Sarah Jessica Parker
End of the Celebrity Fashion Line?
What: Apparently celebrity fashion lines are being caught in the retail closing mix. Of course, we saw this coming… we knew the end was near when Katherine Heigl launched a line of scrubs.
From AdAge: “Following the worst holiday shopping season in four decades, numerous retailers are going bankrupt or being liquidated and taking celebrity brands down along with them. The recent rash of retail-store woes underscores that nascent (some might say marginal) celebrity fashion brands are far from immune from the recession. “
What We Say: Was I the only one who felt that the juniors/teen oriented LL Cool J line at Sears didn’t make a bit of sense? I mean, do teenagers think LL Cool J, is uhh, still cool? The recent econonmic downturn has flipped the switch from passive to active consumerism, meaning that throwing a celebrity name on an inferior product won’t instantly translate into sales. The product has to actually be stylish, good quality, and affordable and there are some examples of celebrities who have done just that, like the surprising good Jessica Simpson accessories line and the much discussed “Bitten” line by Sarah Jessica Parker at the now defunct Steve & Barry’s.
What do you think? Are celebrity fashion lines dead?
European Trend: Fascinators
What: Fascinators are headpieces made out of feathers, flowers, lace, etc that have been traditional worn in the Uk and other British influenced countries like Australia, as a replacement for a hat to formal occasions like weddings, horse races, etc. Lately its has become a global trend thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker wearing one to the British premier of the ‘Sex and The City’ Movie.
What I Think: Love, Love, Love them. A great alternative to hats, which can get quite hot during the summer. Be careful not to go overboard or else you’ll end up looking like you have a peacock on your head.
Where to Buy: In the Uk, Marks and Spencer has a sizable selection of fascinators for around 25 pounds. In the US, head to eBay to score one for less than $20 or make your own.
High Vs. Low: Carrie’s Studded Belt
Of the SATC Movie wardrobe, wonderstylist Patricia Field has been quoted as saying, “it’s all about the belt”?. We touched on the belt earlier this week, but we couldn’t help but notice as we flipped through screenshots from the film that Carrie seems to favor one such belt in particular – surprisingly, this studded black belt pops up on several looks throughout the film. Who would have thought Ms. Bradshaw could glean style inspiration from 15-year-old skater boys? We kinda love the idea of pairing the downtown punk with the uptown girl—the contrast between the girlie floral and the tough leather prevents a luxe-looking day dress from coming off as too prim. We recommend trying this look for a night out (rather than a day at the office), wearing a studded belt high on the waist of a brightly-colored sheath, with a pair of killer heels (of course).
Care to test-drive the trend? The good news is it won’t set you back as much as, say, a pair of Manolos. Above, a high-end and a budget version—so which is which?
On top, a Linea Pelle version which retails for $212.50; on the bottom, a synthetic studded belt from Vegan Store, $28.95
Carrie Bradshaw Pick n’ Mix - British Style on a Budget
“THESE PRODUCTS ARE NO LONGER BEING SOLD”
Trends may come and go but the one constant in British fashion and life is eccentricity. Kate Moss’s ability to throw on a fedora hat and a leather jacket over anything – whether it’s a ballgown or a pair of jeans – is what has made her a style icon. Other Brits on the fashion radar who love to mix and match include Alexa Chung, Agyness Deyn and Daisy Lowe – all of whom flounce around London in a haze of florals, leather, and tie-dye, and yet, it works. But the Queen of mixing and matching can be found on the other side of the pond – the inimitable Ms. Carrie Bradshaw, thanks to super-stylist Patricia Field. Who would have thought that a logo-emblazoned chiffon blouse would work with printed trousers? A statement coat with a gingham skirt and pearls never looked so fabulous. Capes and mannish suits and cocktail gloves and costume jewellery…and corsages, oh, the corsages. The new movie won’t disappoint; Carrie looks as wonderfully bizarre as ever in knee-high socks and cardigan dresses, evening gowns and oversized patent bags, and lashings of clashing floral prints.
At the Spring/Summer shows, designers took a leaf out of Ms. B’s book and mixed it up. Mismatching patterns fought for attention at Dries Van Noten and Prada – Miuccia added patterned tights and forties-style t-bar heels, and black eyeshadow added a rock n’ roll edge. At Betsey Johnson, models looked as though they had raided the dress-up box, as they strolled out in frou-frou prom dresses, larger-than-life hair bows, and punky fish-net socks. Carrie never forgets to accessorise with statement pieces, such as the Timmy Woods Eiffel Tower purse she totes in the film – she’d love Viktor and Rolf’s violin-shaped necklace.
If you’re a Brit, you can at least pretend to be a single gal in New York by heading to the UK high street, and picking up some unique pieces. Topshop’s flower-print cocktail dress (£50/$97) is perfect for sipping Cosmos at Bungalow. Carrie doesn’t do minimal when it comes to accessories: think Office’s wacky Eiffel Tower necklace (£15/$29) or Warehouse’s quirky zig zag belt (£28/$54). Mimic Manolo Blahnik with these super-strappy ‘lattice’ sandals from Faith (£38/$74), and throw on a clashing jacket, like this one, £14 ($27), from British online vintage haven, I Heart Cheeky Chops (psst, they ship internationally!), because, as Pat Field knows, vintage is a Budget Fashionista’s best friend.
Images courtesy of elleuk.com and tfs
Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker on Oprah
Before I write a review of the presentation of the Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker line on today’s Oprah, I want to first clear up some misconceptions:
1. I like Sarah Jessica Parker, but she isn’t the patron saint of budget shoppers. She made a smart business move and has excellent pr people who know how to push your buttons to get you to buy. We do need more bargain shopping options and I am glad that Steve & Barry’s is providing it.
2. I like Steve & Barry’s. In fact, I was just there about 1 month ago, because Tobias begged me to buy him a pair of Starbury shoes.
3. The prior issue had nothing to do with my review of the line (which actually was pretty even handed, read it here) but with the use of promotional photos and TBF readers reactions to the line.
4. I get the impression that many of you feel that celebrities like SJP are doing you a favor when they “design” these lines. While I’m positive SJP and Stephon Marbury care about consumers, they are doing these lines because they make money.
5. I also think there’s this major misconception involving fashion bloggers. We’re not necessarily “fashion insiders”, but we’re not “fashion outsiders” either. We go to fashion week, visit the showrooms of major designers, write books published by major publishers, work as TV correspondents, and shop at stores like Steve &Barry’s.
Now that this is cleared up.. On to Bitten…
Ask yourself if Sarah Jessica Parker’s name was removed from the line, would you still buy it? If someone, other than celebrity created this line, would the line have been on Oprah?
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The one thing that separates the Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker line from the other celebrity lines, is that the sizing (2-22) reflects the true sizing range of America and it for this that I wanted to like the line. I also find the $20 coats to be refreshing (I will probably buy one). But, and this is just based upon what I saw on Oprah and my discussions with people who have seen the line and work with Steve & Barry, the line really isn’t anything new. When Isaac Mizrahi did a line with Target, that was new. When Stephon Marbury wore the $14.98 Starbury basketball shoes in NBA basketball games, that was something new.
Take away sizing from the Bitten and you can get all those pieces from stores like Old Navy, Mandee, Marianne, Payless, Forever 21, etc. Plus the quality may leave a lot to be desired- the seams appear wavy (a sign of poor stitching) and the front of the pants were bunchy on the models (go back and watch the segment and notice how every pair of pants bunched in the front and how the seams on the pants didn’t lie flat) It is my hope that the next batch of clothing from the line will step it up on the quality front.
But what I noticed the most was the lukewarm enthusiasm shown by the Oprah audience. I watch Oprah everyday and when the audience loves something, they LOVE it. They seemed pretty unmoved by the Bitten line, with Oprah at one point responding to a lukewarm reception of the audience to a $14.98 knit dress with “Come on it’s $14 dollars.” Compare that to the audience’s reaction regarding the truly impressive bridal dresses by Isaac Mizrahi at Target and you see what I mean.
All in all, this line will be a success, because people still confuse personal style with that created by a stylist. People will also buy because of the continued popularity and strength of SJP’s Sex and the City character.
But again, ask yourself… if her name was removed from the line, would you even be reading this right now?
Yea or Nay: Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker at Steve and Barry’s
Update: Read about Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker on Oprah
Remember that fashion blind item I mentioned several weeks ago about the fashion icon who’s doing a line with the most unlikely of stores? Well…. that icon is none other than Sarah Jessica Parker who is teaming up with the budget sportswear company, Steve & Barry’s, to produce a line for the store called “Bitten” (horrible, horrible name). The collection is to be unveiled today at an ultra exclusive luncheon for top fashion editors who would never be caught dead in a mall, yet alone a Steve & Barry’s. What do you think about this partnership and the whole celeb-doing -a budget-line thing? Do you think SJP can pack the folks in like Madonna, who’s line for H&M is surprisingly good?
Sarah Jessica Parker for Steve & Barry’s: Yea or Nay?
How to Dress Like a Celebrity
How do Sarah Jessica, Oprah, and Salma do it? They have a bottomless bank account and an army of stylists. We’ve got the dish for achieving star quality without breaking the bank. The key to looking like a million bucks is not found in a bunch of designer labels, but in how we wear an item. Here are three tips that celebrities (or should we say their stylists) use to create their star looks.
Accessories
The key to accessorizing like a star is to go one step further than you would normally go in adding this final element to your wardrobe. For example, if you normally wear one pin/brooch, wear two or three. If you wear only 2 inches heels, one day kick it up in a pair of 3 inch-ers. Take Sarah Jessica Parker, who can be seen on TV every five minutes in her
GAP
ad campaign. Instead of pairing the jeans with a standard issue
GAP
cardigan, the stylists for the
GAP
shoot added a couple of brooches, a fedora, and some stilettos
. Add accessories—all of which you can get from Macy’s or Clarie’s for less than $20 bucks- and you will look like you just came from a top stylist.
Mix and Match
Please resist the urge to wear a designer from head to toe. Celebrities mix and match their designers. Haven’t you seen Jessica Simpson in her Wal-Mart-esque sweat suit, holding a fabulous Marc Jacobs Handbag
and wearing a great shoes
? Be like Jessica and throw on some
Old Navy boot cut jeans, with a La Redoute, top, and elegantly strut around in your fancy Manolos
. Find your Manolos heavily discounted at eBay. The online “flea market” is great place to score high fashion items below their retail price. However, be careful, eBay is a mecca for knock-offs.
Make it Fit
In this “off-the-rack-on-my-back” shopping culture, the importance of tailored clothing has been thrown away. The reason why stars like Oprah look fabulous in their clothes is because they are tailored. However, you don’t have to be a billionaire in order to have your clothes tailored, just head to your local dry cleaners. Most cleaners have a tailor on staff.
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