Sarah Jessica Parker Bitten
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?
Simply Vera by Vera Wang vs 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.. :)
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?
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