Celebrity Designers Round 2: Pop Stars

Music and fashion have pretty much always gone hand-in-hand. I guess that's why so many musicians decide to make the jump to designer. Much like the rappers, some do it well, others, not so much!

Celebrity: Jennifer Lopez
Line: JLO, Sweetface, and Just Sweet
Established: 2003
Rating: 3

You would think by pairing up with Andy Hilfiger (brother of Tommy), Jennifer Lopez would have created a better brand. However, riding the coattails of then boyfriend, P. Diddy (or Puffy as he was being called back then) didn't pan out so well. The clothes were tacky and cheap looking with little style and no unique place in the market. Both lines have stalled production and although there are mixed reports, it seems that Just Sweet and Sweetface are no longer, while JLO is reportedly just on hiatus. Either way, it seems her clothing venture was about as successful as Gigli...c'mon you remember that overpriced, under appreciated, terrible mess of a movie from Bennifer. J. Lo should stick to what she does best (although I have no idea what that is), and leave fashion to the pros!
***I gave her extra points for attempting to create a brand for the big-booty girls. The effort was decent, the brand was not.***

Celebrity: Justin Timberlake w/ Trace Ayala

Line: William Rast - high-end denim

Established: 2006 

Rating: 9

Justin has the highest rating thus far! I do not personally own a pair of William Rast jeans, but I have friends that absolutely LOVE them. They are stylish without being overly pretentious (and overly gaudy or covered in logos). Justin teamed up with his friend Trace Ayala to develop the brand. Instead of using the celebrity's name as the brand name, they instead used monikers of each of their grandfathers' - nice touch! I really like that it started high-end denim and has stayed true to that since its launch. As far as I'm concerned, William Rast knocked Rock & Republic off their edgy pedestals and outed them as the sell-outs they are. Now that we've determined that Justin knows jeans, I just wish he'd start wearing them instead of those dumb tuxes with ruffled shirts. 

Celebrity: Avril Lavigne

Line: Abbey Dawn for Kohl's 

Established: 2007 or 2008 (Estimate)

Rating: 1

I've already expressed my opinion on this tragic brand in a previous post, so I won't go into it again. However, I will state that I really, really, really, can't stand this brand! Not even the wanna-be goth/punk kids that follow Avril around should be caught dead in this crap! It's just really ugly!

Celebrity: Miley Cyrus

Line: Miley Cyrus with Max Azria for Wal-Mart 

Established: 2009

Rating: 0

Going from bad to worse. Yes, I said this was a scale of 1-10, but given the circumstances, I couldn't even bring myself to rate this on the scale. The second I heard this was happening, I immediately boycotted everything Max Azria has a hand in - not that I really wore any of it anyway, but now I absolutely won't buy it on principle alone! I can't stand Miley with that ridiculous white-trash twang and especially can't stand Wal-mart with their destructive and exploitive practices around the world. The combination of the two is just that much more depressing. First of all, any clothing sold in Wal-Mart is inevitably mass produced by under-paid, over-worked laborers in Asia. Second, Miley is a walking, talking, representative of all things wrong with the current state of pop culture. She's tacky, she's a terrible role model, and has zero talent in any field I've seen her in (acting, singing, modeling). Now, onto the actual subject matter here, the clothes. They are terrible! That's all...just an absolute blazin' wreck! It's so bad, that apparently Miley is the only one who is willing to wear it, since she's in every picture I could find of the clothing.  

Celebrity: Jessica Simpson

Line: Jessica Simpson Collection

Established: Unknown

Rating: 8

Those of you who know me are probably surprised at the high rating I've given Ms. Simpson. However, I have actually come around to liking the shoes. When they first came out, I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this seemingly moronic girl was able to successfully put out a line of anything, much less cute shoes. The first couple years they were pretty unattractive. As time went on, and the more high-end stores that picked up the brand, the better the line became. There are several pairs out right now that I would totally buy! Even though I'm not a fan of Jessica Simpson the celebrity, I kinda like what she's done with her brand. There are now accessories, outerwear, lingerie, swimwear, and luggage in the collection. All are surprisingly decent. (I really want the shoes below left.)

Celebrity: Beyonce

Line: House of Dereon 

Established: 2004

Rating: 2

Beyonce is a talented girl who seems to have a good head on her shoulders, but this brand is a big FAIL as far as I'm concerned. The brand is always involved in some kind of controversy, whether it be for use of real fur or oversexualizing little girls in ads for the kids line (see below). This line didn't have much of a chance in my mind. I absolutely despised everything Tina Knowles (Beyonce's mother and partner in this venture), designed for the girls in Destiny's Child. She designed their tour wardrobe as well as their matchy-matchy red carpet outfits. Nothing was ever cute and always reminded me of the crap I had to wear in dance recitals as a kid. The actual clothing line is no better. It's really gaudy and horribly tasteless. I'm not sure why a girl who only seems to own leotards would start a clothing line anyway...

Celebrity: Gwen Stefani

Line: L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers 

Established: 2004 (L.A.M.B.) and 2005 (Harajuku Lovers)

Rating: 10 (L.A.M.B.) and 8 (Harajuku Lovers)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Gwen Stefani! In my book, she can do no wrong! She knows fashion, and she does it very well. Her L.A.M.B. line is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, which is why it earned the highest possible rating! High quality, super cute, not-too-trendy clothing for young women! Even though I can't afford most of it, I still love it! Harajuku Lovers is a lower budget lifestyle brand that totally works for the customer it is designed for. The only reason this line doesn't get a 10 also, is that the patterns can be a little goofy and ultra busy at times. Gwen Stefani really knows who her customer is and how to dress them. She could have easily been a successful designer without the celebrity name to sell the brand (that's really unusual in the world of celeb designers). Not that you couldn't figure it out for yourselves, but L.A.M.B is on the left and Harajuku Lovers is on the right. 

***Just a totally irrelevant side note, the only boy my daughter is allowed to date before she's 40 is Gwen's son Kingston. He's so stinking cute and they're only 3 months apart in age!***

Celebrity: Travis Barker

Line: Famous Stars and Straps 

Established: 1999

Rating: 6

From one celebrity who I love (Gwen Stefani) to another (Travis Barker)! I was a huge fan of Famous Stars and Straps (more often just called Famous) when it first came out. It's mostly tee shirts and hoodies, but it worked because that's what Travis Barker wears and that's what his fans wear. However, I lost interest when they started selling it at Hot Topic and Pacific Sunwear. There are WAY too many logos for me. I just can't deal with looking like a scene kid every day or shopping where they shop. The difference here though, and the reason the rating is higher than others, is that Travis Barker isn't trying to be high-end or even sell to the masses. He's just putting out a line that represents his own style. Even though I don't like the brand in particular, it does still sell well to the core audience of Blink 182, so therefore it is a success as far as celebrity clothing lines go.

***One more thing - WHY, oh WHY do these celebs feel the need to model their own lines? Almost all of them do it, and it's SOOOO annoying! You never saw Coco Chanel or Giorgio Armani modeling their latest Cruise collection. How can I take a brand seriously when the designer is also the model? It's just weird!***

Stay tuned for the next round of Celebrity Designers. Next up: Athletes. 

Please pardon this interruption...

Dear Justin Timberlake,

Just as I was not amused by R.Kelly comparing women to a Jeep, I am less than impressed with your latest Timbaland collaboration! It doesn't matter how great the beat is, and it is a really great beat and melody, the lyrics are STUPID! Any self-respecting woman is not going to approve of being referred to as a "carry-out", where you can "have it your way"! At first listen, I really thought this was supposed to be another SNL thing, like that Dick in a Box nonsense. It wasn't until I saw the video that I realized that this is a "real" song meant for radio play (of which it is getting plenty). Especially sad, since they are playing it on pop radio stations whose core audience is teenagers - another great message to the kids. And please, I am begging you, lose the 1970's prom tux! No matter how adorable you are, the ridiculous wardrobe does nothing for you!

Sincerely,
Anti-Fashionista

P.S. I loved you in Alpha Dog, you should really do more acting!

Celebrity Designers Round 1: Rappers

In this post, I am going to take a more in depth look at the phenomenon of "celebrity designers." There are actually several hundred, but we don't really have that kind of time! Besides, I've never heard of half of them. If you want to see them all, check out this list.

As you all know, you can't walk into a store, from Bloomingdales to Wal-Mart, without crossing paths with a celebrity line of clothing, accessories, or shoes. I will be rating them on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the horribly done and 10 being as close to an actual fashion designer as a celebrity can get.

ROUND 1:

In the early 2000's, a rash of rappers launched clothing lines with their names attached. A few did well with it, most did not. (Ratings are based on my opinion, not how much money they may have made from sales.)

Celebrity - Sean Combs (P. Diddy, Puffy, Puff Daddy, whatever the hell he is calling himself this week)

Line - Sean John - Clothing, Accessories, Footwear, Fragrance

Established - 1998

Rating - 7

The reason Diddy doesn't score higher is because of the urban streetwear line (men's and women's). I personally find it tacky. However, the mens ready-to-wear line is fantastic! Classy, sophisticated, and stylish. As much as I don't love a denim three piece suit (streetwear line), I do love a tailored three piece suit (ready-to-wear). I don't love everything that he puts on the runway, but the effort is there and it is comparable to the "real" designers. Even some of the streetwear is tolerable...when his name isn't plastered all over it!

Celebrity - Nelly

Line - Apple Bottom Jeans - Clothing, Accessories, Footwear, Fragrance 

Established - 2003

Rating - 1

This line is a big mess! I understand guys like a girl with a great butt, but do we really need to exploit ourselves by comparing our rears to a piece of fruit? NO! They say they are a "lifestyle brand" that caters to all body types. Great. Now, how about getting that bedazzled fruit off my ass!?!

Please note, that the apple on the butt is not the worst part of this line! The tag on the zipper placket says "Sweet to the Core." Great message to send to your teenage consumers! 

***I bet you now have that dumbass song about "boots with fur" stuck in your head...and if you didn't, you do now! You're welcome!***

Celebrity - Russell Simmons (Original Hip-Hop Mogul)

Line - Phat Farm - Clothing, Accessories, Footwear, Fragrance

Established - 1992

Rating - 8

I like Russell Simmons, and I, for the most part, like what he did with Phat Farm. He was at the forefront of this entire celebrity designer trend. Even during the denim suit trend, he kept it clean (for the most part) and didn't go overboard with logos (there were a lot of logos, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as bad as most brands in this category). I really like the preppy twist with the argyle sweaters and pastel polos. Mr. Simmons is an extremely business savvy fellow, who totally understands is core consumer. His knowledge of the hip-hop world allowed him to produce a clothing line that would be well accepted in that community. The company was sold in 2004, and Mr. Simmons stepped down in 2007, but the brand remains successful today even under the new ownership. I have rated him the highest in this category because he built a reputable business, understood who his customer was, and successfully made it through over a decade with attractive clothing.

This post is ONLY referring to the mens line of Phat Farm, not the Baby Phat label run by his ex, Kimora Lee Simmons (I'll get to that one in a later post). 

Celebrity - 50 Cent

Line - G-Unit - Clothing, Accessories, Footwear, Fragrance

Established - 2003

Rating - 3

The only reason this rating isn't lower is because 50 was at least smart enough to team up with Marc Ecko (founder of Ecko Unlimited) to develop his clothing line. However, the actually clothing never went too far beyond slapping the G-Unit logo on a piece from Ecko's line. Not a whole lot of creativity here. BORING!

Celebrity - Jay-Z

Line - Rockawear - Clothing, Accessories, Footwear

Established - 1999

Rating - 5

Jay-Z is a smart business man, and I respect him for that. Although he sold the rights to Rocawear in 2007, he  retained a stake in the company and oversees marketing, product development, and licensing. Rocawear can be a little tacky, especially when over-logoed like so many of the brands listed above. However, like Sean John and Phat Farm, there is also a line of "real" clothing that can be worn by anyone. Some of the stuff is even cute!

This concludes Round 1 of Celebrity Designers! More to come! Next up, Pop Stars...

I'm BAAAAAAAACK!!!

Sorry for the extended delay in posts. I have recently graduated from college with a BA in Fashion Marketing and am now on a massive job hunt. Anyway, that's no excuse...fashion waits for no man...or woman, as the case may be.

Today we are going to discuss the phenomenon of everybody being a designer. People who have no business "designing" clothes, since they are completely unable to coordinate their own wardrobes. Specifically, the topic of this post is Avril Lavigne. However, there are many, many, many more that fit in this category.

On a recent trip to Kohl's, I was disgusted, yet mesmerized by the pieces in her, so called, collection. Not one of these pieces should have ever made it past the design stage of the process. ***PHOTO Left: Pants meant for teens***

Now, I know that little Ms. Lavigne is not sitting at the drawing table designing this stuff herself, but she does claim that she has a say in what is produced. NOBODY in their right mind should approve of this crap! I understand the eighties made a come-back...but this stuff wouldn't have even been cool in the neon haze of 1986. ***PHOTO Right: Rainbow/leopard print Members Only style jacket***

I'd ask who is buying this crap, but I'm guessing the answer is nobody! I found all of these pieces on the 70% or 90% off racks! The dress to the left is a strapless, polyester number in black and pink leopard print. That apparently wasn't tacky enough, so they threw a few'Abbey Dawn' (the name of Avril's line) logos mixed into the print. I'm all for self expression and alternative dress, but there is a HUGE difference between self expression and a complete fashion disgrace!

I promise this will not be the last post on this topic. There are so many examples of non-fashion industry folks crossing over into the design world. Some of them do it very well (Gwen Stefani) and others, not so much (see above).

Post your thoughts below in the comments section. Which celebs do you think have done the fashion design thing well, and who do you think completely flopped?