The Inside: Living the LuxuryPg. Life 16 LEVI’S AT 150/10 LAUDER NET UP 74%/3 WWD WWDWomen’s Wear Daily • The Retailers’THURSDAY Daily Newspaper • May 1, 2003 Vol. 185, No. 89 $2.00 List Sportswear America’s Most Fashionable Colleges Throughout the past two months, more than 30 reporters from WWD fanned across the country, combing nearly 70 college campuses, seeking out the trendsetters, the most fashionable classes, the hottest looks and the future industry brains. Inside, our 60-page report. 2 WWDTHURSDAY Sportswear GENERAL Saks Fifth Avenue has a new growth strategy for small stores focused on ™ 3 high-margin, high-traffic categories, but there’s no green light for it yet. Levi Strauss & Co. marks its 150th anniversary in business today, a A weekly update on consumer attitudes and behavior based 10 moment in time marked not by precision but by persistency. on ongoing research from Cotton Incorporated The third quarter was a charm for The Estée Lauder Cos., which reported a WWD, THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2003 WWD, THURSDAY, 3 73.9 percent jump in profits. WHITE DENIM REVIVAL The WWDList: Consumers’ spending habits by product category, based on New textures, tones and technologies reinvent a summer fashion classic 16 household income. EYE: Meet the next Bridges, as in Lloyd, Beau, Jeff and now Jordan…How Nothing epitomizes the look of casual unique processing and finishing techniques,” notes Ieraci 6 Prince William stays fit for a king…plus a slew of scoops. summer sportswear more than white denim. of Burlington. “Contemporary denim is softer and more The WWDCollege issue, a special supplement, is included in this issue. Starting in the 1950s, and seemingly repeated at 20- ‘beat up,’ due to stonewashing, abrasion, bleaching, year intervals, each generation has rediscovered—and whiskering or sandblasting. And while the faded look is Classified Advertisements ..................................................................18-19 reinterpreted—the clean look and irrefutable style of more subtle, white denim is no exception.” To e-mail reporters and editors at WWD, the address is this wardrobe classic. Think Jackie But multiple washes and [email protected], using the individual's name. Kennedy in her signature white textured fabrics don’t complete SUBSCRIPTION RATES denim jeans, black cotton tee and the nouveau white denim U.S. and possessions, Retailer, daily one year, $99; Manufacturer, daily one year, $135. equation. Also noteworthy is the All others U.S., daily one year $195. Canada/Mexico, daily one year, $295. All other foreign (Air Speed), daily one year $595. oversized sunglasses. Or the Beach Please allow 6-8 weeks for service to start. Individual subscription information/Single Copy Sales : (800) 289-0273; Boys, whose clean-cut white denims shift toward a broader range 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. and bold Hawaiian shirts captured of white denim shades. “In addi- 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. the laid-back California lifestyle. tion to the familiar bright ‘optic a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc., 7 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001-8191. White denim returns for white’ denim, there’s been an WWD is a registered trademark of Fairchild Publications Inc.© 2003 by Fairchild Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Advance Publications Inc. All rights reserved. spring/summer 2003 with a influx of more natural-looking No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be pocketful of exciting new looks— hues, such as stone, ecru and expressly permitted in writing by the copyright owner. Editorial Reprints: (212) 221-9595 almost white shades, textured fab- cream,” observes Wagner of 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 rics, and multi-wash finishes— Cotton Incorporated. GST # 88654-9096-RM 0001 Canada Publications Agreement # 40032712 Printed in the U.S.A. all brought to life by advanced Cashill of Liz Claiborne con- All signed articles published in the paper represent solely the individual opinion of the writer and not those of technologies. Expect white firms that when buying denim, WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. denim to be softer, more “White denim is for anyone comfort is key. She says For Web site access, log on to www.WWD.com tactile, and better fitting who appreciates the timeless look that the soft hand derived than ever before. from multiple garment Anne Cashill, vice presi- of classic white in the summertime. washes, and the newer light- dent of corporate design and It can be worn with either weight, 10-ounce denim merchandising at Liz Clai- funky or classic accessories, appeal to the Liz customer. In Brief borne Inc., calls denim “the so it offers limitless wardrobe options.” “With three-quarters of the backbone of many women’s country living in ‘season- G GOING FOR GUCCI: An affiliate of France’s Pinault- wardrobes.” She counts –Rachel Prehatney less’ zones, lightweight Printemps-Redoute SA spent approximately $112 million to ac- lightweight denim con- Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren denim is becoming a four- quire 1.14 million shares of Gucci Group NV, boosting PPR’s struction, after-wash treat- season trend,” she observes. stake in Gucci to 62.2 percent. The purchases were made on ments and stretch fabrications as among the prac- White denim offerings from Lizwear, due to hit the Amsterdam Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange tical, wearer-friendly characteristics that are driving stores this spring, include a military-influenced between March 24 and April 30. PPR is committed to buying all today’s denim market. Cashill sees the white denim jacket, cropped pants, cargo pants and a short, Gucci shares it doesn’t own next year for $101.50 a share, so the jacket as a classic layering piece, but feels that this classic fly-front skirt. transactions in the last five weeks effectively saved PPR $2.3 Although white denim never really disappears million. In the case of transaction on the Amsterdam Stock season “most of the action will be in bottoms.” Exchange, dollar figures have been converted from the euro at “Today’s white denim utilizes mixed yarn sizes from the fashion landscape, it will be front and current exchange rates. The filing with the Securities and and slubs to give it a graphic, three-dimensional center this season, headlining several designer jean Exchange Commission on Wednesday was the 12th amendment texture and a soft, comfortable feel,” explains Scott collections. Monique Buzy-Pucheu, owner of Buz of PPR’s Schedule 13D, filed with the SEC in March 1999, when Wagner, associate director, weaving operations at Jones, a cutting-edge designer jeans line, is also PPR became Gucci’s white knight in its battle to stave off a hos- Cotton Incorporated. “The standard yarns used in bullish on white denim. tile takeover by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. the past to create bright white denim left the fabric “We’re introducing heavily abraded, ring-spun white smoother and less interesting.” denim with lots of texture,” says Buzy-Pucheu, who G SEEKING A PRETTY PENNEY: Guild Inc., an apparel manufac- Other trends Wagner says will be associated with recently perfected an innovative super-worn, ultra-soft turer that has an annual volume of $65 million, filed a copyright in- white denim are primarily based on finishing tech- white denim. “Flares aren’t going away, but we think cig- fringement action against J.C. Penney in a Los Angeles federal court. nology. He points to a more casual attitude, a resur- arette legs look the most modern,” she adds, noting that Court papers said Guild wants $3.5 million in damages arising from gence of vintage chic, and an urban, more broken-in Buz Jones will offer white denim in both styles. the retailer’s alleged unauthorized use of a floral screen design look as hallmarks of the current jean generation. “White denim is an integral part of our spring thought to have been part of a sample by Guild that the retailer had America’s growing reliance on the casual comfort and summer collections,” agrees Rachel Prehatney, rejected. Executives at Penney’s did not return a call for comment. of denim is borne out by the Cotton Incorporated spokesperson for Polo Jeans Co. Ralph Lauren. G ™ NEW TIFFANY STORE: Tiffany & Co. is expanding its presence on Lifestyle Monitor , which reports that 68% of women “We’ve drilled and stonewashed our 10-ounce the West Coast with a new store slated to open this fall at The prefer to go places where they can wear jeans, up from white denim for a softer look and feel. In addition Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, Calif. The store will occupy 62% a year ago. The Monitor also revealed that 64% to our wardrobe staples—including the boot-cut about 4,500 square feet and will primarily carry Tiffany’s fine and of the women questioned jean and summer’s ‘must- engagement jewelry; watches; the designs of Elsa Peretti, Paloma would choose to wear denim Do you prefer wearing casual slacks or denim jeans? have’ cropped jean, we’re Picasso and Jean Schlumberger and accessories, china and crystal jeans over casual slacks.