Thursday, August 30, 2007

Henri Bendel Salutes 100 Years of the Brown-and-White Stripe

NEW YORK — Henri Bendel is celebrating 100 years of its signature stripe — in style, of course.

The store's brown-and-white stripe, which was introduced in 1907, is now instantly recognizable, and Bendel is celebrating its birthday in a big way. The store, owned by Limited Brands, has commissioned a selection of designers to create one-of-a-kind brown-and-white pieces to mark the milestone. Designs from Anna Sui, Alice + Olivia, Peter Som, Matthew Williamson, Josh Goot, Poltock and Walsh, Ghita, Pollini by Rifat Ozbeck, Elise Overland, Nili Lotan and Hamish Morrow, will be auctioned at the stripe's birthday party, The Brown & White Ball, at the Highline Ballroom here on Sept. 11.

"When Henri Bendel created the brown-and-white stripe in 1907, he was ahead of his time in regard to brand identity," said Ed Bucciarelli, president and chief executive officer of Henri Bendel. "In homage to Mr. Bendel's innovation, we invited some of our favorite designers to reinterpret our iconic stripe in both limited edition and one-of-a-kind product. They had carte blanche and the results are fun, feminine and fabulous, in short what every Bendel girl wants."

Proceeds from the auction will benefit Keep A Child Alive, an organization that provides care and treatment to children in Africa affected by AIDS. The organization was created by U2 front man Bono and Alicia Keys.

Other designers have created limited edition pieces that will be sold exclusively at Bendel beginning next week and running through the end of October. Among the items are: Diane von Furstenberg's cashmere wrap dress for $648, L.A.M.B's striped hoodie for $235, Phi's printed tank for $495, J Brand's skinny jeans with striped pocket and waistband lining for $188, Milly's strapless dress with striped lining and pink sash for $498 and Tibi's leopard minidress for $368. Even MAC Cosmetics is getting into the mix and has created a Lipglass called "Bendel Girl" and lipstick named "Love, Henri." These MAC items are packaged in signature brown-and-white striped boxes.

 

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