Top 2 The Inside: Pg. 16 LIZ’S CHALLENGE/3 AMERICAN EAGLE FLIES HIGH/3 0 WWD N.Y. Fa Women’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’ Daily Newspaper • March 3, 2005• $2.00 WWDTHURSDAYshion ShowsList Sportswear Dream Works PARIS — Move over, Tilda, Tori’s in town. That’s right. Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren of Viktor & Rolf, who were inspired by Tilda Swinton a few seasons back, have a new redheaded muse, and her name is Tori Amos. The singer-songwriter performed during their fall show, which had a fanciful bedtime-story theme, but nevertheless featured plenty of beautiful, wearable clothes. Here, with Amos, a dreamy example: a fluid jacket and pants, worn with an elaborately ruffled blouse. For more on the season, see pages 6 to 11. Luxe’s Winning Strategy: Neiman Marcus Profits Climb 19.3% in Quarter By Vicki M. Young NEW YORK — Whatever intrigue is going on behind the scenes at Neiman Marcus Group, its bottom line just keeps looking better and better. The luxury retailer said Wednesday that income for the quarter ended Jan. 29 jumped 19.3 percent to $70.6 million, or $1.43 a diluted share, from $59.2 million, or $1.21, in the year-ago quarter. Excluding a $7.5 million impact of favorable settlements associated with previous state tax filings in the second quarter of 2004, adjusted earnings per diluted share were $1.06 in the quarter. See Neiman’s, Page20 PHOTO BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI GIOVANNI PHOTO BY WWDTHURSDAYWWD.COM Sportswear FASHION The Paris ready-to-wear shows continued, as Viktor & Rolf, Lagerfeld ™ 6 Gallery and Jean Paul Gaultier strutted their stuff down the runways. A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated GENERAL Neiman Marcus Group saw second-quarter profits rise 19 percent to $70.6 THE BOHO DISTRICT 1 million, as sales gained 7.7 percent to $1.13 billion from $1.05 billion. Today’s bohemian fashion trend has uptown appeal Liz Claiborne turned in fourth-quarter profits of $82.7 million, a 13 percent 3 increase, but couldn’t keep Wall Street happy, as the stock dropped. For years, the word “bohemian” conjured up DISH: Novel Denim goes private…People’s Liberation for denim…No leg, even in capris. They look more like a culotte or 12 carbon copy here…The ongoing legal battle over Seven. a decidedly downtown image. Today, that same a gaucho.” word paired with a rather unexpected one defines a Silhouettes aside, there would be no discussion ACTIVE: Spyder Active Sports, with the backing of Apax Partners, is readying for major expansion in the ski industry and beyond. pervasive, yet upscale, trend in modern fashion: chic. of Bohemian Chic without the word “natural.” 15 “We’re seeing the influences of Bohemian Chic “Even accessories have a natural feel, like the cotton EYE: The presence of Tom Ford helped make Saks Fifth Avenue’s Unforgettable on all the runways and in all the top magazines,” espadrille,” Stoner reports. And of course, garments 24 Evening a night to remember…Staging “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” attests Linda DeFranco, women’s will also be predominantly Classified Advertisements ..................................................................22-23 wear trend forecaster with Cotton created from natural fibers. Incorporated. “It’s a global yet According to the Monitor, 61% of To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is [email protected], using the individual’s name. earthy look, and it’s certainly more female respondents said they were willing to pay more for WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. COPYRIGHT ©2005 refined than anything we’ve seen FAIRCHILD PUBLICATIONS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. in recent years.” natural fibers such as cotton. VOLUME 189, NO. 45. 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 “Bohemian Chic is all in the Stoner adds, “I love a crinkle issues in February, March and September, by Fairchild Publications, Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications, Inc. PRINCIPAL detailing and styling,” relates cotton blouse with a tiered soft 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 Joanne Stoner, founder of peasant skirt; a very natural look.” Bright, Executive Vice-President_Human Resources; John Buese, Executive Vice-President_ Chief Information Officer; David Orlin, Edressme.com, an online destination DeFranco also points out the 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 for fashionable garments. “It’s cotton top’s importance in boho additional mailing offices. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40032712. Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration a look that is very chic and fashion. “You can buy a couture No. 88654-9096-RM0001. Canada post return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 4960-2 Walker Road, Windsor, ON N9A 6J3. POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO WWD, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008. FOR sophisticated for right now.” cotton blouse in almost any SUBSCRIPTIONS, ADDRESS CHANGES, ADJUSTMENTS, OR BACK ISSUE INQUIRIES: Please write to WOMEN’S WEAR So just what are these heralded color, and easily work that into DAILY, P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008; Call 800-289-0273; or visit www.subnow.com/wd . Four weeks is required for change of address. Please give both new and old address as printed on most recent label. First copy of new bohemian favorites that resonate “Boho Chic is an eclectic mix of your existing wardrobe for an subscription will be mailed within four weeks after receipt of order. Address all editorial, business, and production with today’s female shopper? updated feel.” correspondence to WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001. For permissions and reprint requests, ethnic and vintage-feel items.” please call 212-221-9595 or fax requests to 212-221-9195. Visit us online: www.wwd.com. To subscribe to other Fairchild “Tiered peasant skirts, longer — Tracy Reese, And look for colors to play an magazines on the World Wide Web, visit www.fairchildpub.com. Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully tunics, kimono style tops, fuller important role in this trend as screened companies that offer products and services that we believe would interest our readers. If you do not want to receive designer these offers and/or information, please advise us at P.O. Box 15008, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5008 or call 800-289-0273. pants and skirts,” Stoner notes. well. Shares trend forecaster WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS, DAMAGE, OR ANY OTHER INJURY TO UNSOLICITED “Boho Chic is an eclectic mix of ethnic and DeFranco, ”We have a collection of colors we call MANUSCRIPTS, UNSOLICITED ART WORK (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND TRANSPARENCIES), OR ANY OTHER UNSOLICITED MATERIALS. THOSE SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, ART vintage-feel items,” asserts Tracy Reese, who designs ‘Travel Hybrid,’ which encompass all of the colors WORK, OR OTHER MATERIALS FOR CONSIDERATION SHOULD NOT SEND ORIGINALS, UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED an eponymous collection in addition to the Plenty you see occurring in the natural world: burnt TO DO SO BY WWD IN WRITING. MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND OTHER MATERIALS SUBMITTED MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SELF-ADDRESSED OVERNIGHT-DELIVERY RETURN ENVELOPE, POSTAGE PREPAID. line, which is sold at upscale stores. oranges, greens and deep browns.” Agrees Wenlan Chai, designer of Twinkle, a New Chai from Twinkle adds the influence of York-based fashion collection, “Modern Boho is an colors from the ocean and semi-precious interesting mix. It’s a fascinating interpretation of stones on Boho fashion. “There are shades of teal In Brief things that are familiar but new.” blue to sea blue; we are also using variations of Familiarity is a good thing when it comes to burgundies and greens, along with rich chocolate ● ALL IN THE FAMILY: Family Dollar Stores Inc. plans to invest apparel shopping for one in three women. According browns,” she reports. about $60 million and create 465 jobs at the Griffiss Business & to Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™, Prints also take center stage, which lends a global, Technology Park in Rome, N.Y. Construction is expected to begin 36.3% of female respondents said that they planned yet still natural feel to the Bohemian Chic trend. in late spring for the discount chain’s new Northeast regional dis- less changes in their apparel in the Adds Chai, “We’re seeing prints tribution center. Family Dollar Stores has added more than 3,000 coming months. This figure is up Willing to Pay More for with trees, birds and flowers.” stores in the last 10 years and more than 2,000 in the past five six percentage points from the Natural Fibers Such as Cotton “There are plenty of earthy years, said Charles S. Gibson Jr., executive vice president. prints like batiks and other 30.3% of women making that ● claim a year earlier. 2003 2004 +/- ethnic prints that evoke Africa WRISTBAND FAKES GRABBED: The owners of Endzone, a sports collectibles store, agreed to pay $12,000 to the Lance “For most women, the Bohemian Yes 61% 58% +3.0 and India in fashion,” relates No 35% 34% -1.0 Armstrong Foundation and $7,000 in civil penalties and costs to Chic trend allows them to pull DeFranco.