Whitney Port To Design Own Fashion Line: Eve & A

[KindlyCuddly]

I was speaking specifically about designing internships.

Internships don't legitimize a designer.

 

[knightley]

I'm not suggesting they do, but being on the Hills certainly does not legitimize her. You saying internships don't legitimize a designer patently falsifies the logic of your argument that Whitney did internships and deserves her chance.

 

[KindlyCuddly]

I'm not suggesting they do, but being on the Hills certainly does not legitimize her. You saying internships don't legitimize a designer patently falsifies the logic of your argument that Whitney did internships and deserves her chance.

I only mentioned her internships because people were suggesting that she just decided to leap into fashion after doing reality television when in fact it was the reverse.

The only thing that legitimizes a designer is her ability to sell and a market that responds to her product, not some imaginary required struggle before getting her break. Fashion lines aren't finite in number so it isn't as though she's stealing the spot of some poor strained fashion student. No one is entitled to anything!

 

[Zposen]

I really hope people will react like that once YOU create something or develop your dream. you people seem to forget that whitney went to a fashion school, had tough internships for YEARS and now creates her own fashion line. dont be so jealous - it's not like she's a "tv star going into fashion". she's obviously a talented person if she gets all those compliments and even anna wintour to write her a letter.

im so annoyed of people here acting so freaking "elitist". You aren't "fashion-experts" who have a monopol on every fashion related. most of you don't even work in the fashion industry. Its so annoying to see this negativity everywhere when young people achieve something. get off your high horses just because you own one chanel bag.

Well said!!

 

[marisaidwhat]

I only mentioned her internships because people were suggesting that she just decided to leap into fashion after doing reality television when in fact it was the reverse.

The only thing that legitimizes a designer is her ability to sell and a market that responds to her product, not some imaginary required struggle before getting her break. Fashion lines aren't finite in number so it isn't as though she's stealing the spot of some poor strained fashion student. No one is entitled to anything!

I just jumped into this convo, but this is the best comment so far. I couldn't have said it better myself

 

[KindlyCuddly]

I just jumped into this convo, but this is the best comment so far. I couldn't have said it better myself

Aww thanks.

I want to just make clear that I don't necessarily support Whitney Port as a designer (I haven't even seen her line)...

 

[erojoy]

i'd say wait for the line to come out and see if you would actually wear, because man you'll feel like an *** if you do later. besides like said before, if you really want a line go out and do it, just because she gets free promotion because she's famous doesn't mean it will get big. people complain way too much...

 

[kimberwyn]

I really hope people will react like that once YOU create something or develop your dream. you people seem to forget that whitney went to a fashion school, had tough internships for YEARS and now creates her own fashion line. dont be so jealous - it's not like she's a "tv star going into fashion". she's obviously a talented person if she gets all those compliments and even anna wintour to write her a letter.

im so annoyed of people here acting so freaking "elitist". You aren't "fashion-experts" who have a monopol on every fashion related. most of you don't even work in the fashion industry. Its so annoying to see this negativity everywhere when young people achieve something. get off your high horses just because you own one chanel bag.

Honey, this is the FASHION spot. It's a snobbish industry, although I've found the the most snobbish people in this industry are those ranked at the bottom of the totem pole. So yes, as knightley said some people here work in the industry....they're sales assistants at Saks or Neimens, which should completely explain their stuck up attitudes and lack of business sense.

You hit the nail on the head w/ the word jealousy, and the chanel bag quote is SO on point.

The only thing that legitimizes a designer is her ability to sell and a market that responds to her product, not some imaginary required struggle before getting her break. Fashion lines aren't finite in number so it isn't as though she's stealing the spot of some poor strained fashion student. No one is entitled to anything!

Common sense for the absolute WIN.

 

[Spike413]

I only mentioned her internships because people were suggesting that she just decided to leap into fashion after doing reality television when in fact it was the reverse.

The only thing that legitimizes a designer is her ability to sell and a market that responds to her product, not some imaginary required struggle before getting her break. Fashion lines aren't finite in number so it isn't as though she's stealing the spot of some poor strained fashion student. No one is entitled to anything!

I have to completely disagree with this (as someone who is currently studying fashion design, not selling handbags at Saks, cause whether or not you work directly in fashion really matters when stating your opinion )

I would hardly say that the ability to market is the only thing that makes someone a legitimate designer. How about talent? How about ideas? Where do those fit in? What you've described is a legitimate salesperson, not a legitimate designer.

And I'll attempt to make a stab at the accusations of "jealousy" some people are throwing around. You're not entirely wrong. This girl, regardless of whatever dream of being a fashion designer she's had since she could speak or whatever, has had these opportunities handed to her....which IS NOT normally how the fashion world works. You have to work for success, work to start your own line and gain support for it and maybe if you're lucky you find that. She hasn't had to work her a$$ off using every cent to her name and slaving over a sewing machine to make her own samples to show, and it's primarily because she's on a nationally broadcast MTV show and lives a fairly well-off lifestyle. That's why she's so "successful" and that's why many people are "jealous" about it. And this isn't just an elitist Fashion Spot attitude, in most areas of life regular people who have to work for what they want tend to resent the people who do not have to work for what they want. It's as simple as that.

 

[knightley]

Spike, you said everything far better than I ever could. That was the point I failed at articulating however long ago this argument was.

And I really am glad I am not a sales assistant at Saks or Neimans.

 

[kimberwyn]

^Let me guess, Barneys?

And Spike, that all sounds wonderful on paper and EXACTLY like something I'd expect to hear from a young designer. You'll probably learn eventually that at the end of the day, it's $$$$ that matters. Credibility might make you feel warm and cozy but if no one is wearing your clothes it's pretty much in vein.

 

[Spike413]

^ You seem to have avoided my point. It wasn't some youthfully idealistic stance about the importance of art. It was the assertion that being able to sell clothes doesn't make her a designer, legitimate or otherwise, in any way, shape or form....

 

[knightley]

^Let me guess, Barneys?

And Spike, that all sounds wonderful on paper and EXACTLY like something I'd expect to hear from a young designer. You'll probably learn eventually that at the end of the day, it's $$$$ that matters. Credibility might make you feel warm and cozy but if no one is wearing your clothes it's pretty much in vein.

What is unfathomable to me is how rude you are Kimberwyn to assert that because someone disagrees with you they must be a snobbish sales associate. I work in the industry in public relations in-house if you must know. But I think it is awful you would insinuate because someone is a sales associate they just must not know fashion. I think Jeff, my wonderful shoe guy at Neimans, knows more about designers than most people I know who work in the industry.

No one is arguing that money is what matters. The point has always been that it appears Whitney has had this handed to her because of her connections. Will it sell? Who knows. I haven't seen the collection yet. I hardly doubt I will care to. I am quite bored of every a through z-list celebrity labeling themselves a "fashion designer" and producing absolutely crap lines designed to prey on their fans that feature nothing new, unique, or creative. The reason people are having trouble with celebrity lines is because it seems every two to three days someone is announcing their new line, which they did not receive through real talent or initiative most of the time, but rather through their MTV credentials. Whitney is the last of the Hills girls to launch herself as a brand so we've been done that road. I think it is quite surprising her and Lauren consider themselves "high fashionistas" with the ability to sell their clothes to a target demographic who don't watch the hills.

If we're discussing money Heidi was the most intelligent as she marketed and sold her brand at Anchor Blue. It made her able to do as you said, which was make money, by capitalizing on the demographic who watch the Hills. While I do agree any of these girls getting a line doesn't take a spot from another hard-working, struggling student, it just saturates the market with more mass produced pieces.

And for some designers? Money though important and required, and perhaps the bottom line, isn't why they design or what their collections are about. The avant garde, the artistry, the creativity.. for quite a few people that is what it is about and the money they make is a perk, not their driving force. I'd argue that the CDG crew is quite like that. McQueen, too. There are long standing designers who are in it first and foremost for art, not money. Look at couture, it's often a losing cost for the houses to produce, but they still do it because the dresses become veritable art pieces.

 

[Spike413]

What is unfathomable to me is how rude you are Kimberwyn to assert that because someone disagrees with you they must be a snobbish sales associate. I work in the industry in public relations in-house if you must know. But I think it is awful you would insinuate because someone is a sales associate they just must not know fashion. I think Jeff, my wonderful shoe guy at Neimans, knows more about designers than most people I know who work in the industry.

No one is arguing that money is what matters. The point has always been that it appears Whitney has had this handed to her because of her connections. Will it sell? Who knows. I haven't seen the collection yet. I hardly doubt I will care to. I am quite bored of every a through z-list celebrity labeling themselves a "fashion designer" and producing absolutely crap lines designed to prey on their fans that feature nothing new, unique, or creative. The reason people are having trouble with celebrity lines is because it seems every two to three days someone is announcing their new line, which they did not receive through real talent or initiative most of the time, but rather through their MTV credentials. Whitney is the last of the Hills girls to launch herself as a brand so we've been done that road. I think it is quite surprising her and Lauren consider themselves "high fashionistas" with the ability to sell their clothes to a target demographic who don't watch the hills.

If we're discussing money Heidi was the most intelligent as she marketed and sold her brand at Anchor Blue. It made her able to do as you said, which was make money, by capitalizing on the demographic who watch the Hills. While I do agree any of these girls getting a line doesn't take a spot from another hard-working, struggling student, it just saturates the market with more mass produced pieces.

And for some designers? Money though important and required, and perhaps the bottom line, isn't why they design or what their collections are about. The avant garde, the artistry, the creativity.. for quite a few people that is what it is about and the money they make is a perk, not their driving force. I'd argue that the CDG crew is quite like that. McQueen, too. There are long standing designers who are in it first and foremost for art, not money. Look at couture, it's often a losing cost for the houses to produce, but they still do it because the dresses become veritable art pieces.

I just had to say that I had wanted to make this point in my earlier posts and forgot to, so thank you knightley for making it.

Now I am going to get on my naive and heartfelt soapbox and say that money should not be the reason one becomes a designer, or pursues any kind of creative endeavor for that matter. Money, in terms of fashion anyway, is just a means to an end, not the end itself. The only reason money is important is because you need it to continue doing what you love to do. So I'll go back to my original point and say that being able to sell something doesn't make someone a legitimate designer.

So if these silly, spoiled tv stars are only going into fashion to make money for themselves that's all the more reason to dislike them.

Feel free to throw the expected "well what success have you had?", "you're just jealous", "you're a snobby fashion elitist" jabs at me cause in truth, none of them mean very much when the only reason they're being thrown is because people disagree with me.

 

[KindlyCuddly]

I have to completely disagree with this (as someone who is currently studying fashion design, not selling handbags at Saks, cause whether or not you work directly in fashion really matters when stating your opinion )

I would hardly say that the ability to market is the only thing that makes someone a legitimate designer. How about talent? How about ideas? Where do those fit in? What you've described is a legitimate salesperson, not a legitimate designer.

And I'll attempt to make a stab at the accusations of "jealousy" some people are throwing around. You're not entirely wrong. This girl, regardless of whatever dream of being a fashion designer she's had since she could speak or whatever, has had these opportunities handed to her....which IS NOT normally how the fashion world works. You have to work for success, work to start your own line and gain support for it and maybe if you're lucky you find that. She hasn't had to work her a$$ off using every cent to her name and slaving over a sewing machine to make her own samples to show, and it's primarily because she's on a nationally broadcast MTV show and lives a fairly well-off lifestyle. That's why she's so "successful" and that's why many people are "jealous" about it. And this isn't just an elitist Fashion Spot attitude, in most areas of life regular people who have to work for what they want tend to resent the people who do not have to work for what they want. It's as simple as that.

Talent is completely subjective, which was my initial point - if a designer shows talent/promise then they shouldn't have any problem getting their clothing put out. If the consumer isn't biting then it's no one's fault by the designer. I just find it ludicrous to blame celebrity lines simply because a young designer isn't getting a job. A celebrity designer typically is NOT even competing on the same level as a recent fashion school graduate, and I doubt that the customers who purchase from celebrity designers would be the same customer buying the more experimental work of a recent graduate anyway. Honestly, fashion design is an inherently tough field and anyone who thinks that hard work is enough to make people care is deluding themselves.

The truth that many avoid (especially in my own experience at fashion school) is that very, very few designers (young or old, hardworking or otherwise) are producing anything truly revolutionary enough to capture anyone's attention.

Oh, and I have nothing but respect for those hardworking sales associates! A job tells me nothing about someone's expertise.

 

[Spike413]

^ None of that changes the fact or even addresses my point that she has had this opportunity handed to her.

A celebrity designer typically is NOT even competing on the same level as a recent fashion school graduate...

You're completely and 100% right, although I believe you meant this in a different context. But since you said it, I'll respond. It's an uneven playing field since most fashion school graduates have no connections, backers, business managers, production managers or PR people. So why should anybody feel good about these girls having all of that handed to them on a silver platter and get paid to be on a reality tv show that documents it all?

The truth that many avoid (especially in my own experience at fashion school) is that very, very few designers (young or old, hardworking or otherwise) are producing anything truly revolutionary enough to capture anyone's attention.

Again, you're right. So with this in mind how do you explain why these girls who are making basic rayon jersey trapeze dresses, stretchy mini skirts and cotton swing jackets have gotten noticed and the people who are at least trying to be revolutionary do not? It doesn't make sense. Wouldn't it seem likely that the designs that are so carefully thought out and convoluted enough in their references to at least seem new would be the garments to get attention? And it's not a case of "well girls want to wear jersey tent dresses, mini skirts and swing jackets" because there are more than enough of those to be found at every imaginable price point without Whitney Port's contributions.

It all goes back to the simple fact that all of these rebuttals have yet to address. These girls have an unfair advantage, and I would almost dare anyone to try and prove that single statement wrong.

 

[loladonna]

Whitney's dad financed her line which makes her one of a long line of people in the fashion world like Margherita Missoni or Aerin Lauder who have benefitted from wealth and/or nepotism.

Hard work is but one way to achieve one's goal's-- luck , nepotism and celebrity are others. I don't have a problem with people like Lauren Conrad and Whitney who actually go to fashion school and intern in the industry getting a line. After all, why else would they go to school and intern only to turn down an opportunity presented to them?


No one's disputing that Whitney had an advantage but I think some of us feel like 'who cares'? What else is new? Unfair advantages exist in a lot of professions.

 

[KindlyCuddly]

Whitney's dad financed her line which makes her one of a long line of people in the fashion world like Margherita Missoni or Aerin Lauder who have benefitted from wealth and/or nepotism.

Hard work is but one way to achieve one's goal's-- luck , nepotism and celebrity are others. I don't have a problem with people like Lauren Conrad and Whitney who actually go to fashion school and intern in the industry getting a line. After all, why else would they go to school and intern only to turn down an opportunity presented to them?


No one's disputing that Whitney had an advantage but I think some of us feel like 'who cares'? What else is new? Unfair advantages exist in a lot of professions.

I agree with this. Most people in fashion come from wealthy backgrounds and benefit from who they know/who they've come from. Shoot, fashion school itself is expensive as hell and many aspiring designers wouldn't be able to afford it, so this sort of "unfairness" exists on all levels.

 

[Spike413]

This thread is slowly veering off topic at this point, so we'll just need to agree to disagree.

 

[erojoy]

snore...this discussion is getting ridiculous. does anyone have pictures of her line? why would you fight over something you haven't even seen?