Steve And Barrys
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?
News Alert: Steve & Barry’s In Danger
What: Steve & Barry’s, a discount retailer whose recent claim to fame is Sarah Jessica Parker’s clothes line Bitten, is closing 100 of its stores, according to the Wall Street Journal. If they don’t find emergency financing, they may fully liquidate their assets.
What We Say: No, don’t leave us, Steve & Barry’s! All of Bitten’s pieces are $19.98 or less, and the rest of your merchandise is equally affordable. We hope you pull through this financial emergency (that many businesses these days are going through) so you continue to provide cute clothes to us.
Do you shop at Steve and Barry’s? Are you saddened by their news?
Image from wsj.com
Dear by Amanda Bynes- Celebrity Line Alert
What: What’s that? A celebrity line? How original! This time, for the younger set, Amanda Bynes “Dear” for Steve and Barry’s, to hit stores Aug. 16. All items will retail for under 20 bucks each.
What the fashion heads say: From Renata Espinosa at Fashion Wire Daily: “The collection … features predictable tween looks like hoodies printed with stars and hearts, cropped cargo pants, racerback tanks for layering and skinny stretch jeans.”
What I say: When we first wrote about the Amanda Bynes line back in May, we were less than thrilled. Now, some 60 days later, we’re still not thrilled about another celebrity line, but happy that parents will have another, budget friendly choice, when it’s time for back to school shopping.
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?
{pagebreak}
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?
Amanda Bynes Designs Line for Steve & Barrys
Penelope Cruz and her sister, yes her sister, are designing a line for Mango.
Even Prince, my Prince, has a fragrance line called “3121” ( I wonder if it smells like purple rain?)
Now Amanda Bynes, an actress known for being on Nickelodeon, playing Kelly Taylor’s sister on some CW tv show and playing a dude in some movie I had the great misfortune of watching on a cross country flight, is designing a line for Steve & Barry’s.
Why does the world need a clothing line by Amanda Bynes? I can understand the logic behind the Sarah Jessica Parker clothing line, but Amanda Bynes? Did Steve & Barry send out an email to every publicists in town asking for every available celebrity?
The fact is the celebrity-budget-line trend is going to get much worst, before it gets better. Management teams (celebrities has teams of people who surround them, like any company) are looking for ways to expand their brand and make money off of the “image” of the celebrity. I have no problem with this at all, we all have to eat. But, just don’t try to spin a (sometimes) smart business move into some sort of philanthropic deed. And don’t do it while wearing $1500 dollar shoes in Glamor Magazine.
Kathryn’s List of Potential Celebrity Lines
No Secret by Britney Spears for Victoria’s Secret
HKS by Howard Stern for the Men’s Warehouse
Cruise Couch Collection by Tom Cruise for Ethan Allan
Starvation by Nicole Ritchie for Spanx
The question is when will this stop? Why is everyone jumping on the celebrity bandwagon? Is it consumers or the media (myself included) who’ve created the demand for these lines? Are we, as consumers, so obsessed with celebrities that we will buy anything that has the name of a celeb plastered on it, even if the quality is questionable? When can I get my own fashion line?
I must note that I haven’t seen Byne’s line (based on what happen with Bitten, I will be the last person on earth to see this line), so if it’s good, I’m more than willing to eat a heaping plate of crow.
Advertisement
Featured on TBF
Copyright 2003-2009 TBF Group, LLC.