WWD articles from September 2004

WWD archives from September 2004

BOHO BEAUTY.
September 1, 2004... LONDON -- The boho look that's popular in Britain right now takes its cue from the likes of Kate Moss, queen of the eclectic dressers, and actress Sienna Miller, girlfriend of Jude Law. Working it requires the perfect high-low mix of...

WARNING SIGNS: CONFIDENCE FALL CLOUDS SECOND-HALF OUTLOOK.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Dan Burrows NEW YORK -- After spending with abandon in the first half of the year -- especially on luxury items -- high fuel costs and weak job growth have consumers facing the second half with trepidation. For the first...

OSCAR'S FIRST STORE SET FOR MADISON AVE.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg NEW YORK -- Oscar de la Renta has finally found a home on Madison Avenue for his first freestanding store. The designer has signed a lease for a 3,000-square-foot store at 772 Madison Avenue and plans to...

IN BRIEF: WTO HITS U.S. IMPORTS... GADZOOKS LOSES CFO... WEATHER WOES...
September 1, 2004... WTO HITS U.S. IMPORTS: A World Trade Organization arbitration panel said Tuesday that it has given authorization to eight members, including Japan and the European Union, to impose tariffs of more than $150 million a year on U.S. imports. In...

GIGLI SUES IT HOLDING FOR $54.2M.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Luisa Zargani MILAN -- Romeo Gigli is no stranger to courthouse feuds and, in the latest, the designer has filed a suit against clothing group IT Holding, Prandina SpA, Gigli's licensee, and its chief executive officer, Italian...

LVMH SCORES ONE AGAINST KNOCKOFFS.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Miles Socha, Paris, Ross Tucker, New York NEW YORK -- LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton scored a victory against 29 Chinatown retailers selling counterfeit goods as a federal judge upheld the company's claims of trademark...

FASHION SCOOPS: OPRAH'S VALENTINO FIX... OPEN SEASON... COMEBACK KID...
September 1, 2004... OPRAH'S VALENTINO FIX: Can Oprah Winfrey do for couture what she did for books? The talk-show queen, who attended her first Valentino couture show in July, is filming an episode with the designer about his couture and ready-to-wear empire....

ALDONAS MEETING CHINA OFFICIALS.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON -- A top U.S. Department of Commerce aide, Grant Aldonas, undersecretary for international trade, is to meet with high-level officials in China next week as domestic textile groups turn up the pressure on...

CHELSEA GIRL.(photo caption)
September 1, 2004... LONDON -- Whether you're thinking of the swinging London girl of the Sixties or Andy Warhol's 1966 film "Chelsea Girls," the quirky and relaxed look that Jane Birkin made famous returns this season with layered jackets, offbeat print dresses...

STORES LINE UP FOR DEMS AND DUBYA.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Sharon Edelson NEW YORK -- Department stores like Bloomingdale's might be akin to Switzerland this week when it comes to politics, but not all retailers are striking such a neutral chord. Macy's is selling products such as...

NEW YORK NOTES: KISSINGER VS. FRANKEN... BATTLE OF THE FIRST LADIES... MORE MO, PLEASE...
September 1, 2004... Byline: Joanna Ramey, Rosemary Feitelberg, Nandini D'Souza, Eric Wilson, Evan Clark KISSINGER vs. FRANKEN: Henry Kissinger ran into his doppelganger Monday night -- in the shape of comedian and outspoken progressive firebrand Al Franken....

THE POLITICS OF FASHION.
September 1, 2004... Byline: David Yassky NEW YORK -- Fashion designers and their beauty counterparts are doing more than just creating appealing clothes and products these days. Some are getting involved in politics, with fund-raisers, special design...

PROTESTS HIT HERALD SQUARE AS SHOPPING DAY ENDS.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg, Meredith Derby NEW YORK -- As the second night of the Republican National Convention was set to begin, hundreds of protesters brought Herald Square to a halt. The crowd that had been rallying outside the...

BOB MACKIE STUDIO SHRINKS TO GROW.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Evan Clark NEW YORK -- Bob Mackie is continuing his effort to democratize fashion with the expansion of the Bob Mackie Studio label into misses' and petites for spring. The moderate-priced sportswear line is currently sold in...

GOBUTY SUES NIKE OVER PATENT.(Marshall Gobuty International USA Inc.)
September 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Marshall Gobuty International USA Inc., the maker of Handcuffs Sweatshirts, has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Nike Inc. alleging patent infringement. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for Southern New York...

THE SECOND COMING OF E-COMMERCE; IT'S HERE. IT'S REAL.
September 1, 2004... New registers, more sales The online retailer's secret weapon Sarbanes-Oxley on trial

BITS & BYTES.
September 1, 2004... CART SPOTTER The nerve of some people. They think they can just load up the underside of their carts with pricey goods, pay for a candy bar, and waltz right out the store's front door scott-free. Well, they can, if the cashier forgets to...

THE SECOND COMING OF E-COMMERCE.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Cate T. Corcoran In the three years since Boo.com failed so spectacularly, a pall has descended over the notion of selling apparel online. But that hasn't stopped specialty stores, cataloguers, and certain department stores, which...

IN THEIR OWN FASHION: STORES' LATEST POS SYSTEMS PAMPER THE CUSTOMER.
September 1, 2004... Byline: David Moin They're not as stylish as a multicolored Louis Vuitton shoulder bag, or sexy like a Victoria's Secret teddy. But point-of-sale upgrades are what's in at retailers nationwide. Saks Fifth Avenue, Liz Claiborne, Louis...

SARBANES-OXLEY ON TRIAL.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Marc Millstein The joke making the rounds at the NRFtech IT Leadership Summit in La Jolla, Calif., last month was about the "the full-employment act for consultants and attorneys" -- otherwise known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of...

FASHION WEBZINES MIX ADVICE AND SHOPPING.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Cate T. Corcoran First there was Daily Candy. Then came The Budget Fashionista, StyleBakery, SheSheMe, She Finds, Chic Shops, BussBuss, Style Chronicle, Celebrity CopyCat and Personal Shopper. These only-in-cyberspace fashion Web...

MIT PROF ROCKS `NET TO GROK FASHION FLOCK.(Interview)
September 1, 2004... Byline: Valerie Seckler What do Internet links and Dilbert cartoons have to do with fashion? Just ask Judith Donath, an assistant professor of media arts and sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. She...

JEFFREY KICKS OFF ATLANTA SEASON.( Fashion Cares, a benefit for AIDS and breast cancer charities )
September 1, 2004... Byline: Georgia Lee ATLANTA -- Fashion Cares, a benefit for AIDS and breast cancer charities launched 12 years ago, has grown from a small affair to become Atlanta's official fall fashion kickoff. The event, presented by the...

STC BIOTECH GROUP LOOKING TO GROW AMERICAN BUSINESS.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Allison Altmann NEW YORK -- South Korea's STC Biotech Group, a Seoul-based cosmeceutical and biological research company, is aiming for a fivefold expansion of its U.S. business by 2006. The firm's strategy includes organic...

ZALE PROFITS DOUBLE IN QUARTER.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Meredith Derby NEW YORK -- Zale Corp. said Tuesday fourth-quarter profits more than doubled, matching the Wall Street consensus, on a 3 percent increase in sales. The company, however, noted on a subsequent conference call...

FLOODS SPARE RICHMOND RETAILERS.(tropical storm Gaston)
September 1, 2004... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON -- Virginia Gov. Mark Warner declared a state of emergency Tuesday in the aftermath of a swift-moving tropical storm Monday that dumped a foot of rain on portions of the state and killed at least five...

ECONOMIC FUTURE IN EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Vicki M. Young NEW YORK -- Although economists, bankers and analysts rely on a variety of economic indicators to gauge the climate at retail, in the end it's their own powers of observation that may prove the most useful. ...

WEST WATCH: GUESS WHAT?... BLONDE AMBITION... NO ROOM AT THE HILTON.
September 1, 2004... GUESS WHAT? Anna Nicole Smith caused a near riot at WWDMAGIC in Las Vegas Monday morning when she personally presented her new clothing line, called Anna Nicole. The newly svelte bombshell tossed T-shirts into the crowd of buyers and fans while...

NEW FASHION WEEK IN CITY BY THE BAY.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Rose Apodaca Jones SAN FRANCISCO -- This city's first fashion week came and went, leaving participants tired but exhilarated amid questions about whether California's apparel industry, which has a fledgling fashion week in Los...

EXCLUSIVE: A&F'S NEW RUEHL.(Abercrombie & Fitch newest division)(Company Profile)
September 2, 2004... Byline: David Moin NEW ALBANY, Ohio -- The chairman wears jeans and flip-flops to work and his 650 associates follow suit at the sprawling, campus-style Abercrombie & Fitch headquarters here. That's just the veneer, though, because...

HILTON LAUNCHES JEWELRY WITH AMAZON.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Marc Karimzadeh NEW YORK -- "It's just being a girl; every girl loves jewelry." It's as simple as that for Paris Hilton, who on Wednesday launched the Paris Hilton Collection of jewelry in an exclusive agreement with...

IN BRIEF: WAL-MART'S NEXT MOVE...IN THEORY...PHI'S LATEST HIRE.
September 2, 2004... WAL-MART'S NEXT MOVE: It's no secret that Wal-Mart is eyeing international expansion, but could Italy be next? Italian supermarket chain Esselunga denied a report in Italian daily Finanza & Mercati that it's in advanced talks to sell the...

TEXTILE GROUPS VOW MORE CHINA PETITIONS.(American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, the National Council of Textile Organizations and the National Textile Association)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON -- U.S. textile groups ratcheted up the pressure on the Bush administration Wednesday, saying they would file dozens of petitions this month seeking to reimpose quotas on apparel and textile imports from...

BLOOM COUNTY.(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... LOS ANGELES -- Floral patterns are in bloom for spring, as designers offer up easy dresses in alluring prints. Caption(s): Coco Kliks' cotton and Lycra sateen dress. / Betsey Johnson's cotton dress. / Lynn Lihn's cotton dress. / Silk...

VOTING FOR FIRST FAMILY FASHION.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Eric Wilson, With contributions from Rosemary Feitelberg, Nandini D'Souza NEW YORK -- The ladies of the Bush dynasty presented a softer family portrait this week in their personal style and personable speeches, with critics on...

RETAIL DOLDRUMS HIT FIFTH AVENUE.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Meredith Derby, With contributions from Anamaria Wilson NEW YORK -- In any other year, the late summer season at Louis Vuitton's Fifth Avenue flagship means robust business. American, Japanese and especially Europeans tourists...

NEW YORK NOTES.
September 2, 2004... THE DOG HOUSE: The Republicans are playing catch with all sorts of dogs of war at the convention, but there was one that just wasn't biting. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" fame, made his way around the floor...

`PINK SLIP' PROTESTERS TAKE TO STREETS.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg NEW YORK -- Thousands of demonstrators assembled in a symbolic unemployment line on Wednesday that stretched from Wall Street in lower Manhattan to the site of the Republican National Convention at Madison...

L'OREAL NET LEAPS 21.8% IN HALF.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Brid Costello PARIS -- L'Oreal confirmed Wednesday its aim to achieve double-digit pretax profit growth for its 20th year while also posting a first-half net income gain of 21.8 percent to 960.9 million euros, or $1.17 billion....

SLOCUM NEARS HALSTON POST.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Lauren DeCarlo NEW YORK -- Carla Slocum is close to being named to the new position of vice president of women's wear at Halston Design Group, people familiar with the situation said. Slocum's responsibilities would include...

A PAIR OF BLUE BLOODS.(Moshi Moshi Inc. )
September 2, 2004... Byline: Scott Malone Sam Ben Avraham, operator of New York's Atrium boutique and founder of the Project trade show, is getting into wholesaling as he continues an evolution from owner of a trendy store to denim impresario. Avraham has...

FITTING THE FORTYSOMETHING.(Not Your Daughter's Jeans )
September 2, 2004... Byline: Scott Malone Designer Lisa Rudes-Sandel said her latest business project was inspired by a few unpleasant shopping trips for high-end jeans. "I happen to be 40 years old, I am not in bad shape, I'm 5-foot-8-inches and I cannot...

DUPLEX DEBUTS.(4Whatitsworth Inc., )(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Scott Malone The Los Angeles-based maker of the Tyte junior sportswear and Beau Dawson contemporary brands has turned its attention to the misses' market. For spring retailing, the firm, known as 4Whatitsworth Inc., is...

LAWMAN GOES FOR STATUS BRAND.(Lawman Inc. of Los Angeles)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Scott Malone Lawman Inc., the Los Angeles-based jeans company, is rolling out a new brand for spring called Petrojeans that is targeted at the status price point of $50 to $60. That tier was a key component of the denim world...

BOHBOT FINDS TRUE MEANING OF SPORTSWEAR.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nola Sarkisian-Miller LOS ANGELES -- Marc Bohbot's 70,000-square-foot nondescript headquarters is a busy place these days. Head-high stacks of cardboard boxes stuffed with clothing create a maze in his office -- a high-ceiling...

SURF BRANDS SERVE UP TROPICAL LOOKS.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nola Sarkisian-Miller LOS ANGELES -- Fox's "North Shore" has heated up summer nights, and ABC's "Lost" and NBC's "Hawaii" are hitting prime time this fall, showing off paradise. Now the small screen's love affair with...

LACOSTE SERVES UP RETAIL.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Melanie Kletter NEW YORK -- Lacoste is getting in on the action at the U.S. Open this year. The company has opened a 1,200-square-foot store at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., marking...

U.S. OPEN STYLE WATCH.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... NEW YORK -- Tennis players have been serving up a heavy dose of style on the courts this week at the U.S Open. Serena Williams made a brash fashion statement with her denim skirt, black tank top and tall black warm-up performance boots by...

COURT IN SESSION.(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... NEW YORK -- There are two distinct schools of fashion among the spectators at the U.S. Open. Some, in their microminis, visors and sneakers, look ready to hit the courts themselves, while others favor more sophisticated dresses or tailored...

THE WWD LIST: SIT-COM/REALITY TV RECALL.
September 2, 2004... As the new TV season kicks off, last season's winners in the product placement sweepstakes are tallied. Anyone who's been to a movie or watched a TV show in the last decade would need a new pair of glasses not to notice the increasingly close...

URBAN OUTFITTERS' OXFORD STREET DEBUT.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Samantha Conti LONDON -- Urban Outfitters has planted its flag on Oxford Street. The 15,000-square-foot store, which cost about 2.4 million pounds, or $4.3 million, opened late last month and is ready to rumble with British...

FASHION SCOOPS: WHEN IN ROME...TOP SECRET...BLACK IS BACK.
September 2, 2004... WHEN IN ROME: It looks like Fendi has found its new U.S. chief. Word has it in Europe that the Roman fashion house has tapped Gianluca Flore, chief executive officer of the U.S. unit of Bologna, Italy-based apparel giant Gruppo La Perla. A...

CARREFOUR PROFIT JUMPS 12.6%.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Robert Murphy PARIS -- Carrefour, the world's second-largest retailer behind Wal-Mart, is pushing on the accelerator. On Wednesday, the French hypermarket operator reported higher-than-expected first-half profit, confirmed a...

LUXURY MEETS MODERN ART.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Robert Murphy PARIS -- When Europe's largest crane rumbled into Paris this May, it was obvious something big was brewing. Then a 40-ton sculpture arrived and workmen spent two days hoisting the behemoth 100 feet into the air...

THE NEW WAVE.(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... Indie Goes Pretty...Big Hair Is Back...Christians Rock...A Hot VMAs Caption(s): Meet punk moppet Skye Sweetnam. Here, she wears an In the Now, Marc by Marc Jacobs T-shirt, DKNY Jeans' skirt and Versus necklace. For more on Skye, and other...

MIAMI VICES; SOUTH BEACH LIVED UP TO ITS REPUTATION AS PARTY CENTRAL DURING THE MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS. FROM USHER'S BASH TO P. DIDDY'S ROUND OF PARTIES, CELEBRITIES DRANK, ATE, SHOPPED AND SWEATED THROUGH THE WEEKEND'S NONSTOP FESTIVITIES.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Marshall Heyman It seemed appropriate Beyonce Knowles chose to wear HotPants designed by her mother, Tina, to walk the red carpet Sunday night at the Video Music Awards here because it was just so darn hot. Sweltering, in fact. One...

VALENTINE'S DAY SHOPPING.(Brooke Valentine)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Jessica B. Matlin Maybe it's the barrage of bad Britney Spears photos or the televised reinvention of Jessica Simpson (to say nothing of Ashlee), but today's popstars-in-training are savvy when it comes to shaping an image. ...

NAME DROPPING.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nandini D'Souza WHILE MOPEY NEW WAVER DAVE GAHAN AND cohorts were actually referencing Paris fashion when they cooked up the name Depeche Mode, it's unlikely most bands are thinking about couture, runways or anything to do with...

SHARP PRACTICE.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Rose Apodaca Jones Being a pop star style icon takes a little -- and sometimes a lot of -- help from a pro. In fact, contemporary music fashion owes much to the tastemakers behind the singers and bands, like...

MOONLIGHTING MUSES.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Marcy Medina BEAUTIFUL ACTRESSES HAVE ALWAYS DONE DOUBLE duty starring in music videos. Remember Kim Basinger in Tom Petty's "Last Dance with Mary Jane" or Jennifer Aniston in Melissa Etheridge's "I Want to Be in Love"? And...

BRING IN THE NOISE.(Pinknoises.com)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Lisa Kelly AS THE ONLY GIRL IN HER TOWN'S LITTLE LEAGUE, TARA RODGERS was no stranger to getting into her own groove. But years later, when Rodgers, the electronic musician, aka Analog Tara, began setting up a recording studio...

KID ROCK.(Paul Green School of Rock)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg INSTEAD OF SITTING AROUND LISTENING TO MUSIC OR FANTASIZING about being in a band by playing air guitar or using a hairbrush for a microphone, a troupe of kids in Philadelphia are actually learning what it takes...

STUDYING THE STARS.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg INTERESTED IN BECOMING THE NEXT JAY-Z OR GWEN STEFANI? WELL, NEW YORK'S Fashion Institute of Technology just might have the right program. Well aware that it's not enough just to be a talented musician these...

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE; THEY MAY NOT ACCOMMODATE MILLIONS OF SPECTATORS, BUT THESE INTIMATE VENUES OFFER THAT LITTLE SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT MAKES THEM STAND OUT WITH TODAY'S NEWEST PERFORMERS.(Directory)
September 2, 2004... Byline: David Yassky MR. SMALL'S FUNHOUSE "AN OASIS FOR TOURING BANDS," SAYS EMILY Haines from the rock band Metric about this old, converted church set in the green, rolling hills of Pittsburgh's outskirts. Once a home for sermon...

SKYE HIGH.(Skye Sweetnam )
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nandini D'Souza NOW PLAYING WITH A POTENT MIX OF SOUND, IMAGE AND ATTITUDE, THE MUSICIANS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE READY TO ROCK. WWD TAKES A CLOSER LOOK. SKYE SWEETNAM LOOKS LIKE AN AVERAGE TEENAGER. Curled into a black...

DOUBLE VISION.(The Pierces; Allison and Catherine)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Evan Clark IN THE GRAND TRADITION OF THE BEACH BOYS' WILSON BROTHERS, THE EVERLY BROTHERS AND, YES, even The Pointer Sisters, comes The Pierces -- siblings who are ready to take on the music world. With a genetic tie that...

THE SUNSHINE BOYS.(The Thrills: Conor Deasy (vocals), Daniel Ryan (guitar), Padraic McMahon (bass), Kevin Horan (keys) and Ben Carrigan (drums))
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nandini D'Souza WHO KNEW FOGGY IRELAND COULD BE HOME TO SOME OF THE best California pop around? Well, The Thrills, for one. The five Dublin school friends have mastered the sunny, upbeat sound of the West Coast. This month,...

THE SMOOTH TALKER.(Jin Au-Yeung)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Lisa Kelly "RAPPERS CAN'T BE HAPPY," SAYS HIP-HOP ARTIST JIN, THE GRIN SLIPPING OFF his face just in time for the next flashbulb during a photo shoot. The flash pops, and his posed scowl melts into a smile. "Naw," he says. "I'm...

TRIPLE THREAT.(Mooney Suzuki; Sammy Jones Jr., Augie Wilson, Graham Tyler)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nandini D'Souza EVERYTHING ABOUT THE MOONEY SUZUKI IS BIG -- BIG SOUND, BIG PERSONALITIES AND, SEEING LEAD singer Sammy James Jr.'s voluminous muttonchops, big hair. A favorite on New York's grungy garage scene for the past...

FOUND IN TRANSLATION.(Utada Hikaru)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Ross Tucker LIKE CHEERLEADERS SURROUNDING A CHESS CHAMP, IN NEW YORK, UTADA'S ENTOURAGE OF five -- two all-purpose assistants, the American and Japanese record label reps and her Japanese manager -- appears out of context. This...

THE TORCH BEARER.(Keren Ann )
September 2, 2004... Byline: Jennifer Hirshlag KEREN ANN BRUSHES HER JAGGED CHESTNUT BANGS FROM HER OVAL EYES, LOOKS DOWN AND SAYS, "YEAH, IT'S OK TO CRY." She's not referring to the moment at hand or a particularly sad recollection from the past, but to...

REVENGE OF THE NERDS.(Palomar; Rachel Warren, Christina Prostano, Sarah Brockett and Dale Miller)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nandini D'Souza AMID ALL THE GRITTY POST-PUNK STURM UND DRANG EMANATING FROM NEW YORK CITY VENUES these days, a chirpy, downright happy sound can be heard. It's coming from the local indie-pop darlings of Palomar, who just released...

THE GRIME MINISTER.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Nina Jones SHE MAY BE CLAD IN CHRISTIAN DIOR, DOLCE & GABBANA AND RARE Adidas finds, but 21-year-old British rapper Shystie refuses to disappear into the sea of MTV midriffs. "I'm not one of those girls who runs around in a little...

THE BELLADONNAS.(Paola&Chiara)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Chiara Hughes PAOLA AND CHIARA IEZZI ARE SISTERS WHO ARE AS DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER AS FIRE IS TO ICE. While Paola, 29, is a sensual brunette, Chiara, 30, is a blonde, blue-eyed diva. It is perhaps this contrast that has...

DAS POST-PUNK.(Mieze, lead singer of Mia)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Damien McGuinness SHE SINGS IN GERMAN AND EVEN TALKS ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE LIKES LIVING IN GERMANY. IN a country in which anything resembling patriotism is viewed with skepticism, if not horror, this is a brave move indeed and not...

THE IN CROWDS.(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... Can you match the crowd to the concert? Here are some hints: In New York, Little Steven's International Underground Garage Festival drew forth all the punks from their darkened haunts, while at Central Park's Summerstage, the Finn Brothers...

PRETTY SCREAM MACHINES; INDIE GIRLS ARE GETTING POLISHED UP AS GRUNGE FASHION LOSES STEAM.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Jennifer Hirshlag THEY HAVE BAND NAMES SUCH AS DRESSY BESSY, CREME BLUSH AND THE Maybellines. They go on stage wearing high heels, short skirts, ruffled blouses and ponytails. Most of all, they live to rock out. They're the new...

HAIR APPARENT; ALL THE TEASED HAIR, SLASHED SPANDEX AND CAMP POSTURING OF EIGHTIES HEADBANGER ROCK IS AGAIN PROVING ITS METTLE.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Rose Apodaca Jones MAYBE HAVING ANOTHER BUSH IN THE WHITE HOUSE IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE FLASHBACK. OR maybe the only vintage that's still affordable is the dregs of this most fiendishly cartoon chapter in rock 'n' roll fashion. ...

LIVING ON A PRAYER; CHRISTIAN PERFORMERS ARE TAPPING INTO THE LATEST FASHION TRENDS -- BUT MODESTY IS STILL THEIR CREED.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Georgia Lee CHRISTIAN GROUPS SUCH AS SWITCHFOOT AND JARS OF CLAY ARE ENJOYING A BROADER demographic and even feel free to wear ripped jeans, tank tops and piles of jewelry. But modesty still rules, and a few commandments remain....

DIGGING FOR ROOTS; A NEW GENERATION OF PERFORMERS IS GETTING BACK COUNTRY MUSIC'S TWANG BY BOWING TO ITS GRANDE DAMES.(Kasey Chambers)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Greg Zinman GROWING UP IN A NOMADIC FAMILY IN THE VAST, SPARSELY POPULATED NULLARBOR PLAIN OF AUSTRALIA, Kasey Chambers wasn't exposed to television, radio or glossy magazines as a child. Her father's country music record...

HIGH FIDELITY; THE LATEST CELEBRITY COUPLE -- THE MEGABABE AND THE ROCK STAR.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Byline: Jennifer Hirshlag JULIA ONCE HAD ONE. DREW CURRENTLY HAS ONE, AS IT APPEARS DO RENEE AND CAMERON. GWYNETH RECENTLY MARRIED ONE. And Winona continues to search for one. It's the rock star boyfriend, the new arm candy for some of...

LE TOUT PARIS.(Paris Hilton.)(Brief Article)
September 3, 2004... NEW YORK -- Paris Hilton, the media's favorite bad girl, just can't stay out of the spotlight. Having starred in her own reality TV show and that infamous video, the hotel heiress is stepping into the world of fashion and beauty with a...

POLET'S DEBUT FOR GUCCI: CEO LAUDS `MINI-BOOM' AS PROFITS CLIMB 33%.(Interview)
September 3, 2004... Byline: Robert Murphy PARIS -- Robert Polet has spent the last two months getting a crash course in luxury, Gucci style -- and so far, the Dutchman likes what he sees. The former Unilever frozen-foods honcho on Thursday delivered...

ESPRIT RELAUNCHES U.S. RETAIL.
September 3, 2004... Byline: David Moin NEW YORK -- Esprit has returned to retailing in the U.S. The German-based sportswear brand's roller-coaster ride stateside took a positive turn Thursday with the debut of a 10,000-square-foot unit at 110 Fifth...