Sheer Delight TWO SIDES ALEKSA PALLADINO OF BOARDWALK EMPIRE HAS ANOTHER GIG: HALF OF THE UP-AND-COMING DUO EXITMUSIC. PAGE 9

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1 TWO SIDES ALEKSA PALLADINO OF BOARDWALK EMPIRE HAS ANOTHER GIG: HALF OF THE UP-AND-COMING DUO EXITMUSIC. PAGE 9 PLUS: PITTI FILATI SEES BETTER DAYS AHEAD AFTER TOUGH FEW YEARS. PAGE 6 WWDWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 $3.00 WOMEN S WEAR DAILY Sheer Delight Peekaboo, I see you. The resort season was full of lovely see-through layers such as Reed Krakoff s silk mesh wrap skirt, shown here with the designer s chain mail crepe de chine T-shirt. For more, see pages 4 and 5. WOMEN S WEAR DAILY PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROBERT MITRA AT PARQUE DE TRANQUILIDAD, NEW YORK; STYLED BY ANTONIA SARDONE MODEL: PAULINE FOR SOUL ARTIST MANAGEMENT; HAIR AND MAKEUP BY CABIRIA ROSADO; FASHION ASSISTANT: PEARL SHIN; PHOTO ASSISTANT: MARGAUX SWERDLOFF SCREEN SAVERS Online B-t-s Sales Expected to Boom By SHARON EDELSON FACING STICKER SHOCK AT THE PUMPS, CONsumers are traveling no further than their computers to log onto price comparison search engines for backto-school deals for their kids. While b-t-s shopping budgets will be flat or shrink slightly as cautious consumers maintain a recession mind-set, e-commerce is poised to significantly gain market share, as it did last Christmas season when it more than doubled its growth rate. The Internet is already highly promotional, said Walter Loeb, founder of Loeb Associates. That s where retailers are gaining share. Many retailers at the mall were empty last Sunday. Success this b-t-s season will be selective and it won t be for all retailers. There s no sense of free spending exuberance. Department stores will get their share if they don t have a sale every Friday and Saturday, as has been their custom during the b-t-s selling period. A b-t-s forecast survey by PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, found that 69 percent of consumers plan to shop online and use comparison shopping sites as a money-saving technique, compared with 23 percent in Forty-one percent of shoppers said they ll visit retailer Web sites this b-t-s period to print out coupons, versus 33 percent last year. Clothing retailers will always benefit from the b-t-s shopping season, and we suspect that the increase in purchases in this category can be attributed to the recent wide availability of affordable, designer-inspired clothes, said Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber. Parents looking to keep their kids on-trend may find it easier to stay within their budget by comparing prices online for a discounted pair of designer jeans and extending the life of the expensive electronics they already own. SEE PAGE 12 IN WWD TODAY Marvin Traub s New Pact PAGE 2 NEWS: After collaborating on several deals, Marvin Traub Associates and Atlas Advisors have formed a strategic M&A advisory partnership. China s Consumer Engine PAGE 8 FINANCIAL: Chinese consumers are expected to continue to boost their spending, tripling annual expenditures on fashion to more than $200 billion by 2020, according to a new study. All Change at Inditex PAGE 7 RETAIL: Inditex founder and chairman Amancio Ortega today hands the reins over

2 2 WWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 FINANCIAL European Debt Woes Hamper Retail Stocks By EVAN CLARK RETAIL STOCKS STARTED OFF the week with a 0.8 percent decline as the sector was caught in the general downdraft of European sovereign debt concerns. The S&P Retail Index fell 4.54 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at Monday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average also dropped 0.8 percent, or points, to 12, Last week started with fears that Italy would be the latest casualty of the rolling European debt troubles. This week, investors began with concerns that the official reading of how well European banks would fare in the event of a financial crisis was overly optimistic. Although most retail stocks were in retreat, shares of Liz Claiborne Inc. gained 4.7 percent to $5.38 the strongest increase of the 169 stocks tracked by WWD on a Bloomberg News report that the company is in the process of trying to sell its ailing Mexx unit. Divesting Mexx would give Claiborne a slimmer profile and a stronger focus on its Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and Kate Spade brands. A spokeswoman for Claiborne declined comment. Overall, retail stocks are in a bit of a holding pattern that might well persist until stores report monthly same-store sales results Aug. 4 and then second-quarter earnings results later in the month. You ve got a little bit of a slow-summer phenomenon here, said Erika Maschmeyer, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. 0.8% DROP OF S&P RETAIL INDEX. When investors do tune back in for second-quarter results next month, Maschmeyer said they ll be looking for back-toschool game plans and readings on the competitive environment and price increases. Sourcing costs are going to continue to be an issue even though cotton [costs have] come down, she said. We still have to deal with higher costs in the back end of the year. Even though low-end consumers, in particular, find themselves besieged by high unemployment, a weak housing market and higher food prices, Maschmeyer said middle and higher-end consumers who account for most of the spending have been chugging along. Moody s Downgrades Sears: Debt watchdog Moody s Investors Service downgraded Sears Holdings Corp. s corporate family rating to Ba3 from Ba2, leaving the company s rating three notches into the junk bond range. The outlook on the rating is negative. The company has seen persistent declines in consolidated revenues over the past few years as well as pressure on operating margins which we believe have resulted from erosion in market share, Moody s said in its downgrade. The negative rating outlook primarily reflects uncertainties around the company s ability to arrest recent declines in sales and operating margins. Shares of Sears dipped 0.7 percent to $ By LISA LOCKWOOD AFTER SUCCESSFULLY collaborating on several deals together, Marvin Traub Associates and Atlas Advisors have formed a strategic M&A advisory partnership. The two firms intend to capitalize on MTA s deep, up-to-date knowledge of the fashion industry and Atlas financial expertise. Most recently, both firms advised Amsterdam-based contemporary fashion brand Scotch & Soda in its sale to Sun Capital Partners and Kellwood Holding Corp, and earlier this year worked together on the sale of Rock and Republic to VF Corp. According to Marvin Traub, chairman of MTA, the new partnership will take a customer-centric approach to M&A advisory, which weighs not only financial, but also strategic and cultural elements into its process. WWD.COM Traub, Atlas Form Partnership Mortimer Singer, Marvin Traub, Palden Namgyal and Julian Steinberg. Palden Namgyal, senior managing director of Atlas, added, The partnership with MTA provides our clients with unique and valueadded insight as well as access to key decision makers and entrepreneurs in the retail and fashion sector which is emblematic to our approach to doing business. Atlas, which specializes in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance advisory, has closed more than $30 billion in transactions worldwide since its inception in It provides services such as financial analysis and valuation to assessment of alternatives and transaction negotiation. Founded in 1992, MTA s expertise is in business development and strategy consulting. The firm works with brands, retailers, real estate developers and technology companies to understand their trajectories and find new growth opportunities, said Mortimer Singer, president of MTA. It s a wonderful complement of left brain and right brain to a problem, added Singer. Singer said he and Julian Steinberg, managing director of Atlas, have previously worked on various projects together. Julian [Steinberg] and I have known each other for a long time. Our two companies were quite complementary in many ways, said Singer. Since MTA is not a bank, he said that whenever he needed strategic help and someone who understood the business, he would call Steinberg. Describing what is undoubtedly a challenging apparel-retail sector, Namgyal said it s important to bring both relevant fashion and financial knowledge to the table. There s only so much the numbers can tell you, he said, noting that you need to understand the value of a company. Namgyal said there are always numerous reasons why a company chooses to sell, and no two scenarios are alike. When they worked with Scotch & Soda, for example, the founder-owners had achieved huge business success, and were getting to a size where they could use the skills of a partner. They introduced them to a number of top fashion houses, and the deal with Kellwood came together pretty quickly. For Rock and Republic, he explained, the business was challenged and in bankruptcy. When Rock & Republic ultimately sold its intellectual property to VF Corp., it allowed Rock & Republic Holdings to repay all its creditors one hundred cents on the dollar and allowed founder Michael Ball to receive cash for the excess equity value. As for current M&A trends, Singer sees a lot of action in international expansion and U.S. companies looking to acquire international brands. He noted that the Middle East, China and Russia have built up war chests and become powerhouses. Most of what s on top of people s minds is Western brands trying to become global brands, added Traub. He sees a lot of activity in the luxury space, and believes there will be more crossborder deals going forward, as well as action in emerging markets. PHOTO BY THOMAS IANNACCONE All four executives stressed that there are no parameters to the size of the deal that they specialize in. We try and find relatively unique opportunities. It could be a small jewel if we think a larger strategic [company] would be interested. We take a tailored approach to which opportunities we take on, said Namgyal. One company that both firms have invested in is called Shop My Label, a social networking shopping site, that will launch in September. We re investors and advisers in that company, said Traub. What separates Atlas MTA from other M&A firms is what MTA brings to the table, said Namgyal. No one is set up like this being able to look at a business as a merchant. We think there s no one else as deep as MTA in their expertise. In terms of delivering a deep understanding of value in the fashion business, it s a pretty rare commodity. It s a wonderful complement of left brain and right brain to a problem. MORTIMER SINGER, MARTIN TRAUB ASSOCIATES SECTORS IN THIS ISSUE FINANCIAL 2 TEXTILES 6 FASHION 4-5,8,11 MEN S FASHION 8 DAILY QUOTE RETAIL 8 MEDIA 9 CELEBRITY 10 BACK-T0-SCHOOL 1,12 Department stores will get their share if they don t have a sale every Friday and Saturday. WALTER LOEB, OF LOEB ASSOCIATES, ON MORE BACK-TO- SCHOOL SHOPPING BEING DONE ONLINE. PAGE ONE. TODAY ON WWD.COM EYESCOOP: See more from Model Call: Codie Young at WWD.com/eyescoop. FASHION: See more looks from Gap s holiday 2011 collection at WWD.com/fashion-news. MEN S: More looks from Elie Tahari s ready-to-wear spring collection at WWD.com/menswear-news. RETAIL: See more back-to-school images at WWD.com/retail-news. BUSINESS: More financial news and daily stock movements at WWD.com/business-news. Codie Young TO REPORTERS AND EDITORS AT WWD, THE ADDRESS IS FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME@FAIRCHILDPUB.COM, USING THE INDIVIDUAL S NAME. WWD IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. COPYRIGHT 2011 FAIRCHILD FASHION GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. VOLUME 202, NO. 12. TUESDAY, JULY 19, WWD (ISSN ) is published daily (except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with one additional issue in May, June, November and December, two additional issues in February, March, April and August and three additional issues in September and October) by Fairchild Fashion Group, which is a division of Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. PRINCIPAL OFFICE: 750 Third Avenue, New York, NY Shared Services provided by Condé Nast: S.I. Newhouse, Jr., Chairman; Charles H. Townsend, Chief Executive Offi cer; Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., President; John W. Bellando, Chief Operating Offi cer & Chief Financial Offi cer; Jill Bright, Chief Administrative Offi cer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offi ces. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No Canadian Goods and Services Tax Registration No RT0001. 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3 You talking to me? PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER DAVID NEVILLE AND MARCUS WAINWRIGHT OF RAG & BONE // INDUSTRY LEADERS AND LOYAL READERS REACH EVERYBODY WHO S ANYBODY IN FASHION

4 4 WWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 See It Through The message for resort is clear: Gauzy, transparent looks have arrived. Whether racy and revealing or subtly sheer, the effect is undeniably enchanting. Daryl K s embroidered silk and nylon dress and silk slip. Photos by ROBERT MITRA at Parque de Tranquilidad, New York Styled by ANTONIA SARDONE

5 WWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, WWD.COM Polyester tulle dress by BCBG Max Azria and The Row s silk bandeau and silk and elastic shorts. Christian Louboutin shoes. Factory by Erik Hart s wool and rayon jacket, rayon and polyester chiffon dress and rayon slip. Anna Sammarone necklace; Rag & Bone shoes. The Row s nylon tulle dress with cotton and metal embroidery and silk underlay. Cushnie et Ochs Tencel and silk shirt, Tucker s silk and spandex bra top and Rag & Bone s silk slip. MODEL: PAULINE FOR SOUL ARTIST MANAGEMENT; HAIR AND MAKEUP BY CABIRIA ROSADO; FASHION ASSISTANT: PEARL SHIN; PHOTO ASSISTANT: MARGAUX SWERDLOFF

6 6 WWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 textiles Unifi s new Repreve recycling center. Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia Improved Mood at Pitti Filati By COURTNEY SMITH FLORENCE Italian mill executives were spinning a good yarn at the Pitti Filati fair. Exhibitors reported an increase in the number and size of orders and sales at Florence s Renaissance-era Fortezza da Basso exhibition grounds. Yarn manufacturers, spinning mills and organizers of the three-day show that ended July 7 said they had climbed out of the shadow of two critical years that witnessed record-breaking raw material prices, uneven supply and demand of raw materials, and despondent buyers. We analyze the fairs by two factors: if there s a big turnout and if the turnout is motivated, said Luciano Bandi, Loro Piana s yarns business unit director. In the last few years, we noticed that there were less crowds and less interest. But we ve finally awoken the fair has been reestablished and our clients are coming back with new proposals. Although Italian buyers leveled off at roughly the same number from last summer s edition at 2,900, foreign buyers increased to 2,350, up 7.4 percent from July 2010, with notable participation from Germany, the U.K., the U.S., France, Japan, Spain and Hong Kong. The escalating prices and demand for raw materials came after two extreme winters in Mongolia that had culled livestock and decreases in Australian wool supply, pushing prices to their highest level since Recently, cashmere prices peaked in April and are expected to climb through This year, the first trimester started well regarding orders and sales, but since the middle of April, the season stopped a bit because the rise in raw material prices had initially scared some of the operators, while the orders from last year were ending, said Paolo Todisco, chief executive officer of Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia, which operates three industrial plants, in Borgosesia, Vigliano Biellese and Lessona, and owns three lines Botto Poala, Baruffa and Chiavazza. Materials are a big problem because in effect wool and cashmere, especially wool, are escalating in values that we had never seen. In the past, cashmere had been sold at very high points, but wool, in the last decade, had never risen to those levels. We ve seen an increase close to 100 percent in the arc of a year. Lineapiù Loro Piana To validate the increasingly high costs of raw materials, mills must raise price points, Todisco noted. The cost increase of raw materials has obviously modified the prices of our products and we believe that for the wool producers, the spinning mills and the knitwear factories, there simply aren t any more spaces to absorb increases of this kind because the marginalizing strategies of the past couple of years have been compressed, he added. Many manufacturers, in anticipation of clients who might balk at higher prices, were highlighting strategies aimed at setting set their products apart. Despite the crisis, we continue to proactively invest in our objectives by proposing new materials, yarns, themes, research, and colors, said Cristiana Cariaggi, a member of the board of Cariaggi, a Marches-based yarn manufacturer. We re always looking toward innovation. Kinross cashmere spinner Todd & Duncan is returning to its Scottish heritage for stronger brand identity. The high price of cashmere has put a greater differential between European and Chinese production, and more customers are coming back to the European base, said sales director Bruce Cameron. They understand that we have a unique supply of the best quality fibers coming from Scotland. Loro Piana noted that the rising prices of raw materials, especially cashmere, was pushing customers to look for special products. Because the price of cashmere is climbing to the highest levels, people are looking for fantasia knits that have delicate, random motifs, said Bandi. They want a slightly different feel than you get from classic cashmere. As the Italian domestic market idles, many companies are relying on exports for sustainability, especially to the U.S. and China, while capitalizing on an emerging trend of China wanting to invest in Italian fibers. We re definitely in a much better place than where we found ourselves the past two years with the rising prices of materials, said Raffaello Napoleone, ceo of fair organizer Pitti Immagine. Now the economy is growing and export for yarns and knitwear is growing. This edition is extraordinarily positive because we ve had an increase in important overseas buyers and all l of the most important markets that t buy high-quality Italian yarns come here to Florence. After a handful of difficult years stemming from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Lineapiù is seeking U.S. expansion and exposure in China. Since September, after the government transferred ownership of the 35-year-old Italian yarn manufacturer to Alessandro Bastagli, now chairman and ceo, the company aims to relaunch its New York office and plans to open an office in Shanghai. We want to sell Italian yarn in China because the luxury market in China is important, said Bastagli. Fall-winter collection color trends are borrowed from nature with landscape-inspired hues in clean, natural shades, many in gray. To offset the monotones, many offered a single line of bright accents to complement neutral backgrounds ruled by sparkly metallics and bright pops. Todd & Duncan s bestseller was its new Hebridean Collection: 18 mélanges of subtle heather gray cashmere, evocative of the rocks and mosses of west Scotland. Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia s trends for its three lines were presented in whites and classic, minimal grays mixed with colors to evoke the reflection of light on metal. Cariaggi showed a collection inspired by arctic landscapes of ice, frost and mountains. Newcomer Brume had yarn inspired by mist in 50 percent cashmere, 35 percent silk and 15 percent polyamide that gave a buttery-soft, sheer effect in nine natural, classical colors. Natural colors and materials were also seen in special initiatives such as Spazio Ricerca. The 69th edition hosted an exhibition curated by Angelo Figus and Nicola Miller called Recyclethic that featured miniature yarn outfits incorporated with recyclable materials such as plastic, wood and metal to address sustainability and to promote an eco-ethical approach to fashion. Unifi Amps Up Sustainability By KRISTI ELLIS WASHINGTON Unifi Inc., a producer of multifilament polyester and nylon textured yarns, is taking the green concept in sustainable fibers to a new level. The company, based in Greensboro, N.C., is expanding its recycling business and using its own industrial waste and millions of plastic water bottles to produce the Repreve line of polyester and nylon fibers, at the same time as it incorporates environmentally friendly features in a new stateof-the-art facility. Unifi plans to invest in using recycled fabrics and garments in the Repreve line in the near future. In an era when the Obama administration is beseeching companies to reinvest and hire people to jump-start a weak economy, Unifi has answered the call. The company has invested $8 million in a new 50,000-square-foot recycling facility in Yadkinville, N.C., that opened in May and created 25 jobs. The facility is expected to produce 40 million to 45 million pounds of recycled filament annually. It also boasts sustainable building features, such as 67 skylights, sensor technol- ogy controls to reduce energy use by light fixtures and recycled building materials. 40 TO 50 MILLION POUNDS of recycled filament is expected to be produced by the factory annually. The Repreve chips. When we get to full capacity in the near future, we will be recycling 400 million water bottles annually, said Bill Jasper, president and chief executive officer of Unifi, adding that 16 million gallons of gasoline will be conserved. Under the Repreve umbrella, we have 10 to 11 product lines that have evolved since 2006, and it has given us the flexibility to grow. We have been able to combine different technologies to produce recycled moisture management products, for example, which is a big differentiator for us. Several brands and retailers already use the Repreve line, including Patagonia, REI, Haggar, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Target, Wal-Mart and Columbia Sportswear, according to a company spokeswoman. The filament is also used in automotive, seating and paneling fabrics. The Repreve product is found in iconic products such as the Denali North Face jacket, and we have a significant program with Haggar in a number of men s dress pants, Jasper said. With the new facility, Unifi s next frontier will be recycling fabrics and garments, Jasper said. We ll start with fabrics from cut-andsew operations and recycle them into first grade yarns sometime this year, he added. Garments might be a year or two down the road.

7 WWD tuesday, july 19, WWD.COM Ortega photo by MIgUeL riopa/afp/getty IMages; IsLa by DenIs DOyLe/bLOOMberg via getty IMages Pablo Isla Takes the Helm at Inditex By BarBara Barker La COrUNa, Spain Inditex will today enter a new era. The parent company of Zara, europe s largest apparel retailer, will today see a change in management when chairman and founder amancio Ortega, dubbed the inventor of the Zaravolution, steps down and hands the reins to Pablo Isla, who had been the group s chief executive officer and deputy chairman since But while the 75-year-old immensely secretive and low-key Ortega may be stepping down, he is hardly out especially since he still controls the majority of the company s shares. Nothing has changed. He still controls the company and he still has a lot to say and nobody doubts that he will say it, said Sofía Vázquez, a reporter for La Voz de Galicia, a regional newspaper in the north of Spain, which is the company s home base. amancio is making another smart move, preparing for the future with similar logic and the same intelligence he has always used to run the company, but I think he ll remain very close by, added Linda Heras, international development director of roberto Verino, a high-end apparel label and geographical Amancio Ortega neighbor. Inditex operates 5,154 stores in 78 countries, with net profits of 1.73 billion euros, or $2.29 billion at average exchange, for the 2010 fiscal year on sales of 12.5 billion euros, or $16.5 billion. With eight chains led by Zara, Ortega s empire has a workforce of roughly 100,000. Under Isla s watch, Inditex rolled out more than 2,800 stores with the top priorities being expansion in asia and eastern europe, as well as growing e-commerce. Pending shareholder approval, Isla will receive a hefty block of shares, worth 13.7 million euros, or $19.6 million at current exchange, as a welcome gift from Ortega, a company source confirmed. about his succession, Isla said, It is not a drastic move and there won t be any major changes. I feel enormous responsibility and motivation to strengthen Inditex, and it s the right moment. The transition will be smooth and very natural. Outside Inditex s corporate inner sanctum, little is known about Ortega except that he s the richest man in Spain and the seventh richest (up two notches over last year) in the world, with a net worth of $31 billion, Forbes reported in March. His fortune includes Inditex stock he has maintained a 59.3 percent stake in the company since it went public in 2001 and luxury real estate projects in the U.S., Florida in particular, and in such major european cities as London, Paris, Lisbon, Berlin, Madrid and Barcelona. He has additional investments in banks, gas and tourism and owns a horse-jumping circuit and a soccer league. Ortega is not much for fanfare and personal public relations is not in his DNa. He s been quoted as saying, Talk about my company, but not about me, and he rarely appears in public. One of the few to penetrate company walls is avant-garde Spanish artist alicia Framis, whose filmed performance Secret Strike Inditex (2006) chronicled a day in the life of Zara. Inditex employees were very involved in the film, Framis said. everybody wanted to be a part of it except amancio Ortega. Ortega s is a rags-to-riches story. In the early Sixties, he came up with the idea of making basic garments like housecoats and underwear cheaper than anyone else. Production took place on his kitchen table, and the first item cut from cardboard patterns was a quilted pink robe with blue piping. In 1975, he opened his first store here, selling bathrobes for about 50 cents each. Working from the age of 13 in local men s wear shops, he had little formal education. I couldn t work and study at the same time; it s that simple. My university was my profession. I wanted to be a different kind of impresario, one with a social conscience, he told Covadonga O Shea, onetime director of Spain s prestigious fashion magazine Telva, in an authorized biography published in His success has not changed him, O Shea said. His values are the same; he s humble, affectionate, generous, and he loves the people he works with. Ortega lives with his second wife, Flora Pérez Marcote, in an apartment in La Coruña, an unpretentious seaside town about six miles from Inditex s headquarters in the industrial zone of arteixo. He doesn t speak english and, according to an employee, he s approachable and into everything. He lives the product, she said. It remains to be seen how involved Ortega will be in the company he founded, now that Isla is taking over. But the next generation of the Ortega family already is involved: The founder s youngest daughter, Marta Ortega, was last fall brought into company headquarters, and Pablo Isla although she has no concrete job, department or title, she s in on all major decision making. an Inditex spokesman said her arrival and the pending management succession are unrelated, however. She will continue her training program, a mix of creative and commercial activities, within the group and, logically [as Ortega s daughter], she ll have a role but so far she isn t officially involved in the company. We don t know anything about her future. Prior to Isla s promotion, Marta Ortega was considered the heir apparent, and she s been well groomed for it. With a degree in business administration from London s european Business School, she speaks four languages including english, French and Italian and to date has interned for company stores in London and Paris, with office stints in asia and Barcelona. In private, she is an accomplished equestrian, taking part in international competitions with rider-boyfriend Sergio alvarez Moya and as socially shy as her father. GLOBAL SOURCING NEW YORK CITY» SEPTEMBER 22 GLOBAL NEW MARKETS NEW YORK CITY» SEPTEMBER 23 FORUM REGISTER BY AUGUST 12 FOR A SPECIAL RATE» Meeting rising cost challenges» Navigating international trade» Assessing global opportunities» Breaking into growth markets SPONSORED BY: For information contact Marne Friedman at or marne_friedman@condenast.com

8 8 WWD tuesday, July 19, 2011 Elie tahari: The brand is growing up, and the spring men s collection showed that the label is hitting its stride. inspired by artist David Hockney s paintings of los angeles in the Sixties, the line skewed toward the more sporty side this time around with four-pocket jackets, bombers and casual blazers. The collection offered a unique blend of fabrications such as cottonmetal for a crinkled effect, as well as cotton blended with linen or with leather accents. Bottoms included cuffed shorts with patchwork and pocket details in solid or graphic tonal styles. Trousers also featured patchwork details in fabrics ranging from cotton poplin to linen. Piping helped provide pop to the offerings, which included an on-target color palette in shades of blue, orange and red. PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER Holiday 2011 Gap: Still on the hunt for a head designer to replace Patrick Robinson, who was dismissed in May, gap left its holiday collection in the hands of the company s design team. The absence of a creative commander in chief was obvious last Thursday, when the lineup was presented in the firm s TriBeCa showroom. There was little direction in the mishmash of cold-weather themes, including chunky cable knits, corduroys and outerwear military styles and puffers in bordeaux and navy for both men and women. Denimwise, the team evolved its skinny jean with a skinny boot cut, sometimes shown in a snake print for women, and the original, classic fit for the guys. PHOTO BY george CHINSEE WWD.COM China Fashion Spend Seen at $200B CHinESE ConSUMERS are expected to continue to grow in strength and sophistication, tripling their annual expenditures on fashion by 2020 to 1.3 trillion yuan, or $200.7 billion at current exchange, according to a report from The Boston Consulting group. it is not enough for companies to assume that they can sit back and be buoyed along with the coming wave of growth, cautioned the report, entitled Dressing Up: Capturing the Dynamic growth of China s Fashion Market. growth over the next 10 years will manifest itself in very different patterns from those of the past 10 years. it was only in the late nineties that increasing wealth and an opening society allowed the Chinese to express their individuality through fashion, said the report, noting that companies looking to grow will need to understand demographic and retail changes under way. Fashion shoppers in their 20s and 30s, who were born after the Cultural Revolution, already outspend the urban average by 18 percent. They have not eaten bitterness the way their parents did, and many have a good job at a foreign or local enterprise all of which translates into a strong sense of optimism, the report said. Women and those living inland or in a low-tier city are also expected to spend more on fashion over the coming decade. overseas expansion is seen as a key growth driver for many U.S. and European brands that find the consumer market sluggish at home. But many of those brands have just begun to tap the market: Zara has about 70 stores in China, while Benetton has 25 and gap has five, the report noted. By contrast, early adopters have blanketed the country with stores, many of them franchises. nike and adidas each have about 6,000 stores in the country, while Chinese sports brands li ning and anta each have about 7,000 doors. The report was based on interviews with more than 5,000 consumers aged 14 to 45. EVaN clark Change Capital Takes Over Paule Ka PaRiS london-based private equity firm Change Capital Partners has taken a 70 percent stake in French fashion brand Paule Ka for an undisclosed sum in order to accelerate the brand s international expansion. The Cajfinger family, founders of the brand, sold the company to Change Capital and have reinvested a portion of the proceeds, giving them a stake of about 30 percent. FCPR Patrimoine et Création, managed by CDC Entreprises, sold the minority stake it owned in the firm. Serge Cajfinger will remain creative designer and president, and antoine Bing stays as deputy managing director. The growth plan for the business will extend Paule Ka s position in the affordable luxury space internationally, responding to the continued demand for the brand by opening new stores, and building upon the strong wholesale positions in key European countries and other markets to realize the business s full international potential, the companies said. Paule Ka retails in 414 points of sale worldwide, including its own stores, franchises, department store corners and multibrand retailers. it is set to report sales of 40 million euros, or $56.6 million at current exchange rates, for the year ending July 2011, up 17 percent year-on-year. Change Capital also owns german women s wear brand Hallhuber, and has previously held stakes in Jil Sander and U.K. denim and sportswear retailer Republic. JoELLE diderich Obituary Donald Magnin, Retail Executive, 84 DonalD Magnin, who helped build Joseph Magnin Co., the San Franciscobased women s high-fashion store, into one of the largest specialty stores in the country, died Wednesday in his Russian Hill home of cancer. He was 84. The oldest son of anna and Cyril Magnin, Donald Magnin was a fourth-generation San Franciscan. He worked with his father; brother Jerry; brother-in-law Walter newman, and sister, Ellen Magnin newman to develop the Joseph Magnin retail chain, often traveling to Paris and Milan with family members to find the latest in European fashion. He was a true merchant the type that doesn t exist the same way today, or at least not to the same extent. He was smart and intuitive, and Joseph Magnin was such a leader in its day with many firsts, said his daughter, ann Magnin, a new York fashion publicist. He was a merchant and had an instinctive way about fashion, giftware and the home. He knew what was going to be popular, and cast a pretty wide net. Joseph Magnin, which expanded into 32 stores, became known for its youthful, hip and cutting-edge merchandise. among some of the groundbreaking developments were opening the first gucci in-store shop, merchandising electronics in the men s department and creating custom boxes and wrapping for the holidays, which became collectors items, said ann Magnin. after graduating from Stanford University in 1949, Donald Magnin served in the Merchant Marines in the Pacific Rim from 1944 to 1945 and in the U.S. navy in the Korean War. He was married to his wife, Elaine, who died in 2001, for 42 years. Donald Magnin began his career as a teenager in the mailroom of his family business, Joseph Magnin, founded and named for Donald s grandfather in Joseph Magnin was the son of isaac Magnin, who built i. Magnin with his wife and four sons, but then Joseph left to start his own eponymous retail store. Donald Magnin rose to executive vice president, general merchandise manager when Joseph Magnin was sold in 1969 to amfac inc. of Hawaii, which eventually folded it in 1984 after declaring bankruptcy. after a brief time with the new owners, he left and founded Domain, an importer of specialty gift items and Donald Magnin worked there until he retired in For 21 years, Magnin also worked for the San Francisco Parking authority, 13 years as its chairman. The 616-space Performing arts garage near louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco is named in his honor. in addition to his daughter ann, sister Ellen and brother Jerry, Magnin is survived by a son, Jeff; daughter, Susan Magnin-greinetz, and five grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the University of California-San Francisco Foundation, Comprehensive Cancer Center or the San Francisco art institute. Lisa Lockwood

9 WWDSTYLE MODEL CALL: Codie Young on the Topshop controversy. PAGE 11 MEMO PAD MORE TURMOIL FOR RDA: Five years after Reader s Digest Association was sold to a private equity firm for $2.4 billion, and a year after emerging from bankruptcy, the company is back on the block, and sources believe this time around a deal could be valued at around $1 billion. The question is: Who would pay such a price? Speculation swirled it might be Hearst when Hearst Magazines president David Carey was spotted last week in RDA s offices on Third Avenue. Not so fast, though a Hearst spokeswoman dismissed the speculation, noting that Carey was there to meet with magazine distributor CDS Global s chief executive officer Malcolm Netburn, and RDA is one of CDS major clients. Whether the buyer swallows RDA as a whole or breaks it up, it will inherit a corporate culture that has changed dramatically since the days when Ripplewood paid a hefty price for the firm in The company moved its headquarters from bucolic Chappaqua in Westchester to Midtown Manhattan and emerged from Chapter 11 in 2010; more recently, a new board was appointed, and ceo Mary Berner was succeeded by colleague Tom Williams, leading to yet another change in corporate culture. The potential RDA sale was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, although whoever buys the firm faces major challenges. Circulation of RDA s titles, which include the flagship magazine and Everyday with Rachael Ray, have been seesawing, and the company recently reported a net loss of $81 million on revenues of $326 million for the first quarter ended March 31. AMY WICKS NEWS FROM THE COAST: Jessica Joffe, the model and sometimes actress; Band of Outsiders Scott Sternberg, and former W editor Kevin West like to jam together in Los Angeles. You won t read about it in Rolling Stone, however, because it s not a music thing. The trio likes to meet up at farmers markets around the city and make fruit jam, in addition to pickling, brining and fermenting. Leave it to Adam Rapoport s new celebrityinfused Bon Appétit to highlight this kind of thing, with a feature that shows the attractive bunch drinking fizzy raspberry shrub cocktails and presumably talking about peach preserves, or something. West is big on the subject, and since leaving his full-time gig at W, he s been blogging his path to preservation and writing a book about canning and preserving that is just about done. It will be published in June There is this jam scene in L.A., said West. It s a weekend hobby that quickly became an obsession for many of us. A.W. Enter Here Aleksa Palladino may already be a familiar face from HBO s Boardwalk Empire, but she s expanding her résumé with some help from husband Devon Church. The couple, which records as Exitmusic, will release its first EP this fall. For more, see page 10. PHOTO BY GEORGE CHINSEE BREAKING OUT: In its quest to become more of a lifestyle brand, Andrew Marc is shaking up its advertising. Its fall campaign, shot by Patrick Demarchelier, takes the urban-friendly collection into the great outdoors. Styled by Laura Ferrara, the ads were photographed at the Mohonk Mountain House, in upstate New York. The idea was to explore contrasts by shooting urban clothes in a A fall image from Andrew Marc. decidedly rugged environment. The campaign was created by Alex Gonzalez, creative director of AR New York, in collaboration with Chris Gbur, creative director of Andrew Marc. Featured in the campaign are Rianne Ten Haken and male model Cheyne Oglesby. Andrew Marc, a division of G-III Apparel Group since 2008, began as an outerwear firm and has subsequently added such categories as handbags, dresses and tailored clothing. The overall ad budget is up 35 percent for fall, with additional print magazines and increased spending for outdoor and digital opportunities. Beginning in September and running through the fall, ads will appear in Vogue, Elle, GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired and Condé Nast Traveler. New for fall will be Harper s Bazaar, Men s Health, New York magazine, C magazine and The Wall Street Journal. LISA LOCKWOOD

10 10 WWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 Enter Exitmusic Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church SITTING DOWN for a chat with Aleksa Palladino, one can easily forget her role as Angela Darmody in HBO s Prohibition-era series Boardwalk Empire. To start with, the petite brunette is wearing her long locks loose and untamed, a look rarely seen on her Bohemia-seeking character. And her ensemble of beaded tap shorts, worn T-shirt with a leopard bra peeking out and platform wedges is a far cry from Angela s Twenties uniform of conservative blouses and anklegrazing skirts. Furthermore, Palladino is eager to discuss not the second season of the buzzedabout period drama but her other career, as a musician, and her band, Exitmusic. Music came before the screen for the 30-year-old Palladino, who started playing guitar at an early age before getting her first electric model at age 12. That really became all I did; I played every day and started writing music, she says. I m still not sure how I started acting. I know I went on an audition and got it. At 14, she landed a role opposite 11-year-old Scarlett Johansson in the 1996 indie flick Manny & Lo. Over the next few years she continued writing music and acting, then met her future husband of six years, Devon Church, who makes up the other half of Exitmusic. We met on a train when we were 18 in Canada, says Palladino. I was traveling with my best friend; we had no destination. Church explains that he intended to visit a friend, but changed his plans after a train passenger gave him his unwanted ticket and he boarded Palladino s train. She walked by me, and I followed her into the smoking car, he recalls. He spent the next few days with Palladino in Toronto, but it was three years before the couple came into contact again. ( I answered a letter three years late, Palladino admits.) A year later, Church, who taught himself to play guitar when he was 12, moved to New York from Canada to live with Palladino, and they started writing music. When Aleksa and I got back in touch, I kind of had the fantasy that something like this would happen, says Church, who gave up dreams of writing novels or poetry for music. Palladino, whose mother is an opera singer, grew up listening to groups like The Beatles and The Beach Boys, and in her teens became enamored of Nirvana. Church eye preferred hard-core bands. The duo took those inspirations, along with The Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan, to develop their own sound: a combination of haunting melodies and electronic sounds. They have a hard time explaining it. It s really art, says Palladino, who adds that usually when asked about their music, we kind of just mumble and make a beeline to the door. The couple writes everything together and records on their home computer with both on guitar and keyboards, and plays a few shows a month (including one tonight at Pianos, on Manhattan s Lower East Side), adding a drummer and keyboardist to the mix. They look forward to touring in support of their EP From Silence, out Oct. 4, and hope to gain the momentum they built while living in Los Angeles for a few years before moving back to New York two years ago after Palladino was cast in Boardwalk. I think at our last show [in L.A.], we were finally at 200 people, says Palladino. And thanks to her acting career, the band has been introduced to the fashion world. They were invited to perform at the after party for Cynthia Vincent s New York City flagship opening event in March; Palladino happens to wear the brand often. Although she admits to still learning designer names, there are a few she has become fond of. But that doesn t matter much when she s dressing for shows. I like to keep it simple, she says, usually choosing to wear a pair of jeans with a T-shirt. I don t want anything talking but the music, she says. With a month left of filming the series while also promoting Exitmusic, and the Emmy Awards in September, for which Boardwalk Empire was nominated for outstanding drama series, Palladino can expect a busy schedule. But it doesn t seem to faze her, and there s no sign of her losing focus on her music. As far as taking other roles, that s something she ll have to consider. Is this worth taking me away from saying something I m writing to saying something someone else is writing? she says she always asks herself about her acting career. I think having music has kept me sane as an actor, a role I can write for myself basically. TARA BONET-BLACK PHOTO BY GEORGE CHINSEE Left of Center in the West Village Laurence Edelman and Micheline Gaulin at Left Bank. PHOTO BY STEVE EICHNER DESPITE WHAT you may think, Left Bank is not a French restaurant. There s some French FEAST FOR THE EYE influence in the food, sure, but it s not a French restaurant, Micheline Gaulin, of Daniel and Mermaid Oyster Bar, explains from a banquette in the just-aboutfinished dining room of the airy Perry Street space one sweltering afternoon. The menu isn t huge, Laurence Edelman, Gaulin s business partner and Left Bank s chef, explains. What we want is to do few things: appetizers, pastas, entrees, cheeses, desserts but not to do a lot, to do a little. But to do a little as well as we possibly can. A sample menu offers lamb tartare with potato, anchovy and Parmesan alongside grilled local squid, skate on the bone and a heritage chicken. Like the menu, the space isn t huge either. When it opens today, there will be just 55 seats, including those at the bar. The name is really, really important, Gaulin continues. We wanted something that really fit, because, you know, you re stuck with it. And we always felt like the West Village was sort of like New York s equivalent to Paris Left Bank. It s where all the artists, all the musicians, all the people who were a little left-of-center would hang out. Where you d go if you were off-thebeaten-path that was in its heyday, anyway. The currently bare whitewashed brick walls will soon be covered with a selection of pieces by local artists, curated by a friend who lives down the street, Gaulin explains, and there are some mounted steer horns, too. As for the menu, it s of pivotal importance, Edelman says with gravitas, that these animals were humanely treated. It matters for your stomach, for your society, for the world, really. It s the only thing to do. He s the sort to talk eagerly about the wellloved chicken carcasses he saw that day and their happy lives. We re a neighborhood restaurant, Edelman offers when asked about the intended feel for their new corner of the West Village. We re hoping people come from far and wide, obviously, but we both believe that if you win the neighborhood, you re good. And here, there s a lot of great competition. It s a thrill to be here with them. ALESSANDRA CODINHA Left Bank 117 Perry Street (at Greenwich Street), New York, NY Dinner served Tuesday-Sunday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; open until midnight on Friday and Saturday leftbankmanhattan.com

11 FASHION SCOOPS HEADED TO HALSTON?: Could Halston be prepping for a reboot with BCBG Max Azria Group veterans steering the ship? Reports are swirling that Halston parent Hilco Consumer Capital LLC is close to naming BCBG Max Azria president Ben Malka as head of Halston Heritage, and Malka might already have his creative director lined up. Marie Mazelis, creative director of the Hervé Léger and Max Azria lines, has revealed plans to exit BCBG Max Azria Group, where she has worked for more than a decade and has been reporting to chief creative officer Lubov Azria. Reached at her BCBG office, Mazelis declined to comment on her next move. I haven t made a final decision yet, she said. Lalena Luba, a group spokeswoman, said. We wish Marie all the best in her endeavors. As for Hervé Léger and Max Azria lines, she added, Lubov Azria will continue to oversee all brands. Hervé Léger will still hold its spring 2012 runway show in September as planned, but the future of the Max Azria line is less certain. WHO THAT?: The chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has inspired a rap album. Soulja Boy the artist behind songs like Crank That and Turn My Swag On released his new mixtape, the Bernard Arnault EP, to start the weekend and it was downloaded more than 13,000 times by Monday evening. The tape s second track, Louis Vuitton, references LVMH s flagship brand in one way or another 63 times. One line: LV Bags, LV pants with that LV sag. It don t make no sense why they LV fake, but mine s real. But the rapper s interest in Arnault seems to be more gimmicky than genuine. Sometimes he can remember the chairman s name, but on at least two of the 10 tracks Texas and Fire Blunts Soulja forgets and invokes Robert Arnault instead. 67 FOR 93: As the lunch rush arrived at the Four Seasons on Monday, an unusual greeter was working the door at the Pool Room. Morgan Freeman was playing host at the back room, where he welcomed each guest with a handshake and a smile. It was Nelson Mandela s 93rd birthday, or Mandela Day. Freeman, who portrayed the former South African president in 2009 s Invictus, had organized a luncheon to promote one of the main aims of the day: to encourage people to dedicate 67 minutes (one for each year of Mandela s years of public service) back to the community. The cause attracted a power lunch crowd that included Barbara Walters, Billie Jean King, Tory Burch, Christiane Amanpour, Mandela biographer Rick Stengel and the Al Roker and Ann Curry thirds of the Today show. U2 sang Happy Birthday to Mandela via video. Asked about his 67-minuteworthy cause, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said the Police Athletic League. Actor Anthony Mackie said he hadn t settled on one yet. New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. declined to bestow any of his 67 minutes on the party reporter set, turning down a brief chat. They are all interested in Madiba, what he stands for, Freeman said of the diners, using Mandela s nickname. All these people know and love him. They all want to be part of something that s going to promote him and his beliefs, theories, his life. So I think that s why they re here. They re not here because I asked them to come. Freeman said it had been about a year since he d seen Mandela, when he d driven from Johannesburg to Cape Town, stopping at different towns along the way to put in his 67 minutes. I guess arriving in Cape Town, he said when asked of his favorite leg. He gave a very familiar laugh. It was winter, he said. LONG LIVE LUXURY: Shoppers from Saudi Arabia are the single biggest foreign consumers of luxury goods in central London, according to a report issued by the New West End Company, which represents businesses in and around Mayfair and Oxford Circus. Saudi Arabians spend an average of 1,974 pounds, or $3,158, on luxury goods each time they visit London, the New West End said Monday, citing statistics from Global Blue, the organization behind Tax Free Shopping. Visitors from Kuwait came in a close second, with an average spend of 1,780 pounds, or $2,848, and those from Nigeria came third, splashing out 1,648 pounds, or $2,637, per visit. Other countries in the top list of consumers include China, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Russia and Hong Kong. The New West End report said 2 billion pounds, or $3.2 billion, is spent each year on luxury goods in London s West End, which includes Bond Street, Jermyn Street, Savile Row and Mount Street. According to the commercial real estate adviser CB Richard Ellis, there is currently a zero void rate no empty shops on Bond Street, and demand is outstripping availability. Despite virtually nonexistent void rates, the potential to grow the area is strong, with an imbalance in the demand for luxury and the space to supply, said Jonathan De Mello, head of retail consultancy at the firm. Meanwhile, luxury spending in the West End has surpassed pre-downturn levels, according to American Express Business Insights, the consulting arm of American Express. Since 2007, the West End has seen growth in luxury spending of 14 percent. It has maintained this momentum in the first quarter of this year, with growth up 11 percent, despite a difficult economic climate, said Sujata Bhatia, vice president of American Express Business Insights. He said luxury spending by international travelers is up 19 percent year-on-year in ON THE RUNWAY: Express wants to be in the record books. Before its holiday 2011 fashion show in Times Square Saturday night, Express will have the runway open for the general public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in an attempt to break the Guinness record for most people walking a catwalk. An adjudicator from Guinness World Records will be there to officiate. The current record was set by Galeries Lafayette in Paris in 2010, when 521 people walked a runway. Express has been attempting to raise its profile and distinguish itself from other teen and young adult chains. One way has been through fashion shows, which have been recently held in Miami, Las Vegas and New Orleans. Photos from the Times Square show Saturday, which begins at 9 p.m., will be used for the store s holiday marketing campaign. GILT CITY EXPANDS: The lifestyle arm of flash sale site Gilt Groupe introduced four new cities to its offerings Monday Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle and Washington making the site now available in 10 cities across the U.S. This is the biggest expansion since the September 2010 launch of Gilt City, which now has more than 1.8 million members worldwide. The site s other markets include New York City, Boston, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Tokyo. THE DAILY MAIL recently took issue with an image of a model on Topshop s Web site, describing 18-year-old Codie Young as skeletal and severely underweight and quoting multiple eating disorder specialists. The article sparked a flurry in the blogosphere, which in turn caused Topshop to pull the photo on July 11 and replace it with a more flattering one of Young. (Her agency, DNA, does not disclose the weights of its models.) Young didn t hold back her dismay, taking to her own blog to defend herself. These supposed professionals who deal with anorexic [sic] sufferers are talking about me as if I m not a real person (like I m just a model used for them to prove some point) which is not the case, she wrote. Here, Young discusses the ordeal with WWD. TAYLOR HARRIS WWD: How did you feel when you first heard about The Daily Mail article? Codie Young: Well, I ve been skinny my entire life. In school, people called me anorexic. It s something I ve always had to deal with. But that was in high school. I never thought I d have to deal with name-calling on this scale. WWD: What made you speak up on your blog? C.Y.: I asked my agency first, and they said it was fine. They know I m one of those people that doesn t take crap from anyone. I stand up for myself. I felt I shouldn t just sit back and have someone say something about me that s clearly not true. I understand that people are going to have opinions of me because I m a model, but it s different to accuse someone of having a disease. WWD: Do you feel that the accusations come with the territory The original image of Young. MODEL CALL CODIE YOUNG FOR MORE, SEE WWD.com/ fashion-news. For more career opportunities log on to WWDCareers.com. Spaces COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Showrooms & Lofts BWAY 7TH AVE SIDE STREETS Great New Office Space Avail ADAMS & CO PATTERN/SAMPLES Garment center location. Professional /Reliable Quality. Men & women all style. Low Cost. Small production WWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, WWD.COM The replacement photo. because you re a model? C.Y.: I guess, but just because I m a model doesn t mean you can attack without any sort of facts behind it. I mean, I have a blog and I post about new restaurants I love and new gourmet food shops I find from traveling all around the world. WWD: Do you think you looked too thin in the Topshop image? C.Y.: Yeah, but I just think it was a combination of being poorly Photoshopped and it was a bad angle. That s not what I look like. Topshop has been really supportive about everything because they know I m healthy. WWD: Do you exercise? C.Y.: I can t sign up for a gym because I m everywhere. That s one thing that s really hard for me. I don t have to exercise because I m naturally skinny, but if I get a chance, I do like to. I quite like yoga, more relaxed stuff. WWD: What is your diet like? C.Y.: I like everything. I like to try new things. I like quite a lot of junk food any kind of sweets. DESIGNER Madison Ave Intimate Apparel Co. seeks Designer. Min 3 yrs exp with bras and panties. Knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, Excel, spec & teck packs. Good benefits & salary. resume to: intimatesapplication@gmail.com CONTEMPORARY SALES PERSON Women s contemporary line seeks experienced individual with established contacts in contemporary market. Candidate must have proven track record. Immediate opening. resume: fashion.applicant@gmail.com (800) , or fpclassified@fairchildpub.com

12 12 WWD TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 WWD.COM Online Sales Seen Growing for B-t-s {Continued from page one} PriceGrabber s survey found that 48 percent of consumers plan to spend $250 or more on b-t-s purchases, and 25 percent will spend $500 or more, a modest decrease from b-t-s budgets in 2010, when 56 percent of consumers said they d spend $250 or more and 31 percent planned to spend $500 or more. The survey of 2,612 U.S. online consumers was conducted May 12 to 19. The NPD Group s study of consumers purchasing intentions for the b-t-s season saw little change in the amount shoppers plan to spend. The same number 38 percent said they planned to spend more this year than last, and 22 percent said they would spend less in both periods. Once again, value is their modus operandi. We have a clear sign that trendy and fashionable or influenced by friends is shrinking and value is gaining momentum, said Marshal Cohen, NPD s chief industry analyst. The study s results clearly point out that consumers will be shopping later, looking for value, and searching out lower priced options. That should benefit mass chains like Target, Kmart and Wal-Mart. Target.com continues to be a destination, especially at monumental moments like b-t-s, said a spokeswoman for the retailer. r. There s an expanded assortment on Target.com, an option for students to make lists and a backto-college checklist where we ve curated a list of products students need as they head back to col- lege. Even if they re not shopping online, our guests are doing some homework and preview shopping. 69% CONSUMERS WHO PLAN TO SHOP ONLINE AND USE COMPARISON SHOPPING SITES AS A MONEY-SAVING TECHNIQUE. American Eagle s b-t-s offerings have more of a rocker influence with the marketing message We the People, edgier graphics on T-shirts and crop tops. Pre-planned promotions start as early as this week and will continue throughout the season. Ward said American Eagle continues to see more visitors online. To truly win b-t-s, J.C. Penney is reaching a new and younger customer through unique digital experiences, said a J.C. Penney Co. Inc. spokeswoman. We want to be part of their online social circle through virtual tools that enable them to express their personal style while getting involved in a worthy cause. will get the customer into the store, along with great A key launch for b-t-s is Denizen jeans from Levi s, with styles for the whole family. The brand, which is exclusive to Target, tures jeans in a variety of washes, fea- dyes and fits. Skinny ny jeans for boys and girls are $ Shake it Up, the new collection from the Disney Channel s D-Signed brand, consists of fashion tops, leggings, gs, screen prints and jackets spired by Ashley Tisdale s Sharpay in- character from the High School Musical series. Customization and per- prices. We grew layaway in 2009 by 3 million families. Layaway is growing in influence every year, he said. However, Amy Noblin, a retail analyst at Weeden & Co., said retailers are adopting a more conservative tone with regard to b-t-s. The economic data have been mixed. There s a lot of uncertainty around pricing, she said, referring to how higher cotton prices will impact consumer prices. That s the big wild card. Retailers are waiting to see what There s a lot of uncertainty nty sonalization of items for b-t-s includes That includes using mobile devices, QR Paul Frank stationary ary and notebooks, around pricing. That s the big codes, MS Tags and location based check-in where kids can color or the iconic key to their liking. popularity of haul videos, which blend video mon- this b-t-s season. Penney s is leveraging the wild card. Retailers are waiting B-t-s is the second biggest blogging and a fashion show-and-tell, with season next to Christmas, a Haul Nation contest on its Facebook page. in terms of sales, said Mark to see what [their competitors] Teens can upload their haul videos for a Snyder, chief marketing cer at Kmart. Our customer are going to do with pricing. Stardoll, a new brand for b-t-s based on offi- chance to win a trip to New York City. is compressing the frequency Stardoll.com, is bowing at Penney s. With more of her trips and saying she s than 100 million users worldwide, Stardoll. AMY NOBLIN, WEEDEN & CO. being more thoughtful tful and liberate in what she s choosing. and dress up games community for girls. de- com claims to be the world s largest fashion Kmart is trying to leverage cial networking in the b-t-s arena. Certain retailers have been able to deflect some signing and dressing personalized MeDoll avatars by so- [their competitors] are going to do with pricing. Penney s is capitalizing on the popularity of girls de- Selena Gomez has 4 million fol- increases to the spring. The price increases using those style trends to create Stardoll clothing and lowers on Facebook, Snyder will be bigger in the second half of the year. The accessories, such as five-pocket jeans, $23.99, and floral said, referring to the actress, more cotton-exposed categories are up more. flounce tops, $ The retailer is also launching its whose Dream Out Loud tion is sold exclusively ely at Kmart. are up $2 to $5, hoodies up by $10 and there kids after-school programs, a spokeswoman said. collec- For example, Noblin said graphic T-shirts largest-ever online cause marketing campaign to benefit With the celebrity deals you put together today, you ate with them to tweet and do negoti- Twitter parties. In the old days it was, How many es can you make? appearancbullet, Kmart s silver according to Snyder, is layaway. In this post credit-crazy world, it s one of the things that A look from J.C. Penney s exclusive Stardoll collection. are more high-priced denim stockkeeping units offered in the category. You re going to see more promotions that help mask the price increases, she said. Denim will be important, as always, with styles ranging from the skinniest leg through boot cut to straight leg to a slight- ly wider flare, said Tana Ward, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer for American Eagle Outfitters Inc. It s not really about one fit. Sears is introducing a new juniors brand called American Star. Mix and match related separates feature trendy looks with an uptown bohemian feel, a spokeswoman said, adding, It s an inspirational collection for us. Superstretchy jeans and jeggings come in a range of washes and fits this season and jeans have details such as bling on the back pockets. We do see a trend in increased shopping in September as many kids check out what their friends are wearing, take note of those trends and return to the stores or go online to purchase additional, key items, she said. A back-to-school look from American Eagle Outfitters 77kids line. ing B- Trans by Jansport backpacks are sold exclusively at Target. Sears elbow-sleeve Animal Love dolman crop top (left) and Bongo Fab Find fleece jacket.