Levi's at 150/10 Lauder Net up 74%/3

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The Inside: Living the Luxury LifePg. 16 LEVI’S AT 150/10 LAUDER NET UP 74%/3 WWD WWDWomen’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’THURSDAY Daily Newspaper • May 1, 2003 Vol. 185, No. 89 $2.00 List Sportswear America’s Most Fashionable Colleges Throughout the past two months, more than 30 reporters from WWD fanned across the country, combing nearly 70 college campuses, seeking out the trendsetters, the most fashionable classes, the hottest looks and the future industry brains. Inside, our 60-page report. 2 WWDTHURSDAY Sportswear GENERAL Saks Fifth Avenue has a new growth strategy for small stores focused on ™ 3 high-margin, high-traffic categories, but there’s no green light for it yet. Levi Strauss & Co. marks its 150th anniversary in business today, a A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based 10 moment in time marked not by precision but by persistency. on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated The third quarter was a charm for The Estée Lauder Cos., which reported a

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 WWD, THURSDAY, 3 73.9 percent jump in profits. WHITE DENIM REVIVAL The WWDList: Consumers’ spending habits by product category, based on New textures, tones and technologies reinvent a summer fashion classic 16 household income. EYE: Meet the next Bridges, as in Lloyd, Beau, Jeff and now Jordan…How Nothing epitomizes the look of casual unique processing and finishing techniques,” notes Ieraci 6 Prince William stays fit for a king…plus a slew of scoops. summer sportswear more than white denim. of Burlington. “Contemporary denim is softer and more The WWDCollege issue, a special supplement, is included in this issue. Starting in the 1950s, and seemingly repeated at 20- ‘beat up,’ due to stonewashing, abrasion, bleaching, year intervals, each generation has rediscovered—and whiskering or sandblasting. And while the faded look is Classified Advertisements ...... 18-19 reinterpreted—the clean look and irrefutable style of more subtle, white denim is no exception.” To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is this wardrobe classic. Think Jackie But multiple washes and [email protected], using the individual's name. Kennedy in her signature white textured fabrics don’t complete SUBSCRIPTION RATES denim jeans, black cotton tee and the nouveau white denim U.S. and possessions, Retailer, daily one year, $99; Manufacturer, daily one year, $135. equation. Also noteworthy is the All others U.S., daily one year $195. Canada/Mexico, daily one year, $295. All other foreign (Air Speed), daily one year $595. oversized sunglasses. Or the Beach Please allow 6-8 weeks for service to start. Individual subscription information/Single Copy Sales : (800) 289-0273; Boys, whose clean-cut white denims shift toward a broader range outside U.S. (818) 487-4526; new group subscription information 212-630-4196 Postmaster: Send address changes to WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008. and bold Hawaiian shirts captured of white denim shades. “In addi- WWD (ISSN #0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue every month except July, and two additional issues in April and August, by Fairchild Publications, Inc. the laid-back California lifestyle. tion to the familiar bright ‘optic a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc., 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001-8191. White denim returns for white’ denim, there’s been an WWD is a registered trademark of Fairchild Publications Inc.© 2003 by Fairchild Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc. All rights reserved. spring/summer 2003 with a influx of more natural-looking No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be pocketful of exciting new looks— hues, such as stone, ecru and expressly permitted in writing by the copyright owner. Editorial Reprints: (212) 221-9595 almost white shades, textured fab- cream,” observes Wagner of Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and other offices. Mailed under Publications Mail Sales Agreement No. 517054. Canada Post Returns to: P.O.Box 1632, Windsor, ON N9A 7C9 rics, and multi-wash finishes— Cotton Incorporated. GST # 88654-9096-RM 0001 Canada Publications Agreement # 40032712 Printed in the U.S.A. all brought to life by advanced Cashill of Liz Claiborne con- All signed articles published in the paper represent solely the individual opinion of the writer and not those of technologies. Expect white firms that when buying denim, WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. denim to be softer, more “White denim is for anyone comfort is key. She says For Web site access, log on to www.WWD.com tactile, and better fitting who appreciates the timeless look that the soft hand derived than ever before. from multiple garment Anne Cashill, vice presi- of classic white in the summertime. washes, and the newer light- dent of corporate design and It can be worn with either weight, 10-ounce denim merchandising at Liz Clai- funky or classic accessories, appeal to the Liz customer. In Brief borne Inc., calls denim “the so it offers limitless wardrobe options.” “With three-quarters of the backbone of many women’s country living in ‘season- GOING FOR GUCCI: An affiliate of France’s Pinault- wardrobes.” She counts –Rachel Prehatney less’ zones, lightweight Printemps-Redoute SA spent approximately $112 million to ac- lightweight denim con- Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren denim is becoming a four- quire 1.14 million shares of Gucci Group NV, boosting PPR’s struction, after-wash treat- season trend,” she observes. stake in Gucci to 62.2 percent. The purchases were made on ments and stretch fabrications as among the prac- White denim offerings from Lizwear, due to hit the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange tical, wearer-friendly characteristics that are driving stores this spring, include a military-influenced between March 24 and April 30. PPR is committed to buying all today’s denim market. Cashill sees the white denim jacket, cropped pants, cargo pants and a short, Gucci shares it doesn’t own next year for $101.50 a share, so the jacket as a classic layering piece, but feels that this classic fly-front skirt. transactions in the last five weeks effectively saved PPR $2.3 Although white denim never really disappears million. In the case of transaction on the Amsterdam Stock season “most of the action will be in bottoms.” Exchange, dollar figures have been converted from the euro at “Today’s white denim utilizes mixed yarn sizes from the fashion landscape, it will be front and current exchange rates. The filing with the Securities and and slubs to give it a graphic, three-dimensional center this season, headlining several designer jean Exchange Commission on Wednesday was the 12th amendment texture and a soft, comfortable feel,” explains Scott collections. Monique Buzy-Pucheu, owner of Buz of PPR’s Schedule 13D, filed with the SEC in March 1999, when Wagner, associate director, weaving operations at Jones, a cutting-edge designer jeans line, is also PPR became Gucci’s white knight in its battle to stave off a hos- Cotton Incorporated. “The standard yarns used in bullish on white denim. tile takeover by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. the past to create bright white denim left the fabric “We’re introducing heavily abraded, ring-spun white smoother and less interesting.” denim with lots of texture,” says Buzy-Pucheu, who SEEKING A PRETTY PENNEY: Guild Inc., an apparel manufac- Other trends Wagner says will be associated with recently perfected an innovative super-worn, ultra-soft turer that has an annual volume of $65 million, filed a copyright in- white denim are primarily based on finishing tech- white denim. “Flares aren’t going away, but we think cig- fringement action against J.C. Penney in a Los Angeles federal court. nology. He points to a more casual attitude, a resur- arette legs look the most modern,” she adds, noting that Court papers said Guild wants $3.5 million in damages arising from gence of vintage chic, and an urban, more broken-in Buz Jones will offer white denim in both styles. the retailer’s alleged unauthorized use of a floral screen design look as hallmarks of the current jean generation. “White denim is an integral part of our spring thought to have been part of a sample by Guild that the retailer had America’s growing reliance on the casual comfort and summer collections,” agrees Rachel Prehatney, rejected. Executives at Penney’s did not return a call for comment. of denim is borne out by the Cotton Incorporated spokesperson for Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren. ™ NEW TIFFANY STORE: Tiffany & Co. is expanding its presence on Lifestyle Monitor , which reports that 68% of women “We’ve drilled and stonewashed our 10-ounce the West Coast with a new store slated to open this fall at The prefer to go places where they can wear jeans, up from white denim for a softer look and feel. In addition Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, Calif. The store will occupy 62% a year ago. The Monitor also revealed that 64% to our wardrobe staples—including the boot-cut about 4,500 square feet and will primarily carry Tiffany’s fine and of the women questioned jean and summer’s ‘must- engagement jewelry; watches; the designs of Elsa Peretti, Paloma would choose to wear denim Do you prefer wearing casual slacks or denim jeans? have’ cropped jean, we’re Picasso and Jean Schlumberger and accessories, china and crystal jeans over casual slacks. introducing newer silhou- gifts. The company, which had sales of $1.71 billion in 2002, now has “The reemergence of 1997 2002 Difference ettes, such as a capri jean 134 stores worldwide, including 49 in the U.S., and the Palm Desert white denim, coordinated Casual slacks 38% 33% -5 pts. with side tabs, and a lace- store will be its eighth unit in California. with a palette of clear, tropical Denim jeans 59% 64% +5 pts. back jean.” brights—tangerine, blue- Despite several defining TOMMY AT JONES BEACH: Tommy Hilfiger is heading to Jones greens, corals and peri- new characteristics, fashion Beach again. The company’s second summer-concert season kicks winkle—reflects our need for escapism,” theorizes Joe experts say it’s white denim’s versatility that fuels its off May 25 at Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater with the continual resurgence. WBLI Summer Jam, featuring Michelle Branch, LL Cool J, Shaggy Ieraci, director of product marketing at Burlington and Lisa Marie Presley and other performers. The summer series Worldwide, a leading textile manufacturer. “White denim is for anyone who appreciates the ¹⁄₂ will feature acts including Santana, Aerosmith, Kiss, John Mayer “Fashion’s response to 1 years of overwhelmingly timeless look of classic white in the summertime,” and Counting Crows. Tickets for all shows go on sale May 3. disturbing news is to revert back to a more optimistic concludes Prehatney. “It can be worn with either time.” The current fashion barometer, according to funky or classic accessories, so it offers limitless Ieraci, is vintage 1950s and 1960s. “The look is wardrobe options.” WWDStock Market Index for April 30 Doris Day and Far From Heaven,” he says. Given consumers’ overwhelming preference for Composite: 107.83 Broadline Stores: 109.51 Softline Stores: 103.18 casual comfort, it’s not surprising that many will This story is one in a series of articles based on findings make room in their closet for another pair of jeans. from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ Though the average woman already owns 17 tracking research. Appearing Thursdays in these pages, denim garments, according to the Monitor, 45% of each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the -0.22 -0.36 -0.23 female respondents said they might buy one or two American women’s wear consumer and her attitudes denim items, even though they don’t need them, Vendors: 105.17 Textiles: 105.56 and behavior regarding clothing, and 29% said they’d probably buy several. Index base of 100 is Today’s denim is differentiated by the consumer’s appearance, fashion, fiber selection and keyed to closing prices many other timely, relevant subjects. appetite for clothing with a distinctively worn appearance. ® of Dec. 31, 2002. “From high-end to mass market, there’s an emphasis on 0.18 2.78 3 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 Continued on page 4 Continued on page 9 The level of complaints came While Lauder continues to Efforts to revitalize the Estée getting very “We’re good trac- Luxury retailers Saks Fifth Saks Fifth Avenue Enter- Despite the glitches, Saks ing information and deceiving them with regard to the opportunity to show their designs at the benefit, since the curriculum was changed after they enrolled at Parsons. They said several seniors who were not selected to show have stopped attending class and presented a formal petition against the logistics of the show that was signed by 75 students. There are about 110 seniors in the class. as a surprise to the faculty, although Gunn, a 20-year faculty member and chair of the department for the past three years, acknowledged he had expected year. Savings under the program year. should eventually top out at $40 million annually. expect its fiscal year to produce earnings of $1.28 to $1.33 a share, the firm backed off somewhat on the sales front, despite the lowered sales plan. Net sales are slated for a rise of approximately 7 percent, which means a 4 percent increase on a constant currency basis. Lauder brand have shown positive results, said Langhammer, pointing to the brand’s improved share in U.S. department stores in the skin care and makeup areas, where much of its new product activity has been centered. tion, so even with the difficult retail environment, the Lauder foot shops in hotels.” foot shops in Avenue and Neiman Marcus already operate traditional full- line stores in most affluent markets that could support their stores. Therefore, they must come up with new concepts for growth. A few Neiman’s launched a concept years ago, called Galleries, which are small units selling gifts,jewelry, tabletop and other home products. Galleries has been a disap- pointment, a Galleries unit in Seattle was closed, and two are left, in Phoenix and Cleveland. Neiman’s officials believe there are other potential growth spin- offs of the Neiman’s brand, but not necessarily Galleries. prises operates 61 stores and 52 Off-5th stores. Saks’ fortunes rest heavily in its big downtown stores, like Manhattan and San Since Francisco. major urban areas have been hit hard by the drop in tourism and the tough economy, Saks needs to explore new geography. Inc.’s fourth-quarter net income rose 26.2 percent and the Saks Fifth Avenue division’s profits, before special items, increased fivefold to $53.1 million during the quarter, while sales de- creased 5.9 percent. A band of seniors also issued Wall Wall Street apparently Net sales for the period ad- The quarter benefited from Still, one source with access to Sources said cosmetics One analyst sounded upbeat “This could put Saks in many of design, after they realized their works would not be among those displayed during the school’s annual benefit and fashion show, which this year honors Claiborne chairman and chief ex- Liz ecutive officer Paul Charron. The department held a meeting with the class on Wednesday morning to diffuse some of the tension, but several students remained hostile toward the administration, with one senior threatening to pull her nonjuried contribution from a special-project portion of the benefit show. a press release last Friday charging Gunn and associate chair with Andrew falsify-Volpe Langhammer about quarters, though. He looks at the business by longer time frames, whether the quarters are good or bad. In a telephone interview, though, he admitted that the “directionally,” third quarter was encouraging. agreed. Results beat out analysts’ profit expectations of 28 cents a share by a nickel, and in- vestors gave their stamp of approval by trading up shares of the firm $2.20, or 7.3 percent, to close at $32.50 on the New York Wednesday. Stock Exchange vanced 10.5 percent to $1.24 billion from $1.12 billion a year ago. of Exclusive the positive impact of foreign currency translation, net sales rose 5 percent. nearly $10 million in pretax savings related to the globalization of the firm’s organization last company at this time.” Martin is the brother of R. Brad Martin, chairman and chief executive officer of Saks Inc., parent of Enterprises. Saks Fifth Avenue the Saks Fifth Avenue plan said the “main-floor” concept targets households with at least $100,000 in annual income that are “atti- tudinally predisposed toward spending on fashion.” The source also said that communities in Oklahoma City; Omaha; Tucson; Baltimore; San Nashville; Jose; Salt Lake City; Louisville and Lexington, Milwaukee- Ky.; Racine, Wis.; Buffalo, Seattle, would be considered. and would be given the most space, with about 2,200 square feet, while women’s shoes and handbags would each have 1,750 square feet. Other categories would be given less space. about the plan and said that Saks would be willing to experiment with a new box. locations, and it’s a sign that Saks is looking ahead to a time when the consumer will be in a better mind-set for shopping,” the analyst said. “It could work to rein- force Saks’ brand strengths, depending on the location. They could even put in 5,000-square- There’s contro- The third quarter A Saks Express? A major curriculum change, A group of disgruntled seniors, There was a slight blemish Net income attributable to Don’t talk to president and Saks Fifth Avenue has cooked If Saks does proceed with the In response to an inquiry NEW YORK — versy brewing on campus. initiated two years ago in the fashion department at Parsons School of Design here, has erupted into a heated disagree- ment between faculty and students over the presentation of a minority of its senior class members’ designs during an industry benefit planned for tonight. who said they felt misled by the Parsons division of the New School organized University, a complaint last week to Timothy M. Gunn, chair of the department Lauder Profit Surges 73.9% Surges LauderProfit Clark Evan By NEW — YORK was a charm for The Estée Lauder Cos., which reported a 73.9 percent jump in profits for the period on Wednesday. on the sales projection for the year, though, as the beauty firm now expects the the economy, war and SARS to restrict it to 4 percent annual growth, exclusive of currency translation. At the onset of the fiscal year, Lauder planned for a 5 to 6 percent upswing. the firm’s common stock shot up to $77.9 million, or 33 cents a diluted share, for the three months ended March 31. This compared with year-ago income of $44.8 million, or 19 cents. chief executive Fred Show Parsons Over Controversy Wilson Eric By Saks Sizing Up a Mini-Me a Up Sizing Saks Moin David By — NEW YORK up a new strategy for growth — 10,000-square-foot stores specializing in accessories, cosmetics, fragrance, hosiery, women’s shoes and jewelry in markets where Saks does not operate full- line stores. It’s a plan that would capitalize on the Saks brand name and on its highest-margin, highest-traffic categories. most strategy, likely just a few stores would open initially to test the concept. However, store officials cautioned Wednesday that there has been no decision to launch the concept and no deals for real estate have been signed. from WWD, Brian Martin, executive vice president of law and real estate for Saks Inc., issued this statement: “SFA currently has a wide variety of store sizes ranging from 11,000 square feet in Southampton to over 500,000 square feet in the New York City flagship. Specific store sizes are tailored to individual markets and revenue opportunities. could We open some smaller stores over time, but opening a series of 10,000- square-foot stores is not a specific growth strategy for the Kelly , ’s and Phoebe . Cumming, James , —Young M. Vicki Anna Paquin Queen Elizabeth Calling all tough girls: , Alan Cumming The late Sir Hardy Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos . The retro festivities kick off Although the judge ordered The trial was postponed until Meanwhile, Chloé, celebrating Meanwhile, Chloé, may have been decked out in sole defendant in a case where plaintiffs were seeking billions in damages. the parties not to make public statements because he was in the middle of jury selection, reports put MasterCard’s price tag at $1 billion for the privilege of extricating itself from the uncer- tainties of trial. MasterCard’s share of the credit and charge card market is substantially lower than that of Visa. at Wednesday Visa’s request following its co-defendant’s settlement news. Legal sources said that they now expect to hear about a Visa settlement when everyone gathers in Gleeson’s courtroom on Friday. Toledano’s new office that will be Toledano’s been informed by decorated. He has that he will the French government a Chevalier of the be decorated as later this year. Legion of Honor is still in this year, its 50th birthday house The Paris the mood to party. has organized a slate of anniversary cocktail receptions at its key boutiques, along with window displays of vintage Chloé designs revisited and modernized by the current creative director, Philo May 15 in Paris and hit Monaco, before London and New York in November. winding up in Tokyo MESDAMES X: The chick flick is back. As in, chicks can kick some serious butt onscreen. at At Monday night’s “X2” premiere Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Famke Janssen Hu feminine Ungaro, Dolce & Gabbana, M.R.S. by Molly Stern and Alberta on-screen but Ferretti, respectively, they stuck to form-fitting pants — or nothing at all, in Romijn-Stamos’ case — to go head-to-head with the movie’s male stars Marsden it seemed, also chose a role reversal Monday night, turning up in a custom- made Levi’s kilt with a matching vest and jacket. “I’ve worn kilts before, but never to a premiere and never one with sparkles on it,” he said. AMIES’ AIM: Amies, who died last month, was best known as but his services personal couturier, for England went far beyond the sartorial. Personal files released this week by the National Archives have revealed that Amies also served as a II, War spymaster during World training potential agents. But like any Amies — self-respecting dressmaker, a.k.a. Lt. Col. Amies of the Special Operations Executive — saw fit to organize a photo shoot for British posing alongside secret Vogue, agents and resistance workers. The shoot, which took place in Brussels in 1944, was branded a “gaudy publicity stunt” by a senior SOE to who quickly asked Vogue officer, drop the offending photographs. was news to None of this, however, the house of Hardy Amies in London. known about all this for “We’ve years,” said a spokesman for the house, now owned by the London- based Luxury Brands Group. - , Art and fashion For For the second Jean Nouvel

said the move should

“Everybody stops me in the street

Visa Visa USA, the sole remaining As reported, settlement talks Fashion Scoops Fashion Iman with her Vuitton bag. Iman with her Vuitton MUSEUM QUALITY: are not only moving closer together — they’re shacking up. At least, that’s the case with Chloé, which after 10 years on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, is decamping across town to the Cartier Foundation, the designed contemporary art museum. Cartier and Chloé are both part of and the Richemont luxury family, the foundation building on Boulevard Raspail also houses several of its watch brands. Chloé’s showroom, design studios, atelier, press and commercial offices will take over three floors of the glass tower – more than double the space Chloé president it had previously. Ralph Toledano be completed by mid-July and free up some additional space for the Chloé boutique, which will remain on Saint-Honoré. And it’s not only

IMAN’S CONNECTIONS: Iman Louis sporting an ultra-coveted bag at a Murakami Takashi Vuitton where she luncheon Wednesday an Outstanding was honored with the National Mother award by said she Mother’s Day Committee, reaction she’s can’t believe the getting to her latest accessory. — I have never seen people react to a bag like this. I went to L.A., and security girls at the airport stopped the me just to look at the bag,” said model, who is mother to two girls, ‘how ages 25 and 2 1/2. “People ask, get did you get it?’ and ‘when did you Iit?’ Well, have connections.” Visa Trial Delayed Again Delayed Trial Visa NEW YORK — time in the same week, a class- action lawsuit by retailers over the fees paid in debit card transactions was delayed moments before the trial was to begin because of settlement talks. defendant, got another delay until Friday to give it more time to discuss a possible settlement with and Wal-Mart five million other retailers in the lawsuit. The original trial date was Monday. were ongoing over the weekend, with MasterCard International Inc. blinking first. Brooklyn Federal Court Judge Gleeson announced John on Monday to a packed courtroom that MasterCard had settled with the retailers, leaving Visa as the WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 4 date for the conference call, conference the for date cial officer, saidinastatement. finan- chief Guillemin, Evan K,” 10- our file to time of extension an for file to plan we trends, ness busi- current and position cial finan- company’s the of picture comprehensive most the vide to filetheformisFriday. deadline The 10-K. Form its in statements financial the for ion opin- audit unqualified an ceive re- to order in facility bution distri- Pa., Hanover, its on gage mort- million $2.9 its of amount full the of refinancing a and capital additional in million $2 secure to needed it said stores, 68 and catalog its through ings furnish- home and accessories it isseekingadditionalfinancing. because time second the for call conference yearend and quarter fourth- its delaying was it that Wednesdaysaid Corp. Delia’s — YORK NEW Delia’s Seeking Financing specifically by an analyst if analyst an by specifically Asked Lauder. Estée and Clinique as such brands larger the to meaningful yet not are they though brands, existing for opportunities” tribution dis- alternative “pursuing was firm the said Lauder William next fewyears.” the over continue will that and strategy overall the is this and customers, new attract and audience broader a to out speak to need we drives tion innova- new our with “So call. conference a on Langhammer asked growth?” the where’s traffic, less has that vironment en- an in resources our of most spent we and traffic less have tions inthestores. promo- than rather vertising ad- via customer the with tact con- more to focus its shifting he said. strength, shown all have Brown Bobbi and Aveda MAC, ence.” audi- target their with ated cre- they’ve connection tional emo- new the by more driven are they so grow to room of lots have they and ferentiation strongpointofdif- “have avery brands smaller that adding Langhammer, noted growing,” aren’t flagships two the if pens hap- good “Nothing Clinique. and Lauder Estée brands, key two its on been has firm momentum. brand’s the to add to tended in- Paradise,is Beyond grance, fra- women’s new fall its of launch The said. he brand,” Lauder the of evolution the of said Langhammer. thirtysomethings, are products Lauder buying faces newer the of some least tomer.”At cus- existing the stimulating to addition in franchise the into customer new a tracting “at- also It’s said. he well,” very performing is brand 3 page from Continued But Outlook Clouded Net Lauder Increases, The firm did not set a new a set not did firm The pro- to and reason, that “For apparel, sells which Delia’s, he oeaig officer operating Chief malls the…shopping “If of process the in is Lauder the at focus the of Much beginning the at “We’rejust en retailer Teen licensing activities. new Delia’s manage to retained been has Corp. Design 3 Group fees. management brand minus stream royalty the of jority ma- a receive will Delia’s enue, rev- generate to begin censees subli- as return preferred unspecified an plus advance, the recoups Daisy JLP Once royalties. future against cash in million $16.5 Delia’s advanced deal The Corp. Stores Schottenstein of affiliate an LLC, Daisy JLP with agreement licensing wholesaling master a through begun had it announced it when boost cash ternatives, aswell. al- financing other pursue must it believes it said firm ty,the facili- credit secured million $20 three-year, a for Finance Retail Fargo Wells with loan isting ex- its of amendment an cured March 27. for slated originally was which rose 5percent. sales translation, currency of impact the Without ago. year a billion $3.61 from billion $3.89 to percent 7.7 up were period ciple. prin- accounting in change a from cents, 9 or million, $20.6 by depressed was that result a cents, 83 or of million, $199.7 profits year-ago with diluted share.Thiscompared a $1.06 or million, $249.2 to percent 24.8 improved stock common to attributable ings million. $156.4 to percent 17 grew sales region, Asia/Pacific the In million. $361.5 to months three the for incline sales percent 24 a produced Africa and East Middle million. the Europe, $721.5 to swing up- percent 4 a least with growth the had Americas, the region, largest firm’s million inthequarter. $53.2 to rise sales percent 7 a produced products care Hair translation. currency before percent 9 or million, $181.6 to percent 16 up were sales rance Frag- currencies. constant in percent 1 or million, $491.4 to percent 4 rose sales Makeup translation. currency fore be- percent 9 or million, $507.8 to percent 16 up shot quarter of theglobalmarketplace.” dynamic the to attention pay to Webasis. global a have on pers shop- multichannel more and more are “Customers terview, ty storesworldwide. special- and Europe in macies phar- high-end through tries products inmorethan50coun- sells firm care skin prestige The disclosed. not Termswere Darphin. Laboratoires based Paris- of acquisition its of tion comple- the Wednesdaywith Lauder declinedtocomment. possibility, a was Corp. Kohl’s On Feb. 24, Delia’s got a got Delia’s 24, Feb. On se- it said Delia’s Although Sales for the year-to-date the for Sales Forearn- months, nine the the region, geographic By the during sales care Skin in- an in said Langhammer out branched firm The and we are working with them with working are we and downtown, space contemplating were who individuals of ber of theDallasMarketCenterCo. officer executive chief and man Winsor,chair- Bill said pletion, floors oftheWTCisnearingcom- fashion the on selection Space jewelry. fine and toys lighting, furnishings, gifts, for showrooms wholesale houses already which Center,TradeWorld the to ing mov- by complex Center Market Dallas the within stay to plan tenants its of many and March, next close to scheduled is Mart ible restoredhistoricbuilding.” incred- really a it’s in October,and show first our have and September in into move to us for ready be will that building representative. “We’ve beenabletofindanother sales rary contempo- a Mariel, Federico asserted Building],” Mercantile [the venue downtown the of opening the and Mart Apparel the of closing the between limbo in were they felt people where gap interim this was project the proposed site. first the from away blocks few a building different a in venue wholesale similar a create to working are They die. concept the let to willing not are tives representa- sales contemporary of handful a block, stumbling the despite but interest, cient suffi- garner to failed they when here mart fashion downtown a create to bid their up gave week — DALLAS By Holly Haber Dallas: One Plan Down, Another Up liminary talks with an unnamed an with talks liminary pre- in was it confirmed pany com- the ago, weeks Just party. third a to business textiles its selling to is DuPont close how sinceFeb.sidiary 1, asreported. sub- owned wholly a as erated op- has DTI since appropriate, was brevity the said executives of theyear. end the by separate to track on is DTI said and forward going parties both for right mately ulti- is ways part to decision mass changes.” under going is industry the but brands, best the of some created has “It theater.DuPont’s Hotel of stage the from Holliday said time,” long very a for company to thechangingtextileindustry. he adapting in though progress its praised chairman, the by time of minute a about nered Wednesday,speech gar- DTI hour-longan in addressed forms Interiors thistimearound. & Textiles DuPont to time scant devoted Holliday Chad ficer of- executive chief and chairman but meeting, shareholder annual year’s last at buzz generated have may business fibers and ates intermedi- billion $6.3 its sell or difference ayearmakes. Del. WILMINGTON, By Joshua Greene TrackDuPont Meet: DTI Sale on “We have heard from a num- a from heard have “We Apparel International The with problem biggest “The But it raises questions on questions raises it But DTI meeting, the Following the that reiterated Holliday this of part a been has “DTI Of DuPont’s sixbusinessplat- off spin to decision DuPont’s eeoes last Developers — What a What — a consumer market. “ Liz Claiborne and its divisions, its and Claiborne Liz when came Building Mercantile 31-story the in mart a create for theindustry.” done be to needs what and try indus- the about feel we way the change not does still it but work, not did Mercantile the that heart my breaks “It said. she her peers. toured thebuildingwithsomeof at lessthan$20asquarefoot. space offer to aiming is and ter cen- the manage to Timson hire to hopes group The plan. ness busi- a on Wednesday,work to expired project downtown first the for president consulting as contract whose Timson, Marsha as well as Martin, Pam and Hall Collier,Julie Suzanne reps uled forAugust. sched- is Completion terrace. and pool rooftop a with apartments currently beingrenovatedintoloft is Building Davis the years, many for vacant and 1926 in Built ship. flag- Marcus’s Neiman near Street Main 1309 at Building Davis Neoclassical 21-story the in space ants,” Marielclaimed. ten- 30 get can we here, fence the on those and Angeles Los Mart inLosAngeles. 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Ghitis mind,” wovens andlegwearmarkets. knits, warp the for products dex span- Lycra price-competitive new three offer will year,DTI This years. five next the over ket mar- the to products new 25 ing bring- of goal the to committed was he said Apparel, Global firm thechanges. con- not would spokeswoman company a However, reported. as days, coming the in president DTI of role the take to pected ex- is McCracken Steve changes, firmed thereport. con- not has Koch meeting. the after interview an in ject sub- the on mum remained tives execu- but billion, $4.5 about of bid a with Industries Koch Kan.-based Wichita, is it said have Sources DTI. sell to party The deathblow to the plan to plan the to deathblow The move-in,” immediate an is “It accessories, reps who Hall, fellow with met has Mariel for negotiating is group The in people and us “Between five about and Mariel But Overall, DTI first-quarter DTI Overall, everybody’s on is “Cost of president DTI’s Ghitis, Bill executive other with Along We’re interested very in China… as ” like whattheydoatCoterie.” venues temporary have will and ‘neighborhoods,’ in shop, to easy that’s food great with venue top-scale a be will it done, is it when and project, this with job outstanding an doing is Center WorldTrade the think also “I Sales. GeNe of president Whitaker,Jamin said level,” comfort a is there and venue the like they because Center Trade World the at happening what’s about excited very are most and split, be to industry the want not about theplan. skeptical are Mart Apparel the in representatives sales she said. downtown,” stay to them entice to packages with buyers the to this market help to willing very are they so this, like something have to love would downtown businesses. mentary comple- with up them hooking is and space new the on reps interim spacekilledit.” in between in year a have to but that, like deal a make to enough hard is “It project. Mercantile the push to helped that moter pro- downtown a Partnership, Downtown the of director tive execu- Hormann, Nancy mented com- work,” building big that make to now right mass critical calls seekingcomment. phone return not did project, Mercantile the in developer lead the Stell, Paul WTC. the to go to opted project, the for tenants pivotal considered were which in theU.S. military. duty active on currently ployees DuPontem- 47 the to thanks cial spe- a extended also He suits. 300,000 shipped has company far,the So SARS. from them protect to workers health-care Chinese for used be to suits barrier million 1.7 for order an received recently DuPont good night’ssleep”inChinese. “a to translates which fibers, DuPont containing products bedding of line a Anshuibao, the endofyear, Ghitissaid. as early as launched be could concept The Lycra. of benefits the illustrate better to sumers con- Asian for brand local a ate cre- to opportunities exploring is DTI Chinese, into translate make inChinaisexported.” we what of all “Not Beijing. and Shanghai as such cities in especially affluent, increasingly grown have consumers Chinese that adding Ghitis, said market,” consumer a as also but ucts, prod- cheaper produce to China tap intoaconsumerlevel. to looking is DTI region a is Asia “Most of our customers do customers our of “Most influential most the of Many hotels and restaurants “The the with working is Hormann enough wasn’t just “There In his speech, Holliday said Holliday speech, his In distributes currently DTI doesn’t Lycra word the Since in interested “We’revery said However,also Ghitis — Bill Ghitis, DTI JORDACHE APPAREL GROUP

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JORDACHE APPAREL GROUP 1400 Broadway New York City 212.944.1330 jordachecorporate.com 6 CLASS REUNION: While the breakup of their 10-year marriage caused some major EYE SCOOP waves in the social world last fall, sources report that Pia and Christopher Getty, who have three children together, have reunited. Throughout the winter, he was seen with various Eastern Bloc babes, while she hit the town with a studly Swede. But the couple was recently spotted vacationing together in sunny Harbor Island in the Fit for a Bahamas. “Love is very much in bloom,” says a source close to the family. FASHION FEST: The TriBeCa Film Festival, which opens next week, promises to deliver some fun fashion moments. Not only will the Renée Zellweger flick “Down With Love” premiere, Isaac Mizrahi will appear in “Ghostlight,” Richard Move’s homage to Martha Graham, and next Thursday and Saturday

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 WWD, THURSDAY, director David Teboul will screen “Yves Saint Laurent — 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris” and “Yves Saint Laurent — His Life and Times,” a two-part documentary about the designer. Beyond the documentary’s old newsreel footage, baby photos, an animated Nasty Lulu cartoon and runway coverage, Yves Saint Laurent quotes King Proust. His mother tells the story of when, as a three-year old, Yves demanded his aunt change her look. Catherine Deneuve puts the LONDON — It’s no secret that Prince seamstresses through their paces in the atelier. Pierre Bergé gives an William, modern guy that he is, has an interview at home, his parrot squawking in the background. Betty Catroux talks action-packed schedule. According to in- about the nocturnal world she and Saint Laurent explored. And Loulou de la eye® siders, Wills, who turns 21 next month, Falaise remembers the passionate affair Saint Laurent and Bergé conducted prefers to get his exercise out of the way in their younger years. before breakfast — and fast. Though the palace would neither confirm nor deny it, he, his father, Prince Charles, and Prince Philip are said to follow a fitness regime based on the Royal Canadian Air Force 5BX plan, used to train cadets for the past 50 years. The 11- minute exercise regime requires no warmups or special accessories, and though the time frame never changes, the number of repetitions increases with fitness level. — Sarah Harris

2 minutes Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms in the air, bend forward to touch the floor, then stretch up and into a backward bend. Keep knees slightly bent. Two to four stretches, progressing to 20 stretches after four to six weeks.

1 minute Lay on your back with feet 6 inches apart and arms at your sides. Sit up enough to see your toes while keeping legs straight and making sure head and shoulders clear the floor. Three to five repetitions, progressing to 18 after four to six weeks.

1 minute Lay face down with your hands under your thighs and palms upwards. Raise your head and one leg a few inches off the An image from David Teboul's Yves Saint Laurent documentary. ground. Repeat, alternating legs. Keep legs straight at the knee and make sure thighs clear your palms. Six repetitions, progress- MEN FOR ALL SEASONS: ing to 18 after four to six weeks. Everyone knows the Four Seasons restaurant’s Julian 1 minute Niccolini and Alex von Bidder This is like a half push-up. Lay face down with your hands are legends in their own right, Prince under your shoulders and palms on the floor. Straighten your arms, but now the pair has been William pushing your upper body upwards but keeping knees on the floor. officially immortalized in the Bend your arms to lower yourself back to the starting position. four-minute film, “The Four Keep your body straight from the knees and make sure your arms Seasons: The Movie,” which are fully extended. Your chest must touch the floor to complete one will premiere at a reception movement. Two to three repetitions, progressing to 13 after four to May 8 at the restaurant. The six weeks. creation of Gourmet magazine and Sharp TV, the film is a 6 minutes compilation of photographs Running in place. Count one step each time your left foot hits the ground. documenting the boite’s 43- After every 75 steps, do 10 scissor jumps. Aim for 100 to 175 running steps, pro- year history and its fabulous gressing to 400 after four to six weeks. patrons from Jackie O to Bill FESTIVAL FILM TRIBECA OF COURTESY LAURENT SAINT YVES RESTAURANT; SEASONS FOUR THE OF Y Clinton, and set to pop music Alex von Bidder and Julian Niccolini that corresponds with the inin "The"The FourFour Seasons:Seasons: TheThe Movie."Movie." images’ era. “It’s like an MTV composite,” says von Bidder. Bridges’ Game “We have a really formal image, Christy but the film is really hip.” Turlington nly an actor with a Hollywood pedigree models like Jordan Bridges’ could get away with CAPE TOWN: The Lotus cape Lotus. Osuch a nonchalant attitude toward fame. may sound like a new yoga The 29-year-old — who is the son of Beau Bridges, position, but it’s actually the the nephew of Jeff Bridges and grandson of Lloyd knit top Christy Turlington is Bridges — stars in the film “New Suit,” a retooled sporting, right. For Lutz & version of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” set in Patmos’ fall collection, Hollywood. Bridges seems to be just as dubious of Turlington, fulfilling her role celebrity as the young boy in the fable who sees as the seasonal guest the emperor in his birthday suit — and is the only Jordan Bridges in “New Suit.” designer, collaborated with one who’s not afraid to say it. Tina Lutz and Marcia Patmos “I was drawn to this movie for the same rea- generates buzz worthy of an Oscar performance. to create the yummy, slouchy sons I’m not interested in the trappings of “I think Hollywood is a really apt setting for the cashmere cape. celebrity,” says Bridges over the phone from his movie,” says Bridges, whose performance man- “It’s perfect for L.A. home. “I’ve lived around it and I understand ages to come off as both sincere and scheming. meditation or after yoga,” that it’s not as glamorous as it’s made out to be.” Next up for Bridges is a supporting role in said Turlington as she Bridges has lived around, among and within “Mona Lisa Smile,” the highly anticipated win- modeled one in the Lutz & the aura of fame all his life. Though he didn’t ter release starring Julia Roberts. He plays Patmos studios Wednesday. want to be a “child actor,” he dabbled in TV Kirsten Dunst’s husband, “a New York aristocrat “I’ve always loved capes movies at a young age and acted in plays at Bard circa 1953.” And Bridges is also preparing for his because I’m always cold, and College. After guest starring on “Dawson’s Creek” role as father, with the birth of his first child I don’t like a lot of layers.” and “Charmed,” as well as doing plays and “inde- with his wife, artist Carrie Eastman-Bridges. The Lotus cape comes in pendent films that no one’s ever seen,” Bridges is In the midst of promoting “New Suit,” which equally Zen colors: black, ice, gradually appearing in more high-profile roles. opens Friday, Bridges admits that he might be aero (a creamy white) and om In “New Suit,” Bridges stars as a wide-eyed, more in tune with Hollywood protocol than he (cocoa). Last season’s guest aspiring screenwriter working for a producer who would like. “The thing is, here I am talking to designer was Ines van gleans hot tips from his hookers. As Bridge’s char- you and hoping that you’ll tell people who I am,” Lamsweerde, whose knit acter becomes increasingly frustrated with the in- he says. “And they’ll go see my movie.” creation was a camisole. dustry mentality, he fabricates a script and soon — Jamie Rosen PRINCE WILLIAM BY GRAHAM TIM/CORBIS SYGMA; BRIDGES BY JIM SHELDON; TURLINGTON BY ROBERT MITRA; VON BIDDER AND NICCOLINI COURTES NICCOLINI AND BIDDER VON MITRA; ROBERT BY TURLINGTON SHELDON; JIM BY BRIDGES SYGMA; TIM/CORBIS GRAHAM BY WILLIAM PRINCE Cotton is always soft – except when defending our trademark.

The Seal of Cotton trademark carries a lot of power with consumers. That’s why, at Cotton Incorporated, we work so hard to protect its integrity – it can only be used with our permission, and in a manner that complies with our terms of use. Our staff of attorneys is constantly on the lookout for cases of unauthorized or improper use.The Seal of Cotton is a valuable sales tool. We’re working hard to protect it for you. It all goes to ensure that you can enjoy the many benefits of the trademark:

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AMERICA’S COTTON PRODUCERS AND IMPORTERS. ® Registered Service Mark/Trademark of Cotton Incorporated. © Cotton Incorporated, 2003. 8 Rena’s Reality WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 WWD, THURSDAY, By Lisa Lockwood Damone doesn’t know what precipitat- tion. “I asked for knitwear and told them, John Meyer. We bought the label for ed such a cruel farewell and called ‘If I don’t do well, I’ll leave.’ My assistant ladies’, not men’s.” PALM BEACH, Fla. — Is there life after Kimmel to discuss it, but he claimed that did the sleepwear.” Jones’ Britt told WWD that Kimmel Jones? he wasn’t aware of that letter. To this day, The dresses and sportswear did very had no comment about Damone’s claims Since retiring from the Jones Apparel she finds that hard to believe. Not much well, with Allied buying 1,500 pieces of that she was a co-founder. She referred Group in September 2000, Rena Rowan goes by Kimmel without his knowing one dress. “I stayed four years until this reporter to the company’s Web site, Damone, the former executive vice presi- about it, according to Damone. Jonathan Logan bought Villager,” she where it lists Kimmel as the sole founder dent of design, has embarked on an entire- Sources have suggested that what may said. Kimmel was her boss at Villager, of Jones New York. ly new lifestyle. Married to crooner Vic have instigated the letter was Damone’s and just before Jonathan Logan came in, In 1975, W.R. Grace wanted to get out of Damone since 1998, she spends most of bad-mouthing of Kimmel’s new wife, they promoted Kimmel to president. the apparel business. Gerard Rubin, an her time at her Palm Beach estate, work- Caroline, and Nemerov may then have been Around that time, Damone got a call attorney for W.R. Grace, brought it to ing with a personal trainer and doing yoga told by Kimmel to get her off the premises. from John Meyer, who asked if she Kimmel’s attention. That year, Kimmel and three times a week, taking walks, organiz- Told of that accusation, Damone would leave Villager and work for John Rubin bought Jones New York from W.R. ing fund-raisers and working on behalf of replied, “I hardly know her at all.” Meyer of Norwich, a fashion division of Grace for what sources said was $10,000. her charities, writing her memoirs and Anita Britt, executive vice president of W.R. Grace, the New York chemical con- “At that time, I should have been a third cooking and entertaining at home. finance for Jones Apparel Group, said the glomerate. partner,” said Damone. “Sidney said, ‘Don’t But she has a bone to pick. company had no comment about the letter. “I met John Meyer and his production worry, I’ll always take care of you.’” Thirty-three years after establishing Turning to how the company began man at Sardi’s. He offered me the job. I Damone said she argued that “we are Jones New York with Sidney Kimmel, the and what part she played in it, Damone took it and I had to commute to Norwich not married, and we’re three individu- company’s 76-year-old chairman, it irks explained her version of the events. [Conn.] from Philadelphia.” Perry Ellis, in als.” However, Rubin was worried that if her that she’s not credited with co-found- Born in Poland, Damone was exiled fact, was Damone’s boss at John Meyer. she had an equal stake in the business, ing the company. The Jones Web site, in with her mother and sister to Siberia dur- Damone recalled that she asked she and Kimmel would own more than fact, features a time line that lists Kimmel ing World War II, and emigrated to the Kimmel to join her for dinner with Arlene Rubin, and it wouldn’t be a 50-50 partner- as the sole founder of Jones New York in U.S. at 17 years old. She married in and John Meyer at Joe & Rose in New York ship, said Damone. 1970, and Damone feels she played an Philadelphia, but later divorced her hus- in early fall 1969, and John Meyer offered Through 1984, Jones was very prof- equal role in that. Furthermore, Damone band, Jim Rowan, when her four children Kimmel a job working for him. “He said, itable, but beginning in 1985 and running remains dismayed by the way she was were young and supported her family by ‘No, I can’t do it,’” she recalled, because through 1987, it had net losses. treated when she retired three years ago, making custom clothes for people. Kimmel already had taken the position of Damone believes some of the problems and though she is clearly well-off finan- “I got tired of pleasing all these president of Villager. stemmed from taking over the Gloria cially, she admits to several financial mis- women and called Oleg Cassini. He took “I was already hired. I was going to Vanderbilt business in the early Eighties, steps over the years. the call and I went to New York. I set up a work for them, and John Meyer said he which drained the company. “Gerry bought For most of the 30 years that she was Gloria Vanderbilt from Murjani, and that’s head designer at Jones, Damone was when we started to go down. The jeans Rena Rowan Kimmel’s steady companion and live-in were so stiff and the clothes were horrible.” girlfriend. They broke up in fall 1996. Damone in The company apparently overestimated During her 50-hour work weeks, Palm Beach Vanderbilt’s appeal and was left with huge Damone used to shuttle back and forth last month. inventories that had to be disposed of. between Jones headquarters in Bristol, Pa., A subsequent turnaround was suc- and New York City, where she headed up cessful, and Jones returned to profitabil- the design team for all the company’s prod- ity in 1988. The following year, Kimmel ucts and supervised pattern-making and fit- bought out Rubin’s share in the business tings. In the early Nineties, Damone was for $7 million, according to sources, and earning a phenomenal $6 million a year in Rubin embarked on other business ven- salary and was cited by Working Woman tures. On May 15, 1991, Jones became a magazine in 1993 as the second-highest- public company with a listing on the New paid woman in corporate America, after York Stock Exchange. Turi Josefsen, executive vice president of “This is where I made another mis- U.S. Surgical Corp., who earned $23.6 mil- take. Sidney and I worked together to lion because of stock options. Damone was build the company. I did the creative one spot ahead of Linda Wachner. part and Sidney did the business part. Damone, 75, told WWD that after When we went public, he took 19 million announcing her retirement from Jones in shares, and he gave me one million late 1999, she received a nasty letter from shares. When I questioned him, he said, Jackwyn Nemerov, then president of ‘That’s what Merrill Lynch said to do,’” Jones Apparel Group, telling her that the recalled Damone. company had eliminated her position as As the years went on, Damone wanted PHOTO BY LISA LOCKWOOD vice president of design, and she was no to make her live-in relationship with longer on the company’s payroll as of Feb. design room, and I would make original would set up a design room for me in Kimmel official. 29, 2000. The letter said she was no longer garments for him. He’d give me sketches Philadelphia,” she said. “While we were “When my children were small, I did- permitted on the company’s premises, and fabrics and I’d make the pattern.” having dinner, I mentioned Curtis Jones, n’t want to get married. When they were her belongings would be sent to her Palm After working a full day, she attended the who was a builder in Philadelphia,” she grown, I wanted to get married. I said to Beach home and that if she wanted to Museum School of Art in Philadelphia for said. Curtis Jones also had a knitting mill Sidney, ‘If we don’t get married on our transact any business relating to the com- two years at night. She later took a job at in Lumberton, N.C., where he made men’s 30th anniversary, I’m out of here,’’’ she pany, she needed written authorization Youtheme Lingerie in Wilmington, underwear and T-shirts. Having heard that recalled. She told him in October 1995 from its general counsel, Ira Dansky. In designing lingerie. From 1960 to 1966, she Curtis Jones was having problems, Arlene that she’d give him until July 13, 1996, to addition, she was told that she would designed little girls’ dresses for and John Meyer suggested they buy the make their union official, because she receive monthly payments of $54,166.67, Cinderella Dresses in Philadelphia. business and let Damone design it. was planning to throw a big 30th anniver- or a payout of $650,000 a year. “After I designed children’s wear, I Damone suggested that Kimmel then sary party in Margate, N.J. But there was “This is the thank-you I received after always wanted to do sportswear. I saw an come in to manage the new company. a horrible rainstorm and they had to can- I retired,” said Damone, who believes ad for a designer for Villager,” said Curtis Jones was in debt, and W.R. cel the party. “The week before, Sidney they tried to rob her of her dignity. “It Damone. At the time, Villager was owned Grace gave Curtis Jones $350,000 for the said he would marry me, but it was too came out of the clear blue sky, and when I by Max and Norman Raab, and Kimmel Jones name for ladies’ wear in the late late. He said he would marry me, but I originally received the fax, I thought it was running the knitwear division. She fall of 1969, according to Damone. would have to sign a prenuptial agree- was a joke. My knees got weak. This comes said she didn’t get the job she applied for “We made it Jones New York,” said ment. If I wasn’t sure it was over, now I after 30 years of slavery, where I had no because they told her she didn’t have Damone, who hired people away from was positive,” said Damone. They broke life and often felt not that I was neglecting enough knitwear experience. After the Villager and started working on the up that fall. my children, that I would have liked to interview, Kimmel asked her out on a date. Jones line that December, designing The previous spring, she had met Vic have spent more time with them.” Two weeks later, Villager called her from home. On Jan. 11, 1970, she got a Damone when she was throwing a party Damone said she contested the month- back and offered her a job designing lin- place on Walnut Street in Philadelphia for her homeless charity, and the charity ly payments and received a flat settle- gerie and sleepwear, which they needed for the design room, and the new owners wanted to hire him to perform. They met ment from Jones, which she declined to in five weeks. took over the Curtis Jones showroom at several times to talk about the fundraiser. disclose. When she went back to get her “I got the job, but I really wanted to do 1407 Broadway. That month, Kimmel Damone said she had a thing for Vic belongings and clean out her office, she sportswear,” recalled Damone. “The lingerie came in to run Jones and Damone han- Damone ever since she came to the U.S. didn’t contact anyone and just showed up. was a great success. Bloomingdale’s and dled the creative end. Kimmel hired two She recalled when she first arrived in in “I was welcomed with open arms from Lord & Taylor were fighting over it.” She salesmen, one for all points north of this country, all her friends loved Frank everyone,” she said. But the letter still recalled that Frank Sinatra went to Washington, D.C., and one for all points Sinatra. “But I said, ‘Forget Frank bothers her to this day. Bloomingdale’s and bought it for Mia Farrow. south of Washington. Sinatra, give me Vic Damone.’” “Can you imagine Liz Claiborne asking She found out that the knitwear “Sidney and I were co-founders of After Kimmel and Damone broke up, Ira Dansky if she could come on the designer wasn’t doing very well, and Jones New York,” she insisted. “We could- she continued working at Jones. premises?” asked Damone. Damone was eager to take over that posi- n’t have done it without W.R. Grace and “When I did less designing and more 9 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 —Young M. Vicki — Amanda Kaiser Amanda — While the industry reaction to The students, however, didn’t “There is a very loud central Facchini Facchini said he will contin- Livolsi said that executing the The agreements by the de- A hearing has not been making one garment under the heavy hand of one designer to making a thesis collection on their own,” Gunn said. “They were underchallenged. They can handle this.” the shortened show was generally positive, Gunn immediately was under fire over the move from angry students, parents and board members, but has stood ground on the issue. Students his also have complained that an industry- wide jury process, where as many as 200 professionals attend day- long seminars at the school and grade their collections, does not appear to have the same impact on the selection of students who show as do the Gold Thimble awards, which are individually selected by designers such as Peter Som, John Varvatos, Michael Vollbracht, Cynthia Badgley Mischka, Yeohlee, Stan Steffe, Herman and Michael Kors. Gunn said that by coincidence, the designers selected the same 13 students who happened to get the highest scores from the industry really an issue. panel, so it wasn’t buy that explanation and also are skeptical about the school’s support of a more inclusive senior class show scheduled on May 13. contingent of students who say deceived ‘You’ve us,’” Gunn said. “I say with impunity that you have not been listening. I don’t mean that disrespectfully, but I mean it like a parent would, with tough love. The way in which they are portraying the facts is largely fictional.” owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his family. 1996 to 1997, From he was ceo of Berlusconi’s TV group, Mediaset SpA, and oversaw that company’s initial public offering. ue to provide support as the group’s majority shareholder, but he wanted to “depersonal- ize” the relationship between himself and the company and favor a more aggressive management approach. company’s industrial plan to sell assets and recapitalize will allow to create value “in the in- Fin.part terest of all of its shareholders.” fendants have the effect of a settlement of the SEC investigation and actions against them. If approved, no other actions could be taken against the company or individuals involved. The investigation, ongoing since 1997, involved improper recognition of more than $3.1 million in revenue. scheduled since the court will likely render its approval based on the legal documents filed, according to Mark Schonfeld, associate regional director for the SEC in New York. As a result of the changes, But not many designers were “The students have gone from Fin.part Fin.part also said it has set Livolsi, currently a Fin.part A Manhattan federal court Cole agreed to pay a civil Some of the other defendants — Timothy M. Gunn, Parsons Gunn, M. Timothy — make their own decisions. The designer faculty made their decisions for them. When they leave this school, they also need to know who they are and that’s them.” what we’re giving the scope of the benefit show was scaled back last year to in- design- clude the work of the top ers in the class, totalling about 150 pieces, rather than present- ing one look from each student as the benefit has for the majority of its 55-year tradition. The event draws a heavy-hitting crowd of designers and Seventh and executives raises on Avenue average of between $1.3 million and $1.7 million for the school. ever discovered there, until Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez last year presented their work as the “designer of the year,” another distinction granted to a senior class member and decided by a panel made up of Peter Arnold and Lisa from Smiler, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and Harold Koda, the curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. board of directors is set to ex- pire, so new members will be named at that time and the size of the body will be increased to 11 members from seven. up a special executive committee, which counts Livolsi and Facchini as members, to oversee small operations valued at less than $25 million. The regular board will decide on any transactions larger than that. board is member, president and founder of his own Milan-based merchant bank, Livolsi Partners SpA. He has spent & most of his career Chemical at Co. and Dow several firms president of finance, all of the defendants agreed to the entry of injunctions and cease-and-desist orders against them, without admitting or denying guilt. must approve the settlements. penalty of $75,000. He was charged with ignoring red flags concerning the firm’s accounting procedures and also with failing to prevent the company from recognizing revenue from the alleged improper practices. also agreed to pay civil penalties ranging from $25,000 up to $100,000. ” Candie’s Inc. and Cerruti parent The students have gone from making Rather than designing one have changed “We the curricu- Named as defendants were Fin.part Fin.part said Livolsi’s ap- Fin.part said it will redistrib- Continued from page 3 to see many disappointed students as a result of changes made to the benefit show beginning he last However, said, year. those changes were necessary to improve the quality of the program and to better prepare students for careers in the real world of Seventh Avenue, as Parsons has lost some of the lus- ter and prestige it once held. garment in their senior year under the direction of a member of Parsons’ designer sen- faculty, iors now are required to inde- pendently create their own collections, which are then judged both by a panel of industry members and a group of 13 working designers who select the annual Gold Thimble awards. There are also group project segments that were assisted by sponsorship from companies like Saga Furs and were not juried. lum to help build and develop the young designers to become individual in their thinking and confident in their work,” Gunn said. feel it “We is critical for their survival in this field. It’s very different than it used to be. The students were never allowed to NEW YORK — several of its current and former key executives consented to cease-and-desist orders to be entered against them after the Securities and Commission filed on Wednesday Exchange lawsuits in Manhattan federal court alleging improper revenue recognition that inflated the company’s apparel sales. Candie’s chairman and chief executive officer Neil Cole, a former director, four former financial executives and an individual at a bartering firm that did business with Candie’s. the With exception of one former vice Fin.part Names Livolsi Chairman Livolsi Names Fin.part MILAN — Fin.part named Ubaldo Livolsi as chairman to replace Gianluigi who Facchini, stepped down Sunday after auditors rejected the group’s annual results. pointment is just the first step in an overall “renewal” of the group’s corporate governance practices. As reported, auditor KPMG in April declined to certi- fy Fin.part’s 2002 accounts, citing “financial tension” in the debt-laden group’s books. ute management powers and map them out at its upcoming shareholders’ meeting May 15. The mandate of the current Execs Candie’s Against Suits Files SEC Parsons’ Controversial Season Controversial Parsons’ “ one garment under the heavy hand of one designer to making a thesis collection on their own. Included in the legislation bill may the be legislature Tuesday, passed a approved. On bill increasing the state’s sales tax by one quarter percent to 4.25 percent. has Pataki vowed to veto this passed legislation, but the Assembly and the Senate have already passed an override for the measure to become law. will be a tax-free week the third week in January and the first week of September on all cloth- with a ing $110 and cap. footwear, Under the proposed state budget, the state plans to repeal its sales tax exemption on apparel costing less than $110 per item. That tax was dropped in March 2000. The reinstated taxes are expected to bring in an additional $363 million in revenue for the fiscal 2003 and 2004 budgets. New York

Senate Majority Leader “The legislature finds that a While Gov. George E. Pataki While at Jones, Damone never designed clothes that were trendy, kept growing in that niche,” said Damone. “We “There were good get more stock when the com- she didn’t Clearly disappointed that “I’m happy with what I have,” she said. “Life here is pretty casu- Damone received both a personal and professional financial settle- instead of fashion types, she spends her time Now, with Damone’s Damone Rowan has Rena become a major philanthropic presence Kimmel, a billionaire, still lives in Philadelphia, where he is a Damone seems to have adjusted very well to her new life. One of Another distinct advantage of Damone’s new lifestyle “I is still wear some her Jones and some Lauren. I wear some Armani

Internet, Catalog Tax Catalog Internet, New ALBANY, — York State may become the 39th state to join a coalition to collect sales taxes on purchases made in catalogs and over the Internet. Joseph L. Bruno, a Republican, and Assembly Speaker Silver, a Democrat, came together to pursue what is estimated would bring $3.5 million to the state by 2006 if both houses of the legislature pass the bill. simplified sales and use tax system will reduce, and over time eliminate, the burden and cost for all vendors to collect New York State’s sales and use tax,” the leaders said in a joint statement. has vowed to veto any measure that would increase taxes, this N.Y. State to Pursue to State N.Y. fittings and administrative work, [Damone and Kimmel] didn’t have to have didn’t Kimmel] and [Damone work, administrative and fittings come into contact with each But other. then in 2000, I said, ‘I’m leaving,’’’ said Damone, and Rowan, she to Jones. The sold Rena Rowan her line is similar namesake expensive. to Jones, collection, but Asked less Rena how “Enough.” much she sold it for, Damone but rather replied, apparel that appealed to the growing legions of working in York New Jones designing started first she when said She women. 1970, clothes “American were I dowdy. wanted something a woman could wear to work. It was more contemporary than what they were wearing. I did a tighter fit. did We the HotPants and minis, but were never really trendy.” we quality fabrics and workmanship, and the taste level was good.” She said she never harbored any dreams to do a top designer collection. pany went public, Damone said she has more than enough money to live. She sold some stock when the company initially went public at $14 and sold some more at $40. After Damone announced her retirement on Sept. 5, 2000, she sold 511,000 shares of Jones, which would have netted her approximately $14 million. Jones, generated at $4.34 $28.52, billion down in 23 sales, closed Wednesday which last year cents or Stock 0.8 Exchange. percent on the New York al. When I first got the one Andy million Grossman shares, [president it of really Jones bothered in me. the amount. I had Nineties] four kids, and Sidney got and I built the the business togeth- same for me. He’s getting 19 million shares, and er and it was even harder Dr. psychiatrist, a to went We wants.’ she anything her give will ‘I said Robert Millman, who said, ‘She doesn’t want thing. you She wants what she earned.’” to give her any- ment from Kimmel and Jones, and respectively, signed a noncompete miss do “I industry. the to return ever she’d doubts she said She clause. said. she people,” the miss do I and there, was that excitement certain a cronies, such as Steve Lawrence and Jack Edie Jones. Gorme, “I Jerry met Scouts. Vale Talent Milton Godfrey and Arthur on was and Berle. old years 17 was He Vic known. helped Vic before he became ‘Hey kid,’ Berle said, ‘If you win this, I’m going to help you.’ He sang, “Prisoner of Love,” and Berle got him a manager Morris.” at William in Philadelphia. She Foundation’s board serves of trustees on and has endowed the the Damone-American Cancer Rena Society American with Fellowship and a commitment Vic of Cancer Society $500,000 for breast cancer research. She has also founded the Rowan Rena Breast Cancer Cancer Center Center, which opened at in 2000. She the has Rena also Rowan University established Foundation the for of the Homeless Pennsylvania apartments.26 of and consists which opened has she years, two past the the In Rowan House, with self-sufficient, become people homeless help to Homes Rowan 40 2001, Damone had a pri- In February plans to open 35 more next year. vate audience with John Pope II Paul because she is redoing a home in which Polish people can stay while they visit Rome. major philanthropic presence. His Kimmel charities Foundation, include which so the Arts Performing including the creation of the Kimmel Center for the far Sidney has given away in $400 Philadelphia million, and San Diego and Baltimore. Philadelphia, New York, four separate cancer-research centers in her friends recently told her that Kimmel did her “a huge favor” by “I think not God marryinghas to sent me. Vic He’s her. the most car- ing, giving man and just the best,” she said. upgraded wardrobe. and some Max Mara. I really love Malo knits. time when I I was there.” wore Jones all the 10 Levi’s at 150 Evolution of an Icon “We became a little bit rigid in our prac- York-based Jassin-O’Rourke Group. Levi’s men’s product, but has dropped the WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 WWD, THURSDAY, By Scott Malone tices and failed to listen attentively to Levi’s officials have said they don’t women’s line, according to a spokes- SAN FRANCISCO — Levi Strauss & Co. some of the warnings signs that we heard. plan to limit sales of Levi Strauss woman, who declined to elaborate. marks its 150th anniversary in business Retailers were complaining about inflex- Signature to Wal-Mart, and last week the Market sources said the move today, a moment in time marked not by ible practices, insufficient margins, poor company said it would soon begin pitch- appeared to be related to sales perform- precision but by persistency. deliveries and high-handed treatment. ing the brand to discount retailers in ance of the Red Tab brand and not in The choice of date for the anniversary “It’s fair to say, that since Phil Europe. But sources have speculated that response to the coming Wal-Mart launch. celebration is an arbitrary one. The record Marineau became our ceo, he’s forcefully the appearance of the Levi’s name in Wal- Haas acknowledged there will likely of exactly when the company was founded addressed some of those former prac- Mart could hurt the brand’s relationship be some rocky days when the Levi’s name was lost in a massive earthquake and fire tices,” Haas continued. “He has made a with its core chain store and department hits Wal-Mart. that leveled much of this city in 1906, so concerted effort to drive the product store customers. “There will be a period of adjustment Levi’s officials decided to hold their cere- innovation, to improve the economics for Levi’s officials know the move will as retailers watch these roll out and see mony on May 1 because the date evokes retailers, to make our products more rel- require a delicate balance, which is why what it does to their own sales. But I think the brand’s flagship style, 501 jeans. evant to consumer needs.” the Signature jeans bear a different rear the issue of whether or not being more But the year is right, and that’s a Haas said he is confident that Levi’s patch than Levi’s core products and also broadly distributed affects consumer per- change. For decades, the tags on Levi’s long-awaited turnaround is happening. do not feature the distinctive pocket ceptions of our brand will sort itself out in jeans said the company had been found- “It will be a while before we can confi- arcuate stitching or Red Tab trademark. time, as it did in the past,” he said. ed in 1850, an error that was only correct- “Frankly, it creates a challenge for the ed after Levi’s hired a historian in the rest of our lines to be sufficiently differ- Eighties. A staff of three researchers has entiated and innovative.” painstakingly re-created much of the Levi’s jeans retail from around $30 to brand’s lost history, spending many hours $300 in the top-end Levi’s Red and Levi’s and thousands of dollars buying back old Vintage Clothing lines. The Signature jeans and other ephemera to create a jeans will retail for around $23. massive archive that tells the story of how One advantage Levi’s will have in han- Levi’s, which essentially invented blue dling the Wal-Mart situation will be the jeans, also rose to become one of the best- iconic status of its brand. known brands in the world. “If you’re in the denim business, you To market observers, the bigger ques- must have Levi’s,” said Diane Paccione, tion is whether Levi’s can have as much vice president and general merchandise success claiming its future as it has in manager of ready-to-wear at Hoffman reclaiming its past. Estates, Ill.-based Sears, Roebuck and Co. The past six years have been troubled “Celebrating a 150th year in business is ones for the jeanswear giant. While the certainly a testimonial as to how impor- Levi’s brand continues to hold the lead- tant Levi’s is to the customer.” ing position in market share for jeans in Nick Hahn, a Stamford, Conn.-based the U.S., the company’s overall revenues consultant, said, “Levi’s is to jeans what last year came in at $4.14 billion, well off Kleenex is to facial tissue. It’s synony- the 1996 peak of $7.1 billion. mous with the category and it’s been that Levi’s has struggled to turn its slump way since 1850.” around. The company reported rising While Levi’s executives pride them- sales in the third and fourth quarter of its selves on brand recognition, Haas also last fiscal year ended Nov. 24, but saw rev- spoke of the importance of managing the enue dip again in the first quarter of 2003 company in a socially responsible way. as a result of the slowing economy. Since its founding 50 years ago, the Levi Executives warned that the second quar- Strauss Foundation has contributed $202 ter isn’t shaping up much better. million to charity. The company also has In the midst of Levi’s slide, chairman taken a leading role in many social Robert Haas — the great-great-grand- issues, from insisting that plants it nephew of company founder Levi Strauss opened in the Southeast in the Sixties be — in 1999 brought in an outsider to run racially integrated at a time when local the company. Phil Marineau, a former community leaders were resistant to that Pepsi executive, was neither a member of idea, to being one of the first apparel the family of Strauss descendants who companies to adopt a code of conduct in own the company nor a veteran of the 1991 governing how its outside contrac- apparel industry, and Haas said he tors could treat their workers. thought Marineau’s fresh perspective “They’ve been leaders in social issues would make it easier for him to make the and environmental issues,” said George changes necessary to set Levi’s right. Henderson, chairman and ceo of With Marineau as president and chief Greensboro, N.C.-based Burlington executive officer, Levi’s has made a num- Industries Inc. “That’s always been very ber of major operational changes intend- much a part of their whole culture.” ed to improve its retail relationships and Levi’s was among the last U.S. appar- margins, updating inventory systems, el brands to keep a significant portion of closing most of its remaining domestic its production in company-owned factories in favor of foreign contractors As the year unfolds…we’ll be seeing domestic factories. Last year, the compa- and shaking up its executive ranks. “ ny closed down most of its remaining The company’s efforts to reignite the renewed growth and that will be the evidence U.S. plants, keeping only two small facil- interest of young consumers in the brand ities in San Antonio. with fresher products have been mixed. that the turnaround has taken hold. Haas admitted that was a step he’d Superlow jeans, an interpretation of the ” been reluctant to take. low-rise trend, have sold well, but the com- — Robert Haas “Any objective business person looking pany’s Engineered Jeans, a 2000 attempt to at our conduct would say we were way too redefine blue jeans, never quite caught on dently say that this bad patch is behind Haas said the question of how opening sentimental and protective of our owned- with U.S. shoppers. Earlier this year, us,” he said. “But as the year a new channel of distribution will affect and-operated factories well beyond the Marineau admitted he wasn’t satisfied unfolds…we’ll be seeing renewed growth Levi’s customer relations is one he’s time when it was productive to maintain with the Super Bowl ads for Type One and that will be the evidence that the faced before. them,” he said. “I take full responsibility jeans, another key product launch. turnaround has taken hold.” “I was there...when we broke a long- for having resisted something that we Nonetheless, Haas said in a Tuesday One of the reasons Levi’s officials are so standing policy in 1982 and rolled out probably should have done earlier. But we afternoon interview at his office overlook- confident that the company’s sales slump Levi’s jeans to Sears and Penney’s,” he do feel a very strong obligation to our ing the San Francisco Bay that he is more will end in 2003 is that this summer the said. “There was a sense that it would employees and we wanted to diminish this than satisfied with Marineau’s work. company will begin shipping a new line, somehow or other degrade the cachet of disruption as long as we possibly could.” “Satisfied would be too mild a word,” Levi Strauss Signature, to Wal-Mart Stores the brand, that it would cannibalize exist- The general industry push to contract he said. “I am fully supportive of every- Inc.’s more than 2,800 U.S. locations. ing sales...well-known retailers chose to production has been driven by a desire to thing he’s done.” Observers expect the partnership of abandon Levi’s for a period of time to lower prices. Some observers fretted that Haas said he believed Levi’s had the company that invented jeans and the show their displeasure and to send a consumers’ love of cheap goods has over- slipped into its downturn because its suc- largest retailer in the world to be a pow- message to other vendors.” ridden their concerns about quality, cess of the previous decade had made it erful one. Macy’s was one of the companies that which has long been a motivator in peo- complacent. “Clearly, that’s going to be a billion- dropped Levi’s at that time and it was ple buying Levi’s — the company’s “We became inattentive to consumer dollar business very quickly,” said about a decade before the chain took the archives are full of letters from people needs, we rested on our laurels,” he said. Andrew Jassin, a partner in the New brand back. Macy’s East today carries about jeans that were handed down THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 SECTION II WWD THE COLLEGE ISSUE ‘O3 AMERICA’S MOST FASHIONABLE COLLEGES

IN OUR FIRST NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, WWD TAKES ✱THE FASHION TEMPERATURE AT CAMPUSES ACROSS THE LAND. OUR READING? HOT. T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E INSIDE

Scene: Bow Girls to Campus Carryalls The main building 4 at Notre Dame. 8 Opener: WWD Ranks the 10 Most Fashionable Schools

24 Honorable Mentions

28 A League of Their Own: A Look at the Art Schools

32 The Campus Cast: Style Camps

34 They Are Wearing: College Blues

36 Alpha Beta Glamour: Sororities Rule

38 Just Write: Collegiate Journalists Write With Style

40 Fashion Obsessions: Bargain Hunters vs Closet Cases

42 The Brands They Wear: The Top 10 Labels

44 If I Ruled the (Marketing) World: Advice From the Dorm

47 The Directory

59 Acknowledgements FROM THE EDITOR May Day, in pagan Europe, was a day of revelry heralding the coming of summer. they work the advantages of NYU’s location, seeking out internships and In the late 19th century, the date was appropriated as International Workers’ Day. immersing themselves in the arts; they have great and diverse style. At our And for millions of high school seniors around the country, today marks a mile- Number-Two school, Howard University, many students are already preparing for stone — this is the day by which they must commit to the college where they will careers in the fashion industry. Ole Miss girls may not articulate their career inter- spend the next four years, the place in which they will come into full adulthood ests all that frequently, or care much about just who designs Dior, but holy mag- while discovering and becoming part of a world beyond the confines of their nolia, do they love to dress up—seven home football games, seven new dresses! upbringing. For those already in college, the coming of May signals the And it’s very likely that the future ceo of Wal-Mart will hail from the University of approaching end of the academic year. Exams loom, and for seniors, graduation, Arkansas, thus one day influencing what much of America wears. Of course, for after which most have to face the exciting yet imposing lure of the Real World. every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and our list features two bas- Either way, the collegiate population is a fascinating and essential one for this tions of anti-fashion, Wesleyan University and SUNY Purchase. industry. Already boasting considerable discretionary dollars, the demographic The final selection process was both excruciating and vocal, and many reporters comprises the premier consumers of the near future. But this generation will left editorial meetings with the feeling that their schools were robbed. So much so, shape that future culturally, economically and politically with more than its con- that against earlier inclinations, we included our Honorable Mention List. And lest sumer clout. From its ranks will come a new wave of industry leaders, both creative anyone wonder about the hyper fashion-savvy at Parsons, FIT, Cal Arts and other and business-oriented. From which institutions will they hail? Are they engaged in fashion and art schools—we look at them in a separate, unranked feature. matters of fashion and the greater world of design? Are they interested in related Lists, of course, are fun, but imperfect. And certainly one divined from so unsci- industry careers? Are their schools preparing them for such roles? Are they entific a process leaves itself wide open to debate and even ridicule. So fire away, in preparing themselves? Most importantly, do they think fashion matters? that good old fashion way: Who’s the best designer in the world? The best ceo? WWD dispatched reporters to more than 60 colleges and universities around Retailer? Says who? the country to research these questions, and to determine America’s Most Fash- More important than assigning a definitive Number One (college football didn’t ionable Colleges. Our reporters conducted hundreds of interviews with students, even have that until recently), we hope this issue provides our readers with a faculty and administrators. More than 1,300 game students sat for a quiz to provocative window into the mind-set of this most intriguing population, its prefer- determine their fashion/design knowledge, with questions that ranged from ences, its gripes, its intelligence, its creativity. This new generation of young adults “Which company has a polo player for its logo?” to one that asked to match archi- has all of the above in abundance. And—we should all be happy to note—as far as tects—Gehry, Koolhaas, Wright, Libeskind—with specific projects. They also com- they’re concerned, fashion matters. Almost without fail, whether respondents hail pleted an in-depth survey aimed at exploring their current consumer mind-set from logo-loving sororities or the all-capitalists-must-die camp, they acknowledge and buying preferences. All of this factored into the selection of America’s Most the importance of appearance. When asked, “Do you consider personal style Fashionable Colleges. important?” one American University student wrote, “It’s an art, an expression, an But fashion, of course, is more art than science. And in a way, a sociology class in extension of your personality. It can be a message, a poem, an attitude — without itself. It takes all kinds of people working together—and sometimes against each taking personal style to superficial borders and becoming a victim of it. It’s about other—to make it work. Fashion needs consumers and ceos, designers and distribu- authenticity.” A U Penn student wrote, “Extremely. It speaks so loudly without tors, power brokers and renegades. Which is why in determining our Top 10 making a sound.” And asked, “Do you consider yourself fashion conscious?” a Cor- schools, our methodology was, shall we say, loose. New York University proved to nell student approached the organic essence of the issue: “Yeah. I wear clothes.” be in a class by itself. As indicated by their quiz scores, its students know fashion; —Bridget Foley

THE UNEXPECTED NEW CHANEL FRAGRANCE T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E

✱ ON THE OTHER HAND... Not all eye-catching accessories come with scene logos and a tony pric- Fifth Avenue, Rodeo Drive and Collegetown, USA. Designer bags hit campus. etag. Oberlin College student Katie Repp ties her hair up every day with a vibrant ✱BAG LADIES ribbon, a touch that has earned her the moniker “Bow Girl.” “A casual look with a really cool bag And her penchant makes a statement,” says Eleanor for girly accessories Ennis, a junior at the University of doesn’t stop there. North Carolina in Chapel Hill. “It’s an Who could suppress easy way to look classy and elegant.” a smile when faced She’s not alone. For many young with a pair of Kitty women across the country, status Cat shoes? Bravo, bags provide an accessible extrava- Bow Girl! gance. And while some students go stealth, most sport a designer logo. Excessive for the college crowd? These girls think not. “Bags are approachable,” says Trinity College senior Katy Kail. “I would be intimidat- ed to go up to the [clothes] rack at Gucci, but not to the handbags. They’re easier.” Others embrace status in the name of quality. “[Designer bags] are really well made,” says Stanford senior Greta Braddock. “I tend to trash purses, but somehow these just rebound so well.” Hervé Chapelier is one of the most commonly seen handbags on campus, probably due to its relatively reasonable price and Crayola color range. But campuses also abound with sightings of Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Coach, Status bags abound on campuses nationwide. Dooney & Bourke, Gucci, Fendi, Longchamp, Marc Jacobs, Prada and

Yves Saint Laurent. From RISD grads: Jon Lipshutz cards, $25; “What Willie Wore” book, $9.95, at RISD Works. Ithaca’s micromini,

SHOPPING ON THE QUAD $15.95, at Ithaca ✱ College Bookstore.

Sure they stock psyche books, spi- ral notebooks and those traditional school sweatshirts. But campus stores across the country carry a whole lot more, from rah-rah Barbies to artsy student- and graduate-designed gift items. And these days, a girl can look trendy while showing school spirit in micro minis that sport her school’s logo.

University of Florida’s Syracuse’s denim mini, University $17.99, Barbie, at Gator $12.95, at Mania. Manny’s.

Cornell’s rally beads, 99 cents, at the Cornell Store.

Middlebury’s cropped pants, $19.95, at the College Store. PHOTOS BY TALAYA CENTENO TALAYA BY PHOTOS 4 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 For licensing opportunities contact D&E Marketing Group 212-696-1242 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E scene Student icons run the gamut from the silver screen to dear old Mom. ✱ ICON WORSHIP

Does voting Gwyneth the number-one fashion icon mean that well dressed is in among THE TOP FIVE FASHION ICONS America’s coeds? It’s hard to argue otherwise. With her carefully engineered classic look, the 1. Gwyneth Paltrow former UC Santa Barbara student (she left in 2. Jennifer Lopez 1991 to pursue acting) was made for the red Jennifer Aniston carpet. “What I love about her is how versatile 4. Sarah Jessica Parker she is,” says Boston College sophomore 5. Audrey Hepburn Jessie Rosen, who writes a fashion column for her school paper, The Heights. “She can go from Goth to Bohemian. She’s cliché only in that everyone would say she’s their fashion icon. It’s like saying ‘Jackie O’ for my generation.” While student entries for their fashion icon ranged from the artsy (German Expressionist cinema) to the philosophical (Jean Baudrillard), the top five closed in on the oft- photographed, omnipresent movie and television celebrities who make the runway their home away from home. But the interesting ranking here was Audrey Hepburn, who serves as a timeless standard. Honorable mentions: Reese Witherspoon, Gwen Stefani and Halle Berry. Just off the radar: “Mom.”

*Students were asked: Who are your fashion

or style icons? SARDELLA DONATO ANISTON: KAN/WIREIMAGE; FOC J.LO: PHOTOS; MCGEE/GLOBE HENRY PALTROW: CORBIS; PHOTOS: MOM AND HEPBURN ✱ KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS

"Fashion is fun, not convention. Fashion is not about matching. Fashion is not without risktaking." —Benguerine Lilia, American University "Labels are irrelevant." —Rebecca Bellville, American University WRECKING THE CURVE "For graduation I'll make my own dress—out of ostrich feathers." —Bennington ✱ student It’s unscientific, unrepresentative of actual intelligence and impossibly culturally biased. "Yes. Watch what I wear—then watch what designers come up with a few years No, we’re not referring to the SAT but the FAQ, WWD’s Fashion Awareness Quiz. Rather than asking respon- later." —a Bennington student in an answer to the question, “Do you consider dents to make analogies or count bushels of oranges, the FAQ probes knowledge of burning issues like who de- yourself fashionable?” signs Louis Vuitton or where Stephen Sprouse sells his wares. We asked more than 2,000 students across the “Personal expression and individuality are more important than merely fol- country to match designers to their fashion houses or trendy architects to their buildings and identify Page 6 lowing trends.” —a student at Carnegie Mellon gossip staples or Philippe Starck designs. And the results? If you think that a quiz on fashion trivia would be easy as pie, think again. Only a handful re- “Really fashionable people are leaders, not followers of leaders.” —a student at Carnegie Mellon turned with perfect scores. Even more surprising was the fact that, of these, none represented those schools dedicated to fashion and design. Perfect scorers included students from the likes of Duke, Northwestern, Yeshiva "It's all about conformity here. I used to put a lot more effort into dressing." College and NYU to a number of Ivy Leagues schools, such as Yale, University of Pennsylvania and Princeton. —a student at University of Virginia When interviewed, many perfect scorers said they considered themselves highly fashion conscious as a result of "They are really comfortable with their bodies. It's a little more sexy than con- both media exposure and personal interest. Their level of engagement with fashion, however, was as varied as servative preppy." —Amy Gardner, owner of Scarpa, a shoe and accessory store their majors. Judy Tomkins of Johns Hopkins University, an economics major, simply “loves to shop,” while Faran serving University of Virginia. Krentcil, a student of theater and art history at Duke University, dedicated her senior thesis to fashion.

"I'm not much of fashion whore. I wear what I like and I like what I wear." So what was it about these young fashionistas that threw the curve for the rest of their peers? Aside from a —Chris Medaglia, SUNY Purchase shared addiction to fashion magazines, these students proved to be more than just fashion-savvy; they were culture-savvy. Katherine Peek of Princeton University thought our question on modern architects spoke volumes on "Personal style is not really important with clothing. If it's important to the consumer culture by placing Rem Koolhas’ Prada store on par with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum. person, then I'll respect that." —Erika Decker, SUNY Purchase Commenting on the broad range of style and pop trivia covered in our quiz, Krentcil notes: “Fashion cannot exist "I do not buy by the brand. I buy by the price. I really don't have the money to without culture; [it] is in constant dialog with it. At what point does fashion end and culture begin?” keep up with fashion.Clothes are too expensive nowadays." —Kathryn Noulis, And so a fashion intellectual is born. —Venessa Lau SUNY Purchase

"I am a hot man." —Holland Rockgarden, SUNY Purchase

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T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E THE TOP TEN COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE A STYLISH LOT, AND FOR GOOD REASONS. PULLED AWAY FROM THE CLIQUES AND CONFORMITY OF THEIR HINTERLAND HIGH SCHOOLS, THEY COME TOGETHER IN A—HOPEFULLY—MORE DIVERSE ✱ENVIRONMENT. SUDDENLY INDEPENDENT, THEIR FREEDOM COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY: TO DISCOVER JUST WHO THEY ARE AS INDIVIDUALS. THEY EXPRESS THIS INDIVIDUALITY THROUGH FASHION. AND LIKE THEM, WWD’S TOP 10 SCHOOLS ARE A DIVERSE LOT. OUR #1, NYU, IS SIMPLY TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL. OTHERS—PARTICULARLY SOUTHERN UNIVERSITIES—WERE CHOSEN FOR THEIR SOPHISTICATED TASTE, AND THE QUALITY OF FASHION AND RETAIL PROGRAMS COUNTED AS WELL. FINALLY, SOME SCHOOLS TRULY CELEBRATE INDIVIDUALITY. THEIR “ANTI-FASHION” STUDENTS WOULD APPRECIATE BEING ON THIS LIST ABOUT AS MUCH AS THEIR PARENTS CHAPERONING A KEGGER. NYUPURCHASE HOWARD OLE MISS YALE U PENN SMU ARKANSAS WESLEYANBERKELEY

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 9 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E 1 NYU

Only in New York, kids. Only in New York. Like the city with which it shares an island, museums, internships and job resources—places NYU students at the head of the New York University is the quintessential melting pot. Tempest-tossed teens of every national fashion pack. For them, knowing who designs for which house or getting to stripe are drawn here by NYU’s reputation for academic excellence and social diver- the Manolo sample sale first seems to be less important than identifying one’s per- sity—not to mention the bright lights, the glamour and the promise that “if you can sonal style and (as after-school-special as it sounds) running with it no matter what make it here....” There’s a place for everyone at NYU—chics, greeks, freaks and geeks. anyone else says or thinks. It’s no surprise, then, that fashion thrives here in its many forms. As one student “The fashion here seems to be a reflection of peoples’ cultural background,” puts it, a country-bred Missouri native in head-to-toe Wrangler lives and studies says Brandt Gassman, editor of NYU’s Washington Square News. “I don’t mean a alongside a girl whose mother throws parties for Versace and yet another who just national culture, but more your group of friends, and especially your interests.” packed away her debutante whites before heading up North. Indeed, for every type of interest at NYU, there is a fashion camp: artists, business It’s even been possible to swap lecture notes with a bona-fide supermodel. types, skaters, punks, hippies and, yes, even those who appreciate the aesthetic Christy Turlington graduated from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in lure (ironic or otherwise) of pocket protectors and thick-rimmed glasses. 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in religion and philosophy. “I think by virtue of being “Style is important for personal expression, and how you choose to dress differ- in Manhattan—especially downtown Manhattan—there is tremendous freedom of entiates you from the next person,” says finance junior Stefanie Duda, echoing the expression of every kind for students,” Turlington says. consensus of students surveyed. Freshman Auri Rodriguez sums up the NYU atti-

This adventurous spirit—combined with unlimited access to the city’s shopping, tude even more succinctly: “The sidewalks are like catwalks.” HORNAK/CORBIS ANGELO ARCH: SQUARE WASHINGTON

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER LIVINGSTON

10 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E THE TOP TEN

NYU has particular appeal for students hoping to break into the fashion industry, tainment and industry alumni and lengthy catalog of design-related courses, has a whether on the creative or business side, without having to give up a liberal arts educa- reputation for matriculating avant-garde artists across the board, especially in film. tion in order to get industry experience. “I had applied to FIT and Parsons,” says Kristy Meanwhile, Gallatin is a veritable hothouse for budding fashion stylists, designers, Stankus, a Gallatin senior who concentrates on fashion and sociology. “But fashion was writers and boutique owners. not the only thing I wanted to do. I wanted to incorporate other academic things.” “We’re lucky to be able to accommodate students who have interests in fashion Actually, NYU offers little in the way of a traditional fashion curriculum. Students and design,” says Gallatin dean E. Frances White. “We feel comfortable taking things seeking technical garment construction know-how go for the costume courses, that we know are sometimes seen as not intellectual and demonstrating how they especially the popular Cutting and Draping, while those looking for business experi- Continued on page 12 ence take the one or two retail classes offered once a year. But what the university does offer is a free rein to self-starters willing to go beyond the school’s boundaries New York University in search of experience. Thus, it’s not unusual to meet an art history major who ✱ New York, NY takes classes at FIT, an econ student who moonlights at Federated or an undergrad Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,584 journalist who organizes clothing racks in Jane’s sample closet. Tuition: $25,380 You enroll. Freewheeling Gallatin and the Tisch School of the Arts have the highest concen- You Are Fashion Forward If: Fashionable alumni: Christy Turlington; Denise Seegal, of JLo. tration of fashion career-minded people. Tisch, with its mind-boggling list of enter-

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 11 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E NYU

Continued from page 11 says junior Derek Blasberg, a journalism major and intern at WWD’s sister publica- are in fact intellectual—including fashion.” tion W who writes a sophisticated style column for the Washington Square News. Gallatin’s approximately 1,100 students—a small enrollment in comparison with those “They’re like, ‘go do whatever you want,’ even if it’s event planning at Vogue.” of NYU’s other schools—can tailor their curriculum across several disciplines. What’s As a result of such opportunities, students here probably have a more realistic more, they can take classes anywhere in the university—something students in the other view of the fashion business than most—that it’s not necessarily about FedEx-ing schools aren’t able to do easily. One of Gallatin’s more popular classes—open only to luggage or taking two-hour lunches with Carrie and Samantha at Pastis. “Competi- freshman—is The Lure of Beauty, where professor Chris Trogan urges students to tion working in the fashion world is fierce and very intimidating,” notes senior Darby examine and debunk notions of beauty. Reading assignments cover Oscar Wilde’s The Corna. “Only the strong-willed make it.” Picture of Dorian Gray and Nancy Etcoff’s controversial Survival of the Prettiest. Internship and job possibilities aside, just living here provides a fashion education in Many also opt for internships, which, while not mandatory, earn course credit. and of itself. This is the Big Apple, after all, where the streets are paved in logos rather Whether it’s a semester sewing for a downtown designer or crunching numbers for than in gold—a city where three bucks can take a fashion devotee from the hipster bou- L’Oréal, any internship is permissible as long as the student “isn’t just folding paper,” tiques on Orchard Street to Fifth Avenue’s high-gloss stores and back down to China- White says. (Since coming here five years ago from Hampshire College, she notes town, where Vuitton-Murakami knockoffs cover Canal Street like wallpaper. And that “certainly my wardrobe has improved.”) Greenwich Village, where NYU is centered, has some of the best vintage and thrift That’s not to say that Gallatin has cornered the market on work-study programs. stores anywhere—always a good option for the budget-minded scholar. In fact, NYU’s internship program excels university-wide. “It isn’t that structured,” Nightlife, especially the thriving indie music scene, feeds directly into NYU’s style.

12 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E THE TOP TEN

✱ GREY GOODS

All an NYU student has to do to get a little bit of culture is step outside. The Metro- politan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art are just a subway ride away, and Chelsea’s wealth of art galleries, a 10-minute walk. But Cindy Sherman’s installation for 1999’s even closer, right in “Inverted Odysseys,” featuring Comme Washington Square, is the des Garçons. Grey Art Gallery, the university’s fine arts museum. Since 1975, it has presented important visual arts exhibitions—including the first U.S. retrospective of Frida Kahlo’s work, in 1983. Under the direction of Lynn Gumpert since 1997, the Grey has often worked fashion into its award-winning design exhibitions. “One of the things that we want to do is show visual culture,” Gumpert says, “and fashion is part of visual culture.” In 1999, the Grey ran a retrospective of Krizia, a Shiseido show and later “Inverted Odysseys,” an exhibit that included images and clothes from an earlier Cindy Sherman-Rei Kawakubo collaboration. The current “Not Neutral” installment features the work of contemporary Swiss photographers, including several who address fashion im- agery. Ugo Rondinone seamlessly superimposes his face onto the bodies of models against a striking blue background. “You think, ‘Oh, it’s just another fashion glossy,’” notes Gumpert, “and then you see there’s something strange—that the model has a five o’clock shadow. He’s looking at the world of glamour and having fun with it.” While Gumpert steers clear of showing fashion exhibitions for fashion’s sake, “it’s a part of our daily lives,” she notes. “It’s the image we want to project to the world. It’s a statement.” “ODYSSEYS” BY JAMES PRINCE; FBA BY STEVE EICHNER STEVE BY FBA PRINCE; JAMES BY “ODYSSEYS”

✱ TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Back in 1997, a group of enterprising young women sought to raise the bar of fashion savvy on campus. They formed NYU’s Fashion Business Association, which according to its mission statement, seeks “to educate, enrich and possibly create employment op- Getting ready for the show. portunities for the students of NYU who are interested in the business of the fashion industry.” Now under the presidency of Heather Golphin, a stylish economics major, its 40 members meet regularly to plan the group’s various events. In a less-than-original moment, some undergrads note, many young men and women Beyond finding internships, guest speakers, sample sales and the occa- walked around looking like the sixth member of the Strokes for a while last year. Read: art- sional free haircut for its crew, FBA takes on a mentoring role for stu- fully mussed hair, raggedy jeans, battered All-Stars and vintage T-shirts emblazoned with dent designers—and not necessarily just those from NYU. Twice a year, the logos of Eighties hair bands. the association hosts fashion shows, which run like real runway presen- Students here concern themselves with every aspect of the fashion biz, both good and tations, complete with hair and makeup artists, music and student mod- bad. They line up with protest signs every time a sweatshop pops up on the media radar. In els selected from an open casting call. There are even professional-grade the past years, the Gap, Disney and Nike have all come under student fire. In 2002, when programs and run-of-show notes. Abercrombie & Fitch released a series of T-shirts the students believed stereotyped Asians, This Saturday at Gould Plaza, FBA will present its annual spring show, protesters banded together with other regional universities and boycotted the company, called “Urban Lust.” Featured student designers include senior Julia standing below MTV’s Times Square street camera to get their point across nationally. Faced DiNardo, who appreciates Italian fashion’s cuts and fabrics, and Gallatin with alienating their target consumer—and nationwide student protests—A&F pulled the line. junior Mariko Iwata, who will send out her artsy Hand Wash Keep From But is it really fair to judge the rest of the country’s colleges and universities against a school Freezing collection. Also of note is senior Ben Holloway, a born-and-bred that uses New York as its classroom? Maybe not. But then again, another Manhattan academic New Yorker whose urban streetwear has popped up in a Missy Elliot video, powerhouse didn’t rank nearly so high—and students there know why. “We're nothing like NYU,” as well as on racks at cool downtown boutiques Prohibit and Union. concedes a Columbia University student. “I don't think anyone gets as dressed up as they do.” —Nandini D’Souza

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 13 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E 2

HOWARDAround noon at Howard University’s quadrangle—called “the Yard” by faculty and “the Runway” by students— the fashion show begins. There are no klieg lights or amplified music—nothing flashy—but a visitor can quickly see that students on their way to lunch or meeting friends on a dazzling Washington spring day have thought about what to wear. This year, a key fashion trend is urban and edgy—what fashion merchandising and marketing professor Aba Kwawu calls “neo-soul.” It’s a recasting of the 1970s, with women sporting tufted afros and hoop earrings or Kangol brim hats cocked to one side. Students wear crocheted or colorful peasant tops with unstructured flowing cuffs and faded, slightly hip-hugging jeans, sometimes rolled at the ankles, with wide belts. But just when you think there’s a campus-wide look, a coed marches by wearing all denim and a pair of lace-up, pointy-toed pink suede boots from Up Against the Wall, a boutique near campus. While one professor notes a recent turning away from status labels, “there's still status in carrying Kate Spade or Coach.” Another student glides past in a crisp, long-sleeved white shirt with a wide collar turned up and slim gray pants. On the nearby grass, a young woman wears a black top, a black-and-gold print wrap skirt and matching head wrap. And around the flagpole, upperclassmen in impeccable suits gather, greeting each other with boisterous handshakes. "At Howard, fashion is celebrated," says Rakiyt Zakari, president of the school’s Fashion Council. A fashion design senior, Zakari already has her own line of clothes at a downtown boutique. She swears she can tell where people are from by how they cock their hats. “You have so many styles,” she says. “That's what makes it so ter- rific here." But there's something else afoot. Students here have an air of confidence, a sense of where they're going. This is not a school where undergraduates run adrift, lazing about in dilettante pursuits." I ultimately want to be an editor at Vogue, but before I get there, I want to be a costume designer," fashion merchandising junior India Jackson says without hesitation. She also plugs her own sportswear line, Scorpio 23, which she sells to friends. With roughly 70 fashion merchandising, design and marketing graduates each year, Howard is a fashion incu-

Howard’s bator. Sean Jean frontman P. Diddy attended Howard, and at least one alumna, Chelsea Jones, is an assistant quadrangle, designer at his sportswear company. Honey Child women's wear designer Tracey Mourning is a graduate, as is known as the Runway is the men's wear designer Everett Hall. "It was like a fashion show every day," says Hall, who has three clothing stores in place to see upscale Washington-area fashion districts. Howard, he adds, inspires overachievers; it is where he set his goal "to Howard’s edgy mix. Above: A play a key role in what people wear throughout the world." student hangs out inin fashionfashion Students interested in fashion—many are communications or business majors—are steeped in lessons on con- professor Doreen sumer behavior, strategies behind retail store designs, traditional textile and dress from China to Romania and why Vernon’s classroom. clothes are an indication of who you are. "Students are so aware of and interested in fashion, but it's our job to make them realize that fashion is a business and not just about looking good," says Kwawu, who graduated from the London College of Fashion. Professor Doreen Vernon, a 1976 Fashion Institute of Technology grad with 23 years of experience as a fashion forecaster, wants her students to realize that fashion can extend to designs and colors found in quotidian products from the likes of Starbucks or Mazda. "We talk about color, symbolism, what red means, what blue means," Vernon says. Fashion even works its way into the School of Business, which offers a rigorous supply-chain management masters program as well as undergraduate programs. Every Tuesday, freshmen are required to wear suits; anything deemed too extreme or trendy, from stilettos to turned-up collars, is frowned upon. It’s all part of the Howard method. "We make sure our students have a well-rounded foundation and understanding of business, as well as an appreciation of the arts and sciences," says Dean Barron Harvey. As part of the 21st Century Advantage Program (CAP), companies including J.C. Penney, the Gap and Kohl's have “adopted” 14-person teams of freshmen who spend the year immersing themselves in all aspects of the firm’s business procedures. As a benefit to corporate participants, they get first dibs at recruiting students. Harvey recalls a trip to J.C. Penney in Plano, Tex., during which the team gave a stellar presentation about the retailer. The Penney’s execs were ready to start recruiting then and there. “They thought the students were seniors,” Harvey

says. “We had to tell them they were freshmen.” —Joanna Ramey SAMPERTON KYLE BY PHOTOS

✱ Howard University Washington, D.C. Undergraduate Enrollment: 7, 328 Tuition: $10,320 You Are Fashion Forward If: You mix it up. Fashionable alumni: Opera singer Jessye Norman, author Toni Morrison, actress/choreographer Debbie Allen.

14 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E T H E T O P T E N 3

✱ Southern Methodist University Dallas, Tex. Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,210 Tuition: $19,466 You Are Fashion Forward If: You tote a Louis Vuitton candy-colored handbag. Fashionable alumni: Halston creative director Bradley Bayou, Aaron Spelling, Escada stylist Merideth Fanning.

Designer labels and status consciousness might just as well be on the curriculum at Southern Methodist University, where it’s as common to spot students toting Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior handbags as it is to see them tooling around campus in a sporty new Mercedes, Lexus or BMW. “SMU is completely different from any other school,” claims Alexandra Dillard, a sophomore and daughter of Dillard Department Stores president Alex Dillard. “It is very, very fashionable. A lot of the kids have a lot of money and are very fashion forward. They don’t always dress up for class, but when they go out at night, they dress up a whole lot.” Dillard’s insider’s view echoes the university’s reputation for attracting the scions of Southern financiers and industrialists. “Everybody thinks we’re Southern millionaires getting our MRS degree,” complains junior Amy Bird- song, “but we work really hard.” Given its location in the affluent University Park neighborhood of Dallas, where wealthy women take their appearance as seriously as their investments, it’s not surprising that SMU students are deliriously fashion-happy. “It’s all about designers here,” says one. “Everyone has to have an Hervé [Chapelier] bag or Louis Vuitton or Prada. It used to be Kate Spade.” At an informal meeting at the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house (known on campus as Kappa Kappa Gucci), several women offer that they can’t wait to get a new candy-colored Vuitton bag. Last year, one student recalls, five women in one class pulled out leather Kate Spade planners—each in a different color. The campus itself upholds label consciousness. A list of campus buildings, named after their alumni funders, reads like a Who’s Who of Texas society. The massive $43 million football stadium that opened in 2000, for instance, bears the moniker of Dallas banker Gerald J. Ford. Students estimate that 60 percent of the women here are keen on looking fashionable—and they know their brands. Favorites are Burberry, Roberto Cavalli, Jean Paul Gaultier, Marni, Prada, Luca Luca, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors and Dolce & Gabbana. Hot contemporary labels include Laundry, Nanette Lapore, Trina Turk, Theory, Poleci, ABS and BCBG, while popular dress designers are Diane Von Furstenberg, Nicole Miller, Kay Unger and David Meister. “It’s like a freaking fashion show when you go out at night,” observes Birdsong, who is majoring in public relations. “It’s insane—it’s like a rat race,” adds senior Britni Wood, who makes her own colorful handbags and is headed to work at Bergdorf Goodman this summer. “You have to be into vintage or your own style or you get lost in the heap.” As one sorority girl points out, “At a lot of places, people don’t want to look like they tried. Here, people aren’t afraid to look like they tried really hard.” SMU students can recite the names of the city’s newest boutiques as easily as any local style editor. Even the men have an interest in fashion, with Gucci loafers serving as the most prevalent campus status symbol. Still, when it comes to the classroom or lecture hall, the scene is fairly casual. Men don cargo shorts or pants, a T-shirt and flip-flops or sneakers. Women are slightly more put together in Juicy Couture sweats or Seven jeans paired with a solid top or camisole and boots, heels or Rainbow flip-flops. There’s a bit of preppy dressing, such as Lacoste tops over Lilly Pulitzer prints. And there are plenty of people in shorts and polo tops or tight camisoles hanging around the dorms and sorority houses. Kari Schlegel in a Louis Students here have plenty of evening opportunities to put on the glitz, though. Thursday night is the school’s unof- Vuitton dress. Below: An ficial party night, when the most common uniform is tight jeans with stilettos and a cool, girly top, such as a corset. SMU style posse. And Greek life provides frequent weekend socials and charity benefits for which the invitation stipulates cocktail or formal attire. “It’s like there’s a prom every week,” says Samantha Zipp of Bedford, N.Y. Not surprisingly, these students are tuned into jewelry, from trendy styles by Me & Ro, Chan Luu and Gerard Yosca to diamond chandelier earrings and delicate pieces by Cathy Waterman. “Accessories are huge,” says Bird- song. “A lot of people will wear a funky necklace with a tank top and jeans.” Rosanne Byrnes, managing director of SMU’s J.C. Penney Retail Center, opened in 2001, says that students are so fashionable she counsels them to tone it down. The center staged a “dress for success” fashion show April 3 with Penney’s and Harold’s to help would-be job seekers choose proper attire. “At the fashion show we gave students a handout on buying a suit because they tend to be very fashionable, and we want them to be very conservative for interviews,” says Byrnes. “You can see all the latest trends across campus— PHOTOS BY GEORGE HENSON GEORGE BY PHOTOS Sall the cool bags,M newest shoes and jeans—butU we don’t want them to wear that to interviews.” —Holly Haber WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 15 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E 4

U PENNWhen it comes to the ultimate collegiate look, nobody preps it up better than students at the University of Pennsylvania. The school’s relatively small Philadelphia campus can be measured not by blocks, but by the number of cable-knit Polo sweaters that pass by. Ask the average Penn student to sum up campus style, and the answer is often “preppy,” “classic” or “label-conscious.” But don’t expect Madras plaids and tennis sweaters. This is a strictly nouveau crowd, with an emphasis on status brands. If it’s not a navy, black or pastel sweater, it’s a polo or button-down shirt and dark denim jeans—and that goes for both sexes. “Slumming it” means Juicy Couture sweats and flip-flops. Yet even dressed down in a hoodie and flips, few Penn girls leave the dorm without designer accessories. Status sym- bols flourish here, with LVs, GGs and polo players topping the list of most-spotted logos. “No one just rolls out of bed and goes to class,” says senior Ross Clark, editor of “34th Street,” the arts and entertainment section of the school’s paper, Daily Pennsylvanian. “There’s a lot of production involved. The money spent on clothes is kind of daunting.” “I thought people went to college to go to class in pajamas,” says sophomore Alexis Cuddyre. “Here, it’s your pajamas and a Louis Vuitton purse.” While on the surface that pulled-together chic suggests a particular fashion sensibility, it can also be viewed in the context of Penn’s philosophy. In 1749, founder Benjamin Franklin envisioned an academic institution that would not only educate students in the liberal arts, but would also prepare them for business and public service—a distinct point of departure from the other Ivies. No Penn college embodies this better than the Wharton School, one of the country’s leading business schools. From day one, it grooms students for the post-graduate world, and undergrads in turn often dress as if they’re already yelling “buy” and “sell.” While professors only require business attire for presentations or mock interviews, “wearing a suit and tie from Brooks Brothers gets you into the mind-set,” says one senior. With strong ties to Estée Lauder and Federated in particular, Wharton places an average of 40 undergrads in the fashion and retail industries each year, and counts Leonard Lauder, Ralph Lauren’s Roger Farah and Leslie Fay and CChichic ccollegiansollegians PPenn-style,enn-style, aandnd Co.’s John J. Pomerantz among its alumni. In January, alum Jay Baker, director of Kohl’s, donated $10 million to the (below left) a school, part of which will fund the new Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative. Headed by Stephen Hoch, the John J. Monica Salazar Alexander Pomerantz Professor of Marketing who favors Hawaiian shirts, and managing director William Cody, the initiative McQueen- has business students looking to break into the industry buzzing around campus. But more than one senior grum- inspiredinspired vase.vase. bled, “Great, they’re starting it just as I’m leaving.” Scratch Penn’s permanent-press facade, though, and one finds that it’s not just a one-trick school. In fact, several pockets of alternative and hipster chic exist by way of DIY looks, ironic T-shirts and peasant skirts—accessorized, of course, with such preppy staples as pearls or deck shoes. With scores of design-driven classes offered in the competitive fine arts and architecture programs—photogra- pher Mary Ellen Mark is a graduate, and architect Daniel Libeskind, winner of the World Trade Center site design competition, teaches here—it’s natural that fashion comes into play in the classroom, too. For her senior project, ceramics major Monica Salazar created functional tableware based on designer clothes. Among her creations: a vase with a spiky, feathered effect that mirrors a black feathered Alexander McQueen top. “I can look at certain images and think, ‘That could be a vase’ or ‘That could be a cup,’” she says. And for her final photography project, Beth Falkof, who has interned at YM and writes regularly for “34th Street,” produced a series of nudes in which, she says, “the images remind me of the old CK One ads with a lineup of models whose body language was more interesting than the product.” Beyond knowing and loving Ralph, Miuccia and Giorgio, though, Penn coeds can easily riff on the ubiquity of Seven jeans and how the recent runway season sounded a death knell for low-waisted pants—a serious blow, they note, to curvier girls. Nor is this fashion savvy limited to women, as Penn men hold their own with equally well- informed style observations. Whether preppy or artsy, Penn students tend to agree that style is important. And given the University’s focus on the professional world, it’s not surprising that so many undergrads stress the necessity of a pulled-together image. “I don’t think it’s so much how you look as how you present yourself,” says international relations sophomore Jocelyn Reid, a Kappa Alpha Theta sister. “If you look horrible when you’re not supposed to look horrible,

that’s not cool. ” —Nandini D’Souza FALKOF BETH AND NEW CAROLINE BY PHOTOS

✱ University Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pa. Undergraduate Enrollment: 9,800 Tuition: $27,988 You’re Fashion Forward If: You know your Prada from your Polo. Fashionable alumni: Leonard Lauder, Estée Lauder chairman, and niece Aerin, Lauder’s global advertising vp and social fixture.

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✱ Wesleyan University Middletown, Conn. Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,700 Tuition: $27,474 You Are Fashion Forward If: Your clothes are at least 20 years old. Fashionable alumni: Peter Arnold, CFDA executive director, Charles Olton, former dean of Parsons School of Design.

Ask students about the prevailing style at Wesleyan University and you’ll hear the words “eclectic” and “diverse” most often. And then, as if to prove that very point, you’ll hear the polar opposite: that because of its overarching emphasis on counterculture chic, the so-called “Diversity University” isn’t really all that diverse fashion-wise. Like every issue that Wesleyan’s passionate, contentious student body considers (and there are many), what to wear to class is a subject matter worthy of serious consideration. Yes, an antifashion current runs through the heart of Wes culture, but the school’s particular brand of antifashion is balanced by reason. One’s inner self, the reasoning goes, is reflected via outward appearance, and that, ultimately gives “costume” (to use the academic term) value. “Here at Wesleyan, many people have traded the cultural currency of name-brand fashion for that of thrift-store chic,” says junior Sam Franklin. “Why? I guess because it’s cheaper, and you get something that’s one-of-a-kind.” Another junior, Brian McKenna, who describes his style as “Zak Morris meets Versace,” chimes in, “There is a lot of creative thought that goes on around here.” Most students agree that many on campus simply carry on in the classic prep school vein, wearing jeans, school sweatshirts and other “normal” gear. However, their numbers are matched by those who see—and wear—things a little differently. A walk around campus reveals numerous style highlights: an early Eighties Iron Maiden T-shirt, the neon pink tips of a punk haircut, pearl-trimmed cat-eyed glasses, a pair of dangling silver African earrings. The effort that went into these looks is apparent—even if the wearer’s intention is to look casually thrown-together. Besides the cult of individuality, the driving forces behind some student looks are leftist politics and identity issues of every stripe. “There are a lot of women here with shaved heads,” says one student. And in response to a “senior cocktail” party with a wedding theme, one self-identified “queer” student printed the words “Marry This. Suck My Senior Cocktails” on a T-shirt. Identity politics get most heated over student housing, a much-debated topic among undergraduates and administrators alike. The university’s “program houses,” as they are known, run the gamut from Malcolm X House (for African-American students) to West College (which, quite infamously, is clothing-optional). Fashion also exists in more traditional forms. “There is a tremendous interest here in fashion history,” says Leslie Weinberg, resident costume designer for the dance and theater departments. Weinberg teaches Costume Design, a class that emphasizes the conceptual over the technical. However, she regularly gets requests from students for instruction in more advanced sewing techniques. Some students put such knowledge to practical use, designing collections in their free time. Junior Jessie Silbert’s ballet-meets-punk lineup reveals her love of Marc Jacobs and the know-how she gained from summers taking classes at FIT. And Maya Lake’s street-centric pieces, which she calls “an expression for people of color,” have already sold at Patricia Field in New York (see Campus Capitalists, page 47). Her reworked T-shirts marry the functional and ideolog- ical. She and Silbert hope to make fashion a career. Another student designer, Nicole Piechowski, would appear to embody the “anti” contingent with her DIY top and white-girl dreads, but her view is not so clear-cut. “I like fashion,” she says. “You don’t have to hate beauty to be a feminist.” Her senior thesis, a gallery installation that explored ideas of sexuality and pleasure, featured, among other things, a ballskirt cleverly crafted from boys’ cotton briefs. Upon hearing about the original student designs in the recent fashion show, CFDA executive director and alumnus Peter Arnold expresses surprise. “At Wesleyan? In Middletown? In Connecticut?” he jokes. Still, Arnold, whose own style morphed during his undergrad years from “Bean boots and cords” to the New Wave look of baggy suits and two-tone shoes, concedes that even in his day, “People were very creative in terms of how they dressed. There was a real sense that you could do whatever you wanted.” That thoughtful freedom—born of Wesleyan’s combination of rigorous academics and flexible curriculum— empowers students to define their own identity. While inscribing her name in chalk on the stairs of the campus

center (violating the ban that the university placed last year on “chalking”), freshman Christina Marenson says, “Normal” is

PHOTOS BY STEVE EICHNER STEVE BY PHOTOS “This is the coolest school. Everyone contributes intellectually and artistically. Everyone is different.” not a concern at Wesleyan. —Meenal Mistry WESLEYAN WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 17 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E 6

ARKATucked intoNSAS the Ozark Mountains, the University of Arkansas is as unlikely a center of fashion as one is apt to find. “When kids are coming to classes, it’s, ‘What can I put on to not be naked?’” admits Denise Malan, editor of the Arkansas Traveler, the student newspaper. On a warm day, students on the Fayetteville, Ark., campus can be found in their T-shirts and jeans—these vary from basic denim to the sorority sister’s Seven—playing Frisbee barefoot on the grass. Ultimate Frisbee and Frisbee golf are popular among many students, who abandon the town each weekend to follow these pursuits or to go hiking or rafting. An active lifestyle and a short drive to relatively untamed country add to the outdoor vibe that’s apparent in the way students dress. U of A stands out in the realm of fashion, though, thanks to its proximity to Wal-Mart, just 30 miles to the north, in Bentonville. There, the king of mass retailing holds court at its corporate headquarters while suppliers gather round in an area known as “Vendorville.” The retail Mecca has boosted the region’s economy and connected it with points afar by importing employees, their families, money and an accompanying flow of ideas, culture and style. Wal-Mart’s presence saturates the region— including the U of A experience. It seems that almost everybody on campus has some connection to the retailer; a family member works for the firm or there’s some vague link to the Walton family. Students recount stories of the late Wal-Mart founder, Sam Walton, sitting in the stands at a basketball game, looking like anything but a captain of industry. Overall, U of A students may not possess the fashion acumen of their counterparts at urban schools, but it’s a safe bet that the fresh minds roaming the campus now will shake Seventh Avenue by pulling the strings of mass fashion at Wal-Mart—especially since these students offer the company a ready supply of potential executives already acclimated to life in rural Arkansas. It’s not hard to imagine that one of today’s barefoot Frisbee players may someday be deciding what millions of Wal-Mart shoppers—and, by extension, much of America—are wearing. While U of A does not have a retailing major per se, there is an emphasis on the subject within other majors such as marketing, logistics and apparel studies, facilitated by the Center for Retailing Excellence, part of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. The center was established in 1998 with the help of a $50 million endowment from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation. Last year, the Waltons gave U of A another $300 million gift, the largest in the history of American public higher education. The Walton College matriculates 3,220 undergraduate and 279 graduate students. In a given semester, about 100 students are enrolled in retailing courses, and up to 300 attend the “Retail Rush” career fair. “Retail is very broad. If you get very specific, you lose a lot of opportunities,” explains Claudia Mobley, managing director of the Center for Retailing Excellence. It’s also a career that requires a diverse skill set. “Retailing got a bad rap years ago,” she says. “It’s always been a second-class major or profession.” The Center aims to imbue students with a different vision. “It’s a wonderful, wonderful career, where you’re only limited by your lack of passion, your lack of drive,” Mobley says. A small group of students who clearly don’t suffer such deficiencies gave up their spring breaks to spend a week at Wal-Mart’s headquarters, where they learned the basics of the firm’s apparel business in a pre-internship. “We saw some of our classes in action,” says Sarah Davenport, an apparel student. “They sold the job to me,” she adds, listing the firm’s strong corporate culture and many avenues for career growth as key attractions. Kathleen Smith, an instructor in the university’s Apparel Studies program, says, “Right now, Wal-Mart is screaming for apparel expertise.” And the school is trying to provide just that with a program that graduates about 25 students each year and boasts courses in merchandising, production and the use of computers in design. Apparel Studies students will also head to London and Paris this month to get a sense of the industry there, including a close- up look at how Wal-Mart’s George label comes together. The fresh minds on Thomas Jensen, chair of the department of marketing and transportation, acknowledges the school’s close ties campus to Wal-Mart and the vendors in Vendorville, but maintains that corporations are also kept at arm’s length. “We may someday don’t want to be beholden, but we’re crazy if we don’t leverage” access to these companies, he notes. “Having con- pull the strings of tact with companies reinforces what we’re teaching in the classroom.” —Evan Clark mass fashion at Wal-Mart. COTHREN RUSSELL BY PHOTOS

✱ University of Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. Undergraduate Enrollment: 10,854 Tuition: $1,667 resident; $4,641 non-resident. You are fashion forward if: You’re in a sorority. Fashionable alumnus: S. Robson Walton, chairman of Wal-Mart Stores.

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✱ Purchase College The State University of New York Purchase, N.Y. Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,000 Tuition: $8,300 You Are Fashion Forward If: Secondhand is second nature. Fashionable alumni: Parker Posey, Edie Falco, Stanley Tucci

Welcome to Purchase. The sleepy hamlet in Westchester County is home to Purchase College The State University of New York, better known as SUNY Purchase. The campus, established in 1969 by New York’s governor and philanthropic scion Nelson Rockefeller, is rich with ironies. So what if the town’s name represents an activity many of the school’s inventive and resourceful student types abhor, or that its art museum was founded by Roy Neuberger, a Wall Street hotshot who, nearing 100, still keeps a hand in his brokerage firm, Neuberger & Berman? SUNY Pur- chase harbors a crew that has little tolerance for labels—and is pretty vocal about that disdain. Embracing anti- fashion is a code of arms. “If someone is going to look at how I dress before they decide to talk to me, I don’t want to talk to them anyway,” says senior Sarah Radziewicz. Self-expression is a hallmark of this artistically inclined campus, affecting all areas of life. Signs in the library advise students to “Ponder before printing,” while in April, a campus visit revealed bulletin boards in various buildings that urged students to post their views on the war in Iraq. The personal voice is celebrated in all sorts of ways, and that filters down to style. “As far as Purchase goes, it’s come-as-you-are. You could be hippie, punk rock or a skater chick. People put themselves out there,” says senior Lauren Cardinale. “You won’t find a sorority girl head-to-toe in Abercrombie & Fitch. But if you did, she wouldn’t be judged for that. Here, you’ll see a kid who grew up in a Bronx ghetto sharing a ciga- rette with a drag queen from Utah.” SUNY Purchase is Parker Posey country, with many undergrads displaying their predecessor’s penchant for quirky individualism. As a result, no single fashion look dominates these 500 acres—although certain attitudes do. Purchase students flaunt their disinterest in brand names and expensive clothes. They know their kind of style can’t be manufactured—and that’s the point. Sophomore Carl Negro notes that his clothes are occasionally bleached by accident, not by choice. He describes his style as “Grandpa.” Many students sew, knit or crochet their own clothes. Others favor the offbeat counterpoint: ballgowns for class, sandals with knee socks, camouflage cargo pants done up with peace-sign buttons, long-sleeved T-shirts sliced to double as legwarmers or armwarmers. Clearly, this group isn’t taking cues from TV, magazines or celebrities. “Most of my friends don’t know who Marc Jacobs is,” says Cardinale. Several students say that their periodical reading begins and ends with the school paper. Magazines are dead. Books are another story., and they slip such titles as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Story of O into their list of must-reads. Even students’ multiple body piercings and rainbow-hued hair are not to be taken lightly. “Most people don’t get A colorful look. Below: Student pierced or tattooed just to be different,“ notes literature professor Elise Lemire. “There’s an aesthetic, but it’s also a pursuits, like political need to be respected, not an act of youthful rebellion. They’re sending an anti-capitalist statement. They dance, often dictate fashion. know they can’t be hired by McDonald’s with all those piercings.” Still, students here don’t lose themselves entirely in their bucolic anti-fashion haven. Just 30 miles to the south, Manhattan makes for a favorite getaway, as undergrads check out the music scene and museums. And with stores like Yellow Rat Bastard, H&M and Diesel, Gotham offers a diversity of shopping, as many kids said they can’t afford the gentrified stores in the Westchester Mall, and probably wouldn’t patronize them anyway. Even if he had “all the money in the world,” Chris Medaglia says, “I wouldn’t spend outrageous amounts of money on clothes, of all things.” Combing thrift stores in nearby leafy Greenwich, Conn., or “Sal Val”—a nickname for the Salvation Army—is a sport of sorts. There’s even an on-campus thrift store. In warmer months, vendors ferry secondhand clothes to sell from open-air booths. Most important, perhaps, students’ attire routinely reflects their craft, be it dance, theater or studio composition. As Julia Burrer, a dance major, says, “It doesn’t really matter what I wear, because I know I can be comfortable with myself without being dependent on being fashionable.” —Rosemary Feitelberg SUNYPURCHASE

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OLE MISSTime and tradition seem to stand still at the University of Mississippi, and life there takes on the sweetness of Tupelo honey. This feeling is evident in everything from the rituals of the sororities and fraternities that dominate the social structure on campus to the Southern hospitality that comes as a surprise to visitors. But if there’s anything that rivals adherence to proper home trainin’ (translation: good manners) at Ole Miss, it’s dedication to looking good. Rebel Drive, the street that functions as a main artery through campus, is a sea of blond hair, tanned skin and toned bodies. Students may half-joke that girls enter Ole Miss blond and leave even blonder, but not every crucial style statement comes from a bottle. During the day, exercise gear (sorority T-shirts, running shorts and New Bal- ance athletic shoes) function as fashion-forward attire since they indicate that a girl works out between classes. “You’ll see people power-walking from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” says one coed. Of course, skimpy workout togs are a great way to show off gym results, too. “I think it has a lot to do with the climate, because you don’t have to cover up,” says another girl. “If you’re going to be baring a lot, you want to look as good as possible.” And bare they do. One local band even wrote a paean to the ideal Greek physique called “Naked Sorority Girl.” (“Naked sorority girl, you drink all night and power-walk all day,” goes the chorus.) Campus style undergoes a seismic shift when the sun goes down. That’s when Ole Miss girls hit the Square—the center of town—for live music and drinks. Out go the gym clothes and in come the logos: Seven jeans coupled with feminine tops and heels have replaced black pants and skirts for going out in recent years, while Louis Vuitton bags dangle from the shoulders of enough girls to make your head spin. And with a nod to neo-prep, Lacoste shirts (with the collars turned up, naturally) are once again the rage. The look is decidedly feminine, and the quaint Square, with its balconied elegance recalling New Orleans’ French Quarter, provides a perfect backdrop for the show. And while students don’t seem to trouble themselves with the nit-picking fashion-world details of which designer works for what house or which trends are hopelessly so five- minutes ago, they do know what they like. Along with Neilson’s, one of the oldest department stores in the South, the Square sports a host of small boutiques that offer the labels Ole Miss girls covet most: Nanette Lepore, Trina Turk, Lilly Pulitzer, Michael Starr and Seven. What is particularly striking is the disproportionate number of semi- and formal dresses these stores stock—due to the endless whirl of sorority and tailgating functions that require dressing up. And the fall football season requires serious dressing up. These days the University of Mississippi football team has little to brag about, but that doesn’t stop undergraduates and alumni from turning out on the Grove—the large lawn on campus—for tailgate parties with a dress code approaching that of a polo match. Given the right dress and date, the seven Grove parties—one for each home game—can cement a girl’s social status. Make that seven dresses, chosen months in advance. If this sounds complicated to an outsider, it’s second nature to students. Ole Miss girls know they dress up more than any other school in the South, and that the boys take notice. “I just got back from the University of Colorado and man, Ole Miss is great,” says one senior guy. “We have by far the best-looking girls in the South, and probably the whole country.” That genteel boastfulness is derived in no small part from the respect students have for the traditions that have been handed down to them. “We’re conservative because of tradition,” another senior says firmly. “You’re just From top: William Faulkner’s home in Oxford; socialized into it rather than forming your own opinion.” Allison Slack strolls the Square; Ole Miss girls let Which is fine, it seems, by these students. “People say that this is a snobby school—that’s our reputation,” says their hair down at the Tri Delt crawfish party. one. “But as long as you put your best foot forward,” she assures, “you’re going to be fine.”

—Dahlia Devkota COOK MEGAN GIRLS:

✱ University of Mississippi Oxford, Miss. Undergraduate Enrollment: 11,000 Tuition: In-state: $3,916, out-of-state: $8,826. You Are Fashion Forward If: You have a Louis Vuitton cell phone cover. Fashionable alumni: Too many Miss Americas to count.

20 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E THE TOP TEN 9 ✱ Yale University New Haven, Conn. Undergraduate Enrollment: 5,274 Tuition: $27,130 You Are Fashion Forward If: You rub elbows with André Leon Talley. Fashionable alumni: Jodie Foster; Andrew Goodman, former owner of Bergdorf Goodman; Steve Kahn and Chris Edgar, founders of Delia’s catalog; Melina Root, Emmy-winning costume designer.

“Rule number one about Yale is that everyone carries a Nalgene,” says junior Rebecca Dana. A what? A Nalgene, as any Eli would know, is a high-tech plastic water bottle commonly used by campers. Dana, editor in chief of the Yale Daily News, explains that the collegiate version is often seen emblazoned with the crest of a residential college and dangling from a student’s backpack. Preliminary reports of the Nalgene’s ubiquity did not bode well for Yale’s fashion prognosis. But what soon rose to the surface of this intellectual preppy pond was a vocal and active community of bona-fide fashionistas, along with a considerable creative contingent. And these types refuse to embrace khakis and school sweatshirts by default. With its renowned theater department, strong arts programs and a relatively flexible curriculum, Yale is perhaps the Ivy League’s artsiest member. Yet, however strong their creative impulses, students here find that their work load and multiple extracurriculars sometimes infringe on pre-class primping. That doesn’t stop a good number from seeking out the joys of fashion. Last fall, a group of students teamed up with the Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES) to widen its traditional business scope to include the fashion industry. The result, the speakers series “Seventh on Yale,” brought to New Haven the likes of FIT curator and fashion historian Valerie Steele, Diane Von Furstenberg and Vogue editor at large André Leon Talley. “We had an amazing response,” says junior Katherine Capelluto, one of those instrumental in booking the speakers. “The fashion series showed that there was a huge untapped interest.” Steele discussed “Fashion: Italian Style,” FIT’s current exhibit. ”It was very crowded,” she recalls. “I think many of the students are interested in trying to do something professionally—not necessarily as fashion designers, but something to do with the world of fashion in the broadest sense.” This year’s fashion issue of the Yale Daily News surpassed the usual “what’s-hot-on-campus” fare to include snarky first-person coverage of the New York collections, including sophomore Andrew Hamilton’s account of a day spent hitting the tents with Talley. (Another student, First Daughter Barbara Bush, likewise made the two-hour trip to check out some of the shows.) The tireless Hamilton also co-produced Yale’s recent student fashion show and designed one of the featured collections. “Yale students are pretty phenomenal,” associate comparative literature professor Ann Gaylin says of Hamilton and his fellow designers. “They often have more than one extracurric- ular activity that they do—and do well.” Yale’s Sudler Fund for the Creative Arts, a sort of campus NEA, supports many of these outside endeavors. In fact, two of the four designers who strutted their stuff at the show relied on the relatively easily obtained Sudler grants that provide $500 for individual art projects. While a stereotypical brainy disdain for fashion does percolate here, it has its opponents among faculty as well as students. John Rogers, an English professor and master of Berkeley College hopes to convince Talley to teach a seminar. “Proust wrote about 20th-century fashion more beautifully than anyone,” Rogers notes, offering as example the lengthy description of Odette’s sleeve in Swann’s Way. And if the lengthy line for the recent fashion show was any indication, interest in fashion thrives at Yale. Hamilton turned away 200 of the more than 500 people who RSVP’d. Stylistically, the students in attendance showed a wide range—from dreads and cargo pants to polished pearls and perfect makeup to a more fashion-forward Japanese-style wrapped sweater and pleated denim skirt, with lots of jeans and flip flops mixed in. Ming Thompson, an architecture major who showed her collection, sums up the stylish Yalies’ perspective. “We’re all very concerned with aesthetics and the way we look, but we don’t like to reveal that we’re obsessed with clothes,” she explains. “You want to look fashionable, but not like you’ve put yourself together. Something has to be

PHOTOS BY STEVE EICHNER STEVE BY PHOTOS a little bit off.” —Meenal Mistry

Student designer Andrew Hamilton in one of his looks. Above: Yale’s fashion crowd hangs YALE out before a campus fashion show.

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BThough it has Eevolved quiteR a few notches onK the style scaleELEY since its years as the bohemian hotbed of higher education, the University of California, Berkeley, is still one groovy place. The number of students who dress like indie rockers or off-duty supermodels might equal those who cultivate effortless vintage chic, but without question, the style m.o. is still determined by the individualistic, free-thinking attitude that spawned the original hippie chicks. A walk through the sprawling campus 16 miles east of San Francisco provides glimpses of skater girl, grunge, granola looks, but the pulled-together preppy doesn’t seem out of place, either. It’s no surprise then, that checking each other out is the favored pastime for students who congregate on Sproul Plaza, once the site of storied antiwar rallies and now a backdrop for everything from environmental- and political-action activities to sorority fund-raisers. Second-year mass communications major Katherine Malinowska, an aspiring publicist who’s weighing summer internship offers from ABC and a San Francisco-based public relations firm, says, “Every Wednesday a friend and I have lunch, then come to Sproul to people-watch. We basically rip apart their outfits.” And she acknowledges that “even though we’re all aware of that hippie connotation, people here put a lot of time into their appearance. At any social event, whether it’s a Greek function or an off-campus party, people put themselves on display in terms of what they wear.” In some cases, so does the faculty. But then, often form follows ideology. One female professor showed up for class in a chador the day the U.S. invaded Iraq. Overlooking the whole scene from a sixth-floor office is the school’s newspaper, the Daily Cal. Although you won’t find a fashion column in the well-read weekly Arts section, style-related editorials do appear on occasion, often focusing on the school’s undone inclinations. “One student wrote a narrative about seeing her prom queen, the most fashionable girl in her high school, walking around Berkeley all grunged out, with no makeup,” says arts editor Eric Schewe. “Your outlook changes once you get here.” That’s not to say label-consciousness is entirely d.o.a. In fact, many fashion-savvy students who harbored pre- conceived notions about Berkeley’s “anti-fashion” leanings were pleasantly surprised upon their arrival. When first- year Pi Phi sister Amanda Cohn, who hails from Los Angeles’ fashionable West Side, was packing her suitcase last August, her mother suggested she leave the designer duds at home. “She thought it would look stupid to be so into Marc Jacobs and all these brands people wouldn’t recognize. Then I rushed, and every single Greek girl was walking around in Seven jeans and a Louis Vuitton bag.” Of course, it’s not just the Tri Delt and Chi O types (who comprise just 10 percent of the student body) who go for high fashion. You’re likely to find residents at the co-ops (student housing that’s tailored to a group’s particular interests—yes, there is a vegan house) who mix Gucci with thrift store finds or who cut up their Abercrombie khakis just so. Given all this, it’s not surprising that although Berkeley lacks a fashion or design program for undergraduates, enterprising students find plenty of ways to get their style groove on, academically speaking. The interdisciplinary studies department, aka “create your own major,” headed by vintage-loving professor Renate Holub, is emerging as a popular way to take any and all style- and design-related classes available. These range from the always-wait- listed costume design class in the performance arts department to a media persuasion class in the anthropology department to a product-design class in the architecture school. In addition, the Haas Graduate School of Business (founded by Walter Haas, class of 1910, once the president of Levi Strauss & Co.) offers several classes in marketing, retailing and wholesaling, all of which are available to undergrads. One recent marketing class featured guest lectures by Banana Republic and Gap execs. It’s no surprise, then, that one 2002 IDS grad titled her thesis “Fashion and Society: The Meaning of Trend.” Her adviser on the project was the theater department’s costume-design professor Clare Henkel, who also works as a stylist and theater costume designer in San Francisco. And true to Berkeley’s brainy roots, there’s just as much theory as practice in her costume design class. “We talk a lot about the reasons people wear what they do and the psychological aspects behind it. Whether they admit it or not, everyone is interested in fashion.” Of course, access to San Francisco and Berkeley’s renowned art community also allows students to gain real world experience. Senior Caroline Wolff works part-time as a fashion associate at San Francisco’s 7x7, an upscale lifestyle magazine, producing fashion shoots and writing trend stories. (She’d already checked off an internship at Tie-dye and chains cohabitate. Elle and a year of study in Paris.) “People here put more mental effort into style than they do in L.A.,” Wolff says. Above: A Berkeley girl’s breezy style. LOKEN KRISTEN BY PHOTOS “They’re willing to take risks.” —Marcy Medina

✱ Undergraduate Enrollment: 23,835 Tuition: In-state: free; out-of-state: $12,510. You Are Fashion Forward If: Your iBook matches your Converse All-Stars. Fashionable alumna: Edith Head.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS OF COURSE, THERE ARE MORE THAN JUST TEN FASHIONABLE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE U.S. MORE, IN FACT, THAN EVEN AN ADDITIONAL TWO PAGES OF HONORABLE MENTIONS CAN HANDLE. NONETHELESS, THE ✱FOLLOWING FIVE SCHOOLS WERE DEBATED, DEFENDED, REVIEWED AND REVISITED ALONG WITH OUR TOP TEN UP TO THE BITTER END. WHAT ABOUT TINY BENNINGTON ’S FASHIONABLY ANTI-FASHION STANCE? THE STRONG FASHION- RELATED ACADEMICS AT CORNELL AND INDIANA? OR THE SMART CHIC AT SMITH AND DUKE? HONORABLE, INDEED.

Casual alternative at Bennington. Students at Bennington are so anti-fashion they virtually reek alternative style. The arts are a major focus at the minuscule, 600-student school where it is difficult to escape anyone’s notice. One student described it as a “blissful, creative womb.” As a result, there is a diverse array of looks on campus, so much so, that many of the students feel their biggest style influences are each other. The dominant look is vintage as well as recycled and reworked clothes made by students. And just about everyone has dyed their hair some wild color at one point or another. One male student wore black pants, platform shoes, a white shirt and skinny tie with a velvet jacket he found in London’s Camden market. Many women wear skirts or dresses over their pants or funky combinations of their best Salvation Army vintage finds. Students here have an elevated understanding of style, having interned at magazines such as Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Artforum, Paper and Time Out or with designers like Anna Sui. Their awareness of fashion isn’t limited to a simple love for clothing, creativity or art. Several students are more politically aware of the fashion industry—they keep tabs on com- ✱BENNINGTON COLLEGE Bennington, Vt. panies through organizations such as PETA or take note of those that are involved Undergraduate Enrollment: 600 in sweatshop scandals. Still, the pint-sized student body embraces fashion and the Tuition: $25,900 freedom to experiment with personal style. Bennington provides them a nurturing environment to explore their identities, however wild they may be. Being isolated in the remote hills of Vermont forces these students to get creative with their own entertainment. Raucous dress-up theme parties are popular of late, including a Warhol Factory party, Mods vs. rockers, fetish night, a

EMILY KEEGIN EMILY rollerama party and a transvestite night—in fact, John Cameron Mitchell was on campus at the time of the last transvestite party and students begged him to come, but to no avail. In addition to shopping at vintage stores for these parties, many students make their own outfits. Never failing to find occassion to play dress-up, Bennington students sometimes have their own fashion awards in con- BENNINGTON junction with shows like the Oscars or the VH1/Vogue awards. As one student put it, “We have Halloween every day here.”

While many of the students at Cornell thought theirs is not a fashionable campus, we found the opposite to be true. Not only does Cornell have it's own textile and apparel department, but there’s a student-run design league that puts on a huge fashion show every spring. What's great about this show is that the architecture students get involved, whether by designing the sets or by designing their own pieces to be modeled on the runway. Inspired by avant-garde Asian designers and international magazines, the architecture group generally has the most interesting style on campus. The more adventuresome of the lot opt for ✱CORNELL UNIVERSITY deconstructed pieces or wrapped and slashed looks. But Ithaca, N.Y. the interest in fashion isn't limited to their wardrobe. In Undergraduate Enrollment: 13,700 fact, one architecture student interned at Visionaire

Tuition: $28,754 (private colleges); while another interned at Marc Jacobs. And how about RNELL $25,924 (state-assisted colleges; the two English majors and one economic major who out-of-state residents); $14,624 started their own fashion magazine, called Awkward.

(state colleges; in-state residents) O On the other side of the fashion fence are the sorority girls who, as a couple of students put it, are all identifi-

able by their Burberry scarves, headbands or jackets. C Aside from student enthusiasm for fashion, the career services department at Cornell is also bullish on the fashion biz. They go so far as to put on a fashion show on how to dress for interviews, how to shop for bargains and the dos and don’ts depending on the job one is pursuing. The show has a “Price Is Right” theme and the students guess how much each outfit costs. Graduates are placed in jobs at Donna Karan, Federated, Lord & Taylor, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus as well as at magazines such as Glamour, A fashion show presented by the Cornell Design League.

Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. SAFSTROM ERIC

24 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003

T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E HONORABLE MENTIONS

Duke University has long been an institution reknowned for culling a student body that can be described as the best of the North and the South. Such geographical contrasts result in a monied campus, comprised of coeds hailing from the heart of Texas cattle country to the hoary coasts of Maine. And the student fashions reflect the regional diversity. Not only are traditional Southern ensembles prevalent—like boys in bow ties, polo shirts and khaki shorts along with their Lilly Pulitzer–wearing counterparts—but there’s also the Northeastern contingent in black skinny pants and slinky shirts touting designer accessories like Louis Vuitton and Prada around campus. A stretch from one of the main student buildings is known as “the Runway” or “the ✱DUKE UNIVERSITY DUKE Catwalk,” where you can find every fashion style imaginable. And Duke is not a campus Durham, N.C. full of fashion followers. While there are the requisite Seven jeans, Louis Vuitton Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,100 Playing Tuition: $27,050 off black Pochettes and Tiffany toggle necklaces, there are also pockets of students, who prefer to and white at Duke. stand out. It was hard to miss Mug Kao at the Kappa Kappa Gamma mixer. Amidst an array of sorority sisters clad in Lilly Pulitzer frocks, she stole the show in a white “wife-beater” with her name stamped on it military style and a low-slung, cut-off cargo mini topped off with Dior sunglasses. Junior Jordan Pollock is more likely to don a frothy, vintage skirt with motorcycle boots for fraternity parties, rather than the requisite BCBG dress. While Pollock considers herself fashion conscious, she says “it’s partly due to a somewhat hostile uniform fashion environment at Duke, and I am swimming upstream.” Still, fashion knowledge abounds—even to those who eschew trends or view the subject of fashion as a trivial pursuit. “The style on campus is predominantly casual, but cultivated casual,” says senior Brady Beecham. It is only fitting then that Duke’s daily paper, The Chronicle, features a significant amount of fashion coverage. The campus TV station runs a Fashion Forecast segment once a week, sort of a combination of “What Not to Wear” and “House of Style.” Next year, Duke will publish a glossy fashion magazine. Not to be forgotten are those who call Duke their alma mater. Among them are such luminaries as Marina Rust, Brooke de Ocampo and David and Dylan Lauren. Enough said.

Despite Indiana University’s location in fly-over country, far away from Seventh Avenue, it has quite a few Blass red remarkable elements related to fashion, making it a style oasis. Its apparel merchandising program is highly rules at respected in the industry and the students are incredibly savvy, having had quite a bit of workplace experience Indiana. through internships at a variety of companies including Betsey Johnson, Cotton Inc, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s West, Target, Nordstrom, Federated, Kohl’s and May Company. Many seniors already have jobs waiting for them

at these companies. Clearly, Indiana students are well on their way to careers in the fashion field. A In 2000, the university’s Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection staged a ✱INDIANA UNIVERSITY Bill Blass retrospective that had record-breaking attendance. In preparation for the Bloomington, Ind. show, Blass himself, a fellow Hoosier, met with the design students at Indiana and Undergraduate Enrollment: 30,800 visited the gallery space. Blass also gifted a $1 million endowment to the university, Tuition: $5,314 (in state); $15,926 which the administration is applying to the apparel merchandising program. (out of state) What with million-dollar endowments from fashion luminaries and strong retail and business programs, it’s no wonder Indiana students are fashion conscious—in the New York sense. Unlike students at their heartland neighbors like University of Michigan or Notre Dame, Indiana students are keenly aware of labels and their attendant status. For instance, designer bags abound on campus, along with other hip essentials: Juicy Couture sweats in velour and cashmere and jeans from Seven, Paper, Denim & Cloth and Diesel. Fashionistas are also attuned to the trend in the industry of mixing high and low, e.g., Chanel and H&M. Some feel that a sense of fashion one-upmanship exists. One girl says, “When you walk into a bar, the guys might not turn their heads, but every girl in the room will give you a once-over.” And students are willing to take up the challenge. Senior Emily Elzer says: “I do love how fashion is all about wearing it confidence.” INDIAN

When we asked students at Smith College, “Is personal style important?” sophomore K.C. Forcier replied, “Very important! As Mark Twain said, ‘The clothes make the man. Naked people have little influence on society.’” Forcier’s response typifies Smithies’ witty and thoughtful take on style and dress. Questions of gender and identity—and the substantial role clothing plays therein—are the central dialog at this liberal arts school. Accord- ingly, students use body and voice vigorously to express their opinions. Witness the senior penning a thesis on clothing-as-body-modification who TH ✱SMITH COLLEGE turned up to a focus group in a T-shirt and tutu. Northampton, Mass.

I Nothing is accidental here, making people watching at Smith particu- Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,700 larly lively. Even the just-rolled-out-of-bed look showed deliberation: Tuition: $27,330 asymmetrical, beribboned ponytails, colorful socks under Birkenstocks or a stack of thrift-store bracelets capping wrinkled pj bottoms. Girly-girls wear Prada knapsacks and mink-lined jean jackets. Boy-meets-girl types shave designs into their hair and dangle wallet chains from jeans decorated in duct tape. The curriculum allows students to pontificate on style—or grapple with design hands-on—through a landscape archi- SM tecture, architecture or engineering major. Outside of class, students click knitting needles with dean Margaret Bruzelius—who once ran her own Seventh Avenue business. Others rev sewing machines at meetings of the fashion club PLAID. A do-it-yourself culture thrives, making the new jumbo-size Salvation Army the most anticipated store opening in months. In the meantime, there’s always the “free box”—a bin of discarded, doesn’t fit, I’m-over-it clothing that students add to or take from at whim. Smith students are “very savvy about the forces acting on them,” observes sociology professor Rick Fantasia, who is penning a book on the culture and history of denim. “They think of ‘style’ as something that’s theirs and they’re wary of the fashion industry trying to co-opt it and market it back to them.” —Kate Bowers, Brooke Magnaghi, Meenal Mistry and Anamaria Wilson FARRAR; SMITH: RAHELI MILLMAN RAHELI SMITH: FARRAR; DUKE: JORDAN POLLOCK; INDIANA: CHRISTOPHER INDIANA: POLLOCK; JORDAN DUKE:

The artfully thrown-together look, Smith style.

26 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003

T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E

From left: The corridors of Cal Arts; two looks from an FIDM fashion show; the new Orange County FIDM campus. a league of the They don’t have sororities, football teams or biology departments, but America’s design schools may still be

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS eveningwear designer Monique Lhuillier and costume designer Mona May VALENCIA, CALIF. (Clueless, Never Been Kissed). FIDM runs four California campuses: Los Angeles, Tuition: $23,920 San Francisco, San Diego and the newest in Orange County, opened in 2002. Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,230 Not surprisingly, students express themselves through style. Even deep in Students at 42-year-old Cal Arts—which boasts such renowned alumni as Ross final exams this March, most sport a neo-prep look with jeans from Seven, Bleckner, Tim Burton and Bob Mackie—approach fashion cerebrally. Students love Frankie B. or Blue Cult paired with a T-shirt and blazer or button-down top. and loathe fashion at the same time and see no contradiction in declarations like And of course, creativity is key in work and play for these students. One sen- this one from acting student Justinn Rogers: “I buy a lot of fashion magazines to ior sports a gold-and-black hand-knit sweater made by her fiancé’s mother, who get a lot of my ideas, but I don’t really care what’s going on right now.” lives in Milan; another student, a sophomore, wears a pair of D&G jeans so low it The style that emerges is decidedly eclectic. No head-to-toe designer ensem- was a wonder they stayed on his body. bles here. “They will take something from a thrift store, cut it all apart and ab- But sometimes being fashionable doesn’t mean wearing designer labels. solutely turn it on its head,” observes Martha Ferrara, director of Costume Design. “Since we have no money, most of us shop in thrift stores or discounters like One campus group that tried to sabotage the school’s annual fashion show Loehmann’s,” explains one sophomore. “It sort of forces us to be creative.” last year prefers even more vehement statements. “They called themselves the anti-fashion something-or-other,” recalls Patricia Supancic, another acting stu- FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY dent. “They made their own clothes and walked on the runway—and then forced NEW YORK, N.Y. themselves to vomit. But I didn’t think it was a very interesting statement, be- Tuition: $1,700 (in-state residents); $4,000 (out-of-state) cause they were trying to be fashionable in their own way.” Undergraduate Enrollment: 6,500 Style here focuses on vintage or do-it-yourself. Spend a day in the Cal Arts FIT is perhaps most recognized for the technical side of designing clothes, as the halls and you’ll likely see a girl wearing buttoned-up riding boots, a floral skirt name suggests, but there’s more to the school than sewing, draping and pattern- and two belts sitting low on the hips—all vintage. Dance students can be spotted making. Along with its namesake fashion majors, the school offers programs in wearing full-on urban activewear, while acting students lean toward Seven jeans advertising design, interior design, packaging design, and it is one of the few U.S. and oversized leather handbags. colleges to offer a major in toy design. The largest department within FIT’s School Kaitrin Sones, a sculpture student who models professionally, has such a of Business and Technology is fashion merchandising management, with an en- fierce fashion sense that more than one student proclaims her the campus rollment of 2,050 people. According to students, it is popular with trend-conscious fashion queen. She typically wears tight jeans, hip jackets with ruched sleeves women looking to enter the industry outside of design. and a black top hat. Joe Lewis, dean of the School of Art and Design, explains that the department’s philosophy: teach the entire process of creating a garment, from the FASHION INSTITUTE OF DESIGN AND MERCHANDISING thread all the way to manufacturing and marketing the final product. This thor- LOS ANGELES, CALIF. oughness breeds an understanding of production unchallenged by many fash- Tuition: $15,500 ion programs in the U.S. Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,500 Further, with its own student-run retail shop selling student-designed mer- With a main campus located just walking distance from the California Mart, chandise, a world-class museum and expansive archive, FIT places impressive FIDM offers courses in almost anything related to fashion, including fashion de- resources at its students’ fingertips even before they enter the industry. sign, interior design and merchandise marketing. Whatever the focus, however, Lewis says FIT’s biggest strength remains its close ties with Seventh Avenue. the philosophy at the school has been the same since it was founded in 1969: “All the departments have advisory boards with connections in the industry,” Learning the business behind design is just as important as the creative aspect. Lewis says. “The second biggest strength is the faculty. Most have at least 10 “It’s amazing how many designers out there are such great talents but know years of industry experience.” very little about the business,” says Tonian Hohberg, founding president of the In their jeans, sweats and sweatshirts, FIT students would look right at home school. “That’s why I saw this college as such an asset to the industry.” on just about any liberal arts campus. However, it’s not uncommon to see fash- Looking to start a college dedicated to the business of fashion, Hohberg ion-driven types in stilettos paired with Seven jeans and Louis Vuitton hand- founded FIDM when she was only 26 years old. She thought of opening it on bags. Handmade items and a lot of knockoffs are also popular, according to stu- Manhattan’s Seventh Avenue, but instead chose Los Angeles because of the dents, who say FIT is a place to spread their wings. “In high school you think burgeoning creative scene she found in the area. you’re going to be the next best thing; you think you’re the only person who’s What began as a small school now boasts 900 faculty and staff members and truly interested in fashion,” says one student. “Then I got to FIT and found 500 upward of 25,000 graduates including David Cardona, Randolph Duke, bridal and other people just like me. It’s inspiring, and we learn from each other.”

28 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E

FFromrom lleft:eft: FFIT;IT; an FIT student fashion show; Diane Von Furstenberg andCynthia Rowley critique student work at Otis. heir own be the best place for the committed fashion-phile.

ers like Diane Von Furstenberg, Bob Mackie, Rick Owens and Cynthia Rowley. LABORATORY INSTITUTE OF MERCHANDISING What’s more, the school year is structured around the industry’s production NEW YORK, N.Y. schedule, enabling students to work on three seasons their senior year. Tuition: $30,000 The campus look places comfort over style: basic jeans, T-shirts and flip- Undergraduate Enrollment: 400 flops. Aspiring fashion majors cite brands like Seven, Blue Cult and D-Squared Students at LIM know they want to be in the fashion industry, but that doesn’t as favorites. “My money goes to jeans, and if they fit well I don’t care about the mean they want to be fashion plates. Though they describe the school look as price,” says one fashion-conscious student. “Unfortunately, it’s usually the most polished, sophisticated and hip, LIM, they add pointedly, is a business-oriented expensive jeans that fit the best.” institution. “Even though the area we’re studying is fashion, the degree is in business, and the skills we’re learning are all transferrable,” notes Karen Green, PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN a junior who plans to go into event planning and public relations. NEW YORK, N.Y. LIM requires three internships before graduating, including one over an en- Tuition: $24,000 tire semester during senior year that often leads to full-time positions. LIM in- Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,958 terns can be found at companies such as Nautica, VH1, Express, Donna Karan Though Parsons encompasses a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate and Henri Bendel. In the fall, students take weekly field trips to a variety of busi- fields, it is perhaps best known for its fashion design program. nesses in the industry; in spring they take a survey course comprised of weekly “Parsons students are among the most intense people; they are incredibly career talks by industry leaders. Many students cite these courses as particularly focused,” says Randy Swearer, the school’s dean. “They are focused on being valuable when it comes to choosing career paths. the best students they can be.” In general, Swearer notes, art school students The tight-knit atmosphere that pervades the school’s small midtown “were doing something different in high school than their friends. They are Manhattan town house, presided over by Elizabeth Marcuse, a third-generation defining themselves at a younger age than most, which is unusual.” member of the family that founded the school in 1939, fosters intellectual Located just below 14th Street in Greenwich Village, Parsons is within easy earnestness. Students are eager to discuss sophisticated topics like ethics and walking distance of style-setting shops like Diesel, Mavi, Paul Smith, Otto Tootsi feminism with a fashion angle, and as a group, they’re more likely to be found Plohound and Club Monaco—not to mention a slew of vintage shops. Those stu- debating ceo compensation or analyzing retail case studies than jonesing over dents lucky enough to find paid internships may wander farther uptown to Fifth the latest status bag. and Madison Avenues, especially for designer handbags. But Parsons students “A lot of students come thinking ‘I like to shop, I like to dress, I’m going to realize it’s their craft that comes first, so consuming often takes a second seat LIM,’” says one student. “And it’s not like that. They would do well on [WWD’s to schoolwork. “I don’t aspire to wear designer labels,” says Roanne Adams, a fashion-awareness] quiz, but they might not do well at this school.” senior studying graphic design. “I wouldn’t feel better about myself if I had a Gucci sweater on right now.” OTIS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN Discovering (or broadening) one’s personal style in the fashion crucible of LOS ANGELES, CALIF. Manhattan often results in an eclectic, edgy look. But Parsons students don’t sim- Tuition: $24,000 ply imitate. Rather, they play an active role in defining the downtown New York aes- Undergraduate Enrollment: 900 thetic. If it’s true that all trends start from the street, then Parsons students may In order to ensure that students get the most out of their stay at Otis College, fresh- well be the fashion industry’s best unpaid consultants. “Parsons students usually men are called “foundation” students and are required to take a variety of classes in just look better than other college kids,” says one student. “They look like models.” the the arts before they choose a major, from digital media to fashion design. While Otis College’s Fashion Design program is small—with only 75 of the RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN school’s nearly 1,000 students currently enrolled—it is also exclusive. “How PROVIDENCE, R.I. many designers can this world take?” asks Rosemary Brantley, the program’s Tuition: $24,300 founding chair. “We can accept only the best there is out there. They have to Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,882 submit portfolios to be accepted, and they have to be good.” Rhode Island School of Design is a campus of thinking artists, who are often as The lucky few find themselves located in the heart of Los Angeles’ fashion fascinated by the process of design as the actual product. Of course, they’re no district, near the California Mart. Sophomore-year courses include pattern mak- slouches when it comes to results, either. RISD has educated such diverse tal- ing, draping, design process, model drawing and illustration, as well as textile ents as designers Nicole Miller and Liz Collins, filmmaker Gus Van Sant, graffiti science and computer-aided design. By their senior year, students learn tailor- artist Shepherd Fairey, and New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast. ing and fit and often design full collections that are critiqued by visiting design- Continued on page 30

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 29 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E

From left: mark Badgley and James Mischka review student fashions at Parsons; RISD students; a look from a RISD fashion show. a league of their own Continued from page 29 ✱ PROFILE: IN THE PINK AT CAL ARTS Stylewise, anything goes. The only true disaster is looking unoriginal. “I never want to look mall-processed,” declares one student. Certain disciplines, though, have their hallmarks: Textile designers wear chunky knit sweaters and Tyler Rowland wears all pink. long hair; industrial designers sport cargo pants, wallet chains and Manhattan Not just occasionally. Non-stop. Portage bags; architects favor black Prada with wire-rimmed glasses. More specifically, the Cal Arts But it’s the tight-knit core of apparel students who hold the fashion crown. second-year graduate art stu- They dress in items whipped up that morning, vintage this or that, items traded dent has worn the rosy hue among friends or a dash of something H&M, courtesy of the local Providence since May 16, 2002. For almost Place mall. For the garment-construction course, they can find inspiration in a year, pink has been his uni- RISD’s spectacular 17,000-piece apparel repository spanning embroidered cloaks form, a long-running perform- worn at Napoleon’s wedding to items fresh from the archives at Calvin Klein. ance-art display of pinkness Majors range from jewelry and industrial design to architecture and illustra- Rowland calls the Artist’s tion, but students are required to spend six weeks learning a craft outside their Uniform. field of concentration. Apparel designers might learn to blow glass and then “I went to Catholic school produce coats with spiraling, frosted buttons, for example. Of course, inspira- and wore a uniform from tion can come from anywhere. One student designed a lurid black-and-green kindergarten through eighth clubwear collection inspired, she says, by the Virgin Queen’s corpse. grade,” says the bespectacled It is just that offbeat approach to the world that attracts big-name compa- 24-year-old. “And then I had a nies in search of vision. On portfolio-review days, companies from Target to dress code in an all-boys high Nike to Pottery Barn turn up. And when RISD asked, Martha Stewart spoke at a school. I’m playing off the idea private, student-only event in February. of a uniform. But I’m the only one who’s wearing it. It contra- THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO dicts the idea of the uniform in CHICAGO, IL. a group. I feel that art has Tuition: $24,000 social value and can really make Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,800 a cultural critique,” he contin- Tyler Rowland shows off his all-pink wardrobe. Students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are a motivated lot. They ues. “So while I’m being fash- are not required to fulfill a major, and with top-rated departments including fashionable, I am making a point about a commodity fetish and being materialistic.” ion, interior architecture and art history as well as film, video and new media, the If reaction is the goal, then Rowland gets it in spades. “I’m calling attention to options before them are bewildering. While this might be a daunting prospect for myself because I’m wearing pink in the world where normally, you see people in students who lack focus, it doesn’t seem to be an issue at SAIC. Instead, students all brown, blue, white or even green. Rarely in yellow, chartreuse or magenta. It’s take the opportunity to round out their degrees and maximize their education. definitely a bright color. I had this one guy in West Hollywood sing out of his car Accordingly, they have broad views about fashion, aesthetics and style. window, ‘Pink pants, pink pants, Oh I love you, Pink Pants.’ I had another guy ask “Expression is essential, but nothing says ‘interesting’ like a white T and me if a woman made me do it.” jeans,” says Kate Frick, a senior studying interior architecture. “The mundane Why pink? It’s a question Rowland fields every day. “I feel very comfortable in enforces curiosity and suggests something deeper.” pink,” he says. “I used to wear it a lot, and it was the color that I equated with SAIC undergraduates, who describe their style as artsy, eclectic and undone, comfort.” stand out among the staid businesspeople of Chicago’s Loop, where the school Comfort, maybe. But it looks like a considerable amount of work. Rowland is located. With Michigan Avenue and Oak Street within walking distance and painstakingly removes color and re-dyes every piece of clothing he owns. On a boutiques scattered through surrounding neighborhoods, students have superi- recent afternoon, he opened the closet door of an on-campus art studio to reveal or fashion at their fingertips. an impressive array of rose-colored tones. There’s a pair of faded pink camouflage But what is more important for them is pushing the limits of their own cre- shorts that would make Fred Segal buyers swoon and a white Prada man’s suit ativity, according to Fashion Design chair Andrea Reynders. Indeed, with a num- covered 475 times with Rowland’s own pink lipstick kiss marks (Neutrogena, he ber of influential alumni in nearly every field it covers—Cynthia Rowley, Georgia offered). His obsession even trickles down to pink-dyed Gap underwear and socks, O’Keeffe, John Chamberlain, Hugh Hefner, Halston and LeRoy Neiman to name all identified with his own label: Artist’s Uniform. a few—SAIC encourages students toward a sense of daring in both their skills As of May, Rowland says he might just stop wearing pink. It’s not that he is and sense of design, and this inevitably comes through in the way they express weary of the attention or the upkeep. It’s just that his next project looms large. themselves through fashion. “I’m giving members of the faculty money to buy my clothes so they get to make “I don’t know if personal style is really important, or if it is just a fact of life,” the decision on what I wear,” he explains. “It’s the opposite of wearing all pink. I says Lindsay Nagengast, a senior in the designed objects department. “I could thought of having my mother choose all my clothes, but I’ve already done that. say it’s important to express [yourself] through style, but I don’t really think it is. I’m interested in giving up control. My girlfriend has a problem with it, because It’s important to express yourself through actions.” she wants to decide, too.” — Kristin Young —Joshua Greene, Julee Greenberg, Kate Bowers and Kristin Young ROWLAND: SCOTT GROLLER SCOTT ROWLAND:

30 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003

T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E the campus When it comes to collegiate chic, coeds from across the country know how to work a range of looks as broa

GREEK CHIC

SMU

THE PRE- PROFESSIONAL Indiana AMERICAN IDOL Miami

THE CAMPUS STANDARD Yale

TEAM PLAYER

UCLA

MUDD CLUB MISS UCLA

MISS AMERICAN PIE Oregon

THE PREPPY FLIRT Harvard

32 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E cast broad as a liberal arts course catalog.

PPREPREP CCOOLOOL SSpelmanpelman

YASGUR’S FARM GIRL Northwestern SOUL SEARCHER

Duke

THE SLEEK ARTISTE Berkeley RUMMAGE SALE ROSIE UCLA LOKEN; INDIANA: CHRISTOPHER FARRAR CHRISTOPHER INDIANA: LOKEN; PHER FARRAR; GEORGIA, SPELMAN: GEORGIA, FARRAR; PHER

THE GOTHAM

GIRL NYU THE BODY ECLECTIC NOUVEAU ROMANTIC Carnegie Mellon Georgia SMU: GEORGE HENSON; UCLA: JANELL BERKSTRESSER; YALE: STEVE EICHNER; OREGON: JACK LIU; HARVARD: MIKE ADASKAVEG; INDIANA: CHRISTO INDIANA: ADASKAVEG; MIKE HARVARD: LIU; JACK OREGON: EICHNER; STEVE YALE: BERKSTRESSER; JANELL UCLA: HENSON; GEORGE SMU: DAEMON BAIZAN; NYU: JENNIFER LIVINGSTON; CARNEGIE: LUIS KOTA; DUKE: JORDAN POLLOCK; NORTHWESTERN: RAVI GUPTA; BERKELEY: KRISTEN BERKELEY: GUPTA; RAVI NORTHWESTERN: POLLOCK; JORDAN DUKE: KOTA; LUIS CARNEGIE: LIVINGSTON; JENNIFER NYU: BAIZAN; DAEMON WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 33 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E college blu Trends come and go, but one great designer,Levi Strauss, continues to influence the collegiate fashion ps yc

Berkeley

They Are ® Stanford Wearing SMU Spelman

Penn

Colorado Wisconsin Trinity Miami PHOTOS: STANFORD AND BERKELEY: KRISTEN LOKEN; SMU GEORGE HENSON; SPELMAN:DAEMON BAIZAN; HOWARD: KYLE SAMPERTON; SAMPERTON; KYLE HOWARD: BAIZAN; SPELMAN:DAEMON HENSON; GEORGE SMU LOKEN; KRISTEN BERKELEY: AND STANFORD PHOTOS: LASER UCLA: ELIZABETH COOPER: CASS; CASEY BERKSTRESSER; JANELL COLORADO: GROLLER; SCOTT ARTS: CAL ADASKAVEG; MIKE BC:

34 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E lues s yche from way up there in blues heaven.

Cal Arts

BC ✱ GO FISH

During her first month in the wooded idyll of Wesleyan University, then-freshman Nefatari Cooper found herself fielding an annoying question from fellow students again and again: “Why are you so dressed up?” Howard Cooper, a New York fashion girl who favored tight jeans and stiletto heels, didn’t fit neatly into the Wesleyan scenery, where a dedication to activism often takes on an anti-fashion aura. “I didn’t realize the stigma that came along

with wearing name-brand clothes at this Notre Dame’s Hope Feher; Wesleyan’s Nefatari Cooper. school,” she says. “God forbid you’re marching for workers’ rights and you’re wearing, like, Donna Karan or something.” University of Notre Dame senior Hope Feher started working her punk look in the eighth grade. She recalls walking out of her freshman dorm room into the sweatshirt-and-chino-clad fighting Irish throng and thinking, “What did I get myself into?” Both Cooper and Feher faced the same dilemma: As fashion fish out of water, they loved their schools, but not the look. And they found two divergent coping strategies. Feher felt it important to hold onto her punk roots, so the purple hair stayed. Three years later, her friends don’t even blink at her style. “They love it, and I’ve become part of the scenery,” she says. But while punk has found a place beneath the Golden Dome in South Bend, trend-conscious fashion hasn’t been as readily accepted in Middletown, Conn. Accordingly, Cooper, now a senior, deliberately evolved her aesthetic to incorporate sweats and Timberlands—not the easiest transition for a girl from a high school where every day “was like a fashion show...a lot of Louis Vuitton and Kate Spade,” and who happens to be the daughter of veteran fashion journalist Constance White. “I like fashion and getting dressed up,” Cooper says. “It’s a way of expressing yourself. I miss that part of going to school.” Feher’s initial concerns were different. “In all honestly, I wasn’t worried about whether I could handle it,” she says, “but whether Notre Dame could handle me.” — Edmund J. Lee

Indiana UCLA FIT

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 35 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E alpha beta gla Are sororities cliques of look-alike dressers? Sure, but they also set the fashion for campuses across the co

orget sisterhood: Think fashion pack. Whether you Ole Miss girls lament sororities as bastions of antediluvian feminine roles wear jeans with or cheer them as nodes of postmodern female networking, grace. you can’t dismiss the powerful influence they have on campus fashion. After all, it’s not the T-shirts and shorts emblazoned with their Greek letters they wear to class that makes sorority girls stand out; it’s the uniforms consisting of must-have bags, designer jeans and de rigueur accessories. Any frat boy worth his salt should be able to differentiate a Kappa from a Theta clear across the quad— though a casual observer might have trouble making that distinction. What would be clear are campus-wide variations. Sorority sisters at Duke University like the Kappa Kappa FGammas and the Tri Deltas cite Seven jeans, the Tiffany toggle necklace and Louis Vuitton Pochette bags as staples, while the self-described fashion-obsessed sisters at the University of Mississippi consider Louis Vuitton, Prada and Burberry par for the course—along with certain physical attributes, nature be damned. (“The typical girl here is blond, and not natural either,” said Rebekah Blakeslee, a Tri Delt. “She’s also tan even in December.”) Alpha Epsilon Phi pledges at Tulane University appear in almost identical ensembles—Gucci sunglasses, “supportive” tanks, Juicy Couture velour sweatpants and Rocketdog platform flip-flops—while Kappa Deltas at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill favor Hervé Chapelier, Longchamp or Coach signature bags, pastel Polo shirts and leather Rainbow flip-flops. And the look at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University, heavy on logos like Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Hermès and Coach, is a dead giveaway outside the “Vandy bubble.” Certainly, peer pressure and the need to conform play an important role in a sorority’s look, but most sorority sisters discount such influences, citing instead the same like-mindedness that leads freshmen to pledge one house over another. “I think all the girls in our house joined the sorority for the same reason—we all have very alike personalities,” says Britt Semler, a Kappa Alpha Theta at Southern Methodist University, where Seven jeans, Juicy Couture sweatpants and designer bags are a must. “It’s not like we are all wearing the same clothes because we want [to look the same], but because that’s what we like.” “Girls feel like if they have the right jeans, that puts them in the right social status,” says Kate de Ayora, a Tri Delt at the University of California-Berkeley. “Some of it sort of rubs off,” admits Whitney Beckett, a Kappa Kappa Gamma at Duke. “To a certain extent you see things that everyone else has and you think ‘oh, maybe I’ll do that too.’ There’s no pressure to dress a certain way, but you’re attracted to people who are sort of like you.” And that like-mindedness, for better or worse, tends to raise the sophistication of a sorority’s fashion awareness. “You’re not going to see someone make a serious fashion mistake, because at Vanderbilt everybody is so conformist,” says Emily Fay Abbott, former editor in chief of Vanderbilt’s campus paper, The Hustler. And Kris Luneberg, a Duke senior and the reigning Miss North Carolina, recalls birthday gifts from her sorority sisters, who often pitch in for the latest fashion must-have like the Kate Spade bag they gave her a couple of years ago. Even when members fall back on Greek-lettered athleticwear, the look can take on a certain twist. At Northwestern, sororities have letters on their flip-flops; SMU frat shirt—I’d rather them look bad.” Thetas have a rhinestone pin they put on their bags, and Tri Delts at the University In Southern schools such as Ole Miss and SMU, dressing up for formals, chapter of Florida tote Vera Bradley bags emblazoned with their Greek letters. “You see a meetings and tailgate parties is a must. Attire varies from business casual for lot of girls putting four-inch letters on the back of their Soffe shorts,” says meetings to Lilly Pulitzer dresses at tailgates. “It’s like there’s a prom every week,” Courtney Harms, a Kappa Kappa Gamma at Tulane. “It can be either plaid, a says one sorority member. contrasting color, leopard print—or camo has gotten big lately.” At Ole Miss, girls For semiformals, SMU students don strapless or halter dresses, flirty flared skirts dash to class in their sorority T-shirts and shorts (since they work out between and ruffled blouses. Sabrina heels, pointy mules, boots and high-heeled sandals are classes). “I’ll wear my shirt inside out if I don’t look so good that day,” says one Ole popular among these girls. With a deep curtsy to the tradition of a bygone era, Ole OLE MISS GIRLS: MEGAN COOK; MEGAN GIRLS: MISS OLE Miss sister who prefers to keep her house anonymous. “Or I’ll wear my boyfriend’s Miss tailgating more closely resembles a debutante coming-out ball as opposed to a SOCIETY NU AND GIRLS VANDY SHRUM N. MARISSA BOYS:

36 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E lamour ✱...AND THE FASHION FRAT e country. By Dahlia Devkota and Anamaria Wilson

Nu Society boys Vandy girls at the wrestle on Chi Omega Vanderbilt’s spring lunch. Wilson Lawn. Below: Dapper Nu Society seniors.

The big joke at Vanderbilt University is that all the girls on campus were prom queens in high school and all the guys were “total nerds.” So with such an imbalance of female pulchritude and fashion savvy, it might come as some surprise to learn that the most fashionable group on campus is 100 percent male. Members of the Nu Society, a former chapter of Signa Nu (who lost their official status because of hazing), share a house off campus and exhibit a fashion sense that is unlike the preppy status quo of other fraternities. Instead of opting for frat-boy uniform of khakis and letter shirts, Nu style runs the gamut from vintage shirts mixed with Paper Denim & Cloth jeans to suits worn with Gucci loafers but without ties. “There’s a couple of us from up North and the East Coast who have a broader fashion sense, and that has influenced a lot of the guys in the house,” says Nu Society senior Judd Morgenstern by way of explanation. Lucky them. “They are the ‘It’ Boys on campus,” declares Marissa Shrum, a Chi Omega at Vanderbilt. “They definitely have the highest per capita crushes.” She laughs when she recalls a friend who said that every time she goes to the Nu Society house she realizes where all the hot guys on campus are hiding. “They are the best-dressed guys on campus, hands down,” Shrum says. “They see the value in dressing.” Dapper and stylish, Morgenstern, who cites John Varvatos as a fashion influence, definitely fits the image. He travels to his native Chicago to shop and believes that fashion at Vanderbilt is just plain boring. “I think when a lot of people get here, they actually start conforming so they don’t stand out,” he laments. “For men, fashion is such a confidence issue,” adds Ryan Thies, a Nu senior who plays in a folk-rock band and sports a moppy haircut. “You can pull off anything you feel comfortable in.” —D.D.

beer-swilling party. (They sip Champagne instead.) These “Grove Parties” (so It’s not just tradition that sets the Southern sorority girl apart from her dubbed because they are held on the big lawn on campus) are the highlight of the Northern sisters, but also an attitude and demeanor that is unmistakably fall season, and girls pick their dresses with care months in advance. Southern belle. There must be a secret charm school that includes classes in “I’ll wear a cute Diane Von Furstenberg with mules or Nicole Miller to the smiling brightly, flawless makeup application (a Southern girl is taught by games,” says Tri Delt Blakeslee. mothers to never leave the house without at least mascara and lipgloss) and “Everybody dresses for the games—everybody,” the Tri Delt girls chime in never comporting one’s self in a less-than gracious manner. So while a girl at Ole chorus. “Even the guys wear ties and blazers.” Miss may don a uniform of Seven jeans and frilly top similar to that worn by Comfort, they add, comes in at a distant second. “We usually end up barefoot,” young women everywhere—on campus and off, she carries it with the same aura admits Ole Miss Tri Delt Kaycee Roper. “Carrying our heels because our feet hurt.” of grace she show in a prom dress.

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 37 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E just write Student journalists find plenty of fodder in fashion, and the results are fab. By Nandini D’Souza

From left: Indian University’s in-depth campus coverage in the Indiana Daily Student; Yale Daily News’ all-out fashion issue, and Cornell’s independent glossy magazine Awkward.

ight now, somewhere in America, a college student coverage of The Heights. “Everyone is very cookie-cutter at BC, and I felt like is furiously hunting and pecking away at the someone should write a big piece on where to buy vintage,” she says. So she took keyboard. The clock is ticking and he or she is matters into her own hands and ended up with a cover story on local second-hand thinking: How am I going to finish my 20-page shopping. While there’s no regular fashion column in the small weekly school paper, philosophy paper and file my style column on time? she’s confident about the possibility of one next year. Meet the future editor of a major fashion Smith College’s Raheli Millman, editor of the school’s weekly Sophian, brings magazine. stylish-yet-affordable fashion to campus. “I found it challenging to reconcile my College is the best time for budding newshounds fashion interests with my social awareness,” she says. “So we attempt to close the and feature writers to ease into the frenetic world gap between fashion and activism, encouraging DIY projects such as turning a of journalism. The best student publications provide pillow case into a skirt.” As a result, you won’t read reports from Seventh Avenue a wealth of beats, a surprisingly professional atmo- here. Instead, Millman focuses on “the gap between the magazines and our closets, sphere, freedom of voice and, for those who ascend making a fashion statement that Smith students can relate to.” the editorial ranks, the chance to boss in a serious way. Likewise, Sherry Jun also translates the world of high style for her peers. Every Patrice Worthy, an intrepid junior at Indiana week at the Cornell Daily Sun, the sophomore takes the haute road in her “Campus University, took the fashion machine by its Couture” column. “I show students how to get the same high-end designer look at a stilettoed heel and showed up on the Bryant Park Tent doorstep during the recent lower price,” she says. Separate from the newspaper, Katie Leiderman and Don Rfall collections. She covered Kenneth Cole and Luella Bartley, among others, for the Johnson Montenegro, both English majors, and economics senior Jake Brown Indiana Daily Student, complete with celeb quotes and in-depth reviews. “The theme banded together and put out two issues of the glossy magazine Awkward , so named was Eighties punk-rock with a mix of Upper Eastside (sic) preppy,” she noted of because “people in their 20s are awkward,” Leiderman explains. With its sexed-up Bartley’s show, while Cole’s offerings “always seem to stick to the basics, and still fashion shoots—for instance, a couple making out in a dingy bathroom stall—and give people what they want.” Otherwise, Worthy is busy uncovering local fashion student designer profiles, “it’s more Black Book than Vogue,” she says. The fledgling finds for her readers. Meanwhile, sophomore Emily Howald gives the University of editors even go so far as to put a snarky spin on the traditional makeover, taking two Notre Dame’s Observer readers the lowdown on what—and what not—to wear. Her perfectly kitted-out boys and turning them into walking clichés. And if Montenegro advice for spring in South Bend? “Girls, get ready to show some leg. Minis are could interview anyone? Dior Homme’s Hedi Slimane. coming back into style.” Another Ivy with strong fashion editorial is Yale University, where in March, Yale

As a freshman, Boston College sophomore Jessie Rosen noticed a gap in the style Daily News put out an entire fashion issue. Rivaling such in-depth coverage, Duke LODOABA VLAD BY MIDDLEBURY CARPENTER; SUSAN BY UVA PHOTOS:

38 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E

✱STYLE CUM LAUDE

Is Issey Miyake an artist or a fashion designer? He’ll say he’s a designer, but there are university students out there willing to argue—and bet their bachelors—that he’s an artist. Because liberal arts colleges constantly dare their students to think outside the box, many style-minded types incorporate fashion into their theses or course studies. And it’s not just topics such as the sociological ramifications of the supermodel obsession on teen body image, either. The catwalk and its goings-on pop up across all disciplines of established curriculum. Here’s a look at just a few undergrads and maverick professors proving that fashion has at least one foot in the worlds of both art and academia.

University of Virginia: Architecture professor Susan Carpenter asked her third-year studio class to come up with a hypothetical SoHo design co-op, a “resource center for independent fashion and industrial designers,” as noted in the syllabus. After meeting a Parsons professor, students started to think more along the lines of what a fashion Geoffrey Lawson’s model for a fashion-related building; Catherine Irwin’s perspective. school or house would need “in terms of places where the clothes would be made, fitted and shown,” says Carpenter. With final projects in, most feature some sort of integrated catwalk structure. Throughout, one of the biggest class discussions has been the perma- nency of architecture versus the ephemeral nature of fashion.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Senior Molly Burnett spun her journalism thesis into a mini sociological study when she asked: Why do college girls pick up fashion magazines? “I hypothesized three reasons: entertainment, identity and information,” she says. She convened two focus groups, one culled from sororities, another consisting of athletes, and found that while sorority types identify with celebrities and certain styles and enjoy looking at fashion spreads, athletes prefer feature stories and romance tips. But all of the women she studied found fashion magazines entertaining and informative. “And my defense went great,” she adds.

Middlebury College (Vermont): For their Art and EEmimi MMatsumoto,atsumoto, Invention class, seniors Gigi Gatewood, Emi Nancy Sul and Gigi Gatewood Matsumoto and Nancy Sul opted to design clothes model their using any material they could get their hands on. creations. “Emi does apron dresses using fabric, paint and lace; University’s Chronicle runs senior Faran Krentcil’s trend column, dealing with “all Nancy makes rubber and plastic accessories,” says kinds of lifestyle stuff,” she says, “Especially in relation to Duke activities.” She Gatewood, a photography and print-making major. advised formal-dress shoppers, “You can look like a babe in Bebe's silk print halter “And I’ve been cutting up album covers and attaching ($98) or rock it out in Caché’s black tube dress ($68). If you want to go old school, them to skirts and sweatshirts.” But instead of just check out Franklin Street's Time After Time and be a vixen in vintage.” handing in their work, they’re staging a fashion free- As a sophomore, Krentcil had to beg her editors to let her write a feature on for-all May 10. Not unlike the runway productions in how Kate Spade had completely saturated the campus. Once published, the piece New York, Paris, Milan and London every season, caught the eye of the designer herself, who used it in her press material that season. there will be DJs, a graffiti artist and a sculptor to do “So I walked into the office and said, ‘You know what? We are ignoring a huge part set design, and fashion from other student designers. of our audience,’ ” Krentcil recalls. “ ‘Let me start a fashion section.’ ” Now on the eve of graduation, with a book full of style-related clips to pave her way into the pub- Bennington College (Vermont): Freshman Simone Duff went the route of individ- lishing world, she looks back almost wistfully. “And so, three years on,” she says, “I’m ual study with her fashion experiment—photographing the same student every day passing the trend column on” to the next generation of Blue Devils, including Whitney to record what she wears based on her mood, weather, world events and several Beckett, who will edit a biannual glossy fashion magazine launching next year. other variables. By the end of the semester, Duff hopes to come up with a mathe- While school newspapers offer sanctuary for wannabe Wintours, they also serve as matical formula to scientifically predict what the girl will wear on any given day. In sounding boards for those who aren’t necessarily ‘into’ fashion. Last month, in the University the meantime, “our talking and picture-taking for five minutes every day is nice,” of Pennsylvania’s Daily Pennsylvanian arts and entertainment weekly section, “34th Street,” she says. “Like tea or prayer or some other ritualistic activity.” which has run stories on Winona Ryder’s shopping habits and the reemergence of Mod, Ross Clark vented his spleen in a bitchy, funny letter from the editor regarding a certain vexing Trinity College (Connecticut): As a senior art history major, Camilla Bradley decid- style issue. “In the midst of all this U.S.A. fever,” he wrote, “I find myself coming back to the ed to create clothing and accessories from strips of ribbon for her color class. question of what defines our country. And the only thing that comes to mind is asses.” During the process, she ended up selling her work on campus, and four years later, “I felt like for a couple of weeks, all I kept seeing were peoples’ asses,” the junior this class of ’99 alum has built a brisk business based on ribbon belts, bags and explains. “There were frat boys with plumber’s butt or sorority girls who didn’t preppy dresses. “I never would have become a designer if I had gone to a fashion figure out where the thong and the pants related to each other.” He ended his letter school,” she admits. “Going to a liberal arts school where my professors supported with a plea to his fellow students: “You can shake what your mamma gave ya, but my ideas was key.” — N.D. next time please wear a belt.”

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 39 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E fashion obs STUDENTS ON A BUDGET SEEK OUT GREAT VINTAGE TO QUENCH THEIR THIRST FOR INDIVIDUAL STYLE.

tatus labels aren’t for everyone. Most real-world students just can’t afford them, while others find them politically taboo. But whether protesting capitalist atrocities or merely watching their wallets, some people just have a knack for penny-pinching in style, as proven by the variety show of dress-for-less styles seen on college campuses. Such fashionable thrift can take many forms, as students scour venues from Wal-Mart to Loehmann’s and Off Fifth in search of finds. Some girls prefer to cling to their lost youth, searching children’s departments for nifty Ts. But the most most popular place for ferreting out fashion at a price—and the one that offers the greatest opportunity for creativity—is on the used clothing circuit. College students across the country routinely comb through the goods at yard sales, peruse the piles at trendy vintage shops and hit that all-purpose student’s retailer, the Salvation Army. “What I like about thrifting—especially in a place like Charlottesville—is that everything hasn’t been picked over and marked up like it would be in New York or L.A.,” says University of Virginia senior Kelly Powers. “It’s like an Easter egg hunt: You have to go through tons of S junk until you find a real score.” Powers, who says she has uncovered spanking-new $3 Ferragamo shoes, $1 Pucci scarves, $4 Lilly Pulitzer sundresses, $6 Brooks Bros. business suits and even a $3 Hermès bag at the local SPCA’s annual rummage sale. The 10-day event has become so popular, drive-through service is offered to donors unloading their loot. “The prices have gone up over the years,” she says. “Now skirts are $1, and coats are $10 instead of $5.” But the sale is not her only treasure trove. Powers, who first discovered the joys of thrift shops while in high school, knows that vintage is an international emporium, and is counting on a close friend studying in Slovakia to return from her semester abroad with some flea-market gems. She knows her friend has a good eye because, “We shopped together at the flea markets in Italy and France.” Culling her fashion inspiration from Pippy Longstocking and Punky Brewster, Oberlin College student Sarah Updegraff heads straight to Goodwill, garage sales and thrift stores when she needs a little sprucing up. She usually drops between $5 and $20—preferably at the low end of that self-restrictive scale—for skirts to wear over jeans, off-the-shoulder sweaters and head scarves. But thrifty doesn’t mean boring. Bright polyester-blend T-shirts “that age well and have cheesy sayings” are her favorites. “I will spend maybe $8 on a good one,” says the biopsychology major. Updegraff wears one of her finds, a used J. Crew jacket, almost every day, but says she never would have paid the original ticket price for it. She’s also inclined to make her own handbags, which suit her needs and her fancy perfectly. Her sisters provide secondhand lipsticks. “I like to express myself through what I wear, but I think it’s disgusting that people will spend ridiculous amounts of money on clothes when so many people are starving,” Updegraff says. “It’s also uncreative. Make it yourself!” University of Wisconsin entomology major Blaize Naasz agrees that a girl’s dress is her calling card, and opts for children’s clothes to distinguish her style. “I hate looking at people who all look alike,” she says. “I have problems telling them apart.” Countless other collegians are equally adventurous. Scores of students at State University of New York at Purchase wouldn’t dream of buying full-priced clothes. Michael Cesario, head of the graduate program in design and technology, has seen his share of Chanel jackets turned into vests with frayed edges and personalized secondhand shirts. “For these students, thrifting and reconfiguring vintage clothes is much more interesting [than buying new],” he explains. “Oddly, it’s not so much artistic as it is intellectual. The way they dress is a commentary on their lives.” Costume sales are held regularly on campus to cast off no-longer-stage-worthy items for 50 cents or so a pop. Then imagination kicks into gear. Is a camouflage T-shirt with sewn-on gold lamé epaulets a commentary on the war on Iraq or something else? Tough to call. “I had a kid walk into class one day and say, ‘Hey, look. I’m Pat Nixon.’” Cesario recalls. “And she was. But she was wearing her little dress over pajama pants and sneakers.” A male student showed up for one of Cesario’s classes wearing a pillbox with a Plexiglas shield. The makeshift milliner referred to his handiwork as “Jackie Thinks Twice.” Clockwise from top: Sarah Updegraff is inspired by Plain, black, affordable clothes may sound accessible enough, but James Creque, a senior at Trinity College Pippy Longstocking; Trinity’s James Creque has in Hartford, Conn. ,has trouble finding them. “There aren’t a lot of small miscellaneous stores here, so I pretty to try hard to maintain his much stopped going shopping,” he says. “My favorite shirt is the black button-down I made for costuming.” wardrobe in Hartford; Wis- consin’s Blaize Naasz hits Creque, who has an all-black wardrobe and the e-mail address “itgetsworse,” makes light of the local shop- the children’s department. ping scene. “Now I just buy toys like a digital camera and a Dell computer instead of clothes,” he says. “But I did spend $150 before Christmas on a few shirts, a jean jacket and a few pairs of jeans.” Like most of the people he “tends to loiter around,” Creque is primarily concerned with how something looks. Brand names are, at best, of secondary importance; they don’t carry much clout with him or his friends. “They wouldn’t buy something [just because it was] from J. Crew,” he says. “It has to look nice — nice, of course, being entirely subjective.” — Rosemary Feitelberg

40 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E bsessions FOR SOME , ONLY FULL IMMERSION—FROM INTERNING AT VOGUE TO CRASHING RUNWAY SHOWS—WILL DO.

here do fashionistas come from? Sometimes, from the hallowed halls of academia. WWD’s collegiate trek revealed numerous students who live, work and breathe fashion—and who buy a whole lot of the stuff. Yale junior Vanessa Lawrence discovered the joys of fashion in the seventh grade, after her best friend gave her a copy of Seventeen. Lawrence swiftly graduated to Vogue and, she says, “it all just snowballed from there.” She delineates her middle and high school years in style phases (seventh grade: Betsey Johnson), and since high school she has interned at Glamour, Halston and Vogue, where she spent 10 weeks last summer and kept tabs on Wmiles of vintage Ralph Lauren and got to assist on location for a large-scale Bruce Weber shoot. Working closely with Amy Jain, vice president of external affairs of the student-run Yale Entrepreneurial Society (YES), Lawrence and fellow fashion-smitten Elis Katherine Capelluto and Ella Gorgla this year inaugu- rated “Seventh on Yale,” a lecture series that featured Valerie Steele and André Leon Talley. Anna Wintour and Michael Kors are on the wish list for next year. Despite her Ivy workload, Lawrence, an art history major, woke up at 6 a.m. daily during the recent fall shows to check out the previous day’s looks on style.com. She also made the two-hour train trek to New York during fashion week, penning a witty piece for the Yale Daily News about spotting “fashion royalty” (Carine Roitfeld and Suzy Menkes) at Bryant Park. Lawrence hits the summer sales in Paris, where her parents rent an apartment for two weeks every year. “We stay in the sixth arrondissement, so it’s perfect shopping,” she explains. “Vanessa Bruno is nearby. So is Paul & Joe. And Cacharel—I love their stuff ever since Clements and Ribeiro took over.” Also on her list are Colette, The Bon Marché (for Petit Bateau T-shirts), Miu Miu and even a gardening store on the Palais Royal for perfect canvas totes. She admits to having a bag fetish, and for her birthday she got a small Takashi Murakami cherry blossom Louis Vuitton from Mom and Dad. Lawrence loves just about everything Jacobs does, and “would wear Marc by Marc all the time, if I could afford to.” Also at the head of the fashion class is Katie Peek, a Princeton freshman. Peek started early, spending the summer after her sophomore year of high school in the beauty department at Glamour. At the tender age of 16, she imagined a summer of high glamour. “I thought I’d be hanging out with Tobey McGuire and Charlie Sheen every night,” Peek jokes. But she soon learned the reality was quite different when she was sent to the sample closet to sort through troves of mascara. Undeterred by the dearth of celebrity contact, she then interned at Nylon and most recently at Radar. She also pitched—and won—a first-person column in Elle Girl . Editor in chief Brandon Holley agreed to run Peek’s “Princeton Diaries” after reading a sheaf of witty e-mails the coed had exchanged with her mom. Like Lawrence, Peek is a style.com fanatic. She also logs onto hintmag.com and reads a slew of fashion magazines. She counts Roitfeld among her style influences, calls John Galliano “a driving force,” and can’t wait for the day when cocktail parties outnumber frat blowouts so that she can wear dresses from Roland Mouret, Lanvin and Proenza Schouler. The list of stores where she gets “very involved” includes downtown New York boutiques such as Geraldine, Mayle, Kirna Zabête and Martin. Peek speaks with the jaded sarcasm of a seasoned editor—particularly in her assessment of her fellow students. “Girls do dress well in tons of Polo and Lilly Pulitzer,” she explains. “But there’s no deviation from that whatsoever. And oh God, Burberry is like a virus!” But while Peek has a fashionista’s opinion on everything, her ultimate goal is to be a novelist—and not necessarily one who writes about fashion. “I don’t want to turn into Lauren Weisberger,” she says, referring to the former Vogue assistant’s thinly veiled memoirs of Above: “It all just snowballed from working for Anna Wintour. there,” says Yale junior Vanessa Lawrence, of her descent into fashion Unlike Lawrence and Peek, Tulane sophomore Ashley Sands isn’t headed for the glossy offices of a fashion junkiedom. Right: Princeton freshman Katie Peek magazine. She is intent on law school, preferably Georgetown, Columbia or NYU. Still, for her, fashion is a way of spills the beans on college life in her life. After all, her father is Glenn Sands, who owns Global Inc., a company whose holdings include Coach. column for Elle Girl. “Fashion is not really an interest: it’s more or less the way I grew up,” says Sands, whose most recent acquisition is a pair of baby blue New Balance sneakers. Sands has amassed an enviable collection of accessories: a Christian Dior “Addict” bag, several Louis Vuitton bags and, one of her favorites, the Gucci bamboo shoes. In fact, the same skills that Sands intends to exploit in a law career can also come in handy when hunting down that hot item. “I’m stubborn, and I like to argue,” she says. When it came time for her sorority’s formal last year, the bamboo shoes were a must-have. “I went to the Gucci store and begged the guy to put me at the top of the list,” she recalls. “I just convinced him, so when they came he sent them to me.” —Meenal Mistry

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 41 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E the 1 2 34 5 brands they wear 678910

s part of this look at American colleges and universities, WWD surveyed nearly 1,300 college students around the country to gauge their current consumer preferences and brand awareness. The survey also looked at the publications they turn to for information and entertainment and the celebrities they consider influential. The group was not a random sample. Instead, respondents hailed from focus groups, sororities, marketing classes and one-on-one interviews. All were interested 1 Gap With 3,114 stores in the U.S., Gap is within striking distance and the budget enough in matters of style to spend about 30 minutes of most college students. Even in Hanover, N.H., where Dartmouth students have a on the survey, some offering detailed responses to strip of mangy tourist traps and misses boutiques to choose from, there is a Gap. open-ended questions. “Thank God, there is at least a place to buy some jeans,” says one student. Key unprompted questions asked students, both women and men, to name Atheir favorite labels to shop for in each of 12 categories, up to three per category: 2 Victoria’s Secret No secret that the provocative catalog is the college student’s jeans, T-shirts, tops/sweaters, sweatshirts, footwear/sneakers, bags/backpacks, source for anything stretchy and small: thongs, swimsuits, teeny little cocktail dresses. It’s makeup/beauty, formalwear/dresses, outerwear, swimwear, underwear and one of the few times, students say, when they will trust a mail-order fit. Catalogs blanket socks/hosiery. Students were also asked to list their top three “if money were no campuses just before March spring breaks, when many students buy a bikini or two. object” labels. In an upcoming issue, WWD will publish more from this survey, including list- 3 J. Crew New ceo Millard “Mickey” Drexler may have pronounced in a recent ings of the top three vote-getters in each category. Here, the top 10 brands listed conference call that J. Crew’s customer is 25 to 45, but the college crowd definitely across all categories according to number of mentions. For example, many stu- relates to the catalog. Forget books — Jessica Rosen, a Boston College sophomore dents cited Gap in multiple categories, and each mention counted as a vote. counted seven iterations of the J.Crew catalog in her dorm room.

THE TOP 10 4 Express Students cite Leslie Wexner’s long-running fast-fashion chain for Big names—with ad budgets and massive nationwide distribution to match—came its trendy little blouses to top off the $100 jeans they favor. Express’ own blues— top-of-mind in WWD’s student survey. But one smaller player broke into the Top 10- bolstered in recent seasons by a major ad campaign—also ring up points with -Seven Jeans, the My Big Fat Greek Wedding of the denim world. Word-of-mouth girls and guys alike. “It sounds weird because it’s a girl’s brand, but Express jeans branding (and a butt-flattering fit) apparently knows no obstacles. Even the guys fit me really well,” says Mike Meyers, a Boston College student. wore Sevens at label-conscious Boston University. The survey indicated that students know who made their backpack (Jans- 5 Banana Republic Its black pants and neat sweaters clearly win favor for port) and party dresses (Laundry by Shelli Segal, BCBG.) They care dressier occasions in student life: nights out, parents’ weekend dinners, trips to the deeply who made their jeans and their sneakers. But many couldn’t care city or those first-job interviews. less about the birthplace of their socks, just as long as they could find a clean pair. “Please, it’s socks,” wrote Jessie Scott, a junior at the University 6 Diesel “We don't advertise. We do communication,” Diesel vice president Mau- of Wisconsin. “If you care about sock brands, you have problems.” rizio Marchiori is fond of saying. Message heard loud and clear by students, who loft the Italian denim line above others. It seems the too-cool-for-school flavor—plus the convenient distribution in many department stores—is fueling Diesel nicely.

7 Nike Campus groups may protest its labor policies, but that hasn’t prevented the sneaker giant from swooshing into student closets. It doesn’t hurt, either, that the com- IF MONEY WERE NO OBJECT pany suits up major college sports franchises and creates exclusive lines for their fans. ✱ Swoosh’d crimson merch is sold at the Coop, Harvard’s legendary bookstore emporium. These brands made students’ hearts beat fast—and long for their first adult paycheck. “Haute couture! Galliano, Dior, you name it, I'd love to be in it,” remarks Neasa 8 Abercrombie & Fitch The retailer known for peddling prep-school lifestyle Coll, a Harvard sophmore. “Walking into classes, you can see any style of Louis scored points with both genders, though there’s some concern it aims young. “It’s Vuitton, Prada and Gucci,” adds a student at the University of seen as kind of middle-school,” says Joseph Siesholtz, a Harvard sophomore. “But Wisconsin. “You think, ‘Why do these kids wear this?’ But I Top Five whether people admit to it or not, you can get some good basics there.” wear it, too.” Punctuation says it all: “Burberry,” purred several Aspirational students, putting it in all caps and underlining it. “Gucci” and Brands: “Versace” jumped with added exclamation points. A few savvy 9 MAC The lipgloss, the glittery shades and the minimalist packaging that 1. Gucci students fingered Missoni, D-Squared, Martin Margiela and doesn’t look like it came from grandma’s pocketbook. 2. Prada Comme des Garçons as their coveted labels. Even while stu- 3. Marc Jacobs dents listed purchases of $400 Prada bags, there was still a 4. Versace 10 Seven “Sevens. I wear nothing else,” announces Universiy of Georgia basic pragmatism. Spelman College grad Subira Shaw listed 5. Chanel senior Meredith Friedline, expressing the herd-ish devotion the jeans have inspired. Juicy Couture on her wish list but noted, “$160 for a track suit?” Casey Powers, a sophomore at University of Southern Any self-respecting sorority girl has a pair (or five) in her closet, although the California, reasons, “Why spend $200 on a shirt?” And though Lindsey McGrew, a brand’s broad exposure seems to have sent some students striking out for some- senior at Ole Miss, says she’d “kill for a pair of Jimmy Choo’s.” She then demon- thing else. To wit: Miss Sixty, AG, Joe’s Jeans and Blue Cult. strated the versatility of this cross-shopping demographic. Mossimo from Target is “cheap, but great,” she adds.

42 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003

T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E if I ruled the (marketing) College students voice their opinions on the best way to sell to their peers. Are you listening, Fashion? world

n the movie Big, it takes a child to design toys that other kids will actually like. Perhaps the “it-takes-one- to-know-one” theory could produce similarly successful results for the fashion industry—especially for firms that cater to young adults. College students at a number of campuses say that if they were responsible for marketing to their peers, they would advertise differently than companies do today. Apparently, one of the biggest sins committed by apparel retailers is lumping together high school students and younger teens with college- aged consumers. Porscha Radcliffe, a junior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in marketing and graphic design, often can’t tell if certain styles are aimed at her age group or younger teens. “A lot of companies are still giving us cheesy ads that fit Iteenagers,” she says. “Take the Steve Madden ad. It’s got car- toonish-looking girls wearing the shoe, and the colors tend to be bubbly and bright. I don’t like that. I like the more sophisticated ads of Prada and Burberry.” “Millennials Go to College,” a study by Neil Howe and William Strauss that examines the generation born between 1982 and today, bears this out. Those in their late teens and 20s are more conventional than other generations, “take pride in their

improving behavior and are quite comfortable with their parents’ Clockwise from above: A sexy image from Abercrombie & Fitch’s values,” the report says. “They reveal a smaller generation gap summer A&F Quarterly ; a sketch by Ithaca College junior Laura Gildner wants the fashion industry to remember that college students with their parents than any group in history.” have brains as well as libidos; Louis Vuitton’s ad has plenty of attitude. “So much fashion marketing is targeted to the tweens,” agrees Stacey Leuliette, a senior majoring in marketing at Southern Methodist University. “I think the Gap lost out because everything looks the same.” “We look to fashions that our mothers wear, like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. Ashley Beauchamp, a sophomore at Cal Arts majoring in music, claims she’s They’re not for tweens and not only geared to the older generation.” not a “big label whore.” Rather, she likes vintage clothes and fashion that refers What really annoys Laura Gildner, a junior at Ithaca College majoring in psy- back to earlier decades, like the David Bowie Labyrinth T-shirt she recently bought chology, is the retail industry’s assumption that all students are living for the next at Hot Topic. “The way to keep things fresh and not pigeonhole yourself is to have keg party. “There’s an entire demographic of people who don’t go out drinking and clothes that reflect a lot of different things,” she says. “Reinventing yourself is how clubbing and pass out in some stranger’s arms,” she says. “Try appealing to our to stay current.” intellect. If somebody actually targeted a commercial toward us we’d be so happy “I don’t like mainstream clothing lines,” declares Daniella Diament, a senior at we’d buy whatever they were selling.” Stern. “I look for something that’s not available in every store. I like the Gap for basics, Gildner avoids brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle, whose but I don’t want to be seen in the same sweater as everyone else. I’ll buy my under- messages seem rooted in the high-school culture of exclusion, where “everybody’s wear at Gap. If I want something special, I’ll go to Anthropologie or Henri Bendel.” moody and mean,” she says. “People grow up. [Those companies] are trying to And who decreed that all coeds should be tall and model-thin, especially in an prolong the brutality.” environment where cafeteria and student union fare consists of starch, starch and Rachel Moss, a junior marketing major at Stern College for Women of the more starch? “If I were advertising my own clothing line, it would show all shapes and Yeshiva University, objects to the overt sexuality of ads aimed at her age group. “I sizes,” says Radcliffe. “As you grow older, your body changes, especially in college.” like some of the clothing, but I don’t like the fact that the advertising borders on Diament concurs. “Those of us who like to follow fashion trends want to see pornography,” she says. “I like the professional-looking ads of Banana Republic models our age and good-looking people of every size,” she says. “A lot of clothes and Ann Taylor that cater to the professional consumer. I think my friends feel this are very skimpy, but not everybody can wear that. The amount of bare skin you way, too. The sexual ads are pushing it.” Leuliette finds Gucci’s ads, in particular, see now is ridiculous. People say you don’t see any clothes in the Abercrombie cat- entirely too racy. “I like Tom Ford’s clothes for Gucci, but if you go on the Web you’ll alogs. It’s overdone.” see some ads that they wouldn’t put in magazines. I don’t think they could!” Finally, there’s the price issue. “Fashion is taken so seriously, and it’s so expen- “A few years ago, I would have worn clothing that was more revealing,” Rad- sive,” says Beauchamp. “Take Imitation of Christ. The clothes are basically decon- cliffe adds. “Now my style seems to be more tasteful. It’s not about how much skin structed to look very vintage-y, but they’re not giving them away. The concept is you can show, but about what’s flattering for your body type.” almost contradicting itself. Which brings us to individuality—perhaps the most important factor for college- “The pricing of other popular brands isn’t very good,” she continues. “Every age consumers. “I don’t really see too many people wearing [logos] across their time I walk into Banana Republic, I’m pleased with the quality, but uninspired by chests,” said Olga Ovodenko, a New York University marketing major, class of ’06. the design. I could go to Target and get the same thing.” —Sharon Edelson

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL DAVIS DIRECTORY T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E

AMERICAN also popular. The school does campus, mainly for assistant- There’s enough Burberry UNIVERSITY not offer fashion or retailing buyer programs. (and Burberry knockoffs) to Washington, D.C. programs. wrap a plaid muffler around Undergraduate BOSTON UNIVERSITY the city, and students telling- Enrollment: 5,200 BOSTON COLLEGE Boston, Mass. ly refer to BU’s College of With its strong international Newton, Mass. Undergraduate General Studies as the relations curriculum, Undergraduate Enrollment: 17,000 College of Gucci Sunglasses. American University is main- Enrollment: 8,900 No generics here. BU might ly a magnet for students with The look at BC is neat, clean, well stand for Brand BRIGHAM YOUNG diplomatic aspirations, thus matched: country club by University—it’s a marketer’s UNIVERSITY its predominantly classic way of prep school, as exem- dream. A recent visit turned Salt Lake City, Utah style. Although there are plified by J. Crew. Standing up an apparent mania for la- Undergraduate pockets of turned-out, hip out through your clothes bels and logos, from guys in Enrollment: 29,374 students—particularly among doesn’t seem desirable. Most Quiksilver T-shirts to both With their well-scrubbed the international crowd—the students rely on Aber- sexes in sweatshirts with looks and preppy style, stu- hibits exposed shoulders and majority of students wear crombie & Fitch khakis, Puma Diesel and Adidas blaring dents here could pass for midriffs, as well as tight T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. athletic shoes and peacoats. across the front. In hand- Abercrombie & Fitch mod- pants, dresses and skirts, Mountain Hardware jackets bags, Coach is the clear win- els—without the nudity. But which must at least graze the have replaced North Face as ner, but plenty of GGs and closer examination reveals knees. Anyone interested in the premium ski look. LVs make their way into the that the women at this style has to be particularly Neiman Marcus, T.J. Maxx, alphabet soup. Girls often school, run by the Mormon creative. And since students May Co., Filene’s and Aber- wear Miss Sixty jeans, and Church, are under particular here are encouraged by the crombie & Fitch recruit on one can find guys in Sevens. restraints: A dress code pro- Church of Latter-Day Saints

✱ CAMPUS CAPITALISTS In his Seven jeans and loose-fitting, “I got my label incorporated in the button-down shirt, Steven Price, a sen- state of New Jersey,” she says proudly. ior at Brigham Young University, is Lake uses T-shirts—old and new—and wondering how he can source some reworks them into pants, skirts and Habitual jeans. dresses. BARD COLLEGE “I heard they’re good,” he says. “I “Most of the T-shirts have images of need to find out if I can get them on Huey P. Newton or Malcolm X on them,” Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. the off-price market.” she says. The African American studies Undergraduate Price, 28, isn’t talking about a pair major generally sells her wares on con- Enrollment: 1,200 for himself, but for his business, signment; her pieces range in price from Bard students seem very Boonababe.com, which he launched in $60 to $180. She has also sold at other 1999. On a whim, Price, a business stu- New York stores like Prohibit and alife. conscious of fashion as a dent who matriculated into college “I don’t know if I’d like to design as topic of discussion, but their late, started selling his old clothes on a career,” she says. “It’s just something knowledge rarely affects eBay before moving on to stocking Maya Lake (left) Britni Wood bags I’m doing for now.” a deal. their appearances—which are designer denim brands like Seven and shows her wares. Howard University fashion design Earl Jeans when he discovered there senior Rakiyt Zakari, however, plans on neither fashionable nor no- was a market for these hard-to-find a career in fashion design. She current- ticeably anti-fashion. (Even items. Red Engine, Juicy, Joie, Paul ly sells her dresses at a local boutique, an unkempt, anti-fashion Frank and Versace are now part of the Alex, priced between $50 and $200. mix. He sources his inventory from job- “She’s a jewel and is starting to look requires thought and bers and sells it through his site at have a following,” says owner Alex planning, and Bard under- below-retail prices. Garcia. People who buy Zakari’s wares— grads seem unwilling to go “I’m able to support my family and short tunics, blouses, wraps and sheer that far.) Jeans, sweatshirts, put myself through college,” says Price, skirts—range from 20-something who is married and has an 18-month-old interns to women in their 50s. flannel shirts and boots dom- daughter. Boonababe.com generated Depending on her mood, she gets ideas inate on campus, with the $150,000 in gross income last year. “I may continue the business by listening to an array of old music, like Doris Day, the Turtles vintage or thrift shop look after I graduate,” he notes. and even Edith Piaf. Zakari describes her style as a cross While many may think of college as merely an ivory tower between Dolce & Gabbana and Alexander McQueen. She is also idyll, there are others like Price who are putting their skills and the president of the school’s Fashion Council, whose card con- business acumen to use. tains this Mark Twain quote: “Clothes make the man, naked peo- Sole Salvo, a senior at the University of Virginia, has been mak- ple have little or no influence on society.” ing her own dresses and skirts since she was in the eighth grade. Britni Wood, a senior at Southern Methodist University, is cer- Now, she churns out a few hundred formal and wedding dresses tainly having an influence. She is close to inking a deal with every year. “I love making dresses,” she says. “I like to sit down Stanley Korshak, the luxury goods store in Dallas, to sell her with the person I’m making the dress for and get to know them handmade handbags, which would retail anywhere from $90 up to before I design it.” Salvo plans on attending either FIT or Parsons $300. “I’ve always been creative, and my father thought I should after graduation and hopes to have her own label some day. try and make some money on my inventions finally,” she says. Wesleyan University sophomore Maya Lake started selling her After walking through Stanley Korshak with one of her handbags, original dresses, skirts and embellished jeans at Patricia Field in Wood recalls, “The buyer saw it and went berserk. It’s amazing New York a few summers ago under her label, Maya Amina. how it all happened.” — Edmund J. Lee LAKE: ELIZABETH LASER; WOOD: GEORGE HENSON GEORGE WOOD: LASER; ELIZABETH LAKE:

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 47 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E

to marry early—usually while who spent his early career When a cable-knit polo they are still in college— designing jewelry for Ralph sweater and pink trench dressing to attract a mate is Lauren. "And reinvention is looks the height of chic, you important. "The marriage something crucial to fashion know you’re in the wilds of culture out here adds an em- itself – without it, fashion New Hampshire. Between ac- phasis on appearance," sen- dies.” ademics and athletics, it ior David Dowling says. seems there’s precious little "Everyone wants to present a CARNEGIE MELLON time to worry about how to more unique image." UNIVERSITY dress. There’s a strong Greek Certainly, the BYU population Pittsburgh, Pa. scene here and, accordingly, is very self-aware. “We're two Undergraduate a fraternal air pervades the years behind everybody else Enrollment: 5,234 campus. Both women and in the country in terms of At Carnegie, art is art and men subscribe to the rolled- fashion,” says Erin Johnson, tech is tech and ne’er the COLUMBIA out-of-bed-in-pjs-and stuck- editor of the student paper ionable without ever trying twain do meet when it comes UNIVERSITY my-feet-in-flip-flops-because- the Daily Universe, “but we too hard. "Brown has the to fashion. Students describe New York, N.Y. I couldn’t-be-bothered-to-tie- still know what's going on reputation of being the hip the style at the school as Undergraduate sneakers look. (Even when out there.” Although the Ivy," said undergrad Anna “nerdy” or “arty” or some- Enrollment: 6,950 it’s not warm, you’ll see flip- school offers no fashion-re- Dever-Scanlon. "If you are times both. Despite the ab- Columbia students are gener- flops, Birkenstocks or athletic lated courses, it places about well educated but you con- sence of a fashion program, ally fashion- and brand-con- sandals.) “Fashion,” says one 100 students into manage- sider yourself hip, you come some students have man- scious—and also very critical student, “is not that impor- ment programs and large re- to Brown." The vast majority, aged to bring it into their about what defines the fash- tant.” And there is little in the tail companies, including however, spend four years studies. There are several ion criteria. The school is a way of local shopping to tan- Sears, J.C. Penney, Wal-Mart, embracing ideas and mostly student fashion shows sched- hotbed of debate and student talize or distract. Brands evi- Mervyn’s, Dillard’s, ignoring their wardrobes. uled this semester—at least self-awareness, and every- dent were the prep staples. Nordstrom, Gap, Limited, They plan to be more fash- one by design students who thing is questioned. A variety One particularly sour note Target and Kmart. ionable, they told us, some have made a project out of it. of styles coexist, from college for the fashion industry: Even time hence-perhaps when One communication design grunge to urban sophisticate. though Dartmouth has a BROWN UNIVERSITY there's a dress code and a re- student who is putting to- While many students may mandatory internship pro- Providence, R.I. liable paycheck. For now, gether a show admits, know Gucci is designed by gram that is unique among Undergraduate pragmatic dressing is the though, that CMU is “not re- Tom Ford, they certainly don't the Ivys, the administration Enrollment: 5,600 order of the day. “I try to find ally a fashion type of place.” wear it. Most students default and career-services depart- Generally, “only a minority of what’s cleanest,” said one into a classic preppy look, ment seem to give decidedly Brown students think beyond male student. Casual looks “training ground for our fu- short shrift to fashion or re- a minute or two about what rule for both sexes: jeans, ture careers,” one student tailing as careers, as evi- they’re wearing,” said Philip flip-flops, T-shirts with zip- says. The school falls in with denced by a lack of interest Contic, head of the school’s front sweaters, jean jackets the Ivy League conceit that in WWD’s reporting. costume shop. Of course it's with wide scarves wound pure academics is the only that minority that's made around. Newsboy and ski way to provide satisfaction, EMORY UNIVERSITY Brown legendary as the caps add a fashion flourish so there are no fashion or re- Atlanta, Ga. hippest and most socially during the chill months, tail business related pro- Undergraduate progressive of the Ivy league. when slick hills force all but grams. In fact, Columbia Enrollment: 11,600 Von Furstenberg, Hererra, the boldest into flat shoes. prides itself on its rigorous The diverse student popula- Klein and Reed Bolen are just “The campus is supportive of core curriculum. But the tion at Emory displays an a few of the boldface names people taking chances and famed art history department equally diverse range of per- who are Brown alums—and reinventing themselves,” once offered a course titled, sonal style. Still, the most who give the campus its ca- says Richard Fishman, head “Modern Fashion and Visual consistent look for classes is chet as a place that's fash- of the visualarts department, Culture” started by the late jeans, sweatpants, T-shirts, Richard Martin. The course hoodies and flips-flops. The syllabus shows lectures titled, sororities and fraternities are “Baudelaire: The Dandy” and the most fashion-forward and “Is Fashion Art?” FIT profes- brand-conscious segment of ✱MODA ALL’ITALIANA sor Valerie Steele took it over the student body. Greek more recently, but the course women list must-have brands If you think campus fashion savvy lurks only in the corridors of sororities and the arts sections of stu- has been put on hold due to as Seven, Bella Dahl and dent newspapers, you probably skipped first-year Italian class. Meet Cornell University senior lecturer conflicts between Steele and Diesel, Juicy Couture and K.E. Bättig. Decked out in Prada shoes, a Dior handbag, an Hermès bracelet and a bottle-green embroidered Indian scarf, this prof knows a thing or two about style. In fact, her appreciation brings a the department. “There was HandTail along with Puma rich perspective to class discussions that just happen to focus on Italian fashion every now and then. strong student interest in the and Converse for retro-ath- “Students are always very surprised to see pictures of people dressed up in suits to go visit their course,” says Professor Kiaer, letic inspired shoes and ap- families,” Bättig says of images in her WHAT CLASS textbook, Ciao, a chapter of which focuses on director of undergraduate parel. “The dress on campus fashion. “It’s strange for them. But in Italy, wearing a jacket is like going to buy pasta.” Meanwhile, in the verdant enclave of Middlebury College in Vermont, professoressa Patricia Zupan studies. “We'd like to try and may be disheveled, but it’s heats up mid-semester conversation and culture classes with lessons built around designer Web bring it back.” sites, Italian fashion magazines and a dash of Dolce & Gabbana. Zupan uses the first-year textbook Eccoci, which also features a chapter on fashion. For one class, she has her students perform mock DARTMOUTH interviews (in Italian) with famous Italian designers. One semester, Donatella Versace was the stilista of choice. “People do pursue personal style here,” she says of Middlebury, while noting that many of COLLEGE her students—including the men—return from their semesters abroad with a new appreciation for Hanover, N.H. fashion and style. Viva la moda! Undergraduate Enrollment: 4,100

48 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E DIRECTORY

expensive,” said a member of public importance. Many stu- ITHACA COLLEGE, look at MIT is geek chic (or, Alpha Epsilon Phi. “For us, it dents favor J. Crew, Banana Ithaca, N.Y. let’s face it—not so chic), has to be the right brand of Republic and Gap, and ties for Undergraduate things are changing. Once sweats, jeans and T-shirts.” men are not unheard of—par- Enrollment: 6,200 the home of pale men ane- ticularly at the school’s exclu- “Fashion? Huge mistake to mic from hours under fluo- GEORGETOWN sive “finals clubs,” Harvard’s come here,” says one art pro- rescent tubes, MIT’s student UNIVERSITY answer to fraternities. A pair fessor at Ithaca College. And body is now 45 percent Washington, D.C. of Seven jeans is enough to women—a significantly higher dominant looks on campus Undergraduate make a girl stand out as percentage of women than are either an Abercrombie & Enrollment: 6,422 trendy. It seems Harvard’s any other technology-orient- Fitch preppy style or casual, Students attending populace considers fashion a ed school in the U.S. “Finally, athletic. Sorority girls paid Georgetown, the nation’s old- second-class art, “less noble it’s OK to be smart and a more attention to style, est Catholic university, are than figure drawing,” says girly-girl,” says dean of ad- sporting Reef flip-flops and hyper aware of global fash- one. And Harvard Theatre that assessment proves to be missions Marilee Jones. “I carrying Hervé Chapelier ion and style. Although the Collections curator Frederic true—there is no apparent see girls on campus now and bags. For nights out, they opt school offers no fashion- dominant style at the school. they’ve got on high heels and for black pants and a little related courses, students say Like most of the liberal arts they’re carrying a Gucci bag, top accessorized with a Louis they are inspired by maga- colleges we surveyed, Ithaca and I think, ‘Wow, have we Vuitton Pochette. While the zines, music, art and travel. does not offer fashion or re- changed.’” school is reknowned for its They mix artsy with preppy tailing programs, but what undergraduate liberal arts and classic styles, which makes it stand out is that stu- MIDDLEBURY education, Northwestern’s results in a look that is both dents themselves show very COLLEGE strong theater department is hip and sophisticated. For little interest in the subject. Middlebury, Vt. the likeliest place to find off- added panache, they incor- Undergraduate beat fashion lovers, especial- porate items that they pick JOHNS HOPKINS Enrollment: 2,200 ly in costume design classes. up in their travels, such as a UNIVERSITY Students at Middlebury Vintage accessories and sari skirt from India or a pair Baltimore, Md. College say that whatever clunky shoes were prevalant of Chanel sunglasses from Undergraduate their stylistic preferences, for here. Overall, style at Paris. Tara Ahamed, an uber- Enrollment: 4,100 much of the year, Vermont’s Northwestern is wholesome chic student with a double The students at Johns cold, messy weather dictates with a sprinkling of designer major in government and Hopkins focus on academics, merchandise found on the theology, says personal style not on fashion. The most occasional student, such as a is important because it is a knowledgeable about fashion Burberry raincoat, a canvas form of communication. “It’s Woodbridge Wilson calls the are the sorority girls, who Gucci handbag or a pair of important to remember that school “the least fashionable take their style cues from snazzy sneakers most likely fashion is not just about place I’ve ever seen. I guess magazines and television picked up at Barneys down- J.Lo’s new statement,” she they have too many other shows like those on the E! net- town things to think about.” work. Arie Kopelman, president of Chanel Inc. and a OBERLIN COLLEGE HUNTER COLLEGE Johns Hopkins alum, says Oberlin, Ohio New York, N.Y. there are always two camps of a practical approach to Undergraduate Undergraduate students—those who obsess dressing. Still, a wholesome Enrollment: 2,900 Enrollment: 15,000 about fashion and those “who look dominates—think J.Crew, “I’m always true to you, dar- Hunter College may be a don’t give a damn.” He says Abercrombie & Fitch and ling, in my fashion,” could very stone’s throw from New Johns Hopkins students are, Banana Republic—but other well be the school refrain at York’s “Crossroads of camps also find a voice. Oberlin. There is a strong em- Fashion,” Fifth Avenue and Counterculture types, for ex- phasis on expressing individu- 57th Street, but that doesn’t ample, work a hippie aesthet- ality and creativity through seem to affect the ultra- ic in peasant skirts with cor- one’s appearance. Stories of casual attire of its typical duroy jackets, woven belts students who rarely wear student. This is an urban and loose Indian shirts. The shoes or show up in class clad said. “Through fashion you commuter school with a fashion crowd goes in for fit- in a bathrobe abound, and ap- can tell something about cul- diverse population of stu- ted jeans, overwhelmingly parently, sightings of boys in ture and society.” dents, most of whom hold Seven and little tops or hood- skirts and dresses—worn both down jobs in addition to ies. Most students say the ironically and in earnest—are HARVARD attending classes. Students West Coast girls bring the not uncommon. One profes- UNIVERSITY prefer the sort of functional trends to the campus, while Cambridge, Mass. jeans and T-shirts or athletic to this day, primarily preppy East Coast girls contribute a Undergraduate looks they can pick up at the and casual, while “brands are more bohemian flavor. Enrollment: 6,600 Gap or Express. Given the still alive on campus.” Harvard’s venerable status in location of the school, of NORTHWESTERN the world of academia affects course one stumbles across MASSACHUSETTS UNIVERSITY campus style. “Everyone the occasional fashionista, INSTITUTE OF Evanston, Ill. dresses like an adult here,” characterized by one student TECHNOLOGY Undergraduate says one student wistfully. as someone looking like “she Cambridge, Mass. Enrollment: about 8,000 Certainly many students opt just stepped out of the pages Undergraduate While the knowledge of fash- for a conservative look, as if of a magazine,” but she is a Enrollment: 4,200 ion is high at Northwestern, in preparation for a future of rare breed indeed. Although the predominant the interest is fairly low. The

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sor calls the Oberlin style here,” says one student, “but there is a Fashion Club on preppy type boasting a high “eclectic and cutting-edge,” you can be pleasantly off.” campus, and the members IQ, but a low SBQ (status- and another says that stu- get together to go through brand quotient). Even the dents spend a fortune to look SARAH LAWRENCE magazines and attempt to sorority girls have a low-key, like they don’t care. “I like to COLLEGE mimic the looks through their dress-down, no-makeup style. express myself through what I Bronxville, N.Y. sewing and knitting. The typical outfit is Seven wear,” says Sarah Updegraff, a Undergraduate jeans, Juicy Couture hoodie biopsychology major. “But I Enrollment: 1,200 SPELMAN COLLEGE or similar brand sweatshirt, think it’s disgusting that peo- Students at Sarah Lawrence Atlanta. Ga. Earl Jean corduroy jacket ple will spend ridiculous are knowledgeable about Undergraduate and Reef flip-flops or Rocket amounts of money on cloth- Princeton’s dominant fashion fashion; most just choose to Enrollment: 2,000 Dog platform flip-flops. Even ing when so many people are ethos is clean-cut, well- ignore it. They claim they A sense of decorum is part of after studying abroad, stu- starving—also uncreative. scrubbed and classic. “If wouldn’t be caught dead in dents tend to return to the Make it yourself.” Students at Princeton were a smell,” anything from Gap (too cor- campus with an all-American the school’s Conservatory are quipped on student, “it would porate) or Abercrombie look from Gap or a small but very visible group. be a light, citrusy one.” While (gross). Instead, they opt for Abercrombie & Fitch. They realize that as perform- pockets of old-school prep- dumpster diving or searching ers they will be judged by sters remain steadfast (the the Salvation Army. Many ac- STERN COLLEGE FOR their appearance. Relative to Lacrosse team has a pen- knowledge the importance of WOMEN OF YESHIVA the rest of the student body, chant for wearing Nantucket appearance as a mode of self- UNIVERSITY their style leans toward the reds), a greater percentage of expression. They say that New York, N.Y. conservative. However, most students embraces the neo- their time at Sarah Lawrence Undergraduate of them add their unique twist prep Abercrombie & Fitch is all about trying on different Enrollment: 800 to their polished look in the look. The most fashionable identities, which impacts their Contrary to popular belief, vein of a paisley cashmere girls populate the selective look. “This year, I’m going for the overall fashion aesthetic scarf punching up an all-black eating clubs, particularly Ivy the Siberian nomad look,” at Yeshiva University’s ensemble. and Cottage. They tend to- one explains. And despite the Midtown Manhattan all-fe- ward Seven or Paper, Denim avowed anti-fashion stance, the code of conduct at male offshoot is not charac- PRINCETON & Cloth jeans paired with of- Spelman College, where the terized by dowdy denim UNIVERSITY the-moment tops. There ap- student handbook features skirts that hang to the knees Princeton, N.J. pears to be little value placed an entire section devoted to and equally matronly blous- Undergraduate on showy individualism in the subject of dress and comes. Sure, Stern has a dress Enrollment: 6,632 dressing, and students opt for portment. The students’ policy that could make for a Widely considered the preppi- tasteful conformity. “You fashion sense leans toward a staid-looking student body— est school in the Ivy League, can’t be obnoxiously different sophisticated, classic, pol- “Students should wear dress- ished look. Jeans make a es or skirts of appropriate wardrobe staple, but so do length and blouses with more dressed-up pants, and one also sees occasional DVF wrap dress. While high- ✱BUSH VS BUSH heeled sandals and boots are in, flip-flops and Birkenstocks It only makes sense for Lauren Bush, niece of President George W. Bush, to go to Princeton, the preppiest of all are unheard of. Designer la- the Ivies. After all, it's the birthplace of the style she bels are coveted, particularly embodies on behalf of Tommy Hilfiger. First Daughter in accessories, with handbags Barbara's presence is at Yale is more motivated by by Louis Vuitton, Fendi and legacy—her presidential grandfather and father both attended. Gucci among the favorite sta- Regardless of their reasons, the First Cousins might tus labels. just be the most stylish coeds in America. It helps that Lauren's a model (with a W cover to her name) and that STANFORD Barbara's a budding designer. And what possible equals do they have among White House progeny? Chelsea UNIVERSITY Clinton needed a Versace makeover before attending her Palo Alto, Calif. first fashion show; while Lauren and Barbara were already Undergraduate tag-teaming regulars at Zac Posen. PHOTOS MCGEE/GLOBE HENRY BUSH: LAUREN Enrollment: 6,731 And while their uncle/dad sticks with Brooks Brothers- style sobriety, the cousins’ style palette has some range. Both adhere to classic looks, but Barbara, who attended The average Stanford stu- sleeves at all times in the col- Jeremy Scott and Wink, appears to be the more adventurous of the two. "She tends to lean toward edgier dent is a California athletic- lege buildings,” the student pieces....she likes to have fun with clothes," says Posen. handbook reads—but this pol- "It's classic with a twist," notes designer Lela Rose, with whom Barbara interned last summer. "She won't icy simply forces the campus’ just take something straight from a designer and do it head-to-toe. She's going to put her own spin on it." Lauren, by contrast, keeps a low profile on Princeton's campus despite her former billboard style-savvy young women to omnipresence. Sure, she harnessed her Rolodex to round up clothes for the school's annual charity fashion be creative with their show recently (Hilfiger and Diane Von Furstenberg were big contributors), but Princeton's die-hard liberal wardrobes. Several glamour arts curriculum means fashion interests come second (her request to study abroad at Central St. Martins was denied), and when she's not attending benefits in Manhattan, she's busy blending in. gals, many of whom shop at "She's clearly been exposed to fashion," says one classmate, "but sticks to slightly-more-interesting- Tahari, Banana Republic and than-usual takes on the Princeton uniform of jeans, flip-flops and non-descript Ts or button-downs." even H&M, said they tinker Of course, she doesn’t actually have to try terribly hard to stand out. "The truth of the matter is that with pieces by embellishing she is so beautiful that her beauty comes before her style," says Von Furstenberg. And what could be more skirts with embroidery and classically collegiate than effortlessly passing? fringing hemlines and waist- lines. But of course, there are

50 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E DIRECTORY

✱FASHION’S SHEEPSKIN FLOCK

Anyone who knows Jeffrey Kalinsky, owner of the keynote speaker Leonard Lauder. background is very helpful,” she says. “I had a lot of Jeffrey stores in New York and Atlanta, will have no Mizrahi says the most important thing he learned at serious classes in color at RISD. What I got in Paris…it trouble conjuring up an image of the upscale retailer Parsons was “how to take criticism and deal with fail- was an haute couture school, so I had very intensive playing social director for his University of Florida fra- ure and success.” Something of a prodigy, Mizrahi draping and construction classes.” ternity in Gainesville. Kalinsky exhibited a flair for mer- began taking evening classes at Parsons at 14, at the While some schools are known for minting success- chandising even then, conceiving a safari-themed behest of children’s wear designer Ellie Fishman, a fam- ful alumni, it goes without saying that an Ivy League party replete with tiki hutch bars, jungle murals, a ily friend. Eventually, he enrolled full time. sheepskin is a career booster. Harvard University grad- palm-frond fence and spit-roasted pig. Smirnoff Vodka, “Parsons was very elitist at the time,” he says. uates include Natalie Portman, John Bartlett and which sponsored the party along Fraternity Row where “That totally prepared me for the elitism that exists Stanley Marcus. Domenico De Sole and Paul Charron, each house undertook a different theme, awarded in the real fashion world.” the chief executive officers of Gucci Group and Liz Kalinsky’s Tau Epsilon Phi the top prize of $10,000. The Fashion Institute of Technology can boast Claiborne, respectively, earned masters degrees at the Lazaro Hernandez, who with Jack McCollough de- about graduates such as Calvin Klein, Norma Kamali, university. signs Proenza Schouler, left the University of Miami David Chu and Andrea Jovine. Klein actually dropped Condeleeza Rice, certainly the chicest after completing his sophomore year. After giving the out then returned and finished pre-med program a try, Hernandez decided that cut- school, but skipped his gradua- Isaac Mizrahi Donna ting fabric rather than flesh was more his speed and tion ceremony. Karan enrolled at the Parsons School of Design. The University of California There, Hernandez developed a strong work ethic and at Berkeley gave us Edith Head, time-management skills. “The industry can throw many the legendary costume design- things your way at once,” he says. “Learning how to bal- er, and Walter Haas, president ance it all can make or break you.” of Levi’s (for whom the gradu- When your mother is Carolina Herrera, it’s as- ate school of business is sumed that you will have an interest in fashion. But named) while Stanford Patricia Lansing remained uncommitted when she en- University produced fashion tered Brown University. “I didn’t treat college as the plates such as Jennifer Jeffrey Kalinsky stomping ground for what I was going to do,” says Connelly and Sigourney Weaver. Lansing, who recently made a major career change Reese Witherspoon attended from editorial—a seven-year term in the fashion de- for one year. partment at Vanity Fair—to a design post at her moth- Amy Hould Ward, who won a er’s company. “Brown made me realize that I really Tony award for her costumes love studying. It was the perfect balance of school for Beauty and the Beast, hit work and fun, yet it totally prepared you to let go of it the books at the University of after your time there.” Virginia, but her sense of style For a school known for its understated style—think must have been innate. Sarah funky granola—Brown has held an uncanny attraction Easley, co-owner with Beth for the fashion flock. Vogue editor at large André Leon Buccini of the SoHo boutique Carolina and Talley, maternity wear designer Liz Lange, Oscar de la Kirna Zabête, says the school Patricia Herrera Renta executive Eliza Reed Bolen, Diane Von didn’t influence her or her part- Furstenberg progeny Alex and his wife Alexandra, ner one iota in terms of sartori- “Saturday Night Live” co-producer Marci Klein, ac- al flair. tress Tracee Ellis Ross, Tuleh’s Amanda Brooks and “Beth and I were thrilled to Dana Buchman are all graduates. have an Ann Taylor store in Lansing, who studied art history, says that town,” says Easley. “There was Brown’s proximity to the Rhode Island School of a lot of Levi’s and Patagonia. It Lazaro Design made it a magnet for creative types. “I was was just wasted glamour to try Hernandez Nicole Miller absorbing everything visually, which helped me,” she to wear anything more exotic.” says. “Having access to RISD was a great balance. Like many before them, “There was no pressure about how you looked,” Easley and Buccini were smitten with fashion in Paris, politico these days, went to Notre Dame. So did Regis adds Lansing, who roomed with Brooks for two years. where they spent their junior year studying. “Paris Philbin, whose monochrome look sent sales of navy “The style was more make-your-own or find something opened up our eyes,” Easley says. “After living in dress shirts skyrocketing a few years back. different.” Paris we decided we wanted to live in New York.” Meanwhile, Princeton University seems to harbor in- Not surprisingly, the alumni of Parsons wear their Buccini became a fashion editor at New York maga- tellectual models—no, it’s not an oxymoron. Brooke love of fashion on their sleeves. Graduates include zine and Easley worked at French fashion houses. The Shields graduated in 1988 and presidential daughter Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, Anna Sui, women combined their skills in 1999 to open Kirna Lauren Bush is now a coed. Mark Badgley, James Mischka, Cynthia Steffe, Peter Zabête, whose name is a combination of their college When it comes to broad (in every sense) fashion Som and Michael Vollbracht. And let’s not forget nicknames. influence, University of Arkansas has a biggie: S. Claire McCardell, Norman Norell, former New York Nicole Miller was also inspired by Paris. The de- Robson Walton, chairman of Wal-Mart and the eldest Times fashion scribe Carrie Donovan and Norman signer attended RISD as an undergraduate and went son of founder Sam Walton. Rockwell. Yes, Norman Rockwell. on to L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture But Tulane University is something of a mystery. Karan, who has been a supporter of the school Parisienne for training. At RISD, Miller studied every- How to explain a school whose alumni include throughout her career, established the Stephan Weiss thing from painting to sculpture. The school is no Geoffrey Beene and Lauren Hutton as well as Newt Lecture Series at Parsons in honor of her late hus- cakewalk, says Miller, who drew countless studies of Gingrich and Jerry Springer? band. The next installment, on May 6, features sewing machines, shoes and bicycles. “Having an art –Sharon Edelson MIZRAHI, KARAN: JEFF VESPA/WIRE IMAGE; HERRERA, IMAGE; VESPA/WIRE JEFF KARAN: MIZRAHI, TURNER; DAVID HERNANDEZ: ARCHIVES; WWD KALINSKY: IMAGE KAMBOURIS/WIRE DIMITRIOS MILLER: a few rabble-rousers who dents can take up to 14 cred- everybody knows one anoth- ance and not interested challenge the dress policy by its at nearby FIT. er. The uniform is comprised enough in their schoolwork. sneaking in an inappropriate of jeans (no fancy labels) and hem length here and a slit up SWARTHMORE a T-shirt or perhaps a funky SYRACUSE a skirt there. But even COLLEGE top. For some students, the UNIVERSITY skimpier items can be worn Swarthmore, Pa. uniform is an outward expres- Syracuse, N.Y. with creative layering. An in- Undergraduate sion of an aversion to mark- Undergraduate terest in fashion shows up on Enrollment: 1,450 ings of social class and capi- Enrollment: 11,577 the academic side as well. Swarthmore is a highly de- talism. Others admit they toe Syracuse University certainly While Stern offers no fashion manding place intellectually the line to avoid being viewed seems to benefit from being or retailing programs, stu- and academically, where as too interested in appear- in the same state as New

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winter), Tiffany & Co.’s toggle necklace or charm bracelet and some form of polo shirt or oxford button- down. The exception is that handful of disgruntled design students who say it's all just a horrible cliché—but who still admit that looking presentable is important. On a recent visit to the York City, even if it’s a good campus, one girl stood out 250 miles away. A signifi- in the crowd with her cant number of students punked-out, flyaway hair— make their way up from the but even she was wearing a Big Apple and other metro- pink button-down shirt. politan areas to take advantage of the school’s great TULANE variety of resources. The UNIVERSITY fashion design students New Orleans, La. have access to field trips to Undergraduate Manhattan’s garment dis- Enrollment: 7,522 trict, as well as lectures Given the chronic heat and from a variety of fashion lu- humidity in New Orleans, minaries who have included the fashion on Tulane’s alumna Betsey Johnson, campus tends to be over- Michael Kors and Russell whelmingly casual. Simmons. The Newhouse Students wear everything School of Public from stylish gym shorts, T- Communications offers an shirts, hoodies and sweat- intensely competitive and pants, from Juicy Couture popular class on fashion photography, and a class focusing on fashion advertising is on the drawing board. In terms of personal style the student body covers a lot of ground. Some lean toward the trendy must-haves of the day: Juicy, Seven, and traditional athletic Louis Vuitton, etc., while brands, as well as yoga others (not surprisingly, pants, jeans, denim minis, those in the visual arts) cre- tank tops and polo shirts to atively pull together a look class. The girls carry their gleaned from digging at the books in totes, sometimes Salvation Army, surfing from Louis Vuitton, Hervé eBay, and hitting H&M, Chapelier, Prada and Coach. among other things. Footwear ranges from Reef to J. Crew flip-flops and TRINITY COLLEGE Rocket Dogs, with Puma Hartford, Conn. sneakers the rage and New Undergraduate Balance the classic athletic Enrollment: Approx. 1,148 shoe. For nights out, fash- Every Trinity student will ion is kicked up a notch, say that there's a dominant with jeans such as Seven, “uniform” on campus: Earl and Paper, Denim & Think Boarding School Part Cloth, or snug black pants II. This means Seven jeans, worn with tank tops or deli- Reef flip-flops (even in the cate blouses from Shoshana or Betsey Johnson, with high heels to finish off the look. For the most part, Southern students seem to stick to traditional, pulled-together preppy looks, while the Northerners bring the high-fashion, trend-driven

52 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 DIRECTORY

BLACK

looks to campus. sporty or urban looks. Although most students G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. 512 Seventh Avenue UNIVERSITY show little knowledge of the New York, NY 10018 OF ARIZONA fashion industry, looking T. 212.403.0500 Tucson, Ariz. good is important to them. F. 212.840.6003 Undergraduate Enrollment: They spend a fair amount of www.blackrivet.com 28,278 money on apparel, favoring Serious students seeking a brands such as Juicy career in the sciences, engi- Couture, Seven Jeans, neering or photography find Levi’s, DKNY, Abercrombie their place in the sun here. & Fitch, J. Crew and Gap. Additionally, Arizona boasts the Southwest Retail Center UNIVERSITY for Education and Research. OF CHICAGO along with courses aimed at Chicago, Ill. helping students prepare for Undergraduate a career in retailing, the cen- Enrollment: About 4,000 ter also does research on Despite its proximity to consumer buying and shop- Chicago, the campus of the ping patterns. And there are university might be any- yearly career expos for stu- where in terms of fashion. dents and retailing confer- Most students appear, in ences that attract stores to fact, to be dismissive of the hear motivational speeches subject. Most, but not all. A delivered by industry lead- small number of students ers. Still, few students sur- say they are interested in veyed showed interest in matters of style. The desert more or less dictates campus style, with jeans, denim or khaki shorts the preferred bottoms and school T- shirts, breezy halters or camisoles the favored tops. pursuing careers in fashion, The frequented shopping but are willing to wait until venues are denim stores, they graduate to pursue retro shops and used cloth- any career-specific educa- ing emporiums. tion or experience.

UNIVERSITY OF UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS COLORADO AT ANGELES (UCLA) BOULDER Los Angeles, Calif. Boulder, Colo. Undergraduate Undergraduate Enrollment: 36,900 Enrollment: 23,342 As befits its upscale Though the students at Westwood locale, UCLA stu- Boulder look good in their dents favor all things boot-cut jeans or khakis trendy, with a casual flair teamed with tight T-shirts that is common in (some baring the midriff), California. Low-rise jeans and little Ts rule for women, while the guys lean toward

their minds are occupied with aerospace studies, computers and engineering—not fashion. Except for a pronounced preference for black tops, fashion seems to determined more by function: plenty of jackets or sweatshirts for those chilly mountain nights or early mornings.

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UNIVERSITY Retailing Education and games call for dressing up, Vuitton, Coach or YSL along OF FLORIDA Research places about 300 which means men in creased with Chanel sunglasses and Gainesville, Fla. graduates a year in stores khakis and ties escorting the occasional diamond Undergraduate such as Sears, Wal-Mart and coeds decked in Nicole Miller Technomarine watch. Enrollment: 35,000 Burdines, mostly in store or Bebe dresses and high “There’s definitely a purse Interest in sports and Gator management positions. heels. At Encore, a popular thing going on here,” says fever at the University of downtown boutique, owner Laura Troy, president of the Florida apparently spark the UNIVERSITY John Widmer stocked Seven Kappa Kappa Gamma sorori- student body’s preference for OF GEORGIA Jeans for spring, but report- ty. “Accessories in general T-shirts and tanks, many em- Athens, Ga. ed more interest in dresses are huge. I guess it’s because blazoned with the famous al- Undergraduate Enrollment: and skirts. “Girls may wear the style of dress is so sim- ligator, coupled with shorts, 32,000 jeans to class, but they're ple, it’s a way to really ex- sweats or the occasional The University of Georgia nicer jeans,” he said. “The press your taste.” skirt. Those not consumed by has a reputation for football hippie thing of past years is athletics project a preppy, and partying, and whether starting to lift. Girls are UNIVERSITY sporty look with a touch of that’s fair or not, everything— showing more interest in OF MICHIGAN beach that can be partly including fashion—does seem dressing up and looking good Ann Arbor, Mich. summed up in one word: to revolve around one or the again.” Undergraduate Abercrombie. “It’s definitely other. Generally, students Enrollment: 23,168 the hottest brand for girls on dress down for class in UNIVERSITY While there are plenty of campus,” says Josh sweatpants, jeans (with a few OF MIAMI nant look at the school is ca- sparks of creativity and origi- Aubuchon, a senior and the designer labels starting to Miami, Fla. sual—Juicy Couture sweats, a nality in dress, fashion does student senate president pro- show up) and even pajama Undergraduate tank top and flip-flops. But not seem to be a priority for tempore. Although the bottoms teamed with Enrollment: 9,4l8 the look is individualized with most students. Style leans to- school offers no fashion pro- T-shirts, tanks, hoodies and Considering its location, it’s luxe accessories—a designer ward the comfortable, laid- gram, the Miller Center for flip-flops. But home football no surprise that the predomi- bag from Gucci, Louis back, sporty college look. And

54 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E DIRECTORY

since sports are huge at UM, or Hervé Chapelier bags, de- caps, shorts, Ts, sweatshirts high-heeled sandals and de- school paraphernalia is signer Ts or Polo or Lacoste and sweatpants. Working out signer Ts, tanks or slinky tops. prevalent. Sweatshirts, T- shirts with either Rainbow flip- at the gym and running are shirts, sweatpants, jeans and flops or New Balance sneakers. also big, and many students UNIVERSITY OF sneakers are the most com- UNC-Chapel Hill takes its ath- wear their workout clothes to NOTRE DAME mon fare. Most students letics seriously. A large number classes. At night, the fashion Notre Dame, Ind. seem more interested in aca- of students wear UNC para- quotient is stepped up. Girls Undergraduate demics, sports and activism phernalia, including baseball wear jeans or black pants with Enrollment: 8,261 than in being creative with their clothing. Students from the coasts say they conform to the college

style because they would get “stared at” in their more fashiony clothes from home, and that they had to shop for more conservative clothes after ar- riving at Michigan. On the other hand, some Midwestern students say that they were influenced by the more forward style of their coastal counterparts.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA Chapel Hill, N.C. Undergraduate Enrollment: 15,961 The predominant looks at UNC Chapel Hill are preppy and athletic. The more fashion-conscious female students sport Seven Jeans or Paper, Denim & Cloth jeans, Vera Bradley

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Notre Dame’s student body is athletics, and a deep-seated UNIVERSITY standing out from the pack. for the most part closely knit, camaraderie is evident on OF SOUTHERN The school offers no fashion homogeneous and conserva- campus. This extends even to CALIFORNIA (USC) or retailing programs. tive. Students live in single- getting dressed, as coeds re- Los Angeles, Calif. sex dorms and still have pari- port that sharing clothes is a Undergraduate UNIVERSITY OF etals, regulations that govern common practice, even when Enrollment: 15,400 TEXAS AT AUSTIN the visiting privileges of the it comes to the best items in Although located in an ethni- Austin, Tex. opposite sex. Dancing, alco- their closets. One girl re- cally diverse urban environ- Undergraduate hol and even cable TV are members going to a dance ment, USC style is classic col- Enrollment: 50,610 forbidden in the dorms. with five friends, all of whom lege fare. Interest in fashion The University of Texas has a Sports are an intrinsic part of wore her dresses. ranges from “I don’t think small but growing fashion life at the school, and almost about it” and “I go back-to- and retail curriculum that everyone attends home UNIVERSITY OF school shopping once a benefits from a cultural spot- games, usually wearing the OREGON AT EUGENE year,” to all-out enthusiasm light on fashion. Mainstream same t-shirt in school-spirit Eugene, Ore. for the latest styles. Most stu- students also get their fash- green. It goes without saying Undergraduate dents seemed to want to look ion curiosity piqued by a that school sweatshirts, jack- Enrollment: 14,085 good in their jeans without huge fashion museum, the ets, hats and sweatpants are The University of Oregon at Harry Ransom Humanities a way of life. However, there Eugene is a free-thinking, Research Center, that holds is an outlet for fashion cre- free-style campus where the and shape of jeans, cotton one million books, five million ativity: an inordinate number students embrace ecology, Ts, gauze tops and lots of photos and more than of themed parties. This year’s women’s causes and count- political and school logo 100,000 art and fashion ob- included Ghetto Night, White less political issues. But shirts. Topping it off are jects. Major holdings include Trash Night and Casino fashion is not a cause they Pendleton jackets, jersey the David O. Selznick perma- Night. Students say they care about. An updated warmup jackets and the om- nent exhibit featuring cos- channel their competitive Haight-Ashbury look pre- nipresent raincoat for those tumes and screen tests from streaks into academics and dominates, with every shade inevitable p.m. showers. Gone With the Wind. Yes, this

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John Quinn (212) 630-4212 [email protected]

56 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E DIRECTORY

denim is black instead of learn from one another how Pulitzer, Tommy Hilfiger, students seem to embrace— blue, and one can also to sew, model, make jewelry, Ralph Lauren, J.Crew, Gap, and physically, manifested by glimpse the occasional pair do hair and makeup and pho- Juicy Couture and the Jeffersonian architec- of khakis. On top, tailored tography. Its shows draw a Abercrombie & Fitch. Outside ture. This is a university with cotton shirts, Polo Ralph paying audience of 300 to class, there are many occa- a strict honor code enforced Lauren pullovers and school- 500, supplying funds that sions for dressing up, includ- by a student governing board logo or music-inspired are used to buy fabrics and ing two university formal with the authority to expel T-shirts rule. produce the next presenta- events. In the spring, the students who break it. tion. UVA’s female student fashion spotlight turns to UNIVERSITY Foxfield, an annual steeple- UNIVERSITY OF is where you will find OF VIRGINIA chase reminiscent of the WASHINGTON Scarlett’s green curtain Charlottesville, Va. Kentucky Derby, which draws AT SEATTLE dress. Additionally, the Undergraduate a big percentage of the stu- Seattle, Wash. Historic Costumes and Enrollment: 12,748 dents. Women wear sun- Undergraduate Textiles Collection of the The University of Virginia is dresses and straw hats, and Enrollment: 37,412 Texas Memorial Museum con- the buckle on the preppy “may never even see a Students at the University of tains approximately 3,000 bible belt, a microcosm horse,” according to one stu- Washington are much more textiles, apparel and acces- where Lacoste always reigns. dent. In the fall, those sun- interested in the environ- sories spanning the 19th and But it would be inaccurate to dresses—accessorized with ment than they are in fash- 20th centuries including dismiss the school as lacking high heels—go to the football ion. The ubiquitous campus works by Balenciaga, St. in fashion consciousness. The games on the arm of a male Laurent, Chanel, Givenchy, Fashion Design Club, a three- body favors a casual but put- wearing a button-down shirt, Lanvin and Mainbocher. year-old, 200 member group, together look for day, domi- tie and khaki pants. The clas- Despite all that fashion inspi- stages a runway show each nated by Seven Jeans, sic preppy style so prevalent ration, the on-campus look is semester featuring hand- cropped pants, short skirts here reflects the administra- denim, denim and more made fashions. The club em- and solid knit shirts. The big tion’s emphasis on tradition denim. But sometimes the braces those who want to labels are Seven, Lilly both culturally—which the

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 57 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E DIRECTORY

uniform is jeans (no particu- Juicy Couture with the occa- advantage of the year in New student is very knowledgeable lar labels), T-shirt and school- sional Marc by Marc Jacobs York, finishing up with a BS about fashion, he or she does- logoed sweatshirt—and don’t thrown into the mix. And they and an associate degree from n’t have many chances to forget the umbrella. Sandals abandon their athletic shoes FIT. Approximately 95 per- show the best of it off. Since and hiking boots are the fa- for stiletto boots. At any time cent of the program’s gradu- the social scene in vorite footwear for the dar- of the day, handbags are the ates go on to work in fashion. Poughkeepsie is almost nonex- ing, while everyone else statement piece, with Prada, istent, many students claim sticks with Nikes or Adidas, a Kate Spade, Fendi, Gucci and VANDERBILT they lose the impetus to dress smart move given the hilly Burberry ranking as favorites. UNIVERSITY up. (The others might wear campus. There are no fashion The school offers a four-year Nashville, Tenn. prom dresses to class on a or retail programs offered. fashion program, with an op- Undergraduate sories. “It’s frustrating be- whim.) While there are pockets tion to complete the last year Enrollment: 6,319 cause I came from a much of wealthy students who stock UNIVERSITY at FIT. About 80 percent of Vanderbilt sits smack in the more diverse high school, and their closets with Prada and OF WISCONSIN seniors in the program take middle of Nashville, but it kids were fine with purses Dolce & Gabbana and com- Madison, Wisc. might as well be hundreds of from Banana Republic,” says mute to nearby New York on Undergraduate miles away from the Grand one student. “Here, you step weekends, most build their Enrollment: 28,677 Ole Opry. Tucked behind the on Dior bags.” Girls wear looks at the local thrift shops The fashion quotient was thick magnolia trees and heels to class and don’t think and vintage stores—though pretty high at the University bricks walls lies a student twice about having to walk few even display some anxiety of Wisconsin, but it didn’t population that has little in across campus in them. No about having to relearn the art show on campus where the common with the country one uses backpacks (“gross”). of dressing after graduation. predominant look is jeans and and western music crowd. A The male population, mean- a sweatshirt. But at night, polite, boarding-school aes- while, has adopted an out- when students hit the bars, thetic informs the prevailing door adventure look, com- they head out in Seven fashion look: Dressing for plete with North Face jackets, Jeans, Miss Sixty, Diesel and class is the norm, and nobody SUVs and water bottle hold- would ever go to class in ers from the camping store. sweats. Before Seven and Paper Denim & Cloth became VASSAR COLLEGE so popular, jeans were also a Poughkeepsie,N.Y. no no. The Vandy girl loves Undergraduate Tiffany jewelry, Louis Vuitton, Enrollment: 2,300 Breaking through Burberry and Coach acces- Although the average Vassar ✱FROM COLLEGE TO CAREER ahead Just a few years ago, job-seeking college students enjoyed a buyers’ market. At the same time, the Moving economic and dot-com booms ushered in an era of casualization that trickled all the way down to college job fairs—and even some interviews—for which graduating seniors could show up in jeans and sandals without a second thought. Today is a different story. Worried by the tight job market, students bombard university career services departments for help in making that all-important first im- pression. The departments are responding with seminars, workshops and handouts on everything from interview skills to corporate dining etiquette. Culture shock appears to be the norm. Cassandra Latimer, associate director of the Career Center at University of Georgia, notes that while students are willing to play the game, dressing in the corporate mold remains an alien concept. “They think, ‘I’m fashion-forward in real life, why can’t I dress the same for work?’” she says. “Sometimes we have to caution against Ally McBeal short skirts and Britney Spears low-rise pants.” is promoting One innovation, on-campus fashion shows, has become a common strategy. The presentations are often in partnership with retailers eager to outfit student models and offer tips on buying and wardrobing career apparel. Many retailers distribute percentage-off coupons in the process. Last month, the J.C. Penny center for Retail Excellence at Dallas’ Southern Methodist University staged a all career paths. show with 24 looks on a dozen models, men and women, that drew over 100 students. At the University of Georgia, mannequins (the plastic kind) outfitted by Talbot’s and other retailers stand in the career services office as daily reminders of proper career dress. And in March, the enterprising career-services staff at Cornell University produced a “Price is Right” -style game show on campus Whether you’re a student exploring a potential career featuring career wear scoured on a bargain hunt in New York. The message? Dressing appropriately in fashion or a professional looking to boost one, FIT is the place to be this summer. Our School of Continuing doesn’t mean breaking the bank. and Professional Studies has an extensive catalog As makeover artists, campus career offices are not exactly trendsetters. But in many ways, that’s of credit, non-credit, and certificate courses—from exactly the point. Casual and trendy are out, they stress, and the pendulum has swung back to tradi- marketing to sculpture, textile design to business tional formulas. Though not as dreadful as the dress-for-success looks of 20 years ago, the pre- writing, plus a wide range of liberal arts classes—all scribed look is definitely intended for fitting in: business suits for both sexes, and closed-toe shoes at convenient times and affordable SUNY prices. with hosiery for women. In a notable exception, once-forbidden pantsuits are now acceptable. And regional differences still exist, according to Jim McBride, director, University of Virginia’s career services. “East Coast schools are often shocked by the laid-back style of West Coast job recruiters,” says McBride, who stresses that the traditional is often mitigated by liberal corporate cultures or more www.fitnyc.edu > 1-888-FIT-IS-NYC x59 creative fields. That would no doubt come as a relief to many student job seekers. “The funniest thing is watching students decked out in suits for a 9 a.m. interview, and back in sweats and flip-flops by 10 a.m.,” says University of Georgia’s Latimer. “They can’t wait to get back to normal.” —GEORGIA LEE School of Continuing & Professional Studies BERKSTRESSER, JANELL BAIZON, “DAEMON ADASKAVEG, MIKE SAMPERTON, KYLE BY PHOTOS LOTA LUIS AND LIU JACK LLEWELLYN, ROBERT EICHNER, STEVE CLAWSON, AMBER Fashion Institute of Technology STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK | SEVENTH AVE. AT 27 ST., NEW YORK CITY

58 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 T H E C O L L E G E I S S U E ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Students at Sarah Lawrence.

American University: Todd Sedmak, director of media relations; Bard College: Annel Cabrera, Erin Cannan, Mark Primoff, Pat Pontecorvo; Bennington College: Linda Anderson, Leah Estell, Andy Spence, Sue Rees, Isabelle Kaplan, Holly McCormack; Boston College: Jessica Rosen; Brigham Young University: Amber Clawson; Erin Johnson; Rebecca Price; Hazel Price; Brown University: Mary Jo Curtis, News Office; California Institute of the Arts: David Barber, Scott Groller; Carnegie Mellon University: Dan Boyarski, Renée Camerlengo, Luis Cota, Martin Prekop, Eric Sloss, Erin Voorhies; Columbia University: Selena Jane Soo; Cornell University: Susan Lang, Van Dyk Lewis, Val K. Warke, Pina Swenson, Christine Papio, Nate Brown, Lauren Fanelli, Ali Galgano; Duke University: Farin Krentcil, Jordan Pollock, Whitney Beckett, Brady Beecham and Dean Sue; Emory University: Media Relations Department, The Kenneth Cole Fellowship in Community Building and Social Change, Alpha Epsilon Phi, The Student Government Association; Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising : Shirley Wilson; Fashion Institute of Technology : Mary Anne Smith; Georgetown University: Jaime Winne, communications specialist; Harvard University: Allison Tanenhaus, president, Harvard Fashion Design Club; Howard University: Derede McAlpin, media relations manager; Professor Doreen Vernon; Professor Aba Kwawu; Barron Harvey, dean, School of Business; Denise M. Caldwell; Rakiyt Zakari; Indiana University: Kate Rowold, Regina McCann, Deborah Christiansen; Ithaca University: Keith Davis, Raymond Ghirardo, Wiccit, Mary Ann Rishell, Louise Donohue; Johns Hopkins University: Amy Cowles, senior media relations representative; Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Kristin Collins, Press Office; Middlebury College: Phil Benoit, Claire Bourne, Jule Emerson, Ted Perry, Patricia Zupan, Richard Romagnoli, Ginny Hunt, Sara Stronovsky, Amory Wooden, Maggie Smith; New York University: Shonna Kaogen, Dean E. Francis White, Erin Slattery, Gwen Stolyarov, Chris Trogan, Lynn Gumpert, the Fashion Business Association; Northwestern University: Judy Moore, Virgil Johnson, Theresa Kwok; Oberlin College: Marci Janas, Natasha Uspensky; Otis College: Sheri Mobley; Parsons School of Design: Deborah Spence; Princeton University: Lindsay Mantoan, Tim Skerpon, Tower Club, Katherine Peek, Rachel Wagner; Purchase College State University of New York: Geraldine Sanderson; Rhode Island School of Design: Brien McDaniels, Department of External Relations; Sarah Lawrence College: Judith Schwartzstein, associate director of media & community relations School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Brian Flood Smith College: Raheli Millman, Marti Hobbes, Office of External Relations; Southern Methodist University: Amy Birdsong, Meredith Dickenson, Kappa Kappa Gamma; Spelman College: Public Relations Department; Department of Student Affairs; Department of Career Services; Dr. Zenobia Hikes, Dean of Student Activity; Stern College for Women of Yeshiva University: Dr. Karen Bacon, Sara Berman, Daniella Diament, Esther Finkle, Rebecca Glass, Naomi Kapp, Rachel Moss, Ellie Nyer; Swarthmore College: Joseph Altuzarra, Alisa Giardinelli, Tiffany Gong, Tedd Goundie, Bob Gross, Jeremy Schifeling; Syracuse University: Karen Bakke; Trinity College: Julie Winkel, Professor Michael Fitzgerald, Katy Kail, Rita Sclavunos; Tulane University: Mike Strecker, Professor Ed Strong, Courtney Harms, Eva Martinez, Nicole M. Labadot, Jacob Bolin, Stacy Glorioso, Shane Glass; University of Arkansas: Russell Cothren, Jill Edwards, Allison Hogge, Claudia Mobley, The Arkansas Traveler; University of California, Berkeley: Thomas C. Devlin, career center director; Professor Clare Henkel; Kate Edmunds, lecturer; Marie Felde, public relations director; Elizabeth Khuri; Laura Barkley; University of California, Los Angeles: Janell Berkstresser, Rachel Been, Cara Rosenthal, UCLA Panhellenic Council; University of Florida: Betsy A. Trobaugh, Barton A. Weitz, Cecilia Schulz, William L. McKeen, Ted Spiker, Eugene L. Zdziarski, Tracy Jones, A. F. Wehlburg, Jennifer Smith, Martha McDonald Tri Delta Delta Gamma ; University of Georgia: Career Services Center, Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, Office of Public Affairs, McColley's, Encore; University of Miami: Christine Casas; Loup Langton; Michael Carlebach; Elliot Gant; University of Michigan: Rebecca Ramsey, Joanne Nesbit, Lindsay Beauchamp, Holly Hughes; University of Mississippi: Megan Wood and friends, Jeffrey Alford, public relations director; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Ashlyn Goldberg, Eleanor Ennis; University of Notre Dame: Matthew Storin; University of Pennsylvania: Ron Ozio, Meghan Laska, Joanne Spigonardo, Julie Schneider, Hilal Nakiboglu, Joseph Boyle, the staff of 34th Street, Strictly Funk, Bibi Schweitzer; University of Southern California: Janell Berkstresser, Kimmy Ratican; University of Virginia: Virginia E. Carter, Jane Ford, Lee Graves, Professor Gweneth West and her costume design class, The Fashion Design Club; University of Wisconsin at Madison: Anna Stevens; Vanderbilt University: Marissa Shrum, Samar Ali, Marilyn Murphy, Professor Beth Fortune, associate vice chancellor for public affairs; Vassar College: Beth Fargis-Lancaster; Wesleyan University: David Pesci, Elizabeth Laser, Evans Chamberlain; Yale University: Andrew Hamilton, Avni Bhatia, Vanessa Lawrence

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Large manufacturers looking to coordinate programs, please feel free to contact our key account rep, Tabitha Vogelsong, at (213) 488-0226 ext. 280.

American Apparel 747 Warehouse St. Los Angeles, CA 90021 Tel: (213) 488-0226 Fax: (213) 488-0334 For current employment opportunities, please visit americanapparel.net/employment.html

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Levi’s San Francisco flagship.

through the generations or that survived years of grueling manual labor. “It’s not just a challenge for Levi’s, it’s a challenge for everybody that’s in business,” said John Bakane, president and ceo of Cone Mills Corp., also of Greensboro. “American consumers have gone to a disposable way of looking at things, from a quality and performance standpoint. I think they’ve lost some appreciation for all products and that typically happens in a disposable economy.” The jeans business has become more fragment- ed over the past decade, with dozens of new brands springing up targeting specific segments. This has led some sources to wonder if Levi’s would be better served by buying other jeans Levi brands to drive its growth, particularly in the Levi’s Strauss women’s area, where its sales have traditionally introduced Signature lagged its performance in men’s. Type One is Levi’s Haas said the first priority is to stabilize the core jeans to the upcoming business, but after that he could consider acquisitions. broad mass “It’s very clear that in our core brands, both market in market here and in other parts of the world, we’re pretty 2002. offering. well penetrated and growth will be hard to come by,” he acknowledged. “But having gone the acquisition route in the past and having divested a lot of those businesses after a period of time, I think we’ll be very selective if we do any.” The list of brands Levi’s has bought and sold in the past includes Brittania jeans, Koret and Oxford suits. “Businesses that are focused on their core com- petencies really go better,” said Haas. While Levi’s board — consisting of the descendants of Strauss who own the company today — may consider a number of options to expand sales and earnings, one thing they’re not looking to do is to cash out through an initial public offering or sale. The company was taken public in the Seventies and bought back by the family in the Eighties. “Our shareholder base remains very committed to our remaining a private company,” said Haas. “It’s hard for me to speculate on what might happen in the future or future generations, but as of now we’re looking to continue what has been a very successful situation.” He said one of the keys to keeping a family- owned company running smoothly is knowing when not to listen to the decision of a loved one. That lesson was underlined to him by a story his father, Walter, used to tell him about his mother, Evelyn. When his parents were first dating in the Thirties, Walter Haas had to explain to his East Coast-born wife what Levi Strauss & Co. was, since it then was known only in the Western part of the country. “She said, ‘You know Walter, I can understand Levi’s introduced its new retail why you must be so proud of this family company, format at its store in Manhattan’s but can I give you some advice?’” Haas recalled. “‘I SoHo district in December. think the name Levi’s just won’t catch on. You really ought to rename your product.’” 12 Levi’s at 150

1912 1942 permanent part of the Smithsonian 1853 No Koverups Ouch! Institution’s collection in Washington. The Founding Simon Davis, Jacob’s son, invents Levi’s drops the crotch rivet from Also this year, Levi’s sales reach $99.7 An immigrant from Buttenheim, Koveralls, a one-piece child’s playsuit, its jeans after Haas personally experi- million. Bavaria, named Levi Strauss moves while serving as superintendent of the ences the adverse effects when one to San Francisco, where he opens a company’s Valencia Street factory. wears the jeans while sitting too close 1966 dry-goods business, wholesaling to a campfire. On the Tube primarily men’s clothing to the small 1919 Levi’s broadcasts its first TV com- general stores of the American West. Hitting the Numbers 1947 mercial, in which a grizzled cowboy

WWD, THURSDAY, MAYWWD, THURSDAY, 1, 2003 Levi’s sales hit the $3 million mark. Pumping Up buries a worn-out pair of 501s. The Revenues include both the sale of Levi’s sales reach $11.8 million, tag line is: “It’s better to have had Levi’s branded product, as well as other helped by postwar demand. Revenue Levi’s and lost them than never to wholesale business. figures still include the company’s have had Levi’s at all.” wholesale division. 1924 1967 A Stern Leader 1949 Softening Up Sigmund Stern, another of Strauss’ The Kids Are Alright Levi’s removes the rear pocket riv- nephews, is named president, succeed- Levi’s launches its “Right for ets from the 501 jeans, reflecting their ing Jacob Strauss. School” advertising campaign, intend- increasing use as a leisure garment, ed to convince parents and educators rather than one that had to stand up to 1928 that there is nothing inappropriate heavy manual labor. Trademarked about denim in the classroom. Around The company registers the Levi’s this time, the word “jeans” slips into 1970 name as a trademark. The same year the lexicon, though Levi’s still calls its Haas to the Top Stern dies and his son-in-law, Walter A. denim pants “overalls.” This year the Peter Haas is named president, Levi Strauss founded his Haas Sr., is named president. company discontinues its wholesale succeeding his brother, Walter Jr. eponymous company in 1853. distribution business, focusing just on 1935 its branded product. 1971 For the Ladies Sell High The company introduces “Lady 1952 Levi Strauss & Co. goes public on 1866 Levi’s,” its first denim pants designed Giving Back March 3. It is listed on the New York Relocation for women, during the Great The company forms the Levi Strauss Stock Exchange and Pacific Stock Levi Strauss & Co. moves from Depression. To attach a little romance Foundation to oversee its donations to Exchange. California Street to Battery Street, to the company’s image during hard charity. which is its home for the next 40 years. times, Levi’s begins to use cowboys in 1972 its advertising and promotional materi- 1955 Half a Billion 1872 als. President Koshland Levi’s sales reach $504.1 million. Eureka Moment Haas steps down as president and Strauss and Jacob Davis, a tailor 1936 is succeeded by his cousin, Daniel 1974 from Reno, Nev., received a patent for Seeing Red Koshland. Moving Up a process Davis invented to rivet the Levi’s introduces the Red Tab to Levi’s headquarters moves to a larg- pocket corners on men’s pants. (Davis help identify its denim pants from a 1958 er space at San Francisco’s turned to Strauss because he didn’t distance. That symbol becomes a per- More Succession Embarcadero Center. have the $68 necessary to file the sistent part of the brand’s image. Walter Haas Jr. succeeds Koshland patent application.) They begin making as president. 1975 and selling “waist overalls.” 1937 Explosive Growth Scratch-Proof 1959 Revenue almost doubles in just 1873 The company starts covering the riv- Going Abroad three years, reaching the $1 billion A Stitch in Time ets on the back pockets of its 501 Levi’s starts its first export program, mark. Levi’s begins to use the batwing style, after complaints that the metal focusing on Europe. Europeans had stitched pocket arcuate on the rear pock- tended to scratch chairs at schools, as been introduced to the product by 1981 ets of its jeans. That symbol is the oldest well as saddles. American G.I.’s who arrived in Europe The First Outsider U.S. apparel trademark still in use today. during World War II and those who Robert Grohman, the head of the 1941 remained stationed there during the company’s international division, is 1890 The Power of Illusion Cold War. named president and chief executive 501 Debuts The U.S. enters World War II follow- officer, succeeding Haas. He is the Levi’s assigns the style number 501 ing the attack on Pearl Harbor. During 1960 first person from outside the Strauss to its men’s waist overalls. That style the war, rationing affects almost all Jeans Identification family to be named to the top spot. goes on to become a style icon that for consumer products, including Levi’s Keeping up with the times and many defines the concept of blue jeans. jeans — the company is ordered to the tastes of its young customers, 1982 remove some rivets from the design of Levi’s starts calling its products Sales Shakeup 1902 its jeans and also has to eliminate dec- jeans in advertising and promotion In a shift, Levi’s starts selling to A Passing orative stitching. To keep the distinctive materials. J.C. Penney Co. and Sears, Roebuck & Strauss dies at the age of 73, look, Levi’s designers start drawing the Co. This move angers many depart- passing the company down to his bat-wing pocket arcuate on the hip 1964 ment store buyers and prompts Macy’s nephews. Jacob Strauss, one of them, pockets, to mimic the look of stitching, Museum Quality to drop the brand for the next 11 is named president. which returned after V-J Day. A pair of Levi’s jeans are made a years.

1906 Disaster An enormous earthquake and ensuing

Sesquicentenary fire rage through San Francisco, destroy- ing Levi’s headquarters and two factories. The company extends credit to local wholesale customers and continues to pay its employees’ salaries. It operates out of a temporary headquarters while it rebuilds its facilities. All of Levi’s records are destroyed and to this day there is some information about early styles and sales that has never been recovered.

The enormous earthquake Levi’s opened its that struck San Francisco in factory at Valencia 1906 resulted in mass fires Street following the that destroyed Levi Strauss’ 1906 earthquake. initial headquarters. SOURCE: LEVI STRAUSS & MARKET CO., SOURCES Levi’s 13 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 1, THURSDAY,WWD, MAY

1984 Haas at the Helm Robert D. Haas, Walter Jr.’s son and Levi Strauss’ great-great-grand nephew, is named president and ceo, succeeding Grohman.

1985 Privacy Policy In a $1.45 billion leveraged buyout, one of the largest to date, the descendants of Levi Strauss take the company private again.

1986 On the Docks Levi’s introduces Dockers. While the company has made nondenim pants for years, this marks its first major effort to create a new brand.

1992 Rules of the Game Levi’s adopts a code of conduct regu- lating how the outside contractors, primarily overseas, who produce its clothing can treat their workers. The code “Product Innovations” showcases historic garments from sets standards for wages, hours, working Levi’s extensive archive. The initial exhibit includes a battered conditions and ethics, and becomes a Levi’s Takes Center Stage pair of 1880s Levi’s that were recovered from a mine, the original model for other companies, as working “Docker” khakis introduced in Japan in 1985 (which spawned the conditions in domestic and foreign fac- SAN FRANCISCO — Over the past several years, executives at company’s Dockers line in the U.S.) and one of the warmup suits tories come under greater scrutiny. This Levi Strauss & Co. had noticed an odd pattern. Levi’s made for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, which features a pock- year, Levi’s sales reach $5.5 billion. When they slipped into the office to get a little work done on et arcuate and Red Tab, though the pants are made of terry cloth. the weekends, they’d often find clusters of tourists standing in “Dear Levi” features dozens of letters the company has 1995 the plaza outside the company’s Battery Street headquarters received from consumers over the years, including tales of labor- Going Online here, just looking around. On weekdays, they’d occasionally walk ers who avoided injuries because of their sturdy Levi’s and one Levi’s merges onto the burgeoning through the lobby and discover groups of Japanese tourists hav- disturbing account of an American man who spent 109 days in a information superhighway, unveiling its ing their pictures taken under a large Levi’s banner. Cuban prison and later wrote the company to report that his Sta- levi.com Web site. It occurred to them that their building, a fixture in this town for Prest pants kept their crease throughout his ordeal, even though 150 years, had become a stop on the tourist trail. The only problem he had to kneel the entire time. It also has a letter box allowing 1997 was that, for the casual visitor, there was nothing to see except for consumers to report their current experiences with Levi’s. The Avalanche Begins a few plaques in the lobby. “Brand Builders” is a look at the history of the company’s Levi’s begins its sales slip, reporting That is set to change Friday when the company opens an 8,000- advertising, from its earliest pitches to miners to the recent cam- revenues of $6.86 billion, down 3.9 square-foot visitors center and museum in the glassed-in lobby of paign for Engineered Jeans. percent from a peak of $7.14 billion in its main headquarters building. Six pavilions featuring signs, “Latest & Greatest” will feature whatever products for 1996. Sales continue to slide for the clothing and video at the museum tell the story of the company’s which the company is currently focusing its promotion efforts. next six years. founding as a dry goods wholesaler, its invention of blue jeans The initial display features Type One jeans. and its rise into a global marketing powerhouse. “Profits Through Principles” details the activities of the The pavilions cover aspects of Levi’s history and culture. Levi Strauss Foundation and also outlines the company’s posi- Among the highlights: tion on ethical conduct and social responsibility. “Back to the Future” covers key milestones in the company’s The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays history and puts them in the context of world events on a time through Fridays. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. It is being line. This pavilion features a 19th-century Singer sewing unveiled to members of the press and Levi’s employees today machine once used in a Levi’s factory, as well as the Flat Eric and will open to the public on Friday. doll the company used in advertising in the 1990s. — Scott Malone Working in the Coal Mine Phil Marineau SAN FRANCISCO — During the high-end ing with a multi-billion-dollar company. 1999 jeans boom of the last several years, many But that’s not the only strategy he uses in Marineau’s Moment American shoppers got used to the idea of reconstructing Levi’s archive, which Levi’s names Phil Marineau, a paying hefty sums for dungarees, regular- today is approaching 6,000 garments, Pepsi executive, its president and ly browsing through stores that demand many dating from over 100 years ago. ceo. Haas gives up the ceo post, but $100, $200 or even $300 for cer- Levi’s rarely pays these stays on as chairman. Peter Jacobi tain styles. hefty prices. Sometimes, he steps down as president and chief That’s nothing compared said, “We lie to them. We tell operating officer after 28 years with with the prices quoted to them we have two already.” the firm. Jimmy Hanrahan. More annoying to Hanrahan “Every pair starts at $25,000,” than the dealers who hyperin- he said. And that’s an asking flate their prices are collectors 2000 price for jeans that might be who seem to be looking for Engineering Effort more than 50 years old. someone to pick on. Levi’s introduces Engineered Jeans, Hanrahan, a Levi’s “Some people will taunt with ergonomically angled pockets and spokesman who oversees the us,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘We twisted seams that are intended to make company’s archive, has become know you want this even jeans even more comfortable. They the point man in the firm’s ef- though you can’t have it.’” catch on in Europe and Asia, but fail to fort to reconstruct parts of its Hanrahan said Levi’s Levi’s paid $46,532 at auction for these jeans, make much headway with U.S. con- history that were lost in the today makes few purchases at which were found in a Nevada mine and date to sumers. 1906 earthquake and fire that auction, instead preferring to the 1880s. destroyed the company’s head- pick through flea markets and 2002 quarters. Along with two other used-clothing stores where The Levi’s collection craze started in Slip-Sliding Away staffers, he buys back styles of prices are more reasonable. Japan in the Eighties and slowly a group of Levi’s reports sales of $4.14 billion, jeans that Levi’s doesn’t have That’s particularly useful aficionados has been growing in the U.S. off $3 billion from the 1996 peak. in its collection. A few big-tick- Levi’s introduced when he’s not looking for Hanrahan said he appreciates the collec- et purchases, including a pieces that are 100 years old: tors, but cringed as he told the story of see- “Freedomalls,” one-piece 2003 $46,532 payout for a pair of He’s recently found lots of the ing teens in Japan actually wear 1920s-era suits for women, in Mass Moment jeans found in a Nevada mine, company’s original Dockers Levi’s jackets and smoking in them. Levi’s prepares to enter the mass have led some collectors to be- 1918. They are now part pieces at Goodwill outlets. Hanrahan said he likes to keep track market. In June, it will begin shipping lieve that the company might of the archive. The company also gets of particularly unusual pieces of Levi’s Levi Strauss Signature jeans to Wal-Mart be on the free-spending side. many ancient pairs free from people who heritage, even when the company doesn’t Stores Inc. Market observers have sug- Hanrahan has become an avid troller find them in attics or basements. want to buy them. gested this move could bring in billions of eBay.com, the auction Web site, where Levi’s designers use the extensive “Sometimes just knowing that it exists of dollars in sales for Levi’s, but might he keeps current on the prices dealers in archive for design inspiration. It also at- is enough,” he said. impact the core department and chain vintage jeans ask when they’re not deal- tracts historians and outside designers. — S.M. store business. 14

Serfontaine’s cashmere Culture Club Denim Dish denim. Having accomplished its first mission — creating contemporary jeans with vintage- inspired fashion and fit for a 30- to 55-year-old customer — Feel These Jeans Culturalpersona is now after a First-mover advantage is usually a term associated younger audience, with Xvala, with breakout businesses, especially in the dot-com a new denim line. heyday. But it’s becoming a familiar refrain in the Culturalpersona, based in crowded denim industry, with players such as Mik Oklahoma City, Okla., debuted WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 WWD, THURSDAY, Serfontaine seeking out the cutting edge. in October 2001. It targets “hip The latest inspiration for the Los Angeles-based moms,” who want fashion-for- Serfontaine line comes in the form of denim cashmere ward denims, said owner-de- from a Japanese mill. The cashmere represents only a signer Jeff Hamilton. With two fraction of the blend at 10 percent, but it’s enough to jeans silhouettes, the fit is con- give the fabric a supple texture. Serfontaine’s proto- stant, tweaked only by varia- type is a pair of five-pocket jeans with the trademark tion in hem or knee width. By overlay pocket stitch — with a low rise, straight leg combining fabric weights and A look from Xvala. and honey-colored stitching for contrast. The match- washes, Culturalpersona offers ing denim jacket has two button-through chest pock- some 12 styles a season, priced around $46 wholesale. ets, a fitted body and western-style back stitching. Without traditional advertising and promotion ve- “It’s nice and basic — we want to focus on the fab- hicles, the line also relies on TV product placement. ric and fit, and the fit is what every woman cares Beth Beasley, an Atlantan transplanted from Los about,” Serfontaine said. Angeles, where she worked in costuming for a That fit comes at a price. The sample yardage he decade, has landed the line on numerous TV shows, picked up at $23 per yard, above and beyond from “Will & Grace” to “Sex in the City.” the typical $7 he pays, helps boost the The same alternative marketing applies to the wholesale price to $89 for the jeans and new line, Xvala, (a made-up word), which Beasley $99 for the jacket. got on a “Dawson’s Creek” episode in April. Xvala “I want to keep the jeans under has a sexier, tighter fit and more varied styling, with $200 [retail]; that’s the psychological multicultural design elements to appeal to the target barrier,” Serfontaine said. Organic 12- to 40-year-old customer. For now, he envisions the denim wash “This [younger] customer especially rejects the cashmere styles, which will bow at denim highly commercial image of a big jeans line,” said the Intermezzo Collections fashion Hamilton. “We want to become embedded in the cul- fair May 6-8 in New York, as a limit- ture and not lose the edge.” ed edition that may generate about Unlike Culturalpersona, Xvala includes men’s $250,000 in first-year sales, with deliv- and women’s product. The women’s jeans has one fit eries in August and September. called Yrsa — a low-rise, slim, boot cut. Fabrics are Another innovation for Serfontaine is 11-ounce or 12-ounce denim produced by Swift the launch of his “organic wash” jeans, a name Denim. One patent-pending denim has a permanent he has trademarked, first shown at Fashion Coterie in brown casting underneath the indigo, with the color February. He said he has ditched the traditional fad- designed to emerge through washes and processing. ing technique of spraying jeans with potassium per- Six washes all take names from various world cul- manganate, a harsh and often harmful oxidizing agent, tures. The darkest, a brown-black wash, is called in favor of enzymes, hot and cold water rinses and var- “Wenge,” an African word for a coffee-colored wood. ious levels of hand-grinding for vintage effects. The lightest, an almost white-blue color, is “Momu,” Serfontaine said the actual formula is a secret, but or “to crumple or wrinkle,” in Japanese. Diverse de- he does divulge that the process takes about a day sign elements are adapted largely from pop culture compared with about 45 minutes for a traditional and vintage sources, said Hamilton, who also works wash. As a result, wholesale price points start at $69, in architectural design. higher than his basic line at $59, especially since he “Xvala’s X-shaped pocket stitching is inspired by can churn out only some 50 pairs daily, compared Thirties’ steel-and-leather chairs designed by Mies with the 1,000 for his other styles. Slightly higher Van der Rohe,” he said. price points are not a worry, he said, since they typi- Wholesale prices for Xvala are $50 to $56, more ex- cally appeal to more sophisticated consumers. pensive than Culturalpersona’s $46 because of more “We think there is a more evolved customer who is elaborate washes and treatments. Xvala’s first-year environmentally aware and would appreciate this sales are projected between $2 million and $3 million. line,” Serfontaine said. Culturalpersona’s 2003 sales are projected at $750,000. The look, offered in five styles ranging from black Produced domestically, in factories in Oklahoma to rope-stitched dark denim, struck a chord with buy- and Georgia, both lines target specialty stores, with ers from about 50 stores, including Tracey Ross in an existing account base of 250 stores nationwide, in- West Hollywood, Calif., and Traffic in Los Angeles, Additions for Blass Jeans cluding selected Nordstrom units. who placed orders for June 30 delivery. Resource Club Ltd., the licensee for Bill Blass — Georgia Lee “I liked the different color intensities of the denim Jeans, has restructured the brand to include jeans, and liked the idea of a nonchemical approach,” said knits and sweaters. Xvala is designed Carl Dias, women’s buyer for Traffic, which has loca- “All of the knits and sweaters have been specifi- tions at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., at cally designed to coordinate with the Bill Blass Jeans to appeal to a Sunset Plaza in West Hollywood and at the Beverly line, allowing us to offer head-to-toe dressing and 12-to-14-year-old Center mall in Los Angeles. providing a lifestyle appeal for our customers,” said customer. Serfontaine thinks the organic wash line can gen- Bonnie Stein, president of Resource Club. erate $500,000 in its first year and eventually grow Stein has appointed three new executives to into a separate division, possibly with corduroy and design and develop the new knitwear collection. canvas lines. Helen Schroeder has been named vice president of — Nola Sarkisian-Miller design at Bill Blass Jeanswear and will be responsible for the overall design direction and overseeing the design team. She brings experience in product development and design as the former vice president of design at Donnkenny’s Pierre Cardin division, Rush to Blue where she was for 12 years. Michele Guenther has been named vice president RushCollection.com, an online subsidiary of of merchandising. Prior to this, Guenther was the French mail order giant La Redoute, is diving into vice president of merchandising at Donnkenny’s designer denim. Pierre Cardin unit, where she spent 19 years. In her The three-year-old site, which offers a more selec- new position, Guenther will plan, develop and positive, upscale array of jeans than its big sister, boasts tion the division. brands such as Paul & Joe, Dice Kayek, Calvin Klein Katherine Phillips, previously a designer at and Zadig & Voltaire, as well as the jeans specialists Countrepoint, also has been added to the design Levi’s, Louis and Diesel. team. She will be responsible for special embellish- Shoppers on the site can also purchase exclusive ments and novel treatments, a dominant source of pieces from the Levi’s Type 1 and Red collections. Web growth for the division. Phillips has worked for vari- shoppers have a choice of the latest styles or items ous private label companies creating her own line of from previous collections at a 40 percent discount. knits and wovens. Guenther and Schroeder report to RushCollection.com offers delivery in France and Stein. Phillips reports to Schroeder. Belgium, and plans for further expansion are in the Bill Blass knits and sweaters will be introduced in works. RushCollection.com and La Redoute are both June to department stores nationwide from the Bill subsidiaries of the retail and luxury group Pinault- Blass Jeanswear showroom at 1400 Broadway in Printemps-Redoute. New York. — Emilie Marsh — Julee Greenberg 15 Junior Report THURSDAY,WWD, 2003 1, MAY

Miss Selfridge is becoming edgier and Miss Selfridge Comes of Age more stylish. LONDON — The high street’s favorite lit- by image, and project an edgier and tle sister, Miss Selfridge, is growing up. more stylish brand. The British brand, with its pink fuzzy Miss Selfridge’s target customer is be- heart logo, has long been perceived as a tween 15- and 29-years old, with the most fluffy, girly version of leading high-street money being spent by 18- to 24-year olds. names such as Topshop, Warehouse, H&M With appearances by DJs, manicurists and Zara. But all that is set to change. and palm readers during the school holi- “Miss Selfridge used to be exclusive, days, Miss Selfridge is aiming for the the store where shoppers would go be- youth market, although Scavazza said she fore looking anywhere else,” said Sim hopes to reach customers of all ages. Scavazza, the new brand director at Miss “We are trying to steer away from age Selfridge, which belongs to the privately- limits, and make the brand more about held Arcadia Group. “People have short attitude,” Scavazza said. “I want to see memories. They don’t remember that the Miss Selfridge as more of a brand than a brand has been around since 1966. There retailer, sticking to its ideals with no is such heritage and it has lost some of its compromising. I want other stores to see gravitas over the years.” us as a leader.” Launched in 1966 by Charles Clore, The design team has been expanded the owner of the British department from three to five, with freelancers dip- ACaption look from goes the here. Miss Selfridge campaign. store Selfridges, Miss Selfridge started ping in now and again. The goal is to be- life as the young women’s casual depart- come more of a product-based business. There are currently 193 Miss Selfridge ment in the store. Miss Selfridge still Scavazza also plans to focus on the stores worldwide, including franchises, held a concession there until last year, Originals line, which launched last and no current plans to open any more when Miss Selfridge was bought by December. Originals is a collection in- sales points. Arcadia does not release Philip Green’s Arcadia Group. spired by the designs Miss Selfridge sold sales figures for any of its companies, but In the Seventies, the Miss Selfridge in the Seventies. industry sources estimate the brand has advertising campaign was a rite of pas- “Authenticity is where it’s at,” said annual sales of over $160 million, making sage for top models. Even Kate Moss had Scavazza. The line is currently sold at the approximately a $16,000 pre-tax profit. her turn, in the fall 1992 campaign Miss Selfridge flagship on Oxford Street, Last year, Miss Selfridge launched a dubbed Wonderful Star. Scavazza is de- next door to Topshop, which also is signature line of shoes in its Oxford termined to rebuild the excitement and owned by Arcadia. By July, five other Street store, and the line also will be ex- confidence of the brand. Miss Selfridge units across the U.K. will tended to other stores. Her plan is to lose the young and club- also stock the line. — Ellen Burney

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www.merchandisemart.com 16 That high-income consumers with household incomes of over $100,000 purchase luxury categories more often than shoppers earning between $50,000 to $99,999, should come as no surprise. There are great differences in art and antiques (24 percent for the wealthier group versus 7 percent), TheWWDList linens and bedding (38 percent versus 22 percent), automobiles (28 percent versus 13 percent), and fabrics and wall coverings (33 percent versus 18 percent), which stands to reason. However, apparel and accessories also showed a significant difference of 21 points, while fragrance and beauty had an 18-point spread between the two groups. Unity Marketing’s Pamela Danziger, who wrote the book Shopping Spree “Why People Buy Things They Don’t Need,” says the answer lies as much in the consumer’s mind-set as income level. Higher-income shoppers consider most of the categories on this list to be Luxury products purchased by consumers with over $100,000 annual income, necessities, regardless of the price. Of course, the fashion and beauty industries have been trying to ranked by percentage of consumers buying products in a specific category. convince shoppers that they can’t live without apparel and fragrance for years.

WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 1, MAY THURSDAY, WWD, ELECTRONICS Household income over $100,000: 55 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 41 percent 1 Products such as electronics and books are strongly linked to educational achievement. Flat-screen and plasma TVs are driving spending in this area, and DVD players are replacing VCRs. FRAGRANCE AND BEAUTY Income over $100,000: 49 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 31 percent 2 There is a high purchase incidence among luxury consumers in the fragrance and beauty category; the products are perceived to be a regular indulgence. While department store fragrances are perceived to be superior to mass market brands, shoppers discern little difference in the color cosmetics arena. GARDEN Income over $100,000: 47 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 39 percent 3 The most important reason consumers buy things they don’t need is to improve their quality of life, according to Danziger, who said 89 percent of respondents listed this as their top source of motivation. APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES Income over $100,000: 47 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 26 percent 4 Fashion is perceived by luxury shoppers to be a necessity for their lives. They believe they must dress appropriately for social occasions and professional events. They like high quality, but eschew trends that seem fleeting. *FURNITURE AND FLOOR COVERING Income over $100,000: 38 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 25 percent 5 According to a survey by Unity Marketing, 83 percent of respondents said they buy discretionary items to beautify their homes. The store where the furniture was bought is more important than the actual brand. For example, Ethan Allen was frequently mentioned as a source for furniture. *LINENS AND BEDDING Income over $100,000: 38 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 22 percent 6 Comfort is a high priority, and consumers are drawn to high-quality fabrics with good design and superior detailing. Egyptian cotton and 500 thread count and above are the magic words for sheets and pillow cases. JEWELRY AND WATCHES Income over $100,000: 35 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 23 percent 7 About one-third of luxury consumers bought jewelry and watches in the past year. There’s a trend toward collecting fewer, higher-quality pieces of jewelry, especially one-of-a-kind pieces that aren’t found in every store. FABRICS, WALL COVERINGS, WINDOW TREATMENTS Income over $100,000: 33 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 18 percent 8 Consumers identify luxury fabric and wall coverings by touch and feel and aren’t averse to paying a premium for quality. They are also keen on customized service if it helps them personalize their homes. *KITCHEN APPLIANCES Income over $100,000: 32 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 22 percent 9 The luxury end of the appliance industry accounts for an estimated $5 billion of the total $31.5 billion in sales. Viking, one of the top sellers in this category, opened culinary arts centers to demonstrate its products. *KITCHENWARE AND COOKWARE Income over $100,000: 32 percent Income between $50,000 and $99,999: 20 percent 10 This category is viewed as more of a necessity than a luxury because it’s used every day. Most appreciate the superior performance and extra features of high-end cookware.

SOURCE: UNITY MARKETING, STEVENS, PA. TELEPHONE SURVEY OF 866 AFFLUENT HOMEOWNERS OVER MEDIAN INCOME. * SIGNIFIES A TIE

The group, according to Danziger, is not necessarily swayed by traditional advertising. Rather, butterflies want to engage in a dialogue with the companies that sell them products. They’re big on service and want to Butterflies are Free Spenders feel that companies are being responsive to their By Sharon Edelson percent of the luxury market, which she defines as needs. They also appreciate firms such as Starbucks households with incomes of more than $100,000. that support community initiatives. NEW YORK — Market researchers make their livings Another group called luxury aspirers is driven by a Unlike cocooners or aspirers, butterflies are the coining new terms to identify consumers. Cocooning, need to buy and display purchases, but its members least materialistic, most highly evolved consumer the last important behavioral trend, was discovered in haven’t yet reached the status level they hope to attain. group among luxury buyers. They place a premium the late Eighties. It refers to the lifestyle and buying Cocooning was identified by futurists such as Faith on free time, hiring housecleaners and lawn mainte- habits of consumers said to be inwardly focussed and Popcorn, who cited a fear of rising crime in the malls nance services so they can do more important interested in creating a sense of safety by surrounding as one of the reasons consumers were spending more things. Paradoxically, they spend the most on luxu- themselves with things that enhance their comfort. time at home. She urged stores to focus more on “fanta- ries, about $14,675 a year on average, according to While the world is no safer place today, trend watch- sy fragrances and other small indulgences, such as Danziger. Cocooners spend only about 65 percent of ers such as Pamela Danziger, president of Unity bath oils, candles and ice cream,” adding that con- that. What they buy is also different. Cocooners Marketing and author of “Why People Buy Things They sumers would be seeking “pleasure with a revenge.” spend most of their money on home-related prod- Don’t Need” (Paramount Market Publishing, 2002), Butterflies have no need to flaunt and are motivated ucts, while butterflies devote the biggest share of have identified a new group: butterflies, who are driv- neither by status nor exclusivity when buying luxury their discretionary budget to fashion, jewelry, acces- en by a need to reconnect with their social, political, goods. In their democratic view, luxury is for everyone. sories and watches. commercial and cultural worlds. Prototypical butterflies include Bill Gates, Ted Turner Finally, consumers that are ready to spread their According to Danziger, butterflies make up about 40 and Meg Whitman, ceo of eBay. wings and open their wallets. 17 Active Lifestyle SIDELINES THURSDAY,WWD, 2003 1, MAY REEBOK’S PEACE SIGN: Shakira’s call for world peace consists of a new Reebok commercial, which comprises her self-written Adidas Sees First-Quarter Gains tribal music, gyrating hips and handmade peace sign BERLIN — Lead by the Adidas brand and a favorable schedule. “In 2003, we’ve taken a full month out of the in the sands. Sophie financial picture, Adidas-Salomon AG scored a strong order process,” Hainer pointed out. Muller, who has worked first quarter, with net earnings and sales posting double- He said the company needs to maximize product sell- with No Doubt and Pink, digit gains. through in the next few quarters by increasing point-of- shot the 30-second spot on Despite the ongoing worldwide economic, political sale activities in all channels of distribution and a beach in the Dominican and medical crises, chairman and chief executive offi- through advertising campaigns set for the third and Republic. It premieres Shakira in a new cer Herbert Hainer on Wednesday reconfirmed Adidas- fourth quarters. today on MTV, VH1, the Reebok commercial. Salomon’s 2003 targets, calling for currency neutral Concerning SARS, Hainer said the company is moni- WB and UPN. sales growth of about 5 percent, a 10 to 15 percent rise toring the situation carefully, and that sales have been in net earnings and gross margins of 42 to 43 percent. impacted over the last few weeks in Hong Kong and LIZZIE’S LOWDOWN: So Low, an athletic-inspired sportswear In the first quarter ended March 31, the Herzog- China. Adidas is confident “we can manage it on the manufacturer, is getting a lot of air time, thanks to ads for enaurach, Germany-based active sportswear group saw sales side.” “The Lizzie McGuire Movie,” which hits theaters Friday. The net earnings increase 19 percent to $56.6 million, based “On the production side, we have worked out contin- film’s star, Hillary Duff, wears a striped So Low skirt with a on current exchange rates. gency plans to shift to other countries if necessary,” he drawstring waistband in the ads. The Los Angeles-based During a conference call with analysts Wednesday, said. “But there’s been no impact so far with either our company also has suited up the young star with separates Hainer said this is the highest first-quarter improvement employees or suppliers.” for her weekly TV show and for off-air time. in six years. The strong performance was attributed to — Melissa Drier improved group tax rates, a decline in financial expenses and lower average borrowings, as well as a doubling of minority interests because of strong results from Adidas South Korea. Gross margins also improved to 42.5 percent, up from 41.8 percent for the quarter in 2002. Adidas brand sales lead group growth, increasing 6 percent to $1.56 billion. Excluding currency fluctuations, Adidas sales were up 16 percent, the brand’s highest gain in more than four years, according to the company. In North America, group sales declined 15 percent to $449.55 million, although this was a sales increase of 4 percent The Apparel & Accessories on a currency neutral basis. Adidas brand sales in North Trade Show That Delivers America were down 12 percent in euros for the period, but grew 8 percent in U.S. dollars. The fastest growing show for the hottest Europe, which generates 50 segments of the fashion marketplace. percent of group sales and an Bringing manufacturers and retailers even higher percentage of earnings, Hainer noted, was “the star together in the heart and soul of the fashion of Q1.” Sales in Europe, exclud- industry – New York City. ing currency fluctuations, were up 12 percent, with Italy, France, Germany and the UK contribut- The latest trends… broad international ing to the positive performance, exposure… free leading edge seminars… he said. In Italy, where Adidas extensive press coverage…unparalleled took full control of its operations last year, sales surged more than amenities… exceptional customer service. 50 percent for the quarter. European footwear sales were up 10 percent, or 22 percent on a currency neutral basis. Featuring: Apparel sales declined 3 percent, a gain of 6 percent in cur- ACCESSORIES rency neutral terms. Asia remained the strongest-growing CASUAL LIFESTYLE/BETTER sales region for the group, with JUNIOR sales up 8 percent to reach $311.9 million or 21 percent, ex- STREETWEAR cluding currency fluctuations. The order backlog “is more of a YOUNG CONTEMPORARY/CONTEMPORARY mixed picture,” Hainer acknowledged. Adidas brand order backlogs declined 2 percent for the quarter, which equates to a 9 per- May 4-6, 2003 cent increase on a currency neutral basis. Footwear backlogs were Jacob Javits Convention Center down 1 percent, or up 11 percent New York City on a currency neutral basis, and apparel orders were down 3 percent, an increase of 7 percent in To exhibit call 888.964.5100 currency neutral terms. “We had three consecutive or 917.326.6237 quarters of double-digit growth in North America, and we had expected this trend to contin- To attend, register online at ue,” said Hainer. “But U.S. consumers reacted [negatively] to www.industry212.com or call the war in Iraq and continued 877.554.4834 or 218.723.9792 economic uncertainty.” He said there was less traffic in the malls and huge price competition, “but we weren’t willing to give in and reduce prices and hurt our margins.” Formerly The result was cancellations and a decline in orders, although the downturn in apparel primarily reflects a later ordering 18 WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 Prime ManhattanJon212-268-8043 utb aal fspligduplicate supplying of sample lines. 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y Photo/Illus. Email:[email protected] f ) ihtselvl x.&kolo mkt, of knowl & exp. level, taste high A essential. re- Fax ability preferred. system CAD sume to:(212)868-1977Attn:Am PV Photoshop/Illus. Spec + Adobe of KNowledge preferred. sourcing Tech fabric trim/ Knowl- of through. edge follow great w/ sistant as- en- sel-motivated energetic, Junior/Sportswear an organized, of thusiastic, need in is forward company Fashion sketching, Asst making, spl needs sourcing, Co. Eve Women’s Dsgn with experience Great environment!Competitivesalary! years 2-3 7-16 Girlsincut&sewneeded. Specing Trim. Flat-Sketching, and Il- for of knowledge lustrator HAVE MUST assistant. design seeking Importer Children’s 212-691-5994 experience to operating resume Salar years Fax mini- required. 5 & responsibility staff. mum develop P&L and Previous operations plan, oversee strategic company implement to ntrepreneurial individual motivated jewelry highly seeks designer Growing sketch Illus to presenta- exceptional Adobe player. Ability tion boardsneeded.401(K)andbenefits. comp, on team on 6.0. freehand a to be knowledge 10.0/Photoshop Able and exp. yrs Extensive deadlines 2-3 in w/ work meet to envmnt pro paced seeks fast Co. knits/Swtr Missy Prostyle of o / Knowledge sense trends. good and have color and oriented detail seeks A co. sleepwear women’s paced Fast enviro work into Excellent ment andbenefits. Sketches art. PC knowledge. patterns. fine Intarsia/Jacquard taste for in of spec level interest high knits, & De- in Contemp./ in mkt exp signer yrs 3-4 have Must Mandarin w Illustrator/Photoshop. excel exp a plus Must compan yrs sweaters. in 1-2 fashioned sweater Assist. fully Design design needs Leading ietgop utb empae to player and team motivate be w Must to group. direct sweaters/knits designer head for experienced seeks and collection strong moderate of Importer photos & in- Resume NY sketches: [email protected] t-shirts. 9-12. & May caps terviews design mind to live req’d and adven- talent email: artistic Indisputable ture! extreme for Freelancer or Dept. Design j 212-244-3808 resume: attn: Fax required. skills seeks detail-oriented and/or be Co. Must permanent basis. freelance for Apparel positions above YM Established lutao,Poohp&freehand & PhotoShop Illustrator, designers. Faxresumeto togclrsne optrskills Computer sense. helpful. prints, color strong with & experience & & fabric knowledge, trends extensive have emerging Must silhouettes. identify large to have for must ability Candidate designer company. public woven’s creative in daywear&sleepwear,withknowledge DESIGNER -CLOTHE (212) 685-3534 GRAPHIC DESIGNER Designer- Senior To$80K Must haveminimum2yrs.experience ASSISTANT DESIGNER U4ia aplus.Pleasefaxresumeto: [email protected] attn:DesignDept. DESIGN ASSISTANT And Asst. CADDesigner s.CDDsge.Ms eorganized, be Must Designer. CAD sst. xetoa potnt o highly for opportunity exceptional n CAD OPERATOR r ihwvnadpiaelabel private and woven with ork Please faxresumeto(212)679-2960 DESIGN ASSISTANT ASSIST DESIGNER Please faxresumeto212-764-4707 Design Assistant Assistant Knitwear Fax resumetoHR:212-730-0913. Judy *JustMgmt. *800-544-5878 Fax resumeto:212-221-4399 Fax resumesto:212-391-8027 CAD DESIGNER y NB, I&T.Betterbranded. of Illustrator&Photoshop. yy . histor Please emailresume DESIGNER (For Knitwear) @mohk.us orfax212-889-6389 DESIGNER- DESIGNER jud Sweaters Designer y y , required. @justmgt.com attn.CreativeDirector CEO 212-730-0913 to: oplit comp y w/ S y f . / / rdcinwt xeinei costing. in experience with Production sense, etc.Resto:[email protected] ode rted il er strong ability wear, skills, Girls Illust to Must MAC Infant trendy sense, Req: designing design or dsgnrs. exp years Toddler 2 + 5 for have co sleepwr positions needed:FittingTechnician addt hudhv excellent expertise have computer Artist. and ability should seeks sketching company Candidate & apparel major accessories in studio design Busy NJ Location.Stronganalyticalskills. EDI To$75K (Fax) 212-725-7116(Tel)212-481-1941 children’ major this at oppty Great non-denim. & denim & washes for Knowledge offit&specsessential. market. fabrics, finishes street/skate understand non-denim YM Must & for denim bottoms exciting Create required. constructions & fabrics woven/knit printed designs w top woven/knit exciting Create A to individuals A motivated j & seeking co. creative jeanswear fashion Established ie.Mn5yasepi eer pro- jewelry in exp dead- years all meet 5 duction. Faxresume: 212-691-5994 to Min teams manage sales lines. and with efficiently Coordinate design production. of and aspects seeks ment develop- planning/prototype co oversee to individual jewelry experienced detail-oriented, designer Growing let- seeks cover resume, ter &salar 5 Fax customers. experience. co. and yrs suppliers with directly import communicate Must Will patternmaker. expert. be production ON" growing "HANDS Fast work to able be com- in fastpacedenvironment. and excellent skills with involves munication oriented detail Must re- Position be process. and approval for factories import. sponsibility with follow-up in heavy experi- assistant. yrs ence 3-5 have will candidate production Ideal seeks experienced importer childenswear Leading w area Boston the seeks in co. Patternmaker sportswear exp’d moderate Major have Must samples. licensing backround. final concept from division. through submissions product all Manage licensed for children’s Coordinator Licensing organized, professional seeks co. accessory Fashion growth the as well as of ourcompany.Pleasefaxresume growth, own your to students consider w will w but experience specing 1yr. preferred oriented. and detail full be sketching flat and have of do must to knowledge Candidate assistants strong sketching. 2 compan seeking activewear and denim Junior Fax resumetoJesseat: W fashion Strong atmosphere Great plus. & benefits.Faxresumeattn:Lisette must. a a backround related Other programs Illustrator. & Photoshop in xeinesol ecnetae in concentrated be should Background patterns experience patterns. first production generate to thru able be Must nweg fgretses D& YD specs, garment of Knowledge atpcdevrnetadcontribute and environment fast-paced W HF orapparel.Exp.fluent.inChinese. Licensing Coordinator Pattern Mgrto$100K YM’s/Boy’s Woven/KnitTop quirements to(212)268-5670Attn:TJ. Email resume:[email protected] PATTERNMAKER FASHION DESIGNER i u MBy einTeam. Design YM/Boys our oin PHILADELPHIA JOBS SusieJessil WW. Strongtech/operations,Gerber. Flat Sketchers(2) Production Assistant Fax resumetoH.R.:617-332-3260 omen’s wovenpants,skirts,andjackets Jennifer *JustMgmt.*800-544-5878 piat utb rfcetin proficient be must dobe Illustrator&Photoshop. pplicants or fax t kt/tetgahcconcepts. graphic skate/street ith ocnwr tlat3 or per a hours in 30 learn least to opportunity at Great work eek. can ho Production Manager l salse ete prser 2 sportswear. leather established ell e offeranexcellentbenefitspackage. position ofinterestto:212-760-9705 Please faxresumeto212-719-2942 Attention: Bruceat(212)819-1889 Please faxresumewithsalaryre- Fitting Technician iedrcint rit,go color good Artists, to direction give Allen *JustMgmt.*800-544-5878 Assistant Designer Assistant Designer Judy *JustMgmt.*800-544-5878 PRODUCTION/DESIGN TECH Please faxresumesindicating Production- ImportsTo$50K Garment Industryfirmseeks DESIGNERS full timesize10FitModel.

PROD’N PATMKR$60K Infant/Toddler orGirls to 212-398-0703attn:L.Albert [email protected] DESIGNER/to $80K+ FIT MODEL [email protected] Production YM’s Bottoms jud y y req’sto212-288-1520. [email protected] Call212-947-3400 212-221-3857 y @justmgt.com

212-719-9520 / & . y s s . / o eurs35ys x.i sales, in exp. Sel yrs. sourcing. & 3-5 development product public Requires large co. for professional Polished in/omncto /ftys/record w/ keeping andstrongcomputer skills. /communication construc- sketches tion of tech specs/fittings/rev flat creating 3 incl. Re- min foundations/sportswear. sponsibilities in with exp technician yrs detailed seeks Importer hours/. Freelance/P.T/flexible construction fit, merchandising of patterns, grading&computerskillsamust. knowl & Working tech/dvlpmnt design team. for provide accurate sketching, support and organize flat Technical packages, specs, on-line pre-costing freelance analysis, development, fit specs long-term Provide Designer. seeking is a mfr childrenswear Leading TECHNICAL DESIGNER Walmart w/ exp yrs 2 Tech. w/ Min / work & garments Designers. measure play- to team er seeks Co. Childrenswear Large retail chain.GreatBenefits!!!E--mailto 10 yearsexperienceneededforgrowing e-mail Please fax to 309-273-9570. or benefits. [email protected] & resume: salary tive Competi- seeks individuals. mfr motivated accessories highly junior based NY & FreelanceDesigner Sales Asst,OfficeAsst w resume fax Please Midtown salary requirementstoStephen@ benefits. sal- and for Competitive ary showroom. wanted busy NYC candidates responsi- and ble articulate Experienced, Manager. and & clerical organized computer skills.Greatbenefits. excellent QA oriented, with detail dependable assist be testing Must to textile & color knowledge some with sional profes- an entry-level ambitious seeks & outgoing Co. Apparel Women’s Leading spirit. for Oppty. entrepreneurial PLUS. career advancement.FAXresume: a background with Retail starter PRODUCT MANAGER NJ basedapparelcoseeksexperienced Fax resumetoA.W.at: E-mail resume:[email protected] Target, etc.Word/Excelskillsamust. Receiving &StockClerk Sourcing Director QUALITY ASSURANCE n samplemaker. Steadywork,benefits. fax: (212)643-2826.Nocallsplease.EOE. SPEC TECHNICIAN Fax resume:212-840-5601Attn:SS o lz iiin utb bet ptted n epoiin in proficient be and trends spot to able a be have Must computers andtechpackages. Division. and Blaze trend-savvy For Clothing proficient, Source computer & Blaze be Johnny for streetwear background. Must staff design Divisions. direct and Coordinate MENSWEAR HEADDESIGNER/MERCHANDISER Juniors [email protected] yj Send resumetoLarryZimmer:[email protected]:212-629-3002 Technical Designer Qualified candidatespleasefaxresumeandsalaryhistoryto: SAMPLEMAKER obs@steveandbarr RECEPTIONIST Fax: 212-967-8631Attn:L.S. DIVISION VICEPRESIDENTS Call 1-732-901-7772ext137 Seeking sales-drivenindividualswithexceptional FREELANCE Light ComputerSkills Handbag Mfr.-N.Y.C. 212-556-5431 ASSISTANT Both positionsareagreatopportunity&offerbenefits. Email resume to: (212) 719-0392 JUNIOR DESIGNCOORDINATOR man30agement &leadershipability. AST µ YoungContemporary 212-760-0223 212-764-6912. EOE Sportswear Inc. y s.com f , / / : einrwt xeineand experience with knowledge ofTurkish,Excel,Word. Designer of garmentconstruction. com- Salary mensurate withexperience. all issues. on related follow-up with production and communicate accounts, factories Must label overseas fit. regular private perfect as our to well with as working line, and fitting w in nbsccmue kls Person skills. profi- computer and basic and in oriented cient construction detail highly organized, be garment must Person patternmaking. of our knowl- join full to edge have experience must Candidate years team. 5 least with at designer technical strong compan seeking activewear and denim Junior e’.Fxrsm o 35 0-88or 702-1888 (305) to: E-mail: [email protected] background resume store Fax dept. req’d. major / special- store Both ty NY. in sales showroom professionals for exp’d rapid seeks on track, growth Company, Lingerie Designer w j Y Children’ lit. computer be desig Must technical yrs. exp. 3-5 Min. accounts. Communicated specs. w graded issue adjustments, pattern & technical & com- fit ments advise patterns, & samples tion evaluate conduct & fabrications, analyze woven fitting, & specs knit develop for - include Responsibilities team Co. self-motivated label player withgoodcommunicationskills. organized, private seeks expanding Rapidly Junior and Missy A with Manufacturer Excellent must. & fit, a of grading salary &benefits. skills knowl patterns, computer a Working WalMart construction, plus. & merchandising Dillards accurate major with & Exp tech/dvlpmnt design team. organize for provide support pre- and specs, sketching, packages, flat - costing on-line Newborn fit development, analysis, for specs Provide 16. Designer Size seeking Technical is a mfr childrenswear Leading TECHNICAL DESIGNER w il eaeascesu hi of chain successful a are We Girl. fcospout nldn knits, including products cross knowledge market; of prefera- "Tweens" the exp, in yrs bly design 3-5 technical have Must current correspond- including vendors. through w/our division ence follow & design "Tweens" fittings technical our the the for headquar- is of our responsibility corporate management primary for City The Designer ters. York Technical a New for ing E-mail resume:[email protected] no pcat pae trssearch- stores apparel specialty unior Technical Designer Technical Designer fax: (212)643-2826.Nocallsplease.EOE. Please faxresumeto:(212)819-1889 uko sa +,Rv,adRave and Rave, G+G, as us know ou tvwa ieseigTechnical seeking line ctivewear Fax resume212-447-6851Att:Nora vn uewa;adknowledge and outerwear; & ovens ear exp.aplus.Pleasefaxresumeto: retail & factories agents, overseas ith grading, specs, for responsible be ill Technical Designer LINGERIE SALES heatherc@ (212) 564-1856orE-mailto: Please faxresumesto: TECHNICAL DESIGNER (212) 944-8409 µ g PrivateLabel orave.net EOE i produc- & fit n y s WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 - 19 / f s .** and y stores

can gener- .com.hk g 852-2270-2273 RETAIL ALSO JUNIOR & MISSY ROAD SALES ***APPAREL EMPLOYERS *** SWEATER & KNITWEAR SWEATER & Do you need exp’d DESIGNERS, PRODUC sia, Europe andmerica, the was United founded States in o 1977. Wemerica are nationwide and are seeking a **CALL 973-564-9236 Jaral Fashion Agc ane@essence-knittin The Sales Pro You Need! ate immediate sales. Delivery national & chain stores, and Essence Knitting &Ltd., Garment one of Factory Sweater manufacturing Asia’s businesses leadingexisting with Knitwear majorA department stores in A 10-YEARS OF EXPERIENCE established contacts to accounts a plus. Pleaseoffice call in Jane Hong Kwan’ or Kong: E-mail yourj resume, cover letter to: Hard workingover and 10sportswear market. aggressive Have years est’dat contacts experience with department, specialty,count stores. Call Allison 212-535-1553 in chain & junior dis- A looking to expandsalesperson our who MUST business have in at least TION, ACCOUNTING, TECHNICAL etc. staff? y n y 1.877.LACEDYE www.sampledyeing.org ennifereden.com j Daily Courier Service in Manhattan 24 Hour Service No Minimum Yardage VP Sales Fax: 212-768-0811 SALES REP 212-851-8029. EOE M/F/D/V. , Fax resume: 212-691-5994 r Sr. Sales Pro g Sr Account Mgr SALESPERSON Email: rtsai@ •Sample Fabric Dyeing •Exact Component Matching •Sample Cup Molding ith major retailers & specialty stores. 212-840-3628 / [email protected]

Importer ofladies contemporary/missy/plus professional to wear cultivateMust new accounts. have strongmarkets. chain stores/mass contacts seeks with major experienced Fast growing jr sportswearhighly mfr motivated, seeks energetic a a indiv. must. Exp Great salary &efits. comm. plus Please ben- faxor e-mail: [email protected] resume: 212-719-1069 Intimatelabel apparel businessself mfr seeks starter careerand to for oriented, work massproduct with market private high knowledge, customers.tacts profile established and Strong willingnessRequires con- to 3-5+ travel a yrssolid must. analytical/math, in PC wholesalenication and skills. sales, commu- Onlyrequirements resumes w/salar Fax resume & cover letter to: willHR M be considered. Hot Seamless & Sweaterseeks Domestic a Mfr. Sr. Salesorg. Pro; Many in-house &have territories sales strong existing available.w contacts & Must volume Please Fax or E-mail resume to Mr. B. at: Growing designer jewelrymotivated co seeks highl execute individual sales toand plan, oversee salesdise develop expand staff. distributio Jewelry background preferred. and Strong planning merchan- experience required. y Y ahoo.com y : seeks strong, agressive Great Stuff Fax 914-723-0626 Retail Sales P/T-F/T Sales Associates SALES PERSON e are looking for a few exceptional ell-established branded contemporar SALES EXECUTIVE WOMEN’S CONTEMPORAR unior salesperson needed to sell cut & DRESSES & SPORTSWEAR sew sweaters.exp Must in junior havebase a must! Call 718-706-7622, xtn 14. market. min Strong customer 10 yrs COOLWEAR j W line available toand a exp’d dynamic, Sales ambitious CA. Exec This inclosely in-house NY with position or Merchandiseron will Southern and product work Designers current development. contacts with Mustcatalogs, dept. have stores bothlabel. and For branded immediateemail resume to: contempline@ interview, and please private W people withgreat a fashion sellingstore awareness skills. better and women’s Wein boutique Westchester are located &evening Fairfield a County. hours. No multi- Comp salary & benefits for F/T. Weekends desirable. d T 949-492-4377 intl.com y Fax: Please call: (609) 922-3493 CELEBRITY Fax: (732) 636-4724 or ears. y Sales Representative/Promotion Major Competition/Active Swimwear Companyterritory is Sales seeking a RepresentativeUtah & for Wyoming. Position Colorado,sibilities. may include Competitive New promotional swimming respon- Mexico, background + incentives. Please reply to necessary. Base a plus but not Activewear Sales rea for our branded apparel line. e-mail: resumes@celebrit Activewear Sales Rep Account Executive Qualified candidates willmum have of a mini- experience. 4 years Strongand sales/children’s sell-through wear skills retailpetitive salary and excellent benefits. required. Com- analytical Ladies activewear launch. Outstanding product line. Will& hang Nike. w/ Major Tommy, brandBE name. Liz Reps CONNECTED MUS to Majorand department chainlicense stores. launches 3next 3 nationally will known take place over L.A. based companyganized seeking & exp’d, dedicated or- showroom. indiv. Must to have run strongfollowing. N.Y. customer Florida territoryble. also Fax availa- resume: [email protected] or email: Established fastchildren’s apparel growing co. seeks NYC experience motivated based Accountnew Executive business toA in sell NYC and Northeast Send resumes with salary requirements INTERNATIONAL, INC. M/F/D/V following capacity: Account Executive fax to (207) 846-3477 about Cole Haan products. We are hiring for the following positions: Sales Manager - Dresses Fax resumes to (212) 764-6912 Attn. (EOE) to: [email protected] or to: [email protected] We are an equal opportunity employer. We are an equal opportunity Please visit colehaan.com for information Please visit colehaan.com Sr. Account Executive - Sportswear Cole Haan, a leader in branded luxury footwear, Cole Haan, a leader accessories and outerwear is looking for a talented outerwear is looking for a accessories and individual to join our exiting new G Series brand in the our exiting new G Series individual to join Interested candidates MUST have exp. managing major store business. 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