Simply Vera by Vera Wang vs BItten by Sarah Jessica Parker

September 16, 2007 05:42 PM | Comments (22) | Posted in kohls, sarah jessica parker bitten, Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker, simply vera by vera wang, bitten by sarah jessica parker

Okay, how many of you watched Vera Wang on Oprah on Friday?

Thanks to the power of DVR I was able to compare the response of Oprah (and her audience) to the Sarah Jessica Parker Bitten line at Steve & Barry’s to their response to the Vera Wang line at Kohls. I wish I could’ve invited you all over so we could’ve watch it together.

What a BIG difference.

While O, who is my BFF (at least in my head), and her audience was less than enthusiastic about the SJP BItten line, they were practically gushing about the Vera Wang line. They stood, they cheered, they screamed. At one point, I thought Oprah was going to do cartwheels down the walk way in a silk Simply Vera coat while singing “Let it Be” (the amazing Julie Taymor was on the show promoting her Beatles inspired musical “Across the Universe”).

Overall, there’s definitely some pieces I like from the Simply Vera line, for example that black rayon/wool blend coat with the puffy sleeves and the before mentioned silk coat. I also liked the fact that the models were styled from head to toe in the line, versus the pieces paired with a $700 pair of Christian Louboutin pumps.

Then there’s some things that I could totally do without (like the purple “jewel” encrusted empire dress). I also would have liked to see her go up to XXL in sizing to fit a wider range of Kohls shoppers (crazy props to the Bitten folks on sizing). There’s too much black, which is fine by me because I live in the land of black, but not so glorious for my peeps in MN. However, that’s Vera’s thang (look at her Spring 2008 show) and, initially, the prices were way to high- I’m not paying $130 bucks for a pair of boots at Kohls (Bitten, again, have the price thing down, HOWEVER, the quality is terrible).

However,  like the Oprah audience, I feel the Simply Vera line is just simply better than Sarah Jessica Parker’s Bitten line.

Now, before you jump on me confessing your undying devotion to Sex and the City and how SJP is such a great person cause she made a budget line. Let me make a few things clear- I understand that Bitten is targeted to a different age group (teen girls) and a different price range (under $20). But.. Simply Vera takes a page straight out of the Target playbook and is made by a real designer, not by a celebrity who is capitalizing off of her fame with a brillant business move. The fabric is better, the cuts, are better, the styling is better.
And Oprah agrees with me.. :)

Yea or Nay: Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker at Steve Barry- I’ve Got Pictures

March 26, 2007 09:06 AM | | Posted in yea or nay, Yea or Nay, Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker, bitten by sarah jessica parker

UPDATE: Read about Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker on Oprah

UPDATE: I decided to REMOVE the photos. Click Here to Learn Why.

UPDATE: Steve & Barry’s Lawyers just sent me an a letter. Post Your thoughts on whether I should take these photos down or leave them up. I will make a decision, based on you comments by Thursday 12 noon.

UPDATE: According to WWD, everything is moving forward with the line. The issue was that Oprah was promised an exclusive and they wanted long lead magazines (who will only say glowing things about it) to have first dibs. Also, TBF was the FIRST to post anything about the line as a fashion blind item over a month before any of the other sites got word of it. I only held onto to it because I was asked to (which now I realized I should have just published it in full for you guys on February 8th.)

A few weeks ago, I broke the news that Sarah Jessica Parker (aka “Carrie” from the HBO TV show ‘Sex and The City’) was designing a line called “Bitten” for discount sportswear retailer Steve and Barry’s as a fashion blind item during fashion week. First let me say, I REALLY want to like this line and will save my full assessment when it appears in stores. However, based on the pictures below, I must say that the Bitten line looks pretty uneventful, in fact, it looks a lot like the stuff she was hawking for the Gap (and we all know what has happen to the Gap). 

Again, I WANT to like this line. I really do.  However, most of the people who shop at Steve & Barry’, a store I happen to like and shop at, are at the fashion 101 level, while this line seems to be more fashion 201. It has none of the easy urban style of Madonna’s line at H&M and none of the creative basic look of Isaac Mizrahi at Target.  I am also pretty skeptical of the overly touched up pictures (usually sign of poor quality garments).

That being said, the Bitten line does feature cute basics (wide leg khaki trousers, basic black tops, a collection of black dresses, accessories etc.)  all priced under $19.95. However, when I think of Sarah Jessica Parker, I don’t think of basics.. I think of quirky style, interesting patterns, strange mixtures, etc. I’m not sure if this line will feature these elements of her “public” personal style.

Which makes me ask this question… Is SJP’s style really her own style or that of a good stylist (hello Patricia Fields)?

Now that you’ve seen the pictures…. Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker: Yea or Nay?

Click Below For More Pictures From Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker