4 milan via canada.

Byline: Sally Singer

Our customers want sexy suits," says Barbara Atkin, fashion director of the Canadian department-store chain Holt Renfrew. "We want to get some little sexy suits. Sexy suits." She is considering the lust-inducing properties of a nipped-waist beige linen jacket-and-skirt ensemble in the showroom of Alberta Ferretti, a brand synonymous with the pretty rather than the hot. Atkin fingers the flirtatiously frayed lapels-"We don't do so well with raw edges; our women don't get it"-before moving on to a slinky blue jersey frock. "Milan is filled with so much bling. That's what the customer relates to as luxury. They're not ready for the minimalist thing yet. They want to look sexy."

Atkin, a woman in her 50s who combines a Morgan Fairchild-ish va-va with the muted, earthy precision of an Ellen Barkin, is herself not wearing a sexy suit. Rather, she is clad in a downbeat navy wool sheath from Marni (purchased the day before at the Milan store), Wolford tights, and Chanel ballerina flats: Like any good fashion professional, she doesn't confuse her own preferences with those of the consumer. Atkin knows that the Holt Renfrew customer still associates "Made in Italy" with the hourglass silhouettes of Dolce & Gabbana, the leggy, sleek chic of Gucci, the tailored oomph of Armani. Hence, Dolce & Gabbana's liquid metallic fetish skirt suits and mini-frocks-"This dress has a pad; the bra has a pad; and then the pads have pads," explains a showroom saleswoman to the Holt team-are grist for Atkin's mill: "I just want to throw a party and have everyone come in their metallic clothes. It should be fun and exciting and luxury. These are the clothes that say luxury to some women." She adds, "I hate to use the word, but bling has taken on a new opulence."

Atkin's task is to find clothes to gratify Toronto shoppers-who for years have been Canada's most directional and avid fashion obsessives-and, with the June 2007 opening of a major Holt Renfrew flagship in Vancouver, clothes to address West Coast issues. Vancouver, like Seattle and Portland and San Francisco, is a lifestyle mecca: outdoorsy, sporty, and resolutely casual. (At a recent gathering of a select handful of Holt Renfrew's Vancouverite following, Atkin took the temperature of the city. There were comments like "Sometimes I feel very overdressed here" and "I wouldn't wear Pucci in Vancouver" and "Fashion isn't that appreciated here: Fleece and fitnesswear are a big component." When V-girls do buy designer, they gravitate to the biggest brands: "People don't feel validated unless it has a big name ...