laughter. You never know if you can deliver the laughs!”

Jessica Diehl peeled away for a cigarette while guests nestled into their dinner seats. Meanwhile, Gugelmann inspected Giovanna Battaglia’s glittering baguette slung on the back of her chair, a perfect companion to her gilded Fendi swing dress. At the next table, an animated Genevieve Jones caught up with tablemate Linda Fargo. Nearby, Alba Clemente introduced Peter Marino to a bewildered Norton. “I don’t usually wear such nice stuff,” Marino ribbed as Norton marveled at the biker hat and leather chap splendor. “I got dressed up for you f---ers.”

— TAYLOR HARRIS

10 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

THE ASIA SOCIETY threw its fifth annual gala at The Pierre hotel in Manhattan on Monday night, honoring designer Jason Wu. Guests including chairs Stephanie Foster and Charles Rockefeller, as well as Jenny Shimizu, Michelle Harper, Cynthia Rowley, Bill Powers, Lorry Newhouse, Yung Hee Kim, Chiu-Ti Jansen and Eddie Borgo, who donated a pavé crystal bracelet to the event’s live auction, mingled over Asian-inspired hors d’oeuvres before settling into the hotel’s grand ballroom, which was decked out in the color fuchsia. “I’m very excited to wear my dress, and I’m especially happy that I work with the decor of the room,” said Jean Shafiroff, wearing a hot pink Zang Toi number.

Wu’s slightly tardy arrival was met with a flurry of hugs, air kisses and photographer squawks. The man of the hour walked in with a troupe of gazelles — Martha Hunt, Hilary Rhoda, Shu Pei and Liya Kebede — all of whom donned the designer’s dresses.

Rhoda was looking forward to spending the coming weekend in Southampton. “I haven’t been

able to get out there all winter,” she said. “I need to stop making excuses. My mom and I have a place with our dogs. Hopefully it won’t be snowing.”

Anna Sui, arm-in-arm with her date, Hanne Gaby Odiele, had just returned from Japan. “I was talking at a seminar at Aoyama Gakuin University, and I had a store opening there too. It was crazy because it was 70 degrees and sunny and you felt like the cherry blossoms were about to pop and then the sky went dark and in came this huge dust storm from China. The whole sky turned yellow,” she said. “It was totally science fiction.”

After a brief welcome from Asia Society’s museum director, Melissa Chiu, Wu took the stage with a nervous energy. “When I grew up in Taiwan, it was very clear to me that I wasn’t going to be your average doctor, lawyer or accountant. In fact, I’d highly discourage myself from doing any of your taxes,” he said. “But my parents encouraged me to do what I wanted to do. I wanted to acknowledge them because they couldn’t be here; they are in Taiwan. Because they think New York is too dirty. And it is a bit dirty, but I love it.”

— KRISTI GARCED

Fellini-esque

On the Market

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Diane Lane and Edward Norton, both in Fendi.

Fe Fendi in Fendi.Lauren Remington Platt in Fendi.

Maggie Betts in Fendi and Waris Ahluwalia.

Leigh Lezark

Diane von Furstenberg in her own design with Andrew Rosen. Olivier Theyskens

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Martha Hunt in Jason Wu and Van Cleef & Arpels with Elizabeth Gilpin.

Michelle Harper in Jason Wu with the designer.

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FIT TO BE TIED: Photos depicting a resemblance between a coat Phoebe Philo just paraded on Céline’s runway for fall 2013 and a 2004 design by the late American designer Geoffrey Beene have been circulating among fashion folk in Paris, with designers Alber Elbaz and Karl Lagerfeld said to be among recipients of the images. “I must say I was a little shocked,” Lagerfeld commented.

The coat in question is a trapeze style shown with the sleeves knotted in the front. The similarity was also highlighted on the blog of New York zine Garmento.

Asked for comment, the Geoffrey Beene Foundation told WWD that the late designer has “inspired designers over the past several years” and that the coat in question, “recreated by Céline in 2013, was a signature piece of Mr. Beene’s and a representation of how timeless his pieces were.”

Asked about the apparent similarity, a Céline spokeswoman had no comment. — WWD STAFF

GUEST OF HONOR: Vivienne Tam made her first visit to Japan in five years to take part in Tokyo Fashion Week and celebrate her 15th anniversary of doing business in the country. “It’s really exciting,” Tam said at an event Wednesday night that included a runway show of her fall collection. “The energy in the room was incredible. It felt really empowering, and made me want to come here more often to be with my fans.”

The designer said Japan is currently her largest market and her business here continues to expand with her local partner Sanei. More store openings

are planned for later this year.Tam said that whenever she visits

Tokyo, she is always inspired by the way Japanese women dress. “They’re very interesting. They love to mix things together,” she said. “They’re so wild and revolutionary, and I love that.”

— KELLY WETHERILLE

ALL REAL: CFDA chief executive officer Steven Kolb and Devin Wenig, president of eBay Marketplaces, took 30 designers out for dinner Monday to The General downtown to celebrate the joint You Can’t Fake Fashion campaign, which actually has 90 designers involved. “They each customize a bag as one-of-a-kind to show their support and raise awareness for such an important cause,” said Wenig. “Since 2011, CFDA has partnered with eBay to advance the initiative,” Kolb added. “Educating shoppers about the dangers of counterfeits is now more important than ever.”

The designer totes went up for auction Monday starting at $100. The auction concludes March 25. Designers also created a tote at a fixed price of $50, which is also available on eBay. “Supporting eBay and the CFDA to preserve designers’ intellectual property is protecting our own identity,” said Claude Morais, who codesigns Ruffian with Brian Wolk.

The campaign furthers eBay’s ties to designers. For example, the six CFDA designers that participated in eBay’s holiday collective of exclusives last year — Billy Reid, Tibi, Chris Benz, Steven Alan, Ruffian and

Fenton Fallon — participated in You Can’t Fake Fashion for two years prior. Deborah Lloyd of Kate Spade has been supporting the campaign since 2011, leading to some strategic initiatives on eBay. — DAVID MOIN

BY THE LAGOON: The Benetton family’s real estate holding, Edizione Property, has plans to open a luxury department store in the heart of Venice. Following a

five-year negotiation with the city’s municipality, the company received the green light to restructure the 18th-century Palazzo Fontego dei Tedeschi, a 101,507-square-foot building the Benetton family bought from the Italian postal service in 2008 for about 60 million euros, or $84 million at average exchange.

According to the company, the building’s renovation, assigned to Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, will cost about 18 million euros, or about $23 at current exchange. — ALESSANDRA TURRA

HOME SWEET HOME: Nanette Lepore is setting up house. The contemporary designer, known for her evocative prints and bold colors, has forged a deal with

Peking Handicraft Inc. to offer bedding and home gift products beginning this fall. The home collection takes its cues from the prints and intricate details of Lepore’s ready-to-wear collection.

The bedding category includes comforters/duvets, pillows, sheet sets, coverlets and decorative accessories such as Euro shams and bed skirts. Bedding retails from $249 to $299. The home gift category includes high-end decorative pillows, area rugs and kitchen products. Decorative pillows retail from $100 to $200, while rugs range from $160 to $270.

Nanette Lepore described the design sensibility of the home collection as “sort of lush and romantic.

“It’s really cozy bedroom elements but doesn’t read super feminine. It’s great for a master bedroom,” said Lepore, adding that she expects it will be popular with couples starting their first homes.

Nanette Lepore Villa is being previewed this week at the New York Home Fashions Market. The bedding will be sold at department stores, and the gift line will be sold at department and specialty stores and in high-end catalogues.

Lepore products range from women’s apparel, handbags and footwear to accessories and swimwear. In addition to its department and specialty store accounts and e-commerce site, Lepore has 11 boutiques, in New York (two units), Los Angeles, Bal Harbour, Fla., Chicago, Las Vegas, Boston, London, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo. — LISA LOCKWOOD

KRAKOFF’S NIGHT: Michelle Obama’s go-to designer as of late, Reed Krakoff, will be honored by the Henry Street Settlement April 4 for his philanthropic support of New York City. John Demsey, Nina Garcia, Alina Cho, Kalliope Karella and Valerie Boster will help Krakoff celebrate at the annual gala at The Plaza Hotel.

Over the past 100 years, the HSS has helped 50,000 individuals through educational programs, housing, job placement and other services. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

11WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

FASHION SCOOPS

FOR MORE SCOOPS, SEE

WWD.com

Lubell Out at True ReligionBy ARNOLD J. KARR

ANY DEAL INVOLVING the sale of True Religion Apparel Inc. will have to take place without its founder at the helm.

The Los Angeles-based premium denim firm said late Tuesday that Jeffrey Lubell, who founded the com-pany in 2002, has stepped down as chairman, chief executive officer and creative director. He will be succeeded on an interim basis as ceo by Lynne Koplin, who’s been the company’s pres-ident since 2011 after joining as chief operating officer in 2010.

Lubell will serve as chairman emer-itus and a creative consultant to the firm for a period of two years.

The changes come as the company enters the sixth month of its quest for strategic alternatives, including a pos-sible sale, and just three weeks after it told investors that Lubell’s employment contract, scheduled to expire on June 30, would not be renewed in light of its ex-ploration of a sale or other transaction.

The quest for a buyer is being led by a special committee of the com-pany’s board made up of nonman-agement directors. Guggenheim Securities LLC is the committee’s financial advisor and Greenberg Traurig LLP serves as legal counsel.

“I am very proud of all that the com-pany achieved during this decade of both achievements and challenges,” Lubell said. “Now is the right time to facilitate the next phase of the compa-ny’s development and growth and for me to seek new creative endeavors.”

Koplin joined True Religion fol-

lowing five years as president of the women’s division of Oxford Industries Inc.’s Tommy Bahama brand. Earlier, she’d worked at Warnaco Group and retail nameplates I. Magnin, Marshall Field’s and Burdines.

True Religion’s board issued a state-ment noting that, under Lubell’s lead-ership, “True Religion has become a premier global fashion company, far ex-ceeding its original goals. Jeff ’s vision for and commitment to this business has been, and will continue to be, a key driver of True Religion’s success. He has not just made a mark on our com-pany but on the industry as a whole.”

Under Lubell’s leadership, char-acterized by an aggressive, sometimes confrontational style, True Religion has been a leader in the premium denim space and, along with the smaller Joe’s Jeans Inc., is one of only two U.S.-based companies in the sector that are public-ly held. Sales in 2012 rose 11.3 percent to $467.3 million, with same-store sales in its U.S. consumer direct business up 2.7 percent, while net income gained 2.3 percent to $46 million. Its retail opera-tions, a key component of recent growth on both the top and bottom lines, have swelled to 122 stores in the U.S. and 30 in international markets.

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 7, Lubell owned just over 591,000 shares of True Religion stock, giving him a stake of about 2.3 percent.

Shares on Tuesday closed down 21 cents, or 0.8 percent, at $27.16 prior to the disclosure of the management transition. They were unchanged in the early stages of after-hours trading.

Brian Wolk and Claude Morais

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEEstablished Major Import Companyof over 30 years (based in Los An-geles) is seeking a NY ACCOUNTEXECUTIVE to work from their cor-porate NY showroom on SeventhAvenue. This individual should haveat least three years experience sell-ing in high volume to major retail-ers. This is a full time position withcompetitive salary plus commissionand offers the opportunity to expandwith a successful and well perform-ing brand. E-mail resumes to:

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WWD.COM12 WWD WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

CAINE’S MUTINY: Paul Caine, Time Inc.’s chief revenue officer and once a likely chief executive officer candidate, is leaving the company at the end of the month. He will be the new ceo of Dial Global, a syndicator of radio programming. Caine’s exit follows several tumultuous months at the publisher that saw the layoffs of 6 percent of its work force, failed negotiations with Meredith Corp. to merge their women’s-interest magazines and the eventual decision by Time Warner to spin off the division as a publicly traded company — which led to the resignation of current ceo Laura Lang.

Caine was a veteran Time Inc. man with 23 years at the company — he had been the group publisher of the style and entertainment group and played key roles in the launch of People Stylewatch, among others. Most recently he had been the face of Time Inc.’s next-generation group buy program, Amplify. After former ceo Jack Griffin was ousted, Caine was considered a front-runner to fill his place, and, again, when Lang said she wouldn’t see the

company through its public offering, he was mentioned by insiders and industry observers as a likely successor. His exit likely anticipates the departures of other key publishers as the company moves to-ward the spin-off. Lang said in an internal memo she is looking at candidates to suc-ceed Caine, and until the position is filled, his deputies will report to her. Time Inc. had no comment. — ERIK MAZA

IF YOU LIKED IT THE FIRST TIME...: For a supposedly press-shy garden designer, Madison Cox has gotten a lot of press lately. There he was in WSJ. magazine in November, and there he was again two weeks ago in the men’s issue of T: The York Times Style Magazine. Even more curious, both stories were written by Marian McEvoy, the former editor of Elle Decor, and photographed by Oberto Gili. And they both toured Cox’s home in Tangier, Morocco. “The Most Important Garden Designer You’ve Never Heard Of,” read the headline in WSJ. With friends like McEvoy and former WSJ. editor and now T magazine editor Deborah Needleman, that won’t be the case for much longer.

Cox, whose eclectic clientele includes Sting, Michael Bloomberg and Anne Bass, rarely agrees to interviews.

But Needleman, while she was at WSJ., was pursuing him and Lee Radziwill for separate features. McEvoy wrote in the Journal the Cox interview took “three years of persistent persuasion” to get. Before she left, Needleman put Cox in her very last issue of the magazine. But she also wanted to include him in T, and ran a different version of the story, this one more shelter-oriented. Cox is that good apparently. “One was on his garden projects. The other story was about his home,” Needleman wrote in an e-mail.

The Journal couldn’t help but brag about getting there first, even if the story was assigned by the same editor: “We’re always flattered when the New York Times or any other publication follows our stories several months later,” said a spokeswoman. Needless to say, both stories approved of the designer’s touch. In November, the house was described as “spectacular,” and months later, McEvoy concluded, “Welcome to this side of paradise.” — E.M.

TEEN ANGST: Celebrity weekly publisher Bauer, owner of In Touch and Life & Style, among others, is restructuring its teen division, which includes titles M, J-14 and Twist, amid significant

declines in advertising and circulation. Staffers expect layoffs to follow, but a spokeswoman said the restructuring would allow for greater efficiency.

Last week Bauer merged the editorial staffs of the three magazines, which mix celebrity and tween interests. The staffs will now be working on a 10-day rotating schedule, alternating between the three brands, while fashion and beauty features will be handled by corporate sibling In Touch. That would mean some positions are redundant, but a spokeswoman said there have been no layoffs so far. “There are no massive layoffs ahead,” she added. The editor in chief and art director of each brand will remain in place. With the transition of celebrity news from print to digital, Bauer, among other publishers of celebrity glossy tabloids, has seen declines at the newsstand and in advertising. Circulation for J-14 declined 5 percent in the second half of 2012, while Twist dropped 10 percent, according to the Alliance of Audited Media. While the Association of Magazine Media did not have recent data for the teen titles, In Touch lost 32 percent in revenue from 2011 to 2012, while Life & Style declined 7 percent. — E.M.

By ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

STEPHEN BURROWS made sure that The Supremes’ “Up the Ladder to the Roof ” will be piped into the retrospec-tive of his work that bows Thursday night at the Museum of the City of New York.

Aside from being a favorite song he liked to blast, it could double as an anthem for his career. Fittingly, the exhibition is called “Stephen Burrows: When Fashion Danced.” And dance he did, regardless of whether it was to Motown, rhythm and blues, New York sound or rock ’n’ roll. The music, like the up-until-dawn club scene he was once part of, has fueled his creativ-ity as much as the buzz and street life he finds so stimulating about New York City.

As 25 helpers scrambled about on Tuesday afternoon pinning muslins, roll-ing on photographs like wallpaper and setting display text, Burrows did not seem to be the least bit wistful, frazzled or re-flective about being surrounded by his past. (Never mind that he has spent the better part of the last six weeks helping to track down and select 50 pieces for the show.) Other flashbacks could be heard loud and clear in a documentary about the 1973 “Battle of Versailles” between French and American designers, of which Burrows was one. “It’s humbling to have so much attention. Usually something like this doesn’t happen until you pass,” he said. “Being successful is being happy in what you’re doing and being able to make money at something that you love to do. I can’t imagine anything that makes you happier than finding true love.”

Born in Newark to divorced parents, Burrows has always thought of himself as “bicoastal” in that he always traveled be-tween his mother’s New Jersey home and his father’s Harlem one. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, his senior co-op job at the missy blouse company Weber Originals turned into a full-time one. “I was making $125 a week. That was a fortune back then,” he said.

By 1968, he had ventured out on his own thanks to private clients like the Brazilian artist Jim Valkus, Bobby Breslau and Roz Rubenstein. In 1970, his Fire Island friend Joel Schumacher — a Henri Bendel-er before he hit Hollywood — suggested he meet with the store’s then-president Geraldine Stutz and a 12-year alliance was formed. Hardworking as he was, Burrows ran with a fast crowd, including Pat Cleveland, Alva Chinn, Halston, Joe Eula and Elsa Peretti. After an after-dinner nap, Burrows would get up around 11 to hit the clubs with his

friends — The Loft, Sanctuary and oth-ers. At 3 or 4 a.m., they would head home for a few hours’ sleep before going to work. Burrows said, “We didn’t really talk about fashion unless to tell someone we loved what they were wearing that they had made. It was mostly about dancing and the nightlife. Music was a big force.”

Alcohol and drugs were other forces too, though Burrows didn’t go into detail about those aspects of the period. “We were a product of the times. All that stuff was around, available and taken into ac-count when needed,” he said.

Standing in the Commune section of his retrospective, which plays up his disco-era rainbow-colored designs, Burrows said he is partial to the early days. The show opens with a colorful photo of Grace Jones snarling opposite a black-and-white one of

a bespectacled Burrows wearing a Jell-O printed shirt. Eyeing an image of his first photo shoot in Central Park in 1970, Burrows said the Seventies were all about freedom of expression. That same year he became the first African-American de-signer to win a Coty Award. “It didn’t mat-ter who you were with as long as you were happy,” he said. Gesturing towards framed sketches and vibrant knitwear, Burrows said, “I’ve always had a thing for phallic symbols. It’s kind of a signature.”

Others know him for joining Halston, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta and Anne Klein in the “Battle of Versailles,” the legendary fashion showdown with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin and Emanuel Ungaro. “It was such a proud moment for American fashion,” Burrows said. “Of course, when we did it, we didn’t think about it that way.”

He recalled sitting beside Blass in first class as they flew to Paris for the show. “We didn’t know about the party the models

were having in the back of the plane,” said Burrows. Nor did they know the figurative drawings Eula had spent hours sketch-ing in New York would not fit to scale Versailles’ vaulted ceilings. “The Eiffel Tower he drew looked miniscule,” Burrows said. “The room dwarfed the scenery. We had to use a bare empty stage. The situa-tion, we thought, was kind of hopeless. But it turned out to be such a knockout.”

Meeting Josephine Baker — “divine in a catsuit looking like she was naked” — and Saint Laurent were Versailles snap-shots he will never forget. “Saint Laurent came up to me and said, ‘You make beau-tiful clothes,’” Burrows said. “He was sit-ting in the next booth at the event. The designers weren’t allowed to be with the clothes during the show.”

As for the current designer scene, Burrows rattled off Rick Owens, Lanvin and Jean Paul Gaultier as three favor-ites. Less enthusiastic about younger designers, he said, “I don’t understand what’s happening with fashion today. It looks very added-to, like everything in the kitchen sink. But that’s just me.”

Celebrity designers don’t hold his in-terest either. “They come up and just die. There are all these celebrity lines and in 200 days they’re gone. Meanwhile, someone else who does design can’t get going,” Burrows said. “The word ‘designer’ is so loosely used today. Of course, I don’t know what the cure for it is. It’s an animal in its own right.”

Asked about the lack of non-Cau-casian models on many designer run-ways, Burrows said, “I find it peculiar, because part of their customers are not Caucasian. I don’t know that it will ever change. I always use and will always use all different girls. ”

Minority designers also still struggle to get financing: “It’s particularly difficult for the minority designers. I don’t know why that is. I find it curious. It’s something that minorities will always be facing.”

At its most profitable in 2006, Burrows’ label was a $2 million business, but there have been fits and starts along the way. After running his own company from 1970 to 1982, he shuttered the doors and bowed out of the limelight. Caring for his cancer-stricken father and brother consumed most of his time, though he continued to create clothes for private clients and design costumes for the off-Broadway show “Momma I Want to Sing.” In 2001, Henri Bendel convinced him to come out of retirement and the following year he set up his own studio on 134th Street to relaunch his label. By 2008, he subletted space on West 37th Street — a few blocks from where his grandmoth-ers first met as sample hands for Hattie Carnegie in the Twenties.

In August, Burrows had to deal with the blow of losing his business partner of 15 years, John Robert Miller, who died unexpectedly. Now he and the brand manager Mary Gleason are speaking with potential investors and hope to have new financing in place for a spring 2014 col-lection. Occasionally he designs for pri-vate clients “but not so much because I hate sewing,” Burrows said. “I’ve never had the patience for sewing. It’s terrible — I can’t sew a straight line.”

As for how he sees his role in the fashion world, he said, “The essence of Stephen Burrows — be happy when you’re in the clothes and have fun with what you’re wearing. I’m very simplistic about things like that. That’s just how I am.”

12

Stephen Burrows Reminisces in Rhythm

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Items from the Stephen Burrows retrospective.