Does the World Need Another Celebrity Designer?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 11:03AM The celebrity designer, is it a sign that it's the beginning of the end for real fashion designers like Christian Lacroix, Heidi Slimane and Olivier Theyskens? You know the ones that went to design schools like Parsons, Pratt, FIDM, RISD, etc... Who learned how to sketch, drape, cut, sew, design and used to be the face of the fashion houses they created for.
Why isn't Halston appointing a professional fashion designer to the head of it's Heritage line? Sarah Jessica Parker, really? Does the world need another celebrity fashion designer? I don't know about you but I'm sick of going into stores and seeing clothing designed by J.Lo, Beyonce, Posh, Kanye, and Lindsey. If crossing over to fashion designer from acting is so easy, shouldn't Christian Lacroix be allowed to star in the next Sex in the City Movie? I know he's looking for a job since his label just went bankrupt.
I don't want anyone to think I'm not a fan of SJP, I like her acting. But why does she have to go and try to be the next Coco Chanel?
Doesn't she have her own clothing and fragrance line already? Shouldn't she be off trying to win an Oscar or something? Look I began my career on 7th Avenue and I can tell you from experience, designing a line takes a lot of creative talent and most importantly time. When will she have time to fit this into her already busy schedule? She's producing, acting, lets not forget the mother of infant twin girls, a young son and is married to Ferris Bueller. Is she quitting acting and we don't know about it? Or will she will hire a trained designer to do all the "work" behind the scenes while she presents herself as the "design face" of the line? That's what she'll have to do, it would be humanely impossible for her to dedicate the amount of man hours it takes to truly create a fashion line from top to bottom and do all the other things she has going on in her life. It's like what the music industry used to do with music groups in the 80's, hire a pretty face to lip sync and sell the song in public, while the talented but not so pretty face did all the hard work in the studio. Yeah, I'm calling you out SJP!
I have a feeling the powers that be at Halston are using Carrie Bradshaw, I mean SJP as a marketing strategy. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is the owner of the flailing design house and is known around Hollywood as a "heat seeker" attaching himself to whatever screenplay, director, or actor is hot at the time. SJP in this case is the heat Harvey seeks, bringing attention to his brand. Marketing 101, at its finest. Coincidence that Halston made the announcement about SJP's appointment and Carrie has SATC2 coming out this spring, I think NOT!
Sadly, this is all about the bottom line, not who the best designer is for the job.
Do you think celebrity is killing the real fashion designer? Please post your comments below.
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Reader Comments (12)
Such a good point. It's really diminishing the value of their talents.
Love the line about Lacroix being in the next Sex in the City movie.
It's funny to think that Tom Ford just crossed over into that realm!
It's always about the bottom line~$$$$$ oh and one more $ For good measure. No matter what the angle it's always about the $$$! Sadly...next there will be a celebrity top designer reality show...
As if she's going to draft anything?! They are going to have some rising stars out of design school labor & toil over sketches and she's going to knod & point. They will be paid pennies while SJP licenses her name for the big $$$, but she may buy them a burger from time to time as she does with her film crew. Poor "ghost" designers...
It's hard enough for upcoming Fresh New Designer, let alone the old ones to hold ground. I do not buy fashion, nor perfume from Fuax Branding Designers from the entertainment industry. As you say, they have not done the yards. It's all about the money, but I can say none of them get any of mine.
Yes. Yes. YES!!! I agree completely! Halston?? SJP?? I don't even know what to say to that. Has she ever even worn Halston? Just doesn't seem like her style AT ALL. Maybe that's what's happening with all the sub-standard-ish red carpet dresses seen last week at the GG. REAL designers becoming a rarity? I wish Versace was still alive. That man knew how to cut and drape fabric on a woman's body like no other.
It's kind of funny/ironic that a similar issue has annoyed me for years with regards to eyeglasses frames. Everyone recognizes the "designers" because they're CLOTHES designers, like DKNY, D&G, Fendi, etc., but the REAL designers are Oliver Peoples, OKIO, Face a Face, etc. Drop those names and nobody knows what you're talking about.
Yes, and wait until SJP starts referring to herself as a fashion designer. I laugh every time I hear P. Diddy or Justin Timberlake refer to themselves that way. Exactly what are any of these people designing? That's why I love shows like Project Runway where the audience can actually see the work that goes in to designing & making a garment. I'm guessing most of these celebrity "designers" haven't done much sewing in their lives.
Lauren,
The difference is Tom Ford actually directed the movie. A friend was an ass't designer on "A Single Man" and she said he was a true talent wonderful to collaborate and work with. He didn't hide behind producers or the director of photography, he rolled up his sleeves and got dirty. Ha, I guess knowing this back story is why I didn't even think about your point.
Jo
Merle,
There is a kind of celebrity project runway called "Launch my line' and the people they have on there are pseudo celebrities who are teamed up with people who have real design skills. I know one of the contestants and worked for someone on the panel. It's not that great of a show. But it does however show my point that the celeb suggest and point while their designer does all the hard core work.
Julie/Astrowebgirl,
Oliver Peoples was designed by Patty Perreria for 15 years, she now has her own line Barton Perriera. I just worked on an ad campaign with them. There is one or two big sun glass companies that license all the designers, that's all the involvement designers have, they get a fee for their logo.
Totally agree with your assessment. It is sad that the industry has come to this - pulling a Milli-Vanilli to get cash. Maybe if 'they" had good designs, they could actually make money for their creativity rather than from the commercial use of a celebrity name. I wonder what will be next......
Hell has frozen over. I've been watching more of Sex & The City since I got the movie for Christmas followed by the boxed set the day after Christmas. Some of the fashion in the episodes, let alone the movie made me want to scream if I wasn't already cringing (in the movie she wore a bird in her hair for her wedding day). Johanna, you've said more than I can say. Honestly she needs to stay where she's at in her life. It does sound like she'll be the pretty face supposedly doing the work while someone not so pretty is behind the scenes slaving away. *shudders*
I totally agree, so many are given the fast tract because they have a name, I mean purses by a woman who's claim to fame is going down on a President? really? I wouldn't buy anything from anyone on "The Hills" or most reality T.V. shows, or because they have a hit record, My favorite designer is Stella McCartney, OK she's Rock'n'Roll Icon offspring, But, this is all she does, and she 's been working for major Labels. Not a flash in the pan, like these others.