By Rosanna Mah
Daily Bruin Contributor
Hollywood stars have been responsible for taking the lead and
dictating the trends of the fashion industry since the debut of
movies.
Living in Los Angeles, the infamous city of entertainment, it is
not surprising that celebrity fashion has become as provocative and
desired as the celebrities themselves.
Companies like ShowStyle and It’s a Wrap! Production
Wardrobe Sales showcase trend-setting clothing and fashion
accessories worn by Hollywood stars, albeit not on their shows,
providing unmediated links between Hollywood fashion and the fans
who adore celebrity styles.
“I think this is a cool concept if people get to see the
clothes modeled by their favorite celebrities in the ads or the Web
site and can also easily purchase them,” says Stacy Raskin, a
fourth-year English student. “This is essentially a good idea
because it saves you the trouble of going to Fred Segal or anywhere
else to search for celebrity wear.”
People can now purchase clothes partially designed by their
favorite celebrities.
Indeed, rather than eagerly waiting for designers to recreate
celebrity wear or squander time cruising for designer knock-offs,
fashion-conscious individuals can now purchase clothes partially
designed and modeled by their favorite celebrities.
“The Stars of Sabrina” marks the inauguration of
ShowStyle, and features 25-year-old actress Melissa Joan Hart, who
is the current star of the WB Network TV show “Sabrina, the
Teenage Witch,” and her co-stars, Soleil Moon Frye and Elisa
Donovan.
During an interview, Melissa Joan Hart reveals that ShowStyle is
a result of a long-standing demand created out of a consumer desire
for celebrity style.
“The fans have been asking for something like this for
years,” said Hart. “So now, fans who are asking
“˜Where did you get that outfit?’ can know how to get
it.”
These outfits worn by Hart, Frye and Donovan are not featured in
their television and movie appearances, but have been selectively
chosen by the stars to express their real-life personalities.
Their athletic approach to fashion exemplify both youthful
sensuality and energetic sportiness, trends that they find popular
with today’s young adults.
“As creative director, I work with the celebrity talent to
create products that reflect their styles and sensibilities,”
says Luca Scalisi, ShowStyle creative stylist.Â
“ShowStyle enables fans to connect with the celebrities
through the experience of fashion and clothes. When
(consumers) wear the same clothes, in a way, this is how
celebrities reach out to their fans,” Scalisi added.
Having been inaugurated into the fashion world about two months
ago, ShowStyle has been well received by the Hollywood community
and its fans. ShowStyle model Melissa Joan Hart strongly agrees
that the company has made a mark and will go far in the fashion
world.
“I believe the campaign will be a success. The three of us
(Hart, Frye and Donovan) have been big influences in fashion on all
of our past shows (“˜Clarissa,’ “˜Punky
Brewster’ and “˜Clueless’),” Hart said.
Although ShowStyle caters to fashion-driven consumers, star
appeal sometimes goes beyond dressing in celebrity fashion attire
and moves into the arena of character replication, where film and
television fans prefer to dress like the characters played out by
their favorite actors on screen.
However, to search in designer stores and pay for the attire
worn by the actors in their respective films and television shows
will be an expensive and time-consuming affair.
A solution to this fashion predicament appears in the guise of
It’s a Wrap! Production Wardrobe Sales ““ a Burbank
clothing outlet that serves as the largest public supplier of
production wardrobes in the city of Los Angeles.
Having opened 20 years ago, this store provides wardrobes off
the sets of fashion runways, commercials, film and television
shows, costing 35 percent to 95 percent off retail prices and
accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Located in the midst of motion picture studios, It’s a
Wrap! Production Wardrobe Sales gets a back-door supply from many
major production houses such as those of Warner Brothers, Universal
Studios and Disney.
From popular teen flicks such as “American Pie,” to
romantic comedies such as “Runaway Bride,” to the
action movies like “The Sixth Day,” procuring costumes
worn by fashion icons such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts and
Winona Ryder becomes a physical possibility and a dream come true
for fans of these Hollywood celebrities.
The fashion world of television hit shows such as
“Baywatch,” “Melrose Place,” and
“Spin City,” is definitely not left untouched in the
7,000 square-foot storage house of the Burbank store.
With the creation of It’s a Wrap! Production Wardrobe
Sales and the advent of ShowStyle, there shouldn’t be a need
for fashionistas to scour the designer stores for look-a-likes in
their quest of emulation, because real celebrity style waits for no
one.
FASHION: ShowStyle fashions are only available
through the company’s website www.ShowStyle.tv. It’s a Wrap!
Production Wardrobe Sales can be accessed at:
www.itsawraphollywood.com.