Fashion News

ALL THAT GLITTERS: Neiman Marcus’ windows facing Wilshire Boulevard dazzled in the frosty night air Thursday and were hard to miss once the curtains dropped.
Jennifer Lopez’s arrival, running a little over an hour behind schedule, was cause for celebration among those braving the cold to see her and also signified the big window display unveil. Neiman’s four windows now contain a bedazzled array of some of Lopez’s memorable looks, including the plunging green silk chiffon number by Versace that she wore to the Grammys and a silver cutout dress by Charbel Zoe worn at the MTV Video Music Awards.
The sparkles were fitting as Lopez and Giuseppe Zanotti were on hand at the Beverly Hills store to mark the launch of their collection Giuseppe for Jennifer Lopez. The line was introduced this month at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, among other retailers. The collection, which also includes two handbags, retails from $795 to $1,995.
“It’s easy to work [with her] because if you are close to the artist you have a deep connection,” Zanotti said.
The designer’s collaboration with Lopez is certainly not the first time he’s worked with a famous face, having designed custom shoes for Kim Kardashian,

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Outdoor industry executive Travis Campbell has been appointed brand president of VF Corp.’s Smartwool division.
Campbell, who begins in the post on Monday, most recently served as president and chief executive officer of Far Bank Enterprises, an integrated manufacturer and distributor of fly fishing products and owner of the Sage, Redington and Rio brands.
Based in Steamboat Springs, Colo., Smartwool is a 22-year-old apparel brand with products inspired by living and recreating in the mountains. All Smartwool products come with a 100 percent “Satisfaction Guarantee” and are created to get the most out of the inherent benefits of merino wool.
“Travis’ leadership skills, business acumen and commitment to the outdoors make him well-positioned to lead the Smartwool brand and grow its premium market position,” said Scott Baxter, vice president of VF Corp. and group president of its Outdoor & Action Sports Americas unit. “His 16 years of outdoor industry experience will be a value-creating asset to the brand and we look forward to having him join the Smartwool and VF teams.”
Campbell held the position of president and ceo of Far Bank Enterprises since 2008. He previously served as president of Rio Products International Inc. and president of Redington Tackle & Apparel. Prior to

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Brazilian designer Fabiana Milazzo is introducing her blend of handcrafted femininity and responsible entrepreneurship to the U.S. market via her new store in Los Angeles.
Known for her designs that are enhanced by artisanal embroidery, macramé, crochet and beading, she flips the script for what is considered formal and casual. A black gown has a relaxed feel with netlike sleeves and corded rope framing a high slit, whereas a sweatshirt stitched from two different shades of blue sparkles with intricately sewn beads on the front.
“I like to mix elements,” she said through an interpreter, her husband Eduardo Carvalho. “I make the party dresses less formal and enrich the casualwear.”
Readying to unveil her first Stateside sales point on Feb. 22 in a 1,300-square-foot space on Melrose Place as the recession in her country deepens, Milazzo hopes the U.S. grows to become the biggest market for her $5 million company. She is a seasoned designer in Brazil, having opened two stores and presented her collections at São Paulo Fashion Week since starting her namesake business in 2000. From the southeastern city of Uberlândia, Brazil, which serves as her base for design and manufacturing, she also sells to 90 retailers within the country as

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Children’s brand Andy & Evan has attended Children’s Club for approximately seven years, and cofounder Evan Hakalir sees the show as being an integral for the brand. The whimsical collections carried out season after season maintain a loyal following among retailers that carry the brand’s line.
This season the focus is on patchwork detailing for boys and fur for girls. As fashion continues to immerse in digital, Andy & Evan has asserted itself to buyers of multiple retailers allowing for the development of new relationships and strengthening existing ones.
WWD: Which items speak to the main aesthetic of the overall collection?
Evan Hakalir: Our collection is traditional with a whimsical twist. Fur is definitely in, and we’ll see a lot of that within our girl’s collection. Within the boys [collection] you’ll see a lot of patchwork details. One item in particular is our mulled-yarn, heather, cobble sweater with vintage Boy Scout patches. It’s unique, it’s different, it’s fun and it’s kind of whimsical. There’s an intrinsic value so we know the customer is willing to pay a couple of extra dollars for it, versus something they’ll find in the mass market.
WWD: How have you positioned your product to get in front of the right people, seeing as your

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Voluminous proportions dominated pre-fall, with knits in particular receiving the oversized treatment.

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And gives fans the chance to meet her.

“She’s such a legend and her style is effortless.”

Another mall retailer bites the dust.

This is going to be good.

In these uncertain political times, more than a few winners and presenters at Thursday’s Fashion Group International Rising Stars Awards preferred to relay a message rather than stay on one.
In delivering her keynote address, Whoopi Goldberg told the crowd, “We’re not all the same — thank God. We don’t all think the same thing and that’s what makes us interesting. We can have these conversations without evil in our hearts, so that’s what I’m asking for. With all that you do, and all that you supply, supply it with a little bit of love in your heart. It can’t hurt.
“You know it’s going to be a little rocky for a while, but people always need to feel good. That’s where you come in. You’ll make people feel good, feel better. You know you can’t change it. It happened. We’re here now, so do whatever you can do to lighten it,” Goldberg said.
As a guest of Hilldun’s Gary Wassner, Goldberg, who launched an ugly holiday sweater collection last year, said she didn’t expect to be honored with FGI’s Spirit of the Rising Star award. With a role in ABC’s “When We Rise” miniseries about the AIDS crisis coming up, the Oscar-winning

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