Retail Detail. Zara Plans E-Commerce Launch

Its been awhile since any of us wished we could browse the latest collections of Zara and H&M online—and actually buy something! The two mega retailers (as beloved as they've been since making the leap to the U.S.) have always lacked the convenience of e-commerce, but now at least one these fast fashion chains is …

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All About Facing the Shoes.

  Beyonce wearing TopShop's Victoria Face Flat Pumps. Odd trend alert! Faces have been making an appearance on all kinds of fashionable flats these days. Pretty much taking the saying of, "putting your foot in your mouth" to some what literal terms. Not sure if I would sport a face on my foot yet but …

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Kate Moss's Topshop Line Gets Personal

Renowned supermodel Kate Moss was interviewed by the British Newspaper The Guardian on Sunday and was able to disclose where the inspiration for her Topshop line came from. Turns out, most of it is very personal! Her boyfriend Jamie stole her pajama top, and so she included a silky one in the line. "I've test-run …

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Celebrity Clothing Lines. Keeping Score

Celeb_olsen_twins
Make no mistake, we here at Second City Style think the celebrity designer trend has gotten completely out of hand. We wouldn’t be caught dead in most of it (although I am coveting a pair of L.A.M.B. booties right now). Makes you wonder what effect the current economy will have on these brands as disposable income for most dwindles. Today’s WWD did a fantastic synopsis of the state of pretty much every celeb brand on the market today. While we can’t post it in it’s entirety , there is a link at the bottom should you have a subscription. Here is the gist;

Love it or hate it, celebrity-hood seems to automatically segue into
fashion design these days. Yet, who’s really
holding their own at retail, especially given the ground-shaking
economy?

But
a big name doesn’t always mean big business — just ask ill-fated
“designers” Scarlett Johansson, Mandy Moore and 50 Cent. Others like
Serena and Venus Williams, who admittedly jibe each other about whose
respective clothing line is better, have had their share of fits and
starts. Ditto for Kelly Osbourne, who recently shared an uppity-ness
about fashion that seems to be part of the celebrity package. “I’m not
the kind of person who would just attach my name to a clothing line.
That is not fashion. That’s making a quick buck,” she said. “And I
don’t want a stinky perfume either. I would rather do something and do
it right.” Big talk for someone whose Stiletto Killers line flopped.

Here is WWD’s  scorecard:

Gaining Ground

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
With
three burgeoning lines — The Row, young designer apparel at Barneys New
York; Elizabeth & James contemporary sportswear at Intermix, and
marykateandashley apparel, accessories and lifestyle products at
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. — the pair reportedly have a $1 billion business
with Dualstar Entertainment Group. The twins are designing an Elizabeth
& James fine jewelry line with Robert Lee Morris and men’s wear for
The Row.

Celeb_beyonce
Beyonce Knowles

Mrs. Jay-Z’s House of Deréon is a label she started with her
mother, Tina Knowles. Slow to
get out of the gate despite all its hype, House of Deréon repositioned
itself as an eveningwear line and launched Deréon junior sportswear,
which has proved to be the bread-and-butter and will soon add costume
jewelry.

Can we just add this is scary? This line is the worst!

Gwen Stefani
With baby number two
in tow, the musician is onto the next project — designingCeleb_gwen_steffani
uniforms for
Rande Gerber’s Living Rooms at the W hotels. Her Harajuku Lovers young
contemporary apparel and accessories are also going strong, according
to retailers, as is her new Harajuku Lovers fragrance. The L.A.M.B.
fragrance has an estimated $30 million in annual sales and Harajuku
Lovers has already tripled that.

Pete Wentz
In
his hometown of Chicago, his first store, Clandestine Industries, is
reeling in customers eager to copy his onstage looks. Wentz has DKNY
Jeans to thank for jump-starting his fashion career. Nordstrom has the exclusive
this fall for the label’s wholesale.

Lauren Conrad
She may be a big star on “The Hills,”
but Conrad is even more serious about fashion, claiming she’ll always
be a designer even once the reality show ends. The year-old line is already a $4
million business. “The sell-throughs have been fantastic,” said Frank
Doroff, vice chairman at Bloomingdale’s. “We got it in and sold out
immediately. We can’t get the merchandise on the floor fast enough. It
is, by far, the best-selling celebrity line we have. It’s so much
better than I thought it would be.”

Hmmm. More on this line later…

Sienna Miller
Besides selling in Saks Fifth Avenue, Intermix and Henri Bendel, the
Twenty8Twelve
by s.miller label has its own store in the sister’s native
London. “We’re constantly learning, not only aesthetically, but from
the point of view of being a new business,” Savannah Miller said.

Celeb_kate_moss_5


Justin Timberlake
The William Rast line founded with
his boyhood friend Trace Ayala in 2005 was a flop — but since
Timberlake hired pros Johan and Marcella Lindeberg as creative
directors, things are getting on track.

Kimora Lee Simmons

Celeb_kimora_lee_simmons
Simmons is now in charge of all the
lines at the company founded by her ex, Russell Simmons, who’s since
left, ranging from Baby Phat to Fabulosity to Phat Farm. Baby Phat is
sold in 3,500 doors.

Nelly

Apple Bottoms, the line he designed to make
women’s posteriors look more attractive is doing well indeed. The company just launched
Apple Bottoms Signature, higher-end premium jeans for $175 a pop. Apple
Bottoms, which is sold in 3,500 doors, will also open 26 Macy’s
shop-in-shops this year.

Kate Moss
The Topshop signature label is one of the retailer’s top performers. And
after having sold in Barneys New York, Moss’ line will get even more
visibility Stateside when Topshop opens a New York flagship in the
spring.

Lance Armstrong
His
latest winning streak appears to be Livestrong. The Nike-produced label
features women’s, men’s and children’s apparel and footwear with all
profits donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Launched last fall,
the label sent a $2.5 million check its first season.

Holding Steady

Celeb_victoria_beckham_2
Jessica Simpson

Paris Hilton

Victoria Beckham

Bono’s Edun

Jay-Zs Rocawear

Reba McEntire

Kathy Ireland

Losing Ground

Jennifer Lopez
After
shuttering her justsweet label she now plans to bring her JLO by
Jennifer Lopez brand back to the U.S. via e-tailing on shopjlo.com,
while her Sweetface label is still kicking, too. Critics are skeptical
she can make it work this time around, but with 25 freestanding JLO
stores internationally and 13 more planned by the end of this year,
she’s determined to do so.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Bynes and Venus Williams
All
three have exclusives with Steve & Barry’s, which is just emerging
from bankruptcy with new owners and is closing 103 stores. The chain’s financial woes prove that celebrity lines don’t
necessarily mean huge volume, no matter how cheap the prices are.

Nicky Hilton
The
heiress has shown her Nicholai by Nicky Hilton line on runways in New
York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but to no avail. Macy’s Smith said, “It just didn’t work, we no longer carry it.” 

Sadie Frost
Jude
Law’s ex designs FrostFrench ready-to-wear with fellow Londoner Jemima
French. After serious financial woes with its British investor, the duo
have formed a new firm with another investor, John Joakim, called
FrostFrench London Retail Ltd., and are on the move again.

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