CHANEL’S MOSCOW PLAN/2 THE IMMIGRATION BATTLE/3Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • April 11, 2006 • $2.00

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Lady of Spain NEW YORK — A modern-day senorita loves her lace. And come

nightfall, slender, airy blouses are the perfect foil for long,

voluminous skirts. Here, Bytinaxx’s cotton lace shirt and Bill

Blass’ embroidered cotton faille skirt. Nine West scarf worn

as a belt; Erickson Beamon earrings. Photographed at La

Esquina. For more, see pages 6 and 7.

WWDTUESDAY Ready-to-Wear/Textiles

See Tarrant, Page 12

Crossed by a Star? Tarrant Sues Jessica For $100M No-ShowBy Vicki M. YoungNEW YORK — Jessica Simpson appears to have another breakup in the works.

Over what was once touted by its owner as a celebrity fashion label with the potential to hit $1 billion to $2 billion, there’s now a legal war between a major licensee and Simpson. Tarrant Apparel Group has sued Simpson and master license owner Vincent Camuto for $100 million over Simpson’s alleged failure to promote her lines.

Tarrant filed the lawsuit alleging several breach of contract claims against Camuto and one against Simpson in New York State Supreme

WWD.COM2 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006

FASHIONDesigners are channeling the fl are of the fl amenco for fall, with second-skin matador pants, festive skirts and lots of lace.

GENERALTarrant Apparel Group has fi led a $100 million lawsuit against Jessica Simpson’s alleged failure to partake in celebrity promotions for her lines.

Bergdorf’s senior vice president of marketing and advertising, Michael Crotty, is leaving to become ceo of Fotolog, a photo blogging service.

The red-hot debate on immigration isn’t new to U.S. apparel manufactur-ing, which has dealt with the issue of undocumented workers for years.

EYE: When it comes to Washington action heroes, Rima Al-Sabah of Kuwait is the Xena Warrior Princess of the capital’s social scene.

Garfi eldMarks, formerly called GM Design Group, has been sold with its trademarks to Harvé Benard Ltd. by GMAC Commercial Finance.

RTW: Oleg Cassini’s widow, Marianne Nestor-Cassini, succeeded him as president of his fi rm and wants to give the brand more global appeal.

TEXTILES: Chinese textile and apparel manufacturers exhibiting at Inter-textile Beijing looked to capture more U.S. and European business.

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WWDTUESDAYReady-to-Wear/Textiles

● ZALE INQUIRY: The Securities and Exchange Commission has started an investigation into certain accounting practices of Zale Corp., the specialty jewelry retailer announced in a state-ment Monday. The probe is looking at accounting for extended service agreements, leases and accrued payroll. The firm said subpoenas have sought materials related to accounting as well as executive compensation and severance, earnings guidance, stock trading and the timing of certain vendor payments. Zale said in the statement that its accounting is in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles. The company said it is cooperating with the SEC investigation.

● LIMITED PICKS BERSANI: Limited Brands Inc. has promoted Jamie Bersani, a 20-year Limited Brands real estate executive, to head its retail real estate team. As executive vice president, retail real estate, Bersani is responsible for execution of all retail real estate transactions, reporting to Mark Giresi, execu-tive vice president, retail operations. Bersani joined Limited Brands in 1986 as a real estate director and in 1995 was named vice president, real estate. In 2000, Bersani was appointed se-nior vice president, retail real estate. “We are very excited to be able to have the benefi t of [Bersani’s] relationships within the enterprise and across the nation to support our growth strategy,” Giresi said in a statement Monday.

● FASHION ON PASSIONS: Anyone who works in fashion knows it can be a real soap opera, but now the tables are turn-ing. NBC Daytime is launching Crane Couture, its first sports-wear collection and one inspired by Emily Harper’s Fancy Crane character on “Passions.” In real life, it was head of ward-robe for “Passions” Diana Eden — not Harper — who worked with Delivery Agent, an agency that creates and manages Web sites that sell products on TV and other entertainment venues, to develop the collection. At different times during the soap, “snipes” will run along the bottom of the screen, directing view-ers who like Fancy’s clothes to check out cranecouture.com.

In Brief

Classifi ed Advertisements.............................................................14-15

WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. COPY-RIGHT ©2006 FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.VOLUME 191, NO. 76. WWD (ISSN # 0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one ad-

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By Miles Socha

PARIS — After recently doing an encore cou-ture showing in Hong Kong, Chanel soon will head to another luxury hotbed — Moscow — for a major splash.

The French fashion house plans to open its fi rst freestanding boutique in Russia this sum-mer, a 3,200-square-foot unit at 14 Stolechnikov Pereoulok in central Moscow. While the exact date for a soft opening is still being discussed, Chanel is planning a major opening event this fall, a house spokeswoman said.

Although Chanel has long had extensive ties to Russia, dating to founder Gabrielle Chanel’s

famous friendships with exiled Russian intel-ligentsia and her romantic ties to Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovitch, the brand’s presence there is mostly in its beauty products. Fragrances and cosmetics are sold in 250 points of sale in 52 cit-ies across the country, the spokeswoman said.

At the new boutique, designed by architect Peter Marino, Chanel’s fi ne jewelry will be available for the fi rst time on the Russian mar-ket, although watches are already sold in a se-lect number of Moscow shops.

About one-third of the street-level shop will be a showcase for fi ne jewelry and watches; the balance will be devoted to ready-to-wear and accessories, Chanel said.

Chanel to Open First Shop in Russia

By David Moin

NEW YORK — Bergdorf Good-man’s senior vice president of marketing and advertising, Michael Crotty, is leaving the luxury retailer to become chief executive offi cer of Fotolog, a photo blogging service.

Crotty oversaw the Bergdorf Goodman Magazine, a quarterly, and Bergdorf ’s online operation. When he joined the store in June 2004, Bergdorf ’s Web site was al-ready e-mailing customers about trunk shows, parties, designer appearances, book signings and other events at the store, but he was instrumental in advancing the site to become transactional later that year.

“I am very sorry to see Michael leave Bergdorf Goodman,’’ said Bergdorf ’s Jim Gold, president and ceo, who added that a search has begun for Crotty’s replace-ment. “He has made an important contribution to our company.”

Crotty is expected to stay with Bergdorf ’s for a few more weeks.

Before joining Bergdorf ’s, Crotty had been vice president of marketing and advertising at Neiman Marcus Direct, starting in 2000, and was a key player in building Neiman’s Web site. It is now considered the world’s largest luxury online site, with about $300 million in 2005 sales. Neiman’s

and Bergdorf ’s are divisions of the Neiman Marcus Group.

Previously, Crotty worked at Time Warner’s Digital Marketing Group, Sony Online Ventures, CDNOW.com, and myplay.com.

At Fotolog, Crotty will succeed the fi rm’s co-founder and current ceo, Adam Seifer, who will be-come chief product offi cer, a new position for developing Fotolog products and services. Seifer has been ceo since Fotolog’s launch in 2002 and has kept a photo blog of his every meal since 2003 at www.fotolog.com/cypher.

“Largely through word of mouth alone, Fotolog has built a base of three million passion-ate and enthusiastic members,’’ Crotty said in a statement. “With digital cameras now common-place and blogging going main-stream, it’s clear that Fotolog’s growth opportunities are huge.”

The company has reported more than one billion page views per month.

Michael Crotty Exits Bergdorf Goodman

Wet Seal’s White Named Chief Operating Offi cerLOS ANGELES — The Wet Seal Inc. said on Monday that Gary White has been promoted to chief operating offi cer.

White joined the junior and contemporary retailer in July 2004 as senior vice president of sales and operations for the Wet Seal division and was sub-

sequently promoted to executive vice president of the company.

He comes to his new position with more than 30 years of ex-perience in the retail industry. White was chief executive offi cer at Savers Inc. and at Gymboree, and was executive vice presi-dent of stores and operations for

Mervyns and vice president of West Coast stores for Target.

White will be responsible for all fi eld operations in both the Arden B. and Wet Seal divisions, including construction and de-velopment, purchasing and real estate.

Neither White nor Joel Waller, ceo of The Wet Seal, re-turned phone calls seeking com-ment. In a prepared statement, Waller said, “Gary has been a major contributor to the recent business success at Wet Seal, and as chief operating offi cer, he will play a major role in the successful implementation of our store growth strategy in fi s-cal 2006 and beyond.”

The company has had con-sistent fi nancial increases since the third quarter of fi scal 2005, following a $47.3 million slide in revenue that began in 2002.

Last week, the fi rm reported same-store sales rose 16.2 per-cent for the five-week period ended April 1, compared with a gain of 36.3 percent for the same period a year ago. Net sales for the fi ve-week period ended April 1 were $47.3 million, compared with of $41 million for the same period last year, a rise of 15.6 percent.

The Wet Seal is based in Foot-hill Ranch, Calif., and operates 308 Wet Seal stores and 92 Arden B. stores in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

— Emili Vesilind

Michael Crotty

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By Evan Clark and Kristi Ellis

WASHINGTON — Domestic apparel manufacturing and re-tailing is in the eye of the storm over immigration policy that is being played out on Capitol Hill and across the U.S.

Unionized industry workers were among the hun-dreds of thousands who marched on Monday in more than 100 cities and towns — from New York to Los Angeles and places like Tyler, Tex., and Garden City, Kan. — urging U.S. citizenship for an estimated 11 mil-lion to 12 million illegal immigrants.

The number of undocumented workers in the industry is diffi cult to assess because neither watchdog organiza-tions that advocate for them nor many state governments, including California’s, have specifi c employment statistics. However, it is clear that an overhaul in U.S. immigration law being considered by Congress could make sweeping changes in the way apparel manufacturers and retailers deal with employees who are in this country illegally.

The House passed a bill in December that focused on enforcement of immigration laws and, if signed into law, would make it a felony to be in the country without documentation. The Senate reached an impasse on its own immigration legislation on Friday, setting the stage for a potential showdown over a proposed guest-worker program when Congress returns from a two-week recess on April 24.

California, with its comparatively large apparel man-ufacturing base and its proximity to Mexico, is on the leading edge of the issue.

“For anyone in the apparel industry not to get behind some form of legalization for these workers is to not support the people within your own industry,” said Dov Charney, founder of American Apparel in Los Angeles and a green-card carrying immigrant from Canada. “It’s to cut your nose off to spite your face.”

The National Retail Federation does not have an of-fi cial position on the immigration issue, but the organi-zation is wary of a provision in the House bill that might force companies to verify the status of their employees, said Steve Pfi ster, senior vice president of government relations. “They need to be mindful of overly burden-

some requirements on employers,” he said.May Y. Chen, international vice president of the

UNITE HERE union, which represents apparel, textile, retail, hotel and restaurant workers, said thousands of the union’s members came out of the shadows under a 1986 legalization program, and she characterized this as a “dangerous’’ period.

“We stand at this really dangerous moment in time where something really Draconian could happen, mak-ing immigrants’’ a target “for all people’s problems when really these people are here to contribute,” said Chen, who is also manager of Local 23-35, representing garment workers in New York. She was among those ral-lying on Monday, many of whom held signs that read “We Are America,” “Immigrant Values are Family Values,” and “Legalize Don’t Criminalize,” among other slogans.

There are concerns that undocumented workers de-press wages and other labor standards. Publicized raids in the Nineties, when illegal immigrants were found in virtual servitude in factories in El Monte, Calif., and during sweeps of factories in New York by the Immigration & Naturalization Service, shone a harsh light on industry practices.

Ilse Metchek, executive director of the California Fashion Association, said scrutiny by the government has increased awareness in the apparel industry.

“The garment industry in Los Angeles has had to jump through hoops for a long time,” Metchek said. “The Department of Labor Standards Enforcement comes in all the time to check that people are being paid mini-mum wage. You must have a fi le for each employee with their documentation.”

State labor law “is applied to all workers in California without regard to residency,” said Dean Fryer, the San Francisco-based spokesman for California’s Department of Industrial Relations, adding that anyone who works in California must be paid at least the mini-mum wage of $6.75 per hour.

Workers’ rights groups said the immigrants gener-ally work in the service sector where wages are low. In addition to apparel manufacturing, these businesses include restaurants, supermarkets, construction com-panies, farms and janitorial services. The hourly wages can range from $1.25 to $10. For the most part, the im-migrants earn less than California’s hourly minimum wage, the watchdog groups said.

Xiomara Corpeno, organizing director for Los

Angeles’ Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, said of the all undocumented people living in the U.S., three million are under the age of 18.

“It’s going to be a long struggle,” Corpeno said of the plans to reform the immigration laws. “We need to insti-tute legalization programs with a path to citizenship and we need to make sure there is something for the future.”

Kimi Lee, director of the Garment Worker Center in Los Angeles, estimated that there are more than two mil-lion undocumented workers in Los Angeles County. She said growing competition from foreign manufacturers has led to worsening conditions in domestic factories.

“Because the factories are trying to compete with low wages in other countries, they push to have lower and lower wages [here],” she said.

As a result, the so-called underground economy, where workers are paid off the books, employs between 10,000 and 20,000 people in Los Angeles, some of whom hold legal papers, she estimated.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in an opinion column in Monday’s Wall Street Journal urged Congress to “agree on legislation based on a simple philosophy: control of the border…and compassion for the immi-grants.” He said “a compassionate immigration pol-icy will acknowledge that immigrants are just like us: they’re moms and dads looking for work, wanting to pro-vide for their kids. Any measure that punishes charities and individuals who comfort and help immigrants is not only unnecessary, but un-American.”

Illegal immigration also affects retailers. Last year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. agreed to pay $11 million to settle federal allegations that subcontractors used hundreds of illegal immigrants to clean its stores. The retailer also acknowl-edged had inadequate internal compliance programs.

A Wal-Mart spokesman said its workers have to com-plete a form that indicates legal residency.

“The issue is across the board,” the spokesman said. “It’s a policy we take seriously across the board. It’s not geographically because you’ll fi nd large numbers of im-migrants in every state and, of course, we have opera-tions in every state.”

The Senate on Friday failed to pass two motions lim-iting debate on the underlying border security bill and on a comprehensive compromise proposal that would have created a temporary guest-worker program, tight-ened border security and established procedures for the illegal immigrants who live and work here to earn citi-

zenship. If the Senate fi nds a way to break the impasse, a much larger battle looms in reconciling the bill with a version passed by the House.

“Obviously, we’ve got to secure the border and en-force the law,” said President Bush Monday. Bush has been pressing Congress to pass a temporary worker program, giving some legal status to illegal immigrants. “But one way to do so is to make sure that people who are coming in here to work have a legal…get a card so they don’t have to try to sneak across the border, which takes pressure off our border.”

But House Republicans don’t appear to be backing away from their bill, which focuses on border security and enforcement. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R., Ohio) rejected the Senate’s efforts to establish a guest-worker program Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” pro-gram, which squarely pits him against the President.

“You can’t begin to talk about a guest-worker bill until you secure the borders,” Boehner said. “You have to remember that illegal immigrants are just that — il-legal. Until we begin to secure our borders and enforce immigration laws, I don’t think we can begin talking about a more comprehensive approach.”

However, Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” struck a more conciliatory note.

“I think when we come back from recess, we’ll get a bill,” said Specter. “And when we get to the House, Speaker [Dennis] Hastert has signifi ed his willingness to consider a guest-worker program.”

More enforcement is not the answer, said Sonia Ramirez, legislative representative for the AFL-CIO.

“If anything, stronger enforcement has only pushed people further into the shadows of society and allowed for even greater exploitation in the workplace,” she said. “A realistic reform would have to include a path to legalization for these workers that are here.”

Some sluggishness on the employment front over the last fi ve years has helped to bring the infl ux of immi-grants to the fore, said Harry Holzer, a professor of pub-lic policy at Georgetown University.

“When the labor market was really strong in the sec-ond half of the 1990s, I don’t think people cared as much because there were jobs for everybody,” he said.

— With contributions from Emili Vesilindand Khanh T.L. Tran, Los Angeles,

and Sharon Edelson, New York

“I think when we come back from recess, we’ll get a bill.” — Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.), Senate Judiciary Committee

WWD.COM

Immigration Reform Has Industry on Edge3WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006

Immigration rights protesters march in

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WASHINGTON — When it comes to D.C. action heroes, Rima Al-Sabah of Kuwait is the Xena Warrior Princess of the capital’s social scene.

“Washington is a political town, and I’m a political animal,” says Al-Sabah, whose most recent social coup was a blockbuster party at the Kuwaiti embassy featuring First Lady Laura Bush,

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Hollywood headliners Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. George Stephanopoulos emceed, Rice played the piano, and Roberta Flack crooned for the crowd. And by establish-ing herself as the single power hostess able to lure White House insiders from their social bunkers, this super-chic ambassador’s wife proved that George W. Bush’s bubble could be popped, at least a little bit.

“She’s brilliant at networking,” says social veteran Selwa “Lucky” Roosevelt, voicing what many Washington hostesses most admire about Al-Sabah. “She has everyone there and she is not polemical or judgmental. She really knows who everyone is and what they do.”

Al-Sabah is also fearless about pushing the social envelope on Embassy Row. At one of her parties, she had Karl Rove blushing as a sexy Arabic folk dancer writhed in front of him in her less-than-seven veils. For another, held in honor of the Swedish ambassador, Jan Eliason (who had just been named president of the U.N. General Assembly), she hired a live band to sing Abba classics. Then there was last spring’s party for Colin Powell and Angelina Jolie, which was timed precisely at the moment the actress made headlines all over the world for her relationship with Brad Pitt.

Now, the wife of the Kuwaiti ambassador Salem Al-Sabah is getting a lot of no-tice herself. As one Washington social puts it: “In the early days, a lot of the other embassy wives tried to compete with her. Now, everyone else has given up.’’

Her gift, friends say, is in wrangling celebrities, mixing Republicans and Democrats, and making them feel welcome — even if the First Lady and the secretary of state refused to show up until all had taken their seats. Perhaps so they wouldn’t have to confer with the hoi polloi or possibly deal with pesky questions about what Rice subsequently described as the administration’s “thousands” of “tactical errors” in Iraq.

Not that any of these questions would come from the party’s hostess, who says that the war was never a subject of major controversy in Kuwait. “Everyone [in Kuwait] believed there were weapons of mass destruction,” she

says simply. “All intelligence point-ed to that. My husband worked at the United Nations from 1991 to 1998 and everyone in the Security Council believed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.’’

In fact, it’s Kuwait’s position as the Middle East’s staunchest sup-porter of the war in Iraq that has give Al-Sabah her muscle with mem-bers of the Bush administration.

“Everyone at my party is a friend,’’ says the 40-ish, self-pro-fessed workaholic, who with her penchant for Dolce & Gabbana jeans and Jimmy Choo stilettos, has done plenty to dispel the stereotype of shy Arab women peeking out from behind the veil. A party like the March 8 celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Children’s Fund and International Women’s Day, she explains, “takes amazing planning. I only do things when I’m passionate about them. A big dinner for me becomes like choreography. It’s a production.’’

Still, it doesn’t hurt to have the President tout your cause on net-work television just days before the gala you’ve been planning for months.

Last year, as the Iraq war raged on and critics seethed that America had ignored the victims of its earlier war in Afghanistan, Al-Sabah lined up corporate underwrit-ers ChevronTexaco, The Dow Chemical Co., ExxonMobil and Shell International and raised $1 million to help build a school for girls in Afghanistan. On March 1, a week before Al-Sabah’s party was scheduled to take place, the President made a surprise fi ve-hour visit to Afghanistan. Stepping out onto the tarmac in Kabul, where he was greeted by President Hamid Karzai, Bush said: “We like stories of young girls going to school for the fi rst time so they can realize their potential.’’

The realization of Al-Sabah’s own potential did not just come from being a “wife-of.” A native of Lebanon and a former journalist herself, she worked as a stringer for the UPI, or United Press International, where she interviewed Church of England envoy Terry White in 1997, shortly before he was kidnapped in Beirut by Muslim extremists.

She and her husband, a member of the ruling class, whose family sits atop one-

tenth of the world’s oil reserves, they met years before at the American University in Beirut where they were both studying po-litical science. They married in 1998 and moved to D.C in 2001, just three weeks before September 11.

“If I hadn’t married my husband, I would have loved to have been a war correspondent as a way to highlight the plight of peo-ple who suffer,’’ she says, before adding that she hopes her latest dinner will have a similar effect, turning the spotlight on the hard-

ships of the Afghan people, 70 percent of whom she says cannot read.Al-Sabah, a regular invitee to Fortune Magazine’s Most Powerful Women’s Summit,

also has some of her own scores to settle when it comes to establishing the sophistication credentials of Arab women. She was 13 when she and her brother were sent to live with her cousins in Paris for two years to study and avoid the worst of the fi ghting in Beirut. “The kids used to ask me where I parked my camel,’’ recalls the mother of four boys.

Today, the idea that anyone would say such a thing is more than a little surprising, given her taste for the most refi ned and westernized designer clothes a platinum card can buy. "Nobody cuts pants like Chloé,” she says. “Ungaro mixes colors like no one else, and Alexander McQueen, I love his short suits and dresses.” She also favors Dior suits and Gucci bags.

“I’m not trying to convince people that all Arab woman are like me,” she says a minute later. “But I would like people to see me as just one of many different types of women they would see if they visited an Arab country.’’

— Susan Watters

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006WWD.COM

4

Royal Connections

Rima Al-Sabah

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“In the early days, a lot of the embassy wives

tried to compete with her. Now, they’ve given

up,” says one Washington social, discussing

hostess Rima Al-Sabah.

Al-Sabah and Laura Bush

WWD.COMWWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006 5

By Kristi Ellis

ARLINGTON, Va. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. went before federal regulators on Monday to defend its bid to start a bank, saying it did not intend to open bank branches and would limit the scope of the operation.

In the fi rst of three days of public hearings, the world’s largest retailer insisted repeatedly that it would use the bank only to process its credit card, debit card and electronic check transactions and that it had aban-doned plans for retail banking.

“One of the most important messages we can leave with you today is, Wal-Mart is absolutely committed not to engage in branch banking,” Jane Thompson, president of Wal-Mart Financial Services, said during the fi rst pub-lic hearing on a bank application held by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. “We are single-mindedly seek-ing an industrial bank in order to provide greater effi -ciency, effectiveness and safety in Wal-Mart’s interaction with the payment system.”

Wal-Mart’s effort to set up what is known as an industrial loan corporation to handle process-ing of electronic payments for its stores has triggered opposition on Capitol Hill and in the banking industry. The FDIC, which super-vises state-chartered and state-regulated industrial banks, has re-ceived almost 3,000 letters on the issue. It must decide whether to approve Wal-Mart’s application.

Opponents argue that the bank, even with its narrow focus, eventually would allow Wal-Mart to open retail banking branches, which could destroy its competitors. Critics of the discount chain have alleged that Wal-Mart has a record of pricing and employment practices that force smaller and independent retailers out of business.

Wal-Mart now pays a third-party bank to process its elec-tronic payments and maintains it could save millions of dol-lars if it took over processing through its own bank.

Thompson said Wal-Mart — even if the FDIC approves its application — is committed to expanding its in-store bank-leas-ing strategy through long-term contracts with third-party institu-tions. The company has indepen-dent banks in 1,150 stores, and another 250 are opening between now and 2009. The chain has more than doubled its lease agreements and now has long-term leases with more than 1,400 tenants, some ex-tending to 2024, she said.

“Wal-Mart is, in fact and in practice, clearly committed to supporting community banking, not undermining it,” the compa-ny said in its written statement to the FDIC.

“Our commitment not to branch and our independent in-store branch strategy is not sim-ply a promise,” Thompson said. “It is a very visible and rapidly growing reality, locked in by hun-dreds of long-term contracts.”

John F. Bovenzi, deputy to the chairman and chief operating offi -cer at the FDIC, asked Thompson to respond to opponents’ asser-tions that Wal-Mart has an “unfa-vorable history in the treatment of its employees that refl ects poorly on the character of Wal-Mart man-agement,” which he said, “ raises the question of whether Wal-Mart should be allowed to own an in-sured bank.”

Thompson responded that the company is “against discrimina-tion,” pays “fair wages” and that 76 percent of its managers come from the “hourly ranks.”

Douglas Jones, acting gen-eral counsel at the FDIC, asked Thompson to address allega-tions that Wal-Mart has commit-ted “repeated violations of the

law,” failed to act ethically and failed to comply with governmental regulations.

“We try very carefully to comply with all laws,” Thompson said. “We are a big company and we do have a number of lawsuits.”

She added that Wal-Mart has a new compliance offi ce who reports directly to the company’s vice chairman.

Andrew Grossman, executive director of Wal-Mart Watch, a watchdog group with ties to organized labor, said, “Wal-Mart’s application poses unique and danger-ous risks for the FDIC.

“This mammoth corporation’s historic patterns of dis-regarding legal accountability, the potential size of their charter and the troubling lack of transparency in its ap-

plication all contribute to our strong belief that this appli-cation could threaten the deposit insurance system and endanger America’s fi scal security,” Grossman said.

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D., Ohio), who said she was speaking on behalf of 100 Republican and Democratic lawmakers who have expressed concerns about the ap-plication to the FDIC, also told the regulators that Wal-Mart poses an “undue risk” to the deposit insurance fund, would violate the nation’s policy of separation of banking and commerce, and raise “signifi cant supervisory and regulatory issues.”

The FDIC’s Jones asked how Wal-Mart Bank would deal with the risk if the parent were in trouble.

Thompson said the bank would be protected by a “for-mal parent indemnifi cation agreement,” an earmarked “evergreen” deposit account of at least $1 million and a conservative investment strategy. She said the company would capitalize the bank initially at $125 million.

Wal-Mart Defends Bank Bid

“Wal-Mart is absolutely committed not to engage in branch banking.”— Jane Thompson, Wal-Mart Financial Services

6 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006

Latin LoversNEW YORK — What’s more romantic than the fl amenco? This fall, designers channel the Spanish pastime with second-skin matador pants, festive skirts and lots of lace. Olé!

Collette Dinnigan’s silk bolero and Flowers of Romance’s silk satin skirt worn over Nanette Lepore’s silk strapless dress. Bill Blass belt; Cesare Paciotti shoes; men’s wear by Ennio Capasa for Costume National Homme.

WWD.COM7WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006

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Rebecca Taylor’s cotton lace blouse; Yeohlee’s wool cape, and Reem Acra’s

felted wool jersey skirt overlayed in nylon tulle. Jose & Maria Barrera

earrings; Flood’s Closet pin.

Carlos Miele’s silk georgette blouse and cotton lace pants with Jill Stuart’s wool crepe vest. Erickson Beamon earrings; Saya Hibino ring; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.

Sanimi London’s silk satin and French lace jacket worn over Anna Sui’s silk lace shirt and cotton and silk pants. Nanette

Lepore cummerbund; Jose & Maria Barrera earrings; men’s wear by Juicy

Couture Men and Dolce & Gabbana.

Carlos Miele’s silk georgette blouse and cotton lace pants with Jill Stuart’s wool crepe vest. Erickson Beamon earrings; Saya Hibino ring; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.

JALU, Libya — What do you get when 1,300 people gather in the middle of the Libyan desert for one of the longest solar eclipses — four minutes and seven seconds — in the past decade? A melting pot of ethnicities, and all sorts of desert attire — most notably headdresses, long pants and, of course, eclipse-viewing shades. Travelers from as near as Egypt and as far away as China, Australia, Europe and America fl ocked to this barren locale, where nothing but sand and sky could be seen for hundreds of miles.

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006WWD.COM

8

By Julee Greenberg

NEW YORK — With the financial backing of Harvé Benard, the former GM Design Group is seeking to reinvigorate the GarfieldMarks brand.

The fi rm, which holds the trademarks for the Garfi eldMarks, Womyn and iAlex-Alex Garfi eld labels, has been sold to Harvé Benard Ltd. from GMAC Commercial Finance for an undis-closed sum.

In business since 1993, GM Design Group, a name that will change under the Harvé Benard umbrella of brands, has gone through ups and downs. In its heyday in the mid-Nineties, the brand generated $60 million in wholesale volume and was on sale at Nordstrom, Belk and Parisian department stores, as well as 1,100 small specialty stores. Co-founder Alex Garfi eld and his partner, Bernie Marks, sold the company to Pegasus Capital Advisors in 2000. Shortly after the deal closed, Garfi eld and Marks left the fi rm still holding a 50 percent stake in it.

“They [Pegasus Capital] took the reins and began running the company like a fi nancial institution, not so much as an apparel company,” Garfi eld said. “Under Pegasus we became something different, profi t diminished, culture changed, we knew we had to fi nd a new partner.”

Harvé Benard is a $100 million company, producing women’s better sportswear, out-erwear, suits and dress-es under the Harvé Benard label. This deal closed late Friday and was handled by Andrew Jassin, man-aging director of the Jassin O’Rourke Group, a consulting firm here. It marks Harvé Benard’s entry into the bridge sportswear arena and is its second acquisition in three months. In January, Harvé Benard bought a majority stake in New Frontier, a women’s ca-sual better sportswear brand catering to about 600 specialty stores na-tionwide.

Garfi eld said that he returned to GM Design Group in August 2004 when Jones Texas Inc. acquired it. Jones’ chairman and chief ex-ecutive offi cer, Edward M. Jones 3rd, left the company in September.Garfi eld began searching for another partner. “Over the past two years, business has slipped,” he said.

After meeting with several other fi rms, Garfi eld chose Harvé Benard. “There are people working here who have been here for 20 years, and that’s great to see,’’ Garfi eld said. “I know that these people are like we are, and our culture is already return-ing to what it once was.”

His offices already have been relocated within Harvé Benard’s design studio and showroom here, while maintain-ing separate design and sales teams. The brands also share a 340,000-square-foot distribution facility in Clifton, N.J. Garfi eld remains with the company as director, with design and sales responsibilities.

“We want to keep design and sales separate so that we can keep Garfi eldMarks as pure as it is today,” said Bernard Holtzman, co-owner of Harvé Benard Ltd. “They already have a very strong team with wonderful design talent, and we think we can make this brand even more stellar.”

The firm will continue with the three bridge labels: Garfi eldMarks, a career-based line; Womyn, a pants resource, and iAlex, a higher-priced career line using new innovative fabrics. Garfi eld said that part of the reason for strong sales has been the “vanity sizing approach,” which allows a size 14 woman to fi t into a size 12 garment. The Womyn line carries the same fi t as Garfi eldMarks, but Garfi eld said he has already begun to revamp the line, to make it younger and more contem-porary looking, but with the same misses’ fi t.

Garfi eld said that with Harvé Benard as a parent, the com-pany can now perform as it was, with the ability to maintain fabrics and redevelop lost business.

“The staff has been shell-shocked,” Garfi eld said. “There have been so many changes in our corporate culture. But when I walked in here today and saw my staff smiling, I knew this was the right decision. We have only been here for a few hours, but we are already back on our feet.”

Harvé Benard Takes ReinsOf Garfi eldMarks Brand

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Out of Africa

A look from Garfi eldMarks.

By Rosemary Feitelberg

NEW YORK — Even in the winter of his 56-year career, Oleg Cassini exercised the entrepreneurial spirit of a designer who was just getting started.

His wife, Marianne Nestor-Cassini, who succeeded him as president of Oleg Cassini Inc., is carrying out his plans with the hope of giving the brand more interna-tional punch.

The fact that Nestor-Cassini was the designer’s wife came as quite a surprise to many in the industry when the designer died March 17 at the age of 92. And not only were they married, but the marriage had lasted 35 years. For decades, Cassini culti-vated the dashing, man-about-town image, a beacon to ladies everywhere. During an interview a few years ago, Cassini acknowledged he was having a relationship with one woman, but he denied they were married. “She remains anonymous simply be-cause she doesn’t want people to know about us,” he explained.

But his widow said their marriage was not as clandestine as it may have appeared. “It wasn’t on the cover of People, but it wasn’t a big secret,” said Nestor-Cassini, add-ing that all their friends knew. “We’re just very private. I don’t think anyone would say he was shy, but he was terribly shy.”

A private memorial for the designer is set for tonight in the St. Regis Hotel’s Versailles Room on what would have been his 93rd birthday.

Tireless until the end, Cassini, who as a younger man jogged from his Gramercy Park home to his Upper East Side offi ce, had lined up initiatives for the next sev-eral months. The designer’s collection of suits is being introduced at Lord & Taylor, Harrods and other select stores. Harrods will also unveil his collection of couture bridal dresses retailing for upward of $8,700 at the end of the month. The Sexy Woman Collection by Oleg Cassini, his fi rst go at plus-size bridal dresses, also bows this spring. The company is going forward with the existing de-sign team who worked side-by-side with Cassini and will draw from the many samples, sketches, designs, fabrics and ideas he left behind.

“Every day he had a new idea and a new plan,’’ Nestor-Cassini said. “He had enormous energy. We’ve been working with him for so long that we kind of inher-ited those strengths and feel very driven. We’re trying to be upbeat because he would have wanted things that way.”

Some of the designer’s other projects are also coming to frui-tion. Cassini’s wedding dresses will be among those featured this fall in a Rizzoli photography book titled “The Wedding Dress,” and the pub-lisher has another about his life in the works that is tentatively titled “Icon of Style.” One of Cassini’s wedding dresses is featured on the cover of Brides magazine, which hits newsstands today. When “The Sentinel” is released in movie the-aters April 18, Kim Basinger’s fi rst lady character wears a few Oleg Cassini ensembles. The idea of re-turning to the White House if only fi ctionally was something that pleased the designer. After all, it was dressing Jacqueline Kennedy during her White House years that put him on the map.

“He always said what he did for her was making the world’s most expensive T-shirts,’’ Nestor-Cassini said. “He told Larry King the dress she wore to the Inaugural gala was a T-shirt dress in the most sumptuous fabric. But he said she could wear T-shirts so well — she had fantastic shoulders and great arms. He was a minimalist designer. To him, simplicity was perfection. He liked to say, ‘A dress is an envelope for the body.’”

Simple as Cassini’s designs were, his business plans were extensive. The designer had been looking for a New York location for a freestanding store, and that, as well as introducing stores in Europe and the U.S., remains an objective. The development of other products, such as Italian-made cashmere and sportswear, is also being pursued.

Nestor-Cassini is also considering whether to reinterpret some of the prints Cassini helped Gimmo Etro develop in the Seventies and Eighties, when the Italian company was gaining steam and using them for a furniture collection. That is some-thing that Pucci has done successfully, Nestor-Cassini said, adding that her husband and Emilio Pucci became friends as teenagers and skied together on their high school team. There are also plans to open three or four men’s wear freestanding stores in China this year, and introduce the couture bridal collection to the Far East and the Philippines, and possibly the U.S.

Cassini has a personal tie to the Philippines. Noting that he owned a few hundred pairs of shoes, his wife laughed, “He was not quite Imelda Marcos,” and added, “ac-

tually, he was very friendly with her. She called him ‘The Maestro.’ She invited him to the Philippines.”

That knack for sobering up a joke with historical fact was something that Cassini had mastered. In another twist, at the time of his death, the designer was working on a customized suit for the current Philippines president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to wear to the opening of the Oleg Cassini boutique at Rustan’s in the next month or two. The designer’s products have been sold there for more than 40 years.

That’s almost as long as Cassini had been married to Nestor-Cassini, whom he met in Europe. Eager to learn a few European languages and see some of the histor-ical sites she loved to read about, Nestor-Cassini left her native Florida and moved

to Paris to model after graduating from high school. She landed cover shots for magazines such as Marie Claire, Marie France, Jardin du Monde and Jours de France. Being in the City of Light made it easy to hop on a train to work in Milan or London.

“I wanted to learn how to speak French, Italian and Spanish and I wanted to travel to see what the world was like then,’’ she re-called. “I also was very interested in history. It was a great learning experience. Reading, trav-eling and living in a country you learn more than you could from any lesson. Modeling was the vehicle to experience all these things. I needed a reason to go there to pay the bills.”

She fi rst encountered Cassini on a night in Paris around 1970, and an argument ensued about the exact location of Charles Martel’s Battle of Tours. The designer had a keen inter-est in history, which appealed to the American model. He peppered his conversation with his-torical tidbits and read history books to relax, often reading about one subject in three differ-ent languages to get a more balanced view. Once

they concluded that each was partly right about the Battle of Tours, Cassini suggested that they go on 10 dates “and then we’ll ei-ther have a great friendship or a great romance.’’’

It wound up being the latter, and the pair wed in 1971. His bride started spending more time sitting in on design and business meetings than posing for photog-raphers. “It was so interesting to listen to Oleg’s creative ideas that the other stuff gradually faded away — as often does for people,” she said. “Oleg was al-ways a lot of fun. He had very un-usual and creative ideas.”

In the late Fifties or early Sixties, Bonwit Teller balked when Cassini said boots, not shoes, would be a better licens-ing deal. “Oleg told them, ‘What I think will be important is boots.’ That just shows you how ad-vanced he was. Look at how im-portant boots are today,” Nestor-Cassini said. “But sometimes it is not so easy to get a point across when an idea is very advanced.” His idea to sign Johnny Carson

as a celebrity model in 1967 — a fi rst for a designer — was not well-received ini-tially, even though the “Tonight’’ show host already had an audience of millions. “People he worked with said, ‘Oh, that’s just another one of your crazy ideas,’” Nestor-Cassini said. “Eventually, Johnny had to get Oleg to release him from his contract” so that he could sign with the then-Hart, Schaffner & Marx.

In the late Eighties, he created the Cassini Competitor Collection awards and presented them to Ted Turner, Michael Jordan, Mario Andretti, Burt Reynolds, Burt Bacharach, Bob Hope and others. The designer even persuaded Jordan to fl y in on the red-eye to appear on the “Today” show and Regis Philbin’s talk show to help plug the awards, Cassini’s wife said.

“I think he was the youngest person I ever met,’’ Nestor-Cassini said. “Sometimes you’d say, ‘Well, is that possible?’ and if he didn’t do it, someone else would do it in six months. Licensing, celebrity models, drawing inspiration from history — those were all things Oleg was doing decades ago. He always was a young designer. He always thought young. He never thought old.”

Oleg Cassini with his wife in 1983.

WWD.COMWWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006 9

Ready-to-Wear Report

Cassini’s Wife Steps Up to Carry on His Company

NEW YORK — Francois Damide has joined the ready-to-wear company Lela Rose as president.

He replaces Erin Ferrara, who left the company at the end of March.

Most recently, Damide was a consultant for Solstiss/Bucol America, where he was president and chief ex-ecutive offi cer until last year. He opened the U.S. of-fi ces for Solstiss in 1986 and in 1995 set up a joint ven-ture with Bucol, which is owned by Hermès.

Under his supervision, Solstiss/Bucol America’s customer base increased from about 12 to 700. Solstiss lace and Bucol silks are sold to such design-ers as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren and Vera Wang.

At Lela Rose, Damide plans to expand into acces-sories and other licensed products. He is also consid-ering opening another division, such as eveningwear. Other objectives are increasing brand awareness

through marketing initiatives and eventually selling to stores outside the U.S.

Damide said he has known the company’s namesake Lela Rose, who is chief executive offi cer and creative director, for 12 years. She is a Solstiss/Bucol customer and has been since she worked for Richard Tyler be-fore setting up her own business in 1996. Her signature collection is sold at Nordstrom, Bergdorf Goodman, Mitchell’s and Richards.

Francois Damide Signs On as New President of Lela Rose

The couple in 1995.

Marianne Nestor-Cassini modeling in the early Seventies.

By Lisa Movius

BEIJING — Chinese textiles and apparel manufacturers exhibiting at a fl urry of re-cent trade shows here focused on capturing more U.S. and European business.

Exhibitors at the sixth annual Intertextile Beijing trade show said they saw in-creased global diversity among potential buyers coming through their booths. In ad-dition, exhibitors benefi ted from the overlap of several other industry-related shows around the city, including the China International Trade Fair for Fibers & Yarns, the Beijing International Sewing Machinery & Clothing Accessories show and the fi rst installment of the China International Clothing & Accessories Fair.

Intertextile Beijing ended its three-day run March 30 at the Beijing Exhibition Center, where 12 halls and three temporary tents covering about 323,000

square feet were fi lled to capacity to accommodate 689 exhibitors, up 23 percent from 2005. Companies from 18 countries and regions accounted for 255 of the exhibitors, and most vendors were from Italy, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Germany.

“We’ve seen very good growth in terms of both numbers and space,” said Annie Ma, trade fairs group manager for Messe Frankfurt, Intertextile Beijing’s organizer. “Our problem is that we don’t have enough space. We expanded by 4,000 square meters [43,000 square feet] and still had a wait list.”

Intertextile also featured three days of sympo-siums addressing industry topics ranging from trade policy to design trends. Intertextile Beijing attracted mostly Chinese buyers, but Ma noted that those buy-ers come from different domestic markets.

“Exhibitors meet different buyers here, mostly from the North and Northeast, com-pared to the South in Shanghai,” Ma said. “Some come here from south China, par-ticularly to explore new markets.”

Last year’s edition of Intertextile Beijing attracted about 17,000 buyers, most of them Chinese. Of those, 47 percent came from northeastern China, 40 percent from Shanghai, 11 percent from Guangdong and south China and 2 percent from western China. Attendance fi gures for this year’s show were not available.

The predominance of Chinese buyers was frustrating to domestic exhibitors, but

was positive for foreign participants. Some said the show’s greatest asset came not from increased business but from the networking and relationship-building opportu-nities it created.

“It is more for networking than actual business,” said Bruno Landi, a marketing manager with Ermenegildo Zegna, which has 50 stores and 6 percent of its market in China. “We already have regular customers and use the show to meet up with them, and to see what’s new in the industry, as well as collecting new names. We don’t get that many new customers because we are very selective about who we sell to.”

Domestic manufacturers looking for a more global show were somewhat disap-pointed, but noted there were signs that the show was beginning to draw a larger contingent of Western and European clientele.

“We’re looking to export, mostly to the West, and to other East Asian markets, not to China,” said Hunter Tai, a representative of Taiwan’s La Mode Textile Co., which pro-duces cloth for high-end women’s wear. “This year is much better. It’s still very Chinese, maybe 70 percent, but two years ago, it was more like 90 percent.”

Wu Qingyang, marketing director of Fujian Zhonghe, which had one of the busi-est booths at the show, also wanted more Western clientele than Intertextile offered, but added that about 30 percent of the contacts made at last year’s exhibition became customers.

“As long as they’re good customers, it doesn’t matter where they’re from, although our target is North America and Europe,” said Madeleine Chi, manager of Zhejiang Bolide Textiles & Garments. The company produces 65 percent to 70 percent for export, of which “at least 50 to 60 percent is to the United States.”

Exhibitors at Yarn Expo, an offshoot of Intertextile Beijing also organized by Messe Frankfurt, said the parallel shows helped improve the mix of buyers passing through their booths.

In particular, the huge state ministry-organized Beijing International Sewing Machinery & Clothing Accessories Show, or BISMA, was held on the ground fl oor of the China World Trade Center, while the Yarn Expo ran on the second fl oor.

Katy Lam, trade fairs director of Messe Frankfurt, said the pres-ence of BISMA “makes for a very complete exhibition, and you see all layers of the industry and production...The exhibitors of machinery on the fi rst fl oor are the buyers for the yarn on the second fl oor.”

More than 110 fi ber producers exhibited at the event, which ran March 29 to 31.

“This is our second time here at the Beijing show and we returned because business was very good last time, with 20 percent of the con-tacts we made here resulting in business deals,” said Suahil Haji Yunus, director of Latif Textile Mills, a Pakistani yarn manufacturer, noting that Latif has been developing the China market for a decade and exports 65 percent of its production to China. “It will probably become more after quotas end in 2008.”

China’s yarn imports grew 80 percent in the fi rst half of 2005. China’s Commerce Minister, Bo Xilai, announced plans last month at the global textile economic forum in Beijing to establish textile coop-eration zones with developing Southeast and South Asian countries.

Lam added that the two-year-old show is still establishing its repu-tation. This year there was growth in terms of countries represented and technologies offered.

“There are a lot of new fi bers on the market this year, using materi-als like milk protein, egg and bamboo,” Lam said.

Next year, Intertextile Beijing will also spill over into China World, while maintaining the site at the Beijing Exhibition Center. It will run March 22 to 24; the next Intertextile Shanghai will be Oct. 26 to 28.

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 200610

Chinese Mills Set Sights on Europe, North AmericaWWD.COM

Here and right: Inside and outside views of Intertextile Beijing, which had a capacity crowd of 689 exhibitors.

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Yarn Expo drew more than 110 exhibitors.

WWD.COMWWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006 11

MILAN — Clean, sophisticated looks seen on the runways here were echoed in the fall 2006 collections that fi lled the halls of the 12th edition of the White ready-to-wear fair.

The show, held here from Feb. 23 to 26, has grown steadily in the hands of its new Floren tine organizers, Pitti Immagine.

The fair, at Superstudio Più on Via Tortona, attracted 179 exhibiting brands, 18 more than last year. Organizers confi rmed 7,597 visitors attended White and its sister fairs, NeoZone and Cloudnine — and 24 percent of them were international buyers, up 3 percent compared with February 2005.

Pitti Immagine chief executive officer Raffaello Napoleone said he considered the fairs a success.

“We were worried that per-haps earlier dates for the rtw fair MilanoVendeModa would affect visitor numbers for us, but we had really posi-tive feedback,” said Napoleone.

Fashion’s new mood — unembel-lished, sober, unfrilly — that was seen throughout fall rtw collections here and in Paris, London and New York, was re-fl ected at White. Many of the offerings were created from a mix of natural fab-rics, including wool, linen and silk.

Miriam Baluga, director of d-cln, in Capri, Italy, said her fi rm had put more focus on materials used in the collection, which featured knitwear in mohair and alpaca mixed with fl uid silk gunmetal gray dresses and winter-weight linen Bermuda shorts.

“Trends are defi nitely cleaner this season,” said Baluga. “There are fewer details like sequins and ribbons that dec-orated recent collections. There’s a real return to natural fabrics and softer colors like gray, cork and porcelain.”

Hood also used fall linens. The Ancona, Italy, brand inserted a touch of masculine tailoring to its line, which included a linen-hemp mix in pinstriped jackets and black lace-like mohair V-neck knits. Director Rita Cappannini said new buyers from Hong Kong and the U.K. visiting

the stand had selected some structured fall pieces made from noble fabrics.

Susanne Tide-Frater, creative director at British retailer Harrods in London, came to the fair “looking for edgy brands, and White is a good hunting ground. There are always one or two brands here that can make a difference to the store’s fl oor,” she said.

Footwear brand L’Autre Chose showed its third rtw collection at White. The line, led by outerwear in previous seasons, was rounded out for fall by knitwear, silk blouses and dresses, all Fifties-inspired. A light gray dress with rounded

collar, tie waist and puffed short sleeves was done in an extra-fi ne Loro Piana felted woolen fabric and in printed silk.

“This is our fi rst real collec-tion, and we have had a lot of in-terest — the cashmere knits with suede elbow patches and the silk dresses are the sort of thing buyers are looking for now,” said Manuela Massa, marketing director of L’Autre Chose.

After launching its four-year-old col-lection from its established knitwear line, Appartamento 50 showed a more complete look for fall, including knit-ted hats and necklaces. Appartamento 50 has 500 retailer clients, with a turn-over of $5.3 million, or 4.5 million euros at current exchange, which the brand hopes to increase by 30 percent by yearend.

“American and Japanese markets for us are growing steadily, so it’s important that we produce merchandise geared toward them,” said director Sabrina Baroni Chbeir. Using its knitwear expertise, Appartamento 50 created a collection that included knit coats in light chestnut and superfi ne silk jersey tops in duck-egg blue with chocolate lace accents and appliquéd fl owers.

Accessories line Aristolasia, of Florence, garnered the interest of Japanese and American buyers with a new col-

lection of bags inspired by gangsters. Vintage tan leather gun holsters were stitched onto the outside of soft black bags, and a pair of sequined pistols was appliquéd on an-other model. The company used details like tiny mirrors inserted into linings and supersoft leather in rich tones of forest green, violet and smoke gray.

Eight-year-old forte_forte, based in Vicenze, Italy, and showing for the second time at White, returned to the fair as part of a plan to expand the company, which has 400 retail-ers. “We are really enthusiastic at the response from White — we saw new clients from Japan and from Los Angeles,” said sales director Silvia Galvan. The Forties-styled line in-cluded a red wool coat with bone buttons and double-front-pleat tweed pants. Accessories included white enameled fl ower hair combs and detachable lace collars.

Barbara Kramer from De signers & Agents, based in New York, was attracted to forte_forte’s blend of Victorian and masculine details.

“It’s my fi rst time here and it’s good to see new en-ergy from Italian designers. I loved how collections like forte_forte had taken embellishment down a notch, but they still have handiwork in them,” said Kramer.

— Stephanie Epiro

Crisp Style Leads at White Fair

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NEW YORK — Over the past fi ve years, celebrities have stampeded into the fashion business — some for a fast buck and some for the long haul. Among the survivors: Sean “Diddy” Combs, who won the CFDA men’s wear award for Designer of the Year in 2004, and Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani, who were among the most buzzed-about runway shows of recent fashion weeks here.

But there’s a key catch: In the world of celebrity fashion brands, if the celebrity doesn’t wear his or her own merchandise, will the consumer?

The $100 million breach of contract lawsuit against Jessica Simpson charges her with failing to promote her clothing lines, Princy and JS by Jessica Simpson. The Tarrant Apparel Group, manufacturer of the lines, alleged that Simpson failed to sup-port the lines and refused to be photographed wearing clothes from her collections.

In an interview with WWD in August, Simpson, fresh off a $10 million advance on the fashion lines, said, “I don’t want the Jessica Simpson brand to be anything I wouldn’t wear.” But the Princy line is a young contemporary collection of denim (retailing between $59 and $99); knit tops (retailing between $24 and $59), and jack-ets (retailing between $69 and $89), which might be considered a bit junior for the 25-year-old singer and actress who is known to wear dresses from collections like Valentino and Roberto Cavalli.

“I have a vision for what I want done,” Simpson said in August. “I don’t want my name on something that isn’t right.”

It seemed the advertising campaigns were consistent with Simpson’s ideas on the brand. In November, Simpson, now in the midst of a divorce from Nick Lachey, was in the Mojave Desert in Lancaster, Calif., shooting a $2 million advertising campaign for her contemporary collection, JS by Jessica Simpson. But when it came time for the Princy advertising campaign, a company spokeswoman said a younger model, not Simpson, was shot for the current spring campaign.

Like Simpson, Lopez was another boldfaced name who caught some fl ack for not wearing her collection, JLo, a young contemporary collection of denim and logo-driven pieces, but Lopez answered the criticism with her better contemporary collection, Sweetface, which she is frequently photographed wearing.

“We have to work within our own parameters and do what’s right for us,” Lopez told WWD in February on the eve of her Sweetface presentation here.

Some celebrities attach more than just their names to their brands. Beyoncé Knowles, Nicky Hilton and Stefani are involved in the design process and, more importantly, are photographed wearing their labels everywhere from the red carpet to the streets of Los Angeles. Knowles even launched her collection, House of Deréon, onstage in Japan during a Destiny’s Child concert. And some designers are fi nding the demand to be a designer a little more in-tense than they bargained for. In February, Lopez told WWD, “All these other big fashion houses do two or three big shows a year, and that’s great for them. I like to take it slower.”

Like Lopez, Stefani has two col-lections, Harajuku Lovers, a lower-priced casual line that retails for less than $100, and L.A.M.B., a

higher-priced designer contemporary line, but from the beginning, Stefani was often seen wearing looks from both collections, even during her pregnancy.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who sell their tween label at Wal-Mart, are proac-tively taking measures to make sure their fashion collections jibe with their personal tastes and styles. They have been reshifting their company, Dualstar Entertainment Group, which rang up an estimated $1 billion in retail sales worldwide in 2004, to be more in sync with the budding fashionista image they’ve grown to personify.

“We’ve really been narrowing down the company and doing things we want to do,” said Ashley, who sat in on fi ttings with designer Zac Posen and learned why he picked certain pieces for his catwalk.

— Lauren DeCarlo

WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006WWD.COM

12

STERN UND DRANG: With the journalism world in a lather over the alleged misdeeds of Jared Paul Stern, perhaps it’s a good time to quote Michael Kinsley: “The scandal is not what’s illegal. The scandal is what’s legal.” In other words, whether or not Stern, a freelance gossip writer for the New York Post’s Page Six column, attempted extortion in his conversations with billionaire Ron Burkle, the episode is casting a hot spotlight on the culture of the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid.

As the Post’s competitors have gleefully crowed, Stern stands accused of offering to shield Burkle from unfavorable coverage on Page Six in return for payment. Despite his apparent admissions of guilt, issued

via lawyer Ed Hayes on Friday, by Monday Stern was vigorously asserting his pure intentions. Stern claimed he offered Burkle his services as a “consultant on media strategy,” while also inviting him to invest in his clothing company. In their three meetings, Stern maintains Burkle solicited his advice on scenarios including the possible purchase of the New York Observer and investing in Radar magazine. (Stern says Burkle even told him, “Maybe I’d make you publisher of Radar.”) “I did not use the best judgment in combining those discussions, but to go and start throwing around the word ‘extortion’ — it’s completely insane,” he told WWD.

Is Stern to be believed? That’s for the feds to determine. But assuming he is, for the sake of argument, it’s not clear his actions would violate the Post’s ethics standards, at least as they’re observed in practice. While the Post’s parent company,

News Corp., offi cially instructs its employees to “avoid even the appearance of...a confl ict of interest,” the paper’s own position on the matter is less clear. A spokesman for the Post did not return phone calls, but several former editorial employees said they were never made aware of any guidelines governing whether reporters can accept gifts or money from people they write about. “I really don’t think that sort of thing is policed at the paper,” said one former editor.

Whatever guidelines the paper may have, written or unwritten, they don’t seem to apply to the Post’s gossip writers, according to numerous sources. “Most people at the paper were guided by their own moral compass,” said the former editor. “I think Page Six has its own rules, and people outside Page Six don’t know what they are.” But several ex-staffers contend that the Post’s gossip writers will soon fi nd

themselves operating under more scrutiny, if only for appearance’s sake. “I think they’re going to be a little more hesitant the next time there’s a book deal fl oating around,” said one. “Col [Allan, the Post’s editor] will come down like a ton of bricks and, frankly, Rupert will, too,” said another.

In the meantime, Page Six editor Richard Johnson and the Post seem eager to distance themselves from Stern as much as possible. After letting Hayes handle his initial reaction to the scandal, Stern hired a new lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, who has taken a much more aggressive stance. The change appears to stem from Hayes’ relationship with Johnson, whom he also represents. Stern apparently worried that Hayes might be willing to sacrifi ce him to keep the story’s taint from spreading to Johnson. Hayes declined to comment, and Stern said only that he had never offi cially retained Hayes in the fi rst place. — Jeff Bercovici

MEMO PAD

Tarrant Files $100M Suit Against Jessica Simpson

Translating Celebrity Into ProfitsContinued from page oneCourt last week, and said it has already lost $25 million to date and will lose an-other $75 million through the remainder of its licensing agreement. Tarrant is also seeking a declaration by the court, or de-claratory judgment, that it has an exclu-sive sublicense with Camuto, as well as a separate declaration by the court that Tarrant did not breach any terms of the licensing agreement.

Neither Camuto nor Simpson could be reached for comment.

As reported in WWD, Simpson signed a master licensing deal with Andrew Kirpalani, chairman of JS Brand Management, in October 2004 for $10 mil-lion up front. In January 2005, JS Brand Management entered into a sublicense agreement with Tarrant. Kirpalani sold the master license in August 2005 for $15 million to Camuto, president and chief ex-ecutive offi cer of VCS Group and co-found-er of Nine West Group Inc., but JS Brand Management retained a sublicense deal.

According to the lawsuit, the subli-cense obligated JS Brand Management to “provide reasonable assistance to [Tarrant] in marketing the subli-censed products at [Tarrant’s] request.” Paragraph 6.5 of the sublicense, includ-ed in the lawsuit, states, “Ms. Simpson shall be actively involved in promoting the sub-licensed products, whether re-quested or not by sublicensee, and shall, wherever reasonably practicable and ap-propriate, publicly wear/display or use the sublicense products, particularly at public events, shows and appearances.”

Tarrant paid JS Brand Management $600,000 as an advance advertising and marketing fee for 2004 and 2005, with commitments for guaranteed payments throughout the initial term of an ad-ditional $1.7 million. The lawsuit said that upon execution of the sublicense, Tarrant paid $1.6 million as a guaranteed sale royalty for 2004 and 2005, and an ad-ditional $4.4 million was guaranteed by Tarrant under the terms of the sublicense for the remainder of the initial term.

According to the sublicense agree-ment, the initial term was for a three-year period ending on Dec. 15, 2007, with Tarrant having the right to renew for an additional two-year term. The distribution channel and royalty rate was agreed at 8 percent for the upper tier, or department and specialty stores; 6 percent for the middle tier, or midlev-el nameplates such as J.C. Penney, and 5 percent for the mass tier, such as Wal-Mart and Kmart.

When Camuto bought the master li-cense, he agreed to assume the obliga-tions owed to Tarrant, according to the lawsuit. The parties also changed the defi nition relating to the distribution channels, granting Tarrant a greater

product range than what was in the ini-tial sublicense. Upper tier now included sublicensed products under the Jessica Simpson and Princy names; middle tier was for products bearing the name JS by Jessica and mass tier was for products under the Sweet Kisses by JS name.

Tarrant said that its attempts to grow the Jessica Simpson brand name under its sublicense were “repeatedly thwart-ed” by the defendants. The lawsuit also charged that Camuto “engaged in a bad-faith attempt to render [the] sublicense null.” Tarrant also charged that it at-tempted to obtain approval for its next Princy line, but that “Camuto has un-reasonably withheld such approval by wrongfully claiming that the sublicense has been terminated.”

Tarrant said in the lawsuit that it had numerous meetings with JS Brand Management and Simpson, and that JS Brand Management said that Simpson would be “supportive of the clothing line, from inspecting the clothing and giving her comments and approval/dis-approval to wearing the product publicly to promoting the products.” But Tarrant also charged that Simpson would not pose for photos nor provide any photo-graphs to promote the product lines.

In one example, Tarrant said that Charming Shoppes in February 2005 was prepared to sign a three-year agree-ment to purchase the JS by Jessica line of apparel, which would have covered Tarrant’s entire minimum volume under the license through that one sales chan-nel alone. The retailer placed $5 million in apparel orders and increased orders to $8 million within weeks. Charming also requested that Simpson make public appearances, “but she refused,” court papers alleged. By May 2005, Charming cancelled half its orders.

In May 2005, Tarrant said it began sales of Princy, and encountered simi-lar issues in not obtaining any “mean-ingful support” from Simpson. The law-suit alleged that when asked in June 2005 what is her favorite brand of jeans, Simpson said, “True Religion” instead of “Princy.” Tarrant said in the lawsuit that “without celebrity marketing, the product went nowhere.”

The lawsuit also charged that Camuto, in bad faith, prohibited Tarrant from using the Jessica Simpson trade-mark so “Camuto alone could profit from its use.” It said that Camuto has a Jessica Simpson footwear line.

Tarrant also said that it has not re-ceived any breach notice from Camuto in connection with the sublicense. A source close to the parties said that they tried settling the matter amicably, but to no avail.

— With contributions fromLiza Casabona

Jessica Simpson on location for her contemporary line’s ad campaign.

the new

Translating numbers into knowledge, DNR is considered the #1 source of industry intelligence.

14 WWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006

Cash For Retail Stock & Closeouts. No Lot Too Big or Too Small.

Call CLOTHES-OUT:(937) 898-2975

Fabric Piece Goods WtdWE ARE BUYING CLOSEOUTS!Call or E-mail Kristin or Youn at

(212) 382-4670 / youn@fluxunit.com

Cheap Warehouse SpacePresently set up as cutting room.

Tables, Feedrail + Lighting included.Approx. 20,000 sq. ft. Will rearrangespace as needed. Call (973) 249-9977

or (646) 732-3861

For Space in Garment Center

Helmsley-Spear, Inc.212-880-0414

Search For Space In Garment CenterShowroom/Office/Retail - no fee

www.midcomre.comOr Call Paul 212 947-5500 X 100

Showroom sublet - 36th & 5th2500 Ft Showroom - Fully Built

Prime Manhattan Jon 212-268-8043Search- www.manhattanoffices.com

SHOWROOM TO SHARE1407 BROADWAY- Immediate Occupancy.Includes: desks, phones & showroom.Call Jeff to discuss @ (212) 764-6500

Partner/Merger/AllianceContemporary/Missy novelty knitwearco. ( sweaters & knit tops) currentlyselling specialty stores and private label,seeks partner or merge with co. or Chinafactory w/ strong prod’n & backendsupport. knitwearalliance@yahoo.com

PATTERN/SAMPLESReliable. High quality. Low cost. Fastwork. Small/ Lrg production 212-629-4808

PATTERNS, SAMPLES,PRODUCTIONS

All lines, Any styles. Fine Fast Service.Call Sherry 212-719-0622.

PATTERNS, SAMPLES,PRODUCTIONS

Full service shop to the trade.Fine fast work. 212-869-2699.

Design Hell..p!Digital Arts Boot Camp Training

Photoshop and Illustratorcustomized to the artistry

of your design specialization

Call 212-244-1435

FASHION RESUMESStaff Thru Executive-Wholesale/Retail

Free Evaluation - Lifetime UpdatesGILBERT CAREER RESUMES

(800)967-3846 amex/mc/visafashionresumes.com

fashioncareercenter.com

DressesMerchandising/DesignLooking for the right people

with the right spirit inmerchandising/design.Must have substantial

experience in thebetter dress business.

Please email resumes to:execposition@gmail.com

ACCOUNT MANAGER................70-90KWal-Mart ,planning, forecasting ,salesJennifer Glenn SRI Search 212 465 8300

Jennifer@srisearch.com

Admin Since 1967

W-I-N-S-T-O-NAPPAREL STAFFING

DESIGN * SALES * MERCHADMIN * TECH * PRODUCTION

(212)557-5000 F: (212)986-8437

A/R BOOKKEEPER Women’s apparel co seeks A/R book-keeper w/ garment center exp & EDICB’s a must. Fax resume (212) 719-2942

Assistant DesignerDynamic Contemporary SportswearCompany seeks a talented assistantdesigner. Candidate must be motivated,hard working and possess strongknowledge/background of garmentconstruction with the ability to assistin all phases of development.Fax resume to: 212-391-2485 or email

to: walter@walterbaker.com

ASSISTANT DESIGNERFast paced women’s private labelsportswear company seeks a 3+ yearexperienced, organized, detail oriented,and proficient in Illustrator - Photoshop-Excel team player to assist in allaspects of design. Please fax resume to:

(212) 868 - 2801

ASSISTANT DESIGNERLeading better separates co. looking fororganized, motivated, creative firecrackerwilling to do whatever it takes. Musthave 2 yrs exp working with China,drawing skills, spec, sketch, technicalpackages, EMB layouts.Fax resume to: 212-302-3872 / Natasha

Assistant/Associate Designer-Men’s

Qualifications:Candidate must have 1-2 years experience in Men’sSportswear, extremely proficient in Illustrator andPhotoshop (preferably Mac platform). Team player,good communication skills, highly organized, workwell with others.

Responsibilities include:Initial Technical sketches, catalog pages, cads andpresentation boards.

Fax or E-Mail resumes to:212-736-2349 / alafrance@blockcorp.com

ASSOCIATE DESIGNEREstablished, fast-paced private labelcompany is looking for an associatelevel designer w/ a degree in FashionDesign. Must be able to workindependently, possess great followthrough skills, and have the ability toflat sketch & illustrate. The idealcandidate will have experience in bothwovens and knits, with a focus onprint/embroidery development. Profi-ciency in Illustrator and Photoshoprequired.Fax resume Attn:MAS (212) 302-1856

CAD DESIGNERS New York’s premier Textile DesignStudio seeking CAD Designers to joinour dynamic, talented CAD group.Ned Graphics experience required,Yarn Dye experience a Plus.

EXCELLENT SALARY ANDBENEFITS!

Please fax resume in confidenceto Linda @ 212-594-1533

COLOR ASSOC. $30KMust Have Color Textile Knldg

Kwan 212-947-3400 Jessilyn

Customer ServicePerson

Multi divisional dress manufacturer islooking for a detail oriented, highlymotivated person needed to work withone of our divisions to follow up withspecialty stores. This includes callingfor COD’s and prepayments, and mak-ing sure goods are shipped and picked.This position will coordinate the salespeople, the specialty stores, and thewarehouse. Position is located inKearny, New Jersey.

Send resumes and salary req to:hrjobreplys@hotmail.com

Designer

Creative DesignerLong Island NY based Fashion School/Office supply company seeks talentedcreative designer. Nassau/Suffolk bor-der location. MAC & Illustrator a must.Please fax or email resume with salary

requirements to Mr. Lazo at:(631) 789-8989 or

info@continentalacsry.com

Designer Denim Bottomfast growing co seeks individual whois creative, detail oriented w/ strong Il-lustrator & Photoshop skills. Pls emailresponses to:denim0407@yahoo.com

DESIGNERS* Dress. 550 7th Ave $100K* Sportswear/Jkt/Pants/Jeans $100K

Looks Like Chico * Sweater Embellishment $100K

ToddWayne1@aol.com or 212-947-3400

DESIGN

Woven DesignerMen’s Designer Label seeks a detailedDesigner to execute woven productsfrom concept to final product. Excellentcommunication skills a must; thoroughknowledge of Illustrator and 3 yearsdesign experience. Dynamic work envi-ronment; foreign travel experience aplus. E-mail resume with current salarybase to: BL10023@yahoo.com

Flame Retardant TechExp’d in all of the FR processes forChildrenswear. Ownership of allflammability testing, tracking andrecord keeping is req’d. Must befamiliar w/ CFR Title 16 Part 1615-1616. Ability to spec out garments andrelease comments to factories. Goodanalytical, organizational and follow-up skills needed. Fax resume w /salary

req: Attn: Bob at 212-842-4032 EOE

Senior MerchandiserTo oversee product development for men’s licensedheadwear & bags. Good technical knowledge of fabric andknits. Report to VP of Merchandising. Travel required.

Production ManagerCandidate must be a well organized and detail orientedindividual. Responsibilities include all phases of sampledevelopment and production. Must have experiencecommunicating with overseas factories.

Licensing AssistantResponsible for art and product submission to variouslicensors, and tracking of approvals. Individual must be verypersistent and organized.

Traffic CoordinatorData entry/filing with experience in MS Office/Excel. Must bedetail oriented with analytical skills. Communicate withfreight forwarder/ wholesale/sales and overseas factories.

A/R AssistantResponsibilities include communicating w-factor, whse andreps, Handling all non-factor sales (including credit card).Must be detail oriented & experience with Excel.

Great work environment and benefits!Please email resume to: HR@concept1.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SALES REPRESENTATIVEState of California

We are presently looking for a customer service and salesrepresentative for an international women’sapparel manufac-turer to work exclusively with our product.

All interested candidates should send their resume by fax oremail in confdence to the attention of:

Mr. Eddy ChemaliFax: 514-685-7630 or by email to: cv@ribkoff.com

Inquiries can be directed by phone &/or to arrange an appt:Eddy Chemali or assistant Laura MartellaciTel: 1-800-631-1839 (Montreal, Canada)

MERCHANDISERWell established ladies moderatesportswear co. seeks experiencedhands on person to lead merchandiseteam. Outstanding opportunity. Allresumes strictly confidential. Pleasefax resume Attn Nicholas 212-869-3671

MINNESOTA RELO* Trim Developer $85-95K* Senior Fabric R&D $75-95K

ToddWayne1@aol.com 212-947-3400

Patternmaker

HEADPATTERNMAKER

Well-established leading pant & skirtmfr. seeks head patternmaker who cantake charge, be technical & work closelywith designer, sample room & contractors.Experience in both import and domesticproduction is a MUST. Excellent benefits.

Fax resumes to 212-268-4920or Email to: turk1812@aol.com

PATTERNMAKERSeeking first patternmaker. Prefer

children’s exp, 5+ yrs, Spanish a plus.

SPEC TECHSeeking a spec tech with 5 years exp,

knowledge specs, construction, fitevaluation and grading. Detail

oriented, would prefer children’s exp.Resume & Salary Required.

Fax 516-897-4851

Production AssistantNanette Lepore seeks indiv. withknowledge of garment constructionand specs. Needs computer skills. 2yrs. exp. in fashion industry a must!

Fax resume: 212 947 5651

Production Coord $55KMany Opptys for Bi-Lingual Chinese

Jobs@TheFashioNetwork.com

PRODUCTION JOBSFast paced Private Label Co. (LadiesSportswear) is looking to fill thefollowing positions. Please note allcandidates must be team playersw/excellent communications skills,detail-oriented and computer literate.

PRODUCT MANAGER3-5 yrs Private Label experience. Mustbe able to work independently, possessgreat follow through skills and be ableto coordinate between Customer,Design and Production. Must be famil-iar w/ Global Sourcing and Production.Computer skills required.ASSOCIATE PRODUCT MANAGER1-2 yrs Private Label experience. Mustbe a hard working individual, able toassist in all aspects of product develop-ment. Computer skills a must!

Please fax resume w/salary require-ments to: (212) 302-1856 ATTN CJ

PRODUCTION JOBS* PRODUCTION MGR $80-125K

Runway Designer. Run 3 FactoriesMust Be Able to Cost Garments

* PRODN ASST/COORD $35-75KStrong Math/PC/Excel. Cut Tickets

Time ’n Action. Factory Exp A+ToddWayne1@aol.com or 212-947-3400

QUALITY CONTROL -- $70KC/S Knits/Wovens a +. Strong garmentconstruction. Knldg of patterns. Domestic.Call (212) 643-8090 Fax (212) 643-8127(agcy)

RECEPTIONISTFast paced co. needs exp’d receptionistto handle heavy phone volume. Musthave good communication skills &knwldg of MS Outlook/Word. Send res:212-398-4040 / gsosonko@rsiskind.com

WWD.COMWWD, TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2006 15

LONDON — Pout founders Emily Cohen, Chantal Laren and Anna Singh are pre-paring to blow out the fi ve candles on their brand’s birthday cake.

The trio behind the British indie makeup line is celebrating the anniver-sary of its 2001 launch with marketing initiatives and product launches, includ-ing the introduction of Sexy Sunwear, the brand’s fi rst foray into sun care.

“It’s really signifi cant for us to be cel-ebrating our fi fth birthday,” said Cohen, adding that the com-pany has faced the challenge of compet-ing with major corpo-rations with huge ad-vertising budgets. “To be positioned with big companies owned by the likes of Estée Lauder and LVMH and to be dancing along with the big boys after such a short period of time has been a big challenge for us.”

Industry sources estimate Pout rang up more than $10 million in wholesale volume in 2005.

Among festivities planned to mark the anniversary will be the launch of Sexy Sunwear. “We like to do things in a dif-ferent way, and it’s unusual to see a color cosmetics brand do sun products,” Cohen said.

The idea was to put Pout’s stamp on a new category. “There are no sun-care prod-ucts out there that look really girly and real-

ly sexy,” she said. So the fi ve-unit collection is presented in bronze-colored packaging adorned with a fl oral print. Formulations are scented with Monoi oil from Tahiti.

The line comprises Firming Shimmer Sunscreen SPF 20, which initially will be available just in the U.K.; Ultimate Fake Tan, billed to give an instant tint and a gradually developing glow, and Instant Shimmer Tan. For the face, there’s Super Balm, a shimmering moisturizer for the face and lips, and Palm Beach Compact, a

set containing two lip polishes and two blush shades, which, in the U.S., will be exclusive to

Sephora. Prices range from $15 for a 6-gram jar of Super Balm to $28 for a Palm Beach compact.

Industry sources estimate Sexy Sunwear, which will bow internationally in May, will generate 3 million pounds, or $5.3 million at current exchange, in retail sales in its fi rst year.

Another party favor will be an in-store marketing campaign dubbed “Five Minutes to Fabulous,” fi ve-minute make-overs using five Pout products: Pout Plump, Pout Illuminator, Pout Flush Blush, Pout Eyeslick and Pout Mascara. “It’s glamour on the go, which is what we’re all about.” Cohen said.

The concept will debut in Holt

Renfrew in May and then be rolled out internationally in June. A limited-edition gift set comprising the fi ve products will bow in June priced at $100.

Pout is supporting its bust-enhancing cream, Pout Bustier, with marketing initia-tives. The product will go on sale aboard Virgin Atlantic fl ights starting in May and will pair with Wonderbra in the U.K. this month. Customers buying a Wonderbra will be offered a sample of the cream. “Wonderbra is a widely available brand and is very relevant to us,” Cohen said.

Pout is also upping its distribution. It recently widened its reach in the U.S. by opening in 13 Nordstrom doors. “It’s a major launch for us,” said Cohen. “Nordstrom is a really high-profi le retailer.”

In the U.K., Pout is introducing its Pout Plump lip-plumping line and Pout Bustier in Urban Outfi tters stores. Pout’s U.K. Web site, which began e-tailing last year, now clocks 6,000 visitors per day. Also in the pipeline is a body care line, set to be launched in late February 2007, and more freestanding stores, which could be rolled out in a handful of cities in the next few years, according to Cohen.

“We started up fi ve years ago with a fl agship in Covent Garden,” she said. “Now we have over 300 [wholesale] accounts worldwide, over 200 stockkeeping units and a lot of other things in the works.”

— Brid Costello

Bravo’s New StyleNEW YORK — Move over Jonathan Antin. There’s another Hollywood hairstylist on Bravo’s radar. Bravo, home to Antin’s reality TV show “Blow Out,” will air a one-hour special, called “Salon Diaries,” which shadows Brandon Martinez, the brash attention-seeker whom Antin fi red in season one of “Blow Out.”

“Salon Diaries,” a coproduction between Reveille and Bravo, chronicles Martinez as he begins a career at the new Warren-Tricomi Salon in Los Angeles. The show will follow the self-proclaimed “bad boy” as he tries to impress his new bosses, Edward Tricomi and Joel Warren, and as the salon owners prepare for an Oscar week event.

In February, Martinez was spotted here in Warren-Tricomi’s 57th Street salon, trailed by camera crews. Away from the cameras, several Warren-Tricomi stylists grumbled about the Hollywood invasion, particularly those in the path of the hulk-ing cameramen. At the time, patrons were asked to sign waivers stipulating they agreed to appear on camera, but were not told which network they might appear on. “Salon Diaries” is scheduled to premiere May 9 at 9 p.m., occupying the same time slot of “Blow Out,” which will wrap up its third season May 2.

As for whether this special will turn into a series, Bravo’s senior vice president of programming and production, Frances Berwick, said, “It’s always our hope that we’ll bring back the personality.”

— Molly Prior

Sexy Sunwear Marks Pout’s 5th Year

BEAUTY BEAT

RECEPTIONIST/OFFICE ASST.Leading handbag mfr seeks brightenergetic individual to manage frontdesk & clerical duties for busy showroom.Must be detail-oriented and able towork in fast paced environment.Computer skills required.

Fax resume to: 212-679-0311

Sales AssistantRussell Newman

Est’d Sleepwear Co seeks Sales Asstwho is highly organized, detail orient-ed; must be able to multi task. Idealcandidate will be outgoing and eagerto learn. Excel & Illustrator savvy pre-ferred. Fax resume to: Jennifer 212-213-9345 www.russellnewman.com

SAMPLEMAKEREveningwear/Bridal company is lookingfor samplemakers. Min. 10 years exp.Please fax your resume: 212.629.3004

Sourcing Director (Suffolk County,NY) Identify/plan/direct all globalsourcing activities for apparel orouterwear. Devlp plans for new prod-ucts. Req.: MA in Bus. & 3 yr exp. ORBA in Bus. & 5 yr post-BA & progres-sive exp. Resume to: Bruce Lerit, Da-vid Peyser Sportswear, 90 SpenceStreet, Bay Shore, NY 11706

Sterling Executive Searchseeks for Manhattan office:

Research AssociateEstablish target company lists, pre-screen candidates, organize interviews,admin. reports.

Executive AssistantOperational running of office, assis-tance to consultants, light accounting.2-3 yrs exp., knowledge of French /Italian, interest in fashion / luxurygoods, team spirit, initiative.Please send resume & salary details to:

Julia.bones@sterling-conseil.com

Tech Design / QCWomens/Girls Swimwear Imptr. seeksindividual to track & review samples,

attend fittings Daily comm. overseas. 30KEmail resume: swimjob@yahoo.com

TechnicalAssociate Designer

Danskin, Inc., a well est. active apparel co.seeks a seasoned pro to effectivelyliaise w/design & merchandising teams,& off shore factories, develop technicalpckgs from initial stages thru production,& conduct fittings. Must have 3-5 yrsactivewear/knitwear exp, good communi-cation skills in both written form &technical sketches, understand garmentconstruction & has a working knowledgeof garment Mfg. & patternmaking, strongcomputer skills & the ability to conductlive fittings . Competitive comp & bnftspkg. Send resumes to:

hr_new_york@danskin.com orFax to 212-930-9103. EOE/M/F/V

TECHNICAL DESIGNEst’d Importer of knits wovens needsindiv w/strong Photoshop & Illustratorskills - specs-grading- follow throughoverseas - samples - production - track-ing. Strong computer skills-Excel- mul-ti tasks. Great work environ. Fax 212-354-8809 Email: joer1rosygee@aol.com

TECHNICALILLUSTRATOR

Fast paced sportswear company seeksa Technical Illustrator with 2-3 yearsexperience to work in busy designdept. Must know Photoshop, AdobeIllustrator and CAD. Must have knowl-edge of garment construction anddetails. Must be detail oriented,organized and able to work in a teamoriented environment.

Please fax resume to:(212) 302-1980

Whse-Data ProcessingFashion co. seeks exp’d indiv. to processEDI, enter & modify orders, invoicing &processing of returns. Assist in picking,packing & shipping.Fax resume w/ cov. letter (212) 398-9695

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Prestigious and growing Outerwear Companyseeks a strong sales professional to join ourLadies team. Energetic and highly motivated can-didates must have Department store and betterspecialty store experience. Candidate must beproficient in Excel, & strong presentation skills,effective communication skills and excellent ana-lytical and retail math knowledge. Private labelexperience is a plus.

Fax resume to 212/575-4717email to kathyg@andrewmarc.com

Immediate Need for Qualified CandidatesMID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL SALES LEADER

Well-est’d high-end women’s apparel co. is looking for highly qualifiedcandidates for the position of Mid - Atlantic Regional Sales Leader. Theposition requires strong leadership, sales management and marketing skills.

Responsibilities include:Coordinating and leading a Sales Mgmt Team in the recruitment, training,and performance management of District Sales Teams. Compensationincludes excellent salary, bonus opportunity and full company benefits.

Please fax resume to Ellyn Cooley @ (828) 286-4628

ACCOUNT MANAGER..............70 -90 KWal-Mart sales , planning budgetingJennifer Glenn SRI Search 212 465 8300

Jennifer @srisearch.com

FASHIONHAUSLeading International Designer Show-room is looking for Sales Manager andPublic Relations / Sales Executive.

SALES MANAGERCandidates must possess a minimumof 3 to 5 years experience in wholesalesales or retail buying office of luxuryfashion brand or designer collection.

PUBLIC RELATIONS andSALES EXECUTIVE

Candidates must possess excellent com-munication skills and a minimum of 2years public relations/sales experience.E-mail resumes attention Jane Park at:

work@fashionhaus.com

Sales $150-175K base +++ current expin brandedJR sportswear or dressesselling to department stores. Wellknown brand. Call 973-564-9236 AGCY

Sales AssistantLeading childrenswear mfr is lookingfor a professional Sales Asst to workfor the Account Executive in the dailyexecution of duties including audit &control and shipping and distributionof merchandise. Retail exp a plus.Must be proficient in all admin dutiesincl. excellent written & verbalcommunication and Microsoft Word &Excel. Excellent salary & benefits. Emailresume to: mubarak@babytogs.com orfax: 212-947-2039. No calls please. EOE

SALES PROFESSIONALContemporary sportswear co. seeks

dynamic sales professional with min.5 yrs exp. in dealing with better dept.

and specialty stores. Please sendresume to: Fax: (212) 354-6052 orE-mail: sibel.saral@gmail.com

SALES PRO WANTEDGreat Opportunity for Jr. Missy’s & Plus

skirts & pants & topsFax Resume to: 212-214-0788

Special SizeSales Executive

Sunny Leigh, is expanding their specialsize business & if you are a self motivatorw/a minimum of 5 yrs exp. in the specialsize market w/major department storeswe want you!! This is a great opportunity.Email: Melanie@allisontaylorfyc.com

Fax: 212-302-3872

Trimmings & Ribbons Mfr seeks experienced and motivatedSales Rep w/ knowledge of industry.Strong following a must. All territoriesopen except NY & LA. For details visitour website www.shindo.com

Call 212-868-9311 Hiro/Steve

Vice President of Sales(Position based in NY)

Private Label Knitwear and GarmentMfr. 40 year old Vertical HK & ChinaFactory seeks Highly Motivated andEnergetic Sales Leader. Min 8 yearsExperience & Strong Relationships w/Major Retailers and Wholesalers.

Salary + Commission + BenefitsE-mail resume to:

sales@p-holdingslimited.com

Store ManagerDynamic Retail Professional needed forfast paced, well established store whichfeatures unique product mix & upscaleclientele. Must have 5 years Retail and3 years Managerial experience. Lingerie& swimwear knowledge is a plus. Musthave exceptional people skills at thecustomer & staff levels. Ability to manage20+ employees is key. Comprehensivepackage. Fax or E-mail all resumes to:212-787-9358 / seldabra@aol.com

Leather HandbagsSALES AGENTS

Indian supplier of leather garments,bags & accessories seeks Sales Agentsfor procuring business from reputedAmerican brands, store chains etc.

E-MAIL: Mr. Narinder Singh @narinder@punihani.comCALL: +91-9811024591 orFAX: +91-11-41610801/02

Excellent Growth Opportunities!Visit us at: www.punihani.com

Embroidered blazer and skirt by Joanna Mastroianni. Fabric by Cotton. www.cottoninc.com

luxurious

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