Broderick Gets a Boost

Matthew Borderick blended in perfectly with the two tone brown decor at 1 Oak, temporary Tribeca Film Festival Home of the Boost Mobile Lounge as he celebrated his new film “Finding Amanda” which premiered last night in Tribeca. Broderick is seen here chatting up Amanda, actress Brittney Snow.

Controversy in Tribeca: <Br>Guests Of Cindy Sherman Asked to Leave

Zak Soreff and Milon Henry Levine are Guests of Cindy Sherman…or at least of the film “Guest of Cindy Sherman” which premiered last night in NYC.

Controversy swirlled around the Tribeca Film Festival last night as Cindy Sherman released a statement regretting her involvment in Tom Donahue and Paul H-O’s film “Guest of Cindy Sherman.” Here is the text of that statement:

“As my name is in the title and my work and self are so abundantly represented, I would like to counter any assumption that I am or wish to be personally associated with it. I am not a participant in any events related to the film’s screenings in this festival or future presentations.

I apologize to all those who participated, thinking they were doing me a favor in giving interviews and otherwise assisting in the fabrication of this film.

Against my better judgment, it was clearly unwise to cooperate with the project at its inception.”

Genuine Statement or Relatively Intelligent Publicity Stunt?

Your thoughts are most welcome.

Louis Vuitton Postpones Chinese Car Rally

Scarlett Jophanson will not be swinging over to Beijing for Louis Vuitton in the near future.

PARIS Amidst prickly relations between France and China over Tibet and the upcoming Beijing Olympics, Louis Vuitton has postponed its high-profile “China Run” car rally scheduled for May 25 to 31 between Chengdu and Kunming. A Vuitton spokeswoman said a new date has yet to be fixed, and declined further comment. Participants in the rally, which were to include Fiat heir Lapo Elkann, were informed of the change this week. It is understood Chinese authorities and organizers also support a postponement to ensure a successful, high-quality event at a later date. Vuitton executives, sponsors and Chinese officials announced the rally at a plush press conference here last month, describing an event likely to attract millions of Chinese spectators eager to catch a glimpse of 45 vintage cars worth north of $125 million. But disruptions to the Olympic torch rally in Paris, and statements of support for the Dalai Lama by French politicians, have fuelled anti-French sentiments in China, leading to protests at Carrefour stores and steps by the Chinese government to quell rising nationalist fervor.

Patricia Uruoila, Oviedo, Madrid Polytechnique Insititutre, ENSCI, De Padova, Achile Catglioni, Lissoni, Alessi, Antares-Flos, Artelano, Boffi, Cappelini, Cassina, Kartelli,B7B, Bosa, DE Vecchi, Fasem, Karteli, Liv?it, MDF, Moltenu & C, Moroso and Tronconi, Mandarin Oriental Barcelona, elle D?r International , Wallpaper magazine NOW! Design a vivre, Barabrao, rancesca Renai, Frederic Bidoyet , Annik, Klein, KX associates, Art LUYten, Xavier Latapie, Monica Paltrinieri, Elaine Wellman Harnnet. Elena Philponovaa, Michaela Dpasmantes,

Tory Tory Tory

Tory Burch’s Growth Push: Designer Eyes Overseas, More Products

Tory Burch is stepping on the accelerator.

With handbag sales surging 50 percent and accessories revenues overall increasing by 200 percent last year, the designer is out to drive her business to the next level via overseas expansion, rolling out more sportswear/accessories stores in the U.S., a brand new image campaign and adding more product categories.Jackie Rogers, B. Michael, barbaro, Annik, Klein. Elena Philipova, Susan Cianciolo, Alice Temperley, L’ren Scott, Jane Park , Libby Hann, Francoise Alexander, David Symmington, Sandrine Briere, Christophe Lunn, Lina Henricksson, Jon Carlo Domingo, gradyn, Malan Breton, Kenzo Minami, Bless, Indochine, Jeremy SCott, Alice McCall, Longchamp, Children’s Club, The train, Coterie, DEsigners and Agents, NY. Moda, Giorgio Brato,Absolute element, Richard Francis,Erickson Beamon, Robert De MArco, Bernard Willheim, Kristen Lee,Cristian holstein, Folk show AND Riche From Totally Cool Magazine.

Pant Suit Watch: A Journey Into Knitwear Volume 3

One of Hillary Clinton’s Turquoise Pant Suits, code named “Cindy Sherman” for its own morphic persona, has claimed to raise $15 million dollars online in one hour, shattering all records. Pant Suits world wide, including the linen Chanel Spring ’08 jobbie pictured above, were electrified by the news.

Snag: There is no more on this story, Sucka!

Playing Exclusives Game: Results Can Be Win-Win But Brands Face Pitfalls

Image: Tommy Hilfiger is becoming exclusive to Macy’s.

Putting all your eggs in one basket ? or, in apparel, your entire collection in one retailer ? is a high-stakes game that is being played more and more.

As stores rush to differentiate themselves, particularly in this difficult economy, they’re increasingly looking for product no one else has. But as often as both parties describe exclusives as a win-win, it just as often results in one side losing.

Vendors must take heed of the dangers to committing exclusively to a single store ? take the fate of O Oscar, which lasted only three seasons at Macy’s before being closed, or Liz Claiborne, which saw its space at Macy’s shrink after it created Liz & Co. for J.C. Penney.

But the rewards can be great. Macy’s Inc. chairman, chief executive officer and president Terry Lundgren pointed to Tommy Hilfiger, which will become exclusive to the retailer come August, as “a home run idea” and “the best example now” of the growing exclusive business at the largest department store in the U.S. This is a far cry from the role Hilfiger had played at Macy’s in the last few years, when the line’s space had been consistently shrinking.

“When the product is exclusive to us ? which makes it one of the most important products we carry in the store because it’s only in our stores ? we want to make sure we can do everything we can do to find success,” Lundgren said. “If we are the only customer, we have a responsibility to make sure this brand is highly successful, so we will want to give it primary space and location, and make sure the advertising is prominent.”

More than 35 percent of the $26.3 billion in sales Macy’s did last year is in brands that are exclusive to Macy’s or in limited distribution, including its private label INC line, Martha Stewart Collection, Donald Trump’s line and diffusion lines such as T Tahari.

Macy’s is not alone. Half of J.C. Penney Co. Inc.’s sales come from its private label offerings, including the new American Living launch by Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.’s Global Brand Concepts, plus exclusive diffusion lines such as Nicole by Nicole Miller, Liz & Co. and the upcoming Fabulosity by Kimora Lee Simmons. Its competitor, Kohl’s Corp., has been bulking up its exclusive offerings as well with Simply Vera Vera Wang, Dana Buchman, Abbey Dawn (a new collaboration with Avril Lavigne) and Fila Sport, in addition to its Ralph Lauren diffusion line, Chaps.

It?s a Small World: Fashion Breaks Down Barriers Around Globe

Bollywood star Mahima Chaundry will be shopping at Barney’s in what amounts to be an international jiffy.

Bloomingdale’s eyeing the Middle East; Yohji Yamamoto and Nike staging fashion shows in Beijing’s Forbidden City; Istithmar of Dubai buying Barneys New York; Chinese consumers snapping up Vuitton bags and Mercedes cars, and Martin Margiela planting stores in the Middle East.

Talk about pluralism.

Arguably one of today’s most Teflon-coated industries, fashion continues its global advance at breakneck speed, seemingly immune to any geographic, nationalist, political, religious or moral barriers.

To be sure, politics threaten to become the third rail, as anger surges in China toward Carrefour and other French brands as retribution for disrupting the Olympic torch relay in Paris. So far, the Chinese government has been restraining the demonstrations that began last week, and on Monday Carrefour said it had yet to see any impact on its business in China.

But typically such boycotts of foreign products are short-lived ? consider how quickly “freedom fries” went the way of trade quotas ? and are mere glitches in the recent globalization of the fashion industry. And fashion can even break down political barriers: Yamamoto’s show in the Forbidden City Thursday is seen as a watershed moment in relations between Japan and China (see sidebar).
? Tommy Hilfiger
Consider some other headlines that barely caused a ripple or raised an eyebrow:

– Fendi, which sells such extravagant items as 60,000 euro, or about $96,000 at current exchange, knitted sable throws, staged the first fashion show on the Great Wall of China, an event that was concurrent with the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party last fall.

– Louis Vuitton plans to send some of the world’s finest vintage cars roaring through China next month as it opens its second location in Chengdu ? and is considering third and fourth locations in that city alone as demand for European luxury booms in the Asian giant.

– The front rows of Paris Couture Week in January swelled with bigger client contingents from emerging luxury markets such as Russia, India and China ? in addition to regulars from the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.

– Istithmar, a private equity fund in Muslim Dubai, acquired Barneys New York, a landmark American retailer founded by a Jewish family.

Talbots’ Credit Crunch Raises Alarms

Talbots Inc.?s credit crisis might not be an isolated event, as lenders grow more nervous about the retail sector, experts said.

?Could this be the onset of a liquidity crunch for some of the retailers? Sure.? –Tiffany, Fitch Ratings Co.

Shares of Talbots continued on a downward spiral Thursday, falling 14.5 percent to $7.83. That followed a 28.7 percent decline Wednesday after the Hingham, Mass.-based retailer said Bank of America and HSBC would pull lines of credit. The Dow Jones Industrial Average finished fractionally ahead on Thursday as the S&P Retail Index crept up 0.2 percent.