TEXTILES: Pakistan to boost funding for beleaguered textile sector, page 10.

EYE: More

Girls of Summer, this time

from Europe, page 16.

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Test PatternsMILAN — Prints are emerging as a major trend in men’s wear for spring, and Miuccia Prada gave them her own high-concept spin. In the collection she showed Monday, Prada stripped out color and focused on graphic patterns and perforated textures that evoked grainy black-and-white movies. Here, thin cardigans are layered over bold Art Deco swirls and chevrons. For more on the Milan collections, see pages 4 to 6.

Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • June 23, 2009 • $3.00

WWDTUESDAYReady-to-Wear/Textiles

See Syms, Page 3

Setting Filene’s Future:Syms Sees Synergies,No Big Changes AheadBy Jean E. Palmieri and Vicki M. YoungSYMS CORP. BELIEVES IT JUST GOT the deal of a lifetime in Filene’s Basement.

“We’re certainly up to the challenge,” said Marcy Syms, president and chief executive officer of the Secaucus, N.J.-based off-pricer, of integrating the fellow off-price chain.

Syms is eager to retain the traditions and strengths of Filene’s as it combines the two businesses over the next two months. First up will be the consolidation and integration of back-office operations to create cost-saving synergies.

But, while back-office and similar functions may be combined, a lot will stay the same. A letter to vendors obtained by WWD and cosigned by Syms and Mark Shulman, president of Filene’s Basement, read: “Syms

Page 1 TuesdayFASHION: The new collection

at Viktor & Rolf features draped looks, done with

a light hand, page 7.

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MILANmen’s collections/spring ’10

men’s collections/spring ’10

NEWS: A major

Madeleine Vionnet

retrospective kicks off in Paris, page 13.

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Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • June 23, 2009 • $3.00

TUESDAY

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By Jean E. Palmieri

Brooks Brothers will open two additional Black Fleece stores, including the first freestanding in-ternational unit, this fall.

in the U.s., a 1,600-square-foot store is slated to open at 2223 Fillmore street in san Francisco, in the former simon pearce location, by september. in addition, the com-pany will open a 925-square-foot boutique at the omotesando hills mall in tokyo at the end of August. Black Fleece, which is designed by thom Browne, opened its first freestanding store in new York’s Greenwich Village in January.

in addition, the company has inked a deal to open up to 40 stores in Mexico through a part-nership with Grupo Axo.

“the Black Fleece store on Bleecker street is doing very well,” said Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and chief executive officer of Brooks, who said the above-plan performance, coupled with finding the right location in san Francisco, prompted the expansion. the line is also performing strongly in Japan, he said, and “we realized we needed to put a flagship there.”

Del Vecchio said Black Fleece customers have responded to having their own separate lo-cation, noting, “i’m not sure those customers are comfortable coming to Madison Avenue.”

in Mexico, the company will open its first stores in that country starting in september. the

potential is for up to 40 locations by 2015. the licensing deal is for six years and calls for two stores to open in the second half of this year — Guadalajara (Andares) in september followed by Mexico City (Antara polanco) in october — and four additional units in 2010. Five to 10 more locations are under con-sideration for 2011.

Grupo Axo operates more than 651 points of sales for brands including Coach, tommy hilfiger, Guess and thomas pink in Mexico.

Closer to home, Del Vecchio said Brooks will open a 4,000-square-foot store in rockefeller Center at 1270 sixth Avenue at 51st street by the end of August. Although sig-nificantly smaller than most of its other units, he said all of the com-pany’s product categories will be

carried there. “it’ll be a great test to see if we can do more stores of that size. in any downtown area these days, it’s very hard to find large spaces,” he said.

lastly, the company will relocate and en-large its store at the Biltmore in phoenix this week; will open its second store in Canada, an 18,000-square-foot flagship in toronto around labor Day, and a freestanding country club unit in the Bravern, an upscale mall under construc-tion in seattle. the latter will mark the first store of this con-cept that is not located in a re-sort area, Del Vecchio said.

By Vicki M. Young

hArtMArx Corp. is BelieVeD to hAVe confidentiality agreements in place with seven potential bidders, all of whom have either sub-mitted, or are in the process of submitting, bids for parts of the bankrupt firm’s assets, according to financial and market sources.

the deadline for submitting bids was late Monday. there are at least three financial play-ers and three strategic buyers. hartmarx offi-cials declined comment.

the three financial players include Mistral Capital Management, Versa Capital Management and a financial group led by designer Joseph Abboud. Bids from Versa as well as Mistral, a special purpose acquisition company connected to Andrew heyer, but separate from the Mistral entity that bid previously for hartmarx before the stalking horse was named, have already been submitted. Mistral is believed to be interested in Monarchy, exclusively Misook and Christopher Blue brands. it could not be determined what la-bels Versa, which specializes in distressed situa-tions and has in its portfolio polartec and Bob’s stores, is interested in.

the group led by Abboud includes a Chicago-based private equity firm, and is said to involve

a Florida-based financial investor as well. At press time, Abboud’s group had not yet placed a bid, according to sources. his group is believed to be interested in hickey Freeman, and possi-bly hart schaffner Marx. Calls to Abboud were not returned by press time.

on the strategic side, bids have been re-ceived from Affliction holdings, perry ellis international and western Glove works. Affliction holdings is affiliated with Affliction brands, according to sources, who said it is interested in Monarchy. perry ellis is said to be eyeing golf brand Bobby Jones, and possibly one other label. western Glove is a Canadian firm based in winnipeg, Manitoba that is believed to be interested in Christopher Blue. western Glove manufactures Victoria Beckham’s dVb line.

sources said there was at least one other possible bidder for the men’s brands hickey Freeman and hart schaffner Marx.

An auction is set for wednesday. the stalking horse bid from london-based emerisque and its investment partner sknl at $128.4 million is for the entire firm. Depending on the course of the auction, there is the possibility of a breakup of the brands under the hartmarx umbrella.

— With contributions from Brenner Thomas

Brooks Bros. Adds Black Fleece Stores

Hartmarx Fields Offers From Bidders

To e-mail reporTers and ediTors aT WWd, The address is firsTname.lasTname@fairchildpub.com, using The individual’s name.

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4FASHIONBold prints, bright colors and military and ethnic themes rule the Milan runways as men’s fashion week continues.Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren took a softer, more languid tone for spring with their signature masculine-feminine theme for Viktor & Rolf.

GENERALSyms Corp. wants to retain the traditions and strengths of Filene’s Basement as it works to integrate the two chains in the next few months.Brooks Brothers will open two additional Black Fleece stores, including the first freestanding international unit, this fall.Finish Line Inc. is selling its struggling Man Alive business for $7 million to an entity controlled by Jimmy Kherzrie, owner of Jimmy Jazz stores.TEXTILES: Yarn firms exhibiting at Pitti Filati intend to hold strong on pricing plans, while offering bolder colors and innovative products.

Pakistan’s federal government is set to unveil a comprehensive textile industry policy aimed at boosting its troubled textile sector.RTW: Gen Art’s 15th anniversary benefit will be festive, but the group and the designers it supports are crying out for help amid the downturn.

EYEEuropean talents — Ruth Wilson and L’Aura — are sure to heat up the summer season.

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“We’re certainly up to the challenge.”

— Marcy Syms, president and chief executive officer of Syms Corp., on taking over Filene’s Basement. Page one.

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• Ongoing coverage of the men’s collections in Milan, including reviews, full runs of show, backstage images, parties and Fashion Scoops

• Additional photos from resort-cruise including Viktor

& Rolf, Sonia Rykiel and Roksanda Ilincic

• WWD Blog: SoulCycle celebrates its third year

in New York• Global breaking news

WWD IS A ReGISteReD tRADeMARK oF ADVANCe MAGAZINe PUBLISHeRS INC. CoPYRIGHt ©2009 FAIRCHILD FASHIoN GRoUP. ALL RIGHtS ReSeRVeD. PRINteD IN tHe U.S.A.VOLUME 197, NO. 130. WWD (ISSN 0149–5380) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in January, May, October, November and December, two additional issues in March, April, June and August, and three additional issues in February and September) by Fairchild Fashion Group, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Condé Nast Publications: S. I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, President/CEO; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice President/COO; Jill Bright, Executive Vice President/Human Resources. 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. 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 and reprint requests, please call 212-630-4274 or fax requests to 212-630-4280. Visit us online at www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild 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.

TODAY ON

.comWWDBackstage at Prada.

By Alexandra Steigrad

Finish line inC. reACheD A DeAl to sell its struggling urban-inspired Man Alive business for about $7 million in cash to Jimmy khezrie, owner of the Jimmy Jazz chain.

Under terms of the agreement, which is ex-pected to close next month, khezrie’s Man Alive Acquisition llC would pick up 75 stores under the Man Alive and Decibel names, their trade-marks and trade names, leasehold interest and lease liabilities and intellectual property.

Finish line said it registered a $13.2 million loss from Man Alive for the year ended Feb. 28.

“this transaction will allow us to exit our un-profitable Man Alive business and focus our time and resources on our successful core Finish line business and thereby generate shareholder value,” said Glenn lyon, chief executive officer.

khezrie noted: “there are immense econo-mies of scale and synergies that come with this

acquisition, which will increase our market share, increase productivity and decrease ex-penses, and most importantly, provide the con-sumer with the best and latest in urban fashion.”

As part of the agreement, Finish line will receive up to $5 million at closing, with the re-maining amount to be paid in 12 equal monthly installments. All Man Alive’s workers will stay on with the new company.

the retailer said the chain would be account-ed for as a discontinued operation in the second quarter ending Aug. 29.

Finish line also said it anticipates a first-quarter loss from continuing operations of a penny a share on sales of $267.2 million, which was below analysts’ expectations of a profit of a penny a share on sales of $273.2 million. the company said quarterly same-store sales de-clined 3.9 percent for Finish line and 39.1 per-cent for Man Alive. the retailer will report first-quarter results on thursday.

Finish Line Sells Man Alive BusinessWWD

Men’s

Black Fleece will have its own home in downtown San Francisco.

Vena Cava

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WWD.COMWWD, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009 3

By Anne Riley-Katz

Trend-driven reTailer KiTson is raTcheTing up iTs global footprint.

The los angeles-based store plans a pair of new units in Tokyo, with the first opening sept. 6 in the harajuku area and the second in March 2010 in the high-end omotesando district. under a licensing agreement, all of Kitson’s stores in Japan are owned and operated by itochu corp.

Kitson founder Fraser ross said he is in talks to open boutiques in china, south Korea and singapore, possibly in the next year. Kitson’s first outpost in Japan debuted in March in the lumine shopping complex in Tokyo’s shinjuku district. another los angeles-based specialty retail-er, ron herman, plans to launch a 3,000-square-foot unit in Tokyo on aug. 29, and also is eyeing growth in asia and europe. other los angeles-based boutiques, including opening ceremony and intuition, plan to open in Japan, and satine has a location in Tokyo’s aoyama area.

Funds from the overseas licensing helps fund stateside expansion, ross said. Kitson Men’s store is to open saturday in Malibu, calif., and a Kitson Kids store is launching on disneyland’s Main street usa in mid-July.

Kitson has seven stores in metropolitan los angeles — five on robertson Boulevard, one on Melrose avenue and another in the americana at Brand shopping center in glendale, calif.

“i would love to be sold or to go public at some point; i can’t grow any more in this country by myself,” ross said. “Where i’d like to be is

in london….With the right partner, it could really work.”ross said the first Kitson store in Tokyo rang in $1.5 million in sales

in its initial 20 days in business. erin armendinger, managing director of the Jay h. Baker retailing

initiative at the university of pennsylvania’s Wharton school, said de-spite the recession there is still growth opportunity in the asian mar-ket, particularly Japan.

“There are brands that will have five stores in Tokyo because people are loyal to one single area even more than in new York — i think it’s a function of how crowded Tokyo is as a city,” armendinger said. “The stores are smaller and more productive.”

ross said international licensing is a linchpin to his business, as well as sales of Kitson’s branded products, which represent as much as 20 percent of volume.

“The best thing we ever did was come out with our own brand — that is one of the biggest parts of our business,” he said. “it really car-ries the load because the margins are so much better.”

and Filene’s will retain their individual look and ‘flavor’ for which they have been histori-cally known.”

The letter also said the combined company would be “back in the market, fully ready and fully able to do business and resume our pur-chasing relationship.” it said that “all of the great people you have historically worked with remain in position to work with you again.”

shulman will remain on board along with his buying staff, syms said, although titles and exact duties have yet to be worked out. she stressed, however, that Monday “was the first day that they’ve been in the market” toting open-to-buy dollars and looking for the best op-portunistic purchases.

she emphasized shulman is a “knowledge-able merchant who has the trust of his buy-ing staff ” and will be a key addition to the team. additionally, the store per-sonnel will be retained. The company’s distribution cen-ters are expected to be con-solidated and the integration of the back-office, buying, sourcing and purchasing functions will take place over the next six months. “But we expect to retain most jobs,” she said.

syms said she was de-termined to add Filene’s Basement to the syms family since she was approached by a law firm hired by an inde-pendent director of Filene’s Basement’s parent company in March. “i went to several stores and recognized that this would be an excellent strategic move for syms.”

although she said she could not have an-ticipated the furor of the auction process, which included competing bids from the Men’s Wearhouse and crown acquisitions, she was determined to keep “pursuing it. The busi-nesses are highly complementary. We looked at the mix and saw their strength in women’s separates, which is 70 percent of Filene’s Basement’s floor space and sales, while syms is 50 percent-plus men’s. We also realized the overlap in our vendor base is 60 to 70 per-cent.”

Michael Kollender, managing director and head of consumer and retail investment bank-ing at stifel, nicolaus & co., the financial ad-viser to syms, said, “This was an excellent ac-quisition for syms because the creation of a larger company increases their competitive ca-pability, and is coupled with synergistic value based upon the geographic overlap of the two businesses.”

syms agreed on June 18 to pay $65 million for 23 Filene’s Basement stores, fixtures and

inventories. vornado realty Trust provided a portion of the funding for the transaction, paying $16.8 million to terminate the exist-ing downtown crossing lease with Filene’s Basement in Boston, and an additional $8.2 million to amend the lease at the union square store in Manhattan.

investors said Monday that, excluding vornado’s contribution, syms paid $40 million for the entire deal, or about $1 million for each of the 23 locations it acquired. They said the off-pricer stands to net a profit on sales of the inventory it acquired from Filene’s. it paid about $17 million for inventory worth $23 mil-lion, they said. investors noted the deal makes sense once the firm ekes out synergies from operations via consolidation of distribution centers, headquarters and other operational efficiencies. They’re also hoping for changes in

board composition, such as possibly shulman taking on a director’s seat.

andrew l. sole, manag-ing member of esopus creek advisors llc, which controls nearly 3.5 percent of syms’ outstanding shares, said, “To our knowledge, this is the largest deal that syms has ever consummated since it has been a public company. syms will now be a business that does almost $600 million in annual sales.…syms has a wonderful opportunity to maximize some of its under-utilized-owned real estate assets located in new Jersey, long island and Florida. syms could easily expand the Filene’s footprint by es-

tablishing new stores in these locations. They are owned properties, unencumbered by debt, and hence the company’s additional occupancy costs would be negligible.”

down the road, syms said there may be op-portunity to convert some existing syms stores to Filene’s Basements or vice versa. “But we need to understand the locations and consumer better,” she said, noting “co-branding in some locations” may be more likely. The same is true of dsW, the shoe retailer that was a sister com-pany of Filene’s Basement. dsW will operate leased departments within Filene’s Basement and may do the same within syms stores, she said.

syms said financing for the deal was made possible by converting an untouched $40 mil-lion line of credit from israel Bank into an asset-based line of credit. she said there is “no real urgency to work it down.” debt of that level for a company of syms’ size is “more than comfortable to live with,” she noted.

syms operates 32 stores in the northeast, Midwest, southeast and southwest. Filene’s Basement filed for bankruptcy on May 4.

WAITING ROOM: Editors at the men’s shows in Milan have a little more room to spread out this season thanks to a dip in attendance, particularly among the American press corps. That’s due to the mothballing of some titles since last season, notably Men’s Vogue and Best Life; smaller contingents from a host of publications, including Style.com, The New York Times’ T magazine and Paper, and no-shows from titles like Flaunt and Time Style & Design, where editors attend the shows on a “semiregular basis,” said a spokesman.

There are some fresh faces, however, as the Wall Street Journal’s WSJ. magazine, represented by editor in chief Tina Gaudoin and director of creative services Andrea Norlander, are covering the week for the first time. Gaudoin used to cover the men’s shows for the Times of London. “It’s great to be back,” she said.

Also hard to miss — with her signature black veil and towering headdress — is A Shaded View on Fashion blogger Diane Pernet, who’s in Milan for the men’s shows for the first time. Pernet said her next big project is a movie that will premiere at Paris’ Centre Pompidou on Oct. 8 at the city’s Short Film Festival.

Meanwhile, Departures has more editors than normal attending the shows, including style editor Stellene Volandes and editor in chief Richard David Story, while V Man has four editorial staffers and two from the ad team at the shows, said editor in chief Stephan Gan. He added that the magazine’s new

editor, William Van Meter, is training for the job and back in the New York office. Van Meter succeeded Jesse Ashlock, who left to become editor in chief of I.D. Interview is sending the same number of people to Europe as it did last year, and Nylon editors haven’t been spotted, as they haven’t attended the men’s shows since Nylon Guys launched in 2002. “We’ve always focused our efforts on the women’s shows, which are attended by both our style and fashion directors every season,” said a spokeswoman. — Miles Socha

TAKING OVER: Vogue has appointed Sylvana Soto-Ward as the director of special events, succeeding Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who resigned on Thursday. Since 2006, Soto-Ward has served as accessories editor, having joined the title in 2003 as assistant to editor in chief Anna Wintour. In addition, Megan Salt will join Vogue’s special events department as special event consultant. Salt has been working with the magazine on the Fashion’s Night Out program and formerly worked at HL Group. — Amy Wicks

L.A. STORY: Lucy Danziger hosted a party at Sunset Towers on Thursday to fete Self’s Los Angeles issue, featuring

new contributing editor, celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels, as its cover girl. “Jillian is the ultimate L.A. well-being lifestyle guru,” said Danziger, who filled the July issue with California-born fitness trends and stars’ favorite recipes.

“I want to do Lucy proud,” said Michaels, who called Danziger a “huge” mentor. “I’ve never had a female mentor — you start to think there’s no such thing. Women often feel like there’s only room enough for one of us.”

During the party, which drew AnnaLynne McCord, KaDee Strickland and Kathy Griffin, Danziger credited Los Angeles as being the launchpad for many of the health and fitness trends Self has covered for 30 years. “Whether it’s been yoga or raw food or vegan or mind, body, East-meets-West merging, a lot of it started in Southern California,” the editor

in chief said. “It’s interesting because stars will be early adoptors. The way they look and feel is a part of their craft. As an actor or actress, your body is your tool.” Still, D-lister comedienne Griffin couldn’t resist poking fun at fitness. “I have a very serious regime of starvation and stress,” she pointed out. “I have gotten meaner as I have gotten thinner. I’m like the lost Olsen triplet.” — Ericka Franklin

Syms Plots Filene’s Future Kitson’s Global Move

Marcy Syms

Continued from page one

Kitson in Los Angeles.

Self’s Los Angeles issue.

MEMO PAD

4 WWD, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009

Prada: Miuccia Prada has a knack for cutting through the noise and she succeeded again with a modern collection inspired by black-and-white movies and big-city life. “The vacation mood is impractical now. We must embellish our everyday life and build something more pleasant daily,” Prada said before the show. So rather than “running off to Hawaii,” Miuccia’s man is dressed for a summer in the gray city, decked out in a plethora of slimly tailored suits in micro patterns, plus perforated knits, jackets, hats and shoes. First out were double-breasted jackets with thin lapels, followed by layers of mesh cardigans and vests,

which were grainy and lightweight. “Let’s make the city suit more relaxed,” Prada said, which she did by mixing chevrons, houndstooth and Art Deco swirls. A soundtrack that crackled with cell phone interference or the rumble of passing cars added to the urbane drama — as did cutoff tailored shorts and raw-edged silk shirts. They rounded out a collection that, despite its monochromatic nature, was anything but one-dimensional.

Calvin Klein Collection: Italo Zucchelli spies a need for more transparency in modern life, and he announced

the concept with his first look: a translucent, weightless, black nylon parka over a black two-piece wet suit. Sticking at first to a neutral spectrum, he spun more sheer nylons, three-dimensional mesh and paper-thin leathers — perforated to the point of sheerness — into classic tailored clothing as well as athletic-inspired sportswear such as a mesh varsity jacket and a sheer leather polo shirt. Fluffy pompadours, cap sleeves cut to show off the deltoids, and high-waist trousers injected an “American Graffiti” vibe, punctuated by the classic Mustang convertible parked at the door. The

Getting Graphic Bold prints, Bright colors and military and ethnic themes rule the milan runways.

Prada Prada Calvin Klein Collection

Calvin Klein Collection

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brand is always crafting an association with youthful rebellion, whether of the moment or historic. Playing with a house icon, Zucchelli revamped blue jeans by using the reverse side of the denim. Then came a flood of head-to-toe turquoise and tangerine looks, which felt like an attempt to replicate the reaction his shocking colors elicited a year ago. Still, you have to hand it to him for putting his unmistakable handwriting on a brand so loaded with associations.

Salvatore Ferragamo: Salvatore Ferragamo is one of a slew of fashion houses looking to add muscle in the men’s department. The strategy makes sense given Ferragamo’s masculine arm is already performing better than its women’s wear counterpart, according to chief executive officer Michele Norsa. With that in mind, designer Massimiliano Giornetti sent out a strong collection that played on classic Italian tailoring and subtle African references. Giornetti said his inspiration was “an elegant English gentleman

who discovers the African continent at the turn of the century.” Yet there was nothing old-fashioned about the crimson double-breasted cardigan that opened the show, heralding a palette of rich browns and ochers reminiscent of scorching deserts. Giornetti injected a youthful element into the collection with slim double-breasted suits in fine wool or cotton gabardine. Chunky handmade sweaters — some in woven leather — riffed on basket weaving and were among knockout pieces. He swapped sandals for laced two-toned shoes — some in raffia — for a collection that felt rich and lived-in.

Etro: When the backdrop of a show is a giant, revolving kaleidoscope, one knows to expect wild color and prints, especially when the house in question is Etro. Laying out a sandy catwalk sparkling with crystals, Kean Etro unleashed an energetic romp. Blurry Hawaiian prints, vivid paisleys and painterly splashes were tossed on liberally and mishmashed with striped or checkered suits in more muted tones. Detailing

included American Indian beading on belts or the elbows of coats and jackets. Having done red for fall — before it became this season’s hot shade — Etro worked with jelly bean brights, pastels and ocean hues. No wonder the finale of barefoot, galloping models looked like a deleted scene from “Mamma Mia!”

Roberto Cavalli: On the heels of a more aggressive and hard-edged women’s show for fall, Roberto Cavalli cranked up the machismo factor for his men’s line for spring. There were military details like elaborate epaulets and toggles on strong-shouldered jackets, industrial hardware used as beading, and leather pants and jackets with elaborate laser cutting and embossing. Mixing some tender in with the tough, the designer sent out a parade of pastel-colored, gauzy muscle shirts with armholes down to the waist and zip-fly trousers that had an extended waist that folded over. But even they seemed to say: Don’t mess with me.

MILANmen’s collections/spring ’10

men’s collections/spring ’10

Salvatore FerragamoEtro

Roberto Cavalli

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Ferré: For their second men’s effort at Ferré, Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi revived many of the old brand signifiers: gold embroidery, black leather, heavy knits, broad shoulders, and even a big, beaded letter F for the torso. While there was a nod to the Riviera in pinstripes and pastels, the designers’ penchant for restrictive tailoring and hard-edged styling made the collection seem rigid and heavy for spring.

Neil Barrett: Barrett dipped into his toolbox of tailoring tricks again for spring. Everything on top, including mackintoshes and sleeveless shirts were double-breasted, elongated and easy on the eye. The designer employed a vacuum-sealing technique to apply panels of slick leather throughout the collection, at times trapping jacket lapels. But the gimmicks overshadowed the sharp tailoring.

Marc Jacobs: Following the transition to licensee Staff International, Marc Jacobs’ men’s wear is as cool and commercial as ever. Referencing downtown New

York in the Eighties as well as Sid Vicious, details throughout the collection included seams hand-traced in ink, zipper trims, and a lipstick-kiss motif. Key styles included pleated shorts reminiscent of the kilts favored by Jacobs, elongated tuxedo jackets and all manner of biker jackets. Alexander McQueen: Skipping the runway this season, Alexander McQueen collaborated with photographer David Sims on a short film depicting a nearly nude, emotionally agonized artist smearing clay on walls. From the screening room, guests proceeded to inspect his spring collection — including suits and workwear daubed with paint — hung on racks. While this season has produced a major trend toward lived-in looks, McQueen has taken pauvre chic to extremes, adding stains to a perfectly cut double-breasted Prince of Wales suit and goring holes in oversize cardigans. References to the struggle of art making added novelty to the clothes — decorated with line drawings, abstract prints and patchworks — but does fashion really need to be so wrenching?

C.P. Company: The first look — a white T-shirt and blue jeans — telegraphed the substance of Wallace Faulds’ debut collection: wearable basics. Newly arrived from John Galliano, Faulds delved into the C.P. archives and came up with a silhouette reminiscent of “Miami Vice” with tapered trousers, loose tailoring and breezy, seaside styling. Employing the company’s color capabilities, he developed deep and beguiling aubergines and aquas. And while he kept the signature goggle jacket in place, Faulds forged ahead with a trendier sensibility. Costume National: Liner notes described Costume National’s look for spring as “travelers and curious explorers.” But forget safari-suited gentlemen. Designer Ennio Capasa followed a tougher and more offbeat path, with drop-crotch pants stuffed into army boots anchoring even tailored looks. Capasa tempered the rough edges with glossy and open-weave fabrics, to mixed effect, such as a cropped satin jacket with floral embroideries. Some of his kooky adventurers seemed lost in the fashion wilderness.

MILANmen’s collections/spring ’10

men’s collections/spring ’10

For more on the Milan men’s collections, see

WWD.com.

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For more collection images, see WWD.com.

Flow AheadFor their spring collection, Viktor horsting and rolF snoeren took a soFter, more languid tone with their signature masculine-feminine theme for Viktor & rolf. tailored pieces came worked with the chic easiness of a silk blouse — seen in, say, a cocoon jacket with fluid bat sleeves. pants were either narrow and ruched at the bottom or wide with roomy pockets and a high waist. Fabric got the soft treatment, too, from washed silks to superfine jersey layered with silk chiffon. Ultralight unlined wool trenches or viscose jersey dresses were gathered delicately at the waist, in a palette of flesh-tone, beige and washed black.

Meanwhile, going back to her roots, sonia rykiel created a cruise collection that was a fun throwback to her eighties classics, seen in easy sweater-fit cotton jackets with pagoda shoulders; floral silk crepe pants, and retro cotton t-shirts splashed with sunray stripes. Mix and match terry cloth pieces came jazzed up with gold piping or crystal dots, while the line’s nonchalant silhouettes — often tiny on top and slouchy on the bottom — are a nod to the thirties resort scene in deauville.

“i was inspired by the idea of transforming cocktail and evening dresses into something more approachable in terms of fabric,” said roksanda ilincic. to that end, the designer’s coolly glamorous cruise lineup included structured shift dresses crafted from linen, one with layers of ruffles and another dress made from contrasting panels of silk and organza in shades of dove gray, pale peach and black.PH

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8 WWD, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009

Textile & Trade Report

By Kerry Olsen

MILAN — Mills exhibiting at the upcoming Pitti Filati yarn fair intend to stick to their pricing strategies, while offering bolder color assortments and innovative products.

Italian spinners presenting their collections at the show, which will take place in Florence July 7 to 9, intend to offer a bright color palette focused on shades of green, giv-ing a nostalgic take on the winter season with hand-knit and vintage effects on fi bers.

James McArdel, managing director of Scottish cashmere specialist Todd and Duncan, believes innovation is essential at a time of economic turmoil.

“We feel very strongly about product development and the need to create reasons why people should buy our yarns,” said McArdel.

Todd and Duncan also is making moves to strengthen its global reach. Parent com-pany Dawson International recently sold the Scottish spinning company to Chinese cashmere business Ningxia Zhongyin, which has supplied the company with cash-mere fi ber for more than fi ve years. Zhongyin is one of China’s largest cashmere de-hairing and combing businesses and was founded in 1994.

Todd and Duncan’s European management team, which helped return the busi-ness to profi tability last year, will remain in place. The company employs some 200 people in Kinross, Scotland.

McArdel said the deal is “looking way beyond the diffi culties of the current eco-nomic climate to a picture of how the future global cashmere industry will look in a few years’ time.”

Pitti Filati Mills to Push Bold Colors, Natural Fibers

An exhibition hall at Pitti Filati.

Todd and Duncan will

present a green color

palette.

Cariaggi’s cashmere Mantra yarn uses constrasting colors to achieve a craft look.

Cariaggi’s cashmere Mantra yarn uses constrasting colors to achieve a craft look.

Cariaggi’s cashmere Mantra yarn uses constrasting colors to achieve a craft look.

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WWD.COM9WWD, tuesDay, june 23, 2009

Textile & Trade Report

The company will introduce an industry first at Pitti Filati — a fine, lightweight woolen spun cash-mere dubbed Ghost. The yarn can be knitted using existing machinery and contains a filament that dis-appears when washed, producing 100 percent cash-mere garments at almost “half the natural weight.”

Zegna Baruffa will showcase handcrafted effects in its newly developed sable effect yarns. The yarns give knitwear a vintage effect and a handcrafted feel that is achieved by adding silk.

As with other mills, the poor economic environ-ment continues to provide challenges. Alfredo Botto Poala, Baruffa’s chief executive officer, said the com-pany’s sales dropped 12 percent so far this year com-pared with 2008. Giacomo Festa Bianchet, president of Lora Festa, which offers cashmere produced in China, said the company’s volume is down about 15 percent from last year.

“The market feeling is for volume in form and vol-ume in yarns,” said Cristiana Cariaggi, communica-tion manager for cashmere spinner Cariaggi.

The company has been delving deeper into natu-ral fibers. It recently reached a deal with the New Zealand Merino Company to purchase Zque, a cer-tified merino wool that guarantees the wool pur-chased comes directly from New Zealand producers and is obtained through sustainable practices. Also inspired by the feeling of hand knitting, Cariaggi will present new carded qualities called Kakakorum, Himalaya, Pamir and Piuma Tweed. Crochet looks and textured aspects will be key to the range.

“Thick merino yarns that appear handmade” will be on show at Filatura Tessitura do Tollegna, said Stefania Bernardi, area manager.

Alberto Bana, product manager for the Grignasco Group, said the spinner would be offering “new blends such as wool, alpaca and soya that offer a soft handle similar to cashmere.”

“Italians are still requesting the high qualities, whereas 100 percent merino and extremely fine counts are in demand from the American market,” said Stefano Borsini, president of Igea.

Sales have fallen 10 percent at Igea compared with last year, according to Borsini, but he sees op-portunity in rising interest in wool. Igea will show-case voluminous yarns, including blends of wool and mohair achieved through a production technique the company has termed “airflow.” When knitted, the yarns have a chunky appearance, yet have the advan-tage of being light. Other novelties from Igea include a brushed mohair yarn with a furlike appearance.

“Blended yarns such as those containing 70 percent cashmere are increasingly important at this time,” said Silvio Botto Poala, director of Botto Poala.

Mills are expected to present a stronger color pal-

ette overall during the show. Botto Poala will pre-view “a lot of blues, greens and oranges,” said Silvio Botto Poala.

“People want some color in the midst of this eco-nomic gloom,” he added.

The company also has increased its color card to 115 colors from 80, a change that will be echoed elsewhere.

At Cariaggi, Cariaggi said the mill will be using color as “the most effective way to update.” Greens will make a strong appearance at Filatura Tessitura do Tollegna Spa and “soft natural colors such as organic green” will be featured at Grignasco. Loro Festa will showcase 90 stock service colors.

A stronger dollar is aiding mills and fueling opti-mism, as well. Baruffa’s Botto Poala said the dollar is making its pricing more competitive and allowing mills to resist pressure to lower their price points.

“We intend to maintain a strong policy on price,” he said. “We know our costs and quality.”

“People want some color in the midst of this economic gloom. ” — Silvio Botto Poala, Botto Poala

By Kathleen E. McLaughlin

BEIJING — China’s decision to direct stimulus spending to-ward domestic products first, after months of complaining about a U.S. policy of the same nature, could spell further trouble for trade relations between the two nations as con-cerns rise about protectionism amid the global economic downturn.

In a detailed document published earlier this month, the National Development and Reform Commission (the central government’s chief economic planning body) spelled out guidelines governing how China’s $587 billion in stimulus money should be spent. Among the pages was a controver-sial item directing local governments to spend first on do-mestic goods and services, saying too much has been spent on imports amid the stimulus spree. Much of China’s stimu-lus spending is expected to take place at the provincial and local government levels, at which the directive was aimed.

The “buy China” clause took observers by surprise, as Chinese leaders have railed against the U.S. since February for a provision in the American stimulus spending plan that encourages use of domestically made goods and services first.

“We won’t practice ‘buy China,’” Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei said in February. “We’ll treat domestic and foreign products equally as long as they are needed.”

That pledge has fallen by the wayside in what could be a signal of increasing tensions between the two trade giants.

The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in China expressed concern about the delicate balance of trade ties, saying in a written statement that “protectionist policies and corresponding market distortions, in either Beijing or Washington, could prove extremely detrimental to the de-cades of bilateral progress that have contributed to growth and prosperity.”

“Chinese and U.S. companies and workers have much to gain from strong engagement, and much to lose from protec-tionism,” the business group added. “Furthermore, both coun-tries have WTO commitments to keep in mind, which they made in the interest of open trade to promote robust growth.”

That growth in trade has fallen dramatically this year, as the recession has squeezed American pocketbooks and taken a toll on Chinese manufacturing. In May, China’s exports dropped by 24.6 percent from the same month a year earlier, continuing a trend that has also squeezed the country’s trade surplus to $13.39 billion — roughly 30 percent less than in May 2008. Also, last month, foreign direct investment in China declined by 17.8 percent from a year ago, with overall FDI down 20 percent in the first five months of this year.

As the trade relationship weakens, China’s concerns about its U.S. dollar investments continue — despite ex-perts saying that, realistically, China has no better place to park its foreign currency reserves. Also heightening concerns, China has yet to sign on to the World Trade Organization’s Government Procurement, an agreement to promote fair competition and trade in government con-tracts. AmCham urged China to sign the pact, but as yet there is no indication it will.

Chinese economists were quick to defend the “buy China” provision, saying this country simply followed the example set by the U.S. Congress.

“I don’t know that there is an international rule that we should open our trade on this issue, but anyway, it was the United States that first broke the rule,” said Yuan Minggang, an economist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Song Hong, director of an international finance institute at the same academy, said that, although the U.S. did fire the first shot in this spat, neither side is acting in a wholly responsible manner toward global economic recovery.

“It may not affect relations between China and the United States,” said Song. “But it will have a bad impact on the world’s economy, because right now cooperation is needed and lack of cooperation will harm chances for the global economic recovery.”

Strong green tones will be

on display at Filatura Tessitura.

Rift Looms in ‘Buy China’ Policy

WWD.COM10 WWD, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009

Textiles & Trade

By Mahlia S. Lone

LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan is set to give its struggling textile indus-try a major financial boost.

A comprehensive textile industry policy has been formulated by the federal government for the fi rst time and will be introduced next month, Pakistan’s federal minister for textiles, Rana Muhammad Farooq Saeed Khan, told WWD in an exclusive interview.

“In the budget of 2009-10, 40 billion rupees [about $500 million at current exchange] has been allocated for the development of industry here, and a signifi cant portion of this has been earmarked specifi cally to help the textile industry,” Rana Farooq said. “This is because the year-on-year fi gure of the country’s textile exports has dipped from $11.01 billion in July 2006 to June 2007 to $10.3 billion in 2008 to 2009.”

Pakistan is the world’s fourth largest producer of cotton, but is only the 12th largest exporter of cotton products. Fifty percent of the country’s cotton exports are value-added products, but most are at the lower end of the price spectrum, while the rest is raw cotton, yarn or greige fabric, he noted.

Looking at how much the gov-ernments of other regional com-petitors fund their textile indus-tries — China gives a 17 percent rebate on textile exports and India gives an estimated 8 to 9 percent in the form of disguised subsidies — the government has prioritized the textile industry in the budget of 2009-10, said Rana Farooq, and set an ambitious tar-get of $25 billion in annual tex-tile exports within fi ve years.

From research and develop-ment aimed at creating better strains of cotton to ensuring the provision of clean, graded cot-ton to lowering the cost of oper-ating mills to help attain greater access to the U.S. and European markets, short-term and long-term goals are included in the new policy, Rana Farooq noted.

Under the plan to be un-veiled next month, premium payments will be given to grow-ers of high-grade, clean cotton. Setting up of new ginning mills will be encouraged by the government by giving cash subsidies, similar to India’s technology upgrade fund. For example, it costs about $65,000 to set up an average-size ginning mill here and the government will make a cash transfer to the mill once it is established.

Similarly, investment in new textile machinery has declined drastically since last year because of higher fi nancing costs, the lack of reliable energy supplies and the recession. The goal is to reverse the trend by lowering fi nancing costs and providing capital subsidies.

Noneconomic costs of infrastructure and skilled workers also fi gure in the plan. In the short term, subsidies for gas and electricity provided to household consumers at the expense of industrial users are being removed. In the long term, adequate sup-plies of power will be guaranteed by the government.

Furthermore, benchmarks have been developed by employing the consultancy fi rms Gerzi and Werner International for each subsector of the industry and the goal is to raise standards throughout the production cycle. At the moment, there are sub-stantial productivity gaps.

According to a Werner report, Pakistan’s productivity fi gures are about half the global averages. To improve on this, optimal machinery confi gurations and processes will begin to be developed. In addition, 100,000 stitchers will be trained each year over the next fi ve years with the help of vocational programs designed by the United Nations Development Program and conducted in partnership with existing mills, Rana Farooq explained.

Targeted for removal are small taxes, like the Sindh infrastructure tax charged at the rate of 0.75 percent of the value of goods, that are counterproductive and discour-age industrial growth and exports.

“The key ministries, such as ministries of fi nance, investment, agriculture, water and power, as well as the prime minister, have been consulted, as have mills in Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad,” said Rana Farooq after his trip last week to the three textile cities to discuss the upcoming policy with key private stakeholders. Mills were enthused and hope the government can deliver on its promise, as their survival depends on it.

It has been reported that more than 350 textile mills here shut down in the last two years, while 99 knitwear mills closed just in 2008, according to the Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association.

Naseer Butt, director of Ayesha Knitwear, a medium-size mill here supplying brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, compared Pakistani mills with the upcom-ing regional contender in the apparel manufacturers’ race, Bangladesh, saying: “Bangladesh’s textile sector gets 5 percent rebate from its government and the salary is only a third [of what] it is here.”

So, while Pakistan apparel export fi gures to the U.S. for the fi rst four months of the year were only $195 million, as opposed to $207 million in the fi rst four months of 2008, Bangladesh achieved $1.2 billion, versus year-earlier exports of $1 billion.

“However, given our advantages over Bangladeshi mills — indigenous raw material which Bangladeshi mills import from here, positive quality parameters in mills here, less compliance issues, the lead time for local mills is on average 15 days less than for Bangladeshi mills and mills here produce more value-added fashion garments com-pared to the more basic Ts produced there — if the government allocates adequate resources for the industry to level the playing fi eld with the regional competitors, then we are on the road to recovery,” Butt said.

Speaking of disruptions due to frequent bomb blasts in the country and military action taking place in the North-West Frontier Province near Afghanistan and tribal areas, Butt said: “There are no disruptions in our work in the mills. In the three indus-trial cities it is life as usual, and where transportation is concerned from the cities of Punjab, Lahore and Faisalabad to the port city of Karachi on the Arabian Sea, there is minimal delay involved. Normally, we try to ship goods fi ve days in advance, so as to avoid any unforeseen diffi culties.”

Rana Farooq said, “Pakistan’s economic fortunes are connected with its textile in-dustry and the next July-to-September quarter will show if the policy is taking effect.”

Pakistan Looks to Bolster Lagging Textile SectorMills like Ayesha

Knitwear stand to benefi t from the

government program.

Pakistan’s textile exports have fallen to $10.3 billion.

“If the government allocates adequate resources to level the playing fi eld with the regional competitors, then we are on the road to recovery. ”

— Naseer Butt, Ayesha Knitwear

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FASHION SCOOPS

MILAN — Culti, the Italian de-sign, beauty and spa brand, is readying the unveiling of a flag-ship in the U.S.

The brand will open the doors on a 1,000-square-foot store in Chicago in September. Located on Michigan Avenue, the space will showcase all of Culti’s life-style categories, which encom-pass furniture, interior design, clothing, fragrance and beauty products.

Culti’s founder, Alessandro Agrati, said he specifically picked Chicago to springboard Culti’s presence in the U.S. “We believe it is a great, effervescent city to start with,” he said. “Obviously in the future we will roll out to other big American cities. Our showroom will be able to com-municate better the Culti world to American customers.”

The Chicago location will mark the fourth company-owned store for the brand, which also has flagships in Milan, Saint Moritz and a shop-in-shop in London’s Harvey Nichols de-partment store.

In addition to the Chicago flag-ship, Culti also plans to open a 1,500-square-foot store on London’s Sloane Street by yearend. Culti’s global distribution totals 800 points of sale, and in the U.S., there are sales corners in Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

Agrati launched Culti almost 20 years ago with home fra-

grance diffusers. Constructed from a glass flacon containing scent and wooden sticks that disperse the perfume into the air, the diffusers were an instant hit and remain one of Culti’s best-selling products.

Since then, Agrati has built up an Italian-flavored lifestyle concept for the brand that com-bines fashion, perfume and inte-riors in what he described as a “project of the senses.”

Culti’s total retail sales hit 7.5 million euros, or $11 million at average exchange, in 2008, a 25 percent increase from 2007. A further 3.5 million euros, or $5.1 million, in Culti’s revenues last year came from interior design contracts.

Culti’s beauty and well-being arm of the business includes eight fragrances, a 30-stock-

keeping-unit face and body line called Spa Mareminerali, as well as a Culti flagship spa in Milan.

Culti Day Spa Milano under-went a 2 million euro, or $2.9 million, refurbishment last year in which a men’s spa, a hair spa and beauty and nail area were added to the top floor of the com-bined 12,000-square-foot space. Downstairs, the spa boasts 15 treatment cabins, a steam bath, sauna and a lounge area. Details of marble and smoked glass are used as decor downstairs, along with light-colored wood and Botticino beige-toned lime-stone. Signature treatments uti-lize Culti’s Spa Mareminerali line, which is formulated with thermal water and algae sourced from off of North Britain’s coast.

“We made our Milan spa ex-traordinary,” said Agrati. “It used to be a car shop.”

Agrati is also developing a new Culti spa concept to be inte-grated into the brand’s one-year-old hotel — La Sommita Relais Culti Hotel located in Taranto, in the southern Italian province of Puglia. The 2,000-square-foot space is scheduled to open in December.

Culti also plans to expand its spa concepts through collabora-tions with other hotels, which Agrati said were still in early development stages.

— Stephanie Epiro

Culti Set to Open U.S. FlagshipInside Culti.

BEAUTY BEAT

WALK THIS WAY: Three past and present Calvin Klein models took in the men’s Collection show from a not-so-familiar vantage point: the front row. Calvin Klein is keeping alumni Gabriel Aubrey and Garrett Neff close, in case the brand wants to work with them again, said Malcolm Carfrae, executive vice

president of global communications. The third model, Jamie Dornan, currently appears with Eva Mendes in the brand’s jeans and underwear campaigns. He was happy to leave the walking to others. “I’ve never done a catwalk show actually,” said Dornan. “I don’t think I’d like to, because I don’t walk terribly well and I would be too self-conscious.”

ELIE’S BAUBLES: Elie Tahari’s East Hampton store just got a bit more precious. The designer is partnering with the Council of Fashion Designers of America this summer by featuring jewelry by the likes of Kara Ross, Me & Ro, Stephen Dweck and new CFDA winner Subversive’s Justin Giunta in his East Hampton flagship. Starting July 1 and until the first weekend in September, two different designers will sell their jewelry on a two-week rotation in the 5,000-square-foot store, which opened in 2007. The store windows will have signage promoting the designers selling their work at the time. The designers also will make personal appearances in the store.“Our East Hampton store is the perfect showcase for these amazing and talented designers,” said Tahari, chairman and chief executive officer of Elie Tahari Ltd. “I wanted to show my support for the fashion industry by giving these designers a platform from which to raise the awareness of their brands and be seen in a highly trafficked environment such as the Hamptons.”

RISING SON: Stefano Pilati is still feeling cinematic. To present his spring-summer men’s wear collection for Yves Saint Laurent in Paris

Wednesday night, he plans to screen a short film by Samuel Benchetrit, a French director, actor — and the dashing other half of actress Anna Mouglalis. The house is mum on the plot, but the protagonist is Benchetrit’s 11-year-old son, Jules (and the fashion news will not be the launch of a children’s wear line.) Pilati also plans to stage a mini fashion show after the screening at YSL’s Rue d’Artois showrooms. Last season, Pilati featured a film by photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, which featured actor Michael Pitt.

ON THE BEACH: Raf Simons is gearing up to show his men’s collection in Paris on Friday and will focus on women’s wear in July, but he has the month of August planned out — and it’s all play and no work. For the third year, he’ll spend it in Apulia, Italy, said the designer before the Prada show, which he often attends as a friend of Miuccia Prada — “one of the few really, really interesting people in fashion I like to listen to.” About his holidays in the south of Italy, Simons said: “It’s the total opposite from this world. The first time I packed a whole suitcase, now I just bring my swim trunks. I never move, I just swim and eat freshly caught fish.”

BE MY GUEST: Riccardo Tisci, couturier at Givenchy, was perhaps the most surprising guest at Donatella Versace’s after-show dinner Sunday night at the Via Gesù palazzo. But he and Versace go way back. Indeed, Tisci said Gianni and Donatella are among the principle reasons he went into fashion. “Donatella for us is like a Sophia Loren. She’s a great representative of Italy,” Tisci said. “It’s a friendship.” Tisci said he was in Como to visit his mother on Saturday

and stayed on an extra night to take in Versace’s show and party before rushing back to Paris to ready his shows for Givenchy men’s and couture. His review of Donatella’s show: “Very Versace, in an elegant way.”

FANCY FOOTWORK: Andre Iguodala, who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, can be forgiven for frequently looking down during the Salvatore Ferragamo show on Monday. “I have a lot of

shoes,” the towering basketball player confessed before the show. “I’ve been a big Ferragamo fan for five years now. It’s hard to find shoes in my size. I’m a 15.” Still, large feet haven’t stopped Iguodala from amassing quite a collection: He

has more than 200 pairs of Nikes and “between 50 and 75 pairs of dress shoes.” Iguodala is vacationing in Italy with friend Andrea John, an equity trader at Goldman Sachs. ON NEXT: The first men’s edition of the Who’s on Next competition for emerging designers crowned two winners during Pitti Uomo in Florence on Thursday. Umit Benan — designed by Umit Benan Sahin, who also designs Cacharel Homme — won for ready-to-wear and Max Kibardin won in the accessories category.

DISAPPEARING ACT: Jack Huston, nephew of Hollywood star Anjelica Huston, said at the Roberto Cavalli show that he was on his way to the Edinburgh International Film Festival to present his latest flick, “Boogie Woogie,” a comedy also starring Amanda Seyfried and

Heather Graham. This is a busy time for Huston, with “The Garden of Eden,” “Outlander” and “Shrink” all out more or less at the same time. “I love to play different characters,” said Huston. “I become quite introverted when I’m in a role, and tend to sort of disappear.” Not so when he’s out and about in fashion circles. Huston, whose dates include the likes of models Helena Christensen and Cat Deeley, modeled Yves Saint Laurent in an artistic film to present a men’s collection a year ago. Meanwhile, Cavalli, asked for an update on the possible sale of a stake in his company to private equity fund Clessidra, replied: “We’re still not there, but getting close. Hopefully by September.” HAPPY 10th: Speaking of Roberto Cavalli, the party for his men’s 10th anniversary in Florence during Pitti Uomo last week was quite a family affair, with Eva, Rachele and Daniele Cavalli representing their clan. But the designer was in Milan, prepping his men’s show. The family’s attendance was matched by Ferruccio, Ilaria and Leonardo Ferragamo. Designer Ermanno Scervino also stopped by the Cavalli Club, where guests sipped Cavalli vodka on leopard print banquettes. On display was a photographic retrospective curated by Max magazine. “It’s amazing how 10 years can go by so quickly. Roberto has created many different versions of the Cavalli man, and it’s great to be able to see his vision come alive in one place,” said Eva Cavalli, who collaborates on design with her husband. Cavalli men’s was launched with a runway show at Pitti Uomo in 1999, and the celebration in Florence brought it full circle.

Jamie Dornan

Samuel Benchetrit filming his son, Jules, for YSL men’s wear.

Andre Iguodala and Andrea John

Jack Huston

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WWD.COM13WWD, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009

Struggling Gen Art to Host BenefitIn thIs Industry, partyIng for a cause Is a matter of course, even if the good intentions of the event are often overshadowed by its fabulous atmosphere, full of famous faces, party frocks and free drinks. all of that will be part of tomorrow night’s I heart gen art: 15th anniversary Benefit, but make no mistake — as much as it will be a festive ode to art, fashion and film, it’s also a cry for help. as Ian gerard, gen art’s cofounder, put it, “the underpinning of the benefit is to reach out to the talent we’ve worked with over the years and say, ‘We’re in a bad spot. can you come out and support?’”

gen art has been as ravaged by the economic downturn as the emerging designers it seeks to support. “our main source of revenue [has been] corporate marketing dol-lars,” said gerard, who founded gen art with his brother stefan in 1993. “that seemed solid, like something you’d never have to worry about, but ev-eryone was caught off guard by how quickly things froze up. unfortunately, we weren’t as diversified as we could have been. three of our largest spon-sors were in the financial and auto sectors.”

since december, gen art has laid off a third of its staff and turned three of its five regional offices into virtual operations. In an effort to further cut costs, half of the remaining staff will be furloughed for the slow months of July and august. gerard hopes marketing budgets will bounce back before september and new york fashion Week, during which gen art hosts its signature fresh faces in fashion show, a group runway presentation that spotlights new designers. the organization boasts an impressive roster of alumni — Zac posen, rebecca taylor, vena cava, geren ford, peter som and rodarte among them. tomorrow night’s ben-efit — the first that gen art has held in more than a decade — has been planned as a life line to raise $250,000 via ticket sales and donations. and gerard isn’t shy about the fact that gen art, which also has art, film and music programs, needs to raise an ad-ditional $500,000 in investment capital, or else.

as of now, gen art’s 10-year-old internation-al design competition, gen art styles, which is typically held at the hammerstein Ballroom and involves a cash prize, is on hold. a pool of 1,000 applicants has already been whittled down to 25 finalists, but “we don’t have the resources to pro-duce the event,” said gerard, who hopes to raise the money by the fall. “It’s not only the event; it’s the award money. It’s expensive.”

the fact that gen art is facing the same worst-case scenario as the new designers it advocates does not bode well for fashion’s up-and-comers, for whom a free runway production is invaluable. vena cava’s Lisa mayock and sophie Buhai consider the show they did with gen art in 2005, their third season, pivotal. “at that point, we really had no stores. We had started our business with no money, had no investors,” said Buhai. “When you’re so small like that, showrooms won’t even meet with you. But if you’ve

done gen art, it just opens so many doors.” In addition to staging the entire runway production, gen art attracts an audience

that young designers wouldn’t otherwise have access to, such as saks fifth avenue. for more than seven years, saks’ fashion market director colleen sherin has served on gen art’s fresh faces selection panel, where she and her fellow panelists sift through thousands of applications. “[gen art’s] support is so important, because it ex-poses these designers to the media, the editors, the stylists, the buyers, the retailers,” said sherin, adding that saks’ fashion and buying teams always attend the show.

consider Zac posen, who came blazing out of gen art’s fresh faces show in 2001 on the heels of his graduation from central saint martins. By the following season,

he had staged his own show, received reams of editorial press as well as a cfda award nomination. When asked how gen art affected his career path, posen replied, “[Before gen art], I had done one small presentation in my parents’ living room. and I probably would have done another one.”

— Jessica Iredale

Ready-to-Wear Report

By Katya Foreman

PARIS — the first major retrospective dedicated to madeleine vionnet, among the 20th century’s most influential fash-ion designers, opens Wednesday at Les arts décoratifs museum here.

spanning 1912 to 1939, the exhibition, “madeleine vionnet, fashion purist,” which ends Jan. 31, is likely to spark a vionnet renaissance across the runways.

vionnet herself supplied most of the show’s content, having in 1952 bequeathed her house’s patrimony, including 122 pro-totypes, 750 patterns and 75 photo albums compiled for copyright purposes, to the french union of costume arts, which Les arts décoratifs conserves. the gesture was unheard of at the time. “she had made the conscious effort of choosing these pieces and keeping them for so long,” said the mu-seum’s curator in chief, pamela golbin, of the archive, which has just undergone an extensive restoration program carried out by the museum and sponsored by natixis.

andrée putman conceived the show’s design.

the show opens with one of vionnet’s most indispensable work tools, a 31.5-inch-high articulated wooden sculp-tor’s mannequin, which also served as the model for the exhibition’s mannequins. the exhibit follows with vionnet’s early experimentations with structure and the bias cut, which she pioneered. the tech-nique is explored chronologically through

themes, from fringing to transparency. the second floor groups key looks from vionnet’s collections between 1930 and 1939. “the thing that stands out is the co-herence of her [work]….every piece has a raison d’être yet also works together [as part of a collection],” said golbin.

vionnet is known as a “geometer of cou-ture” and emancipator of the female body, since in celebrating the natural female form, her feather-light bias-cut draping un-shackled women from the corseted dress conventions of the day. she based her pur-ist designs on three essential forms: the square, the rectangle and the circle, which she would then knot, gather, cut, pleat and twist to form new constructions.

“In the day, bias-cut [fabric] was mainly used for linings.…the fact that vionnet made whole garments [using the tech-nique] was almost an affront, as it was so costly. It’s already [a case of] modern lux-ury being defined,” observed golbin. “you didn’t need lining, buttons, hooks and eyes, so these are the lightest of garments. It’s all about structure first, which is prob-ably why [her clothes] look so modern.”

aside from descriptions about what’s on display, for each dress there’s a mini digital frame showing archived sketches and photos of models dressed in the piece, taken from vionnet’s bequeathed books.

sporadic installations throughout the show serve to reveal the “making of” pro-cess behind certain dresses. a central ex-hibit, for example, houses an example of

vionnet’s iconic handkerchief dress laid out flat on a mirrored glass block. a digi-tal video demonstrates how squares of fabric come together to form the dress.

examples of ornamentation are exhibit-ed on the gallery’s left side, meanwhile. “It was a time in history where people wore heavy embroidery. she has achieved the same effect with the most reduced of ele-ments,” said golbin, adding that vionnet also viewed color as a way of ornamenting a dress. case in point is one 1922 silk frock with geometric panels in degradations of browns and beiges, one of several collabo-rations by vionnet with the artist thayalt.

one elaborate Lesage-embroidered purple-and-red dress, featuring horse motifs inspired by the negative and posi-tive designs on greek vases, stands next to a mini replica version on a doll resem-bling vionnet. It was a gift to the designer from albert Lesage in 1921 for the open-

ing of her first u.s. store.While many of the show’s creations

are in black-and-white, saturated mono-chrome hues abound. “she liked reds like lipsticks and greens and blues like eyes; nothing’s wishy-washy. everything’s clear and to the point,” said golbin.

Known for avoiding the limelight, vionnet also makes a couple of appear-ances in the exhibition. silent black-and-white footage filmed in 1922 shows vionnet demonstrating one of her copy-righted innovations. the designer can be seen triumphantly stamping her thumb-print onto the label on one of her frocks for the camera. While on the second floor, vionnet gazes down from a 1933 portrait by Jean dunand.

the exhibit ends with a delightful pro-jection of black-and-white photos of the designer’s frocks on models, accompanied by recorded extracts of vionnet speaking.

Vionnet Retrospective to Begin For more images, see WWD.com.

Vena Cava from 2005.

Zac Posen and Karen Elson at Gen Art.

Vena Cava’s Sophie Buhai

and Lisa Mayock at

Gen Art.

Zac Posen from

2001.

Vionnet looks on display.

WWD.COM14 WWD, tuesDay, june 23, 2009

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By Evan Clark

Retail shaRes dipped 1.6 percent Monday as investors fretted over the state of the economy and the timing of the recovery.

the s&p Retail index fell 5.07 points to 315, as the dow Jones industrial average had its largest one-day drop since april, giving up 2.4 percent, or 200.72 points, to close at 8,339.01.

Retail investors are placing their bets during a time of great upheaval in the industry. abercrombie & Fitch Co. decided to shutter its 29-door Ruehl division last week, but J.p. Morgan equity analyst Brian tunick said more changes could be in store for the firm, which has suf-fered severe comparable-store sales declines.

“there’s a big change in thinking [that is] happening at [abercrombie] as persistence of some of the worst comps in retail is pushing the company to challenge the status quo,” tunick said after meeting with management last week.

“We would have never expected

to hear the words ‘oversaturated’ and ‘money-losing stores’ from this company, and with 210 leases ex-piring over the next two years — 20

percent of the store base — [the firm] could be clos-ing stores or negotiating for better lease terms,” said tunick in a research note. “We expect most potential closures in its a&F concept, which we think could shrink by close to 100 stores — from 354 today.” shares of abercrombie fell 1.3 per-cent Monday to $25.67.

also, the jewelry sector continues to get clobbered in the current environ-ment. Big-name firms such as Whitehall, Crescent and Friedman’s have al-ready gone into the retail graveyard. On Monday, jewelry wholesaler henry dunay designs inc. filed

for Chapter 11 bankruptcy court protection in Manhattan. in the petition, the firm said it had between $1 million and $10 million in assets, as well as $1 million to $10 million in liabilities. the firm sells its designs at high-end department stores.

— With contributions from Vicki M. Young

Japanese Retail Sales Fall for 15th Month

* Editor’s note: European stocks are quoted in the currency of their principal exchanges. Shares on the London Stock Exchange are quoted in pence, Richemont and The Swatch Group are quoted in Swiss francs and Hennes & Mauritz is quoted in Swedish kronor. All other European stocks are in euros.

Recovery Concerns Take Toll on Stocks

Economic Woes Seen Having Lasting Impact

Escada Posts Loss for 2nd Qtr.

By Dick Silverman

shades OF the GReat depRessiOn.the economic calamity that engulfed

the U.s. starting 80 years ago influ-enced a generation of consumers, and the current financial upheaval might also have a lasting impact, according to a new study.

the survey of 1,067 consumers ages 18 to 65 by Chicago-based market re-search firm information Resources inc. found:• Seventy percent reduced clothing pur-chases, with 56 percent saying that “they will do so well into the future.”• Sixty percent wear clothing multiple times before washings to save on clean-ing costs, and half of them said they will continue the practice. almost 82 per-cent wash laundry only when they have full loads, and 60 percent plan to keep doing that.• Fifty-one percent repair clothes by sewing and patching them.

the downturn is producing “a re-definition of shopping, a redefinition of eating and a redefinition of cloth-ing purchases,” said thom Blischok, president of consulting and innovation at iRi.

“it will take significant convincing before the downturn Generation be-lieves it is safe to open their wallets and purses again,” he said, adding the frugality will remain “long after the re-cession ends.”

the study “dissecting the downturn,” which was based on interviews done in March, said consumers are even doing some of their own cosmetic, hair and skin treatment at home to save money.

“Women will still be purchasing cos-metic products, but they’ll now buy maybe just two varieties of lipstick in-stead of 10,” Blischok said. in place of paying a professional salon, things like home pedicures are rising in vogue, “which we wouldn’t have expected two years or even 18 months ago.”

By Melissa Drier

BERLIN — With continued declines in earnings and sales, escada’s battered bottom line saw no relief in the second quarter ended april 30.

the struggling German fashion house reported a pretax loss of 16.3 million euros, or $21.2 million, for the escada business unit, compared with a pretax profit of 3.5 million euros, or $4.6 mil-lion, for the period a year previously. all dollar figures are converted from the euro at average exchange rates for the respective periods.

the primera unit, which was re-cently divested and encompassed laurèl, apriori, Cavita and Biba, is not included in the results. escada did not release pretax earnings for the en-tire group.

however, including primera’s op-erations, escada reported an after-tax loss of 82.6 million euros, or $107.6 million, in the second quarter, com-pared with an after-tax loss of 4.9 mil-lion euros, or $6.4 million, the year before. escada attributed the steep decline above all to a writedown on assets of 55.1 million euros, or $71.8

million, relating to the divestiture as required by German law.

second-quarter sales for the escada segment fell 33.1 percent to 68.2 mil-lion euros, or $88.8 million. sales for the escada brand fell 27.5 percent to 66 million euros, or $86 million. adjusted for currency effects, escada brand sales were down 30.8 percent in the quarter, the company said.

escada’s future remains extremely clouded. the company said it requires 30 million euros, or $41.8 million at cur-rent exchange, to remain liquid during the current fiscal year, though industry observers suggest funds could run out as soon as the end of July.

at the end of april, escada unveiled a major financial restructuring and re-capitalization plan which it said is nec-essary to ensure its survival. the plan includes a capital increase, a restruc-turing of a 200 million euros, or $278 million, bond issue due in 2012, renego-tiating existing and future credit lines and calls for creditors to take a cut in repayment. no measures have been fi-nalized to date. escada said it plans to have the restructuring completed some-time in July.

By Koji Hirano

TOKYO — May was another rough month for Japanese retailers.

department stores’ May sales slid 12.3 percent to 511.2 billion yen, or $5.28 billion, from a year ago, the Japan department stores association said Friday. this is the 15th straight month of decline.

apparel sales at the nation’s 274 stores fell 15.1 percent during the month. Men’s wear shed 16.9 percent, while women’s wear sales declined 15 percent.

the ongoing recession, rising unem-ployment and swine flu fears kept shop-pers away, the association said. Japan’s unemployment rate has climbed steadi-ly since the start of the year to reach 5 percent in april, the most recent data available.

to combat the current climate, some Japanese department store operators are offering summer discounts earlier than usual. takashimaya will put about 20 to 30 percent of its spring-summer merchandise on sale as of saturday and start to mark down the rest on July 1, the traditional start of the sales period on Japan.

similarly, Millennium Retailing Group’s sogo and seibu department stores have already started marking down merchandise — including leftover stock from past seasons — by as much as 40 percent.

“last year, these markdowns were done mainly for our loyalty card hold-ers, but this year discounted merchan-dise is available for regular consum-ers at this earlier stage,” a Millennium spokesman said.

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WWD.COMWWD, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009 15

By Holly Haber

DALLAS — Business picked up at Fashion Industry Gallery’s three-day market here that ended June 6, as buyers con-centrated on dresses, tops, jewelry and accessories for im-mediate delivery through holiday.

“The overall energy of June market was clearly raised from what we experienced in March,” said Shelli Mers, di-rector of FIG. “Retailers were in better spirits and were looking to fill their stores with goods. Exhibitors were re-ceiving orders that they had anticipated in March, as well as an overwhelming number of immediate orders.”

Gary Rosenblum, sales manager for the Parameter, Sine and Laila contemporary labels, said, “It feels like it’s start-ing to come back.” He observed that buyers were “zeroed in on what does best for them,” adding “dresses and tops are still selling and skirts are coming back.”

Connie Sigel, owner of Elements and Elle boutiques in Dallas, looked for quality merchandise with good markup potential. She was enthusiastic about Shae, a new sweat-er line for its good pricing and forward styling. Sigel also planned to buy items from Plenty by Tracy Reese, Bailey44, Sky, Geren Ford, Elizabeth & James, Tucker and Poleci.

Business has been challenging, she said.“Our customers are no longer label snobs; they just want

outstanding product that is not saturated in the market-place and a great value,” she said. “We’re selling $10,000 bracelets and $90 tops to the same customer. The new trend is high-low.”

Immediate orders of True Religion jeans, crinkle crepe dresses by Michelle Jonas and jewelry were priorities for Stacy Yancey, owner of Abbey Road in The Woodlands sub-urb of Houston.

“Business is steady,” Yancey said. “I’m cautious and I’m a much better buyer. I’m buying one-third to 50 percent less. It’s so hard to project four months from now.”

Cindy McCain, owner of Uptown Boutique on an historic square in Independence, Mo., selected a short A-line skirt with zipper details from Sine. Even though sales this year are up 12 percent, she cut 20 percent from her fall buy.

“People are buying things they need or want for an event and even then they want to wear it twice,” McCain said. “Even though they are being careful, they want fun outfits.”

Jewelry designer Deborah Grivas said she’s had success by concentrating on unusual looks with strong value, as well as great basics.

“The middle of the road doesn’t sell anymore,” she said.

By Samantha Conti

LONDON — Liberty of London plans to shutter its Sloane Street store next month after receiving an un-solicited offer from a flush European fashion brand.

The 2,000-square-foot store, which opened last July, stocks Liberty of London-branded accessories, ready-to-wear, stationery and costume jewelry. The unit was the first and only Liberty of London stand-alone store.

Liberty said Monday the offer was unsolicited, and too good to turn down. The new tenant has purchased the lease and also paid Liberty a 700,000 pound, or $1.2 million, cash premium at current exchange. Liberty said it would save 500,000 pounds, or $825,000, annually from the closure.

The northern end of Sloane Street, which is in Knightsbridge and home to stores such as Harvey Nichols, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Alberta Ferretti and Marni, is some of the most sought-after commer-cial real estate in London. A real estate source here said it is not unusual for companies to sweeten their deals with premiums in order to secure space on the

street — even in these tough times.A Liberty spokesman, who declined to reveal the

name of the incoming brand, confirmed the inven-tory will be transferred to Liberty’s main store near Regent Street, and sold from there. No layoffs are planned and the company was not ruling out the pos-sibility of opening another stand-alone store at some point in the future, he said.

The company said the Liberty of London brand posted “double-digit” sales growth over the past five months and has 100 wholesale accounts worldwide, including Jeffrey, Corso Como and Le Bon Marché.

According to Liberty’s latest financial results, the brand’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization was a loss of 3.9 million pounds, or $6.4 million at average exchange, in the 12 months to Dec. 31. The loss included one-off costs and the open-ing of the store.

An industry source said the Sloane Street store had “not been performing brilliantly,” and was being used more as a marketing platform and a shop win-dow for wholesale buyers.

Upswing at Dallas FIG

Liberty of London to Shutter Sloane Street Unit

By Melissa Drier

BERLIN — German shopping center developer Management für Immobilien AG (Mfi-Group) has emerged as a second potential candidate to take over some of the 90 insolvent Karstadt department store doors. But the Essen-based group denied re-ports it is actively pursuing plans to bid for any of the Karstadt properties.

“The reports were a bit exaggerated,” Mfi spokes-man Olaf Plotke told WWD. He said the subject of Karstadt merely came up in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, which asked how many of the department store doors the group thought could be de-veloped into shopping centers. “We said 20 were plau-sible, but that doesn’t mean we necessarily want to take them over or that we’re in negotiations,” said Plotke.

He pointed out none of the Karstadt doors are currently up for sale. When and if they come on the market, the shopping center specialist will evaluate

“which formats could be implemented and which are interesting for us.” He said there were no specific size requirements in regard to both square footage and city population. “Sometimes a small city can be interesting, or a small space where its possible to buy adjoining properties. There is no template,” said Plotke.

Mfi is one of Germany’s largest shopping center developers, with more than 20 centers throughout the country.

The Metro Group, which operates 113 Galeria Kaufhof doors in Germany, has expressed interest in taking over 60 Karstadt doors — both before and after Karstadt’s parent company Arcandor filed for insol-vency earlier this month. However, Metro warned time was running out.

Arcandor put all talks with Metro on hold, saying the merger was not a priority during bankruptcy pro-ceedings and that Metro wasn’t Karstadt’s only pos-sible partner.

New Potential Bidder for Karstadt Units

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WWD.COM16 WWD, TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2009

Just in time for summer, Jennifer Creel is throwing her hat into the accessories ring, launching a sunglasses collection with eyewear company modo to be sold exclusively at Bergdorf goodman. the line, called modo for Jennifer Creel, retails for $285 to $365 and will be available for two months, starting with the kickoff fete wednesday night. working with modo chief executive officer alessandro lanaro, Creel created seven predominantly unisex styles ranging from the leather-trimmed talitha to the hepburn-worthy sabrina — which all feature a conscientious twist: the wood packaging and bamboo frames are recyclable materials, and for each pair sold, a tree will be planted (where and by whom is still being determined).

Creel, who credits her creative streak to a childhood spent in culturally rich new York City and a 10-year stint in ralph lauren’s sportswear design division, chatted with wwD about eco fashion and green living.

— Vanessa Lawrence

WWD: what made you decide to start this project?Jennifer Creel: i’ve always wanted to do an accessory. Because it’s such a crazy time right now, i wanted to come out with something people are going to feel good about buying.

WWD: why sunglasses?J.C.: i always think that sunglasses set a tone for your day, for how you feel. it’s good for protection, but it also makes you feel good. it makes a statement for how people look at you when you’re walking down the street.

WWD: Can you talk about the charitable element?J.C.: there’s obviously so many different charitable causes out there — i have mine

and my friends have theirs. i also really believed in doing something that was “eco.” [and] i felt the best thing to do was if we were going this eco route was for every frame that is bought, there’s a tree that is planted.

WWD: why a tree?J.C.: i had gotten a Christmas card once that said they would be planting a tree as a gift and i thought, “what a great idea. that’s so clever and smart; why can’t we do something like that?”

WWD: what made you want to do something specifically ecologically minded?J.C.: i was just getting so much influence from my children. You know, “mommy, turn off the lights. recycle the bottles.” i thought, “if they are so aware of it, why shouldn’t i be taking this in and learning from them?” this is the way they were taught and the way it’s going to be, so i think it’s very important for us to acknowledge it and be able to do it in a way that’s fashionable and timeless.

WWD: are you very green in other areas of your life?J.C.: Don’t ask me what car i’m driving, but we recycle and i try to e-mail more than actually using paper.

in the shaDe

Ruth Wilson might have attRacted attention playing Jane eyRe in the BBc’s 2006 adaptation of the dark, victorian novel, but the 27-year-old actress is keen to prove her abilities extend beyond the small screen. in July, Wilson will take on the iconic role of stella Kowalski in “a streetcar named desire” at london’s Warehouse theater. she’ll star alongside Rachel Weisz as Blanche duBois, and elliot cowan, who plays stanley Kowalski. “it’s such a brutal play, full of passion [and] violence,” says Wilson. “With theater, you have that adrenaline kick — you’ve only got you, your voice and that’s it, so it’s quite scary. But i like scaring myself.”

QUICK STUDY: a former history student, Wilson researches her roles thoroughly. the actress took a road trip around america’s deep south to prep for the part, taking in south carolina, mississippi and new orleans. “new orleans is an incredible place. you can understand why tennessee Williams wrote about it,” says Wilson. “it’s got music coming out of every corner.”

SMALL SCREEN: Wilson hasn’t left her television roots behind. the actress will play Queenie in “small island,” a BBc adaptation of the andrea levy novel set in post-World War ii london, which will make its debut on British screens in the fall. she also shot a remake of the sixties spy show “the prisoner,” with sir ian mcKellen and hayley atwell. “it’s quite weird,” says Wilson. “We all have numbers rather than names. to some people it will make no sense, to other people it will be some kind of philosophical story.”

BIG PLANS: Frustrated by what she sees as a lack of compelling roles for women, Wilson says she’s working on putting on a film festival for female writers with atwell and emma thompson. “producers [say] women don’t bring in the money,” says Wilson. “that’s the aim of the festival: for writers to start improving women’s roles. and not to write boring dramas…[but] action movies and genre movies.” the actress also says she plans to direct films of her own at some point. “it’s probably a bit about control, actually,” says Wilson with a laugh. “Wanting to know from start to finish what the hell’s going on.”

— Nina Jones

More Girls of SummerTwo European talents sure to heat up the season.

KnoWn to heR Fans as l’auRa, 24-yeaR-old singeR and song-writer laura abela has released three albums, opened for Ben harper, Rem and alanis morissette and is working on her fourth album, due out this fall.

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: l’aura, who was born in northern italy, spent two years studying music in california as a teenager, where she perfected her pop sound and picked up new influences. “my experience in america was fundamental,” she explains. “Berkeley opened my mind and spirit to all kinds of genres, and helped me understand that you can like madonna and appreciate slayer.”

STRUTTING HER STUFF: l’aura cites Rei Kawakubo, alexander mcQueen, martin margiela, hussein chalayan and helmut lang among her favorite fashion designers. her newest discoveries include luella Bartley and, as she puts it, “the delightful mulleavy sisters [of Rodarte] — how i would love to wear one of their outfits!”

— Rachel Mascetta

Ruth Wilson

The Virginia style from Modo for Jennifer Creel.

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