WWD articles from April 2009

WWD archives from April 2009

WWD THURSDAY.
April 2, 2009... Sportswear/Men's Women's Wear Daily acents The Retailers' Daily Newspaper acents April 2, 2009 CAPTION(S): Stripe It Up Dressing in a traditional fancy banking shirt might not seem an appropriate dress code these days or,...

Going Mad For Michelle: U.S. First Lady Is A Hit All 'Round London Town.(state visit of Michelle Obama and her husband President Barack Obama to England)
April 2, 2009... Byline: WWD Staff LONDON Britain has caught Michelle-O-mania. With her plain talk, pearl necklace and all-American fashion taste, America's First Lady wowed the Brits like no other since Jacqueline Kennedy during the Obamas visit...

WWD THURSDAY: Sportswear.
April 2, 2009... FASHION 6*****Plaids have dominated men's shirts in recent seasons, but for fall designers are discarding the trend in favor of the updated stripe. GENERAL 1*****With her plain talk, pearl necklace and all-American fashion taste,...

Daily Quote.(fashion designer Alan Flusser on men's clothing)(Quotation)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... "On Wall Street, there is a sensitivity to not looking too wealthy. If you're a person that has had to lay off 10 employees, you can't walk into the office looking like some sort of Brahmin." Alan Flusser, on the trend in dress shirts....

Correction.(Correction notice)
April 2, 2009... Bruno Frisoni and Amanda Brooks will host the launch of Roger Vivier's latest collection on Monday. This was incorrect in a story on page 4, Tuesday.

Today On WWD.COM.
April 2, 2009... More images from the Topshop party and the Gucci dinner in L.A. Additional photos of the trend in men's dress shirts Global breaking news Daily stock prices CAPTION(S): Theodora Richards

First Round.(Topshop Topman's party as it opens its New York branch)
April 2, 2009... The arrival of Topshop Topman this week has sent New Yorkers into a Frenzy. Fashion followers are eager to get their hands on the British label's cheap and cheeky product while partygoers are anxiety ridden over which of the three opening...

Snap Shot.(actress Margarita Levieva)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Nick Axelrod Margarita Levieva didn't follow the typical path of a Hollywood actress, but now that she's become one, she has a wealth of life experience to draw from. Not only was the Russian-born actress once one of the top...

Bloomingdale's Romances Designer Customer.(event marketing)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Marc Karimzadeh NEW YORK With designer shoppers more reticent than ever, Bloomingdale's is taking the initiative. On Tuesday, the department store held its first Designer Collections Signature event an all-afternoon...

Sadove Outlines Goals For Saks.(CEO Stephen I. Sadove's plans to increase sales of Saks Inc.)
April 2, 2009... Byline: David Moin Saks Inc. wants to get back what it lost last year profitability. The luxury company seeks a return to midsingle-digit profitability in a couple of years through continued cost cutting, evolving the mix, procuring...

HermA[umlaut]s Gets Temporary East Hampton Home.(New York)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Sharon Edelson NEW YORK HermA[umlaut]s is taking the jitney to East Hampton, N.Y. The French luxury brand will take up temporary residence in a 2,000-square-foot space at 63 Main Street from May 20 to Sept. 20. It will be...

Cavalli Continues Sale Talk, Eyes Ceo.(Roberto Cavalli on selling 20 percent of his fashion house)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Alessandra Ilari MILAN Roberto Cavalli said he met again on Tuesday night with Clessidra SGR SpA representatives, who laid out what he called an "interesting plan" for his fashion house but declined to divulge details. ...

Bank On It.(men's clothing design trend for the season)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Byline: PHOTO BY DANIEL GARRIGA ALEX BADIA PLAID AND ITS MULTIPLE VARIATIONS HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD IN MEN'S SHIRTS FOR THE PAST FEW SEASONS. BUT THIS FALL, DESIGNERS ARE LEAVING THE WORKWEAR TREND BEHIND IN FAVOR OF THE UPDATED STRIPE. THE...

Looking Beyond The 'Runway' With Christiana Zinn.(Kevin Christiana from Project Runway and his new clothing line)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Julee Kaplan KEVIN CHRISTIANA HAS TO WORK FAST. "There's a short window to work with after being on a reality TV show," Christiana, who was a "Project Runway" castoff on season four, said of his new brand, Christiana Zinn. "I...

Mauro Grifoni Eyes International Push.(The Caldogno fashion boutique)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Luisa Zargani MILAN Mauro Grifoni is looking to follow the opening of its latest boutique here with continued expansion of its retail network in Europe and a push in the American market. The Caldogno, Italy-based brand's...

A Waterless Wash From Jeanologia.(product development of denim)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Ross Tucker Spanish Denim research and development company Jeanologia has unveiled its latest technology designed to lessen the environmental impact of denim processing. The G2 finishing machine was introduced at the company's...

Nigo Steps Down As Bape President.(A Bathing Ape streetwear brand president Tomoaki Nagao resigns)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Julee Kaplan Nigo, The Japanese fashion designer who has gathered a cult following for his A Bathing Ape streetwear brand, is stepping down as president and director of the brand he founded in 1993. Nigo said in an e-mail he...

Streetwear Tunes Into Headphones.(Roxy )
April 2, 2009... Byline: David Lipke Junior women's action sports brand Roxy will launch a line of cobranded headphones this spring with audio components maker JBL featuring bold, colorful designs that are a far cry from the sleek but subdued styles...

Zadig & Voltaire: Bonjour To New York.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Jessica Iredale Retail residents of New York's Meatpacking district have a new French neighbor. Zadig & Voltaire, the Parisian purveyor of casual contemporary fare with a boho-rock flair, moved into 831 Washington Street last...

Mek Denim Broadens Its Mix.(clothing company's new sportswear collection)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Khanh T.L. Tran Mek Denim wants to take its jeans-loving Bohemian customers on a trip around the world through a new travel-inspired sportswear collection. This fall, the Los Angeles-based denim company will begin selling...

Suit Shoppers Sensitive To Price.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Jean E. Palmieri Price really does matter when it comes to men's tailored clothing especially anything under $2,000. With the country mired in the recession's doldrums, moderate chains such as The Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A....

Farhi Fetes 20 Years In Men's Wear.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Emilie Marsh PARIS The Nicole Farhi man has come of age on his 20th birthday, with a new wardrobe and plans to grow. After celebrating two decades in the men's wear business with a runway presentation of her fall men's...

Buyers Seek Deals At Atlanta's Cobb Show.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Brenda Lloyd ATLANTA Retail buyers struggling with tepid sales turned out in force for The Cobb Show here in search of deals to entice shoppers. "Consumer spending has tightened up considerably," said Marvin Lee, vice...

Moncler Takes On Counterfeits.(a label featuring a unique identification code in ski puffers to ensure the authenticity of the product)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Jean Scheidnes Fed up with fakes of its shiny ski puffers, Moncler is going on the offensive against counterfeiters with a consumer-activated authentication system that it has implemented in its spring collection. The...

Dress Shirts Go Traditional In Weak Economy.
April 2, 2009... Byline: Brenner Thomas Desperate times call for desperate measures and conservative shirts. The recession has prompted men to err on the side of caution when buying dress shirts, leading to a boost in sales of solid white, blue and...

Diesel Enlists Common For Only The Brave Push.(perfume)
April 2, 2009... Byline: David Lipke Hip-hop artist and actor common will costar in the U.S. advertising campaign to launch Diesel's new fragrance, called Only the Brave, which is hitting store shelves this week. L'OrA[c]al is the licensee for the scent....

Vignola's Role Grows At CKI.(Robert Vignola's role at Calvin Klein Inc.)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Marc Karimzadeh NEW YORK Robert Vignola's role at Calvin Klein Inc. is expanding. The president of Calvin Klein Collection will take over licensing and marketing responsibilities for CKI. Vignola also will oversee the...

Businesses Seek Change To Product Safety Act.(Consumer Product Safety Commission)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON Saying the costly requirements of a new consumer product safety law are forcing them out of business, hundreds of business executives rallied on Capitol Hill Wednesday and urged lawmakers to make...

Fashion Scoops.(Vera Wang's contemporary Lavender Label, Mexico's tourism promotion, and clothing store COS opens it first shop at Paris)
April 2, 2009... LAVENDER LANE : Speculation was swirling late Wednesday that Vera Wang had rethought her contemporary Lavender Label and decided to pull the plug. Not so fast, said the designer. Wang downplayed the rumors and reiterated she was still in the...

Luxury DNA.(luxury goods industry, and the relations of a companies country of origin and consumer behavior)
April 2, 2009... Top fashion and luxury labels ranked by consumers' knowledge of each brand's country of origin. Can a brand's country of origin speak volumes to its consumers? A recent study surveyed male and female consumers worldwide to determine the...

Lundgren's Pay, Macy's Credit Drop.(chief executive officer Terry Lundgren and Macy Inc.'s sales and earnings loss)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Evan Clark With contributions from Alexandra Steigrad The recession hit Macy's Inc.'s credit rating Wednesday, as well as the pay package of chairman, president and chief executive officer Terry Lundgren. Lundgren's...

Oldham Adds To Allegations In Gap Suit.(fashion designer Todd Oldham worngful termination case against Old Navy Clothing Co.)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Matthew Lynch The legal wrangling between Todd Oldham and Gap Inc.'s Old Navy brand intensified this week when the designer added wrongful termination to the list of allegations in a suit he filed against the retailer earlier this...

Memo Pad.(Project Runway moves from Bravo to Lifetime)
April 2, 2009... NO MORE CATFIGHT: After almost a year of legal limbo, and just when it was in danger of fading from memory, "Project Runway" is back. The show will finally make a new home at Lifetime. NBC Universal, parent of Bravo, and The Weinstein Co. have...

Burani Touts Goals Despite 2008 Declines.(Mariella Burani Fashion Group)(Brief article)
April 2, 2009... Byline: Andrew Roberts MILAN Mariella Burani Fashion Group SpA is confident of its medium- to long-term prospects despite falling into the red in 2008. The group, whose holdings include Mandarina Duck and which has licenses with...

Movado Posts $10.5M Loss, Shares Drop.(Movado Group Inc.)
April 10, 2009... Byline: Matthew Lynch Movado Group Inc. said Thursday shrinking fourth-quarter sales pulled it into the red. The company noted it is in violation of a financial covenant and in the process of negotiating a three-year asset-based loan. ...

QVC Alleges Breach Of Contract In Mouawad Suit.(QVC Inc., Mouawad USA Inc.)(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Byline: Matthew Lynch QVC Inc. is calling foul in a settlement reached last year between Van Cleef & Arpels and Mouawad USA Inc. in a trademark infringement suit. The West Chester, Pa.-based television retailer filed a breach of...

Sales Slump Compounds Christopher & Banks Loss.(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... Byline: Matthew Lynch A sizable falloff in comparable-store sales and "highly promotional" sales environment more than tripled fourth-quarter losses at Christopher & Banks Corp. For the three months ended Feb. 28, the...

In Brief.(Delta Apparel Inc. acquires Gekko Brands)(Liz Claiborne Inc. and Li & Fung Ltd. buying agency agreement)(Brief article)
April 10, 2009... DELTA ACQUIRES GEKKO: Delta Apparel Inc. has acquired Gekko Brands, suppliers of headwear under the Kudzu and The Game brands to the collegiate, sports and resort markets. Delta expects the purchase to add about $27 million to its annual sales,...

Budgets Down, Creativity Up At Dallas Market.
April 10, 2009... Byline: Holly Haber DALLAS The price was right on feminine, detailed fashions at last month's market at FashionCenterDallas. Vendors ramped up design with intricate tucking and draping and reduced prices 10 to 20 percent to give...