LIZ JONES FASHION THERAPY

Oh, the vanity of celebs who think their fame is enough to become fashion designers

 
You might be forgiven for thinking that every fashion designer has gone the way of John Galliano and been driven out of their ateliers, only to be replaced by young actresses, pop stars and models.
These starlets all seem to think that because they love fashion and, um, wear it, they are uniquely placed to become the next Yves Saint Laurent.
From high end to the High Street, every big brand is desperately trying to find a fashion match made in heaven that will help sales soar in a difficult, over-saturated market.

Change of direction: Singer Lily Allen has quit music to open vintage store Lucy in Disguise with her sister Sarah. They are also launching their own clothing range

Now, I am not averse to a young actress using her brain, and her celebrity, to earn her more money, and maybe even make her fans feel a little better about themselves. But I am sceptical when it comes to many collaborations between celebrities and fashion brands.
I always found Kate Moss’s designs for Topshop lazy and overpriced (one of the main reasons High Street brands hire stars is to hike up the prices).

 

Madonna’s range for H&M was badly made. A cream pencil skirt, say, wasn’t even lined, and the cheap fabric revealed your knickers — OK for someone who wears her bra outside her clothes, but embarrassing for the rest of us.
So, is an ability to be able to afford lovely clothes or wear them on a catwalk sufficient qualification for developing a brand?
LILY ALLEN
I really wanted to love the former pop star’s vintage clothing store Lucy in Disguise, but when I phoned the shop, no one answered, while the website is hopeless: you can’t see any of the clothes. This sort of thing can turn me off a brand for decades. Let’s hope Allen’s new line of clothing, inspired by her retro pieces, will be more accessible.

Available in Harvey Nichols in late June. Prices up to £350 for an evening dress.

DAISY LOWE FOR PEACOCKS

While her mother Pearl has long collaborated with budget High Street chain Peacocks, Daisy Lowe has, until now, merely modelled the Fifties-inspired floral tea dresses, all priced at less than £40.

Cool for curves: Daisy Lowe has her own swimwear range

But now the model has turned designer with a range of swimwear designed for young women with breasts, hips and tummies. Daisy is particularly proud of the high-waisted bottoms, which hold in the curviest of tums.

Prices from £18 for a bikini, £20 for a swimsuit; peacocks.co.uk

SIMPSON STYLE

The Jessica Simpson Collection is expected to notch up more than £620 million in sales this year

EMMA WATSON

Having worked with ethical label People Tree for some time, Watson has turned her attention to something more upmarket, producing a capsule collection with Alberta Ferretti called Pure Threads. Commendably, the actress has achieved a first by persuading an Italian luxury brand to think about ethical production.
A proportion of the profits will go to support the People Tree Foundation, although prices are steep for  a collection aimed the very young  — organic denim and hemp shorts are £220, and an organic cotton sundress is £704. But this is still reasonable for the Ferretti aesthetic: very feminine, romantic clothes.

From albertaferretti.com

Ethical fashion:  has collaborated with Alberta Ferretti on a collection where a proportion of the profits will go to the People Tree Foundation

SARAH JESSICA PARKER FOR HALSTON HERITAGE

On the catwalk: One of Sarah Jessica Parker's designs for Halston Heritage

This is a match made in heaven: a range of jumpsuits, kaftans and draped dresses, washed with the brand of Carrie Bradshaw.
SJP hasn’t strayed far from the label’s Studio 54 heyday and prices are almost Seventies, too: £200 to £300 for a day dress, £500 for an evening dress.
It’s interesting that while SATC’s costume designer, Patricia Field’s collaboration with M&S floundered (too cheap-looking), SJP succeeds because she knows her target audience: women over 35 who want to look sophisticated but not old, feminine and not overly tailored.

Available at net-a-porter.com, asos.com and Matches.

GERI HALLIWELL FOR NEXT

This is a cheap, cheerful collection of bikinis, swimsuits, kaftans and wraps.
And while I’m not a fan of Next, this is a good fit: Geri’s veneer of ordinariness chimes nicely with Next customers and, unlike many stars, she really threw herself into the design process.
In her Highgate home, she spread fabric, drawings, swatches and trims on her enormous coffee table to show me and insisted her battle with her own body makes her uniquely qualified to dress women when they are feeling at their most vulnerable — on holiday — which is something even the likes of Marc Jacobs will never be able to do.

From £38, next.com

THE OLSEN TWINS
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the 24-year-old former child stars, founded label The Row — after Savile Row, despite the fact nothing is made within several thousand miles of the home of British tailoring — in 2007, frustrated at being unable to find perfect, luxury basics.
Prices are high,  with blazers at over £1,000 and a silk georgette dress £1,400.
Again, the girls raid their own vintage archives for inspiration, which makes me wonder whether celebrity designers merely copy, rather than innovate.