Pinch Me -- Is That a Wal-Mart?

Designers at work on 2006 lines have shopped the world's fashion capitals for the right mix of colors, fabrics and cuts. For spring and summer, "color has gotten neutralized and softer," said Yoshioka, the creative director for women's clothing, sitting in front of a wall of pastel fabric samples. "Everyone wants to do bright colors, but neutrals are the right thing to do."

She then turns to bigger themes for fall 2006 clothing. "We are going back to the turn of the century -- looking at Victorian, Edwardian, Gothic," she said. "That's where high-level designers' heads are." Wal-Mart, she continues, "will not do a Victorian look. It would not look right. Or Edwardian. Or a Gothic look. So what is there about that inspiration we can pull and add to our basic look?"

Downstairs, the creative director for men's clothing is experimenting with the chain's No Boundaries label, which he describes as an "Urban Outfitters meets American Eagle meets Abercrombie & Fitch sort of look." Norris has proposed a rugby-style T-shirt with a graphic on the chest and stripes on the shoulder. The graphic will resemble a crest "which is sort of Victorian" he said, in a nod to the emerging trend.

Translating inspiration into a product at Wal-Mart is not always easy, as the designers are finding out. For this fall, Neulander, the creative director for home, had lobbied for sateen bed linens with a Jacquard weave, a trend she had spotted in her research. Wal-Mart, however, toned down the pattern. But she thinks her original idea will happen for spring 2006. "I feel like we missed it for four to five months," she said.

When it comes to spotting trends, Bentonville is "uncomfortable. It's like something over there," she said, pointing to the distance, "that they are not used to."

"I don't want to look like yesterday," she said, "even for that traditional customer."

The Trend Office itself is classic Wal-Mart, with penny-pinching touches like fake hardwood floors. The cubicles, tables and chairs are standard-issue from Bentonville. But, in a nod toward the office's fashion ambitions, workers asked to use wall paint a shade brighter than the grayish Wal-Mart white, and to splurge on a set of stools from Design Within Reach. Quotes from Sam Walton cover the walls.

"We try to live the culture of Wal-Mart, to an extent," said the head of the Trend Office, Lisa Waltuch, standing in front of a window, whose shade, in certain lights, reveals a photo of Sam Walton.

Of course, they are also challenging that culture. Recently, the New York staff began pushing their counterparts in Bentonville to carry more skirts, given the amount of attention that longish gathered, patterned skirts have been getting in the fashion press. "Their response was, 'Oh, we've never done well with skirts,' " recalled Waltuch. "We said, 'You have to get a couple of them in your lines.' " (There are several currently at Walmart.com.)

For decades, the retailer has relied on its suppliers to tell the chain what's fashionable. The problem was that the company had no way of knowing if the vendors were wrong. "A lot of suppliers got used to selling us large quantities of last year's look," said Watts, the vice president of product development.

The Trend Office is branching out into design, too, pitching its own back-to-school collections for fall 2006. The proposals, created by the former West Elm designer Rahn, include sleek fluted lamps, bolster pillows, claw-foot coffee tables and retro-inspired alarm clocks.

The most dramatic product changes are yet to come, but the future is sprinkled -- albeit sparingly -- across a Wal-Mart in Alexandria. There are green and red vintage track jackets, with thick white stripes across the shoulder, for $14.72; pink and gray plaid women's cropped pants for $14.84; and a tiered pink and lime poncho for $9.96.