GROWING ETRO/3 FORTUNOFF NAMES CEO/13Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • May 4, 2006 • $2.00

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Hot LicksINDIO, Calif. — The Coachella Valley Music

and Arts Festival, held April 29 and 30,

featured Madonna, Depeche Mode, the

Scissor Sisters, and James Blunt — not to

mention a packed schedule of up-and-comers.

But it was the fashionable and decidedly

hot-bodied crowd that stole the show as the

temperature topped 100 degrees. Here, one

well-toned beauty in the briefest of shorts. For

more on the festival, see pages 4, 6 and 7.

WWDTHURSDAYSportswear

See Versace, Page 13

Versace’s Latest View: Lower Losses in 2005 Reignite Talk About IPOBy Amanda KaiserMILAN — Gianni Versace SpA is back on the upswing, and so is talk of an initial public offering.

The Italian fashion house on Wednesday issued better-than-expected results for 2005, with a drastic narrowing of operating losses and the elimination of debt setting the company on the right track for a potential stock market listing in a few years, chief executive Giancarlo Di Risio told WWD.

Versace narrowed its 2005 operating losses to 5.5 million euros, or $6.9 million, from 92.4 million euros, or $114.6 million the year before. Last September, when

Inside:Pg. 12

TheWWDList

Most “Likable” Athletes

WWD.COM

FASHIONMusic festivals have long been fertile ground for the stylish, as attendees mix the traditional hippie-hipster look with practical accessories.

GENERALGianni Versace drastically narrowed operating losses and debt in 2005, setting the fi rm on the right track to go public down the road.

Etro is clocking double-digit growth as it embarks on a retail expansion plan to roll out at lease 20 stores over the next few years.

Marc Jacobs’ love of surfboards has come full circle with the opening today of the fi rst Marc by Marc Jacobs store in San Francisco.

BEAT: Buyers scope out the latest offerings from contemporary brands at the Intermezzo Collections and D&A Annex shows in New York.

DISH: Guess Inc. said an inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed the release of fi rst-quarter earnings.

ACTIVE: Victoria’s Secret is extending its reach to the gym with Sexy Sport, a sports bra and activewear collection that bows May 15.

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● SLIMMING DOWN: Federated Department Stores agreed to sell 11 stores to the Macerich Co. and nine to Simon Property Group, bringing the retailer closer to its goal of disposing of 80 duplicate locations previously announced for divestiture as a result of its acquisition of May Department Stores. With the sale of these 20 sites, announced this week, Federated has about 35 remaining to sell. Federated previously agreed to sell 15 stores to Westfi eld and 10 to Boscov’s. Federated also wants to sell its 54-unit Lord & Taylor division. The Macerich stores include fi ve Macy’s in Arizona and California, fi ve Robinsons-May stores in Arizona and California and a Filene’s in Connecticut. The Simon stores in-clude a Famous-Barr, a Marshall Field’s and two L.S. Ayres units in Indiana; a Filene’s in Massachusetts, and four Macy’s units in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. The 20 units are all in Macerich and Simon malls.

● TIME CHANGES: Watch retailer Tourneau has promoted Andrew J. Block, who has been with the firm for 16 years, from senior vice president of marketing to executive vice president of marketing and advertising. Edward G. Trask, who joined Tourneau in 1999 as senior vice president of sales, has become executive vice president of sales. Vice president of merchan-dising Richard G. Caniglia, who joined Tourneau in 1996, has become senior vice president of merchandising. All three will report to Howard Levitt, president of Tourneau. The positions are new for the company, and became effective Monday. The promotions come in the middle of Tourneau’s plans to expand in the U.S. They also follow the signing of two new deals. The first deal is with Peace Mark (Holdings) Ltd. and International Watch Group to form a joint venture called Peace Mark Tourneau (Holdings) Ltd. that will expand Tourneau’s retail distribution in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The second deal is with the Swatch Group to open outlet stores in the U.S.

● MD BEAUTY SAID EYEING IPO: MD Beauty, which owns recognized brands such as Bare Escentuals, is said to be pre-paring to take the company public, according to industry and financial sources. The company is owned by private equity firms Berkshire Partners and JH Partners. The two private equity firms did a $408 million recapitalization of the mineral-based cosmetics firm in October 2005. MD Beauty is believed to be eye-ing a $1 billion IPO.

In Brief

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By Joanna Ramey

SAN FRANCISCO — Marc Jacobs’ love of surfboards — they’ve popped up for sale in the designer’s Paris and Los Angeles boutiques — has come full circle with the opening today of the City by the Bay’s first Marc by Marc Jacobs store.

The surfboards started as an impromptu request a few years ago by a surfer working at the Marc Jacobs Collection store on Maiden Lane downtown here. That store opened in 2000 as the designer’s fi rst foray outside of New York.

“I originally asked if they could make Marc Jacobs stickers to sponsor my board,” said Will Elphick, who surfs mornings off of Ocean Beach here. Late Tuesday night Elphick was in the new Marc by Marc Jacobs store on Fillmore Street helping to arrange merchandise.

Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs, did one bet-ter and had a custom surfboard made. Duffy and Jacobs liked the design so much they began ordering more. A surfboard, painted with a French fl ag, was the fi rst thing to sell in January when the Marc Jacobs Collection opened in the French capital, which Duffy took as a good omen for this week’s opening here.

“You have to have a reason for people to come into your store,” said Duffy, in a tele-phone interview before flying here to oversee the fi nal touches on the new, 2,000-square-foot Marc by Marc store. Duffy declined to fore-cast sales at the store, but retail observers es-timated fi rst-year sales could be $4 million.

The Fillmore Street store is the fifth Marc by Marc Jacobs unit, and the third one to stand alone without sharing a building with the design-er’s Collection. Other Marc by Marc stores are on Bleecker Street in New York and Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Duffy said there are “plenty of plans” for Marc by Marc stores, including one in New York next year and likely one in Savannah, Ga. “I’m also looking at other locations in California and Hawaii in 2007,” Duffy said. “I keep looking for locations in Chicago.”

The store here is in an old furniture showroom with high ceilings of rough timber and sits like a dark cube on the corner of Sacramento Street, painted in Jacobs’ signature navy blue. At night, the large dis-play windows come alive under theatrical lights.

Duffy said he had wanted to locate the compa-ny’s Collection store on Fillmore Street, instead of Maiden Lane, six years ago. “I originally wanted this exact spot,” said Duffy. He said he was attracted by Fillmore’s mix of tenants, and the lack of designer stores, preferring not to be grouped with the bunch.

Such relative seclu-sion might be hard to maintain.

“There is a lot of in-terest on the street,” said Pam Mendelsohn, a real estate broker for Johnson-Hoke, which leased the Marc by Marc Jacobs space. “There are a lot of potential tenants looking — fashion, home furnish-ings — who need 2,000 to 4,000 square feet. I have only one Fillmore vacancy. It’s tied up in a trust.”

Mendelsohn attribut-ed the slow turnover in

existing retail space in part to property staying in the same hands for decades. Retail rents, depending on location, average $5 to $6 a square foot, she said.

Fillmore Street is dominated by independently run boutiques, restaurants and services as well as a smat-tering of brand-name home furnishings stores such as Design Within Reach, based here, and a charity thrift shop. The street is the commercial strip for posh Pacifi c Heights, one of the city’s most scenic neighborhoods.

Stores that have opened on Fillmore in the last few years have included luxury furniture purveyor Jonathan Adler, the high-end tabletop concern Simon Pearce, women’s wear retailer Eileen Fisher and beauty brand Shu Uemura.

By Amanda Kaiser

MILAN — Family-owned fashion house Etro is clock-ing double-digit growth as it embarks on a retail ex-pansion plan to roll out at least 20 stores over the next few years in cities from Manhasset to Mumbai.

Etro’s revenues for the 12 months ended Dec. 31 rose 24 percent, to 230 million euros, or $287.5 million at average exchange rates for the period. Commercial manager Fabio Gnocchi forecasts that 2006 sales are on track to increase another 20 per-cent as the company continues to diversify into ac-cessories and exploit untapped potential in markets like the Middle East and Russia.

“For us, sales growth isn’t what stresses us. What we are concerned with is maintaining our profi t margin,” Gnocchi said. Etro declined to release profi t fi gures.

Gnocchi, who has worked at the company for 23 years, said Etro plans to remain a privately held fi rm with the fl exibility and agility to make important deci-sions, like closing an underperforming store or taking advantage of a real estate bargain. The Etro family has mulled the idea of an initial public offering in the past, but decided it wasn’t in the best interests of the company, Gnocchi said.

“We’ve always taken a step-by-step strategy. Because we don’t have to answer to anyone but our-selves and we don’t have to answer to shareholders…[we can] decide where we want to go, what we want to do and how we do it,” he said.

Unlike in many other family-run companies in Italy, in Etro, each family member has a distinct role. President Gerolamo Etro, or Gimmo, founded the com-pany in 1968 and over-sees all the operations now run by his chil-dren. Veronica designs women’s wear and her brother Kean does the men’s collections. Ippolito is the compa-ny’s chief fi nancial offi cer and Jacopo manages the home furnishing line, textiles and the fast-grow-ing accessories division, which is increasing the size of its product range to encompass a wider variety of styles beyond the brand’s trademark paisley bags.

Etro’s sales are fairly evenly divided geographi-cally. Last year, sales in the U.S. vaulted 40 percent, to 50.6 million euros ($63.3 million), accounting for 22 percent of Etro’s turnover. Italy alone accounted for another 23 percent and other European countries, including Germany and Spain, particularly strong markets for Etro, accounted for 22 percent. Japan and the rest of Asia made up 20 percent.

Gnocchi said that kind of balance resulted from “years of very careful work” and he wants to keep it that way. Still, Etro is diversifying and moving into emerging markets, seeing encouraging results in Russia and the Middle East.

To wit, Etro just inked a deal with Dubai retailer Paris Gallery to roll out eight stores in the region between 2007 and 2008, adding to the three bou-tiques the partners have already opened. Target cities include Al-Khobar and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Doha in Qatar and Oman in Muscat. The Paris Gallery agreement also calls for a series of department store corners selling accessories and fragrances and a new retail concept featuring an in-store architect who will design Etro furnished homes for customers.

“That is a market that in this moment is seeing an incredible boom,” Gnocchi said. “Dubai is a constant construction project. They are continually building islands, planting palm trees and putting up shop-ping malls.”

Elsewhere in the world, Etro is still mulling a con-cept for a lifestyle and entertainment center called an Etro Lounge for Kuwait City, a project that’s been in the works with Villa Moda owner Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah for a couple of years. The lounge, part of a wider effort to rejuvenate the city’s downtown area, could open as early as next year, Gnocchi said.

Etro is also looking at a similar time frame to open its fi rst Etro-branded resort in Bali, which would feature the house’s fabrics and furnishings as well as a spa. Gnocchi said Etro is going for a bou-tique hotel feel. He’d like to see guests arrive and fi nd custom-selected clothing in their closets.

“It should be something extreme,” Gnocchi said.

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006 3

CLOTHING KATE: Those rumors about Kate Moss launching her own clothing collection when she hangs up her modeling hat just won’t die. But don’t hold your breath — and hang onto your JLo duds — because it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon. “It’s one of the options she’s considering in the long term, after she’s fi nished modeling,” said a spokesman for Moss, who added that no deal had been agreed on, and that any possible line wouldn’t be along for another “three or four years.” True, Moss would be more qualifi ed for the role than most celebrities who have turned their hand at the craft. The model has set a plethora of fashion trends with her ever-evolving style. However, as a confi rmed fan of vintage clothing, her signature distressed feel might be a little diffi cult to replicate in a brand-new line.

MISSONI MOMENT: Now it’s the Missoni clan’s turn on the tube — and, not surprisingly, it’s a sit-down chat with Oprah Winfrey, who’s interviewing more designers these days than André Leon Talley. In the show being aired today, she chats with Rosita, Angela and Margherita Missoni about how the signature Missoni pattern was created, the family’s love for color and Margherita’s role as muse for the fashion house. The Missoni men get their share in the spotlight, too. While they weren’t present in the studio when the show was taped last month, Winfrey will present a special video taped at the Missonis’ family home near Milan featuring Ottavio, Vittorio and Luca Missoni.

TABLE-HOPPING: Miuccia Prada just can’t seem to get enough of the historic Paris restaurant Laperouse. After staging her Miu Miu show and after party there in March during Paris Fashion Week, there comes word that Miu Miu will return to Laperouse this weekend, where photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin will shoot its fall-winter advertising campaign.

SOMETHING NEW: Cocktail dresses might come to mind fi rst when one mentions Lanvin. But its designer, Alber Elbaz, is also much in demand when it comes time to stroll down the aisle. To wit: WWD has learned that art dealer Amalia Dayan has selected Lanvin to design a dress for her June nuptials to Adam Lindemann.

IT’S MILLER TIME: Nicole Miller is a busy lady these days. The designer will be honored by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago at its 19th annual Head to Toe Gala Saturday at the Windy City’s Ritz-Carlton for her decades-long contributions to fashion design. Word is her friend William Ivey Long, the event’s co-chair, was really gunning for her to be this year’s honoree. Back in New York on May 10, Miller will take home one of the A.C.E. awards at the Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless’ annual dinner.

On Wednesday afternoon, Miller was among the judges selecting a spokesmodel for the Hawaiian Tropic Zone, a Times Square restaurant, lounge and club that will open in September. She, along with hair stylist Joel Warren, chef David Burke, Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice, nightclub owner Adam Hock and Trump Model Management’s John Toutola will decide which woman will win a $25,000 contract and be the face and voice of Hawaiian Tropic Zone. Miller designed bikini tops and sarongs for Hawaiian Tropic Zone “table concierges” — the babes who take your orders but don’t serve the food.

DRUMROLL, PLEASE: Thom Browne, Maria Cornejo and Peter Som are this year’s fi nalists for the fashion design award to be presented by the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum at its National Design Awards on Oct. 18. Eighteen people will be vying for the various prizes at the Target-backed event. Once again, First Lady Laura Bush is the honorary patron. The museum’s director, Paul Warwick Thompson, said this year’s contenders “have consistently challenged the possibilities of design and have demonstrated innovation through their various fi elds.”

Fashion Scoops

Etro in Growth ModeMarc by Marc Jacobs Opens in S.F.WWD.COM

An Etro bag.

Marc by Marc Jacobs in San Francisco.

Shoppers in the store on Wednesday.

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006WWD.COM

4

Golden Boy

INDIO, Calif. — An hour before the Scissor Sisters were due to hit the stage to close out the Coachella Music and Arts Festival Sunday night, the band’s trailer vibrated with energy. The designer Zaldy Goco commandeered the front area, helping everyone step

into their outfits; lead singer Jake Shears was wedging himself into metallic-gold leather pants and a matching

jacket. “The pants have to be really tight and the jacket has to be easy to take off, because I get really hot,” Shears said. “At the end, if I’m not in just my pants, sweating my brains out, then it wasn’t a good show.”

Everybody’s favorite retro glam-rock act was about to preview its collaboration with Zaldy’s Zaldy Goco, and Shears was excited to show off its new look. “In working with designers, it’s really important they understand who you are, your personality, and really get a feel of your soul,” said Shears, who met Goco through the celebrity hairstylist Danilo, a mutual friend.

Though the designer is no stranger to the music scene — he codesigns L.A.M.B. with Gwen Stefani and has created looks for Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears — working with the Scissor Sisters was still a departure for him. “I’ve never actually done an entire group,” he said. “The challenge was to work all their individual personalities into the clothes and have it all make sense without making them look like the Partridge Family.”

Goco coupled Shears’ glam-rock vision with his own personal affection for each band member. “I love their music and image, and the fact that they are such a fun band, so it was really important for me not to lose that,” he explained. “All the outfi ts are shiny in some way — blinding and very dramatic.” Guitarist Del Marquis’ sharkskin-like vest-and-pants combo, for example, had a modern rockabilly twist; vocalist Ana

Matronic’s liquid gold dress clearly had a disco-infl uenced fl air, and Shear’s head-to-toe gold leather outfi t translated into Arthur Fonzarelli-meets-“Velvet Goldmine.”

While Shears’ onstage persona may be an homage to the rock icons of yesteryear, his off-duty look is a mélange all his own. “I recently got stalked on Gawker Stalker and they totally nailed me,” he said. “They said I was dressed like Claire Huxtable from ‘The Cosby Show.’” He was caught wearing a rainbow-colored backpack and a bubble gum pink-and-blue scarf. But after close friends Elton John and David Furnish introduced Shears to Dior men’s wear designer Hedi Slimane, his fashion sense evolved — he is now the proud owner of pink, silver and pinstriped Dior suits. “They’ve turned me into a complete Dior-aholic,” he said.

And Shears has become a darling of the fashion world lately. He was at Miuccia Prada’s private dinner after the opening of the “Waist Down” exhibit at the Prada store in New York’s SoHo, and Karl Lagerfeld turned up at the Scissor Sisters’ concert in late April at the Bowery Ballroom.

Zaldy isn’t the only line getting into the Scissor Sisters’ act. Heatherette designers Richie Rich and Traver Rains dressed Shears for appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and “Live 8.” But fashion clearly runs in Shears’ blood. He also wears leather pants from a label called Grouchy Old Man, designed by his 77-year-old father, Abe Sellards. The pants are sexy and rock star-ish enough to make Mick Jagger green with envy.

“I could never get on stage and give what I need to give in jeans and a T-shirt,” Shears said, just before heading out on Coachella’s stage. “Clothes make me come alive; I’m not in the mind-set to perform until the outfi t is on.”

— Melissa Schweiger

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“Gawker Stalker… totally nailed me. They said I was dressed like Claire Huxtable from ‘The Cosby Show.’”

— Jake Shears

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Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears. Jake Shears and Ana Matronic

WWDDenim In Depth is an all-inclusive look at the denim market. From mass to superpremium labels, established trendsetters to up-and-coming designers, our editors provide industry leaders with the

information they need to capitalize on this thriving sector of the fashion industry. Feature your brand in the special section that’s guaranteed to be referenced as a

planning guide and resource by your most important customers.

For more information, contact Gus Floris, associate publisher, denim and young contemporary at 212-630-4636, Deborah Levy, senior account executive, West Coast, at 323-951-1803, or your WWD sales representative.

WWDMediaWorldwide®

TRUE BLUE

WWDDenim In DepthSection II: May 25

Close: May 9

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Coachella CoolINDIO, Calif. — Music festivals have long been the stomping grounds of the stylish, since their attendees have a way of mixing the traditional hippie-hipster look with practical accessories. Coachella was no exception, as the desert crowds accented the shortest of shorts and colorful vintage-inspired sundresses with straw hats, oversized sunglasses and cowboy boots. Some girls took a break poolside at the DKNY Jeans/Motorola House, wearing teeny bikinis and Grecian sandals, while Franz Ferdinand’s Paul Thomson spun.

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By Lauren DeCarlo

NEW YORK — Buyers scoped out little black dresses, high-waisted pants and skirts and jersey dresses and tops from contemporary brands at the Intermezzo Collections and D&A Annex shows.

D&A Annex kicked off the weekend, opening on Saturday and wrapping up on Monday at the Starrett-Lehigh Building. Ed Mandelbaum, who cofounded the show with Barbara Kramer, said the event has grown about 50 percent from last May. Exclusivity is Mandelbaum’s objective.

“Our focus isn’t on getting bigger, it’s on getting better,” he said. “Only about one out of every 25 [applicants] gets into the show. We’re very selective. About 10 percent of vendors don’t make it back. Vendors are voted in on a show-by-show basis.”

This D&A Annex welcomed 125 companies and more than 1,500 visitors. Among them was the actress Lucy Liu, who checked out the latest handbags in the Wek1933 collection, de-signed by her friend, model Alek Wek.

Buyers were on the lookout for new brands and new trends for the fall and holiday season.

Kait Mally, owner of the Dressed boutique in Harbor Springs, Mich., said she comes to D&A to fi nd smaller lines that have not been un-earthed by the major stores.

“I’m trying to fi nd special things that my customer can’t fi nd anywhere else,” Mally said, adding that the average retail price in her boutique hovers around $150.

Her friend, and fel-low shop-owner, Meghan Warner, of Les Femmes bou-tique in Bay Harbor, Mich., said she was searching for “classics with a twist.”

“No fads,” Warner said, noting that her boutique carries lines like See by Chloé, Chaiken, Citizens of Humanity and Jarbo, a col-lection of tops and bottoms that was exhibiting at D&A Annex. Retail prices at Les Femmes average $400.

As a small-business owner, Mally said the tim-ing of the D&A Annex and Intermezzo Collections shows helps her stock the store appropriately. She was looking for brands that were making June 30 and July 30 deliveries.

“We’re like the Hamp tons,’’ she said. “July and August are our busiest months.”

The May show also helps buyers track trends. “As a smaller store, it’s harder to buy so far ahead because you don’t know which trends the customer will pick up,” Mally said.

Mandelbaum said he’s moved the larger D&A show in September closer to Olympus Fashion Week here. The show will take place Sept. 16-18.

Intermezzo Collections began Sunday at the Show Piers here. At press time, show organizers were unable to provide totals for exhibitors and visitors to the three-day show.

Randi Evans, owner of the two Rapunzel’s Closet boutiques in Palm Beach, said she focused on her appointments with her stores’s staple brands, including True Religion, Juicy Couture, Splendid, Ella Moss and Fighting Eel.

She also had the opportunity to speak with some other key brands, such as Minnie Rose, Splendid and Hanky Panky, about creating exclusive styles for her two stores.

“We’re going to do a long cashmere hoodie by Minnie Rose in exclusive colors or stripes for the stores,” Evans said.

Rita Brookoff, owner of the Legacy boutiques here and in Brooklyn, and the month-old boutique Dear, also in SoHo, said Intermezzo was better than she had anticipated.

“I saw some new lines I hadn’t seen before,” Brookoff said. “I think a lot of people launched at this Intermezzo.”

Brookoff was impressed with Poleci’s secondary line and the Castle Starr collection, which she thought was, “beautiful and well-priced.”

“It’s for a sophisticated customer rather than someone who just wants to put on jeans and a top,” she said.

Brookoff was happy to see something missing from the show — an abundance of denim.

“Denim seemed not to be so prolifi c this time. [The show] looked more edited than before.” she said. “How much denim do we really need?”

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 20068WWD.COM

The Beat

Contemporary Trade ShowsGive Immediate Satisfaction

The H

erita

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tion

NEW YORK — Gap is playing up its traditional strengths for fall. Under the leadership of a new design team headed by Charlotte Neuville, the fi rm is reviving its collection of classic T-shirts and jeans. In that vein, jeans and Ts are offered in all washes and styles, and the in-store visual merchandising will mirror the creative effort. Also included in the lineup are washed leather jackets, cashmere tunics, vests and cardigans.

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Cotton jeans, T-shirt and jacket; a cashmere and cotton sweater, and a cotton and leather bag.

Cotton jeans and

T-shirt and a washed

leather jacket.

Cotton pants; a

cotton and cashmere

turtleneck, and a

brushed cotton coat.

Cotton cargo pants and hoodie; a leather belt, and a cotton twill cap.

A look from Fighting Eel, one of the exhibitors at Intermezzo Collections.

True Religion Apparel is feeling underappreciated by Wall Street, which has management considering a change of faith.

During the Los Angeles-based premium denim manufacturer’s conference call Wednesday to discuss fi rst-quarter earnings, management said it not only had considered taking the company private again, but it would welcome the opportunity.

Booming domestic sales and an increasingly strong response to nondenim items drove double-digit sales and earnings gains in the fi rst quarter. Despite the strong results, which came on the heels of substantial gains in 2005, shares of the company have fallen from a high of around $24 in February to a closing price of $18.74 on Wednesday.

Talk of taking the company private was stirred by an analyst’s question as to whether that was an op-tion that had been discussed, considering that True Religion’s shares had remained undervalued despite strong sales and earnings, the absence of debt and a substantial cash fl ow. Charles Lesser, chief fi nan-cial offi cer, was quick to note that companies such as Seven For All Mankind and Citizens of Humanity had achieved success with their private-equity deals.

“We think that it might be a great idea if the right company came along and took the company private, allowed us to grow our stores for a few years, and then took it public again,” said Lesser. “We think that would be a great idea.”

For the three months ended March 31, the Los Angeles-based premium denim manufacturer re-ported a 68.9 percent rise in earnings to $6.5 million, or 28 cents a diluted share, besting Wall Street ana-lysts’ consensus estimate of 27 cents. Earnings for the same period a year ago were $3.8 million, or 17 cents a share.

Sales for the quarter grew 77.1 percent to $35.6 million from $20.1 million, making for the highest quarterly sales results in the company’s history. The rapid growth was driven by gains with the company’s 200 department store and 650 specialty store custom-ers, particularly in the U.S. market. According to

management, department stores generated $10.4 mil-lion in sales, compared with $3.8 million in the same period a year ago, while specialty store sales were $15.7 million compared with $8 million.

“I think what is most important is that we dem-onstrated our leadership position in the market, not only here but overseas,” said Jeff Lubell, founder and chief executive offi cer, during the company confer-ence call.

While denim has become a smaller portion of True Religion’s overall business, sales in the segment have continued to rise. Lubell pointed out that domestic sales growth had been achieved as major department and specialty store customers winnowed down the numbers of brands in their premium denim portfolios. Average wholesale prices have held steady at $72.

“It’s clear to me that the marketplace for premi-um denim is coming down to those people who really have the product line right and are really perform-ing,” said Lubell, who pointed out that brands such as Paper Denim & Cloth, Joe’s Jeans, Blue Cult and Antik have lowered their price points to below $150 over the last year.

Nondenim offerings continue to become a bigger part of the company’s business. Fleece in particular has emerged as a key performer, selling 42,000 units during the quarter and generating sales of more than $3 million. Lubell said the company has gotten a strong response from their leather, suede, cashmere and shorts offerings as well. Denim accounted for 78 percent of sales during the quarter.

“It is the best evidence that we are transforming quickly from a denim brand to a casual fashion brand without limitations,” said Lubell.

In a report released on Tuesday previewing earn-ings, Brean Murray Carret retail analyst Eric Beder noted a combination of domestic growth and in-creased interest in premium denim from men as key factors fueling the company’s growth.

“We believe shipments of men’s bottoms to the channel (especially department stores) have become a much bigger piece of the mix. We note in the compa-ny’s owned stores, the sales mix is 50-50, men’s-wom-en’s,” wrote Beder.

With no debt weighing down the balance sheet, the company has quickly amassed cash, with $21.2 million for the quarter compared with only $4.2 million in the year-ago period. The cash is earmarked to fund the opening of company-owned stores, which are expected to cost between $600,000 and $700,000, excluding inven-tory. Management plans to open three stores in 2006, and six to eight stores annually in the following years.

— Ross Tucker

Higher margins and lower costs helped I.C. Isaacs overcome sales declines and eke out a rise in earn-ings for the first quarter.

“We believe that the fi rst quarter of 2006 marked the completion of our turnaround effort,” Peter Rizzo, chairman and chief executive offi cer, said in a statement. “We believe that 2006 will be the third straight profi table year for I.C. Isaacs and the best relative to earnings and revenue.”

For the three months ended March 31, the New York-based denim company, which holds the U.S. license for Marithé & François Girbaud, reported earnings increased 1.6 percent to $2.5 million, or 20 cents a diluted share, compared with earnings of $2.5 million, or 18 cents a share, in the same period a year ago.

Sales for the quarter fell 10.3 percent to $21.3 million from $23.7 million. The company said the sales decline was a result of pulling product from about 200 men’s and women’s department stores that management felt were underperforming. Exiting those doors was completed in 2005 and has been part of an effort to create a new brand image with consumers.

“We have worked diligently to move the Girbaud brand identity in the U.S. market away from what was previously a jeans and T-shirt business toward a younger, more sophisticated, street-collection concept,” said Rizzo.

Trading volume of Isaacs surged after the an-nouncement of results on Tuesday, with shares fi n-ishing the day at $5.10, up 6.3 percent. Shares made signifi cant gains on Wednesday as well, up 16.1 per-cent to close at $5.92 a share.

— R.T.

Guess Inc. said Wednesday that an inquiry from the Securities and Exchange commission has delayed the release of fi rst-quarter earnings.

The Los Angeles-based denim manufacturer had been scheduled to report its fi nancial results for the quarter ended April 1, but is addressing an SEC letter regard-ing how the company accounted for the acquisition of its European jeanswear licensee on last year’s 10-K fi ling.

Guess said in a statement that fi rst-quarter results are expected to be fi led “on or before its due date of May 11.” Once a date is set, a conference call with analysts and investors will be scheduled.

Despite the delay, the company indicated that it anticipates reporting signifi cantly improved earn-ings and sales results for the quarter. Earnings are expected to come in between $13.5 million and $15.0 million, or 30 cents and 33 cents a diluted share. That range positions the fi rm to achieve a minimum earnings gain of 64.4 percent and a potential maxi-mum of 82.9 percent, compared with earnings of $8.2 million during the same period a year ago. The com-

pany also said its comparable-store sales for April were up 22.6 percent.

“The SEC letter is ill-timed but not material, in our opinion,” Eric Beder, a retail analyst with Brean Murray Carret & Co., said in a report after the an-nouncement.

Beder said the SEC is questioning the classifi cation as intangible assets of $12.3 million related to the pur-chase of Guess’ European distributor. Guess is amortiz-ing the assets over fi ve years and the fi nancial results have been fully audited by KPMG, he said.

Beder increased his earnings per share estimates for 2006 to $1.70 from $1.59 based on the anticipated results. He also raised his EPS estimates for 2007 to $2.00 from $1.89.

“We believe that [Guess] deserves a premium multiple given the potential for material further in-ternational expansion, the company’s fashion-right looks for spring and additional unit growth poten-tial at Marciano, the core stores and the Accessory units,” wrote Beder.

— R.T.

Denim DishIsaacs Hits Turning Point

Guess Delays 1Q Results

WWD.COMWWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006 9

Sheiki Jeans is carving out a niche with slender yet curvy women.Sheila Dudley, the designer of the collection, is also

the acting fi t model. Dudley, 5 feet, 5 inches, with a self-proclaimed “very curvy” frame, said she worked for nine months perfecting her fi t.

She splits her time between Los Angeles, where Sheiki Jeans are washed and manufactured, and Las Vegas, where she designs the collection.

“The jeans are clingy, like a glove,” Dudley said, fresh off a fl ight to Los Angeles from Las Vegas. “I feel like a lot of denim brands target the narrow, straight fi gure, but that’s just not realistic.”

The collection, which launched for spring, can be found in specialty boutiques such as Stash in Las Vegas and online at daszign.com. Celebrities have already taken notice: Talk show hostess Tyra Banks will be seen wearing Sheiki Jeans in upcoming episodes of “The Tyra Banks Show.”

There are four distinct bodies in sizes 24 to 31: straight, boot-cut, fl ared and skinny. Each pair of jeans has a 34-inch leg with a 7 1/2-inch rise and is 12 1/2 inches around the knee. The denim is im-ported from Italy and washes range from a mid-range blue to gray, white, and black shades. Wholesale prices are $70 to $100.

The look is clean; embellishments and distressing are kept to a minimum. An embroidered, oversize “S” is on every back pocket. Back pockets are rounded and feature an exaggerated curve in the middle to round out the rear without making it appear wide.

“We basically do a butt-lift,” Dudley said of the curved yoke and pocket placement.

She also launched the Sheiki Diamond Collection, a special-order collec-tion that features Swarovski crystals embellishment. The wholesale price range is between $300 and $500.

— Lauren DeCarlo

Curves Ahead at Sheiki Jeans

A selection of styles from Sheiki Jeans.

“The SEC letter is ill-timed but not material.”

— Eric Beder, Brean Murray Carret & Co.

True Religion Mulls Going Private as Earnings Rise

By Melanie Kletter

NEW YORK — Victoria’s Secret is extending its reach from the boudoir to the gym.

The company will launch Sexy Sport, a comprehensive sports bra and activewear collection, in all its 1,200 stores on May 16. While the brand has had a selection of active-wear in its catalogues and online, this will be the fi rst time it will sell sports bras and activewear in its stores.

“The style of the activewear is very modern and fashionable,” said Kristina Bokariza-Martin, vice presi-dent of merchandising for Victoria’s Secret Stores. “Women will fi nd pieces that they can wear for just about every activity.”

She declined to break out sales projections, but sources suggested this category would become a multi-million-dollar business for the fi rm. Victoria’s Secret, a division of Limited Brands, had a sales increase of 5 per-cent, to $4.45 billion, in 2005, while op-erating profi t in the division increased 11 percent, to $886 million, according to data from Harris Nesbitt Research. The company doesn’t break out sales of the division.

Sexy Sport will also be sold online and in the catalogs, representing the company’s commitment to growing this category of the business.

The athletic collection includes eight sports bra styles, as well as yoga pants, sport shorts, tennis apparel and dancewear, in fabrics such as Supplex, Lycra spandex and Coolmax. There are products for tennis, yoga, dance, cycling and general fi tness. Bokariza-Martin said the bra and sportswear collection was developed after two

years of research and development.The bras are designed for all levels of athletic activity,

some offering more support than others, Bokariza-Martin said. An in-store grid will help customers fi nd the right support level.

“Clients come to Victoria’s Secret for all their bra needs,” Bokariza-Martin noted. “Until now, we’ve had every bra possible, except sports bras. Our goal is to cre-ate a sports bra category for Victoria’s Secret and become

the destination for sports bra shoppers. We now offer cli-ents one place to take care of all their bra needs.”

She noted that while many sports bras on the market fl at-ten women’s breasts, the VS collection is designed to take into account both a women’s cup size and the sport impact level so that the bra has a better fi t.

Sexy Sport comes in bright and bold purple, canary yel-low and orange, as well as blue, gray and white. The sports bras retail for $35 to $45; while the activewear will sell for

$25 to $70.The move is part of the company’s

plan to target new areas for growth. The VS Pink division, launched two years ago and targeting a younger customer, already has sales of about $500 mil-lion. Beauty has also been a key focus lately at Victoria’s Secret, which is the Limited’s largest brand.

Bokariza-Martin said the stores are not eliminating any categories to make room for Sexy Sport.

“This is definitely a long-range growth category for us,” she added.

The company is embarking on a sig-nifi cant marketing campaign for Sexy Sport including signage in the front store windows of all the stores, as well as advertisements in a number of June magazines and direct mail.

Other fi rms are also pushing hard into the sports bra arena. Nike unveiled a comprehensive new innerwear system that will begin hitting stores this sum-mer. Under Armour also launched a bra offering this spring that has been a sales driver, the company said last month.

Hanes is the market leader in sports bras, and the category last year had sales of $358 million, according to the NPD Group, the research fi rm based in Port Washington, N.Y.

WWD.COM

Active Lifestyle

Victoria’s Secret Shows Its Sporty Side

JIVAMUKTI’S NEW SHOP: Jivamukti Yoga Center in Manhattan has expanded into a new location that has a large boutique featuring a wide selection of apparel and other products. Many of the items are made of organic cotton and other sustainable materials, said co-founder Sharon Gannon.

“Our idea is to sell products that are good for the environment,” Gannon said. “We only had a few T-shirts and other items for sale before and now we have added much more.”

Gannon didn’t give sales projections for the boutique, but said revenue from the store was important to help fund the business.

Among the brands the boutique carries are Prana — now a division of Liz Claiborne Inc. — Float, Blue Canoe and Yoga Tribe and Culture. In addition to T-shirts bearing the Jivamukti label there are books, beauty products and yoga mats and blankets. The store also sells vegan dog food, and a tea center that will offer vegan products is being developed at the 12,000-square-foot center, located at 841 Broadway.

NEW NIKE VP: Nike Inc. has promoted Greg Hoffman to the new position of vice president of global brand design for

the Nike brand. Hoffman, 35, is a 13-year veteran of the company and was most

recently global brand creative director. He will report to chief marketing officer Trevor Edwards. Hoffman will manage the visual identity of the core brand, Nike said.

CHAMPION AT DISNEY: Champion, a division of Sara Lee Branded Apparel, will unveil its new O2Cool collection at the inaugural Disney Minnie Marathon event Friday and Saturday at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. The company will showcase looks from the new collection, including sport bras, T-shirts, pants and jackets in a

fashion show. The line will be modeled by dancers from the NBA’s Orlando Magic. The Minnie Marathon weekend is presented by Lady Foot Locker and includes women’s-only running events as well as a health expo, speakers and other activities.

PUMA DISTRIBUTION DEAL: Puma said it has formed a joint venture with its Mexican distributor, Tavistock Mexico Holding SA, as part of a plan to take more control of its global distribution. Under the terms of the agreement, Puma is the majority shareholder in the venture. The company has had an agreement with Tavistock for three years. In the last few months, Puma has been taking over more control of its international distribution, and has also been setting up subsidiaries in India and Dubai.

The Jivamukti boutique sells clothes, beauty products and other items.

Activewear and innerwear from the new Victoria’s Secret Sexy Sport collection.

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WWD.COM11WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006

PARIS — Selective Beauty signed a worldwide li-censing agreement on Wednesday to produce and distribute prestige fragrances for the Italian fash-ion house Max Mara.

The license previously was managed through a joint venture between Procter & Gamble’s Cosmopolitan Cos-metics division and the Max Mara Group. The new agree-ment is to last 10 years. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Selective Beauty, based here, hopes to bolster Max Mara’s existing women’s fragrance business by launching a seasonal ver-sion of its signature scent at the end of this year. By year-end 2007, Selective Beauty will introduce a new Max Mara women’s fragrance.

“Considering Max Mara’s extremely strong position in fashion, with sales of over 1 billion euros [or $1.26 bil-lion at current exchange], we clearly have strong ambi-tions in terms of sales,” said Christophe Cervasel, founder and chief executive offi cer of Selective Beauty.

Last year, Selective Beauty signed six fragrance licenses, including Trussardi, Diana di Silva and Balmain, plus four distribution contracts.

Thanks mainly to those deals, Selective Beauty generated 103 million euros, or $130 million, in 2005, representing growth of 44 percent versus the prior year. The fi rm plans to increase its sales 50 percent this year to 150 million euros, or $189 million.

By the end of April, Selective Beauty’ sales had registered 50 percent gains versus the same pe-riod last year. Organic growth rose 14 percent.

In a letter sent to industry observers this week, Procter & Gamble and Max Mara said they had ended their fi ne-fragrance venture by mutual, amicable agreement.

— Ellen Groves

Strong Sales Boost Henkel’s 1Q Net BERLIN — The Henkel Group reported double-digit gains Wednesday in net earnings, operating profits and sales for the first quarter of 2006.

Net earnings for the Düsseldorf-based group rose 10.1 percent to 185 million euros, or $221.5 million at average exchange, while operating prof-its grew 11.7 percent to 295 million euros, or $353.7 million. Group sales reached 3.05 billion euros, or $3.65 billion, for the period.

The group’s organic growth was 5.9 percent, the fi rm noted. All business sectors, including cosmetics, toiletries, laundry, homecare and con-sumer and craftsman adhesives, contributed to the strong performance, according to chairman Ulrich Lehner.

Earnings before interest and taxes for Henkel’s

beauty business increased 8.3 percent to 74 mil-lion euros, or $88.7 million, on sales of 642 million euros, or $769.8 million, an increase of 8.1 percent.

Organic growth was 4.8 per-cent. Sales grew in all regions, but were “particularly encour-aging” in western Europe and

“above average” in Germany, eastern Europe and Latin America, the fi rm said.

On Tuesday, Henkel an-nounced the completion of its acquisition of the Right Guard, Soft & Dri and Dry Idea deodorant brands from Gillette. Hans Van Bylen, executive vice president of cosmetics and toiletries, said the transaction “will take us to number three in the attractive American de-odorant market.” According to the company, Henkel is now number three in the U.S. body care market.

Henkel confirmed its forecast for 2006, which calls for organic sales growth of 3 to 4 percent, a rise in EBIT of about 10 percent — after adjusting for foreign exchange — and a 10 percent gain in earn-ings per preferred share.

— Melissa Drier

P&G Promotes Rebecca MassonNEW YORK — Rebecca Masson has been named vice president of marketing for Procter & Gamble Prestige Products Inc.

Masson joined the company in August 2002 as director of marketing for the Gucci and Valentino fragrance brands and was promoted to vice president of marketing for the prestige divi-sion in May 2005. In her new role, she will be re-sponsible for the marketing of all of the Prestige division’s brands, including Dunhill, Hugo Boss and Lacoste. She will report to Nicholas Munafo, executive vice president of marketing and sales. Before joining P&G, Masson held market-ing positions with Chanel, Christian Dior and Boucheron/BPI.

GapBody Taps VP of Personal CareNEW YORK — Gap Inc. has named Annette McEvoy vice president of Personal Care for GapBody. She will report to Tom Wyatt, president of GapBody. In her new role McEvoy will oversee all aspects of the personal care business for the Gap brand, includ-ing development, merchandising and marketing. She’ll also work with Inter Parfums to relaunch Gap brand’s personal care collection.

Prior to joining GapBody, McEvoy most recently was president of her own retail consultancy busi-ness, A. McEvoy & Associates. Her experience also includes posts at various personal care and beauty companies, including Bath & Body Works, Revlon and L’Oréal.

Max Mara in ‘Selective’ Scent DealHouse Democrats Ask Bush To Investigate Jordan AbuseBy Kristi Ellis

WASHINGTON — House Democratic leaders are urging the Bush ad-ministration to investigate allegations of labor abuses in textile and apparel factories in Jordan that are used by many U.S. companies.

Citing a report by the National Labor Committee, four House Ways and Means committee members wrote to Secretary of State Condo-leezza Rice and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman Wednesday outlining their concerns about sweatshops in Jordan, which exported $1.1 billion in apparel and textiles to the U.S. last year.

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D., N.D.) said he would introduce legisla-tion as early as next week that would prohibit the import or sale of goods made under conditions that violate core International Labor Organization worker rights standards.

The House Democrats called on the administration to investigate labor conditions in Jordan as well as Jordan’s compliance with in-ternational labor guidelines. They also pressed for consultations with Jordanian offi cials to ensure the safety of workers from China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal working in the apparel fac-tories there and protection for those who participated in the NLC re-port from retaliation by their employers.

The nonprofi t labor advocacy group’s report alleges confi scation of passports by apparel factory owners, involuntary servitude, in-stances where workers were forced to work 109 hours a week and 20-hour shifts, work without pay for six months, beatings and rapes.

“We take allegations of violations of labor rights by our free trade partners seriously,” a Portman spokesman said. “We have raised the issue with offi cials in the [government of Jordan] and we will take other appropriate steps as the circumstances require.”

Yanal Beasha, the Jordanian trade representative in Washington, said the report and its recommendations, fi rst disclosed by The New York Times, would be evaluated by the government and trade asso-ciations and that any abuses would be addressed.

“The action might range from closing these factories or tempo-rarily taking out their export license until they prove that they have worked their problems out, or enforcing a whole new monitoring sys-tem to ensure our labor laws are in full enforcement,” Beasha said.

There are 102 apparel and textile factories in Jordan employing about 55,000 people, more than half of whom are in the country as guest workers. Beasha said the government this week approved an increase in the minimum wage to $154 a month, up from $133.

Companies cited in the report, such as Kohl’s, Gloria Van derbilt, Kmart and Victoria’s Secret, did not return calls regarding the allegations.

Wal-Mart has sourced apparel production with contractors in Jordan since 2002 and uses fi ve contractors. “The abuses this report apparently alleges are total violations of our standards,” said Bill Wertz, Wal-Mart director of international corporate affairs.

Wal-Mart has sent two company offi cials to Jordan to look into the allegations, Wertz said. The company has no affi liation and does not have contracts with two apparel contractors cited as making clothes for Wal-Mart, including the Western Factory, where four women were allegedly raped, and Al Shahaed, where workers were allegedly forced to work excessive hours and were beaten with sticks and belts.

Wal-Mart stopped doing business with one of three factories in Jordan, Ivory Garment Factory, two years ago after the company’s inspectors found labor violations, Wertz said.

“We have not ceased doing business with the other two factories because we are attempting to use our leverage to obtain improvement of working conditions,” Wertz said. “We have become less quick to cut factories off because of input from the NGO [non-governmental orga-nizations associated with the United Nations] community and others that this is not necessarily in the best interest of the workers.”

In a written statement, Target said, “To our knowledge the only factory mentioned by The New York Times that has a relationship with a Target vendor is Al Safa Garments. We will ask the vendor to investigate conditions at this factory to ensure compliance.”

The company said it takes “very seriously the protection of human rights,” and is committed to taking corrective action.

— With contributions from Evan Clark

NEW YORK — The National Mother’s Day Council annual luncheon will have an illustrious lineup of honorees: Designer Betsey Johnson, beauty diva Bobbi Brown, Grammy Award-winning soprano Renée Fleming, Broadway leg-end Chita Rivera and Karen Katz, presi-dent and chief executive officer of the Neiman Marcus Group.

An addition to the 28th annual event is the selection by Ladies Home Journal of Cindi Steele, a youth mentor, as an All-Star Mom.

More than 500 people are expected at today’s luncheon at the Pierre hotel. All charitable contributions from the event will benefit Women in Need, which serves underprivileged women and

children, said Thia Breen, chairwom-an of the event and president of Estée Lauder, The Americas. The council has raised $16 million for various charities, Breen said.

Several honorees shared personal insight on how they have combined a career and motherhood. Johnson re-called one of her biggest challenges was working as a full-time designer through-out her pregnancy. Her daughter, Lulu, became her muse and often preferred to sleep on a cutting table than in her bedroom.

“The most intense and satisfying times were when I would come home and cry because I was so tired, and she would pet my head,” Johnson said. “But

the most incredible time was after I re-ceived the positive results of a biopsy for breast cancer, which I received one hour before the company Christmas party. I faked my way through the party, but I knew I had to tell Lulu, and said, ‘Lulu, this is the biggest favor of my life. Don’t leak it.’ She never told anybody. I lied about it until the CFDA let me tell the world.”

Now, Johnson said her second biggest joy is her granddaughter, Layla, whom she baby-sits “as often as I can.”

Brown’s number-one tip for moms: “I have one calender, not two. I make sure I put all the school vacations, half days and school holidays down before I schedule my work for the season.”

As to whether her sons — Dylan, Dakota and Duke — appreciate her jug-gling being a full-time mom and a world-famous makeup stylist, Brown said: “It’s not their job to get it. I’m sure when they’re older, they will. At their ages, seven, 14 and 16, they don’t think I’m cool or amazing. They think I’m annoying.”

Katz said, “My 16-year-old son, Alex, is my pride and joy. We all try to juggle things all at the same time. Neiman Marcus has provided a great environ-ment for me to get to the level I’m at, and at the same time be a great mother. I am very disciplined. I get out of here at a decent hour so my husband, son and I can have dinner together.”

— Karyn Monget

Betsey Johnson, Bobbi Brown to Highlight Mother’s Day Luncheon

BEAUTY BEAT

Selective Beauty has obtained the Max Mara fragrance license.

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 200612

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MARIA SHARAPOVAPercentage: 12.62The 6-foot, 2-inch blonde burst onto the tennis scene in 2004 at Wimbledon, capturing her fi rst Grand Slam title. Sharapova is a walking endorsement: The latest for the Russian teenager includes Tag Heuer’s continuing “What Are You Made Of?” campaign. Sharapova also has deals with Nike, Prince, Canon, Motorola and Colgate-Palmolive — and she recently signed with car company Land Rover, according to the WTA Tour Web site. Last fall, Sharapova and Parlux Fragrance teamed up to create a fragrance called “Maria Sharapova,” which launched in September. “The fragrance has a very fl owery feeling, very elegant and sophisticated,” said Sharapova. Style on the court: Sharapova donned a bold, black-and-white corset top and black skirt taken from Nike’s spring fi tness dance collection at the Nasdaq Open in March (seen left).

AMELIE MAURESMOPercentage: 9.02French-born Mauresmo is number one in the Women’s Tennis Association Tour rankings. Her sponsor, Reebok, outfi tted her at the U.S. Open last September. WWD reported that Mauresmo helped design her own look, appearing in a violet Rbk-branded tennis tank top and skirt. And at the Australian Open in January, Mauresmo chose a red Reebok dress (seen left) and won the tournament, beating out Justine Henin-Hardenne, ranked number nine on this list.

MICHELLE KWANPercentage: 12.49Kwan didn’t quite make it to her third Olympics this year, thanks to a nasty groin injury. But that didn’t stop fans from continuing to root for fi gure skating’s most-decorated athlete in U.S. history, according to the U.S. Figure Skating Association. Kwan has won an unprecedented 42 championships, including fi ve World Championships, eight consecutive and eight overall U.S. Championship titles and two Olympic medals — silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002. The 25-year-old fi gure skater from Southern California, who has frequently worn skating outfi ts designed by Vera Wang, was named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” by People magazine in May 2000.

VENUS WILLIAMSPercentage: 13.81In July 2005, the elder Williams sister defeated Lindsay Davenport in the longest women’s fi nal in Wimbledon history. Later that summer, at the U.S. Open, WWD reported that Williams’ lilac dress with metallic embroidery refl ected current fashion trends in the tennis world. Though somewhat quieter than her younger sister, Williams certainly is just as busy: In November 2003, the 25-year-old began her own interior design business, V Starr Interiors. She has also designed a collection of leather apparel that is sold exclusively at Wilson’s the Leather Experts. She has endorsements with Wilson Racquet Sports, American Express and McDonald’s.

JENNIFER CAPRIATIPercentage: 8.47Perhaps it’s Capriati’s tumultuous career that has kept fans rooting for her all these years: She was a rising star in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but suffered major setbacks after a shoplifting incident and an arrest for possession of marijuana. She returned to the tennis scene in 2001. Throughout her career, Capriati has won 14 professional singles titles and one doubles title. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine named her one of the 40 Greatest Players of the modern tennis era. Recently, she has struggled with injuries that have kept her from playing a full tour schedule — and the 30-year-old hinted in March that her tennis career could soon be drawing to a close.

KELLY CLARKPercentage: 10.42Clark won the fi rst gold medal in snowboarding for the U.S. at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. She took home gold in the halfpipe, even though, at 18, she was the youngest competitor. But Clark had one of her most successful seasons in 2004-05. She placed second in three U.S. Grand Prix events and in February took home her fi rst World Cup victory in four years — on the Olympic halfpipe in Bardonecchia, Italy. She entered the Turin Games as the defending halfpipe gold medalist, but was not a favorite to win the 2006 title: She was in fourth place going into her fi nal run and fell just before crossing the fi nish line, and thus remained fourth.

LAILA ALIPercentage: 14.03Standing at 5 feet, 10 inches and weighing roughly 168 lbs., Ali is arguably one of the most visible female boxers. The 28-year-old, the youngest daughter of Muhammad Ali, made her professional debut in 1999 and has a record of 22-0 (19 of them knockouts). Ali has had endorsement deals with Dr. Pepper, Ford Motors and Bum Equipment, and currently endorses Soft Sheen-Caron Hair Care products, Nicotrol and Adidas. “Ali is really popular, not only because she’s done a lot of celebrity-type exposure, but fi lms like ‘Million Dollar Baby’ have also helped to raise awareness for female boxers,” said Marcus Young of Genius Insight. In May 2005, Ali attended the opening of Adidas’ new sport performance fl agship on the corner of Broadway and Houston Street in New York.

SERENA WILLIAMSPercentage of respondents who say they “like this female athlete a lot”: 14.34Known for her fl ashy jewels and emotional outbursts on the tennis court, the younger Williams sister has also taken a keen liking to the fashion world. She and sister Venus often make appearances at fashion shows. In New York this past February, Serena stopped by Luca Luca and Michael Kors to see what’s coming this fall. At Kai Milla’s fashion show, Williams told WWD she is moving forward with a signature sportswear label of her own. “My collection is called sportswear, but it’s more like what I’m wearing,” she said, referring to her strapless top and jeans tucked into knee-high boots. The novice fashion designer is a guest color creator for Flirt Cosmetics, which is produced by the Estée Lauder Cos.’ BeautyBank division and distributed exclusively at Kohl’s stores.

JUSTINE HENIN-HARDENNEPercentage: 8.44So far this year, Henin-Hardenne has won the Tier II tennis event in Dubai in February, and in April she led her beloved home country, Belgium, to victory over defending champion Russia in the Fed Cup. Henin-Hardenne is in fi rst place in the WTA Tour rankings. WWD reported that at the U.S. Open in September, Henin-Hardenne — who is known for her conservative style — surprisingly wore fl ashy red looks from her sponsor, Adidas. The 23-year-old athlete lives in Monte Carlo with her husband, Pierre-Yves Hardenne, whom she married in November 2002.

ANNA KOURNIKOVAPercentage: 8.07Named “the most popular tennis player never to win a singles tournament,” Russian-born Kournikova has been plagued by injuries lately, but continues to compete in charity events. The 24-year-old took the tennis world by storm at age 15, when she reached the fourth round at the 1996 U.S. Open; she also made the semifi nals at Wimbledon in 1997. But recently, she has earned more publicity modeling for Maxim, FHM, Sports Illustrated and Cosmopolitan. Her romances with pop star Enrique Iglesias and NHL stars Sergei Federov and Pavel Bure have kept her in the tabloid spotlight. Kournikova has been seen at the last couple of fashion weeks in New York — in February, she stopped by the Adidas/Y-3 fashion show, and last September she made an appearance at the tents for Monique Lhuillier.

10SOURCE: GENIUS INSIGHT, WHICH CONSIDERS RANKINGS 1-3 AND 8-10 TO BE STATISTICALLY TIED; THE SAMPLE SIZE WAS 2,440 RESPONDENTS IN THE U.S., AGES 13-49

As part of its StarPower USA 2006 report, Genius Insight, a New York marketing and research fi rm, has ranked favorite active female athletes by fan-base size. “This is an ideal measure of endorsement potential for these athletes,” stated Paul Jenkins, co-founder and principal of the fi rm. Why such low percentages? “The report incorporates both celebrities and athletes,” said Marcus Young, Genius Insight’s director of marketing. “Athletes’ scores are pretty much driven by sports fans, versus the celebrities, whose scores are driven by the general public — of which sports fans are included.” Though the athletes represent a variety of women’s sports, tennis reigns supreme in the top 10. “Both men and women will sit down to watch a women’s tennis match. That’s not always the case in fi gure skating,” Young said. Visibility and awareness also infl uence athletes’ likability scores. Many in the top 10 make celebrity appearances and have lucrative endorsement deals. — Cecily Hall

Girl PowerThe top 10 female athletes ranked by their “likability.”

WWD.COMWWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006 13

Versace Exceeds PlanContinued from page onethe company released first-half numbers, Versace forecast its full-year loss would be about 15 mil-lion euros, or $18.8 million.

The company downplayed the fact that asset sales, including that of the Versace family’s Manhattan town house, actually allowed Versace to post a pre-tax profi t of 37.2 million euros, or $46.5 million. All dollar fi gures are converted from euros at average exchange rates for the period to which they refer.

“We’re still sticking to our goal to turn a [oper-ating] profi t in 2007, but we don’t exclude the pos-sibility that it will happen even earlier in 2006,” Di Risio said. The executive stressed any decision to take the company public rests with its share-holders, the Versace family, but he said the fi rm will be healthy enough to start pondering the IPO option next year.

“This company will have all of its assets and fun-damentals in place in 2007 and the shareholders will be able to decide what to do,” he said. “I think Versace will be one of the few companies with all of the right requisites to [carry out an IPO].”

In 2004, Allegra Beck, Donatella’s daughter and Gianni’s niece, turned 18 and inherited full control of her 50 percent stake in the company, marking a shift in power and a new era at the fashion house. Her uncle Santo owns 30 percent and her mother controls the remaining 20 percent.

Versace’s sales for the 12 months ended Dec. 31 slid 4.4 percent to 307 million euros, or $383.8 million, slightly better than the original forecast of 300 million euros, or $375 million. Di Risio said a strategic decision to discontinue some product lines — including the diffusion collection Versace Classic, swimwear, innerwear and children’s ap-parel — bit into revenues, but sales from the retail and wholesale channels partially compensated.

Those phased-out product lines also will cause Versace’s 2006 sales fi gures to slide, Di Risio said, although he declined to quantify by how much. He was also mum on the future of the diffusion line Versus, except to say that it will be an “inde-pendent brand” with its own autonomy from the more luxury-oriented Versace label. Late last year Versace ended its longstanding production deal with IT Holding for Versus.

Sales momentum accelerated in the last four months of 2005 on both a retail and wholesale basis, Di Risio said. The executive noted that U.S. retail sales for Versace climbed 28 percent in the fi rst four months of 2006, thanks in part to a reor-ganization of the American subsidiary under re-cently tapped president Patrick Guadagno and the refurbishment of the New York fl agship. Versace is currently giving its Los Angeles store a face-lift to the new black and ivory design concept.

Di Risio said the company’s focus on the sig-nature collection and big-ticket items like ce-ramic watches and limited-edition quilted bags is working. He was particularly boastful about sales growth for accessories, a focal point for several seasons now. Sales of handbags and shoes grew more than fourfold last year to account for 19

percent of Versace’s sales, or about 58.1 million euros, or $72.6 million. This year accessories sales should comprise 30 percent of revenues, he said. The increasing demand has prompted Versace to consider bolstering its production capacity in Burago, a suburb outside of Milan known for qual-ity handbag production. Chanel and Hermès also manufacture there.

Di Risio, who joined Versace just over a year and a half ago, set about a drastic debt-reduc-tion plan, which has since lifted the company into a positive net fi nancial position of 2.1 mil-lion euros, or $2.6 million. Versace sold several assets last year, including the Manhattan town house, as well as its beauty and watch divisions. Debt stood at 79 million euros, or $98 million, at the end of 2004.

Paola Leoni, a partner with Milan-based ASI Consultancy, praised Di Risio’s ability to gener-ate fi nancial results quickly, but she said it’s time for the company to ponder its next strategic step since restructuring efforts are now complete.

“Di Risio has been a managerial success, but there’s a lot of interest as to what the future growth drivers are going to be because it’s not clear right now,” said Leoni.

TUNA BURGER, HOLD THE RUMORS: What did Chuck Townsend and Steven Murphy have to talk about over their lunch at Patroon on Monday? Any number of things, no doubt, considering Townsend is president and chief executive offi cer of Condé Nast Publications (parent of WWD), and Murphy holds the same position at Rodale Inc., home of Men’s Health and Prevention. But what they actually did discuss, said Townsend, was their “concerns about the effectiveness of the MPA [Magazine Publishers of America, the industry trade group] and evolving Web strategies that are appropriate for magazine companies. We talked about how to effectively integrate the two media without one stepping unnecessarily on the other. He is one of the more articulate people out there on that subject.” Townsend added that he and Murphy have been friends since they were both working in the book business, and meet for lunch once every three months or so. (A spokeswoman for Murphy confi rmed the meeting.)

What they didn’t talk about, said Townsend, was Condé Nast buying Rodale (a scenario sources say it has at least considered, if only idly), or vice versa. “[Murphy] tells me Rodale is in the most solvent position it’s probably ever been in, and not in play, and I’m going to confi rm that we’re not in play,

either,” Townsend said. Surely, if they ever do decide to hold that conversation, it will be in a less public spot. — Jeff Bercovici

BUDGET LIVING BONES: The offi ces are closed. Most of the staffers have moved on. Founding editor in chief Sarah Gray Miller hosted a memoriam a few weeks back. And now Budget Living has found a fi nal resting place for its readers. Hearst Magazines recently purchased the now defunct magazine’s subscriber list for an undisclosed sum. A

former Budget Living employee said the deal included an assumption of debt, and that subscribers’ information would be split among several Hearst titles.

A Hearst spokeswoman confi rmed the list had been bought, saying, “We’ve selected a portion of the sub fi le that meets our demographic standards and we’re in the process of determining which titles we’ll be using it for, but it will be more than one magazine.” — Sara James

NEW YORK — Liz Claiborne Inc. has named Lydia Gollner to be president of Sigrid Olsen and City Unltd.

Gollner joins the brands after serving as pres-ident of DKNY Jeans and DKNY Active, also under the Claiborne umbrella. In her new job, she also is the liaison to the recently acquired Mac & Jac, Kenzie and Kenziegirl brands.

“Sigrid Olsen, City Unltd. and Mac & Jac are poised for signifi cant growth, and Lydia is the ideal person to guide each brand in the right di-rection,’’ Pamela Thomas-Graham, group presi-dent of better and moderate department store brands, said in a statement. “She is an excep-tional merchant and has forged strong relation-

ships with retailers.”Gollner replaces Becky Blair, who left the

company to pursue other opportunities. Janice Sullivan is succeeding Gollner as pres-

ident of DKNY Jeans and DKNY Active. Sullivan oversees all aspects of the women’s, men’s and junior lines, and reports to Susan Davidson, group president of denim and non-apparel.

Sullivan was vice president-general manager of DKNY Jeans and Active men’s and juniors.

“Janice is a strong manager who really knows the DKNY brand,” Davidson said in the state-ment. “She has excellent retail relationships and great merchandising and product skills.”

— Julee Greenberg

Liz Claiborne Taps Sigrid Olsen Prez

MEMO PAD

“We’re still sticking to our goal to turn a [operating] profi t in 2007, but we don’t exclude the possibility that it will happen even earlier in 2006.” — Giancarlo Di Risio, Gianni Versace SpA

A fall ’05 Versace look.

Fortunoff Taps Orlick For Chief Exec PostBy David Moin

NEW YORK — Fortunoff has named Arnold Orlick, a veteran of Federated Department Stores, chief executive offi cer.

The announcement Wednes day confi rms a WWD report in January that Orlick was in line for the job.

Fortunoff, considered one of the New York metro area’s lead-ing retailers specializing in fi ne jewelry and home furnishings, was acquired by Trimaran Capital Partners and Kier Group in July 2005, in partnership with the founding Fortunoff and Mayrock families. The chain was run by the two families until Joel Kier, chairman of Kier Group and a director of Fortunoff, stepped in as acting ceo last fall.

“Arnie Orlick is a highly accomplished retail executive whose depth of management experience, strong leadership skills and ex-ceptional merchandising acumen make him perfect for Fortunoff,” Kier said in a statement. “Arnie’s appointment will allow me to focus on our strategic store expansion, growing e-commerce and bridal platforms, and to further develop the Fortunoff brand.” Fortunoff has a wide reputation but only a handful of stores. The 84-year-old Fortunoff operates stores in Westbury and White Plains, N.Y.; Wayne, Paramus and Woodbridge, N.J., and on Fifth Avenue here. Fortunoff also operates 11 backyard/furniture stores.

Dean Kehler, managing partner of Trimaran Capital Partners, added, “Arnie has run one of the largest store groups in the country, and has previous experience both as a merchant and as head of store operations of a major retailer. Also, Arnie is a New Yorker. He has op-erated in the New York area and understands this exciting market.”

Orlick has been living in Atlanta since 1997, when he be-came president of Federated Department Stores’ former Rich’s/Lazarus/Goldsmith’s division, now called Macy’s. He rose to chairman and ceo there, but left in July 2001. Earlier, he was Bloomingdale’s executive vice president and director of stores, and before that, the chain’s executive vice president-general merchandise manager for home stores, cosmetics and restaurant operations, giving him the right experience for Fortunoff ’s. He could not be reached for comment.

Trimaran and Kier Group are both New York private equity investment fi rms.

14 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006

5th & 38th st. SUBLET 5,000 ft.High ceilings - Excellent Condition

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For Space in Garment Center

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Showrooms & LoftsBWAY 7TH AVE SIDE STREETS

Great ’New’ Office Space AvailADAMS & CO. 212-679-5500

SHOWROOM TO SHARE1407 Broadway

Corner of 39th St.Please call Mrs. Stein @ 212-921-9730

EXPERT PACKAGING& DISTRIBUTION

for all major retailers!Immediately AvailableSoftlines and Hardlines

Contact: Regal Bag CorporationCall (845-562-4922) Fax (845-565-0927)

Email: skaufman@regalbag.com

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

PATTERNS, SAMPLES,PRODUCTIONS

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PTTNS/SMPLS/PRODHigh qlty, reasonable price. Any de-

sign & fabric. Fast work. 212-714-2186

South Florida Location OWNER LOOKING TO RETIRE

On-going Sportswear Mfr. w/receivables,summer prod’n., fall orders.

E-mail John at: jenbriinc@aol.com

HANDS-ON GLOBALSOURCING PRO

Far East/HK based sourcing exec.10+ years in start-ups, supply chain,QA, compliance, P/D and offshore ops,short/long term projects.

retailconsult@yahoo.com

Merchandiser/DesignerCreate/Merchandise/Design your line.

Illustrator/Photoshop savvy.Call 917.689.4420

Director of International DistributionDirector will provide support and oversight of contractualcompliance of international distributors, reporting to VP ofLicensing. Qualified applicants will have a minimum of 7 yrsexperience managing wholesale export and retail operationsfor branded apparel in Asia/Pacific markets. Merchandisingand marketing background a plus. Frequent internationaltravel required.

Fax resume and salary requirements to 646-839-5432,or E-mail sheraut@7forallmankind.com

Administrative AssistantIndividual to be responsible for lightbookkeeping & administrative works.Must be motivated, organized, detailoriented, and interested in workingin the fabric & garment industry.Production CoordinatorSeeking person w/3-5 years garmentproduction experience to follow up& communicate with overseas/clients,maintain production files, and workwith design & sales teams. Must beorganized and detail oriented.PC skills required for both positions.Please Fax resume & salary require-ments to: 212-631-0689

Ann Taylor is a premier Americanspecialty apparel retailer for theprofessional woman. Over the Company’sfifty year heritage we have become awell-known resource for quality suits,separates, dresses, shoes and accessorieswith a feminine, polished approach toupdated classic style. The Companymeets the needs of modern women’sbusy lifestyles by providing a fullrange of career, casual and occasionofferings in one location. Our dedicationto helping her be at her best has led toan exceptional level of enduring clientloyalty. We are currently seeking thefollowing Planning professionals:

Merchandise PlannersStore Planners

Interested candidates can apply viawww.anntaylorcareers.com

Ann Taylor is an equal opportunityemployer.

ARTISTMajor Childrenswear Company seeks acreative artist with an excellent colorsense for Infant and Toddler girlslicensing division. Must do prints &embroideries. Proficient in Illustrator/and Photoshop. Experience in girlslicensing a must!

Please fax or email your resume to:212-267-8108, Attn: Marinamarinak@childapp.com

Assistant Designerfor a Brand Label

Major apparel company seeks anAssistant Designer with strong technicalbackground skills. To provide supportto design team. Previous experience inthe fashion industry is a must. Must beproficient in Illustrator and Photoshop.Responsibilities include but are notlimited to: processing images/graphics/color into silhouettes, processingdetail information including colorcodes fabric and trim information,creating embroidery product packswith detailed information, creating fullpresentation color boards and linesheets for market catalogues, as wellas other diversified duties.GREAT WORKING ATMOSPHERE!

Please email resume to:helpwanted@compuserve.com

Associate DesignerWOMENS DRESSES

Experience in embroidery design andcreating Tech Packs. Strong color/sketching ability and computer skills.

Please email resume to:dcapone@castlehillapparel.net

Asst Account ExecProduct Development

Private Label Co. (Missy Sportswear,Knits & Wovens) is seeking well-organized, detail-oriented person whois able to work in a fast-paced environ-ment to follow-up on all phases ofproduct development. Good communi-cation and computer skills.Fax resume Attn: AP to: 212-302-1856

Asst Designer Childrenswear2 Yrs experience. required. Must havestrong computer skills on a Mac usingIllustrator and Photoshop. Fax resume to:

212 564 9507 Attn: EFK

A national jeanswear company is growing and has the following positions:

Technical Designer3-5 yrs min exp fitting ladies bottoms. Must have full knowlof Illustrator & Excel. Knowl of pattern making preferred.

Asst/CAD Designer3-5 yrs min exp. Must be proficient in Illustrator & Photoshop

Production/Design Coordinator3-5 yrs experience. Liaison between Design & Production.Must have full knowledge of Illustrator and Excel.

Sales AssistantHighly organized and detail oriented individual. Computer liter -ate. Wal-Mart exp a + but willing to train. Oppty for growth.

Excellent benefits Please e-mail resume to: appareljobs@eurekamail.net

We’re growing are you?• Network Administrator

• Web Programmer• Database Programmer

All three positions are available in our IT/MISDepartment. MCSE and SAP experience a plus.Minimum 3yrs experience. Based in Los Angeles, CA.

Please email resumes to Kathleen @careers@agjeans.com or fax to 323-564-2937

DATA ENTRY-IMPORTSNYC Fashion Accessory distributorseeks a motivated, Detail-oriented dataentry associate in our Import Dept.Preferably has 1 yr. ofc exp, excellentverbal/written Communication skills;computer literate; and works well in ateam environment. Exp. dealing withOverseas Makers a must! Salarycommensurate with exp, medical, Lifeinsurance, profit sharing & 401k benefits.

Please fax resume to 212-686-9422

DESIGN ASSISTANTMajor Jr. knit mgf seeks design assistantwith min of 5 yrs exp. Must specializein cut-n-sew, technical experience. Mustbe team player, responsible, flexible &detail oriented.

Please fax resume in confidence to:Human Resources at 212-764-1080

DESIGN

Associate DesignerEst’d. Sweater Co. seeks a Jr. AssociateDesigner w/2-4 years exp. in Import &Domestic. Must be Photoshop/Illustratorknowledgeable. E-mail resume to:

juniorsweaters@aol.com

DESIGN DIRECTOR/to $150kContemporary Sportswear Collection

Great oppty for highly creative designdir. w/Contemp sportswear bkgd a must.("Edgy" Status/Premium denim expr).,this is a branded collection of denim,wovens & knits. Req: hands-on w/knowlof Illustrator/Photoshop preferred.E-mail resume: cburke@ccburke.com(Fax) 917-591-2521 (Tel) 212-532-5313

Designer AssistantFor Moderate sweater/knit women’ssptwr co located in NYC - proficient inphotoshop/illustrator -able to do artwork/emb layout - communicate with fty/buyers for Private Label - knowledgeof sweater and knits - know how tocomplete tech pks. Fax resume AttnRuby 201-854-4834.

Designer

ASSOCIATEDESIGNER

Childrenswear Co. seeks creative orgz’dindividual w/ ability to take design thruto production. Proficiency in Illus/ good

communication skills /3-5 years exp. Fax Resume to:212-564-8885

DesignerASSOCIATE DESIGNER

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

Designer

Associate Designer

Well est. active apparel co. seeks anenergetic Associate Designer w/a passion& enthusiasm for the active apparel &yoga mkt. Essential is 3-4 yrs exp infabric, trend & color research, coupledw/a creative & strong design sense.Must possess exp in cut & sew, wovens &knits. Excell. flat sketching & computerproficiency on Illustrator & Photoshopreq. Competitive comp & benefits pckg. Please, send resumes w/salary history

to: hr_new_york@danskin.comor Fax to 212-930-9103. EOE/M/F/V

DesignerContemporary/Jr Swimwear Est’d co seeks Swimwear Designer w/min 3 yrs exp. Exciting oppty for mo-tivated, entrepreneurial, creative per-son. Email resume:misroth@yahoo.com

Designer FreehandSketcher

Conceptual, portfolio req.Fax to (212) 840-6612

Designer/MerchandiserMajor Juniors and Kids Denim Co.seeks kids designer/ merchandiser.

Send resumes to: cruzf@muddusa.netFax: 212-730-2289

PR/MARKETINGDIRECTOR

Women’s Footwear & Acces-sories Company based inGreenwich, CT is seeking aPR/Marketing Director whois responsible for developingaggressive National PRstrategies for private labelfootwear and handbagbusiness and marketinginitiatives; build celebrityoutreach & event marketingprograms to create consumerexcitement; as well as planand execute media/ pressevents. Additionally, thisposition is responsible forthe development, designand production of visualpresentations. Must have aproven track record as aPR/Marketing Executive inthe fashion world.

Please send resumes to:Fax: (203) 302-3810

Email:hr@camutogroup.com

Executive Assistant We are seeking an executiveassistant in our Global Communi-cations office. Should be meticu-lous with details and a self starter.Very busy, high energy officerequires superior computer skillsin Microsoft Outlook, Word, Exceland PowerPoint. Professional andhighly confidential in all matters.Must have proven experience inproblem solving and be proactivewith executive support. Knowl-edge of fashion industry andPublic Relations a plus. Shouldhave 2+ years of solid executiveassistant experience.

Please email resume to:recruiting@verawang.com

Subject Header: ASSISTANTNo Phone Calls Please EOE

FASHION OPPORTUNITIESArtists - Designers - Merchandisers -Production - Sales - Technical - Etc.

Call (212) 643-8090 Fax (212) 643-8127(agcy)

Jewelry DesignerCostume jewelry co seeking designerwith minimum 2-3 years exp workingin trend, junior market. Ability tomanipulate, bead, and create models.Creative, comfortable work environment.

Send resume and salary req to:recruiting@berryjewelry.com

WWD.COMWWD, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006 15

By Marc Karimzadeh

NEW YORK — The squeeze from rising gas costs is starting to im-pact apparel vendors.

After a softer-than-anticipat-ed holiday season, many vendors at the Nouveau Collective and Atelier trade shows agreed that retailers have cautiously bought for spring. Higher gas prices are challenging business further.

That said, both shows at-tracted a slew of buyers looking to round out their assortments for fall, and some said they were hoping to stock up on dresses, which have emerged as a key classifi cation this year.

“I am looking for nice things that are salable,” said Darryl Gamble, owner of the Gamble’s boutiques in Manhattan and Rhinebeck, N.Y. “There has been a big push in the dress market, so I am looking for dresses. Trend-wise, things are moving into a more simple, easier-to-wear di-rection. People want versatility.

They are looking for items that they can team with pieces they already have in their wardrobe.”

Ruth Stewart, a buyer for the Ocotillo’s boutique in Borrega Springs, Calif., found this season to be more of a challenge. “We are looking for a more classic look, with items that can be worn year-round,” she said. “We have a more mature client and everyone seems to be chasing the younger custom-er, or just offering smaller sizes.”

At Nouveau Collective, which was held from Friday to Monday at The New Yorker Hotel, Beyond Threads offered alpaca knit sepa-rates, some of which were adorned with crocheted flowers made by groups of mothers in Peru. Bestsellers in the collection, which wholesales from $65 to $100, in-cluded a godet cardigan and skirt and a top mixing a pinstriped knit and felt fabric. “Many stores want items,” said Cristina Dioguardi, owner of Beyond Threads.

Designer Ulf Andersson, at Nouveau Collective, showed a col-

lection of silk velvet jackets and dresses in earthy tones, for imme-diate and fall deliveries. “Stores who sell earlier are usually the ones to succeed,” he noted. The line wholesales from about $45 to $149. Top sellers were a vintage-inspired polkadot dress, for $98 wholesale, and silk velvet jackets with ruffl ed sleeves, for $138.

Melly M.’s bestsellers included an Empire bandeau summer dress with ribbon, at $88 wholesale; a cotton bandeau dress, for $76, and a silk shantung dress with replaceable bows, for $122. Melly M.’s designer and owner Melissa Madden noted, “People keep tell-ing me that they are looking for dresses. I will introduce six new dress styles next season.”

Ravel, meanwhile, expanded its repertory of blouses to blaz-ers and coats, which booked well at Nouveau Collective, said sales manager Sue Gasparre. “Right now, we are selling ruffl ed blous-es in white and brown and blazers that can be worn with jeans,” she

added. Ravel’s wholesale prices range from $20 to $39, and best-sellers included cotton stretch blouses for $24 to $29 and velvet blazers from $44 to $59.

The Atelier show ended its three-day run at the Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square on Monday. Designer Lorain Croft noted this edition of the show of-fered a way for buyers to complete their fall mixes. “It’s more about little items they fi ll in because they already did a lot of the buy-ing at the last show,” Croft, whose wholesale prices ranged from $170 to $400, said. “I am seeing a trend emerge in earthy colors, which is a big shift because there was so much color last year. That said, I have also sold a lot of red because stores want something with a punch closer to the holidays.”

Glass Frog Studio showed scarves made from hand-felted mulberry silk, merino and cash-mere in organic shapes based on cellular structures. Jean Patton, owner and designer of the scarf collection that wholesales from $69 to $175, concurred with many vendors that business has become more challenging because of ris-

ing energy and gas prices. “People are spending their money differ-ently,” she noted. “They overex-tended themselves buying homes because mortgage rates were so low. Now they are spending money to increase the value of their homes, and not so much on personal things.

“This summer, in small towns, people won’t spend money to drive, or they’ll go to the mall once instead of four times to make their purchases,” she added.

Buyers Cautious at Nouveau, Atelier Shows A fall look from

Lorain Croft.

With the new cotton Wicking Windows Technology,™ moisture is pulled away from the body. So even if some golf shots make you sweat, now cotton can help you keep your cool. www.cottoninc.com

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