East Meets West NEW YORK — After His Recent Trip to Tokyo for a Store Opening, Ralph Lauren Returned Home with More Than a Few Souvenirs
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HICCUP IN DIOR-SLIMANE TALKS/2 GOOD AS GOLD/12-13 WWDWomen’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’MONDAY Daily Newspaper • June 19, 2006 • $2.00 Accessories/Innerwear/Legwear East Meets West NEW YORK — After his recent trip to Tokyo for a store opening, Ralph Lauren returned home with more than a few souvenirs. Much of his women’s resort collection, in fact, was inspired by the streets of the Japanese capital. The results? Traditional prints in vivid colors and racy riffs on sportswear classics, like this halter swimsuit and shorts. For more on the season, see pages 4 and 5. Riding a Rising Tide: Buyers, Press Struggle With Boom in Resort By Bridget Foley NEW YORK — So resort’s no romp on the beach, you say? You’re not alone. The giddy glee with which the season opened back in mid-May thanks to the flamboyant arrivals here of Dior and Chanel has descended into mass exhaustion. At the same time, endless conversation about the protracted schedule and number of openings has held industry attention as raptly as would a salty sex scandal. A whiny bunch? So some might accuse. It is, after all, the job of retailers and editors to cover collections as they open. But there is no question See Escape, Page 6 PHOTO BY JOHN AQUINO PHOTO BY 2 WWD, MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2006 WWD.COM Dior, Slimane Said at Stalemate be likely well received by the fashion press. It is WWDMONDAY By Miles Socha Accessories/Innerwear/Legwear understood Dior would pursue a similar strat- PARIS — If Gucci Group could bid arrivederci egy should it fail to reach an agreement with to its design dynamo Tom Ford, could Christian Slimane, and continue with modernist men’s FASHION Dior say au revoir to its men’s wear star Hedi wear, but with an aim to improve profi tability and Inspired by the vintage treasures he discovered in Japan, Ralph Lauren Slimane? reach a broader customer base. 4 created a resort line full of bright colors, embroidery and Asian prints. Sources said Dior has reached an impasse in As reported, the launch of a Hedi Slimane negotiations to renew Slimane’s contract as the women’s wear line was one subject discussed at designer of Dior Homme, and salary demands the negotiating table this time around. It could GENERAL are among the chief roadblocks. not immediately be learned if Dior is interested Designers may call it cruise or resort, but the common theme is that the The designer’s three-year contract is set to in underwriting such a venture — or if Slimane 1 season just sails on with a loose calendar. expire next month and could make for a tense might be negotiating with other parties. Aéropostale’s back-to-school preview won over analysts, who say its atmosphere at the Dior Homme show July 4 at Slimane declined all comment. A Dior 2 shift to a more sophisticated look may draw an older customer. the crescendo of men’s fashion week. spokesman had no comment. A resolution is still possible and talks contin- Negotiations to renew Slimane’s contract were Christian Dior is said to have reached an impasse in negotiations to ue, but sources familiar with the negotiations are prickly in 2001, but resulted in the designer add- 2 renew Hedi Slimane’s contract as the designer of Dior Homme. already drawing comparisons to the Ford situa- ing responsibilities for Dior men’s fragrances and Calvin Klein Collection is taking a stark turn in its fall ad campaign, with tion. Gucci Group stunned the fashion world in skin care. Dior Dermo System, a minimalist skin 14 creative director Francisco Costa having a signifi cant infl uence. 2003 when it parted ways with its famous design care program concocted by Slimane, is slated to director. arrive on French shelves this fall. Pringle has a fresh look with its ad campaign under new creative director Sources said Dior management — balking at One of men’s wear’s brightest lights, Slimane 14 Clare Waight Keller, breaking from tradition to focus on the individual. Slimane’s demands — has been quietly girding burst onto the fashion scene in the late Nineties for a possible split and refi ning a contingency with his sharply tailored, often androgynous de- plan, including a possible replacement candi- signs for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. He EYE Paris’ coolest new place to stay, Hotel Amour, is about as insider as it date. The identity of the front-runner could not signed on with Dior in 2000 after being courted immediately be learned; however, one source de- heavily by Prada Group and Gucci, which had of- 9 gets, essentially a hideaway for friends of its three high-profi le owners. scribed the choice as “wise” and one that would fered him a signature fashion house. Obituary.............................................................................................16 Classifi ed Advertisements.............................................................17-19 To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is fi rstname. [email protected], using the individual’s name. WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. COPY- Aéropostale Gets High Grades for B-T-S RIGHT ©2006 FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. VOLUME 191, NO. 129. WWD (ISSN # 0149-5380) is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one ad- tral colors and an increased use of detailing with ditional issue in January and November, two additional issues in March, May, June, August and December, and three ad- By Jeanine Poggi and Jessica Pallay ditional issues in February, April, September and October by Fairchild Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications, a tighter, muscular silhouette. Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Publishers NEW YORK — Aéropostale’s back-to- Aéropostale’s management has in- Inc.: S.I. Newhouse Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, President & C.E.O.; John W. Bellando, Executive Vice President and school preview last week won over creased its utilization of its Jimmy’Z C.O.O.; Jill Bright, Executive Vice President_Human Resources; John Buese, Executive Vice President_Chief Information Officer; David Orlin, Senior Vice President_Strategic Sourcing; Robert Bennis, Senior Vice President_Real Estate; Maurie Perl, Senior analysts, who say the specialty re- retail flag for interpreting leading Vice President_Chief Communications Officer. Shared Services provided by Advance Magazine Group: Steven T. Florio, Advance tailer’s shift to a more sophisticated fashion trends and allowing for migra- Magazine Group Vice Chairman; David B. 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