Some celebrities who have conquered the world of film and television have also undertaken the world of fashion.
Reality television star, "Teen Vogue" intern and fashion student Lauren Conrad, also known as "LC" from MTV's "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills", is an up-and-coming designer with a line that was launched last fall.
Sarah Jessica Parker created a line for frugal fashionistas called "Bitten" and Amanda Bynes has a line called "Dear." Both lines were released last summer. Marketing senior Holly Lim has studied the effect of celebrities on the success of clothing lines in her marketing classes.
"I think that celebrity-endorsed clothing lines would fare better than regular designer clothing lines because celebrities are more recognizable," she says. "Consumers who don't necessarily know a lot about a designer would associate the clothing line with the particular celebrity's style and therefore would be more inclined to buy it," she adds.
Lim says a consumer may choose SJP's "Bitten" line over the designer Phillip Lim 3.1 line because of Parker's role on "Sex and the City." "By pairing a celebrity and a product together, the consumers recognize a familiar face and might be more inclined to trust or be loyal to the brand," Lim says.
Social psychology graduate student Samantha Neufeld says, "With some exceptions, celebrity brands may be playing on our psychological tendencies to trust authority figures (in this case, fashion authorities), to be influenced by attractive people and to desire association with high-status others."
Even if some celebrities aren't trained seamstresses, they have the power and resources to launch their own clothing lines.
Who: Lauren Conrad
Clothing line: The Lauren Conrad Collection
Key pieces of the collection: Conrad's collection includes simple and solid dresses and tops with clean lines, shapes and silhouettes. It also includes simple tops, leggings and scarves. The most notable are the short, draped "Audrina dress" and the simple, strapless "Lo dress." Both dresses are named after two of Conrad's friends.
Price range: Tops range from $42-$100 and dresses range from $130-$145.
Where you can get these frocks: The Lauren Conrad Collection is only available to purchase online at shoplaurenconrad.com.
Verdict: Forever 21 carries similar pieces but for a fraction of the cost. If one wants a dress that transcends from day into night combined with quality over a one-time-use dress, invest in a dress by Lauren Conrad.
Who: Sarah Jessica Parker
Clothing line: "Bitten" by Sarah Jessica Parker
Key pieces of the collection: There are over 1,000 pieces in the collection, some of which can be viewed online at bittensjp.com. They range from adorable black-and-white striped mittens to a classic tan trench coat. The most notable pieces are the basic pea coats and black-and-white Houndstooth coat.
Price range: No piece of clothing costs more than $19.98.
Where you can get these frocks: Steve & Barry's at Desert Sky Mall, 7611 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix.
Verdict: Impressive. The clothes are charming, the quality is OK and the fact one can spend under $100 on an entire outfit is hard to beat.
Who: Amanda Bynes
Clothing line: "Dear" by Amanda Bynes
Key pieces of the collection: There are more than 120 pieces in the collection, which includes jeans, simple dresses, jewelry, purses, T-shirts and hoodies. The babydoll dress in smoke heather stands out as a very versatile and comfortable piece — and is a steal at only $14.98. Go to dearbyamanda.com for a look.
Price range: Every item in the collection costs $19.98 or less.
Where you can get these frocks: Steve & Barry's at Desert Sky Mall
Verdict: Amanda Bynes seems like one of the least likely young starlets to start a clothing line, but her collection is surprisingly fresh and cute. Some pieces look like they could be sold at Anchor Blue and Aeropostale — making the line more appropriate for the junior high and high school crowds rather than women in college.
