The Inside: Pg. 20 CANCUN CONFERENCE KICKOFF/3 FLASH/11-18 In LivingWWD Color WWDWomen’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’THURSDAY Daily Newspaper • September 11, 2003 Vol. 186, No. 53 $2.00 List Sportswear Underneath It All NEW YORK — Behind every big fashion success there’s a singular creative vision. That’s why Gwen Stefani made sure to be part of every aspect of her new contemporary line, L.A.M.B., which debuted this week. “I drew every stitch, every seam,” Stefani says. “I did all the fittings. This is my baby.” Form-fitting T-shirts, pants with a swath of fabric over the bum and plenty of hardware give L.A.M.B. a look of casual glamour with a touch of punk. Here, Stefani wears a Modal rayon T-shirt and denim pants. For more on her new label, see pages 6 and 7. Giorgio’s Beverly Hills: A Celebration of Armani And Talk of the Future By Rose Apodaca Jones BEVERLY HILLS — “I know I won’t be here forever,” a reflective Giorgio Armani said on the eve of his star- saturated gala induction into the new Rodeo Drive Walk of Style. “But I don’t imagine one person in charge. I imagine a very good team. I have a good management structure in place now Michelle Pfeiffer at See Star, Page8 the Armani event. PHOTOS BY ROBERT MITRA; MODEL: MARGA/SUPREME; HAIR AND MAKEUP BY MATEO FOR WARREN TRICOMI MANAGEMENT; STYLED BY ANTONIA SARDONE STYLED BY TRICOMI MANAGEMENT; FOR WARREN MATEO MITRA; MODEL: MARGA/SUPREME; HAIR AND MAKEUP BY ROBERT PHOTOS BY WWDTHURSDAY Sportswear GENERAL FASHION: Fashion’s latest star-turned-designer, Gwen Stefani, launches her ™ 6 long-anticipated contemporary line, L.A.M.B., this week. Here’s a look. Giorgio Armani finally responds to the much-speculated future of his $2 A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based 1 billion global empire at the Beverly Hills extravaganza in his honor Tuesday. on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated WWD looks at apparel manufacturing in New York City’s Chinatown, and 3 consumer moods in Europe and Japan in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001. SUPER SIZING EYE: The thrill is in the mix — just ask the far-flung group that gathered to Women seek equal fit across all apparel brands 4 celebrate the artistic ode to Kate Moss in the September issue of W. Flash, a special report on denim, juniors and streetwear, appears on pages 11-18. “Guess what?” exclaims actress Cynthia Nixon sistent. We take tape measures and a record of the Classified Advertisements ..................................................................21-23 as new mom and lawyer Miranda Hobbes on a actor’s measurements with us when shopping the To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is recent episode of HBO’s Sex and the City. “I’m stores, and that’s how we will best evaluate a fit.” [email protected], using the individual's name. wearing my skinny jeans!” So what’s the average woman to do sans a team of SUBSCRIPTION RATES U.S. and possessions, Retailer, daily one year, $99; Manufacturer, daily one year, $135. Most women do tend to keep at least one or two stylists and tailors to look her fitted best in a sea of 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; aspirational items in the closet – a phenomena sizes? Don’t be afraid to consult the tailor at your 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. shared by both the fictional and the real. Because for local drycleaner or ask a friend for a recommendation 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 September and three in August, by Fairchild the majority of women, size really for a capable seamstress once Publications, Inc. 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., does matter. According to the you’ve found a close enough size, 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, Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle offers stylist DiFrisco. “Any 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 Monitor™, 40% of women woman who takes the time to be 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 admitted to holding on to gar- fitted will see a marked improve- GST # 88654-9096-RM 0001 Canada Publications Agreement # 40032712 Printed in the U.S.A. ments in their wardrobe that they ment in her appearance.” All signed articles published in the paper represent solely the individual opinion of the writer and not those of couldn’t wear due to fit. While most experts agree that WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. Another challenge average emphasis should be placed on For Web site access, log on and subscribe to www.WWD.com. women do experience with fit – actual fit as opposed to the number and quite often – is a lack of on the tag inside the garment, uniform sizing across different women are still fairly self-conscious In Brief brands. Nearly half of all female about the size of the garment ● MORE DE BEERS: De Beers LV said Wednesday it has opened consumers surveyed by the they’re placing on their bodies. three boutiques in Japan, as planned. The three in-store shops Monitor said they would like to “When I have to trade up a size in a span about 1,300 to 1,500 square feet each and are located within see standardized sizing in apparel, particular brand, I don’t exactly feel the country’s major department stores: at Takashimaya in thereby making their shopping “Every woman’s body has great about myself or the brand,” Nihonbashi, Matsuya in Ginza and Isetan in Shinjuku. Iman, a spokeswoman for De Beers, was on hand for pre-opening celebra- experiences easier and more suc- different nuances that don’t confides Alexandra. allow for an across the board tions Tuesday, including a gala dinner and performance by cessful. A mere 6% considered And it’s that experience that often American singer Jade Anderson. The design and product assort- themselves hard to fit, leaving a fit all the time in every leads some designers to cut more ment of the boutiques are similar to the London unit, which wide berth of women who know garment. It’s about being open generously to allow their clients to fit opened on Bond Street last November. A De Beers LV unit is slat- minded when shopping.” ed to open in Manhattan on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th their size and want to find it into a “smaller size.” This so-called Street in the second half of 2004. consistently from brand to brand. — Amy DiFrisco vanity sizing is at the discretion of “A size six should be a size six stylist the designer; it can work for that ● A MAYOR SALES EVENT: Mayor Michael Bloomberg helped should be a size six,” asserts collection if all sizes are in appro- launch an eight-day campaign to drive New York City’s retail sales priate proportion, according to alice + olivia’s Wiener. through promotions at a news conference held in Herald Square Alexandra, a freelance writer in New York City. “I Wednesday. Starting Sunday, more than 200 retailers across the don’t know why I have to go into the fitting room “If I’m fitting on a six and it’s running small, I call it a five boroughs will offer price promotions. For example, during the with my size plus one size up or down to find the one four and base up and down accordingly.” drive, three Champion sweatshirts will sell for $20 at Modell’s that fits best. It’s crazy to think that I can wear one With that said, size truly is just a number. And Sporting Goods. Retailers participating in the program, including size in one brand and a different size in another.” that’s just fine by DiFrisco, who has some words of Macy’s and Modell’s, will be featured in a special section in Sunday’s New York Daily News. The Mayor said the city’s retail- But that’s a difficult request when each designer wisdom for women shoppers. “Ignore that number!” ers employ 260,000 people and pay wages of $10.5 billion. has his or her own idea of sizing and how to establish she advises. “It’s hard for women to accept that ini- it. “I use only one fit model as I think it makes for a tially, but I stay firm in insisting that my clients focus ● BON-TON BIDS BACK: The Bon-Ton Stores late Wednesday more consistent line, which is what’s most impor- on the fit and ignore the size its says in the garment.” upped its bid for Elder-Beerman Stores Corp.