Whitney Port To Design Own Fashion Line: Eve & A

[preciousrubies]

In this business.
it's all about who you know.

you can be the most fashion-challenged person.
not even know the history.
yet get ahead of people who dedicate their
lives to the art.

insanity.

Connections are so important. I know a 13-year-old boy involved in Oscar de la Renta because of his aunt (granted, he is very talented.)

 

[Zposen]

I am actually looking forward to see what Whitney comes up with... I think it will be more creative than Lauren and just as wearable. She will probably be doing her own sketching like Lauren because both girls claims to artists... like they draw and paints. Lauren initially went to SF art institute and Whitney was an art major at University of Colorado before transferring to USC. It sad that some people wants exclusivity in fashion... to the point that only a group of people can buy chanel... what a joke?

 

[KindlyCuddly]

It sad that some people wants exclusivity in fashion... to the point that only a group of people can buy chanel... what a joke?

I was startled by that statement. Do we really need anymore exclusivity in fashion? And in what world can "anyone" buy Karl Lagerfeld?

 

[dior_couture1245]

^^What I meant by that was designers doing tons of diffusion lines and collections for H&M and such.

What I mean about fashion and exclusivity is that....I guess....I find fashion so much more exciting and fascinating when...to be honest, I'm not really sure how to put how I feel to words. I guess, when it boils down to it....fashion is much more interesting when it's not mass marketed, salable and all about the bottom line...

 

[KindlyCuddly]

^^What I meant by that was designers doing tons of diffusion lines and collections for H&M and such.

What I mean about fashion and exclusivity is that....I guess....I find fashion so much more exciting and fascinating when...to be honest, I'm not really sure how to put how I feel to words. I guess, when it boils down to it....fashion is much more interesting when it's not mass marketed, salable and all about the bottom line...

Well I don't think it's any better when only the rich have access to it. It stops being about the beauty of the clothes and becomes more about the exclusivity factor when the "right" to wear Lagerfeld's designs is solely based on your income. I understand your point of view though.

 

[stl]

I am actually curious about the line, but wouldn't pay the money they charge. But I am even MORE curious about what Heidi comes up with. She's such a joke!

 

[Katie123]

i know, heidi's life is just ..all made up! i thought she was working for a PR company anyway?

i hate "celebrities" that don't have a particular talent so just branch out and do whatever they're offered.

 

[James1057]

yet another line by a so called celebritie is born. As muchg as i love her *yawn*

 

[rangerrick14]

What? I thought Whitney was going to be a stylist or something in that area. It's sorta left field to just decide to put out a line. Not everyone should design....the sad part most of her clothes will look just as good as something from Top Shop or Yours Trully but will be double the price. I am interested in seeing it though; if not just to laugh and point at how horrible it is.

 

[kimair]

from wwd...

MTV's hit reality series "The Hills" is spawning mini fashion brands.

Co-star Whitney Port is the latest cast member seeking to capitalize on the show's popularity with young women, creating a contemporary label called Eve & A. The other members of the triumvirate, bitter rivals Lauren Conrad and Heidi Montag, started apparel lines within the last year.

Launching for fall with 20 pieces wholesaling from $50 to $220, Eve & A is intended to be sophisticated enough to go from the office to a cocktail party with its mix-and-match pieces in silk and wool. Heavy on black, the line features judicious pops of bright colors, including purple and Port's favorite hue of pink.

The line also emphasizes versatility to enhance value. For instance, a hood and giant gold zipper help transform a $195 wool jacket into six shapes, ranging from a double-breasted top with a sailor flap in the back to one with a poufy shawl collar.

Another multifunctional item is a $50 slip whose fit can be finessed with adjustable straps and a corset-style tie in the back. The single body, available in hot pink, gunmetal gray, navy and beige, features a ruffled hem that allows the slip to be worn alone or layered under another top or dress. In addition, a $100 wool skirt is constructed with pins that the wearer can adjust to be a mini or float above the knee.

"I wanted people to feel more daring," said Port, who came up with the label's moniker by combining her middle name with the first letter of co-creative director Adrienne Baravetto's first name.

Port, 23, maintains a relatively lower profile than other reality TV personalities. But she has benefited from the public's fascination with celebrities. In August, Port appeared next to Conrad in a saffron-tinted minidress by Luella on the cover of Teen Vogue, where the two were interns and whose lives were being documented in "The Hills."

Port comes from a family entrenched in the apparel business. Her father, Jeff Port, is president of a young men's line called Shades of Greigh. He also oversees Eve & A, where Whitney's older brother, Ryan, runs production and her teenage sister, Jade, modeled in the look book.

The Port clan is so tight that at a recent preview of Eve & A at the Movement Showroom in the Los Angeles downtown fashion district, Whitney was accompanied by her parents, three siblings and a future brother-in-law.

"We want to keep [Eve & A] close to home," Jeff Port said. "We don't want anyone to abuse Whitney's concept. We want to last a long time."

To maintain better control of quality, the inaugural collection will be made in Los Angeles. Declining to disclose projections for first-year sales, Jeff Port acknowledged that the retail market is less than hospitable for a new line. But he is up for the challenge. "In a bad economy, it's more important than ever to be different," he said.

Retailers that have ordered Eve & A include Revolveclothing.com, Kitson in Los Angeles, Bella Rosa in Los Gatos, Calif., Maxine in Studio City, Calif., and the five-door Southern California specialty chain Planet Blue, whose proprietors also own Movement Showroom.

With a bachelor's degree in gender studies from the University of Southern California, Whitney Port got her fashion training by doing secretarial work for her father, counting rhinestones and photocopying pictures of jeans for manufacturer Swat Fame in City of Industry, Calif., and assisting with photo shoots as an intern at WWD. She is now working as an intern at fashion public relations firm People's Revolution, picking up tips on how to merchandise at fashion shows for Sass & Bide, Julia Clancey, Whitley Kros and Orthodox.

"I was never one to know to match the fabrics and color scheme," Port said. "I have to remember that I'm not looking at someone's closet. I'm looking at a line that represents one vision."

 

[solg]

^ It sounds really interesting, i'd love to see how these pieces turn out.

 

[Meg]

I can't believe those are the wholesale prices though. What she's talking about theoretically is interesting, in actuality I find that this stuff usually falls flat though unless it's some CSM grad who doesn't actually produce the line but just shows it to press and buyers. I hope that first short is just poorly styled since the actual dress looks cute not just WITH tights AND boots AND a beanie.

 

[luvme4me]

I am kind of excited to see it. She has a funky style/vibe.

 

[Zposen]

I am excited to see how her line turns out. The concept is very interesting but I think hard to pull off... the clothes might look a bit tacky if she goes for too much. Thus far, I like this top/dress, it is very cute. Although, I would never wear it the way she styled this model.

 

[OhJane]

ontd

 

[Kimkhuu]

^ The preview posted above is really targeted towards the Hills fans. Although I am not a fan, I can totally see how this works. Quirky and fun, somehow reminds me of older Marc by MJ collections......

Very fun.

Probably the smartest marketer out the hills so called designer bunch.

 

[knightley]

Just why and creative name, really. Adam + Eve doesn't deserve their name. Whitney gets it!

I'm tired of the Hills. I'm tired of MTV mass producing teen celebs and slamming them down my throat. While I don't fault her for taking the opportunity and making money, I'd never buy something from the line in support of this BS. It just shows what a joke American fashion from LA is. An absolute freakin' joke.

 

[Madhuri]

Those clothes are ugly. I don't think her line will sell well. With the retail prices for some of her pieces going over $400, she's competing with much bigger designers and I don't think these designs measure up. Her choice of colors and prints are particularly questionable.

I don't think too many people outside of the Fashionspot like Whitney's sometimes bizarre style. She doesn't have the following where people would want to dress like her.

 

[LUXXX]

The preview of some key pieces in US Weekly actually wasn't that bad...it was better than Lauren's line, I have to say...

 

[Spike413]

What is The Hills the new Parson's school of design or something?!?!

I don't watch the show, never have, but I'm getting really tired of these silly celebrities who think that liking clothes and having "style" is the same as being able to design. I completely agree with dior_couture in that all of these celeb lines that, let's face it look very very similar, are cheapening the world of fashion. For the public who may not know or care about fashion in any way except for cute clothing, these lines just send the message that anyone can be a designer, and that's not the case. It's degrading to all of the designers, both aspiring and established, who've had to work their a$$es off slaving away in front of a sewing machine, fine tuning patterns and going from crap job to crap job to get where they are.