Purple Rules!
Manolo says, over in the Manolo’s Super Fantastic Forums, the Dr. Nic poses the question.
Why is it that so many actresses and other public figures feel they can design clothing?
To which the Manolo’s internet friend the Purple Rules replies in the definitive terms!
Because so many people are willing to buy their “designs”. Or someone thinks people will buy them. I’ve never seen anything “designed” by a celebrity that I was even tempted to buy but someone must be shelling out for the stuff.
In the case of H&M, maybe they’re just happy if people come into the store and look at it. Perhaps it really increases the foot traffic in the store so it doesn’t matter if it actually sells.
It also helps that they (actresses) have huge egos. They’re on the cover of magazines (when was the last time you saw a model on the cover of a magazine?) and are constantly told what a “great style” they have. It would never occur to them that having great style doesn’t necessarily translate into great design skills. On top of that, most of them don’t have great style. They’ve got a great stylist, whose got great style.
Once upon a time, it was enough to be regarded as a great actress. Then they had to release an album. Then they all had to have their own perfume. Now it’s a clothing line. I’m almost afraid to ask, what’s next?
The Manolo might not have used language this blunt, but he could not have said it better. And thus, the Purple Rules is exactly correct, the plethora of the celebrity designers is all about the Benjamins.
June 8th, 2007 at 11:10 am
This has long been one of my pet peeves, whether it be celebrity designer clothing, jewelry or perfume. I think it’s an insult to the industry in which the real designers work and struggle to make a name for themselves.
June 8th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
And how do these celebrities get away with copying the real designers items and then putting their name on the design?
For example compare these two shoes:
Marc Jacobs’ design:
http://tinyurl.com/37a48z
vs Jessica Simpson’s:
http://tinyurl.com/3dgcdp
I own the Marc Jacob’s shoes and then actually bought the JS shoes just to see how close they were to the original. It’s a virtual copy of the shoe (done with cheaper materials and less grace to the lines).
Is there some agreement between MJ and the people behind the JS line? Or is this just a blatant ripoff?
June 9th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Don’t even get me started on the Paris Hilton jewelry line…..
August 29th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Hola to the Miachelle! La BellaDonna could not agree more; she has been pondering the phenomenon wherein celebrities, who cannot dress themselves, and therefore have stylists to take care of this arduous chore for them, nonetheless feel competent to dress the rest of us - who lead lives which are totally removed from the lives which said celebrities lead. How is this possible? Do the celebrities buy newspaper and magazines, and study the peons, to see What They Do and Where They Go and Who They’re Dating, in order to provide clothing which meets our needs? Do they sneak into Target and Wal-mart and Jenkins Law Library and spie on us? Do they turn it over to their stylists, so that we are, in fact, being dressed by the people who dress the stars?
Do they turn it over to monkeys in zoos, and feel that they have done enough?