PUSH FOR SAFEGUARDS/3 SHARAPOVA’S STYLE/11 Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • April 7, 2005 • $2.00 WWDTHURSDAY ▲ Maria Sharapova Sportswear Sleek Chic NEW YORK — A jacket and jeans may be traditional fall fare, but Max Azria is giving them a chichi touch this season with fur trim and slim cuts. Here, BCBG Max Azria’s wool and fur jacket over a silk chiffon blouse and jeans from his new foray into denim. For more, see page 10. LBO Scenario Returns To Retail With Neiman’s Seen as First Candidate By Vicki M. Young NEW YORK — Leveraged buyouts could be back in vogue — with The Neiman Marcus Group the first in the latest fashion. As speculation continues over who will bid for Neiman’s — with names ranging from Apollo to Texas Pacific Group — one hedge fund manager said a Neiman’s deal has the potential to be an LBO under which the financial structure would be $2 billion of equity and $3 billion of debt. The fund manager said it would result in a 60 percent debt-to-capital ratio, which is considered “fairly conservative” when most LBOs have an average debt- See Neiman’s, Page13 PHOTO BY JOHN AQUINO PHOTO BY WWD.COM WWDTHURSDAY Sportswear GENERAL ™ As speculation continues over who will bid for Neiman Marcus, one hedge 1 fund manager said a Neiman’s deal has the potential to be an LBO. A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based A coalition of textile and fiber producers filed seven China safeguard on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated 3 petitions seeking to impose quotas on $1.45 billion worth of goods. EYE: Talking with Ellen Barkin about her new film, “Palindromes”…Don’t TOP CHOICE 4 call her a stripper, because Carolina Cerisola never takes it all off. Blouses and dress shirts head women’s spring fashion lists FASHION: Deep in the heart of Texas, Austin thrives on fashion thanks to its 6 retail, music and college scenes supplying plenty of style and energy. “If you can only buy one item this season, and femininity to the body,” explains Lisa Erickson, ACTIVE: Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova talks about her career, her make it a really good blouse or shirt,” advises spokesperson for Eddie Bauer. “You’ve got options 11 on- and off-court style, and her upcoming 18th birthday. Linda DeFranco, senior trend forecaster at Cotton from the wrap top to the banded collar shirt to Classified Advertisements ..................................................................14-15 Incorporated. “It’s a true must-have for spring 2005 button-up tanks in a variety of fabrics and colors. To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is and it can be dressed up or down, worn a hundred Women are dressing in layers; for example, a dress [email protected], using the individual’s name. different ways and always looks fresh.” shirt can be a light layer over a tee or under a cardigan, WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. COPYRIGHT ©2005 FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. And with hundreds of choices at depending on the time of year. VOLUME 189, NO. 73. WWD (ISSN # 0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in June; two additional issues in April, May, August, October, November and December, and three additional retail, ranging from the bohemian The dress shirt helps women issues in February, March and September, by Fairchild Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications, Inc. PRINCIPAL peasant blouse to the feminine retain that tailored look while still OFFICE: 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001. Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Publishers Inc.: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Steven T. Florio, Vice Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, C.O.O.; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice-President and C.F.O.; Jill ruffled top to the crisp tailored dress being completely fashionable.” Bright, Executive Vice-President_Human Resources; John Buese, Executive Vice-President_ Chief Information Officer; David Orlin, shirt, the options are endless. That The dress shirt’s flexibility as a Senior Vice-President_Strategic Sourcing; Robert Bennis, Senior Vice-President_Real Estate; David B. Chemidlin, Senior Vice- President_General Manager, Advance Magazine Group Shared Services Center. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and at may likely explain an all-time high layering piece either under or additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40032712. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration in ownership of tops among over other garments will likely go No. 88654-9096-RM0001. Canada post return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: DPGM, 7496 Bath Road, Unit 2, Mississauga, ON L4T 1L2. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008. FOR women; female respondents told a long way in pushing the comfort SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008; Call 800-289-0273; or visit www.subnow.com/wd . Four weeks is Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle button for many women as well. required for change of address. Please give both new and old address as printed on most recent label. First copy of new Monitor™ that they owned 11.22 Vanity, according to the Monitor, subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001. For permissions and reprint requests, dress shirts on average in 2004, up is alive and well and likely please call 212-221-9595 or fax requests to 212-221-9195. Visit us online: www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild from 9.9 in 2003. appearing at a social occasion magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive In fact, according to STS Market near you. When asked how they these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. Research, woven shirts were among dressed for parties, more than WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS, DAMAGE, OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO UNSOLICITED “In a season marked by personal MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND the top performing women’s half (55%) said they preferred to TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART expression, blouses and shirts products (after jeans and slacks) in be slightly overdressed. “There’s WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED are the perfect canvas for TO DO SO BY WWD IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE 2004. Unit sales for woven shirts a tremendous functionality to ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED OVERNIGHT-DELIVERY RETURN ENVELOPE, POSTAGE PREPAID. experimentation.” increased by 8.8%, while dollar — Betsy Thompson, today’s dress shirt,” Erickson sales rose 8.2%. In addition, Talbot’s continues. “You can take off your cotton’s share of woven shirts jacket and still look crisp.” reached 59.5%. Erickson owes the extreme wearability of the In Brief “In a season marked by personal expression, modern top to wrinkle-resistance properties blouses and shirts are the perfect canvas for experi- commonly incorporated into today’s garments. ● POSH PUNCH: LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton is on a rum mentation,” states Betsy Thompson, Talbot’s “Shirts from our cotton wrinkle-resistance line are a run. Moët Hennessy, its wines and spirits division, said staple for the busy Eddie Bauer woman.” Wednesday it will launch 10 Cane, a prestige rum. Originating spokesperson. “Shirts are open to casual and more from Trinidad, 10 Cane will be launched in partnership with refined interpretations – looking relaxed when Thompson from Talbot’s also sees this as an Trinidad Distillers in the U.S. this spring and will retail for more layered over a white tank and khakis – and sharp important trend. “Some of the strongest fabrics and than $30 a bottle. LVMH, which bought Glenmorangie, one of when paired with career separates. Dressy camisoles blends we’re offering this season include wrinkle-free Scotland’s most prestigious single-malt whisky makers last and blouses in shimmery fabrics are elevating jeans cotton, which our customers adore because it goes December, is expanding its stable of spirits brands. However, it and giving a feminine lift to more tailored pieces.” right from the dryer to your back.” did not appear to be immediately interested in acquiring brands “Options abound,” relates Alison Miller, creative This feature clearly resonates with women, of the British sprits group Allied Domecq, some of which could be director for the Italian ready-to-wear collection, according to the Monitor. Wrinkle-free all cotton off-loaded if Pernot Ricard succeeds in its recent takeover bid. AlidioMichelli. “There are tunics garments edge out cotton/poly- ● NEW PRINCIPAL: Herbert Mines Associates, an executive in varying lengths, camisoles, sexy, Willing to Pay More for ester blend clothing, even when search firm for the retail, fashion and consumer products indus- soft little tops, and crisp tailored Natural Fibers Such as Cotton apremium applies. Fifty percent tries, named Dan Searby as a principal. Searby, a former mar- menswear-inspired shirting. The of female respondents told the keting executive with Restaurant Associates and Coca-Cola, will accent is on a slimmer silhouette 2003 2004 +/- Monitor that they would prefer to be responsible for expanding Mines’ presence in the food serv- with a chic underlying femininity.” Yes 58% 61% +3.0 pay $35 for an all-cotton wrinkle- ice and hospitality markets.