6 january 14, 2019

The Reviews

VersaceThere was a peacock feel to this high-energy collection of citrus-y brights, crystal sparkles and patterned silks that crossed easily from men to women - and back again. Donatella Versace said she wanted her man to be free to express himself, whether it’s with a bright orange marabou boa, "La Cage aux Folles" style, or with an office-ready gray check suit.

“Only a confident man is able to see beyond the status quo and challenge

it,” the designer declared in her liner notes. “This newly found attitude gives him the freedom and security to ignore conventional norms around beauty, and even more so, around masculinity."

Was it a collaboration with Ford that got Versace all revved up this season? The Italian brand adopted the swirly blue Ford logo as a motif on trousers, miniskirts, shirts and a lovely color-blocked leather jacket with a retro feel. Versace said the brand teamed with Ford to channel the “excitement of buying your first car,” and the masculine

energy around a powerful engine.Even the pieces without the Ford

branding had extra horsepower, what with the gray plaid suits broken apart and spliced with colorful knits or patterned silks, jeans with crystals spilling down the front and coats of many colors. Big and gutsy, they came long and leopard-printed, in electric pink with broad shoulders, in bright yellow with lime toggles, and as a puffer-trench the color of Big Bird.

Men and women alike wore bright, bejeweled wooly caps, little cross-body bags

and a pileup of ski sweaters and Versace-branded scarves that should keep them warm even in the coldest and dampest of Milanese winters.

Allergic to color and pattern? Versace had that one covered, too, with gray suits in a very fine V pattern and darkly transparent trenches and trousers with a bondage vibe. Other suits, for the "Saturday Night Fever" crowd, were satiny black, tailored, adorned with gold chains and medallion or two.

Put the pedal to the metal, Donatella. — Samantha Conti

1st Double

Versace (Best in Show)PradaErmenegildo Zegna

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january 14, 2019 7

PradaThe collision of humans and humanoids, science and sci-fi and the agonies of Frankenstein’s monster were all playing on the mind of Miuccia Prada as she worked up her fall men's collection, a clever blend of the fantastical — and the commercial. The set, with its squishy foam floors, circuit board runway and dimmed yellow lightbulbs, had an otherworldly feel to it, a place of isolation and protection.

Prada said she's been thinking a lot lately about people’s humanity and sensitivity, of the forgotten, the struggling and of the "weakness and delicacy" of humans at a time of danger and fear. She's also been pondering Frankenstein’s monster, who marked his bicentenary last year, a violent creature who was looking for love. “There’s this idea of love, of this pitiful person looking for it, and of the human impulse to be understood, and not to feel isolated or betrayed," the designer said backstage before the show.

If all this sounds heavy or melodramatic, it wasn’t. Prada’s sense of humor shone through in the darkness of the venue; all the bright, fuzzy hats and patches on sweaters — someone stuck his finger in the electric socket; the heart patches pinned crudely onto the breast pockets of dark coats, and snowflake-like sparkles dusted onto sky blue shirts and dresses, the latter a taster of her fall 2019 women’s collection.

Prada paid homage to Mary Shelley's famous monster, too, slapping his face onto pencil skirts and his cartoonish, disembodied hands onto men’s shirts that were also covered with lightning bolts and roses.

But peel away those layers, pick off the Frankenstein chains, slip off the multiple belts that snaked around men’s and women’s waists alike and what was left? None other than a perfectly formed collection of signature military coats and jackets, tailored suits with high-waisted trousers in black, gray or army green, lots of fuzzy sweaters and a natty navy blue topcoat. It was lovely, safe and salable.

Nothing strange or scary here. — Samantha Conti

Ermenegildo Zegna“We’re here because it’s a place of connection. We liked the idea of a big hub where people are coming and going, where we connect diversity, different stories, but most of all, human beings,” said Ermenengildo Zegna artistic director Alessandro Sartori of this season’s venue: the gargantuan Milano Centrale railway station at night.

This idea of interconnecting lines was picked up in the square constructions of the clothes, with big square patches of suede sewn together on hybrid tops, and on the line's jacquard knits step motifs and gleaming embroideries of commuters. Even the simpler looks, like a plum jacket with a sweater underneath, had angular light gray cuffs peeking out.

The designer blew up and downsized checks on looks, including a great coat, also in a warm shade of plum, with two contrasting bordeaux lines crossing the front.

Returning to a stronger tailoring proposition, the aim, explained Sartori during a preview, was to move in a “chic, less street” direction, albeit skewed toward a relaxed, easy, sporty attitude with the younger guy in mind who wants to wear tailoring “in a different way from before.”

It translated into a mix of comfortable, soft, light shapes, some with down padding, offset with sharp details. Light summer weights were used for layering, with the designer experimenting with volumes and lengths. The palette encompassed wintry

in-between tones of beluga black, khaki, blue and gray.

Key silhouettes included a drop-shoulder military blouson in crisp khaki gabardine with a tailored collar, paired with a jodhpur-style pant with utilitarian pockets and a series of bands cuffing the legs.

Finishing the looks were striking hats molded from a single piece of felt by the recently acquired historic hatmaker Cappellificio Cervo; boots with double uppers, and new takes on the Cesare and Claudio handwoven leather sneakers. It felt very experimental in texture and shine, sometimes tipping into futurist territory.

Thirty percent of the collection — from natural to technical — was made from sustainable materials under the "Use the Existing" banner supported by the Zegna textile division that can be regenerated ad infinitum, much like the graphic interconnecting print decorating the rush-hour coats. — Katya Foreman

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8 january 14, 2019

M1992 Memories of his teenage years characterized by frequent trips to London to study English influenced Dorian Tarantini’s fall collection. References to the glorious times of Nineties Britpop music defined the distinctive look of the lineup.

Post-Internet reinterpretations of music personalities of that time, including Liam

and Noel Gallagher of Oasis or Blur’s front man Damon Albarn, walked the runway staged inside the recently renovated event room of Milan hotel Principe di Savoia, which in the Eighties hosted shows by such labels as Gianfranco Ferré, Krizia and Dolce & Gabbana. In keeping with the location's glorious past, Tarantini combined the British references with an Italian sartorial sensibility, informing the lineup of slim tailored suits with slightly

boxy jackets and ankle-length flared pants.Cobranded Baracuta Harrington jackets

with their signature tartan linings; rugby polos showing customized M1992 crests with the wording “Honor” matched with plaid trousers; a Sixties collarless jacket splashed with the Union Jack, also rendered with Swarovski crystals on a sweatshirt, and washed cotton Millerain outerwear were a tribute to British popular cultural. These were contrasted

by refined coats and suits in traditional patterns with allover printed shirts and overcoats peppered with images of suburban views and middle-class rioters.

With this energetic collection, M1992 graduated from being another cool street brand aimed at a young audience to a mature men’s wear label offering a wide and very personal fashion proposition able to compete internationally. — Alessandra Turra

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january 14, 2019 9

Marni“The elephant in the room? He is in the living room,” Francesco Risso said ironically backstage before the show. The designer explained he wanted to portray the actual elephant in the room of contemporary society — an unconventional, maybe a bit strange and eccentric youth who doesn’t want to fit in with commonly accepted standards.

While the show opened with more traditional men's wear pieces, including bouclé suits and coats and moleskin pants, the collection quickly moved toward a more flamboyant, quirky atmosphere with fluid silk

shirts and pajamalike pants splashed with vibrant patterns, which were inspired by the 1976 animated movie “Allegro non troppo” by Bruno Bozzetto. A Nineties grungy, rebellious feel was injected via the multicolor mohair striped sweaters cut in loose silhouettes, as well as with acid-washed denim pants. A luxurious vibe unexpectedly popped up with pants, blazers and coats worked in exotic skins and ponyskin to highlight the multifaceted spirit of young personalities, who don't take themselves too seriously. Risso's dreamy, childlike fashion vision resulted in another fun collection, putting Marni's men’s wear back on the fashion map. — Alessandra Turram

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Ralph Lauren Purple LabelThe Purple Label collection was a look back — in all the right ways. The designer, who staged his 50th-anniversary show in September, took piles of prints, accessories and other pieces from the archive and spun them into a collection that was high on glamour, and soft edges.

A horsey theme cantered through the collection, via an early Nineties pattern with stirrups and bits flashing from the underside of coats, hand-painted onto jeans and other denim, or laser-cut and bonded onto a suede jacket. The stirrup appeared as a shiny feature around the heels of boots, or as buckles on sporty shoes done in tartan and suede.

The designer also turned to one of his all-time favorites, velvet, for tone-on-tone day suits — including velvet shirts and ties. A signature purple suit, worn with white shirt and black tie, offered a fresh take on formal — and Oscar — dressing. Lauren worked another beloved fabric, cashmere, into everything from featherweight, unlined jackets to tartan dinner ones and covetable cable knit sweaters.

The collection offered up other comforts, too, in the form of a long, fuzzy faux shearling made with fabric from Steiff, and a lineup of Ralph Lauren bears on sweaters, one imitating Lauren’s pose in jodhpurs on a recent cover of Town & Country, and another swooshing down the slopes wearing little plastic goggles and heading toward the future at high speed. — Samantha Conti

10 january 14, 2019

MSGM Massimo Giorgetti’s Sunday got off to a turbo-charged start in this dynamic homage to motor racing culture, mixing in tailoring and a Nineties post-punk attitude, Milano style.

The motorsport theme came through most literally in the flame-licked denim, logo T-shirts, archive photos of Ayrton Senna printed in shirts,

and color-blocked shiny leathers with gathered drawstring waists.

Channeling a vitamin-charged energy, meanwhile, were the pink and orange neon K-ways in crunchy technical nylon, interspersed with gray and beige total looks with more of a Made-in-Italy bent, with puffers and leopard-print fleeces layered over elegant double-breasted wool coats. Giving a symbolic hometown nod were the black sweatshirts embroidered with the outline of the Madonnina topping the spire of Milan’s Duomo cathedral, part of the city’s skyline.

Tailoring in the expanded collection ranged from boxy double-breasted pinstripe blazers to the designer's take on the new suit, pairing a zipped top and pant with the word "proibito," or "forbidden," printed on the fly.

The designer’s collaboration with Fila, on the brand's 1992 Silva model, came strung from fanny packs worn by some

of the models, with square-toed boots punctuating most of the looks.

Dynamic black-and-white scenes from the Eighties Japanese soccer-themed cartoon “Holly & Benji” surfaced in jacquards on coats, with as Giorgetti’s message to the world: “If everything is under control, you need to change gear.” — Katya Foreman

Sunnei Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina said backstage before the show that a few women’s sketches done during their high school years served as the starting point for their collection. This was reflected in the Nineties silhouettes of flared pants layered under tunic dresses, as well as in the slipdresses, including several printed with the poppies of a vintage Windows screen saver — an ironic reference to the pre-Internet era.

However, the lineup didn’t exude any nostalgia; instead it was injected with a young, street vibe that avoided the traps of mainstream trends like neon hues, color-blocking and logomania in favor of a refreshing, spontaneous simplicity. Suits lost any stiffness, tailoring fabrics were crafted for cozy elongated padded anoraks, cardigans became overcoats to casually wear with baggy jeans, while a high-tech appeal came via coated outerwear pieces with asymmetric stripes and a PVC-like glossy effect.

Reflecting a unisex design approach, the women’s looks easily coexisted with the men’s wear. The sartorial quality of covetable checked suits with a double-breasted jacket and drawstring-cuffed pants was juxtaposed with the glamorous sparkle of a tunic dress with a knitted bodice with a bottom covered in a cascade of silver maxi sequins. — Alessandra Turra

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january 14, 2019 11

Neil Barrett He may be marking the 20th anniversary of his brand, but Neil Barrett isn't looking back to past collections. Instead, he explored a territory that may be well-trodden, but one that was new to him: Punk.

"I wanted to ask what punk would look like if people were looking at it today," said Barrett. "Then there's the idea of second or third generation people from all over the world who were actually born in Britain, so my narrative was this idea of bringing together, retaining traces of their ancestry, heritage, patterns, fabrics and designs and then mashing it all together."

The result was a refined, sophisticated outing that blended military styles, animal and ikat prints, fur and clean-edged tailoring for male and female urbanites. The collection unfolded against the backdrop of a fast-moving film of bright lights, big cities, and flashes of neon, while models walked on a runway that resembled an oil slick.

The coats, in particular, were great. He did them in a tailored check with animal-print fur collars; styles with a futuristic

feel in crinkly, shiny fabrics or opaque plastic-y ones; frock coats; others with off-kilter buckles, or made from strips of different animal prints.

Barrett said he loved the idea of breaking different elements apart and patch-working them back together. Trousers and trenches came with a bright neon sign decoupage-style pattern or a black and brown zebra one. A sweater looked as if it had been splashed with three different colors – pink, red and black – and others had feline spots.

The show invitation proudly stated "Born in Britain," and the designer is set to open his first store there soon – a standalone unit in London. With all of that punk energy, it will be some homecoming. — Samantha Conti

Buscemi“It’s hard to tell the full story only with shoes,” said Jon Buscemi, explaining the reason behind his decision to launch a ready-to-wear line under his Buscemi label. “The entire collection is part of my life,” continued the Los Angeles-based designer, who developed an elevated streetwear lineup filled with references to

his background.A New York native, he reproduced

maps of the metropolis on coats and denim pieces, while references to brands of the Nineties like Ralph Lauren and Burberry were injected in the preppy duffle coats, tartan blazers and trench styles, worn over jacquard sweaters showing the Manhattan skyline.

In keeping with Buscemi’s passion for house and hip-hop music, he paid homage to American independent music record label Nervous Records by decorating sweatshirts and hoodies with its signature cartoonish logo rendered in sequins.

Acid washed and destroyed jeans, tie-dye outerwear, urban puffers and logo hoodies covered with crystals completed the high-end, urban offering of the brand, which is gearing up to replicate the success of its sneakers with Insta-cool clothes. — Alessandra Turra

Marcelo Burlon County of MilanAs the world ponders the future of sportswear, Marcelo Burlon’s riposte was a fun, anything goes, mix-and-match

approach drawing on his reading of the traveler aesthetic.

“Visually, they look super wrong, the way they combine clothes, [such as mixing] animal prints with sportswear, [but] for us, it’s super right,” said the designer backstage.

Burlon for the storyline channeled the theme of “abandoned amusement parks, and the dark side of things.” Through a rainbow arch of colored lightbulbs, down a glittery black runway, came looks mixing clean tailored pieces and urban staples like camo parkas with trashy raver-flavored elements such as cow print fleeces, color-blocked track tops, velvet hoodies embroidered at the back with imaginary names of fairground rides, striped fake furs and even a black-and-red cow print sequined baseball jacket.

Things felt more kids-around-a-campfire than “Lost Boys,” though. The collection’s real fantasy moment came from the fantastic airbrush-style fairground scapes by Swiss artist Dexter Maurer, which decorated everything from shirts to puffer jackets. They hit the senses, and added depth to the collection. — Katya Foreman

Neil BarrettMarcelo Burlon County of MilanBuscemi

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12 january 14, 2019

Philipp PleinPhilipp Plein marked the 20th anniversary of his brand with a more intimate show, compared with his past theatrical extravaganzas. That said, a performance introducing the show by Brandon Flowers and The Killers had guests, including Plein's longtime fan Paris Hilton, chanting and dancing to their hit "Human" under the gilded and frescoed ceilings of the storied Palazzo Clerici.

More intimate maybe, but Plein's staple sequin embellishments and flashy decorations were all still there. The designer introduced graphics that celebrated his two decades in business as well, splashing them on oversized puffer coats, which also came in camouflage or graffiti prints. Plein's customer has never

been a wallflower and won't shy away from wearing an azure tracksuit decked with skulls under a bright yellow knee-length puffer. There were sharp tailored looks, but of course Plein jazzed them up with star patterns and animal prints and paired them with high-top sneakers and tartan shirts tied around the waist.

For fall, he also launched a see-now-buy-now "Scarface" capsule collection, with T-shirts gussied up with photos of Al Pacino in his iconic rendition of Tony Montana, and other limited edition bomber jackets and hoodies.

Plein took his bow with a friend, martial arts actor Donnie Yen. — Luisa Zargani

Brioni Exploring the wonders of the Brioni production facility and its material resources, Norbert Stumpfl feels like a kid in a candy store since taking up the creative reins at the Kering-owned house.

“The level of manufacturing and the fabrics, which are just divine. I’ve worked in luxury before at Paris houses but this is a complete other level, I’m getting goosebumps,” said the soft-spoken designer at his first presentation for the house.

He nonetheless kept the exuberance in check, with a lot of the surprises on the inside. A classic gray jacket sported a patterned lining, with the idea of subtle flashes of color and texture when in movement. A featherweight black double-faced trenchcoat had a tan cashmere interior with stripe accents that extended onto a section of the lapels for graphic effect.

Precious details included a band of chocolate crocodile at the nape of a cigar-hued military coat and on the back of its belt, while a technical field jacket was leather-lined to give a superluxe spin.

Despite the rich content, everything was easy and light, from a coat in a cashmere jersey down to a completely unlined suit in Japanese wool seersucker, representing half the weight — 340 grams — of a typical jacket, so more like wearing a shirt.

“I wanted to make it less formal, the whole look, with this idea of wearing a luxurious garment but being able to forget about it and get on with life,” said Stumpfl who presented only two suits, including a slimmer silhouette with all the hallmark hand treatments like hand-sewn buttonholes.

Color came through in the evening

section, where the options ranged from a lovely cotton-silk velvet jacket in a gleaming rusty shade, worn over a knitted evening shirt with the feel of a T-shirt, to a super formal frock coat. — Katya Foreman

Missoni An international art dealer was the male character that Angela Missoni had in mind for fall. In keeping with her inspiration, she collaborated with contemporary artist Anton Alvarez, who created an installation at the brand’s Milan showroom. His sinuous and colorful sculptures resonated in the collection, where abstract motifs were rendered on soft mohair sweaters as well as in textured, hand-embroidered, whirling patterns that peppered beautiful turtleneck knits. The brand’s color sensibility shined in the cashmere styles, including a bomber with a corduroy collar and in deconstructed shirt jackets. A charming addition to the brand’s offering — a knitted tuxedo with Lurex threads — would be a great option for sophisticated Hollywood stars gearing up for awards season. — Alessandra Turra

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january 14, 2019 13

Les HommesThings change, and sometimes it’s just great. That’s the case for Les Hommes, which this season ditched the ultra sleek and sometimes too rigid design of previous seasons to embrace a cooler, more relaxed and playful aesthetic.

Combining a Himalayan hiking inspiration with a Nineties rave feel, Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch delivered a collection where the brand’s signature tailoring — this season’s softened and deconstructed — was matched with technical anoraks, puffers and windbreakers worked in bold neon tones of orange, pink, blue and green. In keeping with the Tibetan mountaineering theme, artisanal sweaters were crafted using knitting techniques to reproduce the faded, multicolor wooden doors of Himalayan cabins, welcoming excursionists.

In addition, the wrapped tunics of Tibetan monks inspired the silhouette of cropped pants with wide pleats on the front, while a collaboration with Italian heritage sportswear label Sergio Tacchini, which included T-shirts and tracksuits, introduced a hip urban-street feel. — Alessandra Turra

EtroThere was a lot going on during Etro’s presentation, between the slightly creepy human mannequins wearing painted face masks and a bear-hug embrace of sustainability, with a mountain of eco fabrics and swing tags on denim asking customers to “Save the earth’s butt.”

Men’s creative director Kean Etro was in full flow during Sunday’s event at the Montenapoleone flagship, which showcased pieces including a jazzy plaid coat made from PET recycled bottles; jeans done in sustainable, eco-friendly denim, and a jacket patchworked together from bits of dead stock.

There were videos, plastic bottle sculptures and recycled sweater installations in the mix, too, driving home the point that Kean has gone green, and is not looking back.

“I started repairing my brothers’ shirts 25 years ago, replacing cuffs and collars, I made patchworks, and have been re-dyeing old fabrics,” said Etro, who plans to push his agenda forward next season, using even more recycled plastic for clothing, and creating a capsule collection built on dead stock. “I’ve had this in my heart from the beginning. The planet is sacred for me,” said Etro during a walk-through.

Etro’s natural passions also came through in the designs, with the surface of a green velvet jacket made to look like tree bark, long flower-flocked coats, a suit inspired by a 13th-century Sienese tapestry, and coats made from recycled wool or yak fibers and adorned with mythical, flora and fauna-inspired motifs.

Etro’s natural idyll wasn’t all roses: For those puzzled about the meaning of the masked mannequins — acrobats, rather than models — they were to remind everyone of the perils of artificial intelligence, and the importance of getting to know thyself inside and out, before the robots do. Humanism rules. — Samantha Conti

Andrea PompilioAndrea Pompilio reminisced about his time spent living between Milan and Berlin in his younger days just after the Berlin Wall came down, when he would push his love of playful mix-and-matches.

“I remember that feeling of going home with a hangover at 5 in the morning: you’re desperate for a sandwich, there’s nothing to eat, so you throw a coat on and run to the deli,” he said.

The cozy home feeling came through in the granddad slipper-inspired tartan footwear worn, total look, with matching socks and tailored coat. (Variations included classic herringbone and a bright orange velvet corduroy spin with contrast houndstooth panels.)

“This mix of something very modern with something very well done,” said the designer, who had even re-created the kind of leather jacket he would have worn, using bonded jersey, with the corners aged by hand.

In the mix were clubber-style pants made from waxed cotton linen emulating vinyl, and an anorak revisited in a wool-cashmere leopard print. It was echoed in a cool track top-inspired style in soft vintage-effect faded nylon — worn, of course, with denim shorts and a trenchcoat thrown over. — Katya Foreman

MaglianoThe characters of an Andrea Pazienza comic book and Eighties subcultures came to life in this fun Milan debut for Luca Magliano since winning "Who Is on Next?," the talent search promoted by AltaRoma with the support of Vogue Italia, in 2017.

With Magliano exaggerating proportions, the personages went from mafioso types in fake fur coats and socks or piano shirts and broad-shoulder double-breasted pin-striped suits to guys in shrunken sailor silhouettes with grommet details on the pants. The more merch-friendly acts included a school kid dressed in tailored gray denim and a mustard-colored sweater embroidered with leather lozenges streaming with threads, who shuffled down the runway in slippers.

Billowing white satin shirts were anchored by collages depicting a community of faces by artist Klaus Jürgen Schmidt, who walked in the show.

For the finale, a wheeler-dealer type flashed open his coat to reveal pockets loaded with cheap jewelry and watches.

Magliano backstage dedicated it to the “small-town boys” from his hometown of Bologna. “In the Eighties, Bologna was a laboratory of subculture, of political awareness, fertile soil for the gay community that was starting to manifest itself in a supercamp crazy way, and this collection is all about that,” he said. — K.F.

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14 january 14, 2019

● The tech supershow is becoming a must-attend for fashion, beauty and retail. Here are the key themes for these sectors.

By adriana Lee

Innovation was all the rage among the fashion, beauty and retail ranks at CES as companies from The North Face, Kate Spade New York and Fossil to L’Oréal, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Ulta Beauty, and more flocked to Las Vegas for the technology supershow.

The event, which ended Friday and drew 4,500 exhibiting companies and more than 180,000 attendees from more than 155 countries, was a lightning rod for brands eager to strut their innovative stuff alongside the likes of Google, Samsung and Qualcomm, while getting a front-row look at tech’s major moves. 

The effect casts CES as an essential destination, rising to the level of shows like MAGIC and the National Retail Federation’s annual conference. 

“Beauty tech has become something of a major interest,” said Guive Balooch, global vice president of L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator. “I’ve been lucky to be part of a company that, six years ago, thought about [tech], because there’s so many things you learn.…But it’s not like a fun trend anymore. It’s a real value and we all need to now be in it. I think everyone needs to be here.”

The ones who attend come with a savvy that seems to see through the exhibition’s flash of blaring lights, roller coasters and roll-up TVs. Perhaps it’s because fashion and beauty know glamor better than anyone, so they are less impressed. Or maybe it’s because brands and stores on the front lines of consumer retail seek real solutions, not gimmicks. 

In a beauty tech session at the High Tech Retailing summit, Perfect Corp.’s Adam Gam described the challenge with augmented reality: “We like to say that all AR is immersive. But there’s good AR and bad AR. If it’s bad, they’ll never use it again.”

It’s a good time for this sort of perspective. The 2019 show featured technologies that have been maturing for years — including artificial intelligence, 5G cellular connectivity, augmented and virtual reality, digital health, entertainment innovation, connected and autonomous vehicles, resilience technologies and smart homes and cities. 

Such emerging techs may not be fully baked yet, but they’re reaching new levels of sophistication. Some are even positioned to become bedrock technologies that buoy other categories. And when that happens, they can swing entire industries.

As one executive told WWD, “So many technologies are growing up. It’s good stuff, if you’re invested there. But more importantly, put them together, and now you can really do some things.”

Here are a few of the major themes from CES that are poised to shape commerce, apparel, beauty and more.

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial intelligence and its related

fields stormed CES, whose halls swelled with everything from AI-capable kitchen appliances to televisions and smart mirrors. The logos of Alibaba and JD.com, powerhouse Chinese e-commerce and AI companies, were omnipresent, slung across buses, backpacks, signage and more.

But beyond individual display or device, the deeper push for more powerful

hardware and robust platforms signal how deeply AI will be embedded in the future’s tech foundation.

For instance, Intel revealed that it’s working with Facebook to bring an AI processor later this year that offers more compute power. That will help with things like image-processing and identifying people in photos.

AI chips are a crowded space, with entries coming from Nvidia, which focuses on gaming, and Amazon Web Services, the e-commerce giant’s cloud business for companies.

The Google Assistant AI platform wants to create an ecosystem around the search giant’s voice and AI efforts. Its marquee aspect, the Google Assistant Connect platform, offers tools so third-party device makers can easily add support for Google’s voice tech to their products. Amazon started offering software tools for Alexa skills last year.

Talkative gadgets are arriving en masse, and the systems powering them are improving because of natural language processing. Some can automatically adapt to different conditions, without user intervention, and even customize features based on what they learn about the user’s preferences.

The fashion, beauty and retail sectors understand the need for personalization, powered by AI. It appears that those powers are set to grow exponentially. As tech

advances, so do related trends like facial recognition and voice assistants, which rely on AI, computer vision, machine-learning and natural language processing.

Facial RecognitionA recurring theme at CES, facial

recognition has long been available in smartphones through features like Face ID. Now the technology is showing up in places like homes, cars and stores.

Companies including Procter & Gamble, Softbank Robotics and Perfect Corp., among others, demonstrated technologies that can identify customers, connect to their data and offer recommendations.

SoftBank Robotics chief strategy officer Steve Carlin offered a look at how Pepper the robot could improve the shopping experience in physical retail.

If customers buy something online and head to the store, Pepper can greet them, identify them, let them know the order is ready, suggest other products they might like and — through a partnership with Simbe and its Tally aisle-tracking robotic system — let them know if the product is on the shelf or not in real time.

For Carlin, the experience is also about offering retailers contextually relevant data. “[The system] pulls from store inventory, loyalty and e-commerce,” he said. “You can see the difference between in-store shopper and online shopper. Or how shoppers may act differently between

the web site and the store.”Beauty is a natural destination for facial

and product recognition. Perfect Corp.’s tech can identify the makeup worn by a subject in photos, and also analyze skin and determine its condition, as well as the user’s age, gender and mood.

Procter & Gamble’s SK-II exhibit showcased a similar concept, but in a futuristic retail environment. The Japanese brand envisions a store equipped with a slew of cameras that can recognize the shopper and offer personalized regimens. With sensor-equipped product packaging, the system can also prompt customers to stick with scheduled skin-care routines.

The evolution of these systems and machines is exciting, intriguing…and, for some, unsettling. In various sessions, questions about privacy inevitably came up from audience members. As facial recognition powers grow, so will the public’s nervousness and fear around them.

Skin TechPerfect Corp.’s YouCam apps featured skin

analysis, but it’s not the only one. A growing subsection of the beauty sector is seeing a concerted push from start-ups and giants.

Following up its Neutrogena SkinScanner and Skin360 app introduction at CES 2018, Johnson & Johnson took to this year’s conference with a new tech tool: Neutrogena’s MaskID, a micro-3-D-printed sheet mask. It can precision-map the user’s face and load up a customized mix of ingredients to address specific issues.

After unveiling its UV Sense wearable at CES 2018, L’Oréal returned to showcase its latest My Skin Track pH.

“There’s 50 years of work done around where pH of skin is so well correlated to skin condition, but nobody ever did anything outside of an academic environment,” said L’Oréal’s Balooch. “Because to measure pH, you have to have enough sweat to do this litmus test, which requires people to get on a treadmill. And no dermatologist today has the time to put people on a treadmill.”

For a tech sector that has been focused on digital health, CES 2019 seems like an apt venue to expound on health’s direct connection to beauty.

“My vision on health is that it will inspire the future of beauty, and beauty will inspire, potentially, the future of health,” he added. “Wellness and lifestyle are becoming a big part of the future of beauty, and especially in skin…it’s very much related to, not just your cosmetics, but your lifestyle.”

For its very first CES, Procter & Gamble came armed with a parade of demos. The Opté wand can scan the surface of the skin and apply exactly the amount of serum or makeup to cover spots, freckles or other issues.

“Opté is our first-ever precision skin-care device that allows you to reveal the natural beauty of your skin,” a company spokeswoman told WWD. She went on to say that Opté combines optic technology, proprietary algorithms and printing technology with P&G skin care to scan, detect and correct hyperpigmentation.

It’s akin to a real-life version of Photoshopping away spots. It works without leaving the caked-in feeling that comes from overapplying elixirs and foundations. The technology takes cues from inkjet printers: Opté uses 120 nozzles to deposit a precise amount of makeup, at one-billionth of a liter.

“What this does is, it takes 200 pictures per second — so on an average basis, about 24,000 pictures,” she continued. “It then takes all of the data, of understanding the color differences between the one little ►

business

6 CES Tech Trends for Fashion and BeautyA man uses a virtual

reality headset to land a plane at the Qualcomm display

at CES 2019.

Google Assistant was present everywhere at CES, including via a giant gumball machine that dispensed freebies to attendees.

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pixel size and the adjacent size, and runs it through a 70,000-line burst of data algorithm. We have so much data that we can actually tell, and there are 120 little ink-jet printers.”

Meanwhile, updates to Olay’s Skin Adviser showed how the system can use selfies and questionnaires to analyze skin care and provide recommendations. Its Future You Simulation uses the data to display two images of what the customer could look like in 10 years, comparing the difference if the advice is heeded, versus not.

The company made a big first impression with these demos, as well as others featuring an AI toothbrush from Oral-B, a smart aroma device called Airia and a range of detergent products that pack into a tiny footprint by eliminating the water.

Procter & Gamble’s approach shows a unique marriage of technology and consumer product research and development. For various products, the conglomerate took to Indiegogo crowdfunding — not to raise money, but to connect with consumers, get direct feedback and learn what people actually want.

The giants weren’t alone in their bid to nix blemishes. There were plenty of start-ups and new ventures putting skin in the crosshairs.

Lululab, a spin-off of Samsung Electronics, won a 2019 CES Innovation Award for its Lumini AI skin-care assistant. The device, a handheld unit that scans the face to detect problem areas, will be hitting makeup counters at places like Sephora this summer.

HiMirror also launched the HiMirror Mini and HiMirror Enterprise, which can detect skin problems, as well as offer music, social media and voice assistants from Google and Amazon.

Voice and Smart HomesSimply put, the story of CES 2019

couldn’t be told without discussing voice assistants. They were everywhere at the Las Vegas Convention Center, courtesy of the companies with the two top contenders.

Amazon released slews of device announcements for Alexa every day. And Google was front-and-center, not only with its Google Assistant AI platform, but also a roller coaster ride, high-profile giveaway station — which looked like a huge gumball machine full of techie prizes — and a load of signage all over the venue. 

On the show floor and in meeting rooms, companies touted their voice support across hundreds of devices, from connected mirrors to automobiles and kitchen appliances.

Products like Kohler toilets reside on one end of the range, while Vuzix’s voice-equipped Blade AR sunglasses live at the other. That just scratches the surface.

Voice command is the new black, being integrated into everything. Shopping, however, is another matter entirely. For

now, voice commerce is still more relevant for groceries and perhaps some beauty or personal hygiene products.

For consumer packaged goods, voice makes a lot of sense, with gadgets that make ordering easy or, in some cases, automatic. It’s the ultimate in convenience. No one enjoys running out of coffee, toilet paper or hand soap when they need it most.

The future for fashion products and nuanced beauty retail is still uncertain in a connected or voice-equipped home. But that’s no excuse for reticence.

More voice powers are clearly entering the home, landing in vehicles and adorning the body — with wearables, like Kate Spade’s latest smartwatch, adopting voice tech. With that, Alexa, Google Assistant and maybe someday Bixby, Siri and Cortana are moving from the fringes to the center of consumers’ lives to become personal concierges, wellness coaches, language translators and other things.

Smart speakers now boast screens, which means that there’s a face to go with the voice. That’s significant, especially for brands whose shoppers won’t buy without seeing.

Meanwhile, AI, computer vision and machine learning are evolving, making product recognition, personalization and recommendations better and more sophisticated.

The dots are waiting to be connected, and Google and Amazon are furiously working to do just that. Judging by the momentum at CES, it doesn’t look like a matter of if but when. And who.

Transforming Physical RetailEfforts from the likes of Softbank

Robotics, P&G’s SK-II and AIPoly, whose Poly Autonomous Store Platform aims to give any store or distribution center Amazon Go-like features, signal one thing — physical shopping isn’t dead after all.

Nowhere is that more apparent than in, of all places, the e-commerce space.

“We’re seeing a revival of physical stores — as a matter of fact, just from a year ago, Warby Parker, Everlane, Blue Nile, James Allen, all the big online-first brands have become physical stores,” said Robin Raskin, founder of Living in Digital Times, the CES partner who coordinated the High Tech Retailing exhibit section and summit, among others. “And they’re incorporating that organic feel that you’d get from them online.”

That’s the cause Softbank and partner Simbe are taking up. They also believe robotics can change the game for physical retail when it comes to a particular challenge: Products on hangers or folded on a table are notoriously difficult to weave into an automated setting.

Consumer-packaged goods, whose boxes or packaging are uniform, are easier for machines to scan. But if items like apparel have RFID, they would work in this system,

said Softbank’s Carlin, adding. “It frees people from counting everything.”

SK-II’s futuristic retail exhibit added another approach to physical shopping, veering into unexpected territory with gesture-based shopping.

None of these systems can work without solid communications. Enter 5G.

The next-generation cellular connectivity was the subject of a Verizon keynote, where Verizon chief executive officer Hans Vestberg described it as “a quantum leap compared to 4G.”

Think of it as mobile’s version of broadband Internet. In other words, it’s more robust, stable and faster than today’s 4G or LTE networks.

In a retail setting, 5G could untether in-store associates and ensure systems stay online. People can check real-time stock levels quickly and with little to no disruptions, and fortify automated systems. With more of the load moving from human workers to machines, people would be freer to help customers or tackle other tasks best suited for people.

Brick-and-mortar and e-commerce companies may have more reliable distribution centers, warehouses and delivery services to lean on, since they’ll be able to communicate better and faster. Those 5G signals will also keep customers better connected to their favorite brands.

Such service is around the corner. Major efforts are under way by smartphone makers like Samsung, which showed off its 5G prototype phone at CES, as well as carriers like Verizon and AT&T.

Augmented and Virtual RealityThe use cases for VR and AR are growing.

And in the case of AR, there’s already adoption on smartphones. People shopping eyeglasses and furniture can see what the product will look like on their actual faces or in their living rooms.

With AR, the ability to try on innumerable shades of lipstick or eyeshadow has become a game-changer for makeup customers, as well as the companies who serve them, such as Perfect Corp. and ModiFace, and beauty retailers like Sephora, Ulta and others.

Beyond that, CES exhibitors like Vuzix — which launched its Vuzix Blade AR Smart Glasses at the show — are pushing to make face-worn tech less bulky and more attractive. Granted, in the hand, it feels a bit chunky. But on the face it doesn’t stand out as a gadget. It looks like a fairly normal set of glasses. Whether it’s worth the $999 launch price, however, the market will determine.

As for virtual reality, it still has more uses behind the scenes for things like personnel training, logistics and store planning. But the active push in VR apps and immersive environments, as well as PC and console gaming, may have an interesting twist for the retail world.

Game software is becoming rather advanced, even cinematic. And the tools these developers use — to work on avatar skins, hair and costumes — has some experts believing they could be meaningful for digital fashion and beauty in virtual commerce.

Of course, wearables and smart garments have become stock expectations at CES, and plenty still storm the show. Sometimes in strange ways.

But others are taking rather practical tacks to solve real-world problems — like Chico’s FAS’ intimate apparel brand Soma, which showcased its Innofit bra-fitting system. Comprised of a connected garment and app, SomaInnofit takes four key body measurements and uses the data to recommend bras for a precision fit.

Beyond specific announcements and individual categories, the broader theme at CES is how technologies are evolving and working together to unlock new uses and features.

The headlines may snark about Amazon’s

Alexa trying to steal thunder from Google Assistant, or Apple’s attempt at throwing shade at smartphone competitors’ approaches to privacy. (Yes, the Cupertino, Calif. company skipped CES, but still made its presence known.) But the big takeaway from CES is that Silicon Valley and its technologies are learning how to work together. And that momentum is changing things across all industries.

Today, practically all businesses are tech companies. And if CES is a preview of what the future may hold, then for apparel, beauty and other related sectors, one thing has become clear: Tech is not an accessory, it’s a foundation layer. ■

CES in a FlashA select round-up of announcements and cameos from the fashion, beauty and retail ranks at Ces 2019.Beauty companies want to bring high-tech solutions to the face, while fashion looks to new wearables. Below, a quick look at some of the fashion, beauty and retail-related announcements and cameo appearances at CES 2019.

• Procter & Gamble: Olay Skin Adviser update, Olay “Future You Simulation” and Smart Wand• Procter & Gamble: Opté Precision Skincare System from startup incubator P&G VenturesProcter & Gamble: SK-II’s Future X Smart Store• L’Oréal USA: My Skin Track pH from La Roche-Posay• Johnson & Johnson: Neutrogena MaskiD• Chico’s: Soma’s SomaInnoFit bra-fitting garment and app• Fossil Group / Kate Spade New York: Scallop Smartwatch• Laipac Technology: LooK Watch standalone smartwatch, German Design Awards 2019 winner• Perfect Corp.: AI Live Hair Color update for ombre and multicolor applications• Perfect Corp.: Cosmetics recognition based on magazine images or candid photos• Perfect Corp.: Skin diagnostics tool and foundation finder• Perfect Corp.: Partnership with Ulta Beauty• HiMirror: HiMirror Mini and HiMirror Enterprise• Lululab: Lumini AI skincare assistant• Softbank and Simbe: Pepper and Tally's partnership for a smart robotic retail system• Aipoly: Poly Autonomous Store Platform• E-Vone: Fall detection smart shoes• CareOS: Artemis smart mirror• Lotus823: Runtopia Reach smart running shoes

Mia: Promobot V.4Russian robotics firm Promobot said

version four of its retail robot was run over by a self-driving Tesla S right before CES 2019 got under way. The incident, which occurred near the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, incurred serious physical damage to the unit.

The robot arrived in Las Vegas to showcase capabilities including recognizing and remembering shoppers, conversing with them, printing photos and providing detailed reports for retailers.

Lumini from Lululab, a spin-off of Samsung Electronics, at CES 2019.

An in-store facial scanning from

Procter & Gamble’s SK-II evaluates the

user’s face to help in choosing cosmetics.

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