Banning ultra-thin models from the runways might be the next fashion trend, but it's one that the fashion industry in London is in no hurry to follow.
The Model Health Inquiry — a panel of British fashion industry workers and an eating disorder specialist — made no recommendation on ultra-thin models in an interim report released Wednesday. It did recommend banning models under age 16 from the Fashion Week catwalk shows, saying the youngest were particularly vulnerable to eating disorders and sexual exploitation.
The British Fashion Council, a consortium of fashion retailers and publishers that oversees Fashion Week, formed the panel in January to promote healthy fashion models during the Fashion Weeks in September and February. Fashion bosses in Paris and New York have also declined to ban ultra-skinny models from their catwalks.
However, in Rome on Wednesday, designer Raffaella Curiel barred 15 models from her show because they were too skinny, complying with a fashion code signed by the Italian industry last year to combat anorexia, Italian news reports said.
The fashion industry has drawn criticism for hyping the super-thin look, which critics say promotes eating disorders among young women. In the past year, the Uruguayan sisters Eliana and Luisel Ramos, both models, each reportedly died of anorexia-linked heart attacks. Anorexia was also blamed for the death of Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston last year.
The Madrid fashion show bans women whose body mass-to-height ratio is below 18, while Milan bans models below 18.5. The London panel said the body mass formula, known as the Body Mass Index, is not a foolproof way to identify eating disorders.
Dee Doocey, the culture, fashion and tourism spokeswoman on London's city council, described the interim report as a "huge disappointment" and called for a ban on models with a BMI of less than 18.5.
"I accept that BMI bans may not be the panacea, but it would be a principled start and send a strong signal to the industry that practices that put young women's health at risk will not be tolerated," she said.
The report focuses on developing a healthy "backstage environment" for models, including protection from unhealthy eating or drug habits. It does not recommend any definite actions.
"Banning weight and banning size is not going to help us," said Adrienne Key, an eating disorders expert and the panel's health industry representative.
Denise Kingsmill, the panel's chairwoman, acknowledged that there were not many models under 16.
"But there shouldn't be any. I cannot think of another group of workers who are as young, vulnerable, or as underrepresented as these girls," she said.
The British Fashion Council has not said it will implement its panel's recommendations. But Hilary Riva, the council's chief executive, said the report's recommendations "are consistent with and support the BFC's already well-established policy."
The final report will be prepared in September and the council is expected to implement it.
Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana” is opening her closet to fans, launching a full collection of clothes, accessories, home décor and even real electric guitars as Disney goes after the increasingly powerful tween market.
Hannah’s alter ego, Miley Cyrus – wearing a hot-pink sequined tank top, white jeans and a white leather jacket – offered a first glimpse of the Disney Consumer Products line in Manhattan last week.
The look mimicked Hannah’s overall style, sweet and appropriate for school with flashes of sparkle. (The premise of the show is that Hannah is a country girl-turned-pop star who tries to keep her celebrity life a secret from her classmates.)
Among the offerings, modeled by wannabe Hannahs even younger than 14-year-old Miley: a denim jumper with rhinestones, slim-cut Bermuda shorts, cargo-pocket capris with swaths of silver, a sundress topped with a denim vest and a sheer peach-colored beaded bolero worn over a tank top.
A handful of the T-shirts were covered with Hannah’s face, but otherwise logos and literal references to Hannah were kept to a minimum.
“It’s not a costume. A tween girl isn’t doing dress up, they want to look like they could be Hannah Montana’s friend,” said Donna Sheridan, vice president and general manager of apparel, footwear and accessories for Disney Consumer Products. “This is a fashion line.”
Disney Consumer Products expects retail sales of its tween business to hit $400 million this year with a lot of room to expand in the future, chairman Andy Mooney said at the International Licensing Expo, which shows off 6,000 brands and products tied to many familiar characters, logos and companies.
“Hannah Montana” will not be shouldering all the burden of growth. The sequel to the wildly popular original movie “High School Musical” premieres on the Disney Channel Aug. 17, and a broad partnership with Wal-Mart is already in place.
“Wal-Mart has said its apparel business needs a bump and a way to do that is market to the teen/tween consumer. … With ‘High School Musical,’ ‘Hannah Montana’ and ‘Raven,’ we can help them identify with this consumer,” said Ron Johnson, the head of Disney’s Wal-Mart team.
Disney worked with Miley – daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus – and the “Hannah Montana” stylist to create the line.
Miley’s influence is most seen in the broad array of colors in the collection and all the little jackets that have become an important part of the Hannah Montana wardrobe, Sheridan noted.
Disney and its family-oriented image have a role here, too. Because the tween market is largely made up of 9- to 14-year-old children who rely on their parents to pay for their clothes, purses and sequin-covered duvet covers, the Hannah Montana collection has to also appeal to mom and dad. It has to be fashionable and trendy but not cross the line to sexy.
“We have to strike a balance between what the girl wants and what the mother wants,” Sheridan said.
While the Disney lines largely appeal to tween girls, Nickelodeon announced at the Licensing Expo that it will roll out a CD, clothing line and book series based on its show “The Naked Brothers Band,” starring real-life tween brothers Nat and Alex Wolff, who also play rock stars.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press
What a difference a few degrees make. Milan - five degrees Celsius hotter than Paris - was obsessed with eco threats, global water shortages and men wearing shorts, in Nicholas Sarkozy's new Paris its all about Officer Poets.
The new French president began his opening day visiting a forgotten Bois de Boulogne shrine to young Parisians shot in the Liberation. In the opening day of the first fashion season of his presidency, Jean Paul Gaultier sent out Sergeant Peter Chic, hot Japanese label Number Nine had Prussian officer bohemians march in a cloisters and Yohji Yamamoto's models were returning warrior gentleman.
People often complain that Yamamoto's shows are repetitive, too much black, too much austerity, but the current mood seems to align with his zeitgeist.
Every second designer now seems to be doing dropped crotch pants, but most of them seem pastiches. Yohji's multi-pocket Afghan meets Alleghany mineworker trous look like works of art - lumpy Anselm Kiefer for the legs, twisted Frank Gehry for the thighs.
Paired with Edwardian frock coats of military drab olive it made for an alternative Barry Lyndon universe. Navy blue jackets with the name Yohji as an insignia, spelt backwards, and tied at the knee breeches added to the Edwardian moment.
Men's fashion might me all about the surface, but never have designers attempted so much to change the dictatorship of suits and jeans. Collectively, they all seem to be seeing a new age of slower travel and gentlemanly contemplation. One where exhausted resources mean less frenzy and one where men are no longer slaves to Blackberrys and deadlines, but actually find the time for intelligent introspection.
No wonder Yamamoto ended his show with eight young Edwardian gents posing as for a end of term photo. Thought is chic again.
Stella McCartney will co-host a virtual anti-fur protest next month in the online fantasy world known as Second Life.
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The weeklong protest will begin July 12 on a dedicated island in the computer-generated alternative universe, it was announced this week by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The island will feature stables, a lake, picnic tables and Linda McCartney mini-veggie-burger stalls.
"Sometimes it's nice to have a bit of humor on serious subjects," the 35-year-old British designer said in a statement.
Like her late mother, Linda, McCartney is a longtime supporter of animal rights. She doesn't use leather or fur in her designs.
Visitors to SecondLife.com will be able to clothe their digital proxies, called avatars, in T-shirts bearing the slogan: "I'd Rather Be Pixelated Than Wear Fur."
They can also enter a competition to come up with alternatives to PETA's famous tag line, "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur." The best three, judged by McCartney, will win prizes, including two tickets to her fashion show in Paris in October.
Millions of players, called residents, interact with each other in the Second Life virtual world. They can do basically anything that people can in real life, including buying and selling property, participating in group or individual activities, or socializing.
A model presents an ensemble as part of the Men's Spring-Summer 2008 collection by French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, in Paris, Friday, June 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon)
A model displays a creation from the Fendi Fall-Winter 2007/2008 women's collection during Milan fashion week, February 22, 2007. Italian luxury group Fendi will hold a fashion show on the Great Wall in China in October as parent company, LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, seeks to double its sales by 2008. (Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)
Chanel, Gucci, Chloe or Fendi? A celebrity just wouldn't seem complete without their super-sized and often super-priced designer "it" bag. New research from Mintel shows the US handbag market booming, as more and more American women scramble to get their hands on the latest must-have handbag. In fact, purse sales have increased by an incredible 22% since 2004, with the U.S. handbag market set to become a $6.4 billion market this year. And this high level of market growth shows no signs of abating, with a further 25% rise in sales forecast by 2011.
"Purse shopping has grown from simple accessory buying to a guilty pleasure on par with shoe shopping," comments Kat Fay, senior consumer analyst at Mintel. "Driven by the choices of their favorite celebrities, women look for their perfect 'it' bag, that satisfies both style and status, no matter what the cost."
Purses are clearly catching up with women's shoes in the world of guilty pleasures, as Mintel's exclusive consumer research reveals that only one in three (32%) women "spend more on shoes than they do on purses and bags," down from 37% in 2005.
What is more, the number of women who believe that "an everyday purse or handbag and maybe a couple for special occasions are enough for me" has fallen from well over half (55%) in 2005 to just 44% this year.
Bag yourself a celeb
While brand awareness and luxury upscale purchases have clearly played their role in the market, it is the trend towards aspirational shopping by everyday American women that is really driving growth. Spending a little extra on the latest must-have handbag is becoming increasingly popular, as it is a relatively affordable way to get a piece of the luxury lifestyle that their favorite celebrities flaunt.
"With the huge number of fashion magazines, websites and blogs, it is no surprise that unofficial celebrity endorsement is a key driver in the handbag market. In our media obsessed culture, celebrity influence is not likely to abate," explains Fay.
Bags that leave you green with envy
For women on a tighter budget but who still have an avid fashion sense, eco- and cheap-chic provide an attractive alternative to luxury brand handbags. Not only are they easy on the environment, but they are usually also easy on the bank account!
"Women looking to expand 'green living' into their wardrobes and accessories will be looking for stylish handbags and grocery totes made of recycled and sustainable materials, such as reclaimed rubber, billboard vinyl, candy wrappers and vintage fabrics. Recent celebrity sightings are already generating plenty of buzz," concludes Fay.
About Mintel
Mintel is a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence. For more than 35 years, Mintel has provided insight into key worldwide trends, offering unique data that directly impacts client success. With offices in Chicago, London, Belfast and Sydney, Mintel has forged a unique reputation as a world-renowned business brand. For more information on Mintel, please visit www.mintel.com.
Contact:
Mintel
Meesham Neergheen
312-932-0400
meesham@mintel.com
Source: Mintel
Models display creations as part of Giorgio Armani's Spring/Summer 2008 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 26, 2007. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo (ITALY)
Models display creations as part of D and G's Spring/Summer 2008 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 26, 2007. (Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)
Jennifer Lopez arrives for a fashion event June 20, 2007 in New York. Lopez, Fergie and Usher will be among the performers at the fourth annual Fashion Rocks concert, which celebrates the relationship between music and fashion, it was announced Wednesday, June 27, 2007.(AP Photo/Dima Gavrysh)
THERE'S no doubt the camera loves Aussie model Miranda Kerr, but a star turn on the red carpet of a new Hollywood flick in New York has sparked buzz she's about to make the move from fashion runway to big screen babe herself.
The Gunnedah glamour girl stole the VIP show at the Rescue Dawn screening, pulling focus from its big name star Christian Bale.
But while her silver screen career may be waiting in the wings, Kerr has started small - starring in her model boyfriend's new music clip.
Brent Tuhtan's band Tamarama have scored a You Tube hit with their single, Everything For You, which features Kerr dancing around as the doting love interest in the beachy ballad's video.
Payless ShoeSource, Inc., and H.H. Brown Shoe Company, Inc. announced today that they have signed a multi-year agreement making Payless ShoeSource the exclusive retailer for the Dexter brand of footwear and accessories in the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. H.H. Brown will continue to design, develop and sell Dexter performance bowling and golf shoes, as well as the exclusive hand-sewn Dexter 1957 Collection hand-crafted in Maine.
Payless will align the Dexter brand with its new fashion direction and House of Brands strategy, while working with H.H. Brown to leverage the rich 50-year heritage and strong equity of the brand. Payless said it will launch the new Dexter line first with a men's collection in select Payless stores for the 2007 holiday season followed by full men's and women's collections launched in all stores in spring 2008.
"We are thrilled to add Dexter to our expanding portfolio of well-known brands including Airwalk®, American Eagle(TM), Tailwind®, Champion®, Spalding® and Dunkman(TM) now offered at Payless stores," said Matt Rubel, chief executive officer and president, Payless ShoeSource. "We're on a mission to democratize fashion and design in the footwear and accessory categories to bring shoppers great brands and the latest styles at a great price. Dexter, with its long-standing image of quality, innovation and style, will give Payless a brand platform that speaks to a new generation with the energy, spirit and optimism of American life, style and design."
Payless will utilize its footwear design team in New York City to design and develop the new Dexter collections featuring original designs inspired by the latest trends. The company said it expects the new Dexter collections to include casual, dress, boots, and fashion athletic footwear styles, as well as accessories.
"We are excited to team up with Payless to expand the reach and appeal of the Dexter lifestyle brand through Payless' significant store chain," said Jim Issler, President, CEO, H.H. Brown. "We see a strong fit between Dexter and Payless -- each has tremendous brand awareness and a strong reputation. We are proud that Dexter is a key brand in the fashion democracy led by Payless, and that Payless will become a keystone in Dexter's global branding initiative."
About Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource, Inc., the largest specialty family footwear retailer in the Western Hemisphere, is dedicated to democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories and inspiring fun, fashion possibilities for the family at a great value. As of the end of the first quarter 2007, the company operated a total of 4,564 stores. In addition, customers can buy shoes over the Internet through Payless.com® at http://www.payless.com.
About H.H. Brown
H.H. Brown is a major supplier of women's and men's comfort casual shoes, rugged outdoor footwear and premier work shoes and boots. Founded in 1883, H.H. Brown was acquired in 1991 by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-A), and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company which is engaged in a number of diverse business activities. After more than a century of growth and diversification H.H. Brown continues to innovate, patent, manufacture and distribute footwear and accessories worldwide. http://www.hhbrown.com
Source: Payless ShoeSource, Inc.
It was announced today that leading marketing firm Cornerstone has been secured by NexCen Brands, Inc. to conduct a nationwide trend study for Athlete's Foot. Cornerstone's Executive Vice President and General Manager Steven Justman made the announcement.
Cornerstone was hired for its innate ability to tap into consumer's behavior and its deep understanding of current and, more importantly, future trends. For the assignment, Cornerstone will conduct a nationwide analysis of trends integral to the Athlete's Foot business and brand. This initiative will be comprised of topics key to the company's core consumers, including fashion, music and sports. Cornerstone's FARM team, a 200 plus team of college-aged representatives, will conduct the trend analysis on a local and national level. The FARM team is a select group that is tapped into their local markets, providing Cornerstone with information and the capacity for outreach instrumental to understanding the marketplace and to executing successful branding campaigns.
"We're looking to truly understand our market and empower our franchisees with relevant and actionable information," says Robert D'Loren, President and CEO. "Cornerstone is the perfect partner for this -- they fully understand our target audience and what they're looking for."
"At Cornerstone we've always had the unique capacity to truly understand what motivates consumer behavior," said Justman. "We are not outsiders trying to understand this audience. Our employees are the people that brands are trying to reach -- those who are influencers in their communities. This allows us to provide our partners with the tools and information essential for success in today's cluttered marketplace."
About Cornerstone
Based in New York City and helmed by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen, Cornerstone is a full-service marketing firm that builds emerging brands and reenergizes established ones. Representing Fortune 500 clients across multiple disciplines -- with an emphasis on consumer products and services and entertainment industries -- Cornerstone designs and executes customized and innovative brand strategies that target and effectively reach the elusive market of 15-34 year olds.
About NexCen Brands, Inc. (www.nexcenbrands.com):
NexCen Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEXC) is the premier 21st century brand acquisition and management company focused on assembling a diversified portfolio of intellectual property (IP) centric companies operating in the consumer branded products and franchise industries. The Company owns, licenses, franchises and markets a growing portfolio of consumer and franchise brands including The Athlete's Foot®, Bill Blass®, MaggieMoo's®, Marble Slab Creamery® and Waverly®. The Company licenses and franchises its brands to a network of leading retailers, manufacturers and franchisees that touch every major segment of retail distribution from the luxury market to the mass market in the U.S. and in over 45 countries around the world and consists of in excess of 1,150 of its own franchised stores. NexCen, through its information technology (IT) and franchisee support systems and advertising, marketing and public relations team, markets its brands to continually drive greater consumer awareness and brand equity for each of its brands. NexCen touches nearly every aspect of a consumer's lifestyle from the food they eat to the furnishings in their homes and the clothes and footwear they purchase.
Press Contact:
Ed James
Cornerstone [Public Relations]
212-652-9295
Email Contact
Published Jun. 26, 2007
Copyright © 2007 SYS-CON Media. All Rights Reserved.
In a moment of perfect fashion synergy, the artist Julian Schnabel showed up in purple pajamas at a l'Uomo Vogue dinner honoring his Milan exhibition, just after Miuccia Prada held a pajama party on her runway.
So those new Prada uniforms, dense with dusky floral patterns, weren't so baffling after all. ! They were the latest look for the humid summer nights that global warming seems already to have thrust on this city.
In general, the summer 2008 season, with its focus on dark suits, leather, nylon and the new hot (not to say "sweaty") favorite, Neoprene, suggest that clothes are no longer related to a specific season.
Since Miuccia Prada has always had a penchant for uniforms and declared after the show, "I have always loved pajamas," the new look was easy, without being floppy. The line was geometric, the tops tunic- or coat-length, or with the shirt tucked into pants for a more familiar Prada silhouette. Zip-up overalls were the fashion victim's version.
Patterns were sinuous irises and ivy leaves of the Belle Époque or a mixture of graphic checks and prints, mostly in silken materials. They went with shoes that were luminously modern in their glow of color-striped shiny leather. And there was another key accessory: the large watch on a wrist band.
"Very European — I don't know what the word is. Romantic? Elegant?" Prada said, struggling to define her aesthetic. The set boxed the audience into a maze with a labyrinth of hedged paths projected on the walls. And that is how it seemed on the runway: strong ideas, fine pieces, but a collection that had not quite found its way.
Men's fashion as a canvas for accessories has been a concept since shoe and handbag companies took over fashion in the 1990s. At Bottega Veneta, the designer Tomas Maier does that with particular ease, making his crumpled linen tailoring and faded Madras checks an artistic backdrop for leather sneakers or sandals with lattice inserts or tactile leather bags. Count on the art Biennale crowd to get this unflashy luxury look from cotton jackets to glazed linen three-piece suits. The ritzier resort wear seemed more forced: tailored shorts, zipper-off jacket sleeves and a sea-blue palette with melon and pearl pink. But With its monochrome, easy looks, this collection made rare sense of summer wear.
If you chopped off the Salvatore Ferragamo collection above the ankles, ignoring oxblood patent shoes and other classy footwear, would you immediately place the clotted cream three-piece suit with satin pocket handkerchief and gloves, or the crunchy silver raincoat, as quintessentially of this Florentine brand? Sure the fabrics are lush, touched with the sporty modernity of a metallic sweater or a nylon blouson. cq But were defining details so subtle that they did not show up on the catwalk, with its light box cylinder simulating splashing water?
In its hotels and home furnishings, Ferragamo is rich in leather handles and dark, grainy wood. It needs a similar image to define the clothes.
Alexander McQueen, an architect of runway drama, fell victim this week to his own invention. His show, held around the blue waters of a municipal swimming pool, encased fine cotton shirts, tailored coats and sportswear inspired by a 1960s photograph of surfers. If you could mentally strip away the post-Elvis hairdos dusted with silver sparkles and the giant surfboard backpacks, there was a collection of fine pieces, often beautifully worked, like the shirt with a snaking chain of patchwork. The water theme brought waving blue patterns and shiny, sexy, sporty wet suits — as well as water- soaked black suits for the finale.
But the profound and often disturbing edge of McQueen McQueen's profound and often disturbing edge seemed lost — especially with the slogan patterns and cartoon images that might be cute for Tokyo's Harajuku bands, brands?//no, bands. mjs. but seemed gimmicky as a fashion statement.
Since Valentino's heart is with his 45th anniversary celebrations in Rome next month — and the award he was scheduled to receive there this week — he wisely eschewed a menswear show for an installation of juicy guys in the tailored suits once worn at sundown in vacation resorts. They propped up a bar where dancers from the Paris Lido shook their breasts and their feathers. For those who took their eyes off the performance, there were elegant blazers, striped suits and polka dots, which are a mild trend of the season.
Energetic sportswear is a mood of the moment. The rhythm and blues soul singer John Legend and the "Spider- Man" actor James Franco joined the stellar front row at Emporio Armani, but it was the Italian sports heroes who reinforced the patriotic spirit of a collection that was, in the designer's own words, "crazy for Italy." A backdrop of Renaissance statues introduced clothes more body conscious than the floppy freedom more familiar from Armani. It was based on pants with a curve articulating the thighs and narrowing at the ankles, where there were jodhpur buttons or straps left loose.
A model displays a creation as part of Roberto Cavalli's Spring/Summer 2008 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 25, 2007. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo (ITALY)
A model displays a creation as part of Roberto Cavalli's Spring/Summer 2008 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 25, 2007. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo (ITALY)
Milan Fashion run of men's fashion shows for next summer displayed brazen irreverence Monday with Moschino's fluorescent tones, Gucci's slimline tweeds and John Richmond's gangster chic suits.
Franco Moschino's offerings were a riot of colour. Turning back to the 1980s, he showed off an orange trench coat teamed up with white pants, a yellow windbreaker and pink socks peeking out under short pants.
Even the belts and shoes screamed Florida. And the Peace and Love symbol of the fashion house were omnipresent, being either a discreet presence on the back of a coat or emblazoned across a T-shirt.
Gucci turned to classic tweed in black and white and pants tailored so close to the body that they veered between classic elegance and insolence.
But the trousers were in more adventurous colours: vermillion, bright yellow and green. For the evening, it was a classic black tuxedo enlivened by a cherry coloured belt.
British stylist John Richmond meanwhile showcased a collection that married an English dandy's wardrobe with that of a Sicilian bandit with dark suits, natty ties and eyeshades to match. And there were trousers in military fatigues.
Valentino, for his part, opted for classic and "still" elegance, showing his designs on mannequins against the backdrop of bare-breasted cabaret dancers covered in fuchsia plumes -- the theme being 'Paris Awakens.'
The mood before this year's Milan fashion week was sombre following the sudden death of leading Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre.
Ferre died on July 17 aged 62 after a brain haemorrhage and was buried in his birthplace of Legnano near Milan.
A week after his death, the fashion house that bears his name on Sunday presented its summer show for men to a tearful audience that gave him a posthumous ovation.
On Tuesday, Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Etro, Marni and Trussardi will unveil their collections in Italy's fashion capital on the penultimate day of the current fashion run.
Mall-based women's apparel retailer Charlotte Russe Holding Inc. said it is focused on opening new stores and improving its offerings in tops and dresses, the company chief executive said at a conference on Tuesday.
At the Wachovia Securities 2007 Nantucket Equity Conference, Charlotte Russe President and Chief Executive Mark A. Hoffman said the company has identified its total store potential at 600. The retailer, which ended the third quarter with 410 stores, plans to have 432 stores open by year end.
"There are a significant number of mall locations still available," he said. "We have 350 locations on our wish list."
In terms of its merchandise, Hoffman said Charlotte Russe is set apart from its rival "fast-fashion" women's apparel retailers Forever 21 and Wet Seal because of the age of Charlotte Russe's target consumer -- young women in their late teens and early 20s.
"Our slightly older consumer is a bit more sophisticated," he said.
The company sees the most growth opportunity in its knit and woven tops. Hoffman also said the company is working to improve its dress offerings.
"The changes made with our dresses continue to make very strong statement to the customer," he said.
Charlotte Russe also sells bottoms, footwear and accessories.
Shares of Charlotte Russe fell 44 cents to $26.28 in morning trading.
Questions or comments about this story should be directed to AP Financial News at 212-621-7190.
Fashion designers Stefano Gabbana, left, and Domenico Dolce acknowledge the applause of the audience after presenting their D&G Spring/Summer 2008 men's collection, presented in downtown Milan, Italy, Tuesday, June 26, 2007. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
One of Frye's most famous boots is called the Harness. If you're over 40, you know the one, even if you don't know you know. Rugged leather, squared toe, a simple belt around the ankle. It was created in the 19th century and became a huge fad in the late 1960s, but you needn't go to a museum to see this boot today: It's flying off the shelves of Nordstrom and Zappos.
Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see the Harness, the Engineer and other classic Frye boots on the streets of Chicago, New York and London this summer. In this, the 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love, Frye boots are back like a blast from the past. Their comeback is a telling sign of the times.
Frye boots' previous heyday was the first time the brand, founded in 1863, became a fashion icon. For women, they represented a new combination of strength and hipness. Wide-toed and heavy, they were a bold reaction against a period of restrictive femininity: housewives vacuuming in heels.
Claudia Goldin hitched herself to a pair of Fryes in the 1970s and stomped around the West Village with her tight jeans tucked into the bootlegs. Now a well-known labor and history economist at Harvard University, she welcomes their return. Fryes, she says, "say strength."
With the benefit of hindsight, we can safely say that the 1970s woman used Fryes to look more liberated than she was. The woman-behind-the-man habits persisted for some time. Still, the boots exemplified the effort of forging past the 1950s into a stronger, more confident era.
'
The Engineer
Though they remained popular into the '70s, Frye boots are so closely tied to the image of the '60s that they are on display at the Smithsonian as an emblem of those years. But there are also some ways in which their aura - earthy, utilitarian and anti-fashion - fits the current times, too.
In fashion, we're coming off a similar period of femininity. Our feet ache from the Manolo Blahniks that we've been wearing to work.
Politically, when Fryes were last in fashion, it was a period of unsurpassed idealism, unrest over an unpopular war and a president who was out of favor. Today, the political winds are blowing in some similar directions.
"I really believe there's a strong societal connection between 2007 and the 1970s," says Leslie Schnur, a 52-year-old New York author who owned a pair of Harness boots in the 1970s, when she attended Berkeley. Jeannie, the heroine of Schnur's latest novel, "Late Night Talking," clomps through Schnur's book in a pair of Fryes.
For most wearers, Frye boots are about the freedom to blow off fashion's dictums. They are rebellious and, at the same time, in touch with the earth and a certain cowboy reality.
Frye was founded by John A. Frye in 1863. An enterprising boot maker from England, Frye managed to sell to both the Yankees and the Rebels during the Civil War. The company maintained its utilitarian customer base for decades, putting boots on pioneers who crossed the West, on soldiers in the Spanish American war, on Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, on General Patton. In 1998, Frye was bought by Jimlar Corp., a footwear company based in Great Neck, N.Y.
After the heady rush of their 1970s popularity, Frye boots were left to their cowboy and motorcycle stalwarts for a quarter-century or so. Three years ago, actress Sarah Jessica Parker helped bring them back after being seen in a pair of Fryes.
Now, Fryes are back in force: the Campus boot, the 19th-century design favored by pioneers and renamed in the 1970s to reflect its popularity among college students; the Engineer; the Harness boot, the Cavalry. There are newer versions, but it's the 140-year-old styles that resonate.
Stephanie Maniscalco, proprietor of the online vintage purveyor Pretty Baby Vintage in Texas, can't find enough vintage Fryes to sell. "They can bring an outfit down if it's too frilly," she says. Again, the message is jarring and rebellious.
And there you have it. Fryes aren't just an emblem of geopolitical unrest. They're a response to fashion unrest, as well.
Perhaps, like the culinary trend toward "slow food" - healthier and more flavorful - consumers yearn for slower fashion. David Wolfe, creative director at Doneger Group retail consultants, believes the industry's fast-fashion frenzy may be inadvertently driving people into Frye boots and items like Converse sneakers that feel more substantial.
"I think we're in fashion burnout," Wolfe says. "We're looking for things that are so out of fashion, they're cool."
So now, a whole new generation is finding an alternative in Frye boots. Lauren Goodman, the 31-year-old fashion director at Domino Magazine, counts herself a "huge fan." "We're all so into chasing trends," she says. "It's great that we have H&M and Forever 21, but they're here today and gone tomorrow. It's nice to have something with legacy."