Abroad Jump

For Lam, establishing and clarifying his image is essential. His professional life has had its share of glittering moments. He can brag about having created the inauguration ensemble worn last year by Barbara Bush -- the president's daughter, not his mother. Photos of the ivory skirt, yellow blouse and sky-blue cashmere trench coat were dispersed around the world. He also created a wedding gown for Vanessa von Bismarck, who is German royalty, a New York-based publicist and a friend, facts that were elaborately chronicled in the full-color, glossy pages of Vogue magazine.

But he is fighting to stand out from a crowded field in the United States and abroad. At designer prices, a woman is not simply buying a garment; she is buying an image, prestige, a story line. What does Lam offer that is unique? That is a critical question and one that Lam has trouble answering.

"It's just my personal dream," he begins.

This is not a good sign. A dream is not enough.

A Dream and a Plan

That is partly why Lam and Schlottmann have come to Paris and why they are hosting a cocktail party one night not far from the Louvre. Waiters pass drinks and tiny tuna burgers and a group of models dressed in frocks from his spring collection pose in a tableau vivant at the top of an elegant marble staircase.

Lam is here to meet with retailers and the many fashion editors who come to Paris but do not bother with New York, where his runway show was held. The purpose of the party, his first here, is to thank them all -- and the many Americans -- for their support and, of course, to raise his profile.

Lam is not of the Tom Ford charm school, with an ability to make both men and women swoon. He has more in common with Kors -- a willingness to befriend and to empathize -- but without the knack for "Project Runway" witticisms. Lam is medium height with an athletic build. He is cleanshaven, with hair cut so close it is little more than a shadow. He speaks in such an open manner one wonders whether he is a man who truly has nothing to hide or simply one who would perform especially well on the witness stand.

This week designers from around the world are vying for the attentions of the traveling band of press and retailers, many of whom have already nibbled on hors d'oeuvres and sipped flutes of champagne in New York, London and Milan. Most have seen more frocks than they care to remember. Lam's party is sandwiched between shows by the young Japanese designer Jun Takahashi and the venerable Yohji Yamamoto.

There is little time to do much more than weave through the crowd, hustle for a drink, double-buss Lam and interject: So great! Fabulous!

Is this even worth the cost of the champagne?

Schlottmann, who was born and raised in Hamburg, has a strong jaw, sandy-blond hair and a direct manner born of etiquette, efficiency and pragmatism. A veteran of the beauty business, he worked at fragrance houses in Geneva and Paris and was vice president of marketing for Prada's beauty division.

The business of skin care, color cosmetics and fragrances is kin to fashion. But compared with the way in which designer clothes are produced and sold, the beauty industry -- with its promises to diminish the appearance of fine lines-- is positively practical.