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

A fashion show. An album release. Madison Square Garden. Kardashians. Jenners. Consumer ticket-holders. Diversity.

Athleticwear. Performance-art refugees. Kanye West’s big thinking broke the mold for his Yeezy Season 3 production. “This isn’t regular,”

he declared to his audience Thursday. He was absolutely right. For the review, see pages 6 and 7.

CollectionsFall

2016

The Livin’ Is Yeezy

Phot

ogra

ph b

y A

ND

REW

H. W

ALK

ER

12 FEBRUARY 2016

Fashion. Beauty. Business.

0212_WWD_DailyNY.indd 3 2/11/16 8:17 PM

2 12 FEBRUARY 2016

● The world’s largest beauty company’s full-year sales in 2015 rose 12.1 percent.

BY JENNIFER WEIL

L’Oréal’s fourth-quarter 2015 sales, buoyed by positive currency exchange rates, business in North America and luxury products, beat analysts’ expectations.

The world’s largest beauty company, which released numbers after the close of the bourse here on Thursday, posted revenues in the three months ended Dec. 31 of 6.5 billion euros, or $7.11 billion, up 9 percent versus the same prior-year period. On a like-for-like basis, company sales advanced 4.2 per-cent, outperforming analysts’ consensus forecasts of 3.6 percent and marking the highest quarterly growth last year.

“All businesses and regions beat expectations except The Body Shop, which had a terrible quarter [with a 5.8 percent decline in comparable terms] and dragged down the overall results,” wrote Andrew Wood, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., in a research note.

Another analyst highlighted that organic top-line gains in the quarter excluding the Body Shop accelerated to 4.8 percent, calling it “in line with management guidance, but reassuring in a global context that remains challenging to say the least.”

The analyst further noted that on-year comparisons were at their toughest in the fourth quarter, “which makes this even more reassuring.”

Wood also emphasized the 5 percent like-for-like revenue rise in North Amer-ica, where luxury product sales were particularly strong, and the 6.5 percent growth in new markets, where business had improved after two consecutive lackluster quarters.

Overall, sales in the luxury products division advanced 6.8 percent on a like-for-like basis in the period, bolstered by products like Yves Saint Laurent Beauté’s Black Opium, Lancôme’s La vie est belle and double-digit growth at Kiehl’s.

For the full year, L’Oréal registered net profits of 3.3 billion euros, or $3.66 bil-lion, down 32.8 percent versus 2014, due to an exceptional, non-recurrent factor: The company had sold Galderma for close to 2 billion euros, or $2.22 billion. In comparable terms, net income rose 11.7 percent.

Last year L’Oréal’s operating profit advanced 12.8 percent to 4.39 billion euros, or $4.87 billion, on sales of 25.26 billion euros, or $28.02 billion, up 12.1 percent. At similar group structure and constant exchange rates, revenues gained 3.9 percent.

Dollar figures are converted at average exchange for the period to which they refer.

“In a year marked by a worldwide eco-nomic slowdown and increased interna-tional volatility, L’Oréal achieved strong growth in 2015, supported by a positive monetary effect, and outperformed the market in three out of its four divisions,” stated Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and chief executive officer of L’Oréal, refer-ring to the Luxe, Active Cosmetics and

Professional Products activities.Meanwhile, the Consumer Products

Division improved its performance in the second half of the year, particularly due to the acceleration of the makeup segment.

“Across the geographic zones, L’Oréal has further accentuated its leadership in Europe, and significantly strength-ened its performance in North America through the course of the year,” contin-ued Agon. “Trends in the new markets were more contrasted, in a context that was challenging in some countries, such as Brazil and Russia.”

L’Oréal’s e-commerce sales were 1.3 billion euros, or $1.44 billion, with very rapid growth. They generated more than 5 percent of overall company revenues.

“In a volatile and uncertain economic environment, particularly in some emerging countries, the group can rely on its balanced footprint across beauty categories, distribution channels and geographic zones,” Agon said. “We are entering 2016 with the ambition to outperform the cosmetics market and achieve another year of sales and profit growth.”

“The outperformance of the top line is likely to please the market, and we expect a positive stock reaction” on Friday, wrote Wood.

In other L’Oréal news, the company’s board of directors has chosen to set up a share buyback plan of up to 500 million euros, or $567 million at current exchange, in the first half of this year. That decision will be voted on at the annual general meeting slated for April 22.

BEAUTY

L’Oréal Q4 Sales Up 9%

Dio

r and

Sai

nt La

uren

t pho

togr

aphs

by

Gio

vann

i Gia

nnon

i

Saint Laurent Men’s RTW Fall 2016 ● Whether his first Saint Laurent runway show in the City of Angels is ultimately his last, Hedi Slimane did it his way. He paid an overt tribute to Yves Saint Laurent’s DNA to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rive Gauche collection.

● Saint Laurent Fall 2016: The Arrivals and Front Row

● Pantone’s Top 10 Colors for Fall 2016

● New York Fashion Week Fall 2016 Designer Inspirations

● They Are Wearing: 080 Barcelona

Global Stock TrackerAs of close February 11, 2016

ADVANCERS

DECLINERS

Prada SpA +5.85%

Luen Thai Holdings Ltd. +3.09%

Adidas +2.33%

Myer Holdings Ltd. +1.97%

Brunello Cucinelli SpA +1.82%

Avon Products Inc. -19.08%

Dickson Concepts (International) -8.20%

J.C. Penney Company, Inc. -6.68%

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. -6.63%

Vince Holding Corp. -6.01%

TOP 5TRENDINGON WWD.COM

● The French fashion house surpassed the $2 billion revenue threshold in 2015.

BY MILES SOCHA

Christian Dior Couture has become a $2 billion baby.

The French fashion house closed out 2015 with revenues of 1.87 billion euros, or $2.08 billion, reflecting a gain of 17.1 percent at actual exchange rates and 7 percent at constant rates.

Operating profits for the full year jumped 20.6 percent to 240 million euros, or $266.3 million.

Dollar figures are converted from euros at average exchange rates for the periods in question.

The company trumpeted “dynamism” in leather goods, ready-to-wear, acces-sories and jewelry in its fiscal first half, which ended Dec. 31, 2015.

Retail revenues in the six-month period grew 15 percent at actual exchange and 6 percent at constant rates, while operating profits rose 12.5 percent to 135 million euros, or $149 million.

For the three months ended Dec. 31, revenues climbed 12.1 percent to 490 million euros, or $536.2 million. In

organic terms the increase stood at 4 percent versus a 5 percent pace in the previous quarter ended Sept. 30.

The figures were released late Thursday in tandem with results for Christian Dior SA, parent of Christian Dior Couture and the luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Dior’s results closely echo those of LVMH, which cited a 12 percent revenue gain in the fourth quarter and a 5 per-cent increase in organic terms.

Dior chief executive officer Sidney Toledano was not available to comment on the figures, but he had signaled

consumer enthusiasm for the modern-ist women’s wear of Raf Simons, who exited as Dior’s couturier last October. The spring collection was his last, and Dior is relying on an in-house team while it plots the appointment of a new creative director for its women’s collections.

Dior’s team, headed by studio direc-tors Serge Ruffieux and Lucie Meier, designed the spring couture and are to head up the fall collection to be paraded on March 4 during Paris Fashion Week.

BUSINESS

Dior Revenues Jump 12% in Holiday Quarter

The company trumpeted “dynamism” in leather goods, ready-to-wear, accessories and jewelry.

A look from Dior’s resort collection.

0212_WWD_DailyNY_LOreal_Dior.indd 2 2/11/16 7:47 PM

12 FEBRUARY 2016 3

NEW YORK SHOWROOM530 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1901

New York 10018

Appointments Available

RSVP | Sales@tadashishoji.com 001.212.944.1637

FA L L 2 0 1 6M A R K E T W E E K

4 12 FEBRUARY 2016

Hedi TripWill he? Won’t he? While many in the 2,000 person crowd gathered at The Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday night thought they knew the answer, Kering chairman and chief executive officer François-Henri Pinault, sitting front and center at Saint Laurent’s fall show, remained coy about rumors of Hedi Slimane’s departure by shrugging, “We’re discussing, we have till the end of March, no rush. Tonight is about celebrating the brand, celebrating Hedi, celebrating L.A., the music, all that. Nothing else.”

Pinault’s relaxed manner may have been a clue as to what’s to come: when pressed about whether or not there was reason to be anxious about renegotiations, he said, “Absolutely not. It’s always the same at this time of year.” A man with his mind already made up, perhaps?

Indeed, whether his first Saint Lau-rent runway show in the City of Angels is ultimately his last, Slimane did it his way. He transferred the brand’s show from the

Carreau du Temple to the Hollywood Palla-dium music hall in his adopted hometown, where he’s based the brand since becom-ing creative director in 2012. His obsession with L.A. subculture and the indie rocker cool kid precedes his arrival at Saint Lau-rent. In the past, he’s mined a rock-’n’-roll grunge look with literal interpretations of thrift-shop styles based on the looks of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, glam rockers and present-day Coachella-goers. But this time, in showing the complete men’s collection and “part one” of the women’s collection — 94 looks total — Slimane also paid his most overt tribute to Yves Saint Laurent’s DNA, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rive Gauche collection.

That the evening glorified the Los Angeles music scene was abundantly clear looking at the Grammy-worthy front-row, including Sam Smith, Lenny Kravitz, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga — who was momen-tarily unrecognizable in a curly blonde wig. “I’ve known [Slimane] a long time,”

Lady Gaga checks out the scene.

Courtney Love and Lenny Kravitz

get cozy.

FASHION

● Whether his first Saint Laurent runway show in the City of Angels is ultimately his last, Hedi Slimane did it his way. He paid an overt tribute to Yves Saint Laurent’s DNA to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rive Gauche collection.

BY ALEX BADIA AND MARCY MEDINA

Runw

ay p

hoto

grap

h by

Ger

Ger

; Gag

a an

d Lo

ve b

y M

icha

el B

uckn

er

0212_00-00_NYDAILY_YSL.indd 2 2/11/16 7:58 PM

12 FEBRUARY 2016 5

she said. “He’s made it cool for young kids to look like rock stars.” Gaga seemed to speak for the collective audience when she added, “I’m so excited to be here.”

While the venue was pure Hollywood spectacle and the after party featured music by 11 acts including Joan Jett and Beck , the fashions were more French luxe than usual — think women on their way to Maxim’s. It was a dressier take for both sexes, signaled by the opening look of a three-piece men’s tuxedo over a polka dot silk shirt with oversize velvet bow tie, topped off with the omnipresent flat-rimmed fedora.

The men’s looks didn’t break any new ground — Slimane revisited his Nineties androgynous glam era with drapey neck scarves, bow details and metallic boots — but the overall result was more eveningwear inspired with tapestry embellished band jackets, beaded motos and a razzle-dazzle neo-Western topper with gold fringe.

If the overall show vibe felt more late-Seventies than usual, it was because the women’s looks were adapted from the Rive Gauche archives of that era. Some of the most recognizable signatures — bow blouses, midi skirts and gilded brocades — comprised the dominant silhouette, along with culottes and caftans. Slimane even

reused the iconic 1982 Musical Note print threaded in silver on one black velvet midi skirt.

All appropriations aside, Slimane has turned Saint Laurent into a social network-driven phenom. His knack for creating covetable hot-selling accessories is part of the reason the house’s revenues are up by double digits. The key pieces were still the most sellable: skinny pants, velvet blazers, top coats and biker jackets.

Lest anyone forget that this show was tak-ing place smack in the middle of Grammy and Oscar week, best supporting actor front-runner Sylvester Stallone was seated next to Pinault and revealed, “I’ll be wear-ing Saint Laurent to the Academy Awards, my first tuxedo by Hedi Slimane.” ■

“I’ve known [Hedi Slimane] a long time. He’s made it cool for young kids to look like rock stars.” — LADY GAGA

From left: Beck (in red jacket), Justin Bieber and Joan Jett in the front row.

Hedi Slimane greets the crowd.

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren

Runw

ay p

hoto

grap

hs b

y G

iova

nni G

iann

oni; A

lba

and

War

ren

by M

icha

el B

uckn

er; B

iebe

r by

Che

lsea

Laur

en/R

ex/S

hutte

rsto

ck

0212_4-5_NYDAILY_YSL.indd 3 2/11/16 8:29 PM

6 12 FEBRUARY 2016

Phot

ogra

phs

by A

ndre

w H

. Wal

ker

The Reviews

Yeezy Season 3The pressure to write something pro-found, a meaningful analysis of Kanye West’s Yeezy Season 3 spectacle. To his credit, he staged an unprecedented event fashionwise, combining the third season of his Yeezy-Adidas collaboration with the debut of his new album, “The Life of Pablo,” and making it a consumer tick-et-holder event — at a time when the whole traditional fashion world is contemplating doing the same — at no less a venue than Madison Square Garden. It’s too early in the season to tell, but it will be difficult for any designer that follows to upstage Yeezy.

There’s no denying the concept was exciting and intriguing in the lead up to Thursday’s event. The actual experience was fascinating, also confusing and in the end, way too long (doors opened at 3 p.m.; it ended around 5:45 p.m.)

Musically, it wasn’t a concert, “it’s more of a listening party,” noted Zach Storm, 19, of Long Island, who was wearing a Vetements sweatshirt over a Yeezy T-shirt while waiting in line to buy a beanie, part of the event merchandise for sale on site, for his girlfriend. There were also hoodies and T-shirts for sale that said “I Feel Like Ye” on the front and “I Feel Like Pablo” on the back. Storm declared himself a fan of West’s fashion, but said he wouldn’t have paid $275, the price of his ticket, “for just a fashion show.” A listening party is when a musician plays his or her new work, in this case, “The Life of Pablo,” for a live audience.

If the event wasn’t a concert, it wasn’t really a fashion show, either. West con-tinued his collaboration with Vanessa Beecroft on a “performance” that basically looked like a Yeezy-clad refugee camp penned in in the center of the floor. There were hundreds of “performers,” most of them African-American or of mixed race, wearing the new collection of tattered sweaters, oversize dusters, bodysuits, tanks, hoodies and shearlings that weren’t so different from past Yeezy product. Some colorful stretch knits looked new, as did a focus on orange and rust.

The production had visual impact. To see such a vast group wearing variations on a uniform, some standing in linear formations on two elevated platforms — men on one, women on the other — with a large Gen Pop milling listlessly or stand-ing still on their feet, all of them wearing sullen, bored or sad expressions, made

CollectionsFall

2016

0212_00-00_NYDAILY_Yeezy.indd 2 2/11/16 8:24 PM

12 FEBRUARY 2016 7

an impression. It felt serious, especially in light of current events, as closeups of expressionless faces played on the Jumbotron. But it was difficult to draw a conclusion about West’s message.

At one point a series of black supermod-els from the previous generation, including Naomi Campbell, Veronica Webb and Liya Kibede, most of them wearing bodysuits and ostentatious fur coats, came out on the platform, posing for photographers who were dressed like gritty war-zone photojournalists. Meanwhile, on the side-lines were the Kardashian-Jenners — Kim, Kendall, Kylie, Kourtney, Khloé, Kris, Cait-lyn and North and Lamar Odom, whom West personally escorted in. The women were decked in egregiously tacky pink and ivory furs and blingy embroidered dresses that West revealed were designed in collaboration with Olivier Rousteing of Balmain, who was also in attendance. Kim wore a platinum wig. Why? It was a vexing, tone-deaf contrast to the statement West seemed desperate to make with his Beecroft performance art.

West was positioned to the side of the installation, playing his album, which sounded fine to the ears of a musically ignorant fashion critic, surrounded by his high-profile music collaborators, who danced along to the playlist while he inter-mittently talked playfully to the audience.

“Tell me how y’all feel about the clothes?” he asked.

“Make them cheaper,” yelled someone from the rafters.

West promised more accessible prices and wider product distribution were to come. “Seriously,” he said of the prices. “That’s just learning curves whenever you start a brand.”

West didn’t clarify the message or inspiration for the collection and perfor-mance concept, but he did make clear that there are bigger ambitions to come.

“It’s my dream for at least a couple years to be the creative director of Hermès,” he said. Shorter-term goals include a video game based on his late mother’s arrival in Heaven. He screened a teaser. Twice. “That’s not easy to do, man. You all acting like this sh*t is regular,” he said before cuing up the video of an avatar of his mother, who died in 2007 due to heart disease following a surgical procedure, bursting through clouds in the sky. The working title is “Only One.” Coming soon, the trailer promised. — Jessica Iredale

To his credit, [West] staged an unprecedented event fashionwise, combining the third season of his Yeezy-Adidas collaboration with the debut of his new album, “The Life of Pablo,” and making it a consumer ticket-holder event — at a time when the whole traditional fashion world is contemplating doing the same.

0212_00-00_NYDAILY_Yeezy.indd 3 2/11/16 8:25 PM

8 12 FEBRUARY 2016

Phot

ogra

phs

by G

eorg

e C

hins

ee, T

hom

as Ia

nnac

cone

and

Rob

ert M

itra

Creatures of the WindKnife. The title of Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters’ Creatures of the Wind show didn’t proclaim an aggressive lineup, or one cutting edge either in attitude or silhouette. Rather, in a one-word snippet of fashion irony, the designers chose “knife” as representative of an ordinary, functional item that can be elevated through design. “We looked at a lot of our favorite objects and graphic designers,” Gabier said back-stage, noting Carl Auböck, Charles and Ray Eames and Ikko Tanaka. Tanaka, he said, “approached modernism with these very graphic shapes, but always with this round, soft edge.”

Here, the “graphic” came in clean, unfet-tered lines and blocks of textures and col-ors; the “soft,” in the graceful swing to the back of a camel coat, the fit-and-flare of a short-sleeve herringbone coat and the ease of a long, side-slit sweater over cropped pants. A Fifties-something aura permeated some of the silhouettes, subtle enough so that it could have been subliminal — which is a good thing. It’s always a challenge for designers who attain recognition on the merits of eccentric iconoclasm — certainly the case with the Creatures’ guys — to chan-nel their visions into marketable fashion while retaining the essence of what got them noticed in the first place. Here, they did so beautifully, even if they hedged once or twice with some vaguely mod looks — a body-con red-and-white sweater over red leather skirt; a white crepe dress with black crystal straps. Though fine, these felt gratu-itous, unnecessary streamlined alternatives to the more fluid volumes that dominated.

In a significant application of the mid-century concept of elevating the ordinary, Gabier and Peters had their way with the basic shirt. They sliced the sleeves verti-cally, adding a row of buttons for closure. By leaving the buttons undone over long-sleeve turtlenecks, they emphasized lay-ering and added an element of controlled, unexpected movement. — Bridget Foley

ProtagonistProtagonist’s new creative director, Georgia Lazzaro, joined the company in December, putting her on a tight dead-line for her first collection. Her previous experience at Narciso Rodriguez and Calvin Klein Collection teed her up nicely for Protagonist’s spare but elevated wardrobe essentials, which she plans to develop with more robust details and fits to broaden the customer base.

“I think women want nuances and signature pieces, too,” said Lazzaro, during the fall presentation at The Apartment by The Line in SoHo. She built on the line’s core of crisp shirting with a clean white shirtdress that was chicly clinical. Seams and exaggerated cropped sleeves were its only embellishment.

Another white shirt and a few jackets featured big cuffs and amplified utility pockets, details that signified the luxuri-ous side of a workwear motif. Abstract red prints added color, yet some of Lazzaro’s best work came in plain black and white dresses, their soft lines offering a more sensual side to Protagonist. Overall, Lazzaro got off to a quiet start, but it will be interesting to see how she adds depth to the line going forward. — Jessica Iredale

BCBG Max AzriaMax and Lubov Azria reprised the artfully layered look of their California surf-and-skate-themed collection for fall, casting it through the lens of a “per-former.” They didn’t specify the artist’s medium, but gently eclectic pilings of

robust folkloric outerwear over Lurex and marled ribbed knits over slashed leggings approximated some kind of minimalist gypsy. Maybe she travels with a modernist circus. The styling served to compound the spirit of kooky creativity, but the individual pieces — such as a color-blocked kimono sweater and a long, pinstriped shirtdress with a handkerchief hem — were cut with commercial control. — J.I.

Josie Natori“I don’t want to be downtown cool,” insisted Josie Natori, who unapologetically explained that her fall collection is the most opulent and expensive she’s ever done. “Every look has to be special. Otherwise, who needs it?”

That attitude informed her glamorous evening lineup, shown off in the perfect venue: Doubles at The Sherry Netherland. For those ladies who’ve tired of under-statement, Natori gave lavish alternatives: a fluid skirt in a lapis-and-black jacquard silk with a black lace-appliquéd bodysuit, or an exquisite long, black-crepe halter dress with a sheer, embroidered lace skirt.

There were ballgowns with bold faceted rhinestones; sleek crocodile-embossed satin pantsuits; a strapless gold silk tunic over lean pants, and some short, flirty looks — all of which, Natori admitted, “I’m finding more challenging and exciting than anything I’ve ever designed.” — Bobbi Queen

CollectionsFall

2016Collections

Protagonist

Josie Natori

robust folkloric outerwear over Lurex and marled ribbed knits over slashed leggings approximated some kind of minimalist gypsy. Maybe she travels with a modernist circus. The styling served to compound the spirit of kooky creativity, but the individual pieces — such as a color-blocked kimono sweater and a long, pinstriped shirtdress with a handkerchief hem — were cut with commercial control.

Josie Natori“I don’t want to be downtown cool,” insisted Josie Natori, who unapologetically explained that her fall collection is the most opulent and expensive she’s ever done. “Every look has to be special. Otherwise, who needs it?”

That attitude informed her glamorous evening lineup, shown off in the perfect venue: Doubles at The Sherry Netherland. For those ladies who’ve tired of understatement, Natori gave lavish alternatives: a fluid skirt in a lapis-and-black jacquard silk with a black lace-appliquéd bodysuit, or an exquisite long, black-crepe halter dress with a sheer, embroidered lace skirt.

There were ballgowns with bold faceted rhinestones; sleek crocodile-embossed satin pantsuits; a strapless gold silk tunic over lean pants, and some short, flirty looks — all of which, Natori admitted, “I’m finding more challenging and exciting than anything I’ve ever designed.”

Creatures of the Wind

BCBG Max Azria

0212_WWD_DAILY_REVIEWS 2.indd 2 2/11/16 8:05 PM

Desigual

12 FEBRUARY 2016 9

noting the Arts and Crafts movement was a big influence. It yielded some of the collection’s best pieces, including shimmery ribbed knits with contrast piping, a quilted satin trench, and a pink charmeuse slipdress with floral embroidery. The latter introduced a softer, more sensual idea for Trademark, which tends toward modesty. Also worth noting was the jewelry, which has been strong in the past and was again here with a range of pieces made out of bent spoons and other silverware. — Jessica Iredale

HellessySylvie Millstein has been quietly plug-ging along with Hellessy for four years, consistently delivering clothes for the

modern luxury customer who seeks something sultry and a bit sporty. Perhaps she doesn’t want to buy from a big-box luxe brand. Millstein described Hellessy’s trajectory as “slowly growing,” during her fall presentation, which felt like a

steady but significant step for her.In response to a successful trunk show

with Moda Operandi, during which women went for the specialty pieces, Millstein said she wanted to “add more drama” to the lineup with color accents, elaborate construction on sleeves and amplified vol-umes. Charlotte Rampling was the season’s muse, and Millstein nailed her polished allure with ultrawide tuxedo pants, a tailored jumpsuit and an off-the-shoulder top — a Hellessy signature — done in gray jersey with elongated sleeves and colorful neckties.

Millstein seems in no rush for rapid growth, but the collection is worthy of traction. — J.I.

Nicholas K“This season it’s a little bit more dressed up, but still very urban,” said Christopher Kunz backstage before the Nicholas K show. The designer and his sister, Nicholas, delivered a fall collection rooted in their signature metropolitan-no-madic style, which they elevated with the introduction of more luxurious materials.

The duo worked crushed velvet, for example, in a range of pieces that combined relaxed silhouettes — such as flowy coats layered over coordinated tops — with a richness enhanced by the use of deep tones of red and purple. Roomy yet lightweight jackets were crafted in pad-ded leather and finished with shearling details, while masculine maxi parkas were done in soft alpaca.

Sometimes the effect felt a bit too intri-cate, as in pants worn underskirts with actual sleeves tied up around the hips. Better were the simple silk-satin draped tunics, including one with a chic knot at the waist. — Alessandra Turra

DesigualThanks to technology, commerce has gone global, and for fall the creative team behind Desigual presented a collection that mimicked a cultural collage with refer-ences from all around the world.

The Madrid-based label is known for its overpowering mix of prints and colors, but this lineup was much more subdued — and it worked. The design team still incorpo-rated plenty of pattern, but in darker tones such as black, deep purple and burgundy, along with a healthy dose of indigo denim.

Key pieces included a floral velvet gown, a Renaissance brocade coat, patchwork skirts, a faux fur and embroidered denim vest, and an abstract striped knit maxi-dress. To drive home the multicultural message, many of the looks were topped off with rich embroidered turbans. — Antonia Sardone

noting the Arts and Crafts movement was a big influence. It yielded some of the collection’s best pieces, including shimmery ribbed knits with contrast piping, a quilted satin trench, and a pink charmeuse slipdress with floral embroidery. The latter introduced a softer, more sensual idea for Trademark, which tends toward modesty. Also worth noting was the jewelry, which has been strong in the past and was again here with a range of pieces made out of bent spoons and other silverware.

HellessySylvie Millsteinging along with Hellessy for four years, consistently delivering clothes for the

modern luxury customer who seeks something sultry and a bit sporty. Perhaps she doesn’t want to buy from a big-box luxe brand. Millstein described Hellessy’s trajectory as “slowly growing,” during her fall presentation, which felt like a

steady but significant step for her.In response to a successful trunk show

with Moda Operandi, during which women went for the specialty pieces, Millstein said she wanted to “add more drama” to the lineup with color accents, elaborate construction on sleeves and amplified volumes. Charlotte Rampling was the season’s muse, and Millstein nailed her polished allure with ultrawide tuxedo pants, a tailored jumpsuit and an off-the-shoulder top — a Hellessy signature — done in gray jersey with elongated sleeves and colorful neckties.

Millstein seems in no rush for rapid growth, but the collection is worthy of traction. — J.I.

Nicholas K

Nicholas K

Trademark

TrademarkPookie and Louisa Burch are up to something interesting at Trademark. They have been from the beginning, working from an aesthetic point of view that’s dis-tinct yet difficult to nail down, a curious combination of preppy conservative and kooky world traveler. There’s personality and potential there and the Burches are tapping into it nicely.

For fall, they worked with a grab bag of references — the American West, Peter Max’s 1971 “Superposter Book,” Rob-ert Morris sculptures and J. Press. The takeaway was a vibrant collection with increased focus on a polished, hand-crafted look delivered with bold new California shearlings, such as an orange coat. There were Bolivian-made macramé pieces and candy-colored sweaters from Scotland based on classic J. Press prepster styles.

“It was about novelty and each item being really special,” said Pookie,

something interesting at Trademark. They

coat. There were Bolivian-made macramé

Scotland based on classic J. Press prepster

Hellessy

0212_WWD_DAILY_REVIEWS 2.indd 3 2/11/16 8:05 PM

R13

10 12 FEBRUARY 2016

Cre

atur

es o

f Com

fort

pho

togr

aph

by R

ober

t Mitr

a; A

deam

by

Step

hen

Love

kin; R

13 b

y Th

omas

Iann

acco

ne

Creatures of ComfortAt Creatures of Comfort, designer Jade Lai had some news: Her fall collec-tion, which explored 17th-century Dutch Romanticism, marked an expansion of the brand’s outerwear and accessories. The company recently moved the production of its bags, shoes and leather goods to Italy, and it showed in the handcrafted leather and suede oxfords, pointed boots and heels decorated with grosgrain bows.

As for the clothes, Lai played with themes of excess and romance — cash-mere and chenille knits came in loose proportions with exaggerated long sleeves and pom poms, a nod to traditional pan-tomime costumes. Ruffled skirts, heart prints and pink velvet suiting added to the feeling of whimsy, but Lai tempered it with a utilitarian flair via casual denim separates, plaid wool coats and nylon parkas. — Kristi Garced

AdeamHanako Maeda explored some classic manufacturing techniques of her native country, Japan, to create a fall collection for Adeam that felt modern and effort-lessly chic. In particular, she was inspired by traditional Boro patchwork for a range

dark backgrounds. Feith noted a focus on fit. The look remained loose and full of movement, but he cut closer to the body, giving even the hippiest pieces, such as a folkloric dress and a Baja-stripe jumpsuit, polished shape.

The spring collection is shipping to retailers, including Warm’s NoLiTa boutique, Barneys New York, Bird in Brooklyn, and Capitol in North Carolina, in the next few weeks. “With each season we’ll get more focused and find out what people expect from us,” said Feith. — Jessica Iredale

À MoiBauhaus served as the main inspiration for Alejandra Alonso’s fall collection for À Moi. She cleverly integrated geometric shapes into tops and skirts — figuratively and, sometimes, literally — the former via appealing flared sleeves on leather jackets and white shirts, and the latter at the bottoms of skirts, to a less modern effect. More successful were the hand-crocheted knits. A one-shoulder look featuring all-over cutouts and a mock neck was shown with matching cropped flared pants. — Mayte Allende

of pieces featuring mix-and-match fabrics. These included a pretty asymmetric dress combining prints

and jacquards, as well as a flared style revealing a feminine plissé silk insert on the side.

The graphic embroideries Maeda used to embellish both a denim cropped top with matching pants, and a felt coat with patches, echoed Japan’s Kumihimo, an antique form of braid-making. She also showed elegant yet unconventional evening options, such as a suit with a sculpted, off-the-shoulder jacket incorpo-rating a bustier, which was paired with fluid pants. — Alessandra Turra

WarmWhat would Joni Mitchell’s friends wear to a dinner party at her house in the California canyons in the winter? That’s what Tracy Feith and Winnie Beattie wondered when designing their soph-omore season of Warm. Their answer was a collection much in the vein of the laid-back bohemian elegance of Warm’s first collection — and Feith’s careerlong oeuvre, for that matter — but seasonally adjusted with darker colors and richer textures, such as slinky silk velvet and thick woven ponchos.

The look Feith and Beattie are pro-posing with Warm isn’t new, but it’s relevant and smartly executed. It’s unfair to say there’s an age limit on the beachy boho look, though that ship does sail when it’s too precious. Feith and Beattie were careful to elevate and ground the lineup with fine fabrics, subtle trims and sophisticated prints, in particular the range of lovely English florals set against

Creatures of Comfort

dark backgrounds. Feith noted a focus on fit. The look remained loose and full of -

À Moi

Warm

of pieces featuring mix-and-match fabrics. These included a pretty asymmetric dress combining prints

and jacquards, as well as a flared style revealing a feminine plissé silk insert on

Creatures of Comfort

Adeam

Web

b an

d Br

ock C

olle

ctio

n ph

otog

raph

s by

Tho

mas

Iann

acco

ne

0212_WWD_DAILY_REVIEWS 3.indd 2 2/11/16 8:23 PM

12 FEBRUARY 2016 11

Pas de Calais

R13Chris Leba spent 20 years on the design team at Ralph Lauren before taking over the creative direction at R13, which launched as a denim label in 2009. For the brand’s runway debut for fall, Leba showed much more than just jeans. “I love the American classics,” he said, not-ing his years of experience at his former employer. “But we put it together in a context that’s very different, obviously. It’s always this girl that I had a crush on that I’m designing for, over and over again.”

Referencing London’s punk and Seattle’s grunge scenes, Leba’s girl gang looked tough and cool in ripped wide-leg jeans, destroyed mohair sweaters, cropped wool trousers, flannel shirting and repurposed concert Ts. He kept his proportions loose and easy, with a few silk floral slipdresses adding a note of femininity. But a tomboy attitude prevailed — punk was certainly alive and kicking. Or, as emblazoned on one of the collection’s black sequin minidresses: “Punk’s not dead, punk’s sleepin’ drunk.” — Kristi Garced

Brock CollectionLaura Vassar and Kristopher Brock intro-duced furs and footwear to their brand of understated luxury for fall, as they staged Brock’s first runway show after a few seasons of informal presentations.

Exploring an Edwardian theme, the husband-and-wife duo focused on the coat dress, offering nipped-waist versions in white wool, lush mink and gold satin, the last style paired with straight-legged

R13Chris Leba spent 20 years on the design

Brock Collection

Pas de Calais

20 years on the design team at Ralph Lauren before taking over the creative direction at R13, which launched as a denim label in 2009. For the brand’s runway debut for fall, Leba showed much more than just jeans. “I love the American classics,” he said, not-ing his years of experience at his former employer. “But we put it together in a

20 years on the design

Brock Collection

Jonathan Cohen

denim. The lineup showcased a collage of rich textures: off-the-shoulder dresses and pencil skirts featured metallic floral embroideries drawn from the period’s rich upholsteries and interiors, with some layered under fox-fur scarves. A head-to-toe white look, pairing a cashmere sweater with a velvet embroidered skirt, felt effortlessly luxe.

Velvet slippers and brogues, designed in collaboration with George Esquivel, made even the fussiest looks — think full corset skirts with Victorian-inspired puff-sleeve tops — feel grounded and modern. — K.G.

Jonathan CohenIn a novel installation, Jonathan Cohen hung his designs over thermal pools in an Ancient Roman-inspired bath, showing a fall collection that was stronger on day-wear than previous seasons.

Cohen incorporated precious details into his elegant lineup, which included luxurious belted jackets with fur details, as well as a pinstriped coat trimmed with fox fur. Pleated skirts and wide-leg pants featured raw edges for an artisanal, unfin-ished feel, while a feminine bubble dress was worked in an abstract print with a paintlike effect. — Alessandra Turra

Marissa WebbMarissa Webb’s fall collection was a study in contrasts — in both its silhouettes and appeal. She excelled with some terrific outerwear, including long, easy coats in windowpane plaids and luxurious swing styles in a blue-plaid Italian bouclé wool. A luxe red fake fur jacket over a gray alpaca turtleneck and gray wool trousers was Webb at her best. She also showed a long vest version of this combo in navy wool over wide cropped black pants and a turtleneck.

Fullness and ease — as in Webb’s short printed silk flutter dresses — worked well, too. Conversely, it was the tight black leather pants, some tricky layering and a bewildering excess of scarves that swung the collection in an unfortunate direc-tion. — Bobbi Queen

Pas de CalaisDecay is definitely not a common theme for a fashion collection. “I wanted to express the idea of fading memories,” said Pas de Calais creative director Yukari Suda, who designed a fall lineup infused with a sense of subtle melancholy.

In keeping with the inspiration, Suda’s signature print was a blurry, abstract pattern of ink spots that she used on several pieces, including a long dress crafted from a special type of linen. Here everything was about Japanese simplicity combined with an urban sensibility. This translated into mannish blazers, clean shearling coats and wide-legged pants resembling skirts. The overall effect was minimal and chic. — A.T.

CollectionsFall

2016

Marissa WebbMarissa Webb’s fall collection was a study in contrasts — in both its silhouettes and appeal. She excelled with some terrific outerwear, including long, easy coats in windowpane plaids and luxurious swing styles in a blue-plaid Italian bouclé wool. A luxe red fake fur jacket over a gray alpaca turtleneck and gray wool trousers was Webb at her best. She also showed a long vest version of this combo in navy wool over wide cropped black pants and

Fullness and ease — as in Webb’s short printed silk flutter dresses — worked well, too. Conversely, it was the tight black leather pants, some tricky layering and a bewildering excess of scarves that swung the collection in an unfortunate direc-

Pas de Calais not a common theme

for a fashion collection. “I wanted to express the idea of fading memories,” said Pas de Calais creative director Yukari Suda, who designed a fall lineup infused with a

In keeping with the inspiration, Suda’s signature print was a blurry, abstract pattern of ink spots that she used on several pieces, including a long dress crafted from a special type of linen. Here everything was about Japanese simplicity combined with an urban sensibility. This translated into mannish blazers, clean shearling coats and wide-legged pants resembling skirts. The overall effect was minimal and chic.

Marissa Webb

Web

b an

d Br

ock C

olle

ctio

n ph

otog

raph

s by

Tho

mas

Iann

acco

ne

0212_WWD_DAILY_REVIEWS 3.indd 3 2/11/16 8:24 PM

12 12 FEBRUARY 2016

● The dedicated funding allows the firm to quickly close on deals.

BY VICKI M. YOUNG

Neuberger Berman, the financial spon-sor of Marquee Brands LLC, has closed on a $462 million fund that will be dedicated to the acquisition of intellectual property assets in the consumer products sector, including fashion.

The private, employee-owned invest-ment manager has dedicated the fund, Marquee Brands Partners LP, solely to enable Marquee Brands LLC to acquire the IP assets of U.S. and European brands. The oversubscribed fund — the original fundraising target was $400 million — counts as part of its global investor base of more than 20 institutions, including pub-lic and private pensions, insurance firms and foundations from North America, Europe, Japan and the Middle East. Neu-berger Berman Private Equity established Marquee Brands in September 2014.

Having a dedicated fund is also one

way of ensuring funds are in place when the right brand opportunities come up, particularly since Neuberger at some point would likely want to monetize its investment in Marquee, whether through an initial public offering or a sale of the company.

Marquee Brands, under the leadership of president Michael DeVirgilio and chief operating officer Cory M. Baker, made two acquisitions last year for its brand portfo-lio. Bruno Magli was acquired in January 2015 for $33.6 million, while Ben Sherman was acquired in July for $63.7 million. The two work primarily with Samuel Porat, managing director at Neuberger, and Zachary P. Sigel, a principal at Neuberger. Sigel leads Marquee’s acquisition strategy.

The dedicated fund changes the financ-ing for the brand management model, making Marquee a well-capitalized player for IP assets. Among Marquee’s com-petitors, those that are public firms can contribute equity to part of the purchase price, but many will head to the financing markets for a loan to cover the rest of the transaction. Those that are private and backed by a private equity firm need to

get approval and support from their par-ent and many still will head to the credit markets for bridge financing to complete the deal.

According to DeVirgilio, “With the dry powder we have now, this gives us [both] advantage and certainty. There are no financing contingencies.”

Sigel said the business model is attrac-tive to Neuberger since its investors have been seeking niche investments and differentiated strategies. He said a number of years ago the investment firm had ana-lyzed investments in the music and film industries that were comparable to the brand management and licensing model on which Marquee was founded.

While the fund is capped at $462 million, he said there could be additional raises if needed.

Neuberger’s Sigel said Marquee would likely acquire two to three consumer brands a year. As for criteria, Sigel said the most important is the brand itself, which has to have a history and heri-tage, as well as a loyal customer base. The brand also has to be capable of being grown, whether through product

extensions or internationally. Further, Sigel said the acquisition team is looking at what channels the potential purchase is being sold at and where the so-called “white space” is that no one else is in. He added that there aren’t any price range targets for its acquisitions, noting that for the right brand, “We can scale up quite large.”

Baker emphasized that the teams at Marquee and Neuberger are aligned in outlook and brand focus. “Mathemati-cally, [brand management firms] all look at [the model] the same way. For the type of brands that we look at, we question whether if the brands disappear, would anyone notice?” Baker said, adding that brands with several years of licensing royalties left under an existing agreement may be initially accretive, but may not have much value left beyond that. He explained that the company is looking at brands ranging from high-end luxury to the more value-oriented mass labels, with the primary focus on global potential.

According to Sigel, Neuberger manages $250 billion in assets, while its private equity arm manages $35 billion in assets.

BUSINESS

Neuberger Closes on $462M Marquee Brands Fund

● The social media platform has morphed into an important outlet for the likes of Dior, Carolina Herrera and Burberry.

BY RACHEL STRUGATZ

Of the thousands of images and videos that will digitally flow out of New York Fashion Week, some of the most valuable to brands are vanishing — by design. Snapchat might have gotten its start as a platform to exchange seminaked selfies that then disappeared in seconds, but it’s morphed into an increasingly important outlet for fashion biggies such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Burberry who use it to tell their brand stories.

The secret is engagement and a very broad appeal. Hollister, Rebecca Minkoff and Carolina Herrera — each from a very different wing of fashion — all have Snap-chat initiatives planned this week.

“You dive into these stories — it’s not in reverse chronological order. You are not scrolling back. You tap in and whether it’s your friends or a Live Story, you see it as it happens,” Juan David Borrero, Snapchat’s senior partnerships manager.

Unlike its peers, Snapchat is not a feed-centric app. When a user opens the app they don’t start off in a feed, they start off with a camera. And from there, a user can opt to view friends’ Stories or any of the Live Stories, including the NYFW Live Story, which will collect and present pictures and videos submitted by thousands of Snapchat users at the shows that will remain live for 24 hours.

Borrero, who handles partnerships across the app’s products — from Live Sto-ries to official accounts to Discover channels — worked with Dior to create a Live Story surrounding the brand’s elaborate destina-tion cruise show in Cannes this past May. He

called this an “editorial decision,” explain-ing that neither this nor the Live Story dedi-cated to Louis Vuitton’s resort show in Palm Springs were sponsored partnerships. But for Burberry, which had its own Live Story during London Fashion Week in September, the collaboration was part editorial and part sponsored as Burberry joined Snapchat as an advertiser within its story.

While cagey with fashion-industry specif-ics, the company has said in the past that Live Stories can get 10 million to 20 million views over the 24-hour period they remain viewable on the app. An industry source told WWD: “When Louis Vuitton did their resort show in Palm Springs, that Live Story — in 24 hours — had 13 million views. That’s more than the finale of a Simon Cowell show.”

Those views came from users who are actively engaged. Tech companies make a habit of throwing around stats detailing huge numbers of users, clicks and impres-sions, but Snapchat’s audience has an unusually direct link to the content, this source said. That makes it particularly valu-able to brands trying to get their message to consumers — and an ideal medium for a visual event like a fashion show.

When a Snap or Live Story is seen by millions, that means that millions of people actively chose to view that video. On Insta-gram, a user might easily scroll by a post. On Snapchat, they must opt to play a Live Story to be counted as a view, similar to YouTube.

Borrero said fashion-related stories are on the rise. Among the heaviest users are Rebecca Minkoff, Burberry, Nasty Gal, Vic-toria’s Secret, Dior and Louis Vuitton.

Nick Bell, head of content at Snapchat, attributed the popularity of fashion content to Live product allowing users to see events from many perspectives. Now New York Fashion Week can be viewed from the lens of the photographer, the makeup artist, the model, the designer, the publicist, the buyer, the journalist, passersby on the street and more if they post a snap and submit it to the NYFW Live Story.

Bell said Snapchat overlays filters and text beside Live Story content to provide

extra context for viewers.Minkoff, who was one of the first brands

to embrace the app, worked with Snapchat to create a dedicated Fashion Week filter this season.

“There’s a migration to the images being raw, it’s really now,” said Minkoff of the pictures on Snapchat. “We love Instagram and it’s our most successful platform, but there’s something to be said about captur-ing something in the moment that’s only

visible for 24 hours.”Minkoff said the ephemeral nature of

posts and stories is a draw, something akin to limited-edition fashions or accessories.

Snapchat has 100 million daily active users viewing more than seven billion videos a day, up from two billion videos in May. More than 60 percent of U.S. smart-phone owners ages 13 to 34 identify as Snapchatters and 60 percent of daily users create content every day.

There are three advertising opportunities for marketers. The first is buying ad space within any the platform’s Live Stories, which chronicle live events, or Discover channels, a hub of dedicated channels for content publishers such as MTV, People, Buzzfeed, Vox, Cosmopolitan, CNN, Vice, ESPN, National Geographic and more.

The other two advertising products are sponsored geo filters and sponsored lenses. For instance, Gatorade launched a Sponsored Len on Feb. 7 for 48 hours that allowed users to experience a Gatorade Shower and capture it via photo or video. Snapchat also counts Coca-Cola, GE, Sam-sung and the NFL as advertisers, and this week just revealed a multiyear deal with Viacom.

Snapchat declined to reveal how much an ad costs, but it’s rumored that an ad on, for example, Cosmopolitan’s Discover page can cost $1 million for an advertiser. And while percentages vary, parties are paid via a revenue share model where Snap-chat and whoever owns the channel get a cut. The same goes for Live Stories — IMG, Snapchat’s official partner for NYFW Live Story, will split advertising revenues with the messaging platform. Confirmed adver-tising partners for Fashion Week’s Live Story, which will run on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, include Maybel-line, Tory Burch and Neiman Marcus.

Snapchat is also lucrative for the influenc-ers who have active snap accounts. Accord-ing to a source with knowledge of the industry, bloggers can be paid anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $50,000 for featuring a brand in Snaps or taking over a brand’s account for the day. The upper end of that range is only on the table if the blogger is getting at least one million views per story.

With that kind of money in play, Snap-chat, unlike it’s content, seems to be here to stay.

BEAUTY

Snapchat AttractsFashion Industry

A snap from New York Fashion Week in September.

“There’s something to be said about capturing something in the moment that’s only visible for 24 hours.” —REBECCA MINKOFF

0212_WWD_DailyNY_MA_MarqueeBrands.indd 2 2/11/16 7:50 PM

12 FEBRUARY 2016 13

● Currency translation unfavorably impacted net revenues by $85 million in the fourth quarter and by $312 million for the full year.

BY ARTHUR ZACZKIEWICZ

Weighed down by the negative impact of a strong dollar as well as a consumer shopping environment that is lacklus-ter, Levi Strauss & Co. delivered lower quarterly and year-end sales — but profits jumped as the year-over-year comparison was more favorable.

Net revenues fell 7 percent in the fourth quarter to $1.28 billion from $1.38 billion while net income came in at $101 mil-lion versus a $6 million loss in the same period last year. Adjusted pre-tax earn-ings rose 25 percent to $168 million from $134 million. For the year-end period, net revenues fell 5 percent to $4.49 billion from $4.75 billion in the prior year while net income nearly doubled to $209 mil-lion from $106 million. Adjusted earnings for the year rose 5 percent to $479 million from $504 million.

The company said in its report that “currency translation unfavorably impacted net revenues by $85 million in the fourth quarter and by $312 million for the full year.”

“Despite the currency impact we managed to put up strong numbers,” Chip

Bergh, president and chief executive offi-cer, told WWD. Bergh said the company experienced broad-based growth. And it was “across men’s, women’s, kids, tops, bottoms and accessories,” the ceo said. “All of it grew — at wholesale and retail.”

In the quarterly report, the company said the net income growth “primarily reflected lower restructuring charges associated with the company’s global productivity initiative, lower interest expense, and a pension settlement loss recorded in the fourth quarter of the prior year.”

With the women’s collection, which was relaunched last year, Bergh told WWD that “it’s gotten off to a great start globally, but there is still work to be done.” Bergh noted that the women’s business experienced a 12 percent sales gain in the second half of 2015, and had a “high single digits [performance] for the fiscal year.”

Regarding the men’s business, Bergh said the 511 Slim Fit “continues to drive

growth in men’s.” He noted the various finishes offered are resonating with con-sumers and the style continues to be pop-ular across market segments and regions. Also seeing strength are the 541 Athletic Fit jeans, which appeal to men looking for a more comfortable and active fit. “And it has a tapered look,” Bergh added.

The company said the gross margin rate for the fourth quarter rose to 51.2 percent, which compares to 49 percent in the same period last year, and it was “pri-marily due to lower negotiated product

costs and streamlined supply-chain opera-tions,” the company said.

By region, net revenues for the quarter declined 9 percent in the Americas and 13 percent in Europe while Asia experienced a 6 percent gain. In the Americas, the company said the drop in net revenues was “primarily due to the fourth quarter consisting of one fewer week as compared to the prior year. Beyond the timing impact, domestic wholesale revenues declined slightly due to soft retail condi-tions, while direct-to-consumer revenues were in line with prior-year as improved conversion offset the impact of traffic declines.”

“We continued to grow our direct-to-consumer business, and saw a very pos-itive consumer response to the products we introduced in the fall,” Bergh said in the sales and earnings report. “In 2016 we will continue to invest in our retail network, e-commerce and our brands to support our long-term profitable growth objective.”

Bergh told WWD that he doesn’t expect the currency issues to dissipate. “It will be a tough year, and I don’t see it getting better,” he said.

But internationally, despite challenges in emerging markets, Bergh said “there is lots of upside opportunity — and it’s a higher margin business.” For example, even as the company struggled against currency issues and a globally lackluster retail environment, it was able to pull off a 6 percent sales gain in Asia for the fourth quarter.

BUSINESS

Levi Strauss & Co. Posts Higher Profits, but Currency Issues Erode Revenues

● The collection will make its debut on Feb. 13 during the American fashion designer’s presentation.

BY SAMANTHA CONTI

Bound by a similar aesthetic — and an unapologetically practical streak — the founders of the British brand Malone Souliers have forged a footwear partner-ship with Adam Lippes.

Their first effort, a collection of five styles in 14 painterly color combina-tions — like something from the palette of Pablo Picasso or Andy Warhol — will debut on Saturday at Lippes’ fall show in New York.

The partners told WWD the collection is not a one-off collaboration, but rather a long-term proposition. Malone Souliers x Adam Lippes will have its own label, which marries the branding of the two companies, and it will be sold by both brands.

“Adam designs for real women — which takes a lot of guts, and my feeling is the same about shoes. I want people to be able to live their lives in these shoes,” said Mary Alice Malone, the creative director and cofounder of Malone Souliers.

She stressed that the collaboration was 50-50, and that the aim was to create a collection that could complement Lippes’ dresses rather than round off the runway silhouettes.

“These are not ‘show shoes.’ The project is about developing a line of shoes for Adam Lippes and we see it as a long-term opportunity. This is a business relationship that will help Adam Lippes diversify. It’s not just a shoe line for a ready-to-wear brand,” said Roy Luwolt, cofounder and managing director of Malone Souliers.

Lippes said this marks the first time that he’ll be able to show shoes and sell them. He said the idea behind the collec-tion was to put a twist on the craftsman-ship common to both brands and inject color into the mix. “Malone Souliers are brilliant colorists,” he said.

Everything is made in Italy, and Lippes said the size of the collection will grow each season.

Lippes and Malone, a former 3-D artist and furniture designer, worked closely on the footwear, which is meant to elon-gate and flatter the foot, with materials such as metallic leather, fine stretch napa and suede. “He was game to play with color and I’ll be happy if the designs look like ours — and his — as well,” Malone said.

Styles include a high court shoe with a pleat detail at the front, in turquoise, cobalt, and brown heel, or red suede with a sparkly blue heel.

There is also an over-the-knee shoe boot with a low heel and a big buckle across the front. That comes in gray, sparkly blue and brown or black and magenta. Another version comes with a high court shoe, adorned with an antique brass buckle and a contrasting heel.

There are lacquered wedges with ankle straps, one in an electrifying combina-tion of aqua, pink and brown.

The collection will be sold as a capsule within Malone Souliers’ core collection and Lippes will sell it alongside his rtw in his New York showroom.

Luwolt said the brands had much common ground, with about 90 percent of their wholesale stockists overlapping. The average retail price for the collection is 550 pounds, or $800.

Malone and Luwolt launched Malone Souliers in February 2014 and today the brand sells at stores including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nord-strom, Le Bon Marché, Galeries Lafayette and Matchesfashion.com. They have col-laborated with other brands in the past, including David Koma and Novis.

Lippes launched his own collection in 2004 after having served as creative

director of Oscar de la Renta. His label is sold at retailers including Net-a-porter, Browns, Matchesfashion.com, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey Nichols, Joseph and Selfridges.

ACCESSORIES

Malone Souliers, Lippes Partner on Footwear

A sketch from the Malone Souliers and

Adam Lippes collaboration.

“In 2016 we will continue to invest in our retail network, e-commerce and our brands to support our long-term profitable growth objective.” — CHIP BERGH, LEVI STRAUSS & CO.

Chip Bergh

0212_WWD_DailyNY_Snapchat_Lippes_Levis.indd 3 2/11/16 7:54 PM

“They call me the ambassa-dor…what is my title? The ‘what’ ambassador?” Liv Tyler asked a Belstaff representative on Wednesday evening from the back of the brand’s SoHo pop-up. “I need a résumé, I don’t know what it is.” For the record, her role with the brand is, officially, Belstaff ambassador and creative contrib-utor. “It’s more than just a normal ambassador,” the brand rep as-sured her.

Unconcerned, Tyler continued, “I executive-produced the film they did with David Beckham and I didn’t realize that they were looking to focus a little more on the female side of the business.” Asked to appear in a video, “I was like, ‘OK, but only if I can do a capsule collection.’”

Suffice it to say, the actress is feeling sympathetic to the designers about showing their

full collections this week in New York. “It’s so much pressure. I don’t think people realize how crazy it is,” she said of designing. “Especially if it’s a big collection, if you’re a real artist like Lee Mc-Queen was, it’s suddenly like all your creative artistry has a dead-line and you have to deal with all these expectations, and you have to focus on the financial aspect of it and there are so many things to it that are very tricky.”

After the store cocktail, Tyler joined her father and guests Hele-na Christensen, Anja Rubik, Sofia Sanchez de Betak and Dustin Yel-lin for a small dinner at fashion favorite The Fat Radish.

“Are we early?” Steven Tyler asked upon his arrival, five minutes ahead of the 8 p.m. start time. A punctual rock star if there ever was one.

Further downtown, luxu-

ry e-tailer Mytheresa and Aquaz-zura cohosted a cocktail party at Paul’s Cocktail Lounge in the Roxy Hotel. Edgardo Osorio, the brand’s creative director, and Justin O’Shea, creative and fashion di-rector for Mytheresa, were joined by actress Jaime King and a bevy of “It” girls including Erin Wasson, Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor, Anna-belle Dexter-Jones, Laura Love and Tennessee Thomas.

“It’s the most significantly on-trend and realistically priced luxury brand on the market,” O’Shea said of the shoe brand. “That’s the gist of it.”

His fashion week plans include “drinking a lot and sleeping in,” he joked. “But I’m excited to see Altuzarra, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein — who else? Am I excited to see anything else? Oh yeah, Yeezy, because Kanye’s hilarious.” — WWD STAFF

AmfAR Honors Harvey WeinsteinLeonardo DiCaprio, Jay Z and Beyoncé turned up to toast the producer.

14 12 FEBRUARY 2016

Early BirdsBelsta�, Mytheresa and Aquazzura hosted celeb-studded fashion week parties.

“Producer” is not nearly expan-sive enough of a term to describe exactly what Harvey Weinstein does. It lacks a certain degree of oomph. He’s a power broker, really. And in a country where the highest valued commodity is celebrity, Harvey is among the kings.

Nothing could be more apparent surveying the ballroom of Cipriani Wall Street on Wednesday night. Robert De Niro and Jay Z rubbed elbows at one table, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds cuddled at the next. Leo was there. All of Weinstein’s nearest and dearest had come out to support him at the amfAR gala where he was being honored. Those who couldn’t make it — Nicole Kidman, Idris Elba, Naomi Watts — sent in well-wishes (likely from various Weinstein Company film sets).

“Harvey said to me, ‘These are the places you have to be,’” Matt Damon said in his video, lowering his voice to capture Weinstein’s cadence. “‘The Globes, the Oscars and amfAR. That’s what you have to do if you want to be in the family.’”

Perhaps it’s his physicality (burly and mean-mugged) that draws the mafia comparison. Or maybe

it’s the veiled threats, which can make even the biggest movie star quiver, and his agenda pushing. It was not more than five minutes into his award acceptance speech when Weinstein paused. “I just want to say one thing,” he said. “As an Academy member, you’re not allowed to endorse some-body else when they’re up for an Academy Award and if you do, there’s a good chance you’ll lose your membership. But I have to tell you Leo DiCaprio is so amazing in ‘The Revenant.’”

He couldn’t help himself.Moments before he had ascend-

ed the dais, a mashup of Weinstein-produced movies rolled. De Niro took the podium. “There’s already Oscar [hype] about that video,” he cracked. “Harvey edited it down to five minutes; it was originally 3 hours and 18 minutes. He first cut out all the scenes with his brother Bob. Then he cut everything that didn’t support his vision about what the director’s vision should have been....On a personal note, Harvey could have bullied anyone into presenting this award and I’m humble and proud that he chose to bully me.” — TAYLOR HARRIS

Cindy Bruna and Soo Joo Park

Justin O’Shea and Michael Kliger

Harvey Weinstein

Liv Tyler and Fabrizio Moretti

Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Edgardo Osorio, Justin O’Shea, Laura Love and Tennessee Thomas.

Laura de Gunzburg, Zani Gugelmann and Rickie

De Sole Webster.

Indre Rockefeller and Edgardo Osorio

Robert De Niro and Jay Z

AmfA

R ph

otog

raph

s by

Sté

phan

e Fe

ugèr

e; E

arly

Bird

s by

And

rew

H. W

alke

r

0211_14_NYdaily_Eye.indd 2 2/11/16 8:28 PM

12 FEBRUARY 2016 15

● After burning up the Internet with lip color, Kylie Jenner is clawing into nails.

BY FAYE BROOKMAN

Now it is Kylie’s turn.The 18-year-old Kylie Jenner is proving

she can keep up with her older sisters as an influencer in fashion and beauty. To wit: Her self-created Kylie LipKit, a combination of a lip pencil and matching liquid lipstick, crashed the Internet last November. Proving it wasn’t a fluke, three new shades and a restock of the original hues sold out in 28 minutes. Her Web site name morphed from Kylie LipKit to Kylie Cosmetics, promising she’ll expand beyond her signature lips. She’s the face of Nip + Fab skin care. As part of New York Fashion Week, she and her sister on Mon-day launched Kendall + Kylie, a depart-ment store apparel line at a party attended by brother-in-law Kanye West and mother Kris Jenner.

Now Kylie is turning her efforts to nails. Jenner is unveiling the first of three limited-edition nail collections as part of a collaboration with SinfulColors. Nails are a natural for Jenner, whose social media

BCBG’s Front RowSelena Banks, Alexandra Richards, Debbie Ryan, Annet Mahendru, Bailee Madison and Petra Nemcova were among the front row guests at BCBG Thursday morning. “It’s my first fashion show ever,” said Mahen-dru, who said she’s been busy with “The X-Files,” which is airing now, and has some things she’s working on but can’t talk about them yet.

Louise Camuto, chief creative officer of Camuto Group, was also in the audience. Camu-to makes BCBG’s footwear. Camuto said she was pleased with her company’s Super Bowl commercial that aired Sunday night and said her late husband Vince always wanted to air a spot during the Super Bowl. The ad was put together quickly, she said, adding they didn’t have time to be choosy about the dog featured. But it turned out they cast a Boxer, which was her husband’s favorite dog.

— LISA LOCKWOOD Bunny HopAccessory firm LeSportsac has teamed with Danish designer Peter Jensen for spring. The two have collaborated on a line of pouches, backpacks and totes boasting Jensen’s offbeat bunny rabbit insignia.

The line, available on LeSport-sac’s Web site beginning this week, retails from $22 to $155.

D’Arcy Jensen, LeSportsac’s vice president and global creative director, said of the tie-up with Jensen: “I’ve been a fan of Peter’s for years and have always been drawn to his mas-

Fashion Scoops

posts of her manicures have influenced everything from the shape of nails (she inspired the coffin-nail trend) to the popu-larity of nail art.

“I love getting my nails done and nails in general,” Jenner told WWD, adding her “go-to style” right now is a natural, short nail. But that doesn’t preclude her from dabbling in colors. “Right now I really like the pinks,” she said, referring to the Miss Majesty and Miss Chief shades in her first SinfulColors collection, called King Kylie SinfulShine.

Jenner, who recently Snapchatted footage as she bottled her lipsticks at the production plant, said she was totally involved with the shade and name selec-tion of the collections. “I wanted to do something innovative and accessible to my young fans,” she said of the mass market distribution. “The colors are great for all skin tones, too.”

The buzz surrounding the youngest Jenner isn’t wasted on SinfulColor’s executives and the nation’s retailers, who hope the momentum generated in lip will translate to nail when the first collection hits shelves in early March. “We are glad the next product with her name on it is SinfulColors,” said Rahul Mehrotra, the

brand’s general manager. “We think that this collaboration will energize the nail category by driving Millennial traffic to the store.”

Industry sources estimate Jenner could add at least $15 million at retail to Sinful-Color’s coffers.

The first release includes 20 jewel-tone shades of SinfulShines’ gel-like formula under the King Kylie logo — a persona she created and uses as her Instagram name. In-store displays will mirror the royalty theme. The colors retail for $2.99 — a dol-lar more than traditional SinfulColors. Two more limited-edition collections will roll out in April and then May.

Jenner is the first celebrity to work with SinfulColors. Retailers said other celebrity partnerships are in the pipeline as Sinful-Colors seeks to differentiate itself from the

sea of nail enamels. The Jenner collection, in particular, is expected to move the nee-dle with Millennials. “We didn’t want to just put a face on the product. We desired someone with the insight into the category and someone who is a big influencer with Millennials,” added Blake Decker, head of marketing for SinfulColors. “We decided to dream high; dream big.”

Jenner is a behemoth when it comes to social media. Her combined social following encompasses 74 million users — not including Snapchat, which she uses to share her glamorous life with followers (this week she posted mini stories featur-ing her family, including Caitlyn Jenner). She also has her Kylie app, where fans can see tours of her $2.7 million Calabasas, Calif., home, learn how to “cop” her style, observe her applying makeup and get insider beauty tips. Jenner often features her favorite nail artists on the app and said she’ll add tutorials to demonstrate her new SinfulColors in action.

Retailers think her well-manicured talons could help put nail color sales back in the black. Data from IRI for the 52-week period in multi-unit chains show the over-all nail category up half a percent to $1.6 billion, but nail color is still lagging in dol-lar sales, down 6.4 percent to $762 million versus the same period last year.

Although the youngest Jenner follows beauty advice passed down from her sis-ters (always wash all makeup off your face and use always sunscreen) she’s clearly an independent thinker. Jenner previewed her new shades to her friends, but she relies on what has proven to be her own on-the-mark intuition. “I really don’t get my inspiration from any one place or from fashion. I just go with what I like in the moment,” she said.

BEAUTY

Kylie Jenner Builds Her Beauty Brand

tery of print design, use of color and his whimsical styling.

“I find a real synergy between our two brands. Fun and color-ful, casual but aspirational. For our collaboration, we focused on Peter’s iconic rabbit motif as our muse. The rabbit is so cute and it gave us a great backdrop for creating stories.”

— MISTY WHITE SIDELL

Expansion PlanIt’s been roughly six months since Primark opened its first U.S. store in Boston’s Down-town Crossing, but the retailer has plans for an aggressive Northeast rollout that includes opening its first stores in Staten Island and Freehold, N.J. Al-though the Boston flagship is in the historic, former Filene’s building, Primark has indicated it will pursue dense suburban locations for expansion, rather than downtown spots. The company will open six stores this year, including two more in Massachusetts (Burlington and South Shore Plaza malls), in Danbury, Conn., and Willow Grove, Pa. In 2017, it will open in American Dream, the megamall under construction in East Rutherford, N.J., said Jose Luis Martinez de Larramendi, presi-dent of Primark’s U.S. Corp. The firm operates a U.S. distribution center in Pennsylvania.

Martinez de Larramendi, who has run the fast-fashion giant’s businesses in Spain and Portugal, was in Boston Tuesday at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design to award two fashion scholarships. Liz LaCa-va, one of the winners, will intern at Primark’s Dublin headquar-

ters this summer. The retailer has struck a yearlong partner-ship with the college, which included designing windows for the Downtown Crossing store opening, and a portfolio chal-lenge that asked students to come up with fast-fashion inter-pretations of runway, street and celebrity trends. Throughout the semester, Primark’s team in Dublin gave regular critiques via video conference, said Sondra Grace, chair of MassArt’s fash-ion design department.

Primark has similar partner-ships with fashion schools in Ireland, Spain and Germany.

— KATHERINE BOWERS

California Dreamin’ Los Angeles-based premium denim label J Brand and French contemporary brand Comptoir des Cotonniers are to launch a capsule collection. It will mark the first collaboration between the two labels of the Fast Retail-ing Co. Ltd. portfolio that also includes Uniqlo.

“I imagined a French girl walking the streets of Paris with a simple, stylish and self-as-sured look. A girl with long legs

evoking the California glam chic that J Brand interprets to perfection,” said Comptoir des Cotonniers creative director Anne Valérie Hash, who worked with J Brand’s head of design Mary Bruno.

The collection consists in two jean styles, a safari dress and a safari jacket, priced at 150 euros, 165 euros and 195 euros, respectively, or $164, $180 and $213 at current exchange. It’s slated to hit Comptoir des Cotonniers stores in France, Belgium, Spain and Japan on Feb. 24. The launch will be accompanied by three advertising visuals featuring Comptoir des Cotonniers’ face Charlotte Gainsbourg, including one where the actress appears with her daughter Alice; plus a dedicated mini Web site jbrand.comptoirdescotonniers.com where products can be bought starting Feb. 22.

“J Brand had shared its denim expertise with Uniqlo last year, but it was on one model only. This is a first collaboration of J Brand with another brand of the group,” a spokeswoman for Fast Retailing noted.

— LAURE GUILBAULT

Cosmo U.K. Rules¬ The British women’s fashion magazine sector is suffering — with the exception of Cosmopolitan, whose revamp is reaping rewards. The figures reflect combined digital and print circulations for the second half of last year, according to the U.K.’s Audit Bureau of Circulations.

In the July-December period, Cosmopolitan, which is published by Hearst Mag-azines, climbed 57.8 percent year-on-year to 405,308, while Elle edged up just 0.8 percent to 164,727. During the period Cosmopolitan unveiled a fresh look under the new editor Farrah Storr as well as a new marketing and distribution strategy. The pub-lisher reported that “actively purchased copy sales were the main driver, increasing 45 percent year-on-year.”

“We are delighted to see that the new marketing and distribution strategy for Cos-mopolitan is working,” said Anna Jones, chief executive officer of Hearst Magazines U.K. “Our new route to market programs, together with unmissable point of sale promotion through traditional retailers has allowed us to get its content out to an even bigger audience. We’re also reaching 4.8 million unique users every month online, and through Snapchat Discover, which has carried Cosmopol-itan content since September last year, we are able to

reach more women than ever before. In addition, we’re tak-ing magazine content off the page and screen by creating events such as #FashFest, which allow consumers to engage with Cosmopolitan’s expert editorial teams and to network with one another.”

At Condé Nast, Tatler’s combined figure rose 0.2 percent to 84,412. British Vogue was down 2.6 year-on-year to 195,010, while Vanity Fair was down 11.1 percent to 80,008. Glamour fell 13.6 percent to 350,031. Hearst’s Good Housekeeping was down 2.4 percent to 409,696 while Harper’s Bazaar dipped 1.3 percent to 110,294. Time Inc. U.K.’s Look retreated 25.5 percent to 116,024, while Marie Claire was down 10.7 percent to 177,117. InStyle fell 1.4 percent to 149,407.

Of the men’s titles, Condé Nast’s Wired was up 0.1 per-cent to 54,057 in its combined circulation year-on-year, while GQ declined 4.1 percent to 120,001. At Hearst, Esquire climbed 0.2 percent to 58,678. — LORELEI MARFIL

Memo Pad

Looks from the J Brand and Comptoir des Contonniers collaboration.

0212_00_NYDaily_Scoops_Memo_Kyle.indd 2 2/11/16 8:09 PM

16 12 FEBRUARY 2016

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

THE OSCARSTHE ANTICIPATION. THE AMAZING FASHIONS. THE ACCOLADES...

LA Times Distribution

OSCAR PREVIEWISSUE: FEBRUARY 24CLOSE: FEBRUARY 10

MATERIALS: FEBRUARY 15

RED CARPET RECAPISSUE: MARCH 2

CLOSE: FEBRUARY 17MATERIALS: FEBRUARY 26

WWD_HAD_DAILY_OSCARS.indd 2 2/1/16 5:57 PM