GABBING WITH GAGA WWD CHATS WITH THE POP PRINCESS ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK. PAGE 9 BLACK FRIDAY COUNTDOWN: THE DEALS ARE BIGGER AND THE WWD HOURS ARE LONGER. RETAIL’S BIGGEST DAY DRAWS NEAR. PAGE 2 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2011 Q WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY Q $3.00 MAINSTREAM GOES UPSTREAM Price, Premium Effect Lift Denim’s Profile For mainstream brands, that By ARNOLD J. KARR means a sharper focus on nonindigo colors, a trend that caught on more DEMAND FOR FASHION jeans is strongly than expected earlier this expanding beyond the premium mar- year, and greater emphasis on nov- ket and right into the mainstream. elty pocket and stitching treatments, Key factors influencing the de- stretch and fit. Vendors are finding mand include higher prices for com- that the increases they are trying to modities as well as the power of the pass along to retailers — and con- premium market to drive trends. sumers — are more palatable when While premium jeans compa- there’s a fashion story to be told. nies such as J Brand and True “There’s certainly price resis- Religion continue to set the fashion tance among lower-income shop- pace in the denim world — with a pers,” said Angelo LaGrega, presi- broader range of colors, silhouettes dent of VF Jeanswear Americas, and fits — the firms focused on the VF Corp. unit that markets more moderate price points were Lee and Wrangler in the region. forced to elevate their prices this “In the midtier, though, we can year because of escalating costs for get the higher price as long as we cotton, labor and transportation, can catch consumers’ eyes and de- and now are under greater pres- light them. The consumer is buy- sure to provide more fashion looks ing more now because they want and greater detailing. SEE PAGE 6 IN WWD TODAY McQ Comes Into Its Own Page 7 FASHION:Alexander McQueen’s DIOR/BEAUTYWINGNY.COM younger line, McQ, is branching out with FOR a show at London Fashion Week and the opening of its first stand-alone store. MCKNIGHT Keds Links With LF USA Page 7 RYAN FASHION:The 95-year-old Keds brand is BY introducing sportswear for the first time, debuting on Black Friday exclusively at MAKEUP Opening Ceremony. ▲ Faux Fur in the Spotlight Page 8 LEGAL: The Humane Society has filed a petition with the Federal Trade Practical Commission against 11 retailers for alleged false advertising and mislabeling of fur-trimmed products. PROFESSIONNEL/BEAUTYWINGNY.COM; L’OREAL Magic FOR The sturdy anorak has been stripped down and chiced up for spring. DIMAGGIO Here, Tess Giberson’s polyester and cotton jacket, silk chiffon skirt JOSEPH and leather pants with Mara Hoffman’s silk tank and AR’s chiffon BY layered shirt. Nicholas K shoes. For more, see pages 4 and 5. HAIR ERIKA/NEXT; PHOTO BY THOMAS IANNACCONE; STYLED BY MAYTE ALLENDE MODEL: 2 WWD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2011 WWD.COM Holiday Promotional Frenzy in Full Swing Celebs Take to Facebook year, so we shared our Black Friday specials earlier than By SHARON EDELSON ever so they can plan ahead.” Layaway has been popular For Cyber Monday Sales at Wal-Mart throughout the third quarter and was high- THERE ARE LESS THAN 48 hours until Black lighted during the company’s earnings call last week. Friday, and the deals are coming fast and furious on Forever 21 is pulling out all the stops with special By DAVID LIPKE the Web, TV and newspapers. prices and gifts-with-purchase. “The mood is really On Monday, retailers began leaking their Black good,” said Linda Chang, who oversees marketing and A QUARTET OF STARLETS are slated to add sparkle to Friday promotions to give consumers a chance to plot is the daughter of founder Don Chang. “Traffic has re- Cyber Monday when Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Kate shopping strategies and compare prices. Many brick- ally picked up, especially this past weekend.” Bosworth and Rachel Bilson participate in a Facebook and-mortar stores are also offering Black Friday deals Chang said she’s concerned about the economy and broadcast for their respective fashion ventures with online, some a day early. events in Washington, but “that’s not really our tar- BeachMint Inc. Stores are opening earlier than ever, but there’s get demo. I’m praying that they’ll figure things out in The fashionable foursome will appear from 10 a.m. to been some backlash. Traditionalists complain that the D.C. Customers are learning to be a little smarter and noon, Pacific time, Monday on a streaming broadcast on extended Black Friday shopping hours are literally eat- sharper about their purchases and that’s why we’re facebook.com/stylemint. A downloadable application will ing into Thanksgiving. A Target worker disgruntled over seeing an uptick. We and other retailers were seeing enable real-time shopping and exclusive deals to stream stores opening at midnight, delivered petitions with October sales and saying there was a slump in the concurrently to the broadcast. A “buy now” button will 190,000 signatures to Target Corp.’s headquarters in market a little bit. As we’re coming into Black Friday, allow viewers to purchase directly from the Facebook page Minneapolis on Monday. “The vast majority of our team we’re starting to see sales again.” rather than redirecting to the StyleMint e-commerce site. members have shown overwhelming support for our Thomson Reuters is forecasting same-store sales “We launched StyleMint as an online brand to take advan- Black Friday plans,” a Target spokeswoman said. “Our growth for November at 3.2 percent, despite a difficult tage of the incredible trend in social commerce. This event team members feel this is the big day of the holiday and comparison from November 2010’s 5.5 percent. is a perfect example of why we were excited to work with an get really pumped up for working.” Target said guests The NPD Group reported that the conversion rate innovative company like BeachMint,” said Mary-Kate Olsen. expressed a preference for shop- — the percentage of engaged The Olsens, Bosworth and Bilson will participate via ping at midnight rather than get- shoppers who actually made a prerecorded segments that will be intercut with live com- ting up in the middle of the night. purchase after entering a brick- mentary from Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power of the Cyber Monday 2010 grabbed and-mortar store — in the week fashion blog WhoWhatWear. The duo will moderate the live headlines with spending sur- ended Monday ticked up to 69.1 portion of the broadcast and interact with viewers from passing $1 billion, the heaviest percent from 69 percent the pre- BeachMint’s Santa Monica, spending day in online history vious week. The online share of Calif., headquarters. up to that point, according to buying visits last week rose to Several of the celebri- ComScore. This year, retailers 12.8 percent from 12.5 percent, ties may call in during the want to win the battle in stores indicating a slight drop in the broadcast, along with other and in cyberspace, as evidenced share of actual stores. surprise guests, said James by robust inventories, myriad pro- “During this pre-Black Friday Volturo, chief marketing of- motions and free shipping offers. period, online continues to make ficer at BeachMint. J.C. Penney is taking aim at more and more connections with The Olsens partnered both constituencies. Its Black consumers, particularly in the spe- with BeachMint earlier this Friday deals will be available a cialty store space,” said NPD chief spring to launch StyleMint, day early on jcp.com. There will Black Friday weekend has spilled into industry analyst Marshal Cohen. which sells T-shirts for be more than 500 Black Friday Thursday for many retailers, like Macy’s. “The big question is, can they main- EICHNER $29.99, shipping a new option offers such as women’s boots for tain that momentum as consumers once a month to customers $29.99, Barbie and Fisher Price toys, $3.99 and a wom- start to look to full-line retail sites that will be offering STEVE who opt into the program. en’s Xersion packable down jacket, $39.88. greater deals on everything including the kitchen sink.” Ashley Olsen and BY The BeachMint model utiliz- Mary-Kate Olsen According to Shop.org’s eHoliday Survey, conduct- Department stores registered an improvement in PHOTO es social media, videos and ed by BIGresearch, 51 percent of online retailers sur- conversion for the week, to 42 percent from 38 per- an interactive interface to veyed will offer promotions on Thanksgiving and 92.2 cent, while mass merchants and apparel specialty market the Olsens’ celebrity and personality to shoppers. percent of online merchants will offer special promo- stores were unchanged at 73 percent and 40 percent, The company first launched with a jewelry site called tions at some point during the Thanksgiving weekend. respectively. Mass merchants’ conversion rates tend JewelMint in partnership with Bosworth in October The National Retail Federation is projecting an to be higher because of the grocery items carried in 2010. A shoe site, called ShoeMint, will debut Thursday increase in shoppers from 138 million last year to 152 their stores. However, shopping visits declined at mass in partnership with Bilson and Steve Madden. A beauty million this year. Among those surveyed, 33 percent merchants while increasing at beauty specialty stores, site, called BeautyMint, launched last month in partner- said they plan to shop during the weekend, up from 27 factory outlets and sporting goods stores. ship with Jessica Simpson, who is not participating in the percent in 2010.