ROSETTA RISING: Rosetta Getty, whose young designer label, Riser Goodwyn, premiered in 2006 with a well-received ready- to-wear and red-carpet collection (the line is a favorite of Getty pals Selma Blair and Patricia Arquette, as well as Angelenos Amber Valletta and Brooke Davenport), is launching Riser, a contemporary line of separates and dresses ranging from $45 to $250 at wholesale for spring. With a focus on classic wrap dresses in silk, the line, manufactured in Italy and Los Angeles, also comprises cashmere and jersey separates with clean lines and muted colors. Riser will be presented to department store and specialty buyers at the New York and Los Angeles markets in January. Riser Goodwyn, owned and operated by Getty, sells in Barneys New York, Kirna Zabête and Ron Herman.
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SMART MOVE: Word has it that Hermès is shifting down its highfalutin collaborations. Following its recent customization of a Bugatti, the house is working on a project with the itsy- bitsy Smart car, with the fruits of their collaboration set to be unveiled in Paris on Thursday.
LAST RESORT: Going back to his Italian roots, Paris-based Giambattista Valli is said to be finalizing talks for a runway presentation of his fall pre-collection in Florence during the city’s pre-collection shows, at the invitation of the city and trade show organizer Pitti Immagine. The event is due to take place Jan. 15, according to a source. Diane von Furstenberg was among designers to have accepted the invitation in January for the launch of her resort line.
GOING WEST: Zara is moving into the Upper West Side of Manhattan in the spring. The Spanish fast-fashion powerhouse has signed a lease for 15,000 square feet at 1963 Broadway between 66th and 67th Streets in a space formerly occupied by Tower Records. It’s the chain’s first store in the area. Cushman & Wakefield represented the landlord, Millennium Properties. Jeffrey C. Paisner, broker at Ripko Real Estate Corp., represented Zara. Over the past three years, the neighborhood has seen an influx of better retail with the additions of Best Buy, Brooks Brothers, Lululemon, Ugg, Club Monaco, Space NK, Fresh and the Shops at Columbus Circle. In addition, the former Victoria’s Secret at 1981 Broadway will become an Apple store, about a block north of Zara.
EARLY BIRD: All those editors who moan and groan about morning appointments might wish to take a cue from Naomi Watts. Despite a chilly rain and her highly pregnant state, the actress made an extended appearance at a Wednesday-morning breakfast preview of the new White Nights collection from Finn jewelry, in the line’s Great Jones Street showroom. Then again, it was a particularly chic petit déjeuner affair, with a Marc Jacobs gown-clad model, mini croissants and tea and coffee served in proper china cups. Dressed down in a cozy sweater and weather-appropriate boots, Watts admired a pair of double moonstone oval dangling earrings and a rose-cut diamond pair surrounded by pavé diamonds before settling down into one of the studio’s cozy chairs for a chat with fellow guests. There are worse ways to start off the day.
EMANUEL EMPTIES HER ARCHIVE: London designer Elizabeth Emanuel will auction key pieces from her archive in a bid to raise money for her small couture business. Emanuel, best known for designing Princess Diana’s wedding gown with her then-husband and business partner David Emanuel, said the pieces include the pale pink silk chiffon blouse the young Lady Di wore for her engagement picture in British Vogue, as well as a miniature of the famous gown. The auction, which runs from today to Nov. 13 on AuctionAtrium.com, also will feature one-off dresses worn by celebrities such as Elizabeth Hurley, Jane Seymour, Helena Bonham Carter and Brigitte Nielsen. “It’s going to be such a wrench to part with these pieces because they are unique,” said Emanuel, who designs under the label Art of Being Couture. Emanuel, who also designs a line of wedding dresses for British Home Stores, said she is hunting for investors to help grow her business.
WHERE THEY’LL GO FOR A FREEBIE: Hollywood celebs came out in force early Thursday night to score a new BlackBerry Bold at a launch party for the gadget in Beverly Hills. Kate Bosworth, Eva Longoria Parker, Adrian Grenier, Hayden Panettiere, Lamar Odom, Maria Menounos, Amy Smart, Nicky Hilton, Rachel Zoe and her husband, Rodger Berman, all left with a new device, but its limited compatibility with AT&T left some conflicted. “I got it engraved with ‘EV3’ then kept trying to put my SIM card in this and it wouldn’t work; I kept trying, until one of the Geek Squad over there told me I needed AT&T to make it work,” said Eve. “I’ve been married to T-Mobile for so long and won’t give it up now that I need to get another number — a Bat phone — to use this awesome thing.”
40 CARATS: Graff’s new Madison Avenue boutique has its soft opening today, more than a week ahead of schedule. On the evening of Nov. 13, the brand’s chairman and founder Laurence Graff will host a fete for the opening, which will be attended by the store’s architect Peter Marino and Henri Barguirdjian, president and chief executive officer of Graff America and an exclusive crowd of Graff supporters.