DAILY EDITION 1 MARCH 2016 1Ph

otog

raph

by

Dav

ide

Mae

stri

After a cacaphony of color for several seasons Giorgio Armani offered a clean sophisticated and subdued collection largely centered on velvet working equally for evening or day as in these pants matched to a pale tweed jacket For more on Milan see pages 5 to 9

FASHION

Cleanse The Palette

FASHION

HeadlineXxx Xxxxx

CollectionsFall

2016

1 MARCH 2016 3

2016 Oscars Red Carpet Celebrity red-carpet looks at the 88th Academy Awards

Inside The Oscars 2016 Vanity Fair After Party

Giorgio Armani RTW Fall 2016

New York Fashion Week Fall 2016 Street Style

Inside The Oscars 2016 After Parties The Governorrsquos Ball

Global Stock TrackerAs of close Feb 29 2016

ADVANCERS

DECLINERS

JC Penney Company Inc +636

Yoox Net-a-porter Group +557

Iconix Brand Group Inc +495

Luen Thai Holdings Ltd +463

Myer Holdings Ltd +452

Shanghai Metersbonwe -872

Global Brands Group -800

Prada SpA -609

Sears Holdings Corp -433

Trinity Ltd -388

TOP 5TRENDINGON WWDCOM

The contemporary brand is looking to expand under new management after trading hands last year

BY EVAN CLARK

NEW YORK mdash Haute Hippiersquos trip is continuing with fashion veteran Robert Feinberg as president

Under Feinberg the company plans to continue to grow its retail and creative organizations and expand its network of wholesale accounts

ldquoItrsquos good to be a hippierdquo Feinberg told WWD on Monday his first day on the job ldquoWersquore building a brand with integrity that we do not want to see on sale we want to see it sold at regular pricerdquo

Feinberg acknowledged that itrsquos been a tough time for the market

ldquoWersquore not giving the customer the prod-uct that they want to buy at regular pricerdquo he said speaking broadly of the contempo-rary market ldquoBrands from overseas have been doing it better than we have and I think itrsquos a matter of giving newness Wersquore not the first area of the store thatrsquos going through thisrdquo

The solution is simple as Feinberg sees itldquoItrsquos a fresh approach to the product

offeringrdquo he said ldquoWe donrsquot have to rein-vent the wheel here The woman wants the product She hasnrsquot been getting it The goal is to give her thatrdquo

He brings with him a full Rolodex and plenty of experience For the past two

decades Feinberg has been chief executive officer of Kay Unger New York a dress line he started after building brands at Gillian and AJ Bari

Feinbergrsquos arrival marks the continuing evolution of the brand which was acquired last year by Hilco Global luxury distributor Madaluxe and licensing firm Earthbound

Haute Hippie was founded by Trish Wescoat Pound in 2008 and quickly found a place in the market with its sexy travel-ready styles But the company which managed to thrive even though it launched during a major recession ran into hard times as the contemporary market

struggled It built up a small network of stores that has since been closed

The new owners hired Cady Vaccaro a former senior design director at Alice + Olivia as creative director last fall

ldquoOur brand inspiration reflects the values of empowered women with a strong sense of stylerdquo Vaccaro said ldquoThe look leverages the brandrsquos original aesthetic while bringing in newness with great new fabrications and shapesrdquo

Vaccaro said the brand has taken unusual approaches to some looks for instance cutting leather into strips and weaving a jacket or using four different prints on one garment

Haute Hippie is sold in more than 350 US doors including Neiman Marcus Bergdorf Goodman Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom and has a presence in more than 50 countries

Hilco and crew are now looking to expand that base The investment group has plans to aggressively support the brand and build revenue streams through strategic initiatives including new designs an omnichannel sales strategy licensing and additional marketing

Adam Freede ceo of Madaluxe and oper-ating partner for Haute Hippie said ldquoThe brand is well positioned in the marketplace which has really allowed us to attract top retail management and design talentrdquo

Jeffrey Hecktman chairman and ceo of Hilco added ldquoWe are sending a clear signal to the marketplace that Haute Hippie will continue to be a leader in the womenrsquos contemporary spacerdquo

THE MARKETS

Haute Hippie HiresFeinberg as President

Called Teacutethys Invest it will make diversified investments in various sectors of the economy

BY JENNIFER WEIL

PARIS mdash The investment game just got a little bit spicier

On Monday the multibillionaire Bet-tencourt Meyers family said its holding company Teacutethys has created a subsidiary through which it will invest in diversified business sectors

The announcement came one month after Bernard Arnault and private equity player Catterton said they had agreed to join forces and form L Catterton billed to be the worldrsquos largest consumer-focused investment firm with more than $12 billion under management

The scope and size of the Betten-court Meyers familyrsquo investment vehicle Teacutethys Invest were not divulged but no doubt it will pack a mighty punch The family including LrsquoOreacuteal heiress Liliane Bettencourt holds a 33 percent stake in the worldrsquos largest beauty company It is LrsquoOreacutealrsquos biggest independent stakeholder and Francersquos wealthiest family with a net worth of $363 billion according to Forbes In 2015 the Bettencourt Meyers placed tenth in the ranking of billionaires around the globe The Arnault family with an estimated net worth of $349 billion placed 13th

Ariel Ohana cofounder of investment firm Ohana amp Co of Paris New York and

Los Angeles noted a rising trend of wealthy families setting up funds He said they can serve numerous purposes but generally a combination of diversification of assets or leveraging on expertise in the anchor companyrsquos industry

ldquo[The latter] is typically the case when the family has sold its stake in the anchor companyrdquo he explained ldquoExamples abound The founders of Mexx [created] Fashion Fund after selling Mexx to Liz Claiborne and invested in Vilebrequin for instance The founders of Gerard Darel founded an investment vehicle [focused on] fashionrdquo

There also could be the non-economic consideration that a fund can employ some family members or educate them in the business of running a company

Today the time is ripe for more such investment funds to crop up Ohana said

ldquoThe current business climate is rather good and investing in companies is known as a lsquohigher risk-higher returnrsquo investment compared to investing in bonds or real estaterdquo he explained ldquoUnder different business climates familiesrsquo strategies would be more defensiverdquo

Another factor at play is that numerous families already invested in private equity funds managed by third-party profession-als such as Blackstone or Carlyle between 2002 and 2006

ldquoIn 10 years they were able to see a full cycle They saw the returns and were able to better understand how funds worked So now they want to experiment on their ownrdquo said Ohana ldquoIt doesnrsquot mean they wonrsquot continue investing in third-party

funds but a portion of what they will invest will go to their own family fundrdquo

Also alluring is that some families have seen others succeed with their own funds Ohana cited as an example the investment of Louis Dreyfusrsquo Florac in SMCP

Whether Teacutethys will take a majority or minority stake in businesses largely depends on the types of activities being targeted

One industry expert said she assumes the Bettencourt Meyers will focus on the consumer segment which could mean beauty mdash probably with an eye on more up-and-coming brands that may be too small for LrsquoOreacuteal to invest in food bever-ages and luxury

ldquoWhen diversifying in sectors they donrsquot know families tend to take minority investments and opt for growth strategies unless the family fund is managed by an investment professional with experience of control buy-outsrdquo said Ohana ldquoWhen leveraging their expertise in a sector they know well they tend to acquire majoritiesrdquo

Alexandre Benais will become Teacutethys Investrsquos chief executive officer As deputy ceo in charge of finance and investment at the holding company Teacutethys he will as of March 15 work alongside company chairman Franccediloise Bettencourt Meyers the granddaughter of LrsquoOreacutealrsquos founder and ceo Jean-Pierre Meyers

Benais was appointed managing partner of Lazard in 2011 after joining the bank in 2005 Prior to that he worked at Socieacuteteacute Geacuteneacuterale in Milan New York and Paris Benais is a graduate of ESSEC business school

Teacutethysrsquo assets have not been made public

Exemplaire the menrsquos wear line intro-duced by Jean-Victor Meyers Bettencourt Meyersrsquo son who sits on the Teacutethys board was cofounded and self-financed with his friend Louis Leboiteux

BEAUTY

Bettencourt Meyers Family Launches Investment Vehicle

Osc

ars

phot

ogra

ph b

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avid

Fis

her

REX

Shu

tter

stoc

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The Haute Hippie approach under creative director Cady Vaccaro

1 MARCH 2016 3

2016 Oscars Red Carpet Celebrity red-carpet looks at the 88th Academy Awards

Inside The Oscars 2016 Vanity Fair After Party

Giorgio Armani RTW Fall 2016

New York Fashion Week Fall 2016 Street Style

Inside The Oscars 2016 After Parties The Governorrsquos Ball

Global Stock TrackerAs of close Feb 29 2016

ADVANCERS

DECLINERS

JC Penney Company Inc +636

Yoox Net-a-porter Group +557

Iconix Brand Group Inc +495

Luen Thai Holdings Ltd +463

Myer Holdings Ltd +452

Shanghai Metersbonwe -872

Global Brands Group -800

Prada SpA -609

Sears Holdings Corp -433

Trinity Ltd -388

TOP 5TRENDINGON WWDCOM

The contemporary brand is looking to expand under new management after trading hands last year

BY EVAN CLARK

NEW YORK mdash Haute Hippiersquos trip is continuing with fashion veteran Robert Feinberg as president

Under Feinberg the company plans to continue to grow its retail and creative organizations and expand its network of wholesale accounts

ldquoItrsquos good to be a hippierdquo Feinberg told WWD on Monday his first day on the job ldquoWersquore building a brand with integrity that we do not want to see on sale we want to see it sold at regular pricerdquo

Feinberg acknowledged that itrsquos been a tough time for the market

ldquoWersquore not giving the customer the prod-uct that they want to buy at regular pricerdquo he said speaking broadly of the contempo-rary market ldquoBrands from overseas have been doing it better than we have and I think itrsquos a matter of giving newness Wersquore not the first area of the store thatrsquos going through thisrdquo

The solution is simple as Feinberg sees itldquoItrsquos a fresh approach to the product

offeringrdquo he said ldquoWe donrsquot have to rein-vent the wheel here The woman wants the product She hasnrsquot been getting it The goal is to give her thatrdquo

He brings with him a full Rolodex and plenty of experience For the past two

decades Feinberg has been chief executive officer of Kay Unger New York a dress line he started after building brands at Gillian and AJ Bari

Feinbergrsquos arrival marks the continuing evolution of the brand which was acquired last year by Hilco Global luxury distributor Madaluxe and licensing firm Earthbound

Haute Hippie was founded by Trish Wescoat Pound in 2008 and quickly found a place in the market with its sexy travel-ready styles But the company which managed to thrive even though it launched during a major recession ran into hard times as the contemporary market

struggled It built up a small network of stores that has since been closed

The new owners hired Cady Vaccaro a former senior design director at Alice + Olivia as creative director last fall

ldquoOur brand inspiration reflects the values of empowered women with a strong sense of stylerdquo Vaccaro said ldquoThe look leverages the brandrsquos original aesthetic while bringing in newness with great new fabrications and shapesrdquo

Vaccaro said the brand has taken unusual approaches to some looks for instance cutting leather into strips and weaving a jacket or using four different prints on one garment

Haute Hippie is sold in more than 350 US doors including Neiman Marcus Bergdorf Goodman Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom and has a presence in more than 50 countries

Hilco and crew are now looking to expand that base The investment group has plans to aggressively support the brand and build revenue streams through strategic initiatives including new designs an omnichannel sales strategy licensing and additional marketing

Adam Freede ceo of Madaluxe and oper-ating partner for Haute Hippie said ldquoThe brand is well positioned in the marketplace which has really allowed us to attract top retail management and design talentrdquo

Jeffrey Hecktman chairman and ceo of Hilco added ldquoWe are sending a clear signal to the marketplace that Haute Hippie will continue to be a leader in the womenrsquos contemporary spacerdquo

THE MARKETS

Haute Hippie HiresFeinberg as President

Called Teacutethys Invest it will make diversified investments in various sectors of the economy

BY JENNIFER WEIL

PARIS mdash The investment game just got a little bit spicier

On Monday the multibillionaire Bet-tencourt Meyers family said its holding company Teacutethys has created a subsidiary through which it will invest in diversified business sectors

The announcement came one month after Bernard Arnault and private equity player Catterton said they had agreed to join forces and form L Catterton billed to be the worldrsquos largest consumer-focused investment firm with more than $12 billion under management

The scope and size of the Betten-court Meyers familyrsquo investment vehicle Teacutethys Invest were not divulged but no doubt it will pack a mighty punch The family including LrsquoOreacuteal heiress Liliane Bettencourt holds a 33 percent stake in the worldrsquos largest beauty company It is LrsquoOreacutealrsquos biggest independent stakeholder and Francersquos wealthiest family with a net worth of $363 billion according to Forbes In 2015 the Bettencourt Meyers placed tenth in the ranking of billionaires around the globe The Arnault family with an estimated net worth of $349 billion placed 13th

Ariel Ohana cofounder of investment firm Ohana amp Co of Paris New York and

Los Angeles noted a rising trend of wealthy families setting up funds He said they can serve numerous purposes but generally a combination of diversification of assets or leveraging on expertise in the anchor companyrsquos industry

ldquo[The latter] is typically the case when the family has sold its stake in the anchor companyrdquo he explained ldquoExamples abound The founders of Mexx [created] Fashion Fund after selling Mexx to Liz Claiborne and invested in Vilebrequin for instance The founders of Gerard Darel founded an investment vehicle [focused on] fashionrdquo

There also could be the non-economic consideration that a fund can employ some family members or educate them in the business of running a company

Today the time is ripe for more such investment funds to crop up Ohana said

ldquoThe current business climate is rather good and investing in companies is known as a lsquohigher risk-higher returnrsquo investment compared to investing in bonds or real estaterdquo he explained ldquoUnder different business climates familiesrsquo strategies would be more defensiverdquo

Another factor at play is that numerous families already invested in private equity funds managed by third-party profession-als such as Blackstone or Carlyle between 2002 and 2006

ldquoIn 10 years they were able to see a full cycle They saw the returns and were able to better understand how funds worked So now they want to experiment on their ownrdquo said Ohana ldquoIt doesnrsquot mean they wonrsquot continue investing in third-party

funds but a portion of what they will invest will go to their own family fundrdquo

Also alluring is that some families have seen others succeed with their own funds Ohana cited as an example the investment of Louis Dreyfusrsquo Florac in SMCP

Whether Teacutethys will take a majority or minority stake in businesses largely depends on the types of activities being targeted

One industry expert said she assumes the Bettencourt Meyers will focus on the consumer segment which could mean beauty mdash probably with an eye on more up-and-coming brands that may be too small for LrsquoOreacuteal to invest in food bever-ages and luxury

ldquoWhen diversifying in sectors they donrsquot know families tend to take minority investments and opt for growth strategies unless the family fund is managed by an investment professional with experience of control buy-outsrdquo said Ohana ldquoWhen leveraging their expertise in a sector they know well they tend to acquire majoritiesrdquo

Alexandre Benais will become Teacutethys Investrsquos chief executive officer As deputy ceo in charge of finance and investment at the holding company Teacutethys he will as of March 15 work alongside company chairman Franccediloise Bettencourt Meyers the granddaughter of LrsquoOreacutealrsquos founder and ceo Jean-Pierre Meyers

Benais was appointed managing partner of Lazard in 2011 after joining the bank in 2005 Prior to that he worked at Socieacuteteacute Geacuteneacuterale in Milan New York and Paris Benais is a graduate of ESSEC business school

Teacutethysrsquo assets have not been made public

Exemplaire the menrsquos wear line intro-duced by Jean-Victor Meyers Bettencourt Meyersrsquo son who sits on the Teacutethys board was cofounded and self-financed with his friend Louis Leboiteux

BEAUTY

Bettencourt Meyers Family Launches Investment Vehicle

Osc

ars

phot

ogra

ph b

y D

avid

Fis

her

REX

Shu

tter

stoc

k

The Haute Hippie approach under creative director Cady Vaccaro

4 1 MARCH 2016

The NBA All-Star is working with Macyrsquos Nickelodeon and the TMNT on boys activewear

BY DAVID MOIN

Carmelo ldquoMelordquo Anthony mdash NBA All-Star Olympic gold medalist Father And designer

Anthony has teamed with Macyrsquos and Nickelodeon on an active line of boysrsquo apparel and accessories inspired by what he loves as much as a winning three-point swish mdash the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The capsule collection of graphic T-shirts hoodies shorts pajama sets socks basketballs mdash and an over-the-door basketball hoop so that kids can show off their inner Melo mdash will debut in early May exclusively at all Macyrsquos stores and on macyscom ahead of the release of the sixth ldquoTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesrdquo movie in June As currently planned the line is temporary with products avail-able at Macyrsquos until they sell out

The New York Knicks forward said he unleashed his hidden design talent for the project ldquoI was basically involved in the whole creative process mdash the colors which are kind of obvious considering theyrsquore turtles and the slogan and the textures I was involved in every step We really took our time to narrow it down and figure out what we wanted I feel good about all the piecesrdquo

His name will be on many of the prod-ucts in a few iterations Some items will say TMNT x Melo others Turtles x Melo

Prices will range from $20 to $35Anthony isnrsquot up for a Council of Fash-

ion Designers of America award just yet but he does see the possibilities in fash-ion ldquoI do believe there is an opportunity in the future to design with collabora-tionsrdquo he said

Fashion is not such a long shot Anthony suggested noting his designer experience extends to the Jordan brand at Nike with a sneaker he worked on Hersquos had other deals as well including Foot Locker Samsung Haute Watches and Jeep

ldquoCarmelo is truly a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fanaticrdquo said Durand Guion Macyrsquos vice president and fashion director of menrsquos and kids ldquoIn our initial conversations we were fascinated to learn how truly fanatical he isrdquo

For Anthony the Macyrsquos deal is a welcome lift in a dismal season for the Knicks

For Macyrsquos which also hasnrsquot had the best winter season the deal represents a furthering of its strategy to create exclusive collections tied to celebrities mdash which already include lines from Heidi Klum Ryan Seacrest Martha Stewart and Mexican soap star Thalia Sodi mdash and to further capitalize on activewear which is currently among the storersquos stronger cat-egories ldquoItrsquos been such an explosive cat-egory really across the store especially in boysrdquo said Guion Tying an active lifestyle label for boys with Anthony and the upcoming ldquoTMNTrdquo movie ldquoreally seemed like a perfect matchrdquo

Nickelodeon and Macyrsquos have part-nered in the past mostly on marketing initiatives such as including the TMNT in the Thanksgiving Day parade Macyrsquos has also partnered with Nickelodeon on SpongeBob SquarePants but Macyrsquos said partnering with Anthony is the first col-laboration with Nickelodeon of its scale

ldquoFor me this is a big momentrdquo said Anthony ldquoI grew up on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles so to be able to partner on a boysrsquo collection with Nickelodeon and Macyrsquos goes beyond my wildest dreams As a kid they were one of the first cartoons I gravitated tordquo

The crime-fighting band of anthropo-morphic turtles named after four Renais-sance Italian artists is something kids teenagers and adults can all get into said Anthony who when hersquos off court watches the TMNT on television and in the movies with his son ldquoThey resonate with everybody Part of the appeal is that each one of the turtles has a different personalityrdquo

Hersquos really looking forward to the sequel since he has a role in it ldquoI play myselfrdquo in a cameo he says ldquoOf course when you are on the set shooting it feels way much longerrdquo Melo said He hasnrsquot seen the final edited version so he couldnrsquot say how long hersquos on screen Hersquos been on the ldquoNurse Jackierdquo TV series as a professional baseball player going through drug rehab Along with Dwight Howard and Scottie Pippen he appeared in the 2013 film ldquoAmazingrdquo a venture between the NBA and Shanghai Film Group Corp and in 2014 Anthony did a cameo as a henchman in the final season of ldquoSons of Anarchyrdquo

As far as his Macyrsquos role Anthony said it is ldquoto be determinedrdquo whether he will be appearing at the store to promote the line

Pam Kaufman chief marketing officer and president consumer products Nickelodeon which owns the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise said ldquoMelo had a lot of input into the collec-tion Also Macyrsquos team of buyers gave us a lot of guidance in terms of the kind of the products and the licensees to work with It was a group effortrdquo

RETAIL

lsquoMelorsquo Talks Fashion Macyrsquos Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Applicants are vying for a spot in Torontorsquos Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innovation

BY CONSTANCE DROGANES

TORONTO mdash Since its launch in October the Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innova-tion has been on the hunt for the next big business idea

Now the Toronto-based business incubator which sprang to life because of a $1 million investment from apparel retailer Joe Fresh mdash is readying for the April reveal of its second round of start-ups that will fill up to 21 residences in this 18-month mentorship program

But before these winners were revealed the flood of ideas pitched by applicants has revealed some noteworthy trends to Joe Fresh executives and center partner Ryerson University

ldquoWersquove seen some very cool ideas for high-tech accessories as well as the development of fashion-inspired pro-tective equipment from sports company start-upsrdquo said Robert Ott executive director of the Joe Fresh Centre for Fash-ion Innovation and chair of the Ryerson School of Fashion

ldquoWersquove also seen some very intriguing ideas for special online interest mag-azines that involve fashion as well as full-service online agencies that handle

the logistics of distribution and other tasks confronting designers But now this would all be done virtuallyrdquo Ott said

What has been particularly striking this time around however ldquois the heightened sense of social awareness and activism that these entrepreneurs are bringing to their workrdquo said Ott ldquoWersquove also seen nearly double the number of applicants compared to last year That leap says volumes about the interest in what we

are doing here at this center mdash and the need for itrdquo

The Joe Fresh Centre for Innovation is not the first incubator program to launch in Canada For almost three decades the Toronto Fashion Incubator has played a role in fostering young talent including the careers of such Canadian designers as David Dixon Joeffer Caoc Sunny Fong and Sid Neigum But according to Joe Fresh president Mario Grauso this new center for innovation offers the industry something different

ldquoOther incubators do exist but their focus is exclusively on fashion design We take a broader view of thingsrdquo said Grauso ldquoWe look for business ideas that are fashion-inspired but cross into tech-nology cosmetics and other realmsrdquo

Modeled after Ryersonrsquos award-winning DMZ incubator program which is one of Canadarsquos largest business incubators for emerging tech start-ups entrepreneurs work side-by-side in The Joe Fresh Zone According to Grauso this environment ldquogives people incredible exposure to ideas and to problem solvingrdquo

ldquoWe look at fashion through a wider lens so itrsquos not just about re-creating some product that already exists on the market Itrsquos about moving all kinds of great ideas from the online world into the real world through the use of technol-ogyrdquo Ott explained

In October six fledgling start-ups set-tled into the first residencies offered by the Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innova-tion The lineup included Blanc de Noir maker of gender-neutral leather shoes bags and knitwear as well as Wear Your Label a socially conscious gender-neu-tral start-up that creates T-shirts and bracelets promoting more conversation about mental health

Other first-round picks included House of Formen an organic menrsquos skin-care and cosmetics line StyleID a free app that helps fans find and buy styles worn on TV shows the personalized mobile app Klothed which does apparel shop-ping and style-planning for men and finally Love Winter a footwear start-up that makes neon-bright water-repellent felt boots with removable galoshes for harsh weather seasons

Winners received start-up funding of up to 50000 Canadian dollars or $37000 access to work spaces high-tech equipment and amenities and mentor-ship from Joe Fresh its parent Loblaw Corp and Shoppers Drug Mart executives

RETAIL

Tech Ideas Dominate Round at Joe Fresh

Carmelo Anthony wearing a look from

his collaboration with Nickelodeon

for a ldquoTeenage Mutant Ninja

Turtlesrdquo active line for Macyrsquos

The Joe Fresh Center for Fashion Innovation

1 MARCH 2016 5

Giorgio ArmaniVelvet stated the show notes ldquois the protagonist of a collection that unfolds in different episodesrdquo Interesting that Gior-gio Armani invoked the terminology of cinematic storytelling after his big night at the Oscars he dressed numerous people including two nominees Cate Blanchett and Charlotte Rampling one winner Leonardo DiCaprio and a fashion guy of the future ninendashyear-old Jacob Tremblay They all looked great

But then Armani is a master of situ-ational dressing whether for the most rarified of red carpets or everyday life And by his lights real women dressing for real life donrsquot want trickery and excess He announced his seasonrsquos platform in the collectionrsquos title ldquoBlack Velvetrdquo

ldquoAfter the euphoria of color the vanity fair seen over the past two years I felt we should cleanse ourselves of this need to surprise through a palette of colors and a mix of fabricsrdquo Armani said after his show ldquoVelvet is decipherable in a clear way and is sophisticated Customers donrsquot have a book with instructions Italian fash-ion is envied by everybody we shouldnrsquot try to overdo itrdquo

Thus he ordered up black velvet bolts by the bushel and got to work He made a bold case for the validity of velvet by day

most often in pants matched to pale tweed jackets though he also showed snappy menrsquos wear-inspired suitings in taupe tweeds with just a touch of the soft stuff on jacket pocket flaps Perhaps because the fabric was the collectionrsquos unifier Armani felt free to diversify his silhou-ettes His jackets ranged from loose and swingy to sleekly tailored and pants from classic trousers to a fluid shape cuffed at the ankle to an experimental take pants with colorful tweed tuxedo stripes run-ning down the inner leg Lest you wonder these paired with matching jackets the lineuprsquos strongest shot of color

Evening proved equally subdued to lovely effect If two can be considered a trend then a trend emerged from the Mil-anese couturiers First Donatella Versace all but eschewed eveningwear Armani didnrsquot ignore it but went decidedly low-key leaving his grander pronouncements to the haute realm at Priveacute Here he again started with black velvet pants with jack-ets tunics or a cape For those moments when tailored wonrsquot do velvet gowns appealing in their simplicity particularly a pair of full-skirted looks a one-shoulder in solid fabric and the other in black-on-nude cutout lace No they wonrsquot ship with an instruction manual The Armani woman has it down zip up and look elegant mdash Bridget Foley

The ReviewsCollections

Fall

2016

Phot

ogra

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by D

avid

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aest

ri

6 1 MARCH 2016

Dsquared2Dan and Dean Catenrsquos fall 2016 Dsquared2 collection was basically a rerun of fall 2015 Both were mash-ups of military tailoring classic feminine gran-deur and savage opulence but the Inuits of last year were replaced by incoming samurai Aristocratic heirs became delicate and dark Victorians The shapes remained similar Tight layers of nipped jackets blouses tattoo body stockings and hip-slung cropped stovepipe cargo pants were packed into a skinny silhou-ette and set atop teetering heels festooned with exotic beading chunks of armor and giant tassels that matched the extra long earrings that swished down to the modelrsquos collar bones

ldquoItrsquos a warrior worldrdquo said Dan back-stage noting that the collection was par-tially inspired by Beyonceacutersquos performance at the Super Bowl

The Catens have always taken a put-it-all-out-there approach to the runway leaving no bell whistle fur trim or in this case tassel left behind The only way to think about the clothes realistically is to consider them one item at time To that end the lineup had much to offer in terms of items A soft faded pink high-neck Victorian blouse with antiqued lace around the shoulders cropped black cig-arette pants with dark romantic embroi-dery around the waistband a taut denim military jacket under a denim and velvet cape a chunky green army sweater over a beautifully embroidered black skirt cut in panels with undone ties at the sides

A few head-engulfing furs with elabo-rate samurai embroidery were marvels of craftsmanship They would be suitable for defending the empire against Mongo-lian invaders or defending your turf as empress of street style mdash Jessica Iredale

Damir DomaThe scene backstage at Damir Doma was chaotic Plunged in semi-darkness the hive of models dressers hair and makeup people erupted into shouting A pr rep-resentative helpfully shone the light from his phone at the mood board

Minutes later the looks were on the catwalk and serenity ruled It was dark matter for sure mdash both in terms of the austerity of the outfits many of which were rooted in menrsquos wear and the dingy lighting that prevented guests from fully making out the details on the all-black looks of which there were many

But you didnrsquot need a spotlight to appreciate Domarsquos singular aesthetic which seems far removed from seasonal fads and the clamor of social media His models ambled across a patchwork of frayed carpets in quiet considered clothes that conveyed a kind of elevated pragmatism

Short-sleeved tunic tops worn with sweeping long skirts were as comfortable as they were elegant Ditto the roomy overcoats their lapels adorned with strings of talismanic beads Oversize tops had a similar ease sleeveless vests with raw seams extrawide jackets and ribbed sweaters pierced with steel rings

These contrasted with lean layered silhouettes in which tunics dresses and skirts mdash many adorned with Domarsquos signa-ture topstitched judo belts mdash were under-laid with slips of black or pale rose silk

ldquoIt was a lot about looking back onto my own work much more than looking at whatrsquos happening around merdquo Doma said backstage

ldquoI feel itrsquos a quite confusing period not just in terms of design but in terms of business and in terms now of whatrsquos going on so for me it was easier to look into myself and try to calm down and point out the things that make my work differ-ent from othersrdquo he added

His show was a reminder that a whisper is louder than a shout mdash Joelle Diderich

CollectionsFall

2016

Phot

ogra

phs

by G

iova

nni G

iann

oni

Dsquared2 Damir Doma

1 MARCH 2016 7

Lucio VanottiLucio Vanotti continues to shape the minimalist image of his namesake brand rooted in an effortless elegant aesthetic In keeping with the theme of his fall menrsquos show he built a wardrobe influenced by uniforms Double-breasted jackets and sartorial vests which came layered on elongated shirts and asymmet-ric skirts had a sharp businesslike style that referenced Giorgio Armanirsquos original looks A double-breasted coat gave off a military vibe which contrasted with the ascetic mood of fluid tunics worked in a neutral palette of black and white Every-thing exuded a sense of discreet luxury for a modern independent woman mdash Alessandra Turra

Arthur ArbesserArthur Arbesserrsquos Viennese-influenced cerebral point of view has distinguished him among Milanrsquos new youth influx Few if any of his peers are doing the kind of Germanic androgyny Arbesserrsquos been exploring yielding interesting if uneven collections in the past

Hersquos still developing but fall felt like progress in terms of a considered concept and more substantial designs Arbesserrsquos main source of inspiration was Belgian

painter Michaeumll Borremans whose work as described in show notes ldquofloats between nostalgia and ironyrdquo Arbesser very much applied that idea to his collec-tion Working from the premise of a uni-form mdash aprons jackets and wide pleated skirts mdash he delivered a look infused with oddball vintage austerity that toed the uglypretty line The show opened with a group of minimalist gray and black tai-lored pieces mdash for example a gray apron top tied over a black sweater worn with a kilt belt over black pants There was a long tailored coat in cartoon blue and matching pants A mock turtleneck with fluid pants and a plain long-sleeve dress in marigold velvet felt descended from the Vetements school of thought

It was a mixed bag Fabrics and cuts needed finessing but there were some interesting ideas The best of the lot was a group that layered nicely tailored Austrian loden jackets over gold metal-lic shirts and skirts and black mesh knit pieces mdash Jessica Iredale

PiccionePiccioneSalvatore Piccione walked on the girly side for fall Whimsical prints and embroi-deries of hearts balloons and flowers imparted a sweet attitude into a range of

shirtdresses skirts and blouses in clean silhouettes The hyperfeminine attitude of the collection which also included ruffled silk frocks felt more urban and mature in Lurex plisseacute skirts and dresses some-times paired with Mongolian fur jackets as well as in two-tone double-breasted coats in narrow silhouettes mdash AT

VivettaIf you style a sheer bow-tied ruffled dress with a beret or pair a hyperfemi-nine outfit with nerdy eyeglasses socks and slippers the look is bound to suggest one thing these days Gucci For fall Vivetta Ponti took the Alessandro Michele effect too far That eccentric hyperdeco-rative style is definitely part of the design-errsquos aesthetic but many of the looks felt too similar to those on Guccirsquos catwalk the past few seasons

The best results came when Ponti reworked some of her signaturersquos ele-ments such as the face-shaped embroi-deries which this season got an Art Deco-inspired makeover They appeared on a range of pieces including a long dress with see-through inserts More day options included tops matched with high-waisted skirts for a Seventies look as well as military coats which contrasted with the ultra sweet mood mdash AT

PiccionePiccione

VivettaArthur ArbesserLucio Vanotti CollectionsFall

2016Phot

ogra

phs

by G

iova

nni G

iann

oni a

nd D

avid

e M

aest

ri

8 1 MARCH 2016

Giuseppe ZanottiGiuseppe Zanotti channeled a disco-glam mood for fall Iconic nightspots such as Parisrsquo Le Palace Club and Danceteria in New York served as inspiration for a range of traffic-stopping styles These included open-toe ankle boots platform sandals and cage stilettos embellished with multicolor sequins or sparkling appliqueacutes such as spheres encrusted with colorful crystals Zanottirsquos day options included suede cuissardes with a graphic metallic buckle patent leather mary janes in neutral nude and black and Chelsea boots with a front zipper

BulgariBulgari infused the same glamorous and elegant spirit of its jewelry collections into its fall accessories all crafted from upscale materials and enriched with precious details Snakeskin with a sophisticated deacutegradeacute effect was used for a mini shoulder bag with a gold closure embossed with the Bulgari logo Multicolor rhinestones punctuated a range of styles including clutches worked both in leather and exotic skin while fur accents gave a twist to classic day handbags

CasadeiCasadeirsquos tall chunky platform heel in beige suede adapts Seventies disco glitter for daytime in a collection that voyages through the era also revealing folk hippy punk glamour androgynous and rock influences

Gianvito RossiGold stripes embroidered on sapphire vel-vet strapped the toes and collared the ankle on this Gianvito Rossi sandal punctuated with a golden bow Decorations such as mil-itary ribbon embroidery epaulette-fringed ankle straps aiguillette embellishments and elastic-looped buttons paraded through a collection that also introduced jewel-tone velvets The shoemaker also launched two dorset pump silhouettes and praline pink suede and goat fur decorated day boots and high tops

Jimmy ChooStanding atop gilded columns in a dreamy golden room Jimmy Choorsquos Belle Epoch and military-inspired collection fused tough with sensual constraint with liberation and robustness with romance in exquisite tension ldquoTo me you need to have that [con-trast] to stir something uprdquo said creative director Sandra Choi The two-piece booties shown ldquoare lace-up like combat boots and have a little bit of corsetry They are restrain-ing securing something And the tactility

of the velvet gives it artistry mdash an artisanal quality mdash with a richer tone than black The color brings the whole thing aliverdquo

Sergio RossiA round staircase covered in textured burgundy velvet and a sparkling chandelier served as the stage for Sergio Rossirsquos pre-sentation of dainty ankle-strapped drsquoOrsay pumps and soft velvet platform sandals with jet sequins ldquoI was thinking of the uncon-ventional emancipated flapper dancers from the Twenties and the divas making an entrance walking down the staircaserdquo said creative director Angelo Ruggeri who con-tinues in that role under the new ownership of private equity fund Investindustrial To be sure an exquisite sandal with a single strap of velvet wrapped around the ankle will take any dancer late into the night

Brian AtwoodBrian Atwood conjured Bohemian deco looks with these thigh-high caramel suede boots with peacock-patterned intarsia in a variety of vivid leathers and metallic details

Paula CademartoriPaula Cademartori introduced asym-metric loafers with colorful hand drawings printed on leather and a hand-embroidered monkey on the right shoe to pay tribute to the Chinese year

BorsalinoBorsalino showed its newest capsule collection with Italian clothing company and distributor Slam Jam Under this collaboration the long-established hat company added a street-culture take on its classic shape eliminating the headband but keeping a ribbon in the same color There were also velvety baseball caps and bucket hats in striking red orange and purple The main collection displayed in Spazio Borsalinorsquos garden on a metallic swing construction showed traditional shapes in neutral blacks grays and blues updated with bands in bright colors and pastels Top hats bowlers and a dressage hat from 1800 were part of Borsalinorsquos Replica project which brings archival pieces back to life

ChurchrsquosChurchrsquos added silver studs to its staple Oxfords in brown black and white but also introduced velvet slippers decorated with crystals One pump featured a large flap on the vamp that gave a feminine touch to the masculine style

Casadei

Gianvito Rossi

Jimmy Choo

Giuseppe Zanotti

Brian AtwoodSergio Rossi

BorsalinoPaula Cademartori

Churchrsquos

1 MARCH 2016 9

Fratelli Rossetti Fratelli Rossettirsquos stacked heel slip-on shoe exudes the spirit of imperial Russia through embroidered velvet inspired by ldquoDoctor Zhivagordquo

FurlaFurla offered a new take on its hit Metrop-olis bag with the Bolero model showing a laser-cut design and gold details on the flap with a leather and chain strap

Sara BattagliaSara Battaglia struck different notes with her new bag collection Embracing a flamboy-ant look she covered a bucket bag with leath-er-fringed flowers while maxi bows appeared on graphic shoulder styles She introduced fur via multicolor mink intarsia decorating the flap of a leather bag with a metal chain Battaglia also developed a graphic black-and-white range including options enriched with stripes as well as exquisite evening bags punctuated with pearls

SantoniInspired by Marlene Dietrichrsquos androgynous aesthetic Santoni elaborated its hand-made menrsquos lace-ups and brogues magnifying their laces and perforated piping and transforming the designs into feminine and sensual high-heel sandals

Elena GhiselliniElena Ghisellini introduced a structured bag with rock-inspired leather and chunky chain interwoven handle twin fringe tassels delicate punk studs on the sides and interior Already a big hit the pink and burgundy model shown features the Lolita doll acces-sory in Orylag fur mdash a specially bred rabbit Styles run from romantic flower-printed calf-skin mdash featuring the brandrsquos trademark feline front mdash to black and white polka-dot pony Optical prints of zebra stripes and polka dots dominated new versions of heritage models including handbags and clutches

ValextraldquoWe want to explain the personality of the brand through the women of Milan and their rigorous bon tonrdquo said Sara Ferrero chief executive officer of Valextra But just as the cityrsquos gardens remain hidden behind austere facades therersquos more than meets the eye to the Milanese woman she observed

Hence the lining of the brandrsquos new Triennale bags in total black mdash metal details included mdash came in a surprising shade of bright yellow Intarsia Bakelite magnets embellished other Valextra totes that were rendered in a fun rainbow palette mdash new shades that are not readily associated with the brand from orange to turquoise

Another novelty cream bags with intarsia superimposed panels that created a black ldquoXrdquo ldquoThis can mean I choose you or nothellipor itrsquos a kissrdquo Ferrero said

Rene CaovillaLayered arches of nude mesh and indigo strass swooped up to a bow on dorset pumps called Futurism from Rene Caovilla Art Deco

geometric patterns surged across Swarovski crystal-encrusted sandals pumps and flats The glittering eveningwear brand introduced its first boots pearls and chunky crystals embellished the block heels on suede ankle boots while Parisienne thigh boots with Swarovski paveacute block heels gloved the length of the leg in navy or gray suede

GiannicoThese makeup-inspired dusty pink and brown wedges by Giannico sport the debut of the fledgling brandrsquos signature buckle incor-porating its lip and quilting motifs

CAR SHOEAt Car Shoe the pebbled sole of its driving shoe was re-elaborated on a furry ankle boot Thick-soled sneakers with a black and white cow-spot pattern and sneakers adorned with crystals rounded out the lineup

Chiara FerragniThe party was packed and the bar open in the scarlet interior of the subterranean nightclub where Italian blogger and designer Chiara Ferragni showed her shoes ldquoBorn to Be Wildrdquo mdash the song set the mood and was also the name of the collection which Ferragni said ldquois about being brave and wild about the freedom of choosing your own path like I didrdquo Ferragni who now lives in Los Angeles drew inspiration from road trips through the deserts of the American West to introduce a series of flamboyant cowboy boots some with big glittering stars others with metallic chevron stripes still others with large grommets Ferragni is shown here with thigh-high versions with flame stitching up the leg

Bertoni 1949A lush neo-Renaissance palazzo-museum set an aristocratic tone for luxe handbags from Bertoni 1949 Styles included miniature struc-tured travel pieces from the 20th century like leather-covered wood hat boxes trunks and suitcases Bertonirsquos latest collection taps its ongoing theme of the American Dream this time in the free-spirited nomadic attitude of American culture Called Nomadrsquos Land it recalls the lives and craft traditions of wanderers through patchworks of precious skins hand-painted paisley patterns inspired by bandanas wood-printed leather and the blue and tan hues of earth and sky Bertoni introduced this graphic flap bag with a sad-dlebag shape embellished with leather-cov-ered studs

AGLMarianna Giusti designed the nature-in-spired print for this laser-cut calfskin ankle boot with a block heel by Attilio Giusti Leombruni The Giusti sisters at AGL pushed toward greater femininity in their androgy-nous mixes sometimes achieving the hyper-feminine mdash like the application of the laser-cut print in low-heel pointy-toe slingbacks with fur pom-poms More often they created surprising contrasts like combat boots with floral embroidery and hand-painted gold-brushed laces or forest green patent leather high tops with velvet laces and fur-covered vamp

FurlaFratelli Rossetti

Sara Battaglia

Valextra Giannico

Santoni Elena Ghisellini

Bertoni 1949

AGL

Rene Caovilla

Car Shoe

Chiara Ferragni

10 1 MARCH 2016

Farfetch launched beauty on Monday and kids apparel today mdash its next step toward becoming a lifestyle destination online

BY RACHEL STRUGATZ

Farfetch is in the midst of its most aggressive expansion since it was founded in 2008

The online platform for luxury boutiques rolled out beauty on Monday and introduces kids apparel today mdash the latest steps in companyrsquos quest to become a lifestyle destination Stepha-nie Horton Farfetchrsquos chief marketing officer predicted sales on the platform or its gross merchandise volume would rise to $800 million this year from over $500 million in 2015

The new verticals come after last yearrsquos emphasis on global growth which saw it open new offices in Japan and Australia and acquire the famed British boutique Browns in May Farfetch raised $86 million last year making it one of fashions tech ldquounicornsrdquo with a valua-tions of a billion dollars or more

And the companyrsquos looking for moreldquoBeauty is a huge category overall in

the regular retail environment so wersquore planning accordinglyrdquo Horton said

Farfetchcom now carries 100 global

beauty brands including Hourglass Eve Lom By Terry Lipstick Queen and Chantecaille via a partnership with Space NK The UK-based cosmetics retailer which has 86 doors worldwide will be the first beauty retailer to sell on Farfetch But the partnership isnrsquot exclusive and Horton said the team will evaluate the category and ldquolook to take on other partners at a later daterdquo

As for childrenrsquos fashions 16 bou-tiques mdash from Babylon Bus in Italy and Edit in New York to Azzurro in Amster-dam and Jofre in Barcelona mdash will sell wares from 70 brands including Stella McCartney Kids London-based Huck-lebones Caramel Baby Roksanda and Burberry Kids

ldquoConsumers have really been asking

especially about kidsrdquo Horton said ldquoAs the consumer drives a lot of business decisions these days it was prudent that we look into it We hadnrsquot had a new category expansion in eight years It was time to add a little bit to the platformrdquo

About five percent of the market-placersquos partners will offer childrenrsquos apparel at the onset but Horton predicts that Farfetch will be adding new bou-tiques at a rapid rate

For Jose Neves founder and chief executive officer of Farfetch who said that many of the platformrsquos 400 bou-tique and brand partners already sold kids clothing in-store this roll out is a ldquonatural extensionrdquo He declined to give sales projections for the first year for either category

RETAIL

Farfetch in Expansion Mode Adds Beauty Kids

Farfetch launched beauty and kids

categories this week

Changes in color preferences patterns and fasteners in menrsquos wear are trend-driven

BY ARTHUR ZACZKIEWICZ

When it comes to menrsquos fashion changes in color preferences patterns and fasteners are just as trend-driven as womenrsquos wear while favored brands reflect a diversity in taste and style that varies depending on the age group tested

After crunching data from the recent fashion weeks in New York and Europe predictive analytics firm First Insight Inc found that red went from being unpopular last year to being trendy this year among 2800-plus men and women consumers tested The average positive sentiment for red jumped to 35 percent this year up from an 8 percent score last year But navy was the overall top color as its net positive sentiment score increased 35 percent over 2015 With patterns solid designs emerged as the most popular trending up 6 percent from 2015

For fasteners zippers trended down 19 percent this year as compared with last year while looks with buttons ldquomain-tained an identical 32 percent average positive sentimentrdquo in both years Overall medium-length outfits were most popu-lar which was followed by short lengths Long lengths were third overall

Regarding designers the top four brands this year were Theory Thomas Pink Michael Kors and Nautica

ldquoRed was unpopular in 2015 but now it is much more trendyrdquo said Joe Callahan director of marketing at First Insight ldquoMenrsquos fashion is starting to be more aggressive and theyrsquore taking more of a risk with fashionrdquo

When measured by average positive sentiment Theory was the top brand with a score of 39 percent Salvatore Ferragamo while not one of the top four brands had the top overall item tested with a positive sentiment score of 67 percent The brand also had three of the top five items that were measured overall Jim Shea chief commercial officer at First Insights said therersquos a lesson here for brands where ldquoyou can have a standout item yet not be consistent enough to be a top brandrdquo in the minds of the consumer

By gender LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuittonrsquos Thomas Pink was the top brand among men while Theory was number one for women The analysis also showed that women preferred hooded outfits which compares to hoodless looks for men And black was favored more by men while women leaned toward navy Regarding fasteners men preferred but-tons while women favored toggles

And by age demographic Theory was the top brand for those between 19 and 44 years old while Thomas Pink and Perry Ellis scored better with those 45

and olderCallahan and Shea said that for con-

sumers tested sentiment may not always correlate with value ldquoFor example those aged 19 to 29 valued the top Thomas Pink sport coat $8777 more than those ages 45 to 59rdquo the report stated ldquoHowever those aged 45 to 59 had higher positive senti-ment toward this item mdash 5 percent higher than those 19 to 29rdquo

ldquoBrands often think that consumers buy what they loverdquo Callahan said ldquoBut people tend to buy products that they value instead which is a combination of price and sentimentrdquo

The brands tested included Calvin Klein Coach Giorgio Armani Gucci Michael Kors Nautica Perry Ellis Prada Salvatore Ferragamo Theory Thomas Pink Tommy Hilfiger and Versace

Of the 2864 responses collected 798 were male and 2066 were women The largest age segment of those polled were between 30 and 44 By household income most of the respondents earned under $75000 per year which was fol-lowed by those earning between $75000 and $125000

BUSINESS

First Insight TestingReveals Value-DrivenFashion Risk Takers

A look from Theoryrsquos menrsquos line for fall

Avon Wal-Mart and Target made NAFErsquos ldquoTop 60 Companies for Executive Womenrdquo

BY LISA LOCKWOOD

LrsquoOreacuteal USA and Procter amp Gamble were included among the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women identified by The National Association for Female Executives The list recog-nizes American corporations that have promoted women into top executive positions and created a culture that fosters the careers of talented women Other companies that made the top 10 list were Abbott Ernst amp Young LLP Fleishman Hillard IBM Johnson amp Johnson KPMG Marriott

International and MassMutual Financial Group

NAFErsquos full list entitled ldquoTop 60 Companies for Execu-tive Womenrdquo also includes Target Wal-Mart and Avon Products The results are fea-tured in the FebruaryMarch issue of Working Mother and on workingmothercom NAFE

is a division of Working Mother MediaThis is LrsquoOreacuteal USArsquos first time on the Top 10

list but itrsquos the second year on the Top 60 list PampG has made the Top 10 list eight times and the top 60 list 16 times

According to the report that highlights each of the top 60 companies women make up 58 percent of those in line for key roles at LrsquoOreacuteal and earn 49 percent of top salaries At PampG 30 percent of those at the vice president level and above are female as are 45 percent of those in management positions In January 2015 Carolyn Tastad became group president North America a promotion that put her in charge of $29 billion in net sales

Last June at the 30th annual Women of Achievement Awards Gala in New York Tastad an honoree told the crowd ldquoIrsquom lucky to work for PampG where half of our managers and board members are women At PampG women are cele-brated I believe in the power of womenrdquo

The report also pointed out that at Wal-Mart women earn 45 percent of all promotions to the manager level and above and at Target women make up 45 percent of its leadership team and are the officers in charge of the companyrsquos hiring budget store management risk and compliance and social responsibility efforts In 2015 women comprised 67 percent of those heading bil-lion-dollar divisions at Target

ldquoI am happy to report that female representa-tion in senior management positions continues to inch up at NAFE Top Companiesrdquo said Betty Spence president of NAFE ldquoThough progress of women into senior positions has slowed nation-ally the 2016 NAFE Top Companies are leading the way in moving women in power positions where they have the influence to innovate and boost profitsrdquo

Some highlights from NAFErsquos Top 60 Compa-nies are that more than half (52 percent) of the companies have at least four women on their boards of directors The number of NAFE Top 60 companies led by women chief executive officers has dropped two percentage points since last year to 8 percent but still outpaces Fortune 500 companies with 5 percent

Women at the NAFE Top Companies last year received 44 percent of promotions to the manager level and above The largest proportion of promotions going to women is at the manager level Men still receive the majority of promotions at all levels

For the annual ranking NAFE issued an appli-cation that includes more than 200 questions on female representation at all levels particularly the corporate officer and profit-and-loss ranks The vetting process includes the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance and the access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women To be eligible entrants must have a minimum of 1000 employ-ees two women on the board of directors and be a public or private company

RETAIL

LrsquoOreacuteal PampG Top List ofCompanies for Women

Carolyn Tastad

1 MARCH 2016 9

Fratelli Rossetti Fratelli Rossettirsquos stacked heel slip-on shoe exudes the spirit of imperial Russia through embroidered velvet inspired by ldquoDoctor Zhivagordquo

FurlaFurla offered a new take on its hit Metrop-olis bag with the Bolero model showing a laser-cut design and gold details on the flap with a leather and chain strap

Sara BattagliaSara Battaglia struck different notes with her new bag collection Embracing a flamboy-ant look she covered a bucket bag with leath-er-fringed flowers while maxi bows appeared on graphic shoulder styles She introduced fur via multicolor mink intarsia decorating the flap of a leather bag with a metal chain Battaglia also developed a graphic black-and-white range including options enriched with stripes as well as exquisite evening bags punctuated with pearls

SantoniInspired by Marlene Dietrichrsquos androgynous aesthetic Santoni elaborated its hand-made menrsquos lace-ups and brogues magnifying their laces and perforated piping and transforming the designs into feminine and sensual high-heel sandals

Elena GhiselliniElena Ghisellini introduced a structured bag with rock-inspired leather and chunky chain interwoven handle twin fringe tassels delicate punk studs on the sides and interior Already a big hit the pink and burgundy model shown features the Lolita doll acces-sory in Orylag fur mdash a specially bred rabbit Styles run from romantic flower-printed calf-skin mdash featuring the brandrsquos trademark feline front mdash to black and white polka-dot pony Optical prints of zebra stripes and polka dots dominated new versions of heritage models including handbags and clutches

ValextraldquoWe want to explain the personality of the brand through the women of Milan and their rigorous bon tonrdquo said Sara Ferrero chief executive officer of Valextra But just as the cityrsquos gardens remain hidden behind austere facades therersquos more than meets the eye to the Milanese woman she observed

Hence the lining of the brandrsquos new Triennale bags in total black mdash metal details included mdash came in a surprising shade of bright yellow Intarsia Bakelite magnets embellished other Valextra totes that were rendered in a fun rainbow palette mdash new shades that are not readily associated with the brand from orange to turquoise

Another novelty cream bags with intarsia superimposed panels that created a black ldquoXrdquo ldquoThis can mean I choose you or nothellipor itrsquos a kissrdquo Ferrero said

Rene CaovillaLayered arches of nude mesh and indigo strass swooped up to a bow on dorset pumps called Futurism from Rene Caovilla Art Deco

geometric patterns surged across Swarovski crystal-encrusted sandals pumps and flats The glittering eveningwear brand introduced its first boots pearls and chunky crystals embellished the block heels on suede ankle boots while Parisienne thigh boots with Swarovski paveacute block heels gloved the length of the leg in navy or gray suede

GiannicoThese makeup-inspired dusty pink and brown wedges by Giannico sport the debut of the fledgling brandrsquos signature buckle incor-porating its lip and quilting motifs

CAR SHOEAt Car Shoe the pebbled sole of its driving shoe was re-elaborated on a furry ankle boot Thick-soled sneakers with a black and white cow-spot pattern and sneakers adorned with crystals rounded out the lineup

Chiara FerragniThe party was packed and the bar open in the scarlet interior of the subterranean nightclub where Italian blogger and designer Chiara Ferragni showed her shoes ldquoBorn to Be Wildrdquo mdash the song set the mood and was also the name of the collection which Ferragni said ldquois about being brave and wild about the freedom of choosing your own path like I didrdquo Ferragni who now lives in Los Angeles drew inspiration from road trips through the deserts of the American West to introduce a series of flamboyant cowboy boots some with big glittering stars others with metallic chevron stripes still others with large grommets Ferragni is shown here with thigh-high versions with flame stitching up the leg

Bertoni 1949A lush neo-Renaissance palazzo-museum set an aristocratic tone for luxe handbags from Bertoni 1949 Styles included miniature struc-tured travel pieces from the 20th century like leather-covered wood hat boxes trunks and suitcases Bertonirsquos latest collection taps its ongoing theme of the American Dream this time in the free-spirited nomadic attitude of American culture Called Nomadrsquos Land it recalls the lives and craft traditions of wanderers through patchworks of precious skins hand-painted paisley patterns inspired by bandanas wood-printed leather and the blue and tan hues of earth and sky Bertoni introduced this graphic flap bag with a sad-dlebag shape embellished with leather-cov-ered studs

AGLMarianna Giusti designed the nature-in-spired print for this laser-cut calfskin ankle boot with a block heel by Attilio Giusti Leombruni The Giusti sisters at AGL pushed toward greater femininity in their androgy-nous mixes sometimes achieving the hyper-feminine mdash like the application of the laser-cut print in low-heel pointy-toe slingbacks with fur pom-poms More often they created surprising contrasts like combat boots with floral embroidery and hand-painted gold-brushed laces or forest green patent leather high tops with velvet laces and fur-covered vamp

FurlaFratelli Rossetti

Sara Battaglia

Valextra Giannico

Santoni Elena Ghisellini

Bertoni 1949

AGL

Rene Caovilla

Car Shoe

Chiara Ferragni

10 1 MARCH 2016

Farfetch launched beauty on Monday and kids apparel today mdash its next step toward becoming a lifestyle destination online

BY RACHEL STRUGATZ

Farfetch is in the midst of its most aggressive expansion since it was founded in 2008

The online platform for luxury boutiques rolled out beauty on Monday and introduces kids apparel today mdash the latest steps in companyrsquos quest to become a lifestyle destination Stepha-nie Horton Farfetchrsquos chief marketing officer predicted sales on the platform or its gross merchandise volume would rise to $800 million this year from over $500 million in 2015

The new verticals come after last yearrsquos emphasis on global growth which saw it open new offices in Japan and Australia and acquire the famed British boutique Browns in May Farfetch raised $86 million last year making it one of fashions tech ldquounicornsrdquo with a valua-tions of a billion dollars or more

And the companyrsquos looking for moreldquoBeauty is a huge category overall in

the regular retail environment so wersquore planning accordinglyrdquo Horton said

Farfetchcom now carries 100 global

beauty brands including Hourglass Eve Lom By Terry Lipstick Queen and Chantecaille via a partnership with Space NK The UK-based cosmetics retailer which has 86 doors worldwide will be the first beauty retailer to sell on Farfetch But the partnership isnrsquot exclusive and Horton said the team will evaluate the category and ldquolook to take on other partners at a later daterdquo

As for childrenrsquos fashions 16 bou-tiques mdash from Babylon Bus in Italy and Edit in New York to Azzurro in Amster-dam and Jofre in Barcelona mdash will sell wares from 70 brands including Stella McCartney Kids London-based Huck-lebones Caramel Baby Roksanda and Burberry Kids

ldquoConsumers have really been asking

especially about kidsrdquo Horton said ldquoAs the consumer drives a lot of business decisions these days it was prudent that we look into it We hadnrsquot had a new category expansion in eight years It was time to add a little bit to the platformrdquo

About five percent of the market-placersquos partners will offer childrenrsquos apparel at the onset but Horton predicts that Farfetch will be adding new bou-tiques at a rapid rate

For Jose Neves founder and chief executive officer of Farfetch who said that many of the platformrsquos 400 bou-tique and brand partners already sold kids clothing in-store this roll out is a ldquonatural extensionrdquo He declined to give sales projections for the first year for either category

RETAIL

Farfetch in Expansion Mode Adds Beauty Kids

Farfetch launched beauty and kids

categories this week

Changes in color preferences patterns and fasteners in menrsquos wear are trend-driven

BY ARTHUR ZACZKIEWICZ

When it comes to menrsquos fashion changes in color preferences patterns and fasteners are just as trend-driven as womenrsquos wear while favored brands reflect a diversity in taste and style that varies depending on the age group tested

After crunching data from the recent fashion weeks in New York and Europe predictive analytics firm First Insight Inc found that red went from being unpopular last year to being trendy this year among 2800-plus men and women consumers tested The average positive sentiment for red jumped to 35 percent this year up from an 8 percent score last year But navy was the overall top color as its net positive sentiment score increased 35 percent over 2015 With patterns solid designs emerged as the most popular trending up 6 percent from 2015

For fasteners zippers trended down 19 percent this year as compared with last year while looks with buttons ldquomain-tained an identical 32 percent average positive sentimentrdquo in both years Overall medium-length outfits were most popu-lar which was followed by short lengths Long lengths were third overall

Regarding designers the top four brands this year were Theory Thomas Pink Michael Kors and Nautica

ldquoRed was unpopular in 2015 but now it is much more trendyrdquo said Joe Callahan director of marketing at First Insight ldquoMenrsquos fashion is starting to be more aggressive and theyrsquore taking more of a risk with fashionrdquo

When measured by average positive sentiment Theory was the top brand with a score of 39 percent Salvatore Ferragamo while not one of the top four brands had the top overall item tested with a positive sentiment score of 67 percent The brand also had three of the top five items that were measured overall Jim Shea chief commercial officer at First Insights said therersquos a lesson here for brands where ldquoyou can have a standout item yet not be consistent enough to be a top brandrdquo in the minds of the consumer

By gender LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuittonrsquos Thomas Pink was the top brand among men while Theory was number one for women The analysis also showed that women preferred hooded outfits which compares to hoodless looks for men And black was favored more by men while women leaned toward navy Regarding fasteners men preferred but-tons while women favored toggles

And by age demographic Theory was the top brand for those between 19 and 44 years old while Thomas Pink and Perry Ellis scored better with those 45

and olderCallahan and Shea said that for con-

sumers tested sentiment may not always correlate with value ldquoFor example those aged 19 to 29 valued the top Thomas Pink sport coat $8777 more than those ages 45 to 59rdquo the report stated ldquoHowever those aged 45 to 59 had higher positive senti-ment toward this item mdash 5 percent higher than those 19 to 29rdquo

ldquoBrands often think that consumers buy what they loverdquo Callahan said ldquoBut people tend to buy products that they value instead which is a combination of price and sentimentrdquo

The brands tested included Calvin Klein Coach Giorgio Armani Gucci Michael Kors Nautica Perry Ellis Prada Salvatore Ferragamo Theory Thomas Pink Tommy Hilfiger and Versace

Of the 2864 responses collected 798 were male and 2066 were women The largest age segment of those polled were between 30 and 44 By household income most of the respondents earned under $75000 per year which was fol-lowed by those earning between $75000 and $125000

BUSINESS

First Insight TestingReveals Value-DrivenFashion Risk Takers

A look from Theoryrsquos menrsquos line for fall

Avon Wal-Mart and Target made NAFErsquos ldquoTop 60 Companies for Executive Womenrdquo

BY LISA LOCKWOOD

LrsquoOreacuteal USA and Procter amp Gamble were included among the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women identified by The National Association for Female Executives The list recog-nizes American corporations that have promoted women into top executive positions and created a culture that fosters the careers of talented women Other companies that made the top 10 list were Abbott Ernst amp Young LLP Fleishman Hillard IBM Johnson amp Johnson KPMG Marriott

International and MassMutual Financial Group

NAFErsquos full list entitled ldquoTop 60 Companies for Execu-tive Womenrdquo also includes Target Wal-Mart and Avon Products The results are fea-tured in the FebruaryMarch issue of Working Mother and on workingmothercom NAFE

is a division of Working Mother MediaThis is LrsquoOreacuteal USArsquos first time on the Top 10

list but itrsquos the second year on the Top 60 list PampG has made the Top 10 list eight times and the top 60 list 16 times

According to the report that highlights each of the top 60 companies women make up 58 percent of those in line for key roles at LrsquoOreacuteal and earn 49 percent of top salaries At PampG 30 percent of those at the vice president level and above are female as are 45 percent of those in management positions In January 2015 Carolyn Tastad became group president North America a promotion that put her in charge of $29 billion in net sales

Last June at the 30th annual Women of Achievement Awards Gala in New York Tastad an honoree told the crowd ldquoIrsquom lucky to work for PampG where half of our managers and board members are women At PampG women are cele-brated I believe in the power of womenrdquo

The report also pointed out that at Wal-Mart women earn 45 percent of all promotions to the manager level and above and at Target women make up 45 percent of its leadership team and are the officers in charge of the companyrsquos hiring budget store management risk and compliance and social responsibility efforts In 2015 women comprised 67 percent of those heading bil-lion-dollar divisions at Target

ldquoI am happy to report that female representa-tion in senior management positions continues to inch up at NAFE Top Companiesrdquo said Betty Spence president of NAFE ldquoThough progress of women into senior positions has slowed nation-ally the 2016 NAFE Top Companies are leading the way in moving women in power positions where they have the influence to innovate and boost profitsrdquo

Some highlights from NAFErsquos Top 60 Compa-nies are that more than half (52 percent) of the companies have at least four women on their boards of directors The number of NAFE Top 60 companies led by women chief executive officers has dropped two percentage points since last year to 8 percent but still outpaces Fortune 500 companies with 5 percent

Women at the NAFE Top Companies last year received 44 percent of promotions to the manager level and above The largest proportion of promotions going to women is at the manager level Men still receive the majority of promotions at all levels

For the annual ranking NAFE issued an appli-cation that includes more than 200 questions on female representation at all levels particularly the corporate officer and profit-and-loss ranks The vetting process includes the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance and the access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women To be eligible entrants must have a minimum of 1000 employ-ees two women on the board of directors and be a public or private company

RETAIL

LrsquoOreacuteal PampG Top List ofCompanies for Women

Carolyn Tastad

10 1 MARCH 2016

Farfetch launched beauty on Monday and kids apparel today mdash its next step toward becoming a lifestyle destination online

BY RACHEL STRUGATZ

Farfetch is in the midst of its most aggressive expansion since it was founded in 2008

The online platform for luxury boutiques rolled out beauty on Monday and introduces kids apparel today mdash the latest steps in companyrsquos quest to become a lifestyle destination Stepha-nie Horton Farfetchrsquos chief marketing officer predicted sales on the platform or its gross merchandise volume would rise to $800 million this year from over $500 million in 2015

The new verticals come after last yearrsquos emphasis on global growth which saw it open new offices in Japan and Australia and acquire the famed British boutique Browns in May Farfetch raised $86 million last year making it one of fashions tech ldquounicornsrdquo with a valua-tions of a billion dollars or more

And the companyrsquos looking for moreldquoBeauty is a huge category overall in

the regular retail environment so wersquore planning accordinglyrdquo Horton said

Farfetchcom now carries 100 global

beauty brands including Hourglass Eve Lom By Terry Lipstick Queen and Chantecaille via a partnership with Space NK The UK-based cosmetics retailer which has 86 doors worldwide will be the first beauty retailer to sell on Farfetch But the partnership isnrsquot exclusive and Horton said the team will evaluate the category and ldquolook to take on other partners at a later daterdquo

As for childrenrsquos fashions 16 bou-tiques mdash from Babylon Bus in Italy and Edit in New York to Azzurro in Amster-dam and Jofre in Barcelona mdash will sell wares from 70 brands including Stella McCartney Kids London-based Huck-lebones Caramel Baby Roksanda and Burberry Kids

ldquoConsumers have really been asking

especially about kidsrdquo Horton said ldquoAs the consumer drives a lot of business decisions these days it was prudent that we look into it We hadnrsquot had a new category expansion in eight years It was time to add a little bit to the platformrdquo

About five percent of the market-placersquos partners will offer childrenrsquos apparel at the onset but Horton predicts that Farfetch will be adding new bou-tiques at a rapid rate

For Jose Neves founder and chief executive officer of Farfetch who said that many of the platformrsquos 400 bou-tique and brand partners already sold kids clothing in-store this roll out is a ldquonatural extensionrdquo He declined to give sales projections for the first year for either category

RETAIL

Farfetch in Expansion Mode Adds Beauty Kids

Farfetch launched beauty and kids

categories this week

Changes in color preferences patterns and fasteners in menrsquos wear are trend-driven

BY ARTHUR ZACZKIEWICZ

When it comes to menrsquos fashion changes in color preferences patterns and fasteners are just as trend-driven as womenrsquos wear while favored brands reflect a diversity in taste and style that varies depending on the age group tested

After crunching data from the recent fashion weeks in New York and Europe predictive analytics firm First Insight Inc found that red went from being unpopular last year to being trendy this year among 2800-plus men and women consumers tested The average positive sentiment for red jumped to 35 percent this year up from an 8 percent score last year But navy was the overall top color as its net positive sentiment score increased 35 percent over 2015 With patterns solid designs emerged as the most popular trending up 6 percent from 2015

For fasteners zippers trended down 19 percent this year as compared with last year while looks with buttons ldquomain-tained an identical 32 percent average positive sentimentrdquo in both years Overall medium-length outfits were most popu-lar which was followed by short lengths Long lengths were third overall

Regarding designers the top four brands this year were Theory Thomas Pink Michael Kors and Nautica

ldquoRed was unpopular in 2015 but now it is much more trendyrdquo said Joe Callahan director of marketing at First Insight ldquoMenrsquos fashion is starting to be more aggressive and theyrsquore taking more of a risk with fashionrdquo

When measured by average positive sentiment Theory was the top brand with a score of 39 percent Salvatore Ferragamo while not one of the top four brands had the top overall item tested with a positive sentiment score of 67 percent The brand also had three of the top five items that were measured overall Jim Shea chief commercial officer at First Insights said therersquos a lesson here for brands where ldquoyou can have a standout item yet not be consistent enough to be a top brandrdquo in the minds of the consumer

By gender LVMH Moeumlt Hennessy Louis Vuittonrsquos Thomas Pink was the top brand among men while Theory was number one for women The analysis also showed that women preferred hooded outfits which compares to hoodless looks for men And black was favored more by men while women leaned toward navy Regarding fasteners men preferred but-tons while women favored toggles

And by age demographic Theory was the top brand for those between 19 and 44 years old while Thomas Pink and Perry Ellis scored better with those 45

and olderCallahan and Shea said that for con-

sumers tested sentiment may not always correlate with value ldquoFor example those aged 19 to 29 valued the top Thomas Pink sport coat $8777 more than those ages 45 to 59rdquo the report stated ldquoHowever those aged 45 to 59 had higher positive senti-ment toward this item mdash 5 percent higher than those 19 to 29rdquo

ldquoBrands often think that consumers buy what they loverdquo Callahan said ldquoBut people tend to buy products that they value instead which is a combination of price and sentimentrdquo

The brands tested included Calvin Klein Coach Giorgio Armani Gucci Michael Kors Nautica Perry Ellis Prada Salvatore Ferragamo Theory Thomas Pink Tommy Hilfiger and Versace

Of the 2864 responses collected 798 were male and 2066 were women The largest age segment of those polled were between 30 and 44 By household income most of the respondents earned under $75000 per year which was fol-lowed by those earning between $75000 and $125000

BUSINESS

First Insight TestingReveals Value-DrivenFashion Risk Takers

A look from Theoryrsquos menrsquos line for fall

Avon Wal-Mart and Target made NAFErsquos ldquoTop 60 Companies for Executive Womenrdquo

BY LISA LOCKWOOD

LrsquoOreacuteal USA and Procter amp Gamble were included among the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women identified by The National Association for Female Executives The list recog-nizes American corporations that have promoted women into top executive positions and created a culture that fosters the careers of talented women Other companies that made the top 10 list were Abbott Ernst amp Young LLP Fleishman Hillard IBM Johnson amp Johnson KPMG Marriott

International and MassMutual Financial Group

NAFErsquos full list entitled ldquoTop 60 Companies for Execu-tive Womenrdquo also includes Target Wal-Mart and Avon Products The results are fea-tured in the FebruaryMarch issue of Working Mother and on workingmothercom NAFE

is a division of Working Mother MediaThis is LrsquoOreacuteal USArsquos first time on the Top 10

list but itrsquos the second year on the Top 60 list PampG has made the Top 10 list eight times and the top 60 list 16 times

According to the report that highlights each of the top 60 companies women make up 58 percent of those in line for key roles at LrsquoOreacuteal and earn 49 percent of top salaries At PampG 30 percent of those at the vice president level and above are female as are 45 percent of those in management positions In January 2015 Carolyn Tastad became group president North America a promotion that put her in charge of $29 billion in net sales

Last June at the 30th annual Women of Achievement Awards Gala in New York Tastad an honoree told the crowd ldquoIrsquom lucky to work for PampG where half of our managers and board members are women At PampG women are cele-brated I believe in the power of womenrdquo

The report also pointed out that at Wal-Mart women earn 45 percent of all promotions to the manager level and above and at Target women make up 45 percent of its leadership team and are the officers in charge of the companyrsquos hiring budget store management risk and compliance and social responsibility efforts In 2015 women comprised 67 percent of those heading bil-lion-dollar divisions at Target

ldquoI am happy to report that female representa-tion in senior management positions continues to inch up at NAFE Top Companiesrdquo said Betty Spence president of NAFE ldquoThough progress of women into senior positions has slowed nation-ally the 2016 NAFE Top Companies are leading the way in moving women in power positions where they have the influence to innovate and boost profitsrdquo

Some highlights from NAFErsquos Top 60 Compa-nies are that more than half (52 percent) of the companies have at least four women on their boards of directors The number of NAFE Top 60 companies led by women chief executive officers has dropped two percentage points since last year to 8 percent but still outpaces Fortune 500 companies with 5 percent

Women at the NAFE Top Companies last year received 44 percent of promotions to the manager level and above The largest proportion of promotions going to women is at the manager level Men still receive the majority of promotions at all levels

For the annual ranking NAFE issued an appli-cation that includes more than 200 questions on female representation at all levels particularly the corporate officer and profit-and-loss ranks The vetting process includes the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance and the access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women To be eligible entrants must have a minimum of 1000 employ-ees two women on the board of directors and be a public or private company

RETAIL

LrsquoOreacuteal PampG Top List ofCompanies for Women

Carolyn Tastad

1 MARCH 2016 11

Connectivity is driving reinvention for its ability to enable communication provide better service and amplify distinctive aspects of culture

BY KATHERINE BOWERS

BOSTON mdash Twelve million Facebook fans but the Marc Jacobs brand wonrsquot spend a dollar to market to them

ldquoGiven our customer base Facebook is not where wersquore goingrdquo said Sarah Choi senior vice president and general manager of global and digital creative services for Marc Jacobs International noting that 80 percent of the brandrsquos customers are age 18 to 34 ldquoSnapchat is where we want to gordquo

Choi gave the opening keynote last week for Harvard Business Schoolrsquos 12th annual Retail and Luxury Goods Conference Jun-Sheng Li senior vice president for Wal-Mart Global e-commerce supply chain gave the closing keynote titled ldquoReinventing Wal-Martrdquo

Although representing vastly different brands both Choi and Li spent a lot of time talking about how connectivity is driving reinvention Technology matters not for its bells-and-whistles but for its ability to enable communication provide better service and amplify distinctive aspects of culture they said In some cases it can even maximize the productivity of physical spaces

Wal-Mart which has been struggling in recent quarters with flat comparable stores sales is reimagining its stores as service ldquonodesrdquo that support and fulfill online orders Li said (The retailer is a distant second behind Amazon in e-commerce traffic and sales according to comScore data) For instance in the ldquonoderdquo model Wal-Martrsquos stores might be retrofitted with drive-through pick-up areas or be the departure point for home delivery couriers

Li cited the companyrsquos widespread adoption of store-to-home delivery in the UK and China as a model ldquoIn China nobody likes to carry things out of the store they all want things deliveredrdquo he said He said Americans are less fond of having goods left on their doorsteps and envisioned Wal-Mart using a local gather-ing point mdash a gas station near a neighborhood

for example mdash to distribute same-day orders In theory someone could place an order at the office and swing by a neighborhood pick-up spot on the way home to collect their stuff

ldquoWe want to erase all notion of channel mdash so all you know is you got something yesterday from us but you donrsquot really remember whether you shopped picked it up at the store or had it delivered to yourdquo he said

Projecting out what Wal-Mart has seen in other markets Li speculated that by 2026 up to half of retail product could be delivered to homes or convenient pick-up spots But he laughed when asked if drones mdash a la Amazon mdash would be in the mix ldquoA great pr stuntrdquo he said adding that Wal-Mart would be more likely to use them within its warehouse to monitor operations

Connectivity was the buzz of the confer-ence as was social media

ldquoItrsquos creepy but true that some of the closest relationships I have right now I met on Instagramrdquo confessed designer Marissa Webb who was the featured speaker during a cocktail reception The designer who late last year exited as creative director of Banana Republic to focus on her own line opened her first Marissa Webb boutique in New Yorkrsquos SoHo in January She remains a consultant to Banana Republic reviewing the designs visuals and advertisements The brand is on a campaign to ldquointroduce itself back to customers who were not aware of or may have forgotten about itrdquo she said

In her keynote Marc Jacobsrsquo Choi outlined her career path advising students to be bold in their ambitions and cautious with their personal finances As reported the company has stopped using the ldquoMarc by Marc Jacobsrdquo moniker and is branding its whole offering mdash runway pieces to purse charms mdash as Marc Jacobs The customers were ldquoconfusedrdquo before with two labels Choi said Now itrsquos ldquoone store design one runway one global ad campaignrdquo The majority of the offering will be at ldquodem-ocratic price pointsrdquo Choi said (Bags start at $300) Clothing may set a general design direction but bags beauty and accessories will drive sales Currently ldquo40 percent of our business is bagsrdquo Choi said

The company is testing a new store format in Lebanon and Taiwan and plans to begin remodeling and refitting US stores next year including Mercer Street in New York Choi said she was not familiar with specifics of the new

store designShe said 70 percent of the Marc Jacobs

customer base is international Marc Jacob beauty which launched at Harrods and will expand to Bergdorf Goodman Neiman Marcus and others is on track to hit ldquotriple-digit millionsrdquo in sales by the end of 2016 according to Choi The company is heavily promoting the Sephora launch of Velvet Noir mascara with an ad campaign featuring Winona Ryder

A veteran of Levirsquos and Sephora where she launched the brandrsquos loyalty programs Choi talked about how Marc Jacobs International will be ldquosocial firstrdquo That means new ads will debut on Instagram on the designerrsquos personal feed before print magazines She emphasized all that can be done with a limited digital budget mdash whether itrsquos pushing people to NevilleJacobs the designerrsquos dogrsquos Instagram (187000 followers) having the brandrsquos long-time doorman take over the corporate Insta-gram for New York Fashion Week or creating a YouTube video series MJafterhours featuring Marc Jacobs employees on their personal time mdash getting tattoos playing in bands etc

ldquoWe want to excite her about the world and the community of Marc Jacobsrdquo Choi said

Building an e-mail database is a priority currently only 3 percent of sales come in response to e-mails The company also is investing in affiliate marketing and paid search but not on Facebook

Thibaut Munier chief operating officer and cofounder of digital consultancy Num-berly whose clients include PampG Chanel and Sephora said he wasnrsquot surprised by Marc Jacobsrsquo strategy Facebook is ldquoexpensiverdquo he noted and unlike Google doesnrsquot provide much data back

And data is competitive power Jessica Schinazi senior manager marketing services and business development for Richemont North America said the company recently mapped FedEx delivery receipts It discovered ldquointeresting clustersrdquo of very good customers including a group of students coming from China to study at a Midwestern university

ldquoIt was a little market we found that was under our radarrdquo she noted ldquoSo wersquove devel-oped specific messages including during the Chinese New Yearrdquo

Wal-Mart closely measures three customer data points for each of its US store mdash how fast friendly and clean (specifically bathrooms) the store is perceived to be mdash because comp

performance rises when these scores do Paul Hatch senior marketing director for the Ben-tonville Ark company said customers are willing to provide a lot of personal data when therersquos a clear payoff attached For instance American Wal-Mart customers can scan their receipts with their mobile phones after purchase If an item they bought is available anywhere else for less Wal-Mart sends an e-gift card for the difference

In a panel entitled ldquoThe Future of Tradi-tionrdquo panelists weighed in on companies they study for insight Mercedes Abramo president and chief executive officer of Cartier North America cited Burberry for the way its digital presence reinforces its brand promise Scott Cameron chief strategy officer for Canadian outerwear firm Canada Goose cited Apple for ldquomaintaining simplicity and avoiding product proliferation I think itrsquos a good example for the fashion world where itrsquos easy to get caught up in churning out style after stylerdquo

Michelle Giguere director of buying for Tory Burch said theyrsquove been studying user-generated content on Rent the Runway where customers upload photos of themselves wearing the garments provide detailed per-sonal information (bra size weight etc) and are prolific about their experiences in rented finery

ldquoA few years ago people felt uncomfortable with reviews onlinerdquo Giguere noted ldquoNow itrsquos a baseline everyone expects Wersquore looking at where it goes nextrdquo

Pippa Morgan executive vice president for the retail division of Aritzia talked about the Vancouver retailerrsquos recent US expansion The 70-store chain which Morgan joked is the ldquobiggest retailer no onersquos ever heard ofrdquo opened its first Boston store in the Prudential Center last month

ldquoWe knew how many Canadian retailers have failed crossing into the US so wersquove been cautiousrdquo she said The retailer has stocked its online call center with former store associates a move thatrsquos proven so successful that the call center generates as many sales as the chainrsquos top stores

Asked for a piece of advice for the MBA-seeking crowd Morgan responded ldquoThe answer is in the store Many of you have high potential and will do great things but never think the store is beneath you All the clues to the problems and the answers are in the storerdquo

FASHION

Marc Jacobs Wal-Mart Executives Talk at Harvard Business School

The retailer which has the largest share of the swimwear market doubled the number of brands it sells online

BY SHARON EDELSON

Target which commands a significant share of the swimwear market continues to stress inclusivity in its advertising market-ing and social media campaigns as it tries to convince more women to get into the water by showing its swimsuits on a variety of body types

Target claims to be the largest swimwear retailer in the US In the past the num-ber-one position has teetered between it and Victoriarsquos Secret but the discounter said it regained the number-one spot last year

ldquoWersquove seen tremendous strength in our swim business which has been driven by assortment presentation and our approach to marketingrdquo said Jeff Jones executive vice president and chief marketing officer adding that Target ldquocelebrates the fact that

people come in various shapes and sizes Therersquos no perfect body typerdquo There is however a swimsuit for a wide array of body types at Target Jones said

The retailer last year grew its swimwear business by nearly 10 percent and the com-pany isnrsquot taking its foot off the accelerator Target doubled its online swimwear assort-ment with the addition of brands such as

Mar by Vix designed by Paula Hermanny whose main Vix collection is sold at Saks Fifth Avenue Net-a-porter and Neiman Marcus Vanilla Beach Shade and Shore Vitamin A Soleil Cleobella Turquoise Miracle Brands and Tori Praver Seafoam complement house brands Merona Moss-imo and Xhilration

Target tripled its marketing spend over last year for broadcast TV digital and social media signaling the importance of the swimwear category

In addition Target launched its biggest social media campaign to date for the style category with the hashtag NOFOMO which stands for ldquoNo Fear Of Missing Outrdquo A flood of posts from social influencers resulted in more than 300000 likes and shares the company said

The idea for the campaign came from a study in Fitness Magazine that found 36 percent of women said they would turn down an invitation to Justin Timberlakersquos pool party because theyrsquod feel too self-con-scious to wear a swimsuit

ldquoLast year we showcased real women real bodies and a diversity of body shapesrdquo

said a spokesman ldquoThis year the women in the commercial and print ads are mod-els but therersquos still focus on body inclu-sivityrdquo The tag line for the campaign is ldquoTarget Loves Every Bodyrdquo

ldquoThe campaign was designed to be a badge for proud womenrdquo said Marissa Shrum strategy director of advertising agency Mother New York ldquoThatrsquos why it is rooted in a message that doubles as a hashtag Itrsquos a rallying cry for women to stop missing out on what they love about the season because of body insecurities Our intention was to create an empowering message that women could get behind relate to and share with their friends mak-ing social a critical componentrdquo

Target executives believe theyrsquore tapping into a significant cultural moment the launch of the Barbie Fashionistas line and dolls with three new body types mdash curvy petite and tall The dolls along with the original Barbie whose perfect body has been criticized for giving girls a negative body image and unrealistic and unattain-able goals will wear Target swimsuits on the Barbiestyle Instagram account

ldquoWe were really excited to learn of Barbiersquos evolutionrdquo Jones said ldquoShersquos had an undeniable impact on our culture for decades and now is helping to evolve the conversation about inclusivity Given our belief in every body we loved the idea of working with Mattel to find a way for Barbie to join our swimwear campaignrdquo

RETAIL

Target Boosts Swimwear With New Brands and Marketing Campaign

Barbie Fashionista including new curvy petite and tall dolls will appear in an Instagram post on Tuesday wearing tiny Target swimsuits

Phot

ogra

ph b

y Pe

tra

Rajn

icov

a S

tyle

d by

Sus

an K

urtz

12 1 MARCH 2016

Racial issues may have colored the 88th Academy Awards ceremony hosted by Chris Rock but the Governors Ball immediately following was about feeding the belly not the conscience Winner for Best Original Song Sam Smith rocking a sample size after a stringent awards season regimen said ldquoIrsquove been eating some of the most boring food for a month now and Irsquom gonna destroy some burgers and chocolate cakes and some

beer You have no ideardquoWinner for Best Actress

in a Supporting Role Alicia Vikander was thinking more along the lines of a drink ldquoTo celebrate I hope I can go outside to get a glass of winerdquo she said Not one to shy away from a dance floor the ex-ballerina added ldquoI even have a short dress in front so I can bounce and dance in it so thatrsquos what Irsquom going to dordquo

Across town Graydon Carter and Elton John

had no problem melding glamour and diversity at their respective shindigs in West Hollywood Calif and Beverly Hills on Sunday night

ldquoIt started off as 150 people at a little restaurant around the corner and now we have 950 people for dinnerrdquo John said of his 24th annual Academy Awards viewing party and post-par-ty ldquoWe used to go around to every table but my legs ainrsquot what they used to berdquo

Mariah Carey Sheryl Crow Brandy Vince Vaughn Ryan Kwanten Bellamy Young Sarah Hyland Ashley Greene Jeffrey Tambor Nikki Reed Ian Somerhalder Kelly Osbourne and Martha Hunt donned their finest and gave money in an effort to raise $62 million for Johnrsquos AIDS Foundation

After chatting with ldquoTransparentrdquo star Jeffrey Tambor Caitlyn Jenner posed with fans in at least two dozen selfies many of them taken next to her table hosted by MAC which also invited Lana Del Rey and Dita Von Teese as its guests ldquoFinallyrdquo Jenner told some admirers ldquoI get lipstick for freerdquo

John then gave a post-din-ner performance before he and husband David Furnish scooted off to the Vanity Fair party There they were met by other heavy hitters from the worlds of perform-ing arts fashion media and sports

Per tradition a steady flow of stars mdash people-watching on steroids mdash was its own entertainment mdash from Taylor Swift and Charlize Theron

and Lady Gaga to the Jessicas (Biel and Alba) and the Lilys (Cole and Collins) Even Harvey Weinstein left his own post-party to join the fun

Barely off the striped carpet Swift with BFF Lorde in tow bumped into Kate Upton exclaiming ldquoDude you look amazingrdquo before heading to a bar table midway between the actual bar and the dance floor Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie held hands as they made their way through the crowd while other beauteous couples included Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudekis Aaron Paul and Lauren Parsekian and Kerry Washington and Nnamdi Asomugha There were also some hot (newly) singles including Jennifer Garner (whose soon-to-be ex-husband Ben Affleck was also present) and Paula Patton

Designers enjoyed getting to see the fruits of their labor come alive on beautiful bodies ldquoI loved designing Saoirsersquos gownrdquo said Francisco Costa of the dress he created for nominee Saoirse Ronan ldquoGreen is my favorite color and she looked like such a beautiful woman tonightrdquo He then made his way over to the bar with a glass of his preferred party libation te-quila to have a shimmy with Alessandra Ambrosio and

Michelle RodriguezWhile the party was still

in full swing at 1 am there were some who had even later plans ldquoHi And bye Wersquore going to Madonnarsquosrdquo said Diane Kruger

Jennifer Meyer and hus-band Tobey Maguire uttered something about having to ldquogo to Ago [restaurant]rdquo where presumably winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role winner Leonardo DiCaprio was throwing his own party

As Ashley Madekwe noted at Johnrsquos shindig the Oscars are ldquolike a national holiday in Hollywood Itrsquos like our Christmasrdquo mdash MARCY MEDINA KHANH TL TRAN AND LINDZI SCHARF

The Post-Party SwirlThe Governorrsquos Ball Elton John AIDS Foundation and Vanity Fair bashes brought more stars out from Taylor Swift to Caitlyn Jenner

Gucci scored fash-ionrsquos equivalent of the golden goose at Sundayrsquos Oscars by dressing Best Actress Brie Larson Her blue custom-made gown made a strong state-ment colorwise even if it might not have been creative director Alessandro Michelersquos most daring design stylewise

The designer who attended the 88th Academy Awards cer-emony with actor and male muse Jared Leto explained the genesis of the dress to WWD

at the Vanity Fair after party

ldquoBrie wanted to do something blue like the color of lapis lazuli or the Maid [Virgin] Mary paintings of the Renaissancerdquo he said ldquoItrsquos not a common color for an evening dressrdquo Of working with the actress he said ldquoI like her very much and I am happy to see her win Itrsquos all a dream creating clothes for such artistsrdquo

Michele seemed game to chat longer but Leto kept tugging on his arm wanting to

mingle with the crowd But the designer lin-gered a minute longer to offer his thoughts on the actor too for whom he designed a red-piped black suit ldquoJared sought me out to work with him I like that he is a risk-taker he doesnrsquot care what people think And he looks amazing tonightrdquo

Earlier Larson told reporters back-stage after her win ldquoEverything about this experience down to the way that I have handled it the way that I felt about it the

dress that Irsquom wearing everything has been very pointedly about it being a representation of who I am And I feel really strong and ex-cited to be holding this gold guy that I do feel like it is an incredible metaphor for how I feel insiderdquo

Larson may indeed have blue skies ahead in her career and her life For Gucci like the mythical bird a gown worn by a pretty young and verbal Best Actress winner is the gift that keeps on giv-ing mdash MARCY MEDINA

The Dish on Brie Larsonrsquos Oscars GownGuccirsquos creative director Alessandro Michele told WWD the actress felt inspired by the color blue

Brie Larson wears Gucci on the red carpet

Lars

on p

hoto

grap

h by

And

rew

H W

alke

r

Jennifer Lawrence in Alexander Wang at the

Vanity Fair party

Charlotte Rampling in Armani Priveacute at the

Governorrsquos Ball

Sarah Hyland in Blumarine at the Elton

John party

Alessandro Michele and Jared Leto in Gucci at the

Vanity Fair partyCaitlyn Jenner in Zac Posen at

the Elton John party

Lady Gaga in Brandon

Maxwell with Sir Elton John

at the Vanity Fair party

Leonardo DiCaprio in Giorgio Armani with Arnon Milchan and Steven Spielberg at the Governorrsquos Ball

Naomi Watts in Armani Priveacute at the Governorrsquos Ball

Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton at the

Vanity Fair partyAshlee Simpson and Evan Ross

at the Elton John party

14 1 MARCH 2016

Way to Go LeoIn between his two Giorgio Armani shows the designer appeared in top form and the conversation inevitably veered toward the Academy Awards ldquo[Leonardo] DiCaprio deserves itrdquo the designer said referring to the actorrsquos Oscar for the film ldquoThe Revenantrdquo ldquoThank good-ness he was wearing Armani Also Cate Blanchett was not half badrdquo he said with a grin The two actors are house loyalists as are Naomi Watts and Russell Crowe who were also wearing Armani designs It is understood the designer backstage sent ldquoa kiss and congratulationsrdquo to DiCaprio before his first show on Monday morning

Armani also took the opportu-nity to elaborate on a pet peeve Asked by one reporter for his views on Milan Fashion Week which drew to a close on Monday the designer lamented a lack of ldquoclearly emphasized ideas There were many beautiful things but no new messages It was a mix that women like but nobody took a risk You will allow me to say that I had the courage to sweep everything away by doing an all-black collection I understand itrsquos difficult to remove external inputs from editors Ideas can be impaired by outside influencerdquo

The designer continued saying he wished he had seen ldquo10 precise inputs for direction This is not a negative judgment I know itrsquos difficult today to see good results with the Internet [and other issues]hellipYou should pay attention to the market to get practical results but we should not be dominated by the market or dictated by the media We hear the Chinese want flowers so everyone goes out and does flowers These should merely be suggestionsrdquo mdash LUISA ZARGANI

New SchoolThe Yoox Net-a-porter Group has partnered with the Bologna Business School to create the first European Center for Digital-Business Education to be unveiled today

The two partners will collab-orate with Boston Consulting Group Google GroupM IBM and WPP

The goal of the new center is to train professional Web ana-lysts Web marketing specialists big data specialists e-commerce managers online store manag-ers and site managers

ldquoI am sure that the digital

talents that will come out of this school of the future cofounded by YNAP and BBS will have brilliant career pathsrdquo said YNAP chief executive officer Federico Marchetti ldquoSchooling is an act of social responsibility for YNAP to-ward the territory where we have been operating since 2000 and toward our country which has given us a great competitive ad-vantage to become the leader in luxury e-commerce in the worldrdquo The Yoox group was founded just outside Bologna Italy

Executive Master in E-Busi-ness kicking off in July and a Master full-time in digital sales starting in December are among the courses at the center Enroll-ment will begin in April mdash LZ

Spring AwakeningFor the first time the Museum of Arts and Design will host its ldquoLoot MAD About Jewelryrdquo event in the spring instead of fall This yearrsquos annual exhibition and sale will showcase jewelry from up-and-comers and established artists from April 11 to 16

This time around 44 artists from 17 countries will be repre-sented in the Columbus Circle museum MADrsquos opening night benefit dinner on April 11 will honor accessories designer Joan Hornig and sportswear designer Kay Unger Angela Cummings has signed on as the honorary chairwoman

Curator Bryna Pomp said the change in seasons for the event aims to broaden awareness for the artists since the date will now be more conducive for fashion journalists In addition Pomp said ldquoRetailers and galleries regularly attend wersquove launched many careers We hope to continue this benefit to our participants which is consistent with our mission to provide increased visibility for emerging artists and a platform for a new generation of jewelry designersrdquo mdash ROSEMARY FEITELBERG

Cellar TrovePierre Bergeacutersquos wine cellar will go under the hammer on March 10 in Paris

The sale at Hocirctel Drout auction house will include magnums of Chacircteau drsquoYquem jeroboams of Mouton Rothschild and a rare bottle of Heidsieck Champagne ldquoGoucirct Americainrdquo vintage 1907 which was rescued from the ship-wreck of the Joumlnkoumlping schooner that sank in 1916 in the Baltic

Fashion ScoopsPale FireJennifer Lawrence looks right at home in a Parisian apartment lounging in chunky off-the-shoulder sweaters her blonde hair casually pulled back leaving a few stray wisps

Mario Sorrenti captured the ldquoJoyrdquo actress for Diorrsquos spring campaign featuring the last ready-to-wear collection by Raf Simons who exited the house last October and has yet to be replaced

Handbags are also a focal point including new versions of the Diorama and a new style mdash the Diorever The sleek top-handled tote has a front flap that can be inserted inside

The latest Lawrence cam-paign is to break with outdoor advertising in France on Wednesday two days ahead of Diorrsquos fall 2016 show during Paris Fashion Week with stu-dio directors Serge Ruffieux

and Lucie Meier leading the design effort

Print ads are to break start-ing March 8 in titles including Vogue Netherlands Vogue Germany and Vanity Fair in the US mdash MILES SOCHA

Taking a tripTravel + Leisure has hired away fashion director Melissa Ventosa Martin from Self

Ventosa Martin will join the Time Inc-owned travel glossy as its fashion director on March 7

T+L editor Nathan Lump confirmed the appointment adding ldquoIn the past year Travel + Leisure has been more en-gaged with fashion and style than at any point in its 40-plus year historyrdquo

Lump praised Ventosa Martinrsquos ldquofresh thinking on what fashion means in a travel contextrdquo and ldquoher skills as a

stylistrdquo and ldquoher sophisticated taste and intelligencerdquo

Last spring Lump unveiled T+Lrsquos new look in print and in digital emphasizing the impor-tance of style and fashion

Showcasing the May cover which depicted Paris ldquoItrdquo girls Jeanne Damas and Marieke Gruyaert posing on the Alex-andre III bridge in the French capital Lump said he plans to fold in more fashion coverage

ldquoOur job in print is to surpriserdquo he said at the time ldquoItrsquos the approach that a lot of fashion magazines takerdquo

Prior to Self Ventosa Martin served as style director at Condeacute Nastrsquos Glamour for four years Before that she worked as a fashion market director and fashion editor at T The New York Times Style Magazine

Self said it is looking to fill Ventosa Martinrsquos role mdash ALEXANDRA STEIGRAD

Memo Pad

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Sea at a depth of 300 feet after being attacked by a German submarine

An avid collector Bergeacutersquos cellar has around 3000 bottles There are rare Bordeaux vintages including from Petrus Cheval Blanc and Margaux

There is a lot of 12 bottles of Chacircteau La Mission Haut Brion 1959 estimated at between 18000 euros and 22000 euros or $19670 and $24042 at current exchange From Burgundy therersquos a lot of a dozen bottles of La Tacircche Domaine de la Romaneacutee-Conti 1996 with an estimated price from 20000 to 24000 euros or $21856 to $26228

Champagne cuveacutees including from Dom Peri-gnon Perrier-Joueumlt and Taittinger plus a few Eaux de Vie Armagnac rum and Porto wines from 1924 to 1966 will also be a part of the sale

The first of Bergeacutersquos private libraryrsquos series of auc-tions held in December also at Drouot brought in 117 million euros or $128 million The next sale mdash dedicat-ed to 19th-century literature mdash is set to take place on June 16 with five subsequent sales to follow

Proceeds from the auctions are destined for the Fondation Pierre Bergeacute-Yves Saint Laurent which is to morph into permanent YSL museums in Paris and Morocco in 2017 mdash LAURE GUILBAULT

Check PleaseThe waitstaff at the latest outpost of Freds at Barneys mdash the third-floor restaurant slated to open on March 7 in Barneysrsquo new Chelsea Manhattan location mdash will be receiving the ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo treatment The retailer has tapped Tony Melillo to design the uniforms for its waiters waitresses and maicirctre drsquos consisting of black and white button-down shirts slim ties form-fitting trousers and an apron done in pin-striped denim ldquoWersquore using familiar silhouettes but the cuts work to make it a little more perfected and a little more coolrdquo Melillo said em-phasizing the ease of the outfits ldquoIt just lets them do their jobhellip And yet it still makes them look stylishrdquo

Melillo chalked up the collaboration to a great relationship with the retailer his ATM label was launched in 2012 as a Barneys exclusive ldquoWersquove been with them since day onerdquo Melillo said ldquoWe do this casual cool relaxed elegancehellipand wersquore a good fit for that worldrdquo The designer who lives a few blocks away from the new Barneys location said he already sampled the menu ldquoIt was delicious and the layout is so cool Irsquom looking forward to [being able to] go somewhere to feel cozy and relaxedrdquo mdash KRISTI GARCED

Leonardo DiCaprio in Armani

A look at the new ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo uniforms for Freds at Barneys in Chelsea