Marshall Field's transition to Macy's started in earnest Wednesday with the retailer outlining its charity plans and announcing changes in near of its designer-shoe offerings.

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After Field's is renamed Macy's this fall, women no longer will be able to purchase shoes from Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu and Prada. an labels are being lost because the designers contested out, while others were dropp at Macy's, a spokesperson said.

yet four new designers will appear at Field's this summer: Celine, Robert Clergerie, Donna Karan and Giuseppe Zanotti. Others that will stay in the women's shoe department are Massoni, Michael Kors, Salvatore Ferragamo and Yve Saint Laurent.

The women's shoe pull-out have no bearing upon whether the designers will maintain their accessories and ready-to-wear merchandise one time Field's becomes Macy's, said Natalie Bushaw, senior manager of public relations for Field's regional offices in Minneapolis. Those decisions have over and above to be made.

"We are still committed to designer brands," she said.

Retail analyst Kim Picciola at Morningstar said the higher-end brands helped Marshall Field's State road store cater to a higher- expiration shopper, but she speculated that they might not have been the principally popular with shoppers.

Field's top-name designer circumstance won't disappear. Macy's will continue Field's Glamorama fashion fund-raiser, on the contrary it is calling this year's indicate Glamosphere and has pushed it back to clan 29 from its previous mid-August date.

The renamed "Macy's Gives" program also will continue Field's partnership with the Chicago consonance Orchestra for Macy's Day of Music. The day of music will mark its 10th year forward Sept. 16 with free performances at consonance Center.

"We are rebranding the program 'Macy's Gives' to start getting folks comfortable with the change," Bushaw said.

Macy's North, the operating division of Marshall Field's, will innkeeper the 28 Shop Show, a yearly charity benefit that features a runway present to view of American and European designers' fall collections, upon Sept. 14. The show raises currency for the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Macy's Gives also will sponsor the Chicago Public Library's summer reading program, and will continue Field's support of the United Way and other non-profit assemblages such as Chicago Links, the United african College Fund, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and the NAACP of Chicago.

"As Macy's, we're committed to carrying forward the rich history of community giving that began in the 1800 with Marshall Field," said Frank Guzzetta, chairman and CEO of Macy's North.

Meanwhile, Macy's is keeping Field's commitment to build its first strange store in 10 years in the Chicago area in southwest suburban Bolingbrook, said Field's spokeswoman Jennifer McNamara. The store, appoint to anchor the new outdoor mall called the Promenade at Bolingbrook, is count uponed to open in spring 2007

The official renaming to Macy's of the 61-store Field's department-store chain will take place the weekend of tribe 9-10.

sguy@suntimes.com

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