Liberty Media Says It’s QVC’s Decision Whether Or Not to Drop Designer Louis Dell’Olio’s Line

John Malone

Monday morning fashion designer Louis Dell’Olio’s QVC fans decided to protest his possible exit by calling John Malone’s office at Liberty Media. Liberty owns QVC, and cable legend Malone is chairman. The guy who really runs that show on a day-to-day basis, however, is Liberty president Greg Maffei. Malone is more a big-picture guy.

Anyway, we decided to give Liberty’s PR department out in Denver a call Monday afternoon to find out how many calls they had received, etc. We also checked in with QVC, to find out of president Mike George’s phone was ringing off the hook.

At Liberty, corporate spokeswoman Courtnee Ulrich told us they have been getting calls from Dell’Olio’s fans, who have named themselves Linea Ladies, after the name of his QVC collection. She didn’t have a count as to how many calls Liberty had fielded about Dell’Olio, but she said, “We forward everything along to QVC.”

The hubbub started last week when Dell’Olio revealed on his blog that QVC had informed him it would stop ordering his line in the fall. His loyal QVC fans, who love his beautifully tailored classic clothes, sprang into action, coming up with a campaing to pressure QVC to keep Dell’OLio on.

That strategy included phone calls and letters to QVC president Mike George, as well as Malone and Maffei.

“We appreciate the feedback that we’re getting from customers,” Liberty’s Ulrich said. “But it’s an operating decision, so any changes will be coming out of QVC.”

That means it is QVC’s decision to make.

There is some hope for Dell’Olio’s QVC line. He blogged Friday that he had been contacted by QVC folks, and they want to sit down with him and discuss the future of his collection. That means there may be actually be a future for the designer beyond this fall at the Q.

When we checked in with QVC, spokeswoman Erin Mulholland was cordial, but close-mouthed. She wouldn’t comment on how many calls George had received, or about QVC possilby reconsidering its decision to drop Dell’Olio.

For those interested, Liberty will report its first-quarter earnings May 7 at noon (ET). Maffei will host the call, and QVC’s George ususally speaks, as well.

Replays of the conference call can be accessed through 3:00 p.m. (ET) May 14 by dialing (719) 457-0820 or (888) 203-1112 plus the pass code 5583834#.

Just for your information, the first-quarter earnings conference call will also be broadcast live via the Internet. All interested participants should go to Liberty’s website at http://www.libertymedia.com/events to register for the web cast.

Replays of the call will also be available on the Liberty Media website. The conference call and related materials will be archived there for one year.

But maybe this Dell’OLio mess will have been solved by then.

QVC And John Hardy Deny That The Upscale Silver Designer Is Planning A Jewelry Line For The ‘Q’

Both QVC and John Hardy said there’s nothing cooking between them, and that the luxury silver designer isn’t going to sell jewelry on the home shopping network.

“To my knowledge, there are no plans to launch a John Hardy line with QVC,” network spokeswoman Erin Mulholland said Monday.

And on Wednesday, we heard from Manhattan reps for the John Hardy company, which actually makes its jewelry and has its studio in Bali.

“QVC is as great company and we have a lot of respect for what they are doing,” Edith Bagda from John Hardy’s marketing department said in an e-mail. “Currently we have no plan to launch our handmade jewelry through their channel.”

We did a blog citing a QVC jewelry forum post that said host Lisa Robertson had been overheard at a QVC party saying that Hardy was coming to the No. 1 home shopping channel.

That person better do a better job of eavesdropping next time.

Anyway, can’t you John Hardy folk think about doing a lower-priced line for QVC? That’s the only way we can afford your gorgeous cuffs, which we adore and gaze at in Neiman Marcus. Robert Lee Morris took the plunge, why not you guys?