Word: dior
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...Brit look, or variations on it, is everywhere, along with the softer, more soigne tailoring of the French and Italian variety. One recent Wallachs ad trumpeted the virtues of a Christian Dior suit (at $550), a store staple for years even though Wallachs' buyers managed to turn Dior's Gallic glitz into a kind of standard broker bland...
...Hermes likes to call itself "a firm apart." It has resisted predatory takeover artists who have swallowed up such venerable family strongholds as Louis Vuitton and Lanvin. It has refused to license its name to sell discount luggage a la Pierre Cardin or mass-produced hosiery a la Christian Dior. But what really makes Hermes different is its stubborn adherence to century-old manufacturing techniques. "Hermes is an anachronism," says Gene Pressman, executive vice president of Barney's, the upscale clothing chain. "It's about quality that's made to last...
Some fashion houses have thrived since their namesakes' deaths; others have struggled along. Chanel and Dior have prospered long after their originators passed on. The Perry Ellis lines continue, though on a more modest level, since the designer's death in 1986. His menswear and casual sportswear have done well, but the women's fashion business, a portion of the heart of any major couture house, has faltered. Williwear, Willi Smith's sports-clothes line, is doing a booming business. Says the designer's flamboyant sister Toukie: "There are hundreds of other talented young people out there, and the spirit...
...businesswoman or a middle-of-the-road matron can find places to squander cash this year, especially since manufacturers often ship their products with longer lengths, leaving it to stores or customers to chop or not. Lacroix kept his dazzlement to color instead of radical shapes, and at Dior Milan's Gianfranco Ferre produced a strong line of sleek, sophisticated clothes. No giddy gambits here, but what looks like an insurance policy for the historic fashion house...
...world's first black international star. From the Roaring Twenties came a Baker persona at once erotic and comic: prancing topless on a Paris music-hall stage, with eyes crossed as if to spoof her naked sensuality. Later came the vision of La Baker, a glamorous chanteuse gowned by Dior or Balenciaga and seemingly the essence of Gallic sophistication...