The New York Times - July 14, 2005
Eric Wilson

Steven Stolman's new sportswear for HSN includes this jacket, modeled by Hilary Geary Ross, in fabric inspired by Diana Vreeland's red living room.

So it is curious that Mr. Stolman's latest project is a collection of sportswear for HSN, the television shopping channel. The sizes are more generous, and the prices more agreeable, but he is not dumbing down his designs. One jacket is made of fabric inspired by Diana Vreeland's famous red living room, designated the "Garden in Hell" by her decorator, Billy Baldwin.

"That's kind of highbrow for HSN," Mr. Stolman said. But then, he said, the sophistication level of the home shopping customer he had in his head does not match the reality.

The home shopper, as June Saltzman, HSN's senior vice president for fashion merchandising, conceded, is often stereotyped as someone who is retired and doesn't get out of the house. "But our client understands trends and fashion and shops with us for the convenience," she said.

Mr. Stolman's first HSN appearance, in May, came after midnight in a time slot generally reserved for pledges. Still, he found a receptive audience, selling more than 1,000 silk blouses with a chinoiserie motif in cobalt, coral or lime for $79.90. Some of his regular Southampton customers followed him there. Marjorie Raein, the New York social figure, ordered two dresses and two shirts from hsn.com, noting, "There isn't a cuter thing at that price point."

Fashion Benefit, Now Online

A decade has passed since the Council of Fashion Designers of America staged its last 7th on Sale benefit, a sale of designer merchandise culled from the showrooms of Seventh Avenue to raise money to fight AIDS. Those landmark events in New York and San Francisco raised more than $10 million and spawned a range of charitable initiatives from fashion designers, including the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign. But some council members have lamented that other causes had taken precedence over the AIDS initiative.

After years of debate the council announced yesterday that the event will be reprised, albeit in a different form to reflect the times. The sale will be conducted online as an eBay auction from Nov. 10 to Dec. 7 and will include limited-edition designs.

"This was an event that had lost its energy at a certain point, but no one lost their passion or sensitivity for the cause," said the designer Kenneth Cole, who is the chairman of the American Foundation for AIDS Research and an honorary chairman of the sale. "Our goal is to make this the biggest online sample sale, ever."

'My Whole Life Is Diamonds'

With its arrival on Fifth Avenue last month, De Beers is attempting to redefine the way jewelry is sold, approaching the merchandise as if it were designer apparel: price tags are on display; some pieces are moderately accessible; and salespeople do not stand imperiously behind glass counters.

"You don't have to be so austere," said Alyce Alston, the chief executive of the De Beers operation in the United States.

Taking another cue from the luxury world, the company signed a deal last week to introduce its equivalent of a guest designer: the Los Angeles jeweler Neil Lane. Mr. Lane is well known in Hollywood for his spectacular collection of estate jewelry and for his own designs, which are frequently seen on the red carpet. He will design a collection of diamond jewelry to be introduced in November at the opening of a De Beers store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

"My whole life is diamonds," said Mr. Lane, who has designed so many engagement rings in his 18-year career that he can be forgiven for his De Beers analogy. "I think it's a great marriage."

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