By Samantha ReadIt's a marketer's dream - we want, nay, must have, that great celebrity fashion style.
It's a scene familiar to many of us. You're watching an awards show, marveling at the sunny local and flashy limos pulling up to the red carpet, when you see the hottest actress step onto the red carpet in an amazing pair of stiletto heels. You frantically phone your friend and immediately gush over the absolute beauty of these shoes and make plans for a shopping excursion tomorrow to acquire a pair. You'll invoke envious stares out of everyone.
The next week, while flipping through the newest tabloid, you happen to come across a photo of the current "it" couple sporting matching t-shirts with witty political slogans. Why aren't you and your sweetie doing the same? You rush out of the house in search of the shirts. And so it begins again.
The culture of celebrity may be a strange enough phenomenon to many, but our obsession with what celebrities wear is perhaps even more disturbing. Nightly newscasts regularly feature movie premieres with reporters asking that age-old question - "what are you wearing?!" Magazines and tabloids are filled with pages devoted to the latest fashion trends and sightings of celebrities shopping. As daunting as it seems, celebrities are dictating fashion trends, and we are eager to follow in their couture footsteps.
Fashion and designers alike have fallen in love with the celebrity, and let's be honest, we love them too. While we may scrutinize the decisions they make and critique their behavior, it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll buy whatever product they chose to endorse and copy what they wear. Of course, there are always exceptions to this, and I doubt there was a huge rush for swan dresses after Bjork's appearance at the Oscars a few years back.
Designers are realizing the power of the celebrity and are scrambling to sign major stars to their campaigns. Nicole Kidman, a fashionista in her own right, recently signed with Chanel and is being paid hefty amounts of money to wear and promote all of their clothing. Not to be outdone, Givenchy hired Liv Tyler to do the exact same thing. Even 'dirty girl' Christina Aguilera threw her chaps aside long enough to clean up her act and model Versace clothes in glossy magazine advertisements.
Stars and fashion designers are joining together to create a powerful, funky and hip fusion that benefits both sides. While the celeb du jour becomes acquainted with the fashion world, their in-demand face attracts new eyes to a designer's clothes.
Taking it one step further is the latest trend: celebrity designers. Stars such as Sean "P Diddy" Combs, Jennifer Lopez and Hilary Duff all market their own lines of clothing and accessories, said to be inspired by their own tastes. No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani developed her own line, L.A.M.B (Love, Angel, Music, Baby), this year, which "is based on everything I've ever worn...from my punker pants to the present," she says. It's all a carefully-planned marketing tactic playing directly on our desires to live the life that our cherished celebrities live. And it doesn't stop there.
You may happen to notice, while watching that awards show with the sunny local and flashy limos, the bags of loot that celebrities tote around with them. These aren't your ordinary loot bags. They run circles around the thank-you bag you received for wearing that hideous bridesmaid's dress last month. In fact, they can be valued at upwards of $25,000, and filled with more goodies than you could ever imagine.
Gift bags have morphed over the past few years from modest charms to lavish packages, including week-long safaris, spa getaways, electronic goods and fine jewellery. No longer restricted to awards shows, celebrities can now receive a bag of loot just for showing up at a movie premiere. Not a bad gig.
While us commoners may think that the well-paid celebrity may be the last person who should receive free goodies, marketers say that the gift bag has become one of the most coveted - and relatively inexpensive - ways to get product exposure. "It's just a (more) direct opportunity than traditional advertising to reach the talent, and then reach the consumer, through the PR generated around the gift bags," says Samantha Milo Haft, owner of On 3 Productions, a New York City - based event-planning firm that does gift bags for events. "One photo of a celebrity wearing your product can ignite sales."
Getting a product into the bags is a big promotional coup for a company, and they've quickly become one of the hottest marketing trends around. Celebrities are constantly name-dropping their favourite designers, restaurants, vacation getaways, heck, even lip gloss, and you and I both know that we're immediately clambering to find out where we can acquire the goods ourselves.
As each year progresses, our stars and starlets will continue to dictate what's hip and what to skip to us their beloved fans. And I can guarantee you that I'll continue to read my fashion magazines and watch all the entertainment shows in the hopes of catching that head's-up.
It's a scene familiar to many of us. You're watching an awards show, marveling at the sunny local and flashy limos pulling up to the red carpet, when you see the hottest actress step onto the red carpet in an amazing pair of stiletto heels. You frantically phone your friend and immediately gush over the absolute beauty of these shoes and make plans for a shopping excursion tomorrow to acquire a pair. You'll invoke envious stares out of everyone.
Fashion and designers alike have fallen in love with the celebrity, and let's be honest, we love them too. While we may scrutinize the decisions they make and critique their behavior, it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll buy whatever product they chose to endorse and copy what they wear. Of course, there are always exceptions to this, and I doubt there was a huge rush for swan dresses after Bjork's appearance at the Oscars a few years back.
Gift bags have morphed over the past few years from modest charms to lavish packages, including week-long safaris, spa getaways, electronic goods and fine jewellery. No longer restricted to awards shows, celebrities can now receive a bag of loot just for showing up at a movie premiere. Not a bad gig.
Shan Swimwear
