The Inside: Pg. 11 AN ARTSY ‘DREAM TOWN’/8 FILA DEAL FINAL/3 Tip of thWWD Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • June 12, 2003 Vol. 185, No. 119 $2.00 e List Ca WWDTHURSDAY ps Sportswear Bandanna Republic NEW YORK — Go West, young man — or rather, young lady. When Horace Greeley first pronounced his famous words 150 years ago, it’s a safe bet he didn’t have evening dresses in mind. This season, however, Tom Ford is exploring the American West for Gucci, adding, he says, a “touch of Brooke Shields.” The result: those time-honored bandanna prints reworked into shirts, swimsuit coverups and the sexiest evening dresses imaginable. Here, the silk stunner, all tied up in knots. For more on Gucci Group resort, see pages 6 and 7. Chasing New Labels: Jones Said Preparing To Snap Up Kasper By Eric Wilson NEW YORK — After walking away from Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Jones Apparel Group appears to have its eye on buying Anne Klein. Sources said Jones’ interest in the Anne Klein franchise has heated up this week and the company might soon up the bidding in the pursuit of the label’s parent company, Kasper ASL, which has been exploring various strategic options as part of its plan to emerge from bankruptcy protection in the coming weeks. Kellwood Co. was believed to be See Jones, Page 5 PHOTO BY ROBERT PHOTO MITRA BY ROBERT 2 WWDTHURSDAY Sportswear GENERAL FASHION: Short skirts and colorful, boldly patterned looks spark the Yves ™ 6 Saint Laurent and Gucci collections for resort. THE BEAT: Checking out the scene in Northampton, Mass., called a “dream A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based 8 town” by Outside Magazine, with family fun and strong arts programs. on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated After giving up on Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Jones Apparel Group appears to 1 have its eye on buying Kasper ASL and its Anne Klein and Kasper brands. WWD, THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2003 WWD, THURSDAY, SHORT AND SWEET ACTIVE: Just as athletes change their workouts to maximize performance, The miniskirt: It’s baa-ack! 10 retailers are offering greater variety in their merchandise and marketing. DENIM DISH: François Girbaud plays peek-a-boo…Diesel’s Limited The customers at Sloan Boutique in Charlotte, Roi has become famous in fashionista circles for 9 Edition…Levi’s extends notes buyback…Novel Denim’s earnings dive. North Carolina, are of two camps: those who will, her “pouf” skirt, a skirt that is gathered, with a puffy, Classified Advertisements ..................................................................13-15 and those who won’t… try on the store’s latest crop turned-under hem. To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is of miniskirts, that is. “I did two versions, one was a mini and the other [email protected], using the individual's name. one was a little longer, for evening wear,” she says. SUBSCRIPTION RATES “A lot of women come in and say they’ve U.S. and possessions, Retailer, daily one year, $99; Manufacturer, daily one year, $135. worn them when they were popular last time, “The mini sold and the evening version did not. I All others U.S., daily one year $195. Canada/Mexico, daily one year, $295. All other foreign (Air Speed), daily one year $595. Please allow 6-8 weeks for service to start. Individual subscription information/Single Copy Sales : (800) 289-0273; and they don’t want to wear them again,” relates think that’s an indication of where things are headed.” 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. Jill Sloan, co-owner, along with Roi’s summer and fall collec- 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. sister Courtney, of the hip tions also include mini suits with a a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc., 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001-8191. WWD is a registered trademark of Fairchild Publications Inc.© 2003 by Fairchild Publications Inc., shop. “But our younger cus- cropped, short-sleeved jacket and a a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, tomers are wearing miniskirts matching A-line miniskirt, a mini including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted in writing by the copyright owner. Editorial Reprints: (212) 221-9595 for the first time.” flounce skirt with a thick, three- 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 The miniskirt was first pop- inch waistband, and evening minis GST # 88654-9096-RM 0001 Canada Publications Agreement # 40032712 Printed in the U.S.A. ularized in the mid-1960s, in taffeta and velvet. All signed articles published in the paper represent solely the individual opinion of the writer and not those of during the height of the sexual “In the past, the miniskirt was WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. revolution, although there’s still a seen as novel, and almost risky,” For Web site access, log on and subscribe to www.WWD.com. controversy regarding whether it says Roi. “Now, it’s more of a state- “We have incorporated the was Mary Quant or Andre Cour- ment; it means you follow fashion miniskirt length into our reges who invented the short and you’re a trendsetter.” suitings, and are selling a lot In Brief skirt. It reappeared during the Wearing a miniskirt “isn’t as big of jackets with minis.” 1980s with a body-hugging ver- of a deal as it was in the past,” G ANNE KLEIN MOVES: Eileen McMaster has been promoted to sion popularized by Madonna, — Rebecca Taylor affirms Connie Maynard, vice senior director of marketing at Anne Klein, from director of mar- keting. McMaster, who joined the firm in August 2000, will oversee who paired it with lace tights and Designer president of sales, girls and juniors media and marketing strategies for the Anne Klein, A-Line, Kasper, ankle boots. And in the 1990s, at Union Bay, where minis are cur- Albert Nipon and LeSuit brands. She reports to John Idol, chief ex- working-girl characters played by Heather Locklear rently the most popular skirt length. ecutive of Kasper/Anne Klein. She takes over some of the responsi- and Calista Flockhart on, respectively, Melrose Place “You’re seeing a lot more miniskirts out there, bilities formerly handled by Dee Salomon, ex-senior vice president and Ally McBeal, wore scandalously short skirts, both in the media and with people wearing them on of marketing and corporate communications at Anne Klein, who last month was named senior vice president and managing director with matching suit jackets, to the office. the streets,” says Maynard. At Union Bay, popular of Style.com, the online home of Vogue and W. In addition, Vera This time around, what’s old is new again as designs include cargo styling, utility details such as Yuan has been promoted to creative services director at Anne miniskirts have assimilated some of the current belts and zippers, stretch and rigid denim versions, Klein. Most recently, she was art director. Yuan will continue to be fashion trends. Designers are incorporating the wide waists, drawstrings, and corduroy fabrications. responsible for creative direction and initiatives including ad cam- paigns and brand support materials. She reports to McMaster. low-waisted trend made so popular with jeans “Texture is particularly important,” relates Maynard. and trousers into their mini designs, meaning But can they be worn to work? This might G IDENTITY CRISIS: The Knightsbridge-based retailer Harrods is that although the new minis are a shorter determine whether or not young women jump on keen to dispel links between its London flagship and a department length—typically between 14 and 17 inches— the miniskirt’s latest revival. According to the Mon- store in Buenos Aires that will trade under the same name starting in September. The Argentine retailer, which first opened in 1914, they are still considered respectable because they itor, 52% of female consumers ages 16 to 24 say that shared directors with the London Harrods until 1945, but the British hang lower on the hips. their work and weekend wardrobes have pieces that retailer sold all interests in the South American store in 1968. Atilio Sloan reports that her boutique is stocking ver- overlap, while 58% in the 25- to 35-year-old age Gibertoni, head of CBC-Interconfinanz, an Italian-Swiss venture that sions that have cargo details and buckles. But the group affirm their wardrobes do double time. owns a 51 percent stake in the Argentine store, has received finan- cial backing from Besknet, a group of Italian investors, to see the bestseller is a miniskirt from Michael Kors, which Designers say there’s a way to pull it off, particu- store open by September. “We sincerely hope that customers will not comes in white and turquoise cotton, with embroi- larly for women in creative fields. confuse the store in Buenos Aires, above whose door the word dered flowers. “It’s very Mexican-looking,” she says. “We have incorporated the miniskirt length ‘Harrods’ appears, with our department store in London’s Jeff Mahshie, creative director for Chaiken, says into our suitings, and are selling a lot of jackets with Knightsbridge,” a spokesperson for Harrods Ltd.