Celebrity designers – tacky or fabulous?

Last week I made a beeline for my nearest department store, eager to smell the latest celebrity perfume from none other than the queen of R&B, Beyonce. Her first fragrance embodies all things steamy, feverish and sexy – and is appropriately called “Heat”. It reminds me of a hotted up version of Gucci Rush mixed Dior Hypnotic Poison; basically a smack in the face of warm, heady notes. (Yes. I am a perfume nerd). As I walked away disappointed, I got thinking about all the celebrity products that are on the market. While Beyonce is probably the most successful female singer in the world right now, I have never really thought “Damn… if only I could smell like Beyonce, then I really would be bootylicious!” 

And it’s not only fragrances which are being given the famous-over. Clothing labels and fashion houses are also getting celebrities on board. Some of these collaborations can seem a bit… well, tacky. I found out today that Paris Hilton is about to release her tenth perfume “Tease” (stating the obvious?) and Lindsay Lohan’s fashion line for Emanuel Ungaro left a lot to be desired. So why must celebrities put their manicured fingers in so many pies? Is their main profession, be it acting, singing, modeling or being a socialite, not paying enough and they are supplementing income? Not likely. 

But not all of these collaborations leave a bad taste in the mouth (or scent in the nostrils). Some actually seem like a natural evolution and have brought about some exciting developments in the world of fashion and fragrance. Sarah Jessica Parker won the respect of perfume industry when she and her team of noses combined lavender and chocolate for fragrance “Covet” and Victoria Beckham has been praised by fashion industry insiders for her latest collection. 

So what combinations of celebrity and creativity have worked? Here are my top five…

Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony

Indie actress Chloe Sevigny can be so quirky, it’s scary. So when given the chance to funnel this into a fashion line, it was an exciting development for her fans and Opening Ceremony was the perfect company for the gutsy collaboration. Her range was grungy, Nirvana-inspired and off-beat, a nod to the ugly/pretty fashion of the nineties. 

Low Luv – Erin Wasson 

Erin Wasson is one of the most highly sought models in the world and all that hanging around with designers was bound to rub off sometime. Erin collaborated with Californian street label RVCA, producing a free spirited yet sporty collection that reflects her slightly tomboyish style. Her other dabble in fashion is her jewellery line Low Luv, a grungy aztec inspired range which was created with respected jeweller, Pascal Mouawad.  

William Rast – Justin Timberlake 

Justin Timberlake has gone from boy band heart throb to R&B sensation, to heavyweight in the music industry and is now heading up denim label, William Rast. With business partner,Trace Ayala, Justin created his first line of jeans in 2005. Since then William Rast has expanded to leather, outerwear and knits for both men and women. J-Timberlay has earned praise for sticking to his All-American style sensibilities and creating reliable, long wearing denim.

Victoria Beckham

So many were eager to hate Victoria’s fashion line. Critics everywhere practically had their pen poised or keyboards at the ready to write scathing remarks about the first lady of football’s foray into fashion. So her victory was all the more sweeter when everyone did a double take as what appeared on the runway was actually… fabulous. The tulip-shaped, lady-liked creations were flattering, tasteful and quickly adored by celebrities such as Elle MacPherson, Blake Lively and Courtney Cox.

The Row – Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen

These two have, I believe, made the full transition from movie stars to fashion designers. The cutie-pie girls who pumped out so many tween-adored movies have long been replaced for the hip, dishevelled fashionistas. They have created three fashion lines, The Row (the high-end line), Elizabeth & James (named after their brother and sister, more ready to wear/street) and their latest collection Olsenboye (very accessible, returning to their teen market). 

Celebrity designers on my radar: Isola by Megan Gale, Rachel Bilson for DKNY, Twenty8Twelve by Sienna and Savannah Miller, Winter Kate by Nicole Richie, L.A.M.B by Gwen Stefani, Neon Hart by Jessica Hart, Kate Moss for Top Shop.