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Sportswear/Men’s

Surface Tension
NEW YORK — Sleek. That’s how Francisco Costa
described his collection for Calvin Klein, and he
added a futuristic tone with distinctive textures.
Case in point, this embroidered silk jersey dress.
For more on the trend, see pages 6 and 7.

A Return to ‘Offense’:
Saks Inc. Eyes Growth
As Loss Narrows in Qtr.
By David Moin
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See Saks, Page 16
PHOTO BY ROBERT MITRA
14 WWD, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010
WWD.COM

PARIS
Paris Preview textures with transparency, mixing velvet

Ones to Watch
and veils assembled by embroidery
stitches to create armorlike geometric
panels. He describes the look as “Art collect
Deco meets ‘Metropolis.’” He shows at ions/fa
Paris’ Joyce Gallery on March 2. — K.F.
ll ’10

LINDA VONGDARA
A FEW NAMES TO NOTE ON THE PARIS FASHION SCENE. Paris-based corsetry specialist Linda Vongdara has
produced her first women’s wear collection, loosely inspired
RICHARD NICOLL FOR CERRUTI by fetishism. The result, to be presented March 3 to 11 at 88
Humility is a word not frequently heard in fashion’s upper circles, but Rue de Provence in Paris’ 9th arrondissement, is decidedly
that’s exactly what Richard Nicoll is striving for with his first women’s not S&M, however. A charming sailor coat piped with red
wear collection for Cerruti. ribbons innocently acknowledges Vongdara’s fascination
“It’s about simple pieces with sensitivity and romance, as opposed to with uniforms, as do colored wool capes. Among harder
minimal and sterile,” the British-born, Australian-raised designer said pieces are rock ’n’ roll boned leather bustier dresses and
during a fitting at the company’s headquarters. A 2002 graduate of London’s corsets. Softer velvet dresses and artisanal alpaca wool
Central Saint Martins, Nicoll freelanced for Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton accessories are also on offer. Prices for the collection,
before striking out on his own in 2005, rapidly winning fans from Kylie which is made in France, range from around 100 euros, or
Minogue to Sofia Coppola with his oversize T-shirts and sculptural shirts. $140, for a T-shirt, to 1,000 euros, or $1,400 for a coat. — K.F.
The designer cemented his status as one of the stars of London
Fashion Week with the fall collection for his namesake label, which FAKE LONDON
featured soft tailoring inspired by his own a masculine wardrobe. Fake London is making a comeback. The label, based
He hopes to bring the same grounded approach to Cerruti, which is in the British capital, was founded by Desiree Mejer
returning to the women’s catwalk after an eight-year absence. “I think we’re in 1997 but closed in 2006. Now, it’s returning in a
lacking things that are easy to wear, but also joyful and luxurious,” he said. licensing partnership with the Italian manufacturing and
Nicoll is offering jabot-accented dresses in wearable grays, powdery distribution firm Italservices SpA. Mejer has designed a
pink, khaki and blue. These will be offset by charged ikat-style prints quirky collection filled with denim, tweed cashmere, and
overlaid with fine diagonal stripes or tiny dots. “It’s playing with fake fur. The fall line includes pieces such as a hooded
bourgeois French sartorial codes and giving it a new spin,” he explained. cape in brown check wool lined with a silver nylon
That should come as welcome news to the legions of women who are windcheater, a denim jacket embellished with vintage
embracing fashion’s new trend for confident, wearable clothes. “It’s the leather braces and dark blue jeans with a subtle skeleton
perfect timing for Cerruti to be relaunching, because that’s what it’s been design sprayed onto the legs. Totes in butter-soft leather
synonymous with, historically.” — Joelle Diderich are printed with the words “Buy British,” and are
designed to look like grocery store bags.
NICOLAS ANDREAS TARALIS To celebrate the relaunch, Mejer’s pal Damien Hirst
Following a three-year hiatus, which included a spell as artistic director of designed a series of Fake London “spin” paintings,
Cerruti and the introduction of a capsule men’s line that has just entered which will be on display at the label’s Paris showroom,
stores, Nicolas Andreas Taralis is back, with a show for women’s and men’s March 1 to 11. Retail prices for the collection range
collections scheduled for March 2 at the Palais de Tokyo. from 36 euros, or $55, for a T-shirt to 420 euros, or $650,
Anthony

S
Known for mixing sharp, androgynous tailoring with a rock ’n’ roll for a parka. — Nina Jones
Vaccarello
attitude, Canadian-born Taralis sees his comeback as an organic evolution
from where he left off. “I’m trying to bring something into it that’s new, a
softer touch,” said the designer, whose beautifully constructed artisanal Calla Fake Nicolas
collection centers on wardrobe staples with subtle twists. A crisp white London Andreas
shirt, for instance, bears side panels echoing a jacket’s construction, while Taralis
washed raw-denim jeans sport side zippers and a hook-and-button closure.
Outerwear ranges from a structured cotton moleskin coat to a gently
battered leather jacket with a vintage feel. — Katya Foreman

DAMIR DOMA
“She’s a very proud and strong character. I had this idea of a priestess,”
said Damir Doma, who will present his first women’s collection on March
3 at the Lycée Henri IV.
Already a hot ticket in men’s wear, Doma last year generated sales
of around 3.5 million euros, or $4.9 million at average exchange. His
collection is distributed in 150 doors worldwide.
DOMA AND CALLA PHOTOS BY DOMINIQUE MAITRE

Carrying the same flavor as his men’s wear — think timeless, sacred
clothes for the modern monk — for his women, Doma used new lines,
volumes and proportions to spin a resolutely feminine allure on his
vision. And, he says, each universe will have a distinct personality.
Highlights include elegant but edgy sleeveless wool jumpsuits, long
tailored jackets with defined shoulders, chunky knitwear and floor-length
dresses with twisted volumes at the back. “It’s about creating a tension
between something fluid and the strict and long,” said Doma. — K.F.

MAXIME SIMOENS
Reactivity is a strong point for buzzy French designer Maxime Simoens, 25,
who, since showing at the Hyeres fashion festival last spring, is already
sold in 20 boutiques, including Maria Luisa in Paris, White Room in
Tokyo and Ursula B in Montreal.
Maxime Linda Damir
S

The business-savvy designer, who counts Melanie Laurent among fans

Simoens Vongdara Doma
— the actress wore a gold and silver sequin-embroidered bustier dress
by Simoens to the Sidaction AIDS gala in Paris in January — said his
aim is to deliver strong, feminine pieces at reasonable prices, starting
at around 200 euros, or $270 at current exchange.
His second collection, focused on structured daywear elements and
graphic cocktail wear with glitzy embellishment, trips across the 20th
century, from an Art Deco-inspired embroidered black shift dress to
a Paco Rabanne-style chain mail number. He shows March 8 at David
Mallett Salon, 14 Rue Notre Dame des Victoires, 2nd. — K.F.

CALLA
Canadian textile design whiz Calla Haynes, 29, will present the
second collection under her women’s wear label, Calla, from March
6 to 12 at the Galerie France Fiction in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement.
Haynes, who spent five years working alongside Olivier Theyskens
at Rochas and Nina Ricci, is offering modern pajama pants in moiré-
effect silk handwoven in Uzbekistan, a body-conscious printed jersey
group and patchwork jackets. Haynes plays on proportions — pairing
an oversize shirt with volume at the elbow with a skinny pant, say, or
a pencil skirt with an airy chiffon blouse. She developed five different
prints on fabrics ranging from viscose jersey to jacquards and quilting
embroideries for the collection. — K.F.

ANTHONY VACCARELLO
Since winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Hyères Festival in 2006,
Anthony Vaccarello, 30, has spent two years working in Fendi’s fur
department and designed capsule collections for Maria Luisa in Paris and
Joyce in Hong Kong. This season, the designer is striding out with a tight For more, including the
commercial line of graphic lingerie-inspired bodysuits, frocks and sweater daily show calendar, Richard Nicoll for Cerruti
dresses, paired with coats or masculine jackets. Vaccarello contrasts see WWD.com.