Girombelli's steely drive and commercial savvy (her company is worth about $300 million) have placed her in a league with female tycoons like the Fendi sisters and Rosita Missoni.

The Fendi sisters, for instance, toned down their minks and sables, treating these luxury furs like just another piece of cloth.

Innovative fur design moved back to Europe after 1965, when the designer Karl Lagerfeld began his revolutionary collaboration with the Fendi sisters in Rome.

The Fendi sisters are reportedly asking about $875 million for the company, which had revenue in 1998 of $320 million.

Milan emerged as a greater force (Gianfranco Ferre, the Fendi sisters, Gianni Versace, Romeo Gigli).

Lagerfeld is easily the busiest designer on the planet with his own KL line, Chanel's couture and ready-to-wear and his fur designs for the Fendi sisters.

But the deal left the five Fendi sisters with a 49 percent stake and job guarantees for them and other family members.

"We wanted to bring the heart of Rome to New York," explained Carla Fendi, one of the five Fendi sisters who run the company.

"Look, we're not the Fendi sisters," he said, referring to the Italian family that has built a leather and fur dynasty.

The Fendi sisters, also of Rome, took the business of tailoring and built it into a modern fashion empire.