Books feature fashion icons

New York — Two fashion icons will adorn bookstore shelves this fall, with a veteran fashion reporter delving into the Calvin Klein empire and photographer Helmut Newton telling his life story.

“The House of Klein: Fashion, Controversy and a Business Obsession” (Wiley, September 2003, $24.95) by former Women’s Wear Daily and New York Post reporter Lisa Marsh examines the Bronx-born designer who helped American fashion compete with Paris and chronicles the corporate battles that led to Klein’s success in building a brand and cashing in on that image.

In “Autobiography” (Nan A. Talese-Doubleday, September 2003, $27.95), 83-year-old photographer Helmut Newton serves up his own dirty laundry.

Newton gained fame in the 1960s with provocative, sometimes scandalous, photo spreads in French Vogue that featured seminude women with idiosyncratic props such as neck braces and riding saddles. The “bad boy” photographer describes his pampered childhood in Berlin and his escape from the Nazis, as well as his adventures as a “kept” boy in Singapore and a soldier in Australia. He also gives the back stories on his most famous photos, including shots of artist Salvador Dali, disgraced Austrian leader Kurt Waldheim, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and photographer and Nazi-era filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.

Kate Moss returns

New York — W magazine has devoted 40 pages of its September issue to Kate Moss, heralding the supermodel’s return to American magazines after the birth of her child.

The 1990s “It” girl, whose trademark waiflike frame is more womanly these days, portrays a nude bride, explores her boyish side in baggy jeans and a trucker hat, and even flips burgers in a fantasy-world “McDonald’s.” Artists Lucian Freud, Takashi Murakami and Alex Katz also give their take on Moss’ iconic image.

Perfectly suited

New York — Fall means back to school for some people, back to the boardroom for others.

If your office’s casual summer dress code has turned seasonally serious, InStyle’s tutorial on to be “perfectly suited” for work might be helpful. This advice appears in the magazine’s September issue:

• If you love a suit, but not its fit, a tailor can work magic. Jackets, sleeves, pants or skirts can be shortened or taken in. Pants can be lengthened, the shoulders in jackets usually can be let out and lapels can be narrowed.
• Some suit pieces can be mixed and matched. A piece with a texture or pattern, such as boucle or houndstooth, pairs easily with most solids, and neutral color pairings, such as camel with gray, work best.
• Nothing but mirror time will tell you whether the short-and-curvy jacket or the double-breasted one looks better on you.

Style Network bringing runways to living rooms

New York — Actress Finola Hughes will host the Style Network’s coverage of New York Fashion Week, which will be held Sept. 12-19 at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan.

She will be joined by Lloyd Boston, Brini Maxwell, host of Style’s upcoming “The Brini Maxwell Show,” and “Behind the Velvet Ropes” host Lauren Ezersky, the network announced Wednesday. Style is the official broadcast TV network of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Hughes (Anna Devane on ABC’s “All My Children”) recently designed and launched her own jewelry line with Sol Rafael.

Three tents will be set up in Bryant Park for press and buyers to view the spring 2004 collections by Kenneth Cole, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, Vivienne Tam, Anna Sui and other designers.

Bra options

New York — Since not all women were created equally, it’s not surprising that not all women fit perfectly into only a handful of bra sizes.

In fact, according to Tolli Love, marketing director for Playtex, seven out of 10 women wear bras that don’t fit quite right.

Playtex hopes to improve that ratio with the introduction of half-sizes.

In addition to the standard cup sizes, the Thank Goodness It Fits Collection will be offered in “Nearly A,” “Nearly B” and “Nearly C.” The bras also offer stay-put straps and padding, underwire and wire-free options.

A majority of women who participated in focus groups by Sara Lee, the parent company of Playtex, described “a good bra” as one that doesn’t need constant adjustment to stay in place; one that doesn’t cut, pull or rub the skin; one that has the right size cups; and one made of a fabric that doesn’t irritate the skin.

Ferragamo updates look

New York — The makeover at the flagship Salvatore Ferragamo store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is a sign of things to come from the 80-year-old company.

Inside, shoppers find a new fragrance called Incanto, an expanded women’s ready-to-wear collection that features furs and leathers, and childrenswear — including miniature Mary-Jane shoes that the company founder first created for Audrey Hepburn.

Company officials say Ferragamo isn’t forgetting its roots, but some of the new innovations are shock-absorbing shoe soles, textured shearling in womenswear and new closures on signature leather accessories.