SPRING 2016Patchwork Saddle Bag in Black,

Silk Chiffon Biker Vest on SoraFront Cover:

Tea Rose Applique Saddle Bag in Camel on Sora

Glovetanned Saddle Bag in Flax,Surf Biker Vest on Lexi

Glovetanned Saddle Bag in Black,Mixed Fabric Flight Jacket on Niels

coach.com

©2016 C

OA

CH

®

S P E C I A L E D I T I O N

Phot

ogra

ph b

y JE

NN

A G

REEN

E

Fashion. Beauty. Business.16 FEBRUARY 2016

CollectionsFall

2016

High–Brow GlitzJust because a lady’s refined doesn’t mean she can’t sparkle.

In the collection she presented on Monday, Carolina Herrera showed the way: an exquisitely embroidered striped shirtdress that’s bold and beautiful.

For more on the collections, see pages 6 to 13.

2 16 FEBRUARY 2016

The designer will introduce her first collection in June, according to sources.

BY MILES SOCHA WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SAMANTHA CONTI

Soon Sir Paul McCartney will be able to

wear the clothes of his favorite designer:

his daughter.

Stella McCartney — who once honed

her skills working for Edward Sexton, her

father’s Savile Row tailor — is to extend

her brand into men’s wear, WWD has

learned.

It is understood the London-based

designer is readying her first collection

for the spring 2017 season.

Given her global recognition, and a

vibrant market for men’s wear, the cat-

egory could represent a rich expansion

vein for McCartney, whose last big cate-

gory launch was a children’s wear label in

2010, which followed a test drive of two

collections with Gap Kids.

Her fortes — slouchy tailoring, comfort-

able knits and effortless separates — could

translate easily into men’s wear, which

has become increasingly casual.

Contacted by WWD, a spokesman for

the designer had no comment.

McCartney has focused on the women’s

universe since she launched her fashion

house in 2001 as a joint venture with

Kering, then PPR. Her collections include

ready-to-wear, accessories, lingerie, eye-

wear, fragrance and kids’ wear.

It is understood the men’s wear volley

is one of several major initiatives McCart-

ney has in the pipeline this year.

Women’s wear brands that have

ramped up men’s wear in recent years

include Marni, Balmain and Carven.

A lifelong vegetarian, McCartney does

not use any leather or fur in her designs,

which could be challenging at a time

when shearling coats and leather jackets

are extremely popular among men.

By contrast, her brand’s devotion to

sustainability — a passion she shares with

Kering chairman and chief executive offi-

cer François-Henri Pinault — could be a

strong and unique selling point to a male

audience.

McCartney stages her women’s wear

shows in Paris and could opt for the

French capital for her men’s debut, given

the strength of its fashion week, anchored

by such brands as Louis Vuitton, Dior

Homme, Saint Laurent, Paul Smith, Valen-

tino, Raf Simons and Dries Van Noten.

Business seems to be humming at the

company, which posted double-digit

increases in U.K. profits and sales for the

2014 fiscal year, the most recent available.

Companies House, the official register of

U.K. businesses, shows that sales were

up 11.2 percent to 31.6 million pounds,

or $49.9 million. The results only give a

partial picture of the company, encom-

passing only to the U.K. business and

worldwide licensing revenue.

McCartney, who does a range of athlet-

icwear for Adidas, is to be in the spotlight

at the Rio Olympics this summer, having

signed up again as creative director for

the Team GB official kit by the German

brand, which British athletes will wear

during the Games. She designed the Brit-

ish team’s clothing for the London 2012

Olympics, with replicas that were touted

by Adidas as the most successful Olympic

range ever.

Last year McCartney marked the 10th

anniversary of the Adidas by Stella McCa-

rtney line, which she marked by intro-

ducing Adidas StellaSport, an ath-leisure

range aimed at a younger audience and

meant to be worn to the gym and on

the streets.

FASHION

McCartney Plots Men’s Wear Move

Stre

et S

tyle

pho

togr

aph

by L

iz D

evin

e

New York Fashion Week Fall 2016 Street Style

WWD went off the runways and onto the streets and sidewalks for the best looks from New York Fashion Week.

Barneys’ Homecoming

Tommy Hilfiger RTW Fall 2016

J. Crew RTW Fall 2016

Victoria Beckham RTW Fall 2016

Global Stock TrackerAs of close February 15, 2016

ADVANCERS

DECLINERS

Onward Holdings Co. Ltd. +10.03%

Kose Corp. +8.45%

Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd. +7.92%

Matsuya Co. Ltd. +7.58%

Shiseido Co. Ltd. +7.24%

Shanghai Metersbonwe -2.98%

Lotte Shopping Co. Ltd. -1.72%

Youngor Group Co. Ltd. -1.55%

Li & Fung Ltd. -1.08%

Anta Sports Products Ltd. -0.43%

TOP 5TRENDINGON WWD.COM

He will show his new collection, RR331, in a presentation at the Mercantile Annex Tuesday evening.

BY KRISTI GARCED

On Tuesday, Ralph Rucci will launch

his new collection, RR331, in a 7 p.m.

presentation at the Mercantile Annex on

517 West 37th Street, a location chosen

for its convenience. “At 8 o’clock is my

dear friend Narciso [Rodriguez]’s show,

and everyone can literally walk across the

street,” he explained.

Discussing his New York Fashion Week

comeback, Rucci exuded a mix of calm

reflection and palpable excitement. It’s

been a tumultuous few years for the

designer, known for his scrupulous,

high-minded craftsmanship. In November

2014, he left the fashion house bearing

his name, which he founded in 1994 and

which had its fair share of financial strug-

gles through the years.

Rucci expressed a desire to move for-

ward with a new sense of clarity.

“I’ve spent the past year thinking,

How have I evolved after 34 years in this

fashion industry? What have I done, from

being the only American to show couture

in Paris….to creating luxury ready-to-wear

[here in New York]? I’ve thought about

what I’m best at and what I don’t know

how to do well. It’s as if I’m starting again

as I started in 1980,” he said, citing a

“multiplicity of emotions.”

Rucci’s new made-to-order collection

will be composed of 17 looks — shown

in all-black silhouettes, or “templates,”

which his clients can customize in other

colors — as well as seven sable fur coats

made with the same Pologeorgis furrier

he has worked with for 20 years. The furs

will be offered unlined; Rucci painted

on the inside of each sable pelt with

black ink.

Though in the past the designer has

done up to 60 looks in a single collection,

he aimed to create a streamlined ward-

robe with RR331, hence the presentation’s

tight edit. “I wanted each piece to be

perfect for what it means in that area;

whether it’s a raincoat, a tunic, a great

looking dress or a terrific mohair jump-

suit,” he said. “Evening wear [includes]

some very exciting pieces; one look is

screened with the neck and face of a Pina

Bausch dancer, another with the torques

of a Richard Serra sculpture.”

The debut also marks a flurry of collab-

orations, such as stretch suede and satin

shoes designed with Jean-Michel Cazabat

and sculptural visors by the milliner

Philip Treacy. As for the label’s RR331

moniker, “331” signifies the number of

rituals in the elaborate Japanese tea cere-

mony known as “chado” — the brand was

formerly known as Chado Ralph Rucci,

of course — and is meant to symbolize

Rucci’s exacting, procedural approach to

clothing design. He tapped digital artist

Pascal Dangin to conceive the label’s

branding.

Surrounding the presentation will be a

70-foot-long piece of artwork made from

10 of Rucci’s individual panel paintings,

meant to illustrate the collection’s devel-

opmental process. “The paintings, the

fur, the clothes; it’s all unified. The way

I approach fashion is where I am at this

moment. It’s provocative and timeless,”

he said, expressing an immediate distaste

for the word “timeless.”

Price points will be comparable to

those of high-end American luxury

designers, though he shied away from

specifics. He characterized his new busi-

ness model as one part luxury ready-to-

wear, two parts made-to-order. “The rest

comes after that — my furniture, paint-

ings, furs and accessories,” he added.

“Might I get into less expensive stuff even-

tually? Who knows. I’m not going to catch

myself with giving predictions.”

Rucci chalked up his evolution to a

“complete, spiritual devotion” to his craft.

“Thirty-four years ago, I thought, Where

will I be? What will I do? I had all these

ambitions. Now, almost 35 years later, I’m

running around through the streets of the

Garment [District] and I am myself again.

I am enjoying the process of picking up a

zipper,” he said. “If this work brings you

one thing, it’s the recognition of humil-

ity….That’s how we proceed further [in

this business]. If that doesn’t stay in your

head, you’ve lost all.”

FASHION

Ralph Rucci Discusses NYFW Comeback With RR331 Line

Stella McCartney

16 FEBRUARY 2016 3

BOUTIQUES 1-888-782-6357 OSCARDELARENTA.COM

4 16 FEBRUARY 2016

Attendees at the preview for “Manus x Machina” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art caught a run-through of Andrew Bolton’s plans for the May exhibition.

BY ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

Smartphone-wielding attendees at

Monday morning’s preview mirrored

the upcoming theme of the Metropoli-

tan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s

spring exhibition — “Manus x Machina:

Fashion in an Age of Technology.”

After telling guests how the Apple-

friendly tunes that welcomed them

Monday morning — Brian Eno’s “Music for

Airports,” a mix of analogue and elec-

tronic sound — would be piped through

the galleries when the show bows, Andrew

Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator

in charge, detailed how the exhibition’s

title was inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927

sci-fi drama “Metropolis” and not Alex

Garland’s 2015 “Ex Machina” as some had

asked. The iconic older film begins and

ends with the epigram, “The mediator

between the head and the hand must be

the heart,” Bolton explained.

“And given the dystopian vision technol-

ogy presented in the movie, the epigram

could quite easily have been the media-

tor between the hand and the machine

must be the heart. In fact, the entire plot

of ‘Metropolis’ unfolds as a dialectical

treatise of man versus machine. And this

oppositional relationship has played out

in fashion since the birth of the couture

in the mid-19th century…” he said. “And

it’s worth pointing out the advent of haute

couture coincided with the advent of the

sewing machine. And one can’t help but

wonder if the haute couture emerged as a

response to fears surrounding the demo-

cratic possibilities of the sewing machine.”

The exhibition will be housed in two

spaces in the museum — the Anna Wintour

Costume Center and the Robert Lehman

Wing. The former will represent the

ateliers, tailoring and dressmaking and

the latter will reflect the various métiers of

haute couture — such as lacework, leather

work, embroidery and feather work. Both

spaces will unfold as a series of case stud-

ies in which examples of haute couture

and ready-to-wear will be examined vis a

vis one another.

Gesturing towards a pairing on display,

Bolton said the Raf Simons’ designed 2015

Dior haute couture ensemble was hand-

pleated using a pleating mold, a technique

that was invented in the 1760s. The 1994

Issey Miyake “Flying Saucer” dress next

to it was “a revolutionary departure from

traditional pleating because the pleats

were applied after the fabric was cut and

sewn, so that you construct a garment that

is two to three times its intended size and

place the garment in the press between

two sheets of paper.”

Shohei Shigematsu, director of OMA

New York, is leading the exhibition design

with the Met, in the lead-up to its May

5 opening, according to the museum’s

director Thomas Campbell. He also singled

out Jony Ive, chief designer for Apple, the

exhibition’s sponsor, as well as Condé Nast

for its additional support and Wintour.

An Iris van Herpen dress with hand-

stitched strips of laser-cut silicon feath-

ers, white cotton twill and hand-applied

silicone-coated gull skulls with synthetic

pearls and glass eyes was displayed with

an Yves Saint Laurent evening dress with

hand-glued bird-of-paradise feathers from

the designer’s fall 1969 collection. Bolton

made the point that van Herpen is known

to collaborate with artists, architects,

scientists, engineers and computer

designers, which she sees as 21st century

versions of more traditional collaborations

between couturiers and artisans. To that

end, also on view was her 3-D printed

spring 2010 ensemble in white polyamide

with machine-sewn white goat leather and

handout acrylic fringe. Done in conjunc-

tion with the architect Daniel Widrig, that

creation features a bodice with nearly

10 lines within one millimeter — which

Bolton compared to almost the details of a

fingerprint.

Monday morning’s first glimpse featured

the show’s inspiration — an elaborate Karl

Lagerfeld-designed wedding ensemble

for the fall 2014 Chanel couture collection

— a superior example of the handmade

and machine made in one ensemble. The

design of the train was hand-finished and

then computer — manipulated to give the

appearance of a pixilated baroque pattern

— initially painted by hand, then transfer

printed by machine with rhinestones and

then embroidered by hand with pearls

and gemstones. In total, the train required

450 hours of work, said Bolton, adding

that Lagerfeld described the scuba knit

dress as haute couture without the cou-

ture because it was molded and entirely

machine sewn.

“What all of these examples reveal is

that the hand and the machine work in

tandem in the creation of fashion for haute

couture or ready-to-wear. By attempting to

unravel as well as to reconcile the opposi-

tional relationship between the hand and

the machine, the exhibition intends to

advance a new paradigm for fashion which

is more germane to our age of technol-

ogy,” Bolton said.

FASHION

Met’s Costume Institute Previews ‘Manus × Machina’

“Man

us x

Mac

hina

” pho

togr

aph

by A

ndre

w M

oral

es/W

WD

All markets and all channels contributed to the growth of the Italian accessories firm.

BY LUISA ZARGANI

Furla continued to buck the trend in

2015.

Despite a challenging market for acces-

sories, the Italian firm closed the year

with a 30 percent rise in revenues. In the

12 months ended Dec. 31, Furla reported

sales of 339 million euros, or $376.3

million, compared with 262 million euros,

or $ 348.4 million, in 2014. At constant

exchange rates, sales climbed 25 percent.

Chief executive officer Eraldo Poletto

told WWD that the growth was fueled by

“an excellent growth across all areas and

all channels,” but highlighted an increase

of 23 percent in like-for-like sales. “In a

difficult context, this is the mother of all

numbers,” said Poletto, noting that Furla

is reaping the rewards of the work done in

the past five years. Revenues have grown

126 percent since 2010. Earnings figures

are to be approved by the company’s

board and were not available at press time.

The executive touted Furla’s “unique

premium luxury positioning of Made in

Italy products,” in the face of a middle

class that is growing in Asia. “We borrow

from luxury what is good about luxury, the

customer experience, the quality, packag-

ing, [customer relations management],”

he said.

While all geographic markets grew,

Poletto said, “We look at the customer

more than the market, to the Asians that

travel to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,

Japan and Europe. The scenario

changes constantly.”

In 2015, the Asia-Pacific region posted

a 53 percent jump in sales, accounting for

19 percent of the total. Furla doubled its

business in China last year, said Poletto,

where sales were up double-digit. In Hong

Kong and Macau, revenues showed a high

single-digit growth.

Revenues in the U.S. rose 30 percent,

representing 9 percent of sales. Furla is

expanding in the region. Poletto high-

lighted the opening of a flagship last

year in New York’s Fifth Avenue and the

appointment of Scott M. Link as chief exec-

utive officer of Americas.

Italy was up 21 percent, accounting for

20 percent of the total. Poletto noted an

increased energy in Milan, following the

international show Expo last year. “An

optimistic mind-set helps to win. The

market is so dynamic now that it’s key to

be ready to be receptive without changing

one’s strategy,” he observed.

Business in the Europe, Middle East and

Africa region, excluding Italy, gained 28

percent, representing 29 percent of the

total. Sales in Japan increased 24 percent,

accounting for 23 percent of the total.

Last year, Furla continued to expand its

retail network globally with the opening

of 62 stores, bringing its monobrand bou-

tiques to a total of 415.

In 2015, Furla opened flagships in Rome;

New York, on Fifth Avenue; Madrid; St.

Petersburg; Shanghai ,and Hong Kong.

Poletto highlighted the position of the

Rome unit in a historic 19th century

palazzo overlooking the Spanish Steps.

The store, covering 3,240 square feet over

two floors, has two windows on the street

and seven windows on the first level with a

view of the iconic monument.

In 2016, the company will open units

in Moscow; London; Paris; Melbourne,

Australia; Saigon, Vietnam; and Macau, as

well as the first corner in Europe dedicated

to the men’s collection at the Galeries

Lafayette, in Paris.

Travel retail sales advanced 36 percent

in 2015 throughout 48 countries where air-

port doors increased to 195 compared with

174 in 2014. This channel has tripled its

sales since 2010. As of Feb. 5, the company

counted 235 doors.

Furla’s performance last year was also

boosted by the brand’s new categories — a

men’s line, women’s footwear and the

eyewear license with De Rigo. Furla has

also signed licensing agreements with Ratti

and Morellato for textile accessories and

watches, respectively.

The Bologna-based firm produced two

million pieces last year.

Once again, Poletto said that no steps

have been taken to enter the stock market.

BUSINESS

Furla Revenues Climb 30% in 2015

A bag from Furla pre-fall.

Looks on display at the “Manus × Machina” exhibit at

The Costume Institute.

16 FEBRUARY 2016 5

Brock

Nicole Miller

Monique Lhuillier

Moncler Grenoble

Jason Wu

Prabal Gurung

Monse

WWith the freezing temps at New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2016-2017, there was nothing more inviting than the warm, voluminous foxes from Jonathan Simkai and Prabal Gurung. Jason Wu’s fur plaid coat was also a stunner, and who wouldn’t want to be an Altuzarra woman, striding in with her burgundy and black Intarsia striped fox parka? They weren’t alone in using fur to modernize classics. Take Nicole Miller’s Scandanavian (Boho) princesses, mixing tweed and fox, or Helen Yarmak’s poncho, which reversed to sable. But Wes Gordon wins the modernist prize, bringing his show to Instagram.

ADVERTISEMENT

RUNWAYThe

2016REPORT

NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FALL/WINTER 2016-2017FEBRUARY 16

Derek Lam

”Women in fur are a mystery . . . to be discovered.“

HELEN YARMAK

Helen Yarmak

Wes Gordon

Pamella Roland

#FUR NOW WWW.FURINSIDER.COM

Creatures of the Wind

Altuzarra

Jonathan Simkhal

Suno

The Reviews6 16 FEBRUARY 2016

Phot

ogra

phs

by J

enna

Gre

ene

and

Rodi

n Ba

nica

Carolina HerreraThink of fashion’s rebel yell and chances

are you’re not thinking Carolina Herrera.

But if you consider a rebel someone who

stands firm against the status quo no matter

how solitary her position, Herrera is James

Dean. Especially during Collections season.

As others have migrated downtown,

Herrera took up residence at The Frick. In

the face of widespread youth obsession,

Herrera keeps her core customer front and

center. Most importantly, during a time

when New York Fashion Week feels like one

big, sweaty marketing bacchanal, Herrera

chooses serenity over frenzy. In her fall

collection, serenity played like a dream.

Herrera followed last season’s treatise

on pink with a collection that lacked an

obvious singular focus. “I don’t work from

one of those [retro] inspirations,” she said

during a preview. “I believe in the future of

fashion. I’m not talking about the past.”

Her future is a lovely one, in which the

embrace of elegance resonates around the

clock and across generations, via a range

of offerings and subtle juxtaposition. The

lineup featured tradition and tech (she

loves both classic men’s wear and high-tech,

surf-foam fabric), fluidity and structure,

simplicity and embellishment. Despite

her claims of no themes, several constants

ran throughout, unifying the lineup. One

such motif: depth of field. After happening

upon a raised jasmine embroidery during

her fabric research, Herrera got interested

in 3-D iterations. She used the small floral

embroidery and also enlarged the concept

on a pale-pink techno mini shift with three

cutout flowers down the front and, larger

still, on a boxy tunic with a single giant

bloom emerging from a background of

sheared mink.

And she was all about movement, cutting

dresses and skirts with volume, from the

glen-plaid day dress that opened the show

to several gowns discreet in their glamour.

With their billowing lines, these beauties

would waft gracefully across the stage of the

Dolby Theatre come Oscar night.

— Bridget Foley

16 FEBRUARY 2016 7

Diane von FurstenbergThe clothes looked charming, some in a

real-girl way, some in a hyper-styled, cos-

tumey way, most in a waft-of-Seventies way.

But they were completely beside the point.

In the interest of making a print deadline,

WWD went to Diane von Furstenberg’s

5 p.m. presentation at 3:30 p.m., with the

expectation of a brief interview with the

lady herself (it happened as scheduled)

and to watch the models dressed and in

rehearsal. The rehearsal never happened.

What ensued instead played almost like

farce, might have been amusing at a more

leisurely moment, and in the end, crystal-

lized that which many of us in fashion have

long known, and some of us have resisted:

The fight is over, and spectacle slayed

fashion. This was not the season’s first

spectacle nor will it likely be the last. But

it’s one thing for Kanye West and Rihanna

to allow production thrills to trump the

clothes. Von Furstenberg is the president of

the CFDA. (The “F” stands for Fashion; the

“D,” Designers.)

Von Furstenberg may not have opened

her doors to a consumer audience, but

this presentation had nothing to do with

showing the industry her latest wares. This

was about the photo op, pure and simple,

the TV coverage, the videos, the Snapchats

and, especially, the Instagram moment, and

looking cool to the demographic of young

women who wear DVF. “The whole point

of Paolo [Riva, chief executive officer of

Diane von Furstenberg Studio LLC] coming

[here] is to put the woman at the center of

everything we do,” von Furstenberg said

from her interview perch on the grand

ivory staircase that centers her Meatpacking

District headquarters. She looked all thor-

oughbred leggy, with her cardigan sliding

off of one shoulder, ever the vamp. “For me

as a designer, it seems very appropriate. I’m

kind of the friend in the woman’s closet.”

And mother confessor/conspirator

emerita to this generation of top models.

“We have all the big girls — Gigi [Hadid],

Kendall [ Jenner], Lily [Aldridge], Karlie

[Kloss]. First, because they are gorgeous;

and second, because I’ve become like their

mother, their grandmother. They love me

and I know everybody’s secrets. I love them

and relate to those girls.”

The models would eventually

take their places in the Stefan

Beckman-designed sets,

arranged, according to von

Furstenberg, around five

ideas: movement (the girls

would come in and out of

doors, and interact along the

way); fencing (DVF nailed it

when she noted that one “might

not get” the vague references); and

two workspaces, one a traditional office,

and the other, more creative (another over-

the-head mini theme). The fifth concept

resonated ever so clearly: The top girls

all glammed up in evening gowns in a

second-floor party setting, intentionally or

otherwise mimicking a real VIP-only area,

removed from the feisty working-girl types

below.

There’s much to be said for non-runway

presentations, especially for a brand such

as von Furstenberg, the allure of which has

always been about that critical intersection

of personality and piece goods. The current

runway trope of model-as-blank-slate,

devoid of any sense of self beyond what the

clothes and beauty look telegraph, hinders

expression of the essential connection to

DVF as aspirational icon.

Here, however, the ruse wasn’t terribly

well-played. An hour before, 30 minutes

before, and even as 5 p.m. approached,

no one seemed in charge. It felt as if 1,000

people meandered around with their

backstage-clearance lariats in view — house

people, Bureau Betak people, HL Group

people, hair and makeup people. The

only people you didn’t see much were

models settling into their spots, though

some walked in and out of the look

book shoot. As they finally moved

into their vignettes, one felt the

want of that lost rehearsal. All

the interaction and moving

about called for some stage

direction, and a few moments

of calm, if not static, viewing.

Beyond the most basic obser-

vations — that the girls looked

great in and seemed to enjoy wear-

ing evergreen wrap dresses, snappy

sportswear layers and body-con evening

wear (that mis en scene starring golden girl

and DVF bestie Karlie in a golden dress) —

it was hard to focus on the clothes, even

before the crowd flooded through. One

well-known journalist, now wielding a

microphone, glanced at me in passing and

said, “good luck writing about this.”

Good luck indeed. This is the moment

we’re in. These mega-events don’t target an

industry audience even if, as in this case,

industry types still dominate in the flesh.

The flood of Instagram posts the event gen-

erated proved it a monster success, playing

out exactly as desired. Sobering though it

may be, at what point do we examine the

question, what are we doing here? Many

fashion professionals, though certainly not

all, were lured to the industry by the pull of

pure fashion. Yes, most get wrapped up in

the broader resonance all up and down the

high-low cultural food chain. And a fashion

spectacle — who doesn’t love one once in a

while?

But some of us love fashion first and

foremost, and the pure fashion process,

the realization of a creative germ into a

well-designed, beautifully executed piece

of clothing, and numerous such items

into a collection that might say something

about the culture at a given moment, about

aspiration, about a designer’s psychological

and emotional makeup. (Sounds quaint,

no?) That’s what drew me there. I’m neither

a straight man nor an adolescent girl. So

the thrill of watching models in evening

gowns fake-primp and pretend to party on

what should be a long-weekend Sunday but

comes instead in the middle of one of the

most hectic weeks of the work year — not

so much. Particularly when the designer

all but admitted that her focus was more

on the event than the clothes themselves.

“We really went by deliveries [for the

vignettes],” von Furstenberg said. “Yes, I

have clothes for all of these scenes. And

when the stylist is finished, it’s all done her

way.”

Once the throngs arrived, the expected

frenzy swarmed around the partying model

posse. One television reporter threw herself

between the scene and her camera, glow-

ing. “Can you imagine more fun at fashion

week!?” she exclaimed into her mic to her

viewing public. — Bridget Foley

CollectionsFall

2016

Phot

ogra

phs

by R

odin

Ban

ica,

Gio

vann

i Gia

nnon

i and

And

rew

H. W

alke

r

Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Hilfiger hit the deck — hard

— transforming the Park Avenue

Armory into the T.H. Atlantic, a mas-

sive, global-bound marketing vessel,

leaving no nautical motif out to sea in

his fall collection.

Set up like a giant, early 20th-cen-

tury passenger liner under a starry

night sky with VIPs seated on the

poop deck, the show was a Tommy

Hilfiger theme park. Last week he dis-

closed his plan to get aboard the consum-

er-facing format for spring 2017, but hasn’t

he already? The clothes ranked as third

mate, behind photo ops and production

razzle-dazzle.

The cutesy takes on admiral jackets,

stripes, sailor pants and tops and Thir-

ties-era printed silk dresses with Peter Pan

and sailor collars were executed with a

high level of polish — they looked expen-

sive, and will not sell for cheap — yet the

impression was too kitsch to navigate

beyond the runway. Amusing though it

was, the ride on the T.H. left some search-

ing for their sea legs.

— Jessica Iredale

3.1 Phillip LimTo follow Phillip Lim on social media is

to know that he is a devout practitioner of

mindfulness. #bepresent and #romancing-

reality are his go-to hashtags. With that

knowledge, his fall motto of “life as your

stage” felt within his realm if it did little to

illuminate the collection.

Lim set the stage with a thunderous light

and sound installation, dramatizing a ward-

robe that seemed to be for creative, profes-

sional women who don’t want to look basic.

Lim did a lot with the premise of practical

sportswear, elevating simple pieces, such a

neat A-line minis, shifts and boyish trousers

with zingy retro plaids — micro and macro

— in sour shades of green, rust and brown.

The beginning of the show had a neo-rock-

abilly attitude cross-pollinated with the

unusual sporty Zen of quilted nylon puffers

with kimono trims and flat, hardy sandals.

It was a thoughtful collection, full of left-

of-center ideas that worked more often than

not. Some of the best looks fused utility and

romance, such as a series of Army green

items, including cargo pants with patch-

work-velvet panels and an oversize parka

with a fur hood, slashed elbows and orange

embroidery. Lim also joined in the season’s

velvet renaissance, with a burnt-

orange velvet suit, a fitted navy moto jacket

with leather sleeves and very cool velvet

booties, some of which had a contrasting

silver toe. — J.I.

CollectionsFall

2016

8 16 FEBRUARY 2016

Tommy Hilfiger

3.1 Phillip Lim

Prabal Gurung Prabal Gurung’s fall show notes promised a “softening of silhouettes and an ease in

shape with oversize coats and effortless knits,” and he wasted no time delivering on it.

The first two looks were a snow white duffle coat with a generous white fox-fur collar

over a swishy lace godet skirt, and an elongated white hand-knit sweater with crafty pew-

ter stitch work over a similar base. Fairy tales were in the air, on Valentine’s Day, no less.

Gurung used Henri Rousseau’s “Woman Walking In an Exotic Forest” and Lord Byron’s

“She Walks in Beauty” as reference points, possibly working off their titles alone. The

collection’s pretty romance could be taken at face value, too — the narrative was a bit

textbook. Gurung dressed his heroines in chaste silhouettes, such as knee-length dresses

with long sleeves and high necks, then sliced them up the thigh or around the shoulders

to show their modern, undone sexy side. Many of the slits and slashes were trimmed

in covered buttons, another flirtation with old-school modesty. It worked well on the

dresses, but not so much on the legs of tailored trousers.

During her walk in the exotic forest, Gurung’s woman must have spotted a deer. How

else to explain the range of fawn-printed looks, including a calfskin and long-haired

shearling vest and a leather wrap skirt? The show closed idealistically with a white gown

with cutout shoulders and an embroidered chiffon train worthy of a winter bride. Pre-

sumably, she lived happily ever after. — Jessica Iredale

Opening Ceremony Humberto Leon and Carol Lim looked

to the future with a groovy, Space Age-y

collection for Opening Ceremony. But not

before making all the cool kids wait over

an hour for their 8 p.m. show to start —

an annoyance not even free peanuts and

Tiger beer could allay. Their runway at

Pier 90 featured an installation of gigan-

tic space mobiles, some suspended in

midair, all serving to set the tone for their

galactic-themed lineup, heavy on metallic

textures, graphics and hypnotic prints.

The lineup juxtaposed utilitarian work-

wear staples such as black Army parkas

and shearling peacoats with tons of sparkle

and glitz, as in hot pink, croc-stamped

velvet jackets and silver lamé pants that

moved like liquid. A few sweaters and

T-shirts featured illustrations from the

archives of Syd Mead — the visual artist

behind images of science-fiction films

such as “Blade Runner” and “Star Trek:

The Motion Picture” — whom Leon and

Lim teamed up with for the season. The

brand’s boyish straight-legged jeans —

launched for pre-fall with a flattering dip

waistband — are sure to be a hit, updated

for fall in new washes with chrome hard-

ware on the back pockets. Ditto for the

effortlessly sexy mesh bodysuits and off-

the-shoulder knits. — Kristi Garced

16 FEBRUARY 2016 9

The Row Reticent design duo Ashley Olsen and

Mary-Kate Olsen prefer to let their collec-

tions for The Row speak for themselves.

But unfussy tailored jackets and serene

sportswear in a neutral palette can only

say so much: Quiet, consistent, under-

stated luxury. Great. End of story?

Fall silhouettes were long and loose

yet lean, with two looks that bordered on

statements: A lovely lavender astrakhan

coat and a long coat in rich cognac leather,

that was plain yet generous in propor-

tion with oversize lapels, wide sleeves, a

nipped waist and full skirt.

The environment in which the collec-

tion was presented was more telling than

the clothes about the Olsens’ seasonal

mood. Their West Village showroom was

redecorated to the gold standard of earthy,

mid-century modern taste from a Wyeth

catalogue. The vignettes of sofas, leather

lounge chairs, marble-topped tables set

with gold bowls, small succulents and

new handbags — such as the simple rectan-

gular Medicine bags in sheared beaver

and lavender alligator — was so comfort-

ably elegant it almost upstaged the

clothes. — J.I.

Prabal Gurung

Opening Ceremony

The Row

Phot

ogra

phs

by G

iova

nni G

iann

oni, A

bel F

erm

in a

nd A

uror

a Ro

se

10 16 FEBRUARY 2016

Jeremy Scott“Cowboys and Poodles”…and outer

space. And Pop Art. And cartoons. And

etc. The latest campy collection from

the imaginative mind of Jeremy Scott

featured a mishmash of influences —

most of them retro — all of them working

together in an assortment of candy colors.

“I was inspired by cowgirls and poodles

all gussied up for a night out,” he said,

“poodles” referring to Fifties girls in

circle skirts.

Scott’s lineup didn’t feature those classic

poodle skirts, but his guitar, musical note

and telephone motifs nodded to the era’s

girlish style. His sexy, all-star runway cast

included Karlie Kloss, who opened and

closed the show while touching her hips to

demonstrate exactly how sequins changed

shape on a silver and pink minidress.

Elsewhere, the lineup’s Western shirts

and cowhide-printed denim — styled with

rhinestone-buckled belts — leaned honky-

tonk. The collection featured graphics

galore: from the Nineties cartoon Ren &

Stimpy to Pop Art that riffed on the work

of Roy Lichtenstein. It was kitsch overload,

but somehow it all worked.

A few body-con Lurex knit looks were

studded with giant circular beads reminis-

cent of Christmas ornaments. “But how

would she sit down in that?!” mused one

editor in the front row. It didn’t matter

much; Scott’s cowgirls seemed like the sort

who’d rather be up on their feet square

dancing, anyway. Most of them wore high-

heeled plastic cowboy boots, a collabora-

tion with Melissa. Yee-haw? — Kristi Garced Jonathan Simkhai For fall, Jonathan Simkhai explored new

ways to fuse power and strength with

romance — a fitting theme for his Valen-

tine’s Day show. Informed by the work of

Spanish neo-futuristic artist and architect

Santiago Calatrava, Simkhai’s form-fitting

silhouettes, which ranged from peplum

and bell-sleeve tops to flouncy trumpet

gowns, were all cut for a sculpted feel.

Silk fringe added a feminine flair to

the collection’s monochromatic looks,

which were also accented with fox fur for

a touch of glamour. The intricate, embroi-

dered patterns on his signature lace dresses

riffed on Calatrava’s bridge design and

sculpture work, characterized by the sus-

pension of geometric forms with tensions

and cables. — K.G.

Rosetta GettyRosetta Getty’s fall collection was an ode

to the late Belgian artist Chantal Aker-

man, whose experimental films explored

feminist ideologies. Particularly, Getty

referenced Akerman’s “Les Rendez-vous

d’Anna,” her autumnal palette drawn

from the colors seen in the wardrobe of

the film’s lead, Anna, played by Aurore

Clément.

Getty’s brand of relaxed luxury was

especially rich in texture this season. Many

styles riffed on men’s wear, from camel

plaid wool suiting to a burgundy metal-

lic jacquard smoking jacket crafted from

patchwork men’s ties — a seriously chic

statement on loungewear. Other daywear

looks included a smart turtleneck shrug

in colorful hand-crocheted baby alpaca

paired with cropped cotton velvet trousers.

For evening, there were fluid gowns in

iridescent Lurex or structured separates in

glittering bouclé. A pair of pleated black vel-

vet gowns with open backs felt effortlessly

sensual. — K.G.

Jeremy Scott

Jonathan Simkhai

CollectionsFall

2016

Rosetta Getty

Rosie Assoulin

Rosie AssoulinLive piano music and melting multicolor

candles created a cozy ambience for the

presentation of Rosie Assoulin’s fall collec-

tion, which was quintessentially sophisti-

cated. While there was not a specific inspi-

ration behind the lineup — as the designer

frankly admitted — the result could not

have looked more cohesive. Everything

from the daywear options, including an

overall skirt in a micro-checkered pattern

paired with a crisp white shirt, to the

grand evening looks, reflected Assoulin’s

very specific, recognizable aesthetic.

Luxurious Italian fabrics were her start-

ing point. Assoulin used a textured gauze

for an asymmetric ruffled skirt paired with

a halter-neck top with a delicate pleat at

the shoulder, and fluid silk jacquard for a

pajamalike suit trimmed with eco-fur for an

upscale lounge effect. A patent leather-like

look was created with coated Neoprene cut

into a trench worn over an allover mosaic

sequin top and pleated pants in a men’s

wear-inspired fabric.

The designer also introduced adjustable

features on certain looks, offering women

the chance to customize their outfits — by

modifying the size of the sensual cutouts on

a long-sleeve column dress, for example.

She also seamlessly worked a bit of glamour

and bling into the collection as lucky charm-

like Swarovski micro details embroidered

on a fluid dress topped by a faux-shearling

coat, as well as on a shirt layered under

a clean-lined overall. — Alessandra Turra Phot

ogra

phs

by G

eorg

e C

hins

ee, A

ndre

w H

. Wal

ker a

nd R

odin

Ban

ica

16 FEBRUARY 2016 11

Brooks Brothers If the cool, young downtown crowd

that packed the studio where Zac Posen

showed his fall collection for Brooks

Brothers is any indication of his potential

clientele, the designer should be thrilled.

“I want to bring in new customers and

keep those we already have,” he said.

This season, that seems totally doable.

For one thing, Posen gave the brand

eveningwear for the first time in its history.

His take on the tuxedo, with cropped pants

and a crisp short jacket; an ankle-grazing

gray cashmere cardigan over a matching

T-shirt dress; and a long, cowl-necked velvet

sheath all hit just the right pitch for Posen’s

evening overture.

For his Posen-informed classics, he

showed great camel cashmere pieces,

such as a loose, short-sleeved top and lean

calf-length skirt, and gently tailored coats.

“I wanted to move slightly away from the

body; cut easier shapes,” said Posen, whose

latest suit look paired full, cropped pants

and a softly tailored jacket.

Posen clearly respects Brooks Brothers’

men’s wear core while giving its women’s

offering his own brand of chic. — B.Q.

Lela Rose Lela Rose knows how to infuse her lady-

like signature looks with lots of charm and

verve. She did it for fall with her indigo

shirtwaist and peplum dresses as well as

a button-front version in a black-and-ox-

blood vine jacquard. Her devil-may-care

streak was also evident in the way she

played with color and texture combos —

as in a pink, sheared mohair coat over

a flared indigo speckled wool dress or

pantsuit.

Rose showed some sharp sportswear,

too, notably a moss wool turtleneck with a

metallic, quill embroidered pencil skirt

and a fawn cable pullover and brushed

wool pants. And she saved her lightest

touch for the collection’s gowns, giving

them a younger-than-usual appeal. No

easy task. Two of the best: the flowing,

black-and-white optic organza ankle-

grazer, and the navy-and-ice-blue embroi-

dered silk gown with a shaped waist.

— B.Q. Ji OhA wall of decayed doors served as the

backdrop at Ji Oh’s fall presentation, the

raw set providing ample contrast with her

optimistic lineup. “I was thinking about

how people have ups and downs, how

city girls have to stay strong no matter

how they feel or what’s happening around

them,” she said. Perhaps the yellow stripes

on her navy wool oversize tops and the

yellow fur pockets on her shirts were sym-

bolic: light amid darkness.

But the true bright spots in her lineup

were the long, asymmetric ribbed knits

worn ultracasually with extra-long sleeves,

as well as a cardigan-robe hybrid pinned

with a cool safety pink hardware detail.

Oh likes her textures, so this season she

employed faux furs in unexpected ways,

such as a detail on a cool off-the-shoulder

top and as a tunic-tank over a shirt. Another

highlight: a great baggy shearling jacket and

a bright yellow mohair belted coat — which

hopefully also comes in a dark color for

when we’re feeling blue. — Mayte Allende

Ji Oh

Brooks Brothers

Lela Rose

Yeohlee

YeohleeFor fall, Yeohlee Teng brought back two

important things for her Yeohlee label: a

strong showing of coats, which had often

been her signature, and a collection of

14 disparate pieces that still felt like a

collection.

Teng is a designer who continues to sur-

prise with her seemingly endless new ways

of cutting and detailing her clothes. This

season that included a taupe wool

and angora coat with navy inset side panels

that moved seamlessly into large front

squares, shown over a crisp white shirt

and black-and-gray sarong. Teng also

showed her coats over cropped pants or

cleverly constructed dresses.

Yet it was the sarong that she played

with quite effectively, turning it upside

down for a subtle bubble effect or cutting

it as a swingy, black-and-gray wool dress

with a tie near the hem. Her lineup also

included terrific coats with curved backs

that move into capelike sleeves and a rakish

tuxedo with a cropped front and long tail,

worn over flannel tuxedo pants. This small

collection beautifully telegraphed Teng’s

multifaceted big ideas. — Bobbi Queen

12 16 FEBRUARY 2016

Phot

ogra

phs

by G

iova

nni G

iann

oni, A

my

Suss

man

and

Rob

ert M

itra

Sally LaPointeForget a theme — fall at Sally LaPointe

was all about attitude. Evoking a

fearless, nonconformist spirit, the

designer took cues from American

photographer Sally Mann, who’s been

known to defend her work from critics.

That sense of self-assurance translated

well into LaPointe’s strong, seductive

lineup. “We’re hitting our stride,” she

said. “Knowing what our signatures are

as a young designer label — and elaborat-

ing on that — feels really good.”

As for those signatures, LaPointe

knows what her girl wants: creamy, lux-

urious knits; decadent outerwear and an

edgy, unexpected take on eveningwear.

This season, she delivered all of it with

a hint of dark glamour, underscored by

the show’s moody soundtrack, cour-

tesy of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

The sophisticated lineup showcased a

melange of rich textures — and tons of

fur — with some looks featuring a luxu-

rious mix, as in a cognac leather and fox

fur jacket with matching suede para-

chute pants. Other standouts included

metallic patterned jacquard suiting and

a skirt covered in sequins and ostrich

feathers. — Kristi Garced

EdunDanielle Sherman was inspired by

Sharon Beals’ pictures of the nests wild

birds build using leaves, twigs, bottle

caps and buttons — the idea of sourcing

a variety of materials — to create her

fall collection for Edun. She opened

her show with two asymmetric slip-

dresses crafted from a patchwork of

fabrics, and sewed vintage buttons on

a checkered jacket with a shawl neck,

its waist cinched with a chain belt to

create an hourglass silhouette. Multicolor

buttons were also printed on a range of

pieces, from a feminine silk slipdress to a

sporty puffer worn with matching pants.

Sherman’s a-little-bit-of-this, a-little-bit-

of-that approach was also evident in her

silhouettes — which ranged from a chic

retro ribbed sweater worn with a velour

high-waisted midi skirt to an urban cool

corduroy zippered jacket paired with

wide-legged cuffed pants. These didn’t

blend seamlessly, leaving the collection

looking a bit non-cohesive. However, a

fringed slipdress and a coat, both crafted

from South African mohair tweed, had a

charming artisanal appeal, and the last

group of dresses and suits in devoré velvet

with an alphabet pattern created by artist

Wosene Worke Kosrof looked impeccably

elegant. — Alessandra Turra

J. CrewThe mood was happy at J. Crew

as Somsack Sikhounmuong, who

was named women’s designer in mid-

2015, turned out a colorful, feminine col-

lection for fall. “I was inspired by pretty

and what does pretty mean — pink, ruf-

fles and silk scarves,” said the designer.

And there was pink aplenty — from

outerwear to knits to skirts. The lineup

was full of prints and patterns inspired

by Italian interiors, most notably a tile-

print pantsuit. But this is J. Crew, after

all. To offset all the sweetness there were

nods to maritime and men’s wear mixed

in as well: a shrunken maritime coat

atop a striped top and scarf-print flounce

skirt, a trench paired with a delicate

embroidered skirt, and a tailored blazer

worn with a floral- and bird-print

pajama ensemble.

In the men’s collection, staying close

to familiar territory paid off. “We’re

taking our traditional styles and updat-

ing them with new proportions and

textures,” said designer Frank Muytjens.

This theory worked well in a rich alpaca

sweater over double-pleated tweed pants

and a patchwork silk neck scarf. Other

successful plays on texture included an

oversize deconstructed herringbone top

coat worn with rolled-up brown corduroy

baggy pants for a vintage feel. The use

of pajama references and a few athletic

touches only helped reinforce the idea

that the J. Crew man has only leisure activ-

ities on his mind — but who can blame

him? — Antonia Sardone and Alex Badia

J. Crew

Edun

J. Crew

Sally LaPointe

16 FEBRUARY 2016 13

Kaelen Kaelen Haworth has plenty of reasons

to celebrate: The young designer is just

about ready to give birth and she pre-

sented a charming fall 2016 Kaelen collec-

tion. The concept originated with a wool

crepe floral print — Haworth wanted

to take the romance of the pattern and

reinterpret it in a new way, she said. 

“It’s romantic, sporty and punk, with

graphic elements that tie it all together,”

she noted.

Somehow the mash-up worked in a

cool yet feminine way — florals are not

too precious on a wool crepe slipdress

worn over check wide-leg pants. Out-

erwear was strong, with bold statement

coats that ranged from an oversize plaid-

check trench to a floral double-breasted

blazer. Other key looks included a striped

shirtdress with bell sleeves and a pleated

lamé floral midi gown. — Antonia Sardone

Christian SirianoRather paradoxically, Christian Siria-

no’s fall collection reflected a stronger,

more confident hand and a lighter, easier

touch. He was taken with Sheila Hicks’

“The Art of the Yarn” exhibit and, in that

spirit, showed lots of cable-knit dresses as

well as an amusing collection of cable-

knit-printed ball skirts, tiered dresses and

turtlenecks — most in gray or yellow.

Siriano was at his best with his simplest,

unfettered fare: a pale gray cashmere

belted wrap coat with wide trousers; a

charming gray crochet-lace mini dress;

and an unadorned red chiffon gown. So

it was curious to see so many oversize

flounces, tiers and winged sleeves —

not to mention the tuxedo jacket with a

long back tail and just one sleeve. Why?

— Bobbi Queen

Scotch & Soda For its debut at New York Fashion Week,

Scotch & Soda hosted a presentation

featuring astronomic maps projected

on the ceiling, movie shorts, and live

musical performances. Creative director

Marlou van Engelen infused the women’s

and men’s collections with a youthful

mood that reflected free-spirited

references, from folk to bohemian.

The eclectic women’s lineup included

cozy blanketlike coats and ponchos

worked in vivid tones, striped sweaters,

and hippie-ish embroidered tops and

vests. Flowers blossomed on relaxed

suits, as well as on maxi dresses with soft

bows at the neck and on a pair of glamor-

ous allover sequin wide-leg pants.

For men, the nomadic inspirations

blended well, from a folkloric handmade

colorful poncho to a quilted Japanese-in-

spired kimono and cargo pants with floral

embroidery details. Today’s globetrotter

fashionista will feel right at home in this

well-executed collection.

— Alessandra Turra and Alex BadiaPhot

ogra

phs

by R

odin

Ban

ica

and

Andr

ew H

. Wal

ker

 

Cushnie et OchsBackstage before their fall show,

wearing a couple of looks from their

collection that didn’t make the runway cut,

Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs discussed

the season’s muse: 1920s actress Louise

Brooks. “We imagined her going on this

traveling circus tour,” Cushnie said.

In their glamorous lineup, which trans-

lated to a modern take on Roaring Twen-

ties-era style — stripes, ruffles and flapper

fringe all were offered with a seductive

wink. In addition to the duo’s signature

stretch viscose cutout gowns and tuxedo

suiting, of which there were plenty, Cush-

nie and Ochs imbued their lineup with

fluidity via bias-cut gowns in champagne,

navy and ruby-red silk and velvet. A bold

ruffled minidress in black patent leather

conveyed the rebellious modernity that

defines Brooks’ legacy. — Kristi Garced

CollectionsFall

2016

Kaelen

Christian Siriano

Scotch & Soda

Cushnie et Ochs

Scotch & Soda

14 16 FEBRUARY 2016

Ope

ning

Cer

emon

y ph

otog

raph

s by

Lexi

e M

orel

and/

WW

D; G

iorg

etti

by D

avid

e M

aest

ri; H

emin

gway

/Vie

ra-N

ewto

n by

Sté

phan

e Fe

ugèr

e

“I love it in here,” a black-lipsticked woman said, entering 88 Palace on Sunday night. “Is it just me or does this make you want to have some dim sum?”

The Chinese banquet hall installed under the rattling Manhattan Bridge where, yes, dim sum is normally carted around, was the site for Opening Ceremony’s post-show party and it was a venue that made total sense. Humberto Leon and Carol Lim always pick a spot like this — one in the depths of Chinatown that is tinged with the brand’s particular strain of Pan-Asian kook. This restaurant — all kitschy paper lanterns, gold banisters and worn damask carpeting — was just right. A little past midnight, the room — suffused with brash fluorescent light — was littered with hipsters getting wasted off of bottled beer. Celebrity OC devotees (Rosario Dawson et al) also made it out.

“It’s one of those places that proves you’re a true New Yorker; you only discover it if you’ve lived here long enough. It’s a random, amazing secret spot,” Leon said of the venue, surveying the room. “And it’s perfect for a down-and-dirty party.” —TAYLOR HARRIS

Opening Ceremony’s Postshow Party Rosario Dawson and Charli XCX toasted designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim on Sunday night.

Not SocialAt a time when designers are re-ex-amining the traditional show format in order to generate immediate engage-ment with consumers, MSGM creative director Massimo Giorgetti is going his own way.

This season Giorgetti will ask press and buyers attending his women’s runway show on Feb. 28 during Milan Fashion Week to not post images on social networks. “Put back your phone and enjoy the show,” says the invite the brand is about to send out.

“I also promise to not post images of the show until the summer, when the collection will start hitting stores,” Gior-getti said. “It’s been hard to make this decision but I really don’t understand anymore how social media are actually influencing this business. I think that by posting all those images with fittings, castings, etc. — which for us are familiar things — we are really making customers feel confused. They don’t actually really know how this world works. I’m totally confused… A few days ago I was at La Rinascente [Milan’s department store] and I saw a dress in the MSGM corner which I’ve never seen on social media or in editorials and I realized I had totally forgotten about that…I mean, I designed that. This shouldn’t happen.”

Giorgetti also said his decision might not be permanent. “I think it’s the right moment to take a step back from over-exposure. It’s the moment to support more retailers, online stores and print publications. If everything is out there immediately, people lose interest and everything looks so old in a second. In addition, I think that asking press and buyers to not post from the show, they might watch the clothes with their eyes not through a screen, which is some-thing good.” — ALESSANDRA TURRA

Amazon’s Private-Label PushAmazon.com Inc., already a scourge to brick-and-mortar retailers, appears to

be well on its way to vexing the next link in the apparel supply chain: the brands. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant has been putting out calls for apparel veterans to staff its Amazon Fashion Private Label team. One job listing that went up Friday said the company was looking for “an entrepreneurial, analytical and highly motivated [senior] sourcing manager to join our team to launch new high-quality products for our global customers.”

That’s a change in tack for the company, which in fashion has been more of a platform for other brands to sell their goods. If Amazon gets private label right and customers take to it, the effort could upend the business model of stores that surround their branded offerings with similar versions from their own lines, which yield a bigger chunk of profit margin. — EVAN CLARK

The Buzz on BethBeth Ditto has launched her first stand-alone plus-size collection, funded by Ditto herself, whose other title is creative director.

The 34-year-old singer’s range was revealed in December during the launch of a limited-edition T-shirt created by Ditto’s close friend Jean Paul Gaultier.

The 11-piece ethical collection was created in New York and will be avail-able in sizes 14 to 28. She told WWD in December that her line was “inspired by her love of vintage.” The collection includes vintage-detail dresses, tailored pencil skirts, leggings, silk bubble dresses, and hand-embroidered denim jackets.

The price range is from 46 pounds, or $66 at current exchange, for a T-shirt to 300 pounds, or $433, for a silk jumpsuit. The collection is available for purchase on bethditto.com and in Selfridges in the U.K.

The campaign was photographed by Ezra Petronio and styled by Love Maga-zine’s Katie Grand. The advertisements feature plus-size models Barbie Ferreria and Philomena Kwao wearing Ditto’s graphic jumpsuits, dresses and blouses.

“I wanted to make pieces to last years,” she said. “Beyond trends, beyond chain stores. I wanted to create some-thing all its own, something just for us, made with love and consideration. Made

ethically in the USA as a small company with no big corporate input. Uncompro-mising, unapologetic, and timeless. Go-to pieces designed to last. A movement by us, for us.”

The Arkansas native walked in the Marc Jacobs show in September. She performed at the Versus show in 2012 and appeared in Gaultier’s catwalk show in 2010. — LORELEI MARFIL

Team GigiTommy Hilfiger’s Monday morning was a Gigi Hadid party from start to finish. Not only did the model open and close the show, she also walked once more in the middle, making that three struts down Hilfiger’s nautical runway. Hadid, who was recently named an ambas-sador for the brand, was surrounded by other “It” models, including Hailey Baldwin, Martha Hunt, Taylor Hill, Binx Walton and Stella Maxwell, and further proved her “It” status by drawing a front row of, well, “It” girls.

Seated in a row of benches onboard Tommy’s makeshift wooden yacht deck were Kate Foley, Hannah Bronfman, Har-ley Viera-Newton, Langley Fox Heming-way, Jourdan Dunn, Tali Lennox, Chelsea Leyland and Olivia Palermo.

It was also a family affair, as Hadid’s mother Yolanda Foster and brother An-war Hadid sat across from the “It” crowd to watch Gigi on the runway. “I’m excited to see all the girls, I’m excited to see the whole collection,” said a Hilfiger-clad Foster. “I’m so impressed by this. As everybody knows, I’ve been in bed for almost four years and just to get out and see this is like wow, this is huge! I went to one show before, to Gigi’s Victoria’s Secret show, but this is impressive.”

As was revealed in December, Hadid is collaborating on a capsule collection with Hilfiger. “It’s amazing. I saw a couple of pieces yesterday and they look amazing, like when I saw it I was like, ‘oh my god — so Gigi, so Tommy, togeth-erness of two extraordinary people,’” Foster said.

Though she hasn’t been front row for many of her daughter’s shows, she has yet to miss one. “I live-stream, I watch every show she’s done and every time I cry,” she said, “So I hope today I’m not going to cry.” — LEIGH NORDSTROM

Fashion ScoopsA look from Beth Ditto’s

clothing range.

Massimo Giorgetti

Langley Fox Hemingway and Harley Viera-Newton.

Humberto Leon Molly Bair

TK Wonder and Cipriana Quann Adam SelmanRosario Dawson

Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor

16 FEBRUARY 2016 5

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT PAMELA FIRESTONE, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER AT 212 256 8103 OR PFIRESTONE@WWD.COM

THE P OWER OF CONTENT

Take a bow—check out our season-end wrap up of the best Men’s Fashion

Collections

Issue: 03.23 / Close: 03.09 / Materials: 03.14

16 16 FEBRUARY 2016

©20

15 C

OA

CH

®

SPRING 2016Glovetanned Saddle Bag in Flax,Combo Coat on Riannecoach.com

©20

15 C

OA

CH

®

SPRING 2016Glovetanned Saddle Bag in Bordeaux,Mixed Fabric Jacket on NielsWhiplash Saddle Bag in Camel on Lexicoach.com