Geri Halliwell is Launching a Line of Swimwear...

Geri Halliwell launched her new Next swimwear collection at The Savoy Hotel on January 28, 2011 in London, England.

via Stylelite:
Turns out Victoria Beckham isn’t the only former Spice Girl who wants to make it in the rag trade. Sexy Spice Geri Haliwell (who looks awesome at 38 btw) has debuted a line of swimwear. And she’s modeling it herself!
Geri by Next, the 38-year-old’s range of bikinis and beach coverups, will be available in British retailer Next’s stores as early as next month, though you can place online orders today.
While the line is pretty comprehensive — it has everything from sleeveless dresses and caftans for coverups to fun asymmetrical suits and more leopard print than you can shake a stick at — what we find most appealing and, well, cool is the price. Seriously, not since Sarah Jessica Parker’s Bitten line for the now-defunct Steve and Barry’s have we seen a celebrity collection priced this well. Per The Daily Mail:
Whereas a two-piece swimsuit from [Elizabeth Hurley] will set you back by about £120 ($186) or a kaftan £220 ($341) and Posh’s frocks into the hundreds, Geri’s bikinis are around £18 ($28), an animal print monokini is £32 ($50) and a white crochet maxi-dress is one of the most expensive items on sale at £50 ($78).
Haliwell says what she really wants is for all women to feel confident in their own skin, whether they’re on the beach or elsewhere under the sun — and that (plus her fairly awesome maxi dresses) give us the impression that her clothes won’t be hanging out on the sand for too long. Click HERE to see a few more pics from her line.

Sophia Vergara Launching a Clothing Line with Kmart.

Vergara, the 38-year-old star of the hit TV show “Modern Family,” is modeling miniskirts, jeggings, leopard bustiers, tight dresses and sultry tunics for her upcoming Sofia Vergara for Kmart collection, to be launched for fall

The collection includes dresses priced $29.99 to $36.99; boots, $34.99 to $49.99, knit tops, $16.99 to $24.99; handbags, $14.99 to $29.99; shoes, $24.99 to $34.99; jewelry, $9.99 to $19.99; jackets, $49.99 to $59.99; leggings, $16.99 to $26.99, and sweaters, $29.99 to $36.99.

“It’s comfortable and chic, affordable, and versatile to wear from day to the night. It’s fantastic because you can mix and match,” Vergara observed. Read more over at WWD.

FIRST PEEK: Rachel Zoe's Debut Clothing Line...

Check out the first few looks of the Rachel Zoe collection, Zoe’s first real design effort done in a deal with Li & Fung, which WWD reported in June.

The collection will be priced at the contemporary level, $250 for a day dress up to $700 for a full tuxedo look.  The look is predominantly tailored in a chic albeit Seventies way. 

There’s suiting galore, white jackets and blazers to wear with matching wool trousers that flare over the foot and fall to the floor for an extra-long leg. The collection will be priced at the contemporary level, $250 for a day dress up to $700 for a full tuxedo look. 

Celebrity Clothing Lines Show No Sign of Stopping.

My feelings about celebrities doing clothing lines has been pretty well documented on this blog. And the documentation shows that I hardly ever approve. And from everything I've been reading, it doesn't look like this train is stopping anytime soon:

Celebrity clothing and accessory lines have proliferated in recent years. Lauren Conrad has her Kohl's line. The Olsens sell a line at J.C. Penney. Nicole Richie is in jewelry, accessories, and apparel. Lindsay Lohan, despite her legal troubles, is diversifying into handbags for spring. Sarah Jessica Parker says she takes her role at Halston very seriously. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony just announced a deal with Kohl's. Alexa Chung did a collection for J.Crew's brand Madewell. Miley Cyrus has her Wal-Mart line; Selena Gomez has her "Dream Out Loud" line for K-Mart. Madonna is killing it with her Macy's tween line, which is planned to be only the first of her many apparel licenses under an agreement with Iconix. And while you may believe the Kardashians are already a Beverly Hills cottage industry of licensing, a full Kardashian "lifestyle" line, including everything from swimwear to denim, is planned for 2011.

See what I mean? Continue reading this over at Jezebel.

Jessica Simpson's Clothing=Nearly $1 Billion in Sales? Wow.

The Jessica Simpson Collection is on the verge of becoming the first celebrity line to earn a billion dollars in sales.

29-year-old Jessica Simpson graces the cover of Women’s Wear Daily on Monday with the headline, “Jessica Simpson: Fashion’s Billion Dollar Baby,” and the article notes that her line has brought in $750 million in retail sales alone this year. That’s $750,000,000. Wow!

It is estimated that the Jessica Simpson Sportswear and Jeanswear lines will generate between $150 million and $200 million in retail sales within the next two years.

“She’s the girl next door and has great product that surrounds her,” Vince Camuto, the founder and chief executive officer of Camuto Group, the brand’s master licensee, told the magazine. “People like her. People look at her as a style icon.”

I know this chick is telling her haters... Pow! Take THAT.
The Jessica Simpson Collection

Kimora Says Bye Bye to Baby Phat.

via NYMag:
Kimora Lee Simmons announced via Twitter late last week that she would leave Phat Fashions, which includes the Baby Phat and Phat Farm labels. Phat Fashions is owned by the Kellwood corporation, which will end their partnership with Kimora on September 1. Kimora will continue designing her other three fashion lines, including KLS, Kouture by Kimora, and Fabulosity, her JCPenney juniors' line. She also still has her own reality show, fragrances, and probably lots more stuff not named here.

Ivanka Trump is Launching a Handbag Line...

Ivanka Trump is taking on the fashion world, one category at a time. She's already the designer of a successful jewelry collection, with plans underway for a footwear line, the hardworking heiresss is now adding handbags to her empire! Ivanka took to her Twitter account this morning to announce her new line with Mondani. The line will be in stores next March!” And that’s not all Ivanka promised. When one of her 700,000 Twitter followers asked if “regular” women could afford the bags, Ivanka readily wrote back, “Yes!! I want them to be accessible to everyone!” We can’t wait to see what Ivanka has in store! Stay tuned for more details.

Actress Betty White is Launching... A Clothing Line?

In a word, yes. The woman who can do anything, Betty White, is launching a clothing line, WWD reports. The t-shirts and hoodies made in collaboration with Jerry Leigh Apparel, a Van Nuys, Calif.-based clothing manufacturer will hit stores in August, at prices between $28 to $48. Part of the proceeds will go to the Morris Animal Foundation, an animal health organization, so customers will not only be supporting White, but also adorable animals. Here's a preview of what you can expect:

Joss Stone is Designing Shoes (SHOES) for Nine West.

via NYMag:
23-year-old soul singer Joss Stone will collaborate with Nine West’s creative director on a capsule collection inspired by the many facets of her personality (their description) and also her floral tattoos.

Besides the fact that a person who doesn't really wear shoes is designing a shoe collection, the whole collaboration is a little off, owing to the fact that the Nine West Vintage America imprint, which Stone is “designing” under, is based on the idea of "rugged American individualism," says WWD. And, of course, Stone is a British pop star.

In any case, the Fall 2010 collection is all for a good cause. Proceeds of the $70-to-$120 goods will go to the charity Soles4Souls.