Gucci’s Big Question: Will Ford and De Sole Stay Beyond 2004?

MILAN — Is this a watershed moment for Gucci Group? In a word, yes.

For some time now, rumors have swirled about unrest at the helm of the luxury giant. After an incredible 10-year run that rocked the fashion and business worlds, the…

MILAN — Since he became chairman and ceo of Gucci America in 1984, Domenico De Sole has battled his share of adversaries — Maurizio Gucci, Patrizio Bertelli and Bernard Arnault — to name a few.

“Make my day,” became his…

NEW YORK — After some seismic activity, Bill Blass Ltd. is looking to establish a stable foundation with its new designer.

Following a tumultuous two weeks at Blass since the abrupt dismissal of Lars Nilsson, the company confirmed on…

NEW YORK — Femininity and subtle elegance may have been a trend on the New York runways, but it has been a consistent theme throughout Carolina Herrera’s business — one that’s grown her company into a $410 million luxury brand….

NEW YORK — The white knight galloped away.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway late Friday pulled its $579 million cash offer for Burlington Industries off the table.

That left industry observers, who reacted with dismay to…

MONDAY: Milan Collections continue (through Tuesday).

Montreal Fashion Week (through Friday).

PVH fourth-quarter earnings.

TUESDAY: Hong Kong International Jewelry Show (through Friday).

Kohl’s and…

YSL RETAPS WATERGATE: Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche has reopened its renovated store in Washington. Located in the historic Watergate complex, the 1,500-square-foot store is owned and operated under a franchise agreement with the Marx family, which…

NEW YORK — Fine fashion watches are the hottest trend in the watch industry these days, and new players are joining the party.

Leonard, the French fashion house, is the latest entrant into the sector. The company recently launched a…

NEW YORK — Vergier Holdings LLC has acquired Norwalk, Conn.-based leather goods firm Ghurka for an undisclosed sum.

This is the first acquisition for the holdings company founded three months ago by Abe Chehebar, chairman and chief…

KIESELSTEIN-CORD’S NEW WAY: Barry Kieselstein-Cord is opening a new page in the chronicles of his 30-year-old business. He is joining the Cynthia O’Connor showroom with his silver jewelry line, marking the first time the accessories…

PARIS — The City of Light has long been a hotbed of new creative talent. Following are several emerging designers who hope to make their marks this season.

Yvan Mispelaere

Having spent the last decade behind the scenes at…

MILAN?— There’s nothing wrong with being calm and collected — and that’s especially true in a season when Mod and Space-Age looks are everywhere. Miuccia Prada, of course, already mined that Sixties’ territory for spring,…

PARIS — The fast-fashion blitzkrieg of the last five years has revolutionized the European retail scene, practically steamrolling independent retailers, according to a new study conducted by France’s Institute Francaise de la Mode, or IFM….

PARIS — Georgina Brandolini is a sweater girl through and through. Always has been, always will be.

To wit: When the social powerhouse decided to strike out on her own with a signature label after 20 years as Valentino’s Paris…

PARIS — Not so long ago, no one worth their Guccis would have dreamed of going to the Lido, Le Moulin Rouge or the Folies Bergère. Those aging cabarets, drowned in kitsch, were for the worst kind of coach-class tourists. It just…

PARIS — Designer Koji Tatsuno figures the time is ripe to resurrect the fabled house founded by Madame Alix Grès.

“So many of the designs you see on the catwalk today have been inspired by Madame Grès’ draping and style,”…

MUCHO MOSCHINO: Moschino is finally planting its roots in the City of Light. The Italian fashion house, marking its 20th anniversary this year, plans to open a 3,000-square-foot flagship at 32 Rue de Grenelle on March 6. Miu Miu, Martin Sitbon and…

NEW YORK — Here’s a survival kit that doesn’t include batteries or duct tape: The Hot Nights Menopause Relief Kit. The concept is the brainchild of Gale Epstein, president and designer of Hanky Panky, a 25-year-old, Manhattan-based…

LOVING PARIS: More than 75 executives of the innerwear and textile industries turned out for the Underfashion Club’s annual “I Love Paris” seminar.

The workshop, held Feb. 19 at the New York Helmsley Hotel, focused on the trends of the…

NEW YORK — The Sixties, from Wilma Flintstone hair to silver go-go boots and micro miniskirts, are set for a rerun next fall — and that’s keeping legwear vendors on their toes. After all, who really wants to brave the cold with bare…

NEW YORK — Who said long-distance relationships can’t work?

Andrew Rosen, chief executive officer of Theory, is the business partner behind the new contemporary sportswear collection, Kulson, designed by Lisa Kulson. There’s…

NEW YORK — Peter Boneparth, chief executive officer and president of Jones Apparel Group, said Thursday he doesn’t know when the firm’s licensing disagreement with Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. will be resolved.

The Ralph…

NEW YORK — Perry Ellis International wants to develop Jantzen into a resort, casual-lifestyle apparel brand to complement the swimwear line, launching in retail stores in 2005. The swimwear line is currently sold in May Co. stores, Kohl’s,…

MILAN — In a move to bolster its corporate profile, Dolce & Gabbana has published its first-ever annual report, a glossy 51-page volume detailing the company’s financial performance, including a tripling of net income, for the year ended…

MORE SARA LEE LAYOFFS: Sara Lee Intimate Apparel Products, a division of Sara Lee Corp., will lay off approximately 40 of its 320 employees at its Woolwine lingerie factory near Stuart, Va., published reports said. The Chicago-based consumables giant…

NEW YORK — Gap’s moving from stripes to stretch.

In its new TV campaign that breaks Tuesday, Gap will focus on GapStretch pants for women. Set to new interpretations of the 1967 Simon and Garfunkel hit, “Feelin’ Groovy,” the…

The following is the ready-to-wear show schedule.

Times and locations are subject to change. Attendees are encouraged to confirm information.

Wednesday, March 5

3 p.m.: Vénéra Arapu, Espace Beaurepaire.

4…

NEW YORK — Already under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and in violation of numerous financial covenants, Spiegel Inc. on Friday turned to turnaround expert William Kosturos, a managing director at Alvarez & Marsal, to…

“It’s not that hard to put on a pretty dress and come to a party,” demurred Natalie Portman, who took the night off from her Harvard studies to serve as the honorary chair of Thursday night’s International Neuroscience Foundation gala….

LOS ANGELES — One can hardly expect twentysomethings these days to be well-versed in pre-Eighties music, let alone Rogers and Hart tunes of the Twenties, Thirties and Forties, but actresses Zooey Deschanel, 23, and Samantha Shelton, 24, were…

FIT TO BE TIED: Tom Ford was in hot demand at the party he threw Friday night to show off his new Milan flagship for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. While he sipped vodka tonics off the dance floor and chatted up French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, the…

JUST SUPER: Gisele Bündchen is on hiatus in Brazil this season, and it seems Milan is already waxing nostalgic about supermodels — despite their still-hefty price tag. Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Amber Valletta reunited on the…

NEW YORK — There’s lots of digging in for winter, and lingerie designers are prepared with cozy pants and easy tops.

WASHINGTON — Wrapping up the second round of trade negotiations with five Central American countries in Cincinnati on Friday, the U.S. proposed a strict yarn-forward rule of origin for apparel and textiles that allows for no…

NEW YORK — Here’s a list of decidedly unfashionable things: sunflower seeds, scaffolding, carnations, bobblehead dogs, aquarium gravel and Gatorade. But most seasoned New York partygoers know that in the hands of Avi Adler and David Stark,…