Vera deals.(The Month in Fashion) Date: May 1, 2006 Author: Karimzadeh, Marc | Copyright information COPYRIGHT 2006 Fairchild Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.

The big talk on the first day of New York Fashion Week in February: Vera Wang was being courted by Irvine, California--based fashion house St. John to be its creative director. St. John has been looking to steer the business in a more fashionable direction ever since creative director Kelly Gray's departure last July. Wang, who dressed Keira Knightley and Michelle Williams at this year's Oscars, certainly fits the bill. There was just one hitch: The designer was also talking to Haim Dabah, chairman and chief executive officer of Regatta Pacific Alliance, about creating a lower-priced line for Kohl's Department ...