Azzaro
WHO: Loris Azzaro (1933-2003)
 
FAMOUSLY SAID: How can you create a line of clothing and give it an air of femininity without playing it up with a perfume?
 
ORIGINS: He formed Azzaro in Paris in 1965.
 
OWNERSHIP: Azzaro sold perfume rights to German pharmaceutical company Maurer et Ritz in 1975, followed by the rest of the company in 1986. Maurer et Ritz fired the designer in 1988. Azzaro won back rights in 1990 to produce ready-to-wear, but fragrance and cosmetics rights stayed with Maurer et Ritz, which sold them to Clarins in 1995. Two years later, Azzaro’s wife forced him out. Compagnie Financière Frey, the French champagne and retail development group, purchased the ready-to-wear rights in 2002. Though he was suffering from terminal cancer, Azzaro was brought back to the company to train his successor, Vanessa Steward. In 2006, Azzaro was sold to Reig Capital Luxury. Clarins retains the rights to cosmetics, fragrances, and leather accessories.

MANAGEMENT: Natalie Francon, formerly with Christian Lacroix and Chanel, was made C.E.O. in late 2007.

BAD MOVE: Giving control of his portion of the company to his wife. She forced Azzaro out in 1997 and was later arrested for spying on employees with elaborate surveillance equipment.

PROGNOSIS: Azzaro is the sleeper among the contenders. The brand had all but faded into obscurity beyond Paris, but since 2003, Steward’s collections have attracted the attention of society girls like Elizabeth Saltzman and celebrities such as Nicole Kidman. The company has launched a small collection of bags with Judith Leiber and a new line of costume jewelry. This year will see a relaunch of a classic Azzaro fragrance. Anna Wintour saw the pre-fall collection in the studio this January and pronounced it a success.


Halston
WHO: Roy Halston Frowick (1932-1990)
 
FAMOUSLY SAID: You are only as good as the people you dress.
 
ORIGINS: Halston began designing hats in 1962 and created Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat. By 1966 he was selling custom clothes from a salon in Bergdorf Goodman, and in 1969 he launched ready-to-wear with the backing of Babe Paley, the wife of CBS founder William S. Paley.
 
OWNERSHIP: In 1973, Halston sold his name to Norton Simon Inc. for $16 million but stayed on as designer. Through a series of acquisitions, Halston ended up being owned by Revlon, which discontinued women’s clothing. In January 1992, Revlon sold the fragrance rights, and two years later the clothing rights, to Tropic Tex International. The fragrance ended up as part of Elizabeth Arden. In 1998, Catterton Investments became a short-term owner of the clothing brand, selling it the following year to Neema Clothing Co. Then, in March 2007, it was bought by the Weinstein Company and Hilco Consumer Capital. James Neema, principal shareholder of Neema Clothing, retains a stake.
 
CURRENT MANAGEMENT: C.E.O. Bonnie Takar came from Jimmy Choo. Marco Zanini was hired last summer as creative director.
 
BAD MOVES: Selling his company in 1973 and licensing his name to J.C. Penney in 1982. Bergdorf Goodman backed away from the Halston brand, the Penney line never sold well, and Halston was never able to regain control of the company.
 
PROGNOSIS: Even with one of the most famous names in fashion, success is anything but guaranteed. Halston has a limited archive (he only designed for 15 years), and his team dissolved long ago. On the plus side, James Neema did a good job of what luxury executives call “cleaning up the brand,” and the fashion media appear to be on Halston’s side. Net-a-Porter, meanwhile, has preordered two pieces from the collection, and with Weinstein in the house, celebrity endorsements are a sure thing.

Bill Blass
WHO: William Ralph “Bill” Blass (1922-2002)
 
FAMOUSLY SAID: When in doubt, wear red.

ORIGINS: In 1970, Blass bought Maurice Rentner, the dress house where he had worked since 1959, and renamed it Bill Blass Ltd.
 
OWNERSHIP: In 1999, knowing he had cancer, Blass sold the company for $50 million to C.F.O. Michael Groveman and a licensee, Haresh T. Tharani. In 2007, NexCen Brands acquired it for $74 million in cash and stock.
 
MANAGEMENT: C.E.O. Groveman stayed on after the NexCen purchase and was given equity in the company. In 2007, Peter Som was appointed creative director for women’s wear and Michael Bastian creative director for men’s wear.
 
BAD MOVE: Signing licenses for everything from sheets and towels to chocolates.
 
PROGNOSIS: Som’s debut with Bill Blass is regarded as a safe bet. Som’s own style is, as one fashion critic said, “more Blass than Blass,” and he has the backing of a diversified public company, not a bunch of eager-to-sell private equity players. Groveman pays special attention to the men’s line. “Here we have a clean slate,” he says.

Ungaro
WHO: Emanuel (Maffeolit) Ungaro (1933- )
 
FAMOUSLY SAID: Pink is the institutional color for Ungaro.
 
ORIGINS: Founded his fashion house in 1965; presented his first ready-to-wear collection in 1968.

OWNERSHIP: In 1996 Ungaro sold a majority of his company to Ferragamo for an estimated $30 million. In 2001 the 67-year-old Ungaro stopped designing ready-to-wear and officially appointed his protégé, Giambattista Valli, his successor, but relations between the two became strained. Ungaro effectively retired in 2004, when he stopped doing haute couture. The following year, Ferragamo sold the company to Asim Abdullah, a venture capitalist from Silicon Valley.
 
MANAGEMENT: Mounir Moufarrige, best known for hiring Stella McCartney to design for Chloé, is C.E.O. and part owner. In December, Esteban Cortazar was appointed head designer.

BAD MOVE: Falling out with Valli over the direction of the brand.

PROGNOSIS: The house failed to sustain its appeal after Ungaro left. Most subsequent designers chose to focus on the heritage of bright, hard-to-wear prints rather than emulate Ungaro’s strong dressmaking skills. The company has entrusted its success to the relatively unknown, 24-year-old designer Cortazar after two other designers, Vincent Darre and Peter Dundas, failed to move the brand forward.