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PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA

TWO JEANS BRANDS TAKE UNUSUAL APPROACHES TO DENIM. PAGE 3.

INNOVATION IS THE NAME OF THE GAME IN TODAY’S HAIR

CARE MARKET. FOR SIX OF THE NEWEST IDEAS, SEE PAGE 6.

HAIR TODAY

Coming to AmericaAfter its European debut, L’Oréal is bringing Maison Martin Margiela’s fi rst fragrance, Untitled, to the

U.S. for a yearlong exclusive at Saks Fifth Avenue, beginning next month. For more, see page 7.

TWO JEANS BRANDS TAKE UNUSUAL APPROACHES TO DENIM. PAGE 3.

HAIR TODAY

Smooth and SophisticatedBalenciaga: “Welcome to the bathroom,” Balenciaga communications director Lionel Vermeil deadpanned to a guest arriving for the house’s show at the Hôtel de Crillon. He referred to the clinical white tiles covering the rooms’ fl oors and benches, the graphic expanse in counterpoint to, yet in synergy with, the majesty of the surrounding old-world decor.

Creating synergy with the past, respecting it, and ultimately transforming it into something ultramodern and compelling is what Nicolas Ghesquière does best. For fall, the Balenciaga designer was at his brilliant best.

In fact, the tiles were inspired not by the biggest, shiniest, most happily antiseptic bathroom you’ve ever seen but by Jean Pierre Raynaud’s Container Zéro installation. Yet those expecting a treatise on graphic austerity were wrong. Ghesquière showed, if not a gentler side, exactly, then a more obviously relaxed one (read: eased-up silhouettes) that sacrifi ced not a bit of his signature bravado. He called it “a game of perspectives and scale.” In the opening series, that meant multiple visual fi elds in a fusion of high chic: vests and jackets knitted from thick tubes of fake leather over sweaters made from wool strips on synthetic tulle, these in turn over dresses, their skirts draped fl uidly in front. They came in audacious nature prints on which tree-hugging lizards romped among the fl ora. There were also languid tunic dresses in linear blocks of color over skinny pants. (Would that the photographers had been afforded back shots, the better to capture their intricate constructions.)

Ghesquière took his newfound ease into separates — skirts bordered in deep bands of fake leather worn with sturdy, no-nonsense ski sweaters. He also decorated tops and skirts with stiff fl at chains — a look more artistic than tough — for what he called “a jewelry story.” Throughout, he made a number of very specifi c archival references: round-shoulder coats, which he faced with bright blue and violet; sculptural vests with big spherical buttons, and tunics covered in scalelike paillettes. “When you see the core of the work, [Cristóbal Balenciaga] is always fascinated by the same subject, working it over and over,” Ghesquière said. “I am fascinated by the radical nature.” Fascinated, but never intimated. And for fall, fabulous.

Rick Owens: There was probably no better way for Rick Owens to open his show, partly inspired by his Catholic school upbringing in Porterville, Calif., than with a sudden, blindingly bright screen at the end of the runway. Let there be light, right?

While such religiosity might steer a designer to lay things on thick, in Owens’ hands, the theme was superbly subtle — give or take a wimple or two. (But even here, a nun’s accoutrement du jour got the luxe treatment, made from plush mink.) Rather, Owens put the focus on “projecting purity,” which also opened him up to the work of artist Joseph Beuys. Thus, from start to fi nish, he worked a somewhat minimal and restrained vibe. Simple shapes were layered one atop the other to linear effect, creating staggered hemlines: a felt jacket over a roomy sweater dress over dropped-crotch shorts that hit below the knee. Picked apart, the clothes were fairly straightforward, plain even — though no less excellent. Owens delivered on great, no-fuss knits — sometimes a girl wants to skip the novelty sweater — and precise, sculpted jackets, the latter fashioned from stiff fabrics

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Smooth and Sophisticated The latest round of winning collections was a study in sleek graphics, architectural cuts

and ladylike restraint.

(leathers, meltons) and in architectural cuts. Meanwhile, the down parkas, which the designer noted were a nod to similar versions by Charles James, came with flattened, demonstrative sleeves — yes, angel winglike. This was Owens in an utterly controlled, refined and reductive mood. “I like the idea of someone making the effort instead of just talking about sex,” he said, while adding that his pieces could still read plenty sexy. “These are clothes for somebody who has a very satisfying physical life and doesn’t need to talk about it that much anymore.”

Balmain: Christophe Decarnin was not present to take his bow at the end of the Balmain show. The designer was absent under doctor’s orders, after having recently been released from the hospital, where he was said to have been treated for depression. A Balmain spokesman said Decarnin was involved in the design. This season, he worked with a new stylist, Melanie Ward, who replaced Emmanuelle Alt, who is focusing full-time on French Vogue. Whatever the division of labor between designer and stylist, it made for a strong, cleaned-up take on Balmain’s standard fun and flash. Aesthetically, it was a welcome change to a look due for a bit of evolution.

The first exit out was a shiny black suit: slick jacket over cropped pants that — surprise! — had breathing room. It set the tone for the rest of the show, which maintained the sparkle and sex appeal that customers have come to rely on while elevating the level of chic. The strong shoulder was reimagined as a goat hair shrug with a collar over a plain white shirt and black pants. The hemlines still bordered on indecent — in fact they might have actually climbed — but, delivered on elaborately tinseled tunics with long sleeves and a loose fit, the short stuff was more refined. Perhaps most surprising was the improbable minimalist streak that coursed through the tailored goods. Embellished or not, jackets and plunging jumpsuits were cut with clean, fresh lines.

Nina Ricci: Peter Copping, designer of unapologetically feminine fare, based his fall collection for Nina Ricci on the work of such artists as John Currin, Marlene Dumas and John Singer Sargent. Thus, he had no choice but to title the collection “Portrait of a Lady.” If the headline, appropriated for fashion spreads too many times to count, read trite, the clothes did not.

Like all great portraiture, classic or contemporary, Copping illustrated his subjects in expertly mixed colors — bottle green against baby blue; pale pink with black or burgundy. He used the drama of a neckline or the tilt of a hat — wide-brimmed rabbit fur styles, in this case — to draw his women in softly vivid lines. Much of it was all cast through a modern Victorian lens. Parachute silk blouses were gathered high around the neck, and robelike coats, some with fur trims, fell off the shoulders in romantic dishabille. Some of the best looks were done in rich, dark velvet, such as full-leg pants, not unlike track pants, and louche coats that tied with rope belts. There were sturdy men’s fabrics and radzimirs — both crinkled for texture — to counter the wispy silks and Copping’s beloved lingerie looks. Though girly through and through, nothing was precious. In fact, this was one of Copping’s more sophisticated turns. Ph

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Ann Demeulemeester: Dark, Goth, brooding and tough — Ann Demeulemeester can serve up that signature vocabulary in myriad ways, and those talking points converged for one of her most beautifully romantic collections — equal parts edge and fragility.

When the fi rst models came out in aggressively tailored looks, some cut from hard leathers, all majorly laced with loose tendrils trailing in the back, the mind zeroed in on Edward Scissorhands. That the models’ hair stuck straight up and out, as if their fi ngers were jammed in a socket, only underscored that thought. But Demeulemeester also folded in gentler, feminine moments to soften the mood, as in the pretty beaded fringed jacket and dresses (still black) that proved a luxe parallel to the stringy horsehair accents throughout. There were plenty of softly draped dresses and languid tailoring, both rendered utterly

refi ned. As for the feather motif — she stuck black quills into wide cartridge-pleated straps, bullet-belt-style — this was the designer working her wilderness warrior mood.

Demeulemeester signaled a likelier muse midway through when Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” boomed through the speakers accompanied by the crash of a mirror — a sound effect from “Black Swan.” Maybe there was something transformative about those terrifi c jackets with multiple zippered breakaway panels. And those beastly Cousin Itt coats and gowns covered in goat hair? Darren Aronofsky didn’t call his protagonist a “were-swan” for nothing. And, yes, the plumes fi t. Still, whatever the designer’s inspiration, the outcome was the same: tough-chic made darkly elegant and lyrical.

Rue du Mail: When the fi rst model emerged wearing a gray thick, textured, knit sleeveless coat

and a brown-and-black-stripe fur bib, some wondered if Martine Sitbon was moving in a Prada-esque direction. But the French designer soon proved she had plenty of ideas of her own, delivering what was surely her best collection to date under the Rue du Mail label. All her signature talents were on display in outfi ts that ran the gamut from minimal to ornate. At one end, there were spare jackets and coats featuring black satin strips appliquéd as trim or as trompe l’oeil pockets and collars. At the other, the dresses at which the designer excels were in a range of organic-looking patterns that brought to mind Art Nouveau insect wing designs. These appeared printed on waxy fabrics reminiscent of oil tablecloths, or carved into a black felt dress with a cream silk underlay — just one example of the delicately crafted pieces that gave this beautifully executed collection an intriguing edge.

Zac Posen: Once again Zac Posen chose to ship his production to Paris for fashion week on his quest to be in the company he keeps. It must be expensive to fl y everyone in, set up camp and book all the top girls.

Last season’s exuberant showgirls were met with a less than warm reception in the City of Light, which might be why Posen focused his sober fall lineup on daywear. The plain cropped pants and jersey pieces — tight turtlenecks and tighter dresses — were the most basic he has ever gone, and could certainly blend into the everyday workplace. Fitted jackets with pronounced collars and peplums, some in lacquered woven wool, and big fur coats jazzed up the look, but ultimately failed to make an impact. Blame the murky colors, such as a dimmed teal, olive green and brown, and lackluster styling — plain black pumps and opaque tights are not a universal salve.

Eveningwear has always been the designer’s strong suit and this season’s best in show followed his beloved mermaid silhouette in ombréd silk. The gray gown on Carmen Kass and deep navy on Coco Rocha were Posen’s most tempting offers.

Undercover: One sure thing is that it’s great to have Undercover return to the runway — Jun Takahashi’s talent merits it. He’s a whiz at taking everyday wardrobe pieces and manipulating them, this season by way of impactful collages. The back of a denim pant revealed a block of leather, for instance, while a seemingly classic men’s jacket came fused with a sweater, and a long cardigan was entirely lined in bonded technical fabric like a Mackintosh. The designer was in his element with great outerwear pieces, such as a parka with appliquéd panels of pale pink shearling, or satin bomber jackets embroidered with girlie cats.

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Ann Demeulemeester

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Mugler: It’s hard to judge Nicola Formichetti’s debut as creative director of the house that Thierry Mugler built as if it were a regular fashion show. About a dozen exits in, Formichetti’s muse and co-conspirator Lady Gaga — puffing on a cigarette under a domed hat — climbed onto the end of the catwalk and vamped for the photographers, assuring the media spectacle everyone expected. The set, a forest of thick pillars crowned with pointed arches to resemble a Gothic cathedral, made it hard to see the clothes as models flitted in and out of view, like a rapid-cut music video. Gaga’s new single, “Born This Way,” was mixed into the rumbling soundtrack she created, as was a never-heard single “Government Hooker.”

Here, perhaps, is a new formula for fashion, merging entertainment, digital media, celebrity and outré clothes. Even if the show failed to portray a strong commercial platform from which Mugler can revitalize its business, it succeeded in delivering a mood and attitude increasingly rare. “I want to get fun back,” Formichetti declared backstage. And so his models were encouraged to flail their arms, lip-synch and growl and paw for the cameras in their see-through, animal-spotted tubes with ragged fur sleeves.

Despite the flickering, disorienting nature of the show, the impressions were clear: raw sex straight from the red-light district, and fierce fashion of the blood-and-guts variety. The clothes were skintight and glossy, exposing the body and warping it in ways explored in Gaga’s latest video — and true to the sculpted legacy of the founder. The shoulders of jackets pointed upward and pitched forward ominously. Pants sprouted bonelike shapes at the hips and membranelike panels toward the ankle. Dresses had sheer portholes framed by ragged fabric edges, as if they’d exploded or were shot through with a cannon. Formichetti and Gaga are proponents of a strange beauty, believing fashion can transform and empower people who weren’t born that way.

Plucked rabbit resembling velvet was used for tops that looked like sweaters, while pants were done in sheared fur. Fabric blocking was all the rage and workwear accents ran through the collection, which had a charming Japanese street sensibility.

Sacai: If there ever was a season for Chisato Abe to shine, this was it. She’s a pro at splicing — one of fall’s major trends — and took that Sacai m.o. toward wintry urbane turf, as in the opening look: a ribbed sweater with panels of chunky furlike fringe. But the collection, utterly charming and chic, reveled in an opposites-attract approach, too, in the stylish mash-ups of innerwear and outerwear, with a soupçon of futurism thrown in. These were created via hybrid garments (a vinyl-looking tank, which on the return, showcased a slip) or an imaginative layering technique, seen in the sleeveless safari jacket, cropped high in

the back, over a waffle knit with a slightly ruffled hem. Though at times it was hard to decipher which looks were separates or simply trompe l’oeil, it only speaks to Abe’s inventive wit. While she kept the hemlines fairly short with reissues of last season’s swirly skirts, she pushed forward on a new volume — thus, the decision to show the clothes in motion on models rather than a still-life presentation.

Sharon Wauchob: In a season in which texture is key, Sharon Wauchob experimented with weaving techniques and embroidery to create effects both light and dense. Starting with loose black openwork knits, she then sent out dresses assembled from panels of perforated fabric and athletic mesh, to varying results. At its best, the collection exuded an air of medieval menace, with skirts embroidered with thousands of metallic rings for a chain mail effect, which were worn with chubby

fur collars or vests. The razor-pleated chiffon dresses that closed the show were threaded through with contrasting colored ribbon for a scaly effect similar to bark or cracked mud.

Manish Arora: Manish Arora was up to his old tricks again — magic tricks, that is. The witty Indian designer hired a bearded magician to perform runway illusions — making models mysteriously appear in an empty cage, or temporarily separating their body parts in a box. A giddy collision of colors and fabrics went from bell-shaped skirts ringed in blue fur to reptilian frocks with spiky origami surfaces. As usual, the lineup was high on fantasy, but was also rich in more wearable looks, such as a Forties-style velvet Bordeaux skirt suit with black tassels and embroidery, or hand-cross-stitched suede patchwork frocks in a wintry palette of scarlet, purple and green.

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DEAD MAN WALKING: Tattooing yourself to resemble a rotting corpse — complete with blackened eye sockets and insects crawling over your exposed brain — probably ranks low on the list of things a young man can do to attract attention from girls. Yet it seems to be working wonders for Rick Genest, aka Zombie Boy, who twitched his way down the Mugler runway, sharing the stage with Lady Gaga, who mimics his skeleton markings — and grinds against his loins — in her video for “Born This Way,” already surpassing seven million hits on YouTube.com. It’s a spectacular leap from the pubs and parks of Montreal, where Genest, 25, originated. He described his profession as a “sexual performer,” doing things one might expect a zombie to do — writhing on beds of nails and such.

“I like the whole freak-show atmosphere,” said Genest, a reserved and soft-spoken young man, who lovingly bundled up his runway togs after the show and donned the black, no-label layers he wears in his usual life. “I’m into DIY,” he said. Tugging him from the backstage melee after the Mugler show proved a challenge, as an endless stream of young women lunged to have their photos taken with him. “It’s great, isn’t it?” Genest asked with a back slap. A man of few words, he seems as stunned with his rise from obscurity as everyone else. “I’m superprivileged,” he said.

As his popularity explodes online, where his Tumblr and Facebook pages are bulging with fawning admirers of both sexes, comes word his modeling career is about to explode. “Some biiiig stuff in development. Coming soon,” he tweeted on Feb. 24.

Asked about his next career step, he simply said: “To be continued,” and dashed off to the Mugler after party, a plastic glass tucked into the pocket of his overcoat.

Mugler’s creative director, Nicola Formichetti, who discovered Genest on Facebook and anointed him his men’s wear muse, had to scare up a passport in a jiffy to get him on a plane in time for the men’s show in Paris in January. “He gets so many offers now,” Formichetti said. “He’s a born superstar.”

Undercover SacaiSharon Wauchob

Lady Gaga at Mugler.

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Rick Genest, aka Zombie Boy.

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beauty6 WWDSTYLE FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2011

Hair WorldInnovations abound in every corner of the hair care market, from Sephora’s spotlight on hair color to drugstore items that aim to make hair weatherproof. Below, spring’s key offerings. By Andrea Nagel, with contributions from Julie Naughton

OJON COLOR SUSTAIN AND DAMAGE REVERSE RITUALSThe brand is adding one new Ritual (its name for solution-based lines) and expanding a best-selling second this spring. The new addition, Color Sustain, is powered by Tahitian monoi oil, coconut oil infused with tiare fl owers. The oil’s nonaffi nity for water gives it a unique ability to help prevent color loss, said the brand’s founder, Denis Simioni. Color Sustain includes Color Protecting Cream, Color Revealing Conditioner, Color Revealing Shampoo and Gloss Finishing Hair Spray, ranging in price from $22 to $24. The brand is also adding a new shampoo and conditioner to its signature Ritual, Damage Reverse, which includes a Finishing Spray, Hair Treatment and four Smoothing Glaze options, one apiece for blondes, brunettes and redheads, and a version that can be used with any hair color. Damage Reverse products range in price from $24 to $33. All new products launch March 15 in about 1,050 U.S. specialty store doors, including Sephora.

ESALON: For those who live for shopping online, buying hair color electronically shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. Esalon began selling its $22 custom-made, at-home hair color products online in September, thanks to a network of hair color experts, suppliers and site- building experts. By logging on to its Web site, users are asked a multitude of questions about their hair, skin tone and coloring history. And from about 2,000 colors, one is selected just for them. Reorders work off of a client’s original customized formula and are tweaked based on feedback or left alone if the experience was perfect. Esalon, which guarantees a customer’s money back if he or she is unsatisfi ed, is kicking off an online marketing campaign this year to drive consumer traffi c to its site.

FREDERIC FEKKAI FOR PROENZA SCHOULER Some girls want a beauty regimen wrapped up in a neat, pretty package.

Enter Frédéric Fekkai, who, for many seasons, has coiffed the hair of the Proenza Schouler runway

girl. And to be sure that afi cionados can achieve what they see during fashion

week, a limited edition Proenza Schouler linen tote bag has been designed and stocked with key Fekkai

products. The bag, which has calf leather accents in Fekkai’s signature blue,

contains Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing Cream, Marine Summer Hair Beach Waves

and Fekkai Sheer Hold Hairspray. The bag will retail for $350 beginning April 1 at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman

Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

COUTURE COLORShari Glazer, a busy working mom who loves the“perfect shade of blonde” she gets from the salon, became frustrated with the time and expense and effort that came with it. So Glazer went out and developed Couture Color, positioned as luxury, at-home hair color, designed to offer salon results at home. Couture Color offers the top nine shades usually requested at salons (including the perfect shade of

blonde) with ammonia-free formulas and color that is time released “so that it slowly delivers a color that lasts,” Glazer said. Couture Color will be sold at all Sephora doors beginning in April and also will be sold on HSN featuring celebrity hair colorist Johnathan Gale on March 28 and 29. It will cost $30.

TRESEMME CLIMATE CONTROLAbout 50 percent of women between 18 and 34 check the temperature before deciding on how to style their hair, according to Bob Gorman, U.S. director of marketing for TRESemmé. With that in mind, TRESemmé has formulated a hair care line that looks to create a barrier between hair and the weather by combining keratin, UV blockers and a blend of polymers to lock in moisture without weighing hair down, help fi ght static and protect hair from the sun’s rays and humidity. TRESemmé Climate Control includes a shampoo, conditioner, mousse and hair spray. Items enter mass stores this month and will sell for $4.49 each.

RITA HAZAN ROOT CONCEALER TEMPORARY COLOR TOUCH-UP SPRAY After fi ve years and many, many trials, celebrity hair colorist Rita Hazan and owner of Rita Hazan Salon NYC has created what she thinks will change the way women cover up their roots between salon visits, as users seeking root touch-ups or highlights can get results by simply spraying them on. The spray can, she said, has an accentuator, which took a year to fi nd (alas, it is made in New Jersey) so that it makes a direct route onto roots or wherever it is pointed. Formulas (they are available in four neutral shades) are permanent until washed out and are impenetrable to working out and even rain, as they are made from natural pigments, not dyes. Resin helps the product hold onto hair and silicone makes hair shiny. Items enter Sephora nationwide March 24. Each sells for $24.

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NEW YORK — Joanna Chien wants American women to treat skin care as an essential daily regimen — much like brushing their teeth. Her goal is that all women will be able to afford the latest technology.

That’s why she abandoned her management position at Deloitte seven years ago and, with a $30,000 investment, found-ed Unt Skincare (Unt is an abbreviation of untitled). The vision was to deliver high-technology products backed by physicians at affordable prices, often half of upscale counterparts. For ex-ample, Unt’s Prodige plant stem cell serum (formulated with rare apple stem cells) retails for $59.99 for a 1-oz. bottle.

There are 10 physicians on board, ranging from plastic surgeons to dermatologists, who help Unt stay on top of skin care trends including whitening, antiaging and acne rem-edies. Visitors to the Web site, shopunt.com, can upload a photo of themselves and get these experts’ recommendations on skin remedies. Other items in the line-up feature everything from hyaluronic acids, copper peptides and stem cells.

Unt products are currently sold in almost 91 countries, mostly via Internet sales. The architecture of the firm — a tight staff, small advertising spending and costs controlled through Internet distribution — allows Unt to keep its retail prices down. But just as many retailers and suppliers are hun-gry for growth in U.S. brick-and-mortar stores. Chien has a goal of bringing Unt to American mass chains and direct marketing channels within the year. The timing could be right, as there is mushrooming demand for Asian products and high-technology skin care at prices that fit the drugstore and discount channels.

The line is broad, encompassing more than 250 skin care stockkeeping units, but also nail and color cosmetics.

— Faye Brookman

By JUlIe NAUgHTON

AFTer A WArm-UP in europe, maison martin margiela is ready to take on the U.S. fragrance market with the house’s first scent.

launching in April, the scent — like the house’s founder — aims to break the norms of a traditional launch: the juice’s name is Untitled, it’s a women’s fragrance that, with its astringent green notes, could easily be mistaken for a men’s launch, and its under-stated bottle has a generous helping of the designer’s sig-nature white.

“This is a very important launch for us,” said renaud de lesquen, president of maison martin margiela Fragrances at l’Oréal, the house’s fragrance license. “The unique nature of this scent — it is a very different juice — has the capacity to build loyalty. It is so unusual that it is difficult to move on to another scent. We are ex-cited about entering the American market with this scent, especially as it is a large and very competi-tive market.”

Untitled launched in select european mar-kets — France, Belgium, the U.K. and Italy, for a total of about 350 doors globally) in march 2010. “We have had tremendous success in europe with the fragrance. It was number one at Selfridges for many months and has also achieved strong sales

in its other markets,” said de lesquen.

The woody green floral, concocted by givaudan’s Daniela Andrier, has top notes of galbanum essence and or-ange blossom absolute; a heart of lentiscus, jasmine and gal-banum resinoid and a drydown of incense and musk.

marc rey, president of International Designer Collections at l’Oréal USA, noted the scent will launch first in Saks Fifth Avenue. “This is a scent with a very strong identity, and it is very much about the in-store ex-perience,” he said, noting the brand will use a number of nontraditional sampling vehicles, including ostrich feathers. more traditional sampling, such as deluxe min-

iatures and vials on cards, also will be used. “Saks Fifth Avenue understands the artisanal nature of this project, and their clientele is extremely so-phisticated. That is the market we are reaching for with this fragrance.” While it is likely busi-ness will expand after Saks’ yearlong exclusive, the fragrance will always remain very selective, said Sejal Shah, vice president of marketing for european Designer Fragrances at l’Oréal USA.

While executives declined comment on sales projections, industry sources estimated the scent would do around $3 million at retail in the U.S. in its first year on counter.

Margiela Scent to Launch Stateside Chien Aims for U.S. Masses

A visual for the brand.

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