Haider Ackermann, Berluti’s new creative director, wants no drumroll for his first show here Friday — or perhaps a quiet one. In an exclusive interview, he talks about his desire to do “calm and silent” clothes hinged on relevant — and luxurious — essentials. For more, see pages 10 and 11.

Seeking Haider

Fashion. Beauty. Business. January 19, 2017

Photograph by Virginie Khateeb

fashion

VersaceDelays IPO;Eyes Tisci

Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci?Market sources say that the Italian

fashion company is rethinking the timing of its initial public offering as it embarks on a significant expansion plan ahead of a listing. To that end, according to numerous sources, Versace has made overtures to Tisci and held discussions in recent months.

The likelihood of a deal between the Italian fashion house and Tisci could not immediately be learned, but speculation is mounting that the two sides are in talks. The designer, Givenchy’s artistic director, is in the throes of preparing his fall men’s show for the runway on Friday night,

● Market sources suggest that the Italian fashion company is working on an expansion plan ahead of the listing and that it has made overtures to Givenchy’s artistic director in recent months.

By Luisa Zargani

MILAN — Could Versace be growing cautious about rushing to an IPO, even as it could potentially shake up the designer landscape by chasing none other than

Donatella Versace

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Men’s NYFW Daily

Printed DailyDISTRIBUTED IN EACH CITY

ISSUE: January 30CLOSE: 01/24 · MATERIALS: 01/25

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

januaRy 19, 2017 3

Ralph Lauren and Karl Lagerfeld: Melania Trump’s Dynamic Duo● Karl Lagerfeld likely will join Ralph Lauren in dressing the incoming first lady.

● Melania Trump Turns to Ralph Lauren for Inaugural Week Fashion Options

● Jude Law Daughter Iris Law Lands Burberry Beauty

● Hermès Takes New Approach Downtown

● Tiffany & Co. Appoints Reed Krakoff Chief Artistic Officer, Amfitheatrof Steps Down

Top 5TRenDingON WWD.COM

NEWSMAKERSThis Week’s Most Talked About Names In Our Industry

Haider Ackermann

Bobbi Brown

Donatella Versace

Yigal Azrouël

● After a tough start to the year, the brand is back in growth mode thanks to vigorous demand in mainland China and the weak pound.

By samantha Conti

LONDON — After a tough start to the year, Burberry appears to be back in growth mode thanks to vigorous demand in mainland China and the weak pound, which has been whetting the appetites of customers shopping in the U.K.

The shrinking pound bolstered Burb-erry’s third-quarter retail performance by 22 percent to 735 million pounds, or $911.4 million, with underlying sales up 4 percent in the three months to Dec. 31, fueled mostly by like-for-like growth rather than new stores.

The numbers outstripped analysts’ expectations and marked another peak for the brand, which notched a 3 percent decline in sales in the first quarter and returned to modest growth in the second three-month period.

Burberry shares closed up 3.6 percent at 16.50 pounds, or $20.11.

The company has been slashing costs and product lines as it looks to slim down and gird itself for future growth in a market where shoppers, used to pur-chasing online, are increasingly bored by traditional brick-and-mortar stores as they seek more exciting experiences.

Fellow luxury giants, including Giorgio Armani and Compagnie Financière Richemont, parent of brands such as Cart-ier and IWC, have been struggling with

shrinking sales growth due to changing tourist flows and consumer habits.

Burberry has been working hard to turn the tide: Sales assistants are being trained on how to build better relation-ships with customers, while local custom-ers — rather than tourists — are getting more attention from the brand.

Burberry noted an “acceleration” in mainland China, which delivered high-single-digit percentage comparable sales growth. Stripping out the impact of the store closures and upgrades in Beijing, the country delivered 15 percent growth year-on-year.

Asked what drove the growth, Burber-ry’s head of investor relations, Charlotte Cowley, said the improved Chinese web site launched in November right around the time a new campaign featuring Kris Wu, the Chinese-born Canadian actor, singer and model, was revealed.

Even Hong Kong improved, albeit to a low-single-digit percentage comparable sales decline, with positive conversion offsetting the majority of the footfall drop. Asia-Pacific returned to growth with a low-single-digit percentage uptick.

Cowley handled the call Wednesday, in place of chief financial officer Carol Fairweather, who is leaving the com-pany. Fairweather has been succeeded by Julie Brown, who also has the title of chief operating officer. She began work on Wednesday.

Pre-Christmas trading was particularly robust in the U.K., where comparable sales growth was 40 percent thanks to the post-referendum pound, with both tourists and locals snapping up bargains despite

a price hike in November. The company said it saw “record engagement” from its festive film, a fictional account of Thomas Burberry’s life, featuring Sienna Miller.

The pound has fallen an average 14 percent against the dollar, and 11 percent against the yuan since the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union.

Continental Europe remained weak, although France saw an improvement compared to Q2, Burberry said. In the U.S., there was a low single digit decline in sales with the domestic and tourist demand uneven. Cowley called the U.S. a “promotional environment” with acceler-ated sales periods and Burberry chose not to take part in any of the pre-season sales.

Fashion once again outperformed perennial styles and led growth across all categories. Accessories, enhanced by monogramming services, also did well with sales led by strength in bags, in partic-ular the Banner, Rucksack and Buckle tote.

Burberry said the September collection delivered “strong results” following the company’s first see-now-buy-now efforts and first fully co-ed runway show, with the military jacket and the Bridle bag among the bestsellers.

The company said digital outperformed with growth in all regions and was led by mobile, with conversion supported by the launch of new payment methods. Burb-erry said its redesigned website and the enhanced local web site in China delivered strong growth in the three-month period.

Analysts gave the quarterly perfor-mance a thumbs-up, with Charlotte Pearce at Verdict Retail noting that the company must stay focused going forward. She said Marco Gobbetti, who will join the group later this month and take up his chief executive officer role in July, “must focus his efforts on keeping the business lean and flexible by streamlining and being innovative with offsetting higher costs.”

● The Swiss designer was previously co-artistic director at Dior following the exit of Raf Simons.

By WWD staff

PARIS — Reinforcing that second-in-com-mand designers are a rich vein of talent for European luxury brands, Carven on Wednesday named former Serge Ruffieux its new creative director, effective Feb. 1.

This confirms a report in WWD on Jan. 6 that the Swiss designer, who functioned as co-artistic director at Dior following the October 2015 exit of Raf Simons, was poised to join Carven.

“Many huge talents started as num-ber two, and it is so important to detect them,” said Floriane de Saint Pierre, who runs a namesake recruitment and consulting firm based in Paris.

She noted that Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, Dior’s current couturier Maria Grazia Chiuri, Céline’s Phoebe Philo, Chloé’s Clare Waight Keller and Mulberry’s Johnny Coca were all second-in-command before rising to the creative helm of their respective brands.

“It is a case-by-case scenario. Being a great number two is not sufficient to be a great number one,” de Saint Pierre said. “Being a talented creative leader of a fashion brand is not just about

experience as a designer. It is about the ability to invent creative assets that reso-nate with today’s society.”

As WWD reported first on Dec. 15, Nata-cha Ramsay-Levi, Nicolas Ghesquière’s longtime right hand at Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, has held extensive talks to join Chloé, where she is expected to succeed Waight Keller.

Meanwhile, Jil Sander is expected to welcome Lucie and Luke Meier to succeed Rodolfo Paglialunga, but an announcement is not expected until March, WWD reported on Jan. 11.

Lucie Meier and Ruffieux, respectively, headed the spring and fall ready-to-wear and couture studios under Simons at Dior before stepping into the spotlight between his exit for Calvin Klein and the arrival of Chiuri, his successor. Her hus-band Luke is the cofounder and designer of men’s label OAMC.

Ruffieux is to show his first Carven collection for resort, with his first runway show slated for Paris Fashion Week in

October for spring 2018. He is to oversee the brand’s women’s rtw, accessories and footwear collections.

Sidney Toledano, chief executive officer at Dior, gave his stamp of approval to the appointment, noting that Ruffieux is join-ing “a brand with such a beautiful history. Serge had honed his talent at Christian Dior, working with big teams.”

Before he and Meier stepped up to the plate at Dior, Ruffieux was head designer of the women’s rtw and haute couture studios and logged almost a decade at the house. His résumé also includes at stint at Sonia Rykiel.

Last October, Carven parted ways with the creative duo behind its women’s col-lections: Alexis Martial and Adrien Cail-laudaud. An internal team designed the 2017 pre-fall collection. Carven previously parted ways with its men’s wear designer Barnabé Hardy, an alum of Balenciaga, after 18 months.

The contemporary label, owned since May 2016 by Bluebell Group, decided to put the men’s line on hold and focus on the women’s collection. Bluebell is a Hong Kong-based, family-owned company that distributes fashion, fragrance, food and home brands throughout Asia.

Sophie de Rougemont, ceo of Carven, said Ruffieux’s “innate sense of moder-nity, married to his impeccable and exact-ing couture techniques,” are in synch with Carven’s DNA.

The house of Carven was founded in 1945 by the late Madame Carven, the French couturier who traveled the world with her collections and brought back a trove of exotic influences.

In a statement, Ruffieux noted he feels “a real affinity for Madame Carven and her vision of fashion.”tr

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It’s Official: Serge RuffieuxCreative Director at Carven

Serge Ruffieux

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Burberry Q3 Up 22%

4 januaRy 19, 2017

● D.C.-area retailers are hoping to capitalize on an influx of tens of thousands of people expected to come to the capital for the inauguration and related protests.

By Kristi eLLis

WASHINGTON — For retailers in the nation’s capital, the economic impact of Inauguration Day on Friday and the Women’s March on Saturday could be a net positive, as long as protests don’t spiral out of control.

Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president, expected to draw any-where from 200,000 people on the low end to 800,000 on the high end here on Friday, followed by the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday, estimated at 200,000 people, means retailers could see a boost in sales.

But location and scores of planned protests will play a major role in whether local boutiques, department stores and shopping malls can capitalize on the influx of people.

For those stores located in the U.S. Secret Service’s security perimeter “red zone,” and to a lesser extent the “green zone,” business will be affected. While there are not many apparel stores in the main security zone, there are some that will have to close at least on Friday due to vehicle restrictions and security gates.

But many retailers at other shopping des-tinations close to the security zones, such as CityCenterDC, plan to remain open.

“One thing from overall economic point of view [in terms of inaugura-tions], is there are pluses and minuses,” said Gerry Widdicombe, an economic development consultant for the Down-townDC BID. “Restaurants and hotels do extremely well. Regular retailers, depend-ing on location, could close because work-ers can’t get there or there is too much of a hassle. I walked out to Central [restau-rant] for lunch and on both sides of 11th street, there was a pretty intimidating fence going up.”

Stephen Fuller, a public policy profes-sor at George Mason University, estimated that the potential economic impact of Trump’s inauguration and the women’s march, based on combined attendance ranging from 500,000 to 1 million, to be $1 billion, according to a report in the Washington Business Journal.

As for tax revenue for D.C., past inaugu-rations have contributed millions of dol-lars to hotel and city coffers, according to Smith Travel hotel data and Widdicombe. In 2001, for President George W. Bush’s first inauguration, hotel revenues were up 56 percent in January to $79.3 million, while the D.C. tax impact from hotel sales tax revenue was $4.1 million. By compar-ison, for President Obama’s first inau-guration in 2009, hotel revenue jumped 63 percent to $125.5 million and the city generated $7 million in tax revenues.

“There is a tax impact for the city,” Widdicombe said. “When room rates go through the roof, city tax revenues go up, too, which is helpful for the city. I think the city looks at it like if there are one or two boutiques that close, it will be offset by a dramatic increase in hotel rates.”

Neil Albert, executive director of the BID, said the city has had vast experience with inaugurations and protests and is equipped to handle problems that may arise.

As a result, officials are not “concerned about a dent in economic impact,” accord-ing to Widdicombe.

CityCenterDC, the premier luxury destination in downtown D.C., has plans to remain open as a center, although a few stores, such as Loro Piana, plan to close, primarily due to logistical problems, officials said.

The center is located in a “restricted access area” on Inauguration Day. With 18,000 hotel rooms within 15 to 20 blocks of the site and its close proximity to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where the two official inaugural balls are being held, Hines executives, represent-ing one of the developers, are optimistic that will drive business.

“We will not be shortening our hours or changing anything,” said Tim Lowery, senior manager at Hines. “Having said that, we have heard there may be a couple of retailers who choose not to be open.”

Lowery said a few stores are concerned about getting their staff in to work due to the security zones, although the majority will remain open.

The center boasts such luxury retailers as Dior, Moncler, Paul Stuart, CH Carolina Herrera, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo.

“We are expecting lots of people to be walking by, whether they are going to the convention center for the balls or needing something quick, like cuff links to go with outfits for the evening,” Lowery said.

Lowery said the center has beefed up on extra security in the event that pro-tests turn negative.

“Like any responsible landlord, we have had to look at that. Out of an abundance of caution — we don’t expect anything — we beefed up on security this week,” he

said. “We do have a plan in place. We have added security if we do need to do some kind of emergency shutdown.”

Macy’s, the only department store left in downtown D.C., has one a few blocks from the parade route and security zone and a spokeswoman said the company plans to keep the store open and operat-ing normal business hours on Friday and Saturday.

Some smaller boutiques in the area are expected to close on Friday, but hope to pick up business on Saturday for the women’s march.

Ricki Peltzman, founder of Upstairs on 7th, a contemporary clothing boutique located in a security zone on Pennsyl-vania Avenue, said she will have to shut down on Friday.

“Most of Washington shuts down on Inauguration Day anyway because it is so hard for everyone to get around,” Peltz-man said. “We have been shut down [on Friday] by the Secret Service because we are three blocks from the White House. But I don’t look at it as lost business.”

“We’ll be open on Saturday and I think we’ll have enough business then that Friday’s closing won’t matter,” she said. “In the long run, if you close one day here or there because of snow or a national holiday it doesn’t make that much of a dif-ference in the scheme of things. Our busi-ness has been amazing. Since the election it has been a boon because people need retail therapy.”

On one note of caution, however, Peltzman said the Secret Service appears to be closing all of the parking garages in the city for security reasons, keeping everyone on high alert.

While Peltzman expects to make up for any lost business on Friday, Craig Fox, the owner of a men’s wear boutique in the security zone expects to take a complete loss.

Fox, owner and founder of Wm Fox &

Co., a men’s wear store just two blocks from the White House, said the inaugura-tion will mean lost sales.

Fox, whose company was founded in 1965, said he unexpectedly learned that he could not keep his store open through Thursday, which he had origi-nally planned. Instead, he was informed by other business owners that the Secret Service was forcing businesses in the security zone to shut down by noon Wednesday.

“This came rather sudden,” Fox said. “I didn’t think we would have to shut down for almost a whole week. We won’t have any business for four days. That kind of loss is meaningful and if there is any new business I definitely will not see that. It could have been a sizable amount of business. People come to Washington and they may have forgotten to bring gloves or scarves but unless they come in today [Tuesday] I won’t be able to help them.”

Fox said daily sales at his store averages $3,000.

In Georgetown, which is outside of the security zone, boutique owners are count-ing on an increase in business.

Nancy Pearlstein, owner of high-end women’s boutique Relish, said she expects a boost in business, although not from the inauguration.

“I think in general the mood is quite different,” Pearlstein said. “You are here in Washington and this is a very liberal area. The shock factor is quite great here and whether that is affecting the outcome [in terms of pre-inaugural foot traffic] remains to be seen.

“I think the women’s march might be even more important for us and might bring more business because I think when you’ve got over 100,000 women in one small area, I assume there is going to be an uptick somehow. But I don’t know if that will be the case because it is the first time this has ever happened, too.”

business

Retailers Face Disruptions, See Potential on Inauguration Day

Security barriers are in place for the U.S. presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.

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● More than 1,500 people are expected at Thursday night’s candlelight dinner for 1,500 hosted by the Trump family at Union Station.

By rosemary feiteLberg

With President-elect Donald Trump on-the-ground and running in the nation’s capital and his photogenic fam-ily descending on the Beltway today, the dawn of The Donald is upon us.

How the well-groomed first family’s personal style may filter through the masses remains to be seen. But if the highly orchestrated plans for tonight’s candlelight dinner are any indication, Washington, D.C. is about to get some New York polish. Senior adviser Steph-anie Winston Wolkoff has enlisted the talents of party planner David Monn who has created 20-foot obelisks and Washington monuments made out of moss. The first couple’s first soiree — and Melania Trump’s official black-tie debut — will be tonight’s candlelight dinner for 1,500, give or take, with their children each bringing 20 friends.

Alec Baldwin won’t be in the crowd, but a “Saturday Night Live” set director has crafted the staging for tonight’s bash in Union Station. “The Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett has rounded up his team to help with production. Earlier in the evening, Trump supporters like Peter Thiel, Jon Voight, Anthony Scara-mucci and Sean Spicer are expected at a cocktail party at the French ambassa-dor’s house.

With inaugural weekend options from Ralph Lauren and Karl Lagerfeld believed to be in the next first lady’s suitcases, the designer wattage at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is expected to be significantly amped up. And now that first daughter Ivanka Trump has formally stepped away from her namesake label, the White House-er is expected to be more diplomatic and less self-serving about her fashion choices.

Another integral factor is the overall orchestration of Winston Wolkoff, who is masterminding the flute-clinking events. Aside from being the soon-to-be FLO-TUS’ closest ally, she is also the former New York Fashion Week and Costume Institute Gala frontwoman. Lauren him-self is such a fan of hers, that the com-pany wanted to hire her after she exited Vogue earlier in her career, according to one friend. Even the president-elect’s youngest son, 10-year-old Barron, is said to be getting the royal treatment from Ralph Lauren.

A New York designer, who is friendly with Winston Wolkoff, said, “She’s the whole package — a talented executive, a good girl, a great mother and a very good wife. She knows how to keep all her ducks in a row, and how to keep every-thing in shape.”

Running on two hours’ sleep this week, Winston Wolkoff has been ricocheting around the various venues for run-throughs. She has spent the past two months behind-the-scenes,

recruiting a small army of experts and specialists to bring to realization all of the festivities. Simpatico with inaugural committee head Tom Barrack overseeing every last detail, the duo are trying to recast Washingtonian style with more of a fashion spin. As hundreds worked in Union Station, Winston Wolkoff said Wednesday, “It’s an incredible story. I’m hoping that one day we can look back at this and be so proud and happy about this. It’s magical in here.”

With her runway-worthy physique, “Alen M”-tamed tresses and Nicole Bryl-applied makeup, Melania Trump is an unprecedented first lady. Assured in her sense of style, fashion is not a nov-elty, as it may have been for some of her predecessors. While there has been no shortage of designers going public about their disinterest in dressing Melania, some insiders say those same naysayers have been more discreet about trying to court her. One high-profile executive said, “Let’s face it, all of these people who said they would never dress Melania will be dying to two years from now.”

The Slovenian-born former model still has a luster for European and Ameri-can designer labels. Along with Ralph Lauren and Fendi, Trump wore Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, Michael Kors, Gucci and Roksanda for major media sightings in the lead-up to last fall’s election. If industry buzz is to be believed, she has also packed away a few lesser-known labels for this week’s events, including an ensemble from the little-known New York-based designer Norisol Ferrari. Michelle Obama had help from Maria Pinto and Hillary Clinton had her Sarah Phillips inaugural gown in 1993, so why not? Donald Trump Jr.’s wife Lara, an “Inside Edition” associate producer, gave Miami-based designer Oscar Garcia-Lopez’ business a serious jolt by wearing his vibrant dresses to the pres-idential debates. The jury is still out as to whether the “Project Runway” alum will once again create frocks for her for inaugural week.

Along with the thrice-married Trump offspring — Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany, and the first three’s respective spouses — Trump’s first wife Ivana and her mother Marie Zelnickova are also expected to be at the Capitol for his swearing-in, but they will bow out before any of the balls. Ivana Trump did not respond to a request for comment. A few of the female members of the president-elect’s inner circle have forged a well-worn path to Saks Fifth Avenue for inaugural week dresses from Victoria Beckham and Pamella Roland among other labels. Pamella Roland DeVos, the president and designer behind the label that bears her name, is a sister-in-law of Betsy DeVos, Trump’s cabinet pick for Secretary of Education.

Even the Radio City Rockettes are getting a cinematic opener. Each of the 33 dancers will be wearing black cashmere blend “Hollywood Wraps” with Saga fox collars before they start high-kicking on Friday after the inau-gural. Saks Fifth Avenue phoned in a $45,000 order four days ago. “I think it’s quite exciting whether you’re for Trump or not,” designer George Simonton said Wednesday.

In business for 52 years, the designer said the belted coats were shipped from his Seventh Avenue showroom by way of a Santo Domingo factory contracted by his licensor Item House. “Years and years ago we made everything in New York. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the prices down,” he said.

Marianne Cassini will be among the 400,000 with her sister and colleague Peggy Nestor expected at the Inaugural festivities. Trump, a longtime friend of Cassini’s husband Oleg, spoke at a com-memorative event after the designer’s death. The new FLOTUS’ flair, European heritage and multilingual skills should bode well with her husband’s inklings for “tabletop diplomacy,” Nestor said. “Everybody likes celebrityhood. That’s a very strong weapon — publicity and glam-our. And America does that really well.”

fashion

Inaugural Galas, Events to Usher In Trump Style to Washington

Melania Trump at the election night rally in New York.

● The company’s plans call for store closures and a focus on its digital presence and licensing deals.

By Kari hamanaKa

LOS ANGELES — BCBG Max Azria Group LLC is the latest to fall victim to the challenges weighing heavily on many retailers.

The company’s spokesman confirmed Wednesday management is focused on ratio-nalizing the business’s store fleet — totaling more than 570 globally — as it looks at oppor-tunities with the concession model, licensing and the digital world.

“Like so many other great brands, BCBG has been negatively impacted by the growth in online sales and shifts in customer shop-ping patterns and, as a result, has too large a physical retail footprint,” the company said in a statement. “In order to remain viable, the company — like so many others in its indus-try — must realign its business to effectively compete in today’s shopping environment.”

The spokesman, when asked if bankruptcy is being considered, declined comment and pointed back to the company’s prepared remarks.

The move comes at a rough time across the board for brands that have already had a rocky start to the year as they are now being forced to shrink their store footprints or headcounts to stay in step with the market. The Limited, after closing its stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday. Ameri-can Apparel on Monday laid off about 2,400 people following the approval of its sale out of bankruptcy to Gildan Activewear Inc. Fossil Group Inc. this month confirmed layoffs across its global organization in addition to store closures as the company charts its course on a multiyear restructuring.

BCBG in September reported to the Califor-nia Employment Development Department it intended to cut 123 positions at its Ver-non, Calif., headquarters, effective Nov. 1. A spokesman confirmed the layoffs at the time, but no additional details were provided.

In the summer it was learned company founder Max Azria was placed on paid leave with Marty Staff taking the helm as chief exec-utive officer.

The company in 2015 said it received a capital infusion from Guggenheim Partners, but the company declined to provide details on how large of a piece the firm took with its investment other than to say Azria and wife Lubov Azria retained “a significant stake in the company,” along with investors.

“BCBG is a world-class designer and pro-ducer of apparel, which with the necessary changes, should be able to be successful,” the company said in its statement. “We are looking at a variety of options to accomplish the restructuring of the company.”

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BCBG Latest to Announce Restructure

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A look from BCBG’s fall 2016 collection.

6 januaRy 19, 2017

ValentinoFor his first solo men’s show for Valen-tino, Pierpaolo Piccioli left behind his regular venue, the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, for the equally stately Hôtel Particulier d’Iéna. “A change of perspective — why not? Change is a statement,” he said backstage before the show.

His split from longtime design partner Maria Grazia Chiuri, now creative director of women’s collections at Christian Dior, has forced Piccioli to reexamine his take on the modern male. The designer has always defended an individual approach to dressing, but whereas that resulted in kaleidoscopic — and sometimes disjointed — collections in the past, the message felt more focused this season.

Piccioli tapped Jamie Reid, the English artist best known for his Sex Pistols album cover art, to create what he called two short poems for the brand. “Beauty is a birthright, reclaim your heritage,” read one. “It seemed to be the end until the next beginning,” said the second.

Those phrases, in Reid’s signature ransom-note style, appeared on everything from an ankle-length gray double cash-mere coat — one of four “couture” looks that opened the show — to a pink intarsia sweater. In a season filled with slogan merch, the baseball caps in particular should have cash registers ringing.

Piccioli did not go down the obvious punk route of safety pins and mohair sweaters. “To me, punk means being individual and breaking the rules,” he said, pointing to a mood board filled with images by iconoclastic artists like Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Caravaggio. “After all, in order to break the rules you have to first know the rules.”

So he gave the lineup a collegiate feel by pairing the outfits with sweaters worn over shirts with slim black bow ties. Shrunken suit jackets looked like they had been outgrown, while off-kilter shades like pastel green and pink gave duffel coats and workwear jackets a confident flair.

“There’s a new gentleness even for men, a new fragility. I think if you are able to show your sensitivity, it’s a new way of being strong,” Piccioli explained. If the Seventies plaids and baggy pants felt repetitive at times, there was plenty there for nonconformists to covet. A glossy black peacoat, in particular, felt quietly flamboy-ant. — Joelle Diderich

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BalenciagaDemna Gvasalia and the corporate machine make for an odd pair, but the designer dedicated to subverting conven-tion embraced big business wholeheart-edly for fall with a collection that was all about the 9-to-5, from the mail room straight up to the c-suite.

It was a recent office move that got under Gvasalia’s skin — Balenciaga’s headquarters now sit right next to parent Kering’s — and he sees suited captains of the industry daily, but also messengers, interns and “the guy who goes to the office on a Sunday.”

There must be quite a few of those: Ker-ing didn’t get a market cap of 28.39 billion euros by sleeping in and doing brunch.

Gvasalia said his aim was to work around formalwear and “put tailoring on a pedestal,” take away the rigidity of the classic corporate suit and breathe some warmth and coziness into it. Like so many European designers this season, he knows the classic suit-and-tie combo is dying — few young men want or need

to dress that way anymore — and he’s looking for solutions.

What a problem solver he is, delivering a slick, thought-provoking collection packed with tailoring — and comfort: Suits were cut loose and baggy — no restrictive tailor-ing here — while shirts were fully unbut-toned, flashing chest flesh. Coats were even bigger, boxy and long enough to stash an umbrella or two, and had the sharply exaggerated shoulders that Gvasalia is making his signature at the brand. Foot-wear came in the form of chunky soled sneakers, combat-style or rain boots.

Trousers were wide and long, settling in fat wrinkles over the tops of those chunky sneakers. Others were snug, almost like jodphurs, hugging models’ bottoms and balancing bulbous nylon padded baseball jackets.

What would a Gvasalia/Balenciaga collection be without a sweatshirt? They came layered over plaid tops — nothing was tucked in here, channeling Mark Zuckerberg — and adorned with Balenciaga or Kering branding, while a long puffy coat

had a Kering logo at the back, one that fea-tured a multicolored Seventies, corporate America swirl, something suited to Amway or State Farm.

But the designer’s followers don’t need to worry that Gvasalia is a corporate sell-out. Asked whether he’s now a captain of industry, the designer quickly shot back, “I think I’m more the intern.” — Samantha Conti

LemaireThere was a melancholy air to this show, which started with lots of dial tones and a soundtrack of British call center employees — automated and otherwise — offering their services, only to meet a lonely silence at the end of the line. What could be more dreary than listening to poor, minimum-wage Mau-reen trying to talk to the unemployed about their jobseekers’ allowance — only to be left hanging on the line?

There was nothing downbeat about the collection, though, which was filled with riffs on workwear (no job seekers here)

in the form of curving cargo pants that narrowed at the ankle, cameraman vests layered over sweatshirts, blouson jackets with wide sleeves and lean, elegant coats and trenches.

Lemaire, who designs the collection with Sarah-Linh Tran, said after the show that he set out to create “refined work-wear,” with a dash of Japanese Eighties shapes. He added more color to the collection, too, mostly earth tones such as mustard, clay, teal, olive and dark berry, while sturdy and hardworking fabrics included heavy cotton twill, wool gabar-dine, water-repellent cotton and nylon.

There was some great knitwear, too. Some was textured, as in a pixel-like pattern for a crewneck sweater, and some came in solid black or navy. Almost all the turtlenecks and pullovers were tucked neatly into the waistbands of trousers, which were cropped or narrow around the ankle. Midway through the show, the soundtrack evolved into actual music — including some upbeat Brian Eno tunes — cutting off the drudge Maureen. — S.C.

CollectionsFall

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CollectionsFall 2017

Milan

Y/projectGrowing up in the Belgian city of Bruges, in the land of the Flemish masters, Glenn Martens as a kid developed a bit of an obsession with classical beauty. But with time, as his more rebellious side kicked in, his eye gravitated to the city’s tacky frites stands with their neon lights, superkitsch chocolate shops and the like.

It’s a dichotomy that has stayed with him, and this time he used France’s romantic past as a starting point. A certain Napoleon — “I’m the real Slim Shady” — Bonaparte was on the show invite, but the attitude was more Musketeer.

Martens made fashion fame with his deconstructed denim that can be ruched or folded back to create a wader effect. Here he brought the concept to new heights, using piping to structure his streetwear silhouettes with exaggerated swirling volumes on the arms and sleeves of slouchy tracksuits, leather jackets and coats. He also bunched garments to create a new (romantics) attitude.

The up-to-the-crotch, wader-pant hybrids were supercool and the jeans built from linked rows of denim cuffs created a high-impact visual patchwork, while the red satin shirt opened the floodgates of bad taste. Coats cut from the kinds of furry vel-vets used in cheap theater costumes tapped into the raw, ugly sensibility that’s proving catnip for the fashion crowd right now.

Martens continues to mature nicely, and it was exciting to see a stronger tailoring element emerge in the collection, one that added an interesting dimension to the current reinvention of the suit. Draped off one shoulder as if it were coming apart, one jacket also buttoned up — or down — at the back, for instance. Coats were given an injection of drama courtesy of floor-sweep-ing volumes.

Staying true to his Belgian roots, Mar-tens, a master at using deconstruction techniques to create new garments, is full of ideas. And the rising designer looks to have bags more up his swirling sleeve. — Katya Foreman

CollectionsFall

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CollectionsFall 2017

Milan

Walter Van BeirendonckWalter Van Beirendonck called his fall collection “Zwart” — Dutch for black or dark. Perhaps it was chosen to reflect today’s somber times. Or maybe it referred simply to the line’s prevalence of camouflage prints, masked models’ faces and leather details contributing to its fighting feel.

Yet the designer has always injected a healthy dose of whimsy into his fashion, with this season being no exception. Most of the Belgian maverick’s looks for fall fea-tured at least one faux heraldic creature — be it a bear appliqué hanging from boiler suit or trousers decorated with a fox holding an effigy of a small, naked man in its paw. Meanwhile, some jackets had oversized gloves, cartoon-style dangling from their sleeves.

The mix of military and naïveté were perfectly on-trend for fall. Plus adding to this collection’s strength was Van Beiren-donck’s sharp tailoring — apparent espe-cially in blazers and coats, which come both finely constructed and deconstructed

(he’s a master of both). These included a wide variety of fabrics and colors, such as orange velour, gray tweed, green leather and camo prints.

Every so often busy details detracted from the pieces’ sartorial style, and the thumping live performance by Seidä Pass — replete with furry, horned musical creatures — also stole some attention. But regardless, this was one of the most inter-esting collections for Van Beirendonck in numerous seasons. — Jennifer Weil

FacetasmHiromichi Ochiai dedicated his elevated spin on athleticism to multiculturalism and the multifaceted nature of man.

The designer has a knack for creating a unified whole out of piled up layers on one look. Here was no exception, with the loose volumes based on slouchy wide-leg track pants that swept the floor and super-size hybrid outerwear quietly merg-ing street and Japanese aesthetics.

Ochiai took men’s wear classics and turned them on their head, like the line’s padded pants cut from puffer and bomber jacket materials.

A lot of the outings had tails, seen in deconstructed tracksuits and two-in-one jackets sporting zippered skirt panels at the back. The line’s technical looks had a snow-boarder vibe. Mini colored vests with hoods came strapped over coats, like life jackets.

Textiles is Ochiai’s thing, and here he folded in a few surprises. A belted puffer jacket reworked in a rich bordeaux velvet with white contrast piping evoked a gentleman’s dressing gown-cum-kimono. The collection’s deconstructed sheepskin coats in unfinished raw skins gave off more of a primitive edge, meanwhile, with unexpected shearling inserts peeking through slits at the bottoms of joggers.

He also presented a deconstructed twist on the Converse in a hookup marking the 100th anniversary of the Converse All Star.

Folding in spins on the plaid shirt and Fair Isle knits, the designer ticked off a number of the season’s trends while mak-ing them his own. — Katya Foreman

icosaeIcosae was going for a sinister Shake-spearean vibe for fall with a collection in almost all black and red for fall. Arm

bands and diagonal seams across the back lent a princely cast to suits and trench-coats — designers Valentin and Florentin Glémarec said they were inspired by the scandals of English royalty — while Eighties punk and skinhead references included combat boots, mesh undershirts and slicked-back or buzzed hair on mod-els. The structured silhouette alternated between extremes, as trimly tailored and tightly fastened trenchcoats were inter-spersed with oversized looks.

Mottos stamped across some garments brought a dose of contemporary streetwear: a top that read “Antihero” drove home the collection’s Shakespearean vibe while the questionable semantics of “The Chaos of Trouble” bewildered. (The phrase appears to have come from a Belle & Sebastian lyric.)

Thigh-length panels poking out from one side of some jackets recalled the asymmet-ric tailoring of Icosae’s first two collections, of which many light-hearted elements have been swapped out in favor of a more severe tone this season — which the designers titled “Blood Is Thicker Than Water.”

The Glémarec brothers both studied fine art at the Ecole du Louvre before founding the brand in 2014. — Robert Williams

CollectionsFall

2017

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● The designer is to show his debut collection for the French house in Paris.

By miLes soCha

PARIS — Could the same cashmere coat be appreciated by a chief executive officer, a guy who lives in sneakers — and someone who moonlights in a punk band?

Haider Ackermann would like to think so, and as Berluti’s new creative direc-tor, he’s set himself a goal of making the house a watchword for compelling and timeless luxury clothes that the wearer defines — and not the other way around.

“You know, there’s so much happening in the men’s fashion world nowadays that something quite calm and silent might not be such a bad thing,” he mused in an interview. “I would not be interested in making some big fashion statement here.

“I think the approach and the purpose of Berluti are to try to make nice gar-ments, a wardrobe, the essentials, what’s relevant. And the man, with his identity, will make them his own,” he added.

Seated on a leather divan in Berluti’s spare and sunny showroom, Ackermann — he of the artfully coiled scarves and clever layering that seem to require an honors degree in styling to achieve — is today a study in chic understatement.

He sparked his gray cashmere crewneck and cone-legged herringbone pants with purple socks and Berluti lace-ups with a tawny patina. A small swag of white under-shirt spilled out from under the back hem of the sweater, like a dollop of crème fraîche.

He insists his inimitable ensembles are not studied.

“There’s nothing thought out. It’s all about accidents, about clashes,” he said. “The moment I’m standing still and thinking — ‘What shall I wear tonight for dinner?’ — it’s a total failure. I just grab things, and often it doesn’t match. When I visit other countries, the way men dress is often just accidents. And that combina-tion might make it horrible and it might make it interesting at the same time.”

Known primarily for his women’s wear collections — particularly his glamorous dis-habille and artful wrapping — Ackermann was a bit of a left-field choice to helm Ber-luti, ceo Antoine Arnault acknowledged at the time of his appointment last September.

No one agrees more than Ackermann himself.

“It was unexpected because I’m a women’s designer, so it was the other side of the coin,” he said. “I was surprised myself. But then there’s something very seductive about something that is not your first desire. You are intrigued and then curiosity takes over.”

Ackermann is to unveil his first Berluti collection tonight in Paris for the fall 2017 season — one of the most anticipated debuts of the European season alongside Alessan-dro Sartori’s show for Ermenegildo Zegna in Milan. Ackermann succeeded Sartori at Berluti, which gained a reputation for suave tailoring and snazzy sneakers as Sartori expanded the heritage footwear firm into a complete luxury lifestyle label for men.

Yet don’t expect any dramatic change in the brand’s spirit or essence.

men’s

Haider Ackermann Seeks ‘Essential, Relevant’ Berluti

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“I’m not that kind of character to radicalize everything because you have to respect the house and the craftsmanship.”

— Haider Ackermann

januaRy 19, 2017 11

“I’m not that kind of character to radicalize everything because you have to respect the house and the craftsmanship,” he explained. “You don’t tell a story in one season. It’s gonna be the first chapter.”

Ackermann, who first approached men’s wear as a guest at the Pitti Uomo trade fair in 2010 and staged his first Paris show in 2013, has a penchant for fancy dinner jackets, low-slung pants and lounge-y layering. More recently, he has earned a celebrity following for his sweat-shirts and hoodies, with musicians Kanye West and Miguel among famous devotees.

The Colombian-born designer grew up in countries including Chad, Ethiopia, Algeria, The Netherlands, Belgium and France — and this is reflected in his eclec-tic, globe-trotting style and his signature men’s label.

Ackermann noted the Berluti man is also something of a nomad — although, given the price points, he invariably trav-els first or business class.

“Perhaps my house is an extension of myself and how I dress,” he said. “With Ber-luti, it’s more how I would dream to be…but the intimacy is important and I’m trying on every piece because I want each piece to be mine as well. I would like to keep that cash-mere coat and live with it, to take time with it, and I think that’s the essence of Berluti.

“In men’s wear, it’s just a question of detail. It’s a question of centimeters, of mil-limeters, to give an attitude to the person.”

For example, Ackermann added exotic leathers to the underside of collars on tailored coats, and added bands of leather around the waistband of silk faille pants. A canvas tote bag with storm taping and a band of alligator leather telegraphed his penchant for juxtaposing the rugged and casual with something extremely refined.

“There’s a mixture of everything nowa-days,” he said. “And there’s nothing more

attractive than to have a cashmere coat worn with a jogging pant underneath.

“The approach is to try and find a bal-ance between the elegance and the more casual part and the nonchalance of it. Even the streetwear guys now are so much into suiting and into much more elegant ways.”

Asked how Berluti’s legacy in footwear might color his approach to the project, Ackermann said shoes “give the whole attitude to the person” and can even affect how the customer walks.

“When I wear my Berluti shoes, it gives you a certain comportment. You feel more like you’re standing straight in life. When I wear my Berlutis, I feel perhaps more elegant, more discrete, more seductive,” he said. “There is nothing more interesting than when you’re sitting in a restaurant and you see a man wearing lousy clothes but then suddenly he has these perfect shoes and you’re totally seduced. It’s a detail, but a detail that marks everything — more than clothes. One looks always at the shoes of another person. Don’t you?”

Ackermann, who trained at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Art, noted that his women’s collection always incorporated masculinity into their femininity.

“There’s something very interesting about doing men’s wear because you’re more focused on clothes, whereas with a woman, you can do a lot,” he said. “It’s not about making a man beautiful. That would be kind of a bore. It’s more like trying to give him a style.”

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton acquired Berluti in 1993, added leather goods in 2005 and ready-to-wear in 2012. Today, the brand counts 45 boutiques worldwide and 20 wholesale accounts. Footwear still represents roughly half of the business.

Berluti was founded in 1895 by a trans-planted Italian and is famous for celebrity clients such as Andy Warhol, Pierre Bergé, Jean Cocteau, Alain Delon, Dean Martin and Yves Saint Laurent.

Ackermann said he hopes to extend the brand’s legacy of dressing an array of “dif-ferent men. I would succeed if that cash-mere coat, they all could wear it. Then I won the battle. It is very challenging.”

Haider Ackermann Seeks ‘Essential, Relevant’ Berluti CoNTINUed FRoM pAGe 10

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— Haider Ackermann

12 januaRy 19, 2017

Sonia RykielJulie de Libran’s pre-fall collection for Sonia Rykiel ticked a number of boxes.

The designer mixed floaty striped dresses in summery cotton and crepe with transitional pieces like a navy cotton velvet cape or a caramel shearling long vest, with the aim of catering to the customer buying the collection to wear in summer as well as those stocking their wardrobes for fall.

The house revealed in October that it was shuttering its Sonia by Sonia Rykiel secondary line and laying off a quarter of its staff as it moves to reposition its main Sonia Rykiel collection. Accordingly, de Libran introduced more accessible pieces, like an asymmetrically buttoned and col-lared black faux leather dress.

With its muted colors and streamlined shapes, there was a slightly elegiac tone to the collection, reflecting the pall that has fallen over the house since the death of its founder last August.

But Rykiel’s tongue-in-cheek spirit shined through in Eighties yuppie references like a velvet skirt suit or the crisp Victorian shirts with broderie anglaise collars that under-pinned many looks.

“I think it gives a certain allure to frame the face and cover up the top, and then show a little skin in other places,” de Libran said. Madame Rykiel couldn’t have put it better. — Joelle Diderich

Stella JeanSport continues to be a huge source of fashion inspiration, and this season, Stella Jean looked at boxing, which influenced many of the collection’s details. She com-bined athletic references with a British countryside influence, and also included her recognizable African motifs, as well as new arty patterns inspired by Fauvism. This might sound like a lot — and actually, it was. But the designer managed to find a nice balance among the different elements mixed and matched in this creative lineup. Mannish fabrics were crafted from elegant midlength skirts decorated with flying ducks; sartorial pants carried the elastic waistband of boxing shorts, decorated with the “Jean” logo, and feminine shirt-dresses in graphic African patterns paired with cozy, handmade oversized sweat-ers with dreamlike scenes. Outerwear spanned from hunting jackets with velvet collars and Casentino wool cabans to roomy printed coats. — Alessandra Turra

Antonio Berardi“I looked at how women used to dress

during World War II — they used to be hyperfeminine but they needed to be more masculine, in a way,” said Antonio Berardi. This tension between two contrasting forces emerged in his beautiful collection, which was focused on a twisted elegance. Tailored coats and bonded wool jackets were infused with a martial rigor that veered toward sensuality when the pieces disclosed volu-minous back details, lending a couturelike appeal. Tiny buttons and metal rivets drew graphic lines, while geometric cutouts deliv-ered chic sensuality. Silhouettes got fluid on draped cocktail and evening dresses, which also incorporated precious embroi-deries and see-through details. Everything conveyed a sense of true luxury in Berardi’s assured, skillful hands. In era of overex-posure and self-promotion, he prefers to communicate through beautiful, impecca-bly produced creations. — A.T.

paule KaA year into her tenure at the Parisian brand, creative director Alithia Spuri-Zam-petti chose to focus on extending Paule Ka’s appeal in daywear and separates, aiming to offer what she sees as the quintessential French girl’s wardrobe.

Cue tailored suits and coats, tweeds reworked in a breezy floral pattern with a Sixties vibe, and a gray marled neoprene sweatshirt glammed up with a metallic floral appliqué. That motif was repeated in much of the collection, adding elegance to

fluffy checked wool separates and interest to a more dressed up black silk ensemble. The bow, one of the house’s signatures, was worked as a white trompe l’oeil motif on black jacquard on a range of dresses.

The level of fabric innovation in Spu-ri-Zampetti’s collection stood out, with materials including a selection of jacquards developed in Italy exclusively for the label. One of these, worked in navy, red and brown threads of differing textures to give it a 3-D effect, worked very well on a floor-length gown with a contrasting lace bodice.

Spuri-Zampetti also upped the bar in accessories, declining the bow and floral designs on shoes and clutches and adding items more appropriate for daytime like a cute backpack – albeit in burgundy velvet. — Alex Wynne

Rossella JardiniRossella Jardini combined the signa-ture elements of her elegant style with a certain rigor this season. Rather than focusing on details and embellishments, the designer played with shapes, fea-turing volumes recalling late-Eighties atmosphere. There were pretty outerwear pieces, such as an oversized cashmere vest with a detachable caplet and a simple coat with voluminous sleeves. These were juxtaposed with a range of femi-nine designs, including a striped flannel maxiskirt with ruffles that was paired with a thick sweater exuding an artisanal vibe.

Jardini’s signature tailored jackets were embellished with contrasting trim and a tuxedo was crafted from pink Lurex metal-lic for a touch of glamour. She introduced a leopard pattern on a velvet parka, as well as on a lightweight silk apron dress layered over a black turtleneck. With its effortless sophistication, the collection offered well-executed staples infused with a rational, conscious femininity. — A.T.

ChalayanFor pre-fall, Hussein Chalayan pondered the concept of the new individual and her needs.

“I was looking at the idea of how the Ancient Greeks were revived in the 19th century by Lord Byron,” said Chalayan, “and how the whole sense of personhood was redefined by northwestern Europeans. Then I looked at this idea of how the cor-porate world is shaping the way we present ourselves, and how Greek ideas have been reappropriated now.”

He sent a conceptual lineup of jackets, coats, dresses, trousers and blouses filled with Greek-inspired ideas that felt relaxed and luxurious for the modern working wardrobe.

Dresses and tailored shirting were inter-estingly constructed with frocks featuring scarves that can be worn as a scarf or draped. He developed sleeves into sashes, which playfully decorated a navy but-ton-down shirt as the cotton material was draped and twisted diagonally across the bodice. The detail embellishment was also seen in a black-and-white button-down stretch cotton shirt, for which loose material was wound up around the waist and worn over a black wool skirt with the same wrap detail.

His Grecian take was translated into luxurious outerwear as seen in a waistcoat, which was tucked under a gray cashmere wool jacket.

Elsewhere, loose proportions drooped on generously cut tailored shirting, dresses and overcoats that were pivoted or meant to be wrapped tightly around the waist. The slouchy-fallen-off-the-shoulder silhou-ette continued in the form a long black button-down with a sash tied at the waist, paired with cropped black trousers. It also appeared on a black dress with the bodice adorned in a black-and-white graphic print inspired by the grid system of Manhattan and Ancient Greece. Small Greek figures were also cast onto prints, as on a volumi-nous navy dress.

The range was done up in hues of char-coal, gray, a burnt rose, navy, black and burgundy. — Lorelei Marfil

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● The collection features co-branded items ranging from denim and camouflage jackets to three styles of handbags.

By JoeLLe DiDeriCh

PARIS — Louis Vuitton and Supreme are making it official.

The French luxury house will unveil its widely anticipated collaboration with the cult New York skatewear brand at its men’s fall runway show in Paris today.

In an exclusive preview, Kim Jones, men’s artistic director at Vuitton, explained how the partnership came about. He said his men’s collection, which features co-branded items ranging from denim and camouflage jackets to three styles of handbags, was inspired by New York.

“You can’t have the conversation of New York men’s wear without Supreme right now, because it’s such a massive global phenomenon,” said Jones, who has known the brand founded by James Jebbia since it was launched in the Nineties.

“I used to work when I was at college unpacking boxes of Supreme at a com-pany in London that distributed it when it was just starting out, so it’s something I’ve known all along in my life. I just feel that the strength of their graphic versus the strength of the Louis Vuitton graphic, and that kind of Pop Art feeling — it works together perfectly,” he added.

Supreme is famous for its

collaborations, but until now the only Louis Vuitton logos seen on its products were the unauthorized kind. The French fashion house’s lawyers sent Supreme a cease-and-desist letter in 2000 after it used a Vuitton-like monogram print and color patterns on its skateboards.

When rumors of the collaboration emerged last month, social media went into overdrive. The speculation was fanned in part by Jones himself, who posted and then removed an image of a light gray Vuitton monogram canvas adorned with a Supreme holographic smiley sticker.

That look was nowhere in sight on Wednesday at the company’s headquar-ters overlooking the Seine river.

There are six styles of handbags in the collection, including a backpack, holdall, messenger bag and fanny pack. They come in three materials: red Epi leather, black Epi leather and a camouflage fabric woven through with the Supreme logo and the Vuitton monogram. Aside from being a Supreme staple, the camouflage nods to another New York icon, artist Andy Warhol.

Supreme’s red-and-white box logo features prominently on the red version alongside smaller white LV initials. The two are printed in black on the dark ver-sions of the bags. The camouflage version is more unexpected, with the Supreme logo sitting alone on a tan leather patch and only strap details like yellow stitching and red edges to identify the product as a Vuitton bag.

The house has even produced a red-and-white monogram skateboard with a bespoke trunk and matching tool kit. “We thought it was quite nice to do it properly,” Jones said, in a wry reference to the earlier fake. “I think it’s very smart

of Vuitton, because loads of brands run away from things, but there is that pop element at Vuitton.”

He noted that Marc Jacobs was the first to take this irreverent approach by asking graffiti artist Stephen Sprouse to deface the monogram. Jacobs also introduced a denim version of the motif, which inspired the jean jackets in the collabora-tion with Supreme.

It’s the most visible sign yet of how streetwear brands are challenging the dominance of luxury brands in the hearts and minds of younger consumers. By tying up on limited editions with brands includ-ing Comme des Garçons shirt, Aquascu-tum, Undercover and Nike, Supreme has attracted a fanatical following.

Jones said joining forces was the logical response. Vuitton didn’t need convincing — in fact, it was Michael Burke, the chairman and chief executive officer of the house, who came up with the idea, he revealed.

“It’s just forward-thinking. People don’t really expect those sorts of things and I think that’s what’s nice,” Jones said. “Actually, I think it’s the modern thing to do. Everyone’s talking about it and no one’s doing it, and we’re doing it.”

He noted that his earlier collaboration with Japanese designer Hiroshi Fujiwara’s label Fragment Design drew 4,500 people when it launched with a pop-up shop at Isetan in Tokyo in the summer.

“Youth is key now, especially in China,” said the designer. “I was in Beijing a week ago. We had a launch of a store and from the time I went last time three years ago, the customer’s completely changed. They used to be old men, now it’s young twen-tysomethings, so it’s important to make them excited.”

Jones said the line designed with Supreme would go on sale at select Vuit-ton stores on July 17, but would probably also be available in temporary locations. “We’ll probably make separate stores in areas where both of them are popular,” he said.

● The department store chain is seeking to step up designer collaborations.

By DaViD moin

Yigal Azrouël, a designer known for feminine designs with delicate draping and selling the likes of Saks Fifth Avenue and upscale specialty boutiques, has broad-ened his repertoire this spring by creating a limited-edition collection for Macy’s.

“This is a unique experience for me. I’ve never done anything like this before,” Azrouël said in an interview about the collaboration.

The collection, called YYigal, launches at 149 “high-fashion, high-volume” Macy’s stores and macys.com on Feb. 15. Macy’s will provide early access to shop the col-lection with the Macy’s app from Jan. 30 through Feb. 1.

“It’s a capsule collection with 24 pieces,” said the Israeli-born designer who is based in New York. YYigal has the “inspiration and feeling” of his higher-priced designer collection which launched in 1998.

“I’m well-traveled. I love beaches. I love to take pictures. Architecture is a big inspiration for me. Draping is a big inspi-ration,” Azrouël said. “I create my own fabrics most of the time,” often mixing fabrications together and creating pieces

with other pieces in mind, so they work together in an outfit, Azrouël said.

With YYigal, “I’m not following the trends. These are timeless pieces. There’s a fluid, very romantic feeling.”

And it’s not matter of designing down for a Macy’s customer likely to spend less for fashion than someone shopping Saks. “You are getting a lot for the price. Defi-nitely,” Azrouël said.

In Macy’s ready-to-wear departments, “we will making a unique statement, calling out the collaboration,” said Cassandra Jones, senior vice president of Macy’s

Fashion. “We have developed some fixturing and merchandising to able to tell the story. We will mimic that online. It’s a stunning campaign all about modernity femininity.”

The offering includes tops, faux-leather motorcycle jackets, intricate dresses, a state-ment jumpsuit, a black, white and blush color palette, magnolia flower prints, lace embellishments, inserts and “edgy” bodices.

Prices range from $69 to $199. “It’s very, very affordable for the amount of fashion it offers,” Jones said. “There is a lot of value in the product for the price you are getting it for.”

Jones sees Azrouël’s aesthetic as a perfect fit for the season, which advocates femininity and detailing. “He’ll take a bomber jacket, insert lace and make it sheer, converting a relatively sporty look to something very feminine and beautiful.

“I also love the fact that he is New York-based and has a wide and interesting back-ground. He’s a master at drawing inspira-tion from his various interests in travel, architecture and New York, and creating breathtaking clothing that speaks to the modern woman.” The appeal is wide, she added, from Millennials to baby boomers.

Asked if YYigal is to be extended beyond a single season, Jones said, “Today, I would say it’s limited, but I would never shut the door to future opportunities.”

In past seasons, Macy’s has collaborated with top designers and celebrities on exclusive fashion collections, either on a one-season-only basis, as was the case with Karl Lagerfeld and Iris Apfel, as examples, or on an ongoing basis as is the case with Thalia and Tommy Hilfiger.

“You can be assured that from where we are sitting, as predominately a fashion retailer, Macy’s will continue to look to collaborate with people who help set us apart,” Jones said. “It’s not a methodical approach,” involving introducing exclusive designer lines on a regular basis. “But we are very interested to move those collabo-rations forward.”

business

Macy’s Teams With Yigal Azrouël on Capsule

men’s

Louis Vuitton to Unveil Supreme Collaboration

A look from the Louis Vuitton and Supreme collaboration.

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14 januaRy 19, 2017

alongside his winter couture collection.Givenchy said Wednesday that it does

not comment on rumors.Sources said any contact between Ver-

sace and Tisci would be delicate, given his close relationship with Donatella Versace, which culminated with her appearing in Givenchy’s fall 2015 campaign. It was considered boundary-breaking to use another designer to promote a competing label’s collection — tantamount to Ford inviting Chevrolet to make a cameo in one of its spots.

Luring Tisci away from Givenchy, which he has rejuvenated in his own image, would be a coup for Versace, given his cou-ture chops, lifelong admiration for Gianni Versace’s legacy — and a circle of friends that spans from Kanye West and Beyoncé to Marina Abramovic and Madonna.

It would be unsettling for the French fashion house, given Tisci’s long tenure at the brand and its current business momentum. He is in the midst of widen-ing the Givenchy lifestyle, having recently introduced jeanswear and children’s wear, and segmenting his collections into street, classic and fashion offerings.

A Versace spokesman on Wednesday denied that the IPO has been put on hold, claiming that there was “never a specific timetable for that or any other finan-cial event. We did not have a particular target date, and thus nothing has been postponed.”

While it is true that in light of the uncertain market no precise date was set, a three-to-five-year timeframe for a public offering was cited in 2014 and was reiter-ated several times in 2016 by former chief executive officer Gian Giacomo Ferraris. Now sources say independent board mem-bers have stepped down, which is a sign that the listing is no longer a priority.

“Our board is half family members and half non-family members, so it’s incorrect to say that there are no members outside the family,” said the spokesman. But it is likely the non-family members are part of The Blackstone Group, which bought a 20 percent stake in Versace in 2014.

As for Tisci’s potential arrival at the company, the spokesman said, “Donatella Versace is the creative director of the company and at this time we do not have any plans to change that. Beyond that, of course, we do not comment on rumors.”

He did not specifically address whether talks have been held with Tisci.

A market source underscored that “the entire family is dedicated to the company’s heritage, their mission is to make the com-pany as successful as possible.”

In that light, Donatella Versace welcom-ing a designer of Tisci’s clout would be in line with her past efforts to champion young talent. Versace tapped Christopher Kane in 2009 to help relaunch the Versus line and, when the two parted ways, she forged a new path for the brand, developing it into a seasonless line with a strong digital component, with the intention of working with young designers with a fresh approach. In 2013, she tapped Anthony Vaccarello as a guest designer for Versus, and then named him its creative director, until he departed last year to join Saint Laurent.

A source highlighted Versace’s awareness of the current times. “She is connected and she understands what young customers want, and what would really propel the brand forward. She needs to think of the future of the company,” said the source.

To be sure, a leading designer such as Tisci would ramp up the brand’s “cool factor,” social media reach and appeal.

As far back as May last year, a source told WWD of the idea of Versace possibly “pairing with a designer, perhaps Ric-cardo Tisci, in light of how close they are. She could be more of the soul and image of the brand.”

When Donatella Versace appeared in the Givenchy ads, Tisci told WWD: “There’s no jealousy and no competition between us. It’s a real, pure friendship: Somebody who’s part of my gang, part of my family. We want to give a message of friendship and love.”

At that time, Versace echoed the senti-ment, and gave a resounding endorsement to her Paris-based counterpart: “Riccardo Tisci is extremely talented and, above all, my dear friend. We are family. I want to get rid of the old system, work together, support each other and make fashion a true global community.”

Speaking about the future from Black-stone’s point of view, a source said the New York-based group could be looking for an exit over the next 36 months given most private investor’s three-to-five year time frame and that selling to another private equity fund is unlikely. As a result, an IPO remains the most logical solution, unless a fashion or industrial group makes a move to buy all of Versace.

Multiple sources concurred that the Versace family is deeply committed to the company, has great ambitions for it and feels the responsibility to grow it in the wake of Gianni Versace’s murder in 1997. His niece Allegra Versace Beck inherited 50 percent of the company, and his sister and his brother Santo have a 20 and 30 percent stake, respectively.

“This is a positive step, Versace will go public when it is stronger,” said a luxury goods analyst, who spoke on conditions of anonymity.

Doing that now “with these financial numbers is not conceivable; Versace’s growth rate has to get stronger,” said

another analyst.To be sure, 2016 was not an easy year

for the luxury goods sector, with an increasingly competitive and uncertain arena. “It’s a longer process than they thought; they need to reset and take the time to grow,” said a source.

When former Alexander McQueen ceo Jonathan Akeroyd was appointed to suc-ceed Gian Giacomo Ferraris last year, he said: “They’ve done an incredible job over the last three to four years, and my prior-ity now is to get a handle on the business, get involved and increase the momentum. There is a huge amount of ambition from the Versace family and from Blackstone, and Blackstone is definitely in line with the family’s vision.”

The executive at the time underscored Donatella Versace’s sensibility. “She has a really contemporary vision for the brand and a massive eye for talent. Very few brands have that combination of heritage and being so progressive.”

In turn, she emphasized that Akeroyd’s “experience building contemporary brands is also very simpatico with Ver-sace’s desire to continue to stay relevant with younger audiences.”

Versace’s own stores are increasingly becoming the engine behind the brand’s growth, as shown by its performance in 2015, when retail sales were up 28.9 percent to 400.7 million euros, or $440.7 million.

In 2015, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization rose 19.9 percent to 81 million euros, or $89.1 mil-lion. The Milan-based group saw revenues increase 17.5 percent to 645 million euros, or $709.5 million.

Dollar figures were converted from the euro at average exchange rates for the periods in question.

Ferraris was tapped in 2009 to restruc-ture the company and in 2010 the company swung back to profit ahead of the 2011 date that had been forecast, and started setting

its expansion. In 2011, the company posted earnings of 8.5 million euros, or $11.8 mil-lion, compared with a loss of 21.7 million euros, or $28.6 million, in 2010. Revenues rose 16.4 percent to 340.2 million euros, or $472.6 million. The company embarked on a retail expansion around the world, re-en-tered Japan, and returned to the couture schedule after pulling out in 2004.

Talks about a possible Versace IPO have surfaced repeatedly over the years, as the family was pursuing that plan until Gianni Versace’s death. In 2004, Versace took initial steps in that direction, appointing Lazard and Credit Suisse First Boston to find a minority investor with the eventual plan to take the company public. But the project fizzled. In 2006 and 2007, a listing once again emerged as a possibility for the company, until it hit a rough patch in the following few years.

Blackstone bought a 20 percent stake through a capital increase of 150 million euros, or $205.8 million, and acquired shares for 60 million euros, or $82.3 million. The deal valued the company at 1 billion euros, or $1.38 billion, to accelerate its development with the goal to publicly list the firm in three to five years. The Italian fashion firm was looking to sell a 20 percent holding to finance future growth, as the family wanted to maintain control over the company.

As reported at the time of the sale, Ferraris said he hoped for Versace to reach global sales of 800 million euros, or $1.09 billion, in three years.

Ferraris had set a target for a possible IPO: when the company hit sales of 500 million to 600 million euros, or $676 million to $811.2 million. Last year, he reiterated the three- to five-year time frame first cited in 2014, highlighting the two main elements to take into account: The shareholders — led by the Versace family and Blackstone Group, which owns 20 per-cent — and the market’s openness to IPOs.

Versace Delays IPO;Eyes Tisci CoNTINUed FRoM pAGe 1

Riccardo Tisci, donatella Versace and Naomi Campbell.

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● A digital app turns an iPhone into a diagnostic tool for detecting the right skin shade.

By Pete born WitH ContRiButionS FRoM aLLison CoLLins

Shiseido Americas Corporation has acquired MatchCo., a California start-up that has developed digital technology designed to help women find the right shade of makeup foundation with precise accuracy, an age-old problem that afflicts 94 percent of consumers, according to the company. Shiseido intends to “leverage” the MatchCo. technology across Shiseido’s other brands, like the foundation-heavy Bare Minerals, and to other makeup and skin-care product categories, a move that might give the company an upper hand in winning over consumers seeking greater product customization and personaliza-tion, two prevalent trends.

Marc Rey, chief executive officer of Shi-seido’s American subsidiary, described the business possibilities as “humongous.” He declined to say how much sales volume the start-up is doing, neither did he divulge the

purchase price. Considering that MatchCo. has been in business a short time, a number of industry sources estimate the annual volume is less that $5 million.

MatchCo. was founded in 2013 by Dave Gross and Andy Howell, who are remain-ing with the company. The operation became fully functional in 2015 with the creation of a telephone app that drives the system.

The app was designed to be used with an Apple iPhone. Using LED technology and an analytical algorithm, the phone is turned into a diagnostic tool that a woman can use to scan three areas on her face to analyze the skin conditions.

After the resulting findings are sent to the company, along with a credit card number, a bottle of foundation arrives in the mail within 24 to 48 hours. A 1-oz. bottle now is priced at $49, but Rey pointed out that pricing will change as the company explores other applications. “It’s going to be a bit of premium, but not crazy. It will be affordable,” he said.

Rey chose to focus on the larger implications.

Not only does the system tap into the

customization and personalization trends, two of the biggest consumer movements today, but women tend to stick to a partic-ular brand since foundation can be difficult to match.

“It is a way to get more consumer inti-macy and create more consumer satisfac-tion,” Rey said.

If true, that would be a path to the real payoff, the acquisition of new Shiseido customers “in the millions,” Rey said.

MatchCo. will remain based in Califor-nia, Rey said, with its engineering squad in Palo Alto and its marketing and operations in Santa Monica. The evolution of the busi-ness will take place in an incubator unit set up in Shiseido’s Global Makeup Center of Excellence, based in New York and headed by Jill Scalamandre.

“We look forward to revolutionizing beauty together,” said Andy Howell, who described the system as “AI for beauty.”

Scalamandre said the system has the capacity, with just foundation, to give women some confidence in the selection process. Customers can use it to find the right shade or match shades. Or in the future, when it is applied to other

makeup products, like eye shadow, the system can be used to create shades and play with color.

Shiseido expects to increase the focus of customization of cosmetics products, through the ramp-up process. Other goals are to advance the digital technologies aimed at skin measurement and analysis. Not only does Shiseido intend to roll out and evolve the technologies to serve its other brands, but also be applicable to other makeup and skin-care products. Another ambition is to expand direct mar-keting and improve consumer marketing through insights gleaned from contact with consumers.

Rey suggested that different marketing and selling models could be adopted. The model in use involves transactions shipped to the phone. But business could also be conducted through stores and even TV shopping channels.

In addition to the participation of the Global Makeup Center of Excellence, but other centers focusing on skin care, digital and fragrance also plan to collaborate.

“Creating innovations is an area of special strategic focus for Shiseido Group, and we look forward to offering more unique value to consumers around the world,” said Masahiko Uotani, ceo of the Tokyo-based parent company. “This will now be made possible through accelerated innovation in rapidly evolving digital tools and customized products.”

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Shiseido Buys MatchCo.

● The fragrance is on track to do close to $200 million in retail sales in its first year, almost double initial industry projections.

By raCheL strugatZ

NEW YORK — Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl fragrance is proving to be good for Puig’s business.

The fragrance, which launched in global markets from July through October, was brought to U.S. counters in December over a year ahead of schedule — changing the course of what’s historically been a global business for the company.

Initial units hit select Macy’s doors and macys.com last month, and due to strong sales, a full rollout will take place in March. Good Girl, which retails from $90 to $115 for 50-ml. and 100-ml. sizes, respectively, is the fourth fragrance in the Carolina Herrera New York fragrance pillar.

Jose Manuel Albesa, chief brand officer at Puig, the Barcelona-based fragrance company that’s manufactured the brand’s fragrances since 1988, called Good Girl the “perfect launch to attract the Millennial consumer, a key customers at Macy’s.” He said the Macy’s partnership will mark a relaunch of the Carolina Herrera fragrance brand in the U.S., making it the most sizable, Stateside fragrance launch the fashion house has had in 20 years. The eau de parfum will be exclusive to Macy’s for the season and then widen distribution to additional retailers. It will also be sold in Carolina Herrera boutiques.

The fragrance is on track to nearly dou-ble initial industry projections for a total of nearly $200 million in retail sales in its first year, according to industry sources. Albesa said Good Girl is “breaking historical records.” The eau de parfum has doubled both sell-in and sell-out objectives in all markets and has been top selling female

fragrance in several countries for three consecutive months, he added. Carolina Herrera’s fragrance portfolio of 22 fra-grances drove $600 million in retail sales last year for the company, not inclusive of Good Girl, but with the addition of the new scent and a U.S. rollout, is on track to do about $800 million in sales this year, an industry source said.

To date, Carolina Herrera’s 29-year-old fragrance business has largely been driven

by sales outside the U.S., with substantial volume coming from the Middle East, Latin America, Russia, Spain and global travel retail. Good Girl hit counters in more than 10,000 global doors last year, with no plans to enter the U.S. until 2018. The scent wasn’t even introduced to American press. At a kickoff event and dinner held on the Upper East Side here in July where 250 editors flew in from all over the world to attend, just one

U.S.-based editor was present.But Albesa said this is about to change,

as Good Girl is rapidly setting a new prece-dent for Herrera’s fragrance portfolio.

“We will have to wait for the first launch results to adjust the brand’s fra-grance strategy in the U.S., but we hope it can start a new era where the fragrance business can accompany the rest of the Carolina Herrera brand in the U.S.,” Albesa said.

It’s unclear whether the success is due to the scent’s atypical packaging (it’s housed in a teetering stiletto bottle); a racier than usual marketing and advertising campaign with a tag line of “It’s So Good to Be Bad”; the juice itself ( jasmine is a key accord, like many of the house’s fragrances that came before it), or a combination of the three — but it’s working. Albesa was unable to give specifics, but said future iterations of Good Girl are in the works, with the high heel-shaped bottle a key component in building out a franchise.

At an event last week at the company’s U.S. headquarters and showroom in the Garment District here, Herrera, the per-son, was in attendance to help introduce the scent to American press. While at an airport recently, Herrera said she stopped a woman who was purchasing a bottle of Good Girl.

“I told her that she needed to buy a pair,” Herrera said with a laugh.

Carolina Herrera Baez, creative director at Carolina Herrera’s House of Fragrances, told WWD this summer that the scent was inspired by “the duality of a woman,” and largely by her mother, Herrera.

“She [Herrera] loves the idea of mys-tery and naughtiness — but goodness — in a woman. This is where this all came from. We can be both good and naughty; it’s the yin and yang,” Herrera Baez said. “She has always said that mystery is one of the most important qualities a woman can have. There is nothing more boring than an open book.”

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Herrera’s Good Girl Scent Breaks Records

Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl scent.

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● The Line Interception Power Duo contains two creams packaged side by side in a single bottle with one pump.

By raCheL strugatZ

La Prairie’s latest innovation is a two for one.

The Line Interception Power Duo is an antiaging sunscreen day cream and corre-sponding antiaging night cream packaged side by side in a single bottle with one pump. The products, administered via airless pump, are the latest to join the brand’s Antiaging Collection and come two years after the Antiaging Rapid Response Booster serum was added to the lineup.

During an interview at the brand’s U.S. headquarters, Jacqueline Hill, director of strategic innovation at La Prairie, main-tained the product has the most ambitious claims of any antiaging formula the brand has put out to date. Clinical trials showed a reduction in the appearance of three types of wrinkles — expression lines, sun induced fine lines and creases and folds — within 14 days of twice-a-day use, she said. Both formulas contain the brand’s proprietary Cellular Complex.

She explained that while injectables work by making muscles unable to con-tract at one specific stage, the day cream is active in three different stages. Three pep-tides work to stop the signaling pathway in varying stages to prevent the formation of lines. The night cream targets regeneration and the stimulation of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid production.

The Line Interception Power Duo

retails for $350 and will hit about 4,500 global points of distribution at the end of the month.

Greg Prodromides, chief marketing officer at La Prairie, said this is the first significant launch for 2017 before the 30th anniversary celebrations for the brand’s iconic Skin Caviar collection kick off later this year. The Power Duo is also

the first product to launch under creative director David Naouri, who joined La Prairie just over a year ago. In addition to innovations in formula, Prodromides con-tended that everything — from the “over-all creative expression,” to campaign visuals and social media — was under the guise of Naouri.

He declined to give sales projections for

Power Duo’s first year.Naouri joining the team was among

several changes implemented during the past year, Prodromides added. La Prairie relocated its global marketing headquar-ters from New York to Zürich and built a “global marketing organization from scratch” with new product development, creative services, store design and visual merchandising, communications and public relations, digital and science and innovation teams.

He noted that digital, in particular, is an area of focus for the company.

A web site will be launched on Jan. 31, outfitted with updated brand assets and e-commerce capabilities. La Prairie main-tains 20 web sites globally, six of which are e-commerce enabled. The U.S. version is the strongest of the sites in terms of sales volume, but Prodromides declined to reveal what percentage of overall revenue comes from the digital flagship.

A dramatic short film detailing the spe-cific innovations and science behind the Power Duo will welcome users to the site, and a 360-degree, virtual reality experi-ence — a first for the brand — will live on laprairie.com and the brand’s social media channels. The latter, which was developed in 16 languages, is part of a “recruitment campaign” that taps into digital to hope-fully lure consumers in-store. A corre-sponding VR experience will be present in 300 top doors.

Prodromides said social media has become a priority, too — both unpaid and paid.

“We use paid social but our quest is not about getting a massive response. We’re trying to follow a more selective and more niche approach….We do not want to and we cannot talk to everybody,” he said. “That said, yes we have a selective approach when it comes to paid social, [but] it’s important to start seeding the brand with a new generation.”

● Industry colleagues describe her as a fragrance leader and a pioneer.

By Pete born

Camille McDonald, one of the leading forces in fragrance brand development, plans to retire from Bath & Body Works by the end of this month.

McDonald, 63, has been with the Columbus, Ohio-based division of L Brands Inc. since August 2004, when she joined the company as executive vice president of merchandise and brand development and in 2007 was promoted to president of brand development of Bath & Body Works.

She was unavailable for comment, but those who worked with her, the fragrance suppliers, stepped forward. “Camille and her team redefined the American fragrance landscape over the past decade,” said Jerry Vittoria, president of fine fragrance for North America at Firmenich. “Camille is a true fragrance pioneer. She has great respect for perfumers, and she demands and she gets the very best from them.”

“She has been defined in many ways by her commitment to creative standards and high-quality products; wherever she has been, she has elevated the business,” said Felix Mayr-Harting, global head of fine fragrance at Givaudan. Referring to her record at BBW, he said, “she has been at the center of defining how American consumers want to wear great fragrances.

What BBW has done over her tenure and over her leadership was to offer to con-sumers in the U.S. incredibly high-quality fragrances in different formats, whether it is for the home, whether it’s to wear for oneself. She has been part of setting a movement that has defined our industry. You have seen that so clearly in a way that specialty stores have become such an integral part of the beauty business.”

He added, “on the one hand, she has pursued this kind of vision to elevate the quality of fragrances and at the same time, she has never lost touch with the person who is actually buying it. It would be easy to say I am going to create these sophisticated fragrances for BBW, but they may not be relevant. She finds exactly the right way — to stay relevant.”

During her stint there, Bath & Body Works won the consumer choice award in 2014 from the Fragrance Foundation for A Thousand Wishes, as well as five of the foundation’s FiFi awards earlier in her career.

Prior to her career-capping tenure at Bath & Body Works, McDonald was at LVMH Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, which she joined in 1998 as president and chief executive officer of Givinchy Inc. and Guerlain Inc. During the six years she was at LVMH, McDonald founded American Designer Fragrances, which showcased three designer fragrance houses by Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors and Kenneth Cole. LVMH subsequently sold off all three — Michael Kors to Estée

Lauder Cos. Inc. and Jacobs and Cole to Coty Inc. After the Cole license lapsed, it was picked up by Parlux.

She also won awards, the Fragrance Foundation’s Circle of Champions in 2011, the Golden Apple Award of the March of Dimes in 2002 and the American Society of Perfumers Legends Award.

McDonald started the fragrance portion of her career at Charles of the Ritz in 1979, then moved to Revlon International in

1982, then to Cosmair in 1984, where she started as a director, then rose to senior vice president of global markets in the Ralph Lauren fragrance division. There she launched a number of Lauren’s early fragrances. Next stop was Chanel — for a year. She was senior vice president of sales from 1997 to 1998. Then it was LVMH.

Vittoria added, “I’m sure I speak for all perfumers who will greatly miss her and wish her all the best.”

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La Prairie Packs Two-in-One

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Camille McDonald to Retire From Bath & Body WorksCamille Mcdonald

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La prairie’s Line Interception power duo.

januaRy 19, 2017 17

‘Dear Michelle’: Designers Write Thank You Notes to the First LadyTomorrow marks the end of an era — and the beginning of another. She may be leaving the White House, but First Lady Michelle Obama has already left a mark on American fashion that will forever be a part of her legacy. Ahead of her last day in the People’s House, we asked designers who have dressed Obama to write thank you notes to her. By Alexa Tietjen

Joseph Altuzarra:Thank you Michelle for being

such a wonderful role model & powerful advocate for aLL amer-icans. We will miss you.

Christian Siriano:Dear Michelle,

It's been an honor to design for you, a woman I have so greatly admired these last eight years, and someone I will admire for the rest of my life. your legacy as First Lady is a beautiful one of care, compassion and charity.

your support has meant so much to me. as a young designer from Maryland, I'd always re-mained optimistic that my career

would blossom when the right moment came along. For me, you were that moment. as our First Lady, the choices you've made in attire have shone spotlights on many growing american businesses. your support has stimulated our industry and fostered artistic creativity.

I look forward to following your next steps, and to creating for you for many years to come.

Thank you.Christian Siriano

Jason Wu:Dear Michelle,

Thank you for your amazing support for not only me, but for

every creative who dreams in this country. you inspire me and I am so proud to play a small part in your most extraordinary legacy.

I can proudly say that I’ve reached my american Dream.

Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa:Dear Michelle,

Over the past eight years, you have conveyed such strength, confidence and poise as First Lady. The selfless and exemplary work that you have done and the influence you are leaving behind will certainly not be forgotten! as designers, it has been such an honor for you to wear Marchesa.

From State Dinners to Galas, you have exuded the highest level of elegance and grace, which we deeply admire.

Thank you for everything you have done, you are leaving behind a lasting legacy and we’re excited to see what comes next for you!Best wishes,Georgina Chapman & Keren Craig

Monique Lhuillier:Dear Mrs. Michelle Obama,

I am so honored to have dressed you and love what you have done for american fashion.

your confidence and poise in every situation has been such an

inspiration to me.Fondly,Monique Lhuillier

Prabal Gurung:Dear Mrs. Obama,

Thank you for your grace, poise, intellect & integrity. you leave us inspired. Thank you for letting us be part of your history. See you in 4 years as our first female president.

Jenna Lyons of J. Crew:Dear Mrs. Obama,Thank you for your GraCEThank you for your ELEGanCEThank you for your WarMTHThank you for your BrIGHT SMILE

Thank you for your InCLuSIVE-nESSThank you for your SuPPOrTThank you for your InSPIraTIOnThank you for your HuMOrThank you for your aCCEP-TanCEThank you for your STrEnGTHThank you for your FEarLESS-nESSThank you for your STyLEThank you for your EnOrMOuS HEarTThank you for your LEaDErSHIPThank you for your DanCE MOVESThank you for EVEryTHInGWith love and admiration,all of us at J. Crew

Altuzarra, Morocco June 2016.

Altuzarra Christian Siriano

J. Crew

Marchesa

Monique Lhuillier

Jason Wu

prabal Gurung

Christian Siriano, 2016 democratic National Convention.

prabal Gurung, 2010 White House Correspondents’ dinner.

Jason Wu, 2009 Inauguration Ball.

J. Crew, 2008 “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Marchesa, 2014 White House Correspondents’ dinner.

Monique Lhuillier, 2014 Kennedy Center Honors.

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Fashion Scoops

Memo Pad

What’s in A name?“It was his choice,” said François-Henri Pinault of Demna Gvasalia’s fresh takes on the Kering logo, which came plastered across sweatshirts or across the back of a long puffer jacket. “He asked me beforehand if he could do it, and I said I respect a designer’s creative choices.”

The sweatshirts came layered over plaid tops and were branded Kering or Balenciaga, while a long puffer coat had a made-up Kering logo at the back, a Seventies corporate america swirl, something amway or State Farm would have chosen.

Models also carried handfuls of Balen-ciaga shopping bags in the show, which was inspired by traditional corporate dressing and, judging by the smile on his face when the models passed, Pinault was clearly amused by all the Kering and Balenciaga publicity.

The Kering chief wouldn’t expand on the performance of the Balenciaga business due to a blackout period (the company releases its 2016 full-year re-sults on Feb. 10) but said 2016 was “fine” and he was optimistic about the current year. Last year, he told analysts it was not the time to build new stores, but to make the current retail portfolio more produc-tive. asked about his efforts, he said stores need to be proactive about getting in touch with consumers and finding new ways of interacting with them.

Pinault is not the only brand leader thinking of ways to make brick-and-mor-tar work in a world where consumers are buying online, shunning traditional stores and looking for experiences when they shop. On Wednesday, Burberry said it has been training its sales assistants to reach out to customers more and culti-vate relationships. The strategy appears to be paying off: In the third quarter, the brand said it saw a double-digit uplift in spend from returning customers. — Samantha Conti

in MemoriamFranca Sozzani’s memorial will be held on Feb. 27 in Milan at the city’s Duomo cathedral.

Held by the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala; Jonathan newhouse, chairman and

chief executive officer of Condé nast International, and Carlo Capasa, presi-dent of Italy’s Chamber of Fashion, it is scheduled at 2.30 p.m. Central European Time. The memorial coincides with the tail end of Milan Fashion Week.

Private funeral services for the late Vogue Italia editor in chief, who passed away of lung cancer in Milan on Dec. 22, were privately held in Portofino, Liguria, two days later.

Sozzani was buried in the cemetery of the same sea resort located by Liguria’s suggestive Tigullio Gulf, where she had a holiday house. — LuiSa Zargani

Wingate exitsEscada’s long-term fashion director Daniel Wingate has left the Munich fash-ion house, the company confirmed.

The american designer is reportedly focusing on new challenges and respon-sibilities. He has spent much of his career in Europe, with stints at Strenesse, Marc O’Polo and Hugo Boss woman before joining Escada in 2003 as senior design-er. He later served as Escada design director before being named the com-pany’s fashion director in 2012. Currently in america on family matters, Wingate could not be reached for comment.

at the Escada display at today’s Ber-

liner Mode Salon, a company participa-tion, which Wingate fostered, new Escada chief executive officer Iris Epple-righi told WWD that Escada had started its search for a successor.

“Daniel was with us for 13 years, and we love him. But it’s normal for him to now want to do something different,” she commented. She thanked the design-er for his “relentless support and his creative vision” in what she termed a long and successful career with Escada and Escada Sport. — meLiSSa Drier

Feline pheromonesWhat does fashion’s most pampered cat’s home fragrance smell like? Here’s a clue: it’s not catnip. Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s famous white Birman, now has her own scented candle featuring her portrait. Created by Karl Lagerfeld and perfumer John-Paul Welton, its spicy yet delicate fragrance has notes of cin-namon and pink pepper, a floral heart and base notes of amber, musk and woods.

Karl Lagerfeld already offers scented candles under his own label. Choupette’s version is a numbered limited edition of 330 units, and will be launched at the Maison & Objet trade show starting

Thursday before being offered for sale in February, priced 250 euros, or $266. – aLex Wynne

g-iii Taps KennedyBarbara Kennedy has been named president, wholesale — design, mer-chandising and sales at Donna Karan, a division of G-III apparel Group Ltd.

Most recently, Kennedy was president of dresses at ralph Lauren Corp., where she spearheaded the launch and devel-opment of the Lauren by ralph Lauren, Chaps and american Living brands. Ear-lier, she served as president of dresses at Jones apparel Group where she led a portfolio of dress brands, including Jones new york, anne Klein, nine West, Evan Picone and Joneswear.

G-III acquired Donna Karan Interna-tional from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton for $650 million in December. With the closing of the deal, Caroline Brown, chief executive officer of DKI, left the company at yearend. In addition, Dao-yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne, co-cre-ative directors of DKny, exited their roles to focus on their Public School business.

Morris Goldfarb, chairman and ceo of G-III, said, “Barbara’s strong mer-chandising skills, as well as her wealth of experience in the department store channel, will be an important asset to the Donna Karan and DKny growth

plans we have developed.”Kennedy added, “I have always ad-

mired the Donna Karan and DKny brands and see enormous opportunity ahead. I look forward to working with the G-III and Donna Karan teams to develop the full potential of the Donna Karan and DKny businesses.” — LiSa LoCkWooD

StarstruckThirty years after her suicide, 2017 is a year of tribute to flamboyant singer Dalida. Hot on the heels of the January release of a biopic about the life of the Egyptian-born French-Italian performer, who has cult status in France, the Palais Galliera in Paris is dedicating an exhibi-tion to her wardrobe starting in april.

The exhibition, curated by Sandrine Teinturier, head of conservation at the Fondation Pierre Bergé-yves Saint Laurent, includes stage costumes and daywear items donated by the artist’s brother and former manager Orlando, and looks at how her fashion choices followed trends and the evolution of her career.

From Fifties new Look dresses by Jacques Estérel and Jean Dessès to evening gowns from the Seventies by Balmain and Loris azzaro, and including items by yves Saint Laurent rive Gauche and Carven, it will also incorporate many unsigned creations.

The exhibition runs from april 27 to aug. 13. — a.W.

A Woman’s TouchJohn Elliott is curious.

The buzzy men’s wear designer has photographed a woman for his spring advertising campaign for the first time and is exploring eventually getting into the category.

“no, you’re not losing me to the women’s world,” Elliott said from Paris where he was holding some meetings during the men’s shows. “But there is definitely a curiosity there.”

He said since launching his men’s brand four years ago, many of the looks “really trans-lated to women as well. Some of them are a little androgynous.”

Women have also embraced the brand and shouted it out on social media. “I see my girlfriend wearing some of the pieces and they look great,” he said. “So while I’m sticking to men’s for

right now, this brand provides a canvas for so many different pieces.” He said there will be no women’s-specific pieces in his fall men’s show in new york on Feb. 1.

The image for the ad cam-paign shows a female model wearing a silk blouson shirt that Elliott said was a men’s piece, but its “drape, bounce and texture” easily translated to a woman.

The idea of putting his clothes on women started after he realized that the spring 2017 collection, Watching Water, with its refined silk shirt jackets, bombers and metallic terry-cloth mock T-shirts whose shimmer and shine were reminiscent of reflecting water, were just as appropriate for the fairer sex.

“The last collection was one where I explored a new idea and color palette and pushed our guy ahead a little bit,” he said. “That’s what men’s wear is all

about — having the confidence to try something out of your comfort zone.”

The campaign was photo-

graphed by Patrick Maus. It features male models Piero Mendez and Sung Jin Park and female model Emory ault.

Elliott said “as a novice” to the women’s arena, ault was “a nice introduction. She was great to work with and the collection

looked great on her. So it’ll add a little plot twist to the season. I’m just curious to see how our guy reacts to this.” — Jean e. PaLmieri

A look from the John elliott spring campaign.

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Choupette’s candle features an illustration by her designer owner.