Taylor Momsen Fronts Madonna’s Macy’s Line

Genius marketing move or synchronized shark jumping? Via BNET:

For the tween/teen fashion shoppers who think of Madonna as Lourdes’ mom, Macy’s (M) has hired its very own bad girl to be the face and boost the credibility of its Material Girls line for potential customers who are trying to cut the apron strings.

A fashion brand that has design input from Madonna and her 13-year-old daughter Lourdes Leon is bound to generate lots of publicity, which is what Macy’s was counting on when it signed up the singer via Iconix, the brand licensing company that works with Kohl’s (KSS) –- and, lately Britney Spears — on the Candie’s brand. Yet, a mom-and-daughter project may seem a little too quaint for some teens, even if Lourdes is referred to by her nickname of Lola in association with the brand.

So, enter Taylor Momsen, the punky, 16-year-old Gossip Girl actress and wannabe rocker who has distinguished herself from the rest of the cast by dragging on smokes and dropping F-bombs. Could Macy’s have found a better reflection of the breakout punky pop singing wannabe actress Madonna from the Reagan years? Maybe, but this one suits the breaking Material Girl advertising campaign, at least for now.

With Momsen, Macy’s and Iconix have hedged their bets nicely. In the Material Girl introduction, Macy’s can promote the edginess associated with the past Madonna and the current Momsen for teens who are traditionally skeptical about whatever mom wants them to wear, even if mom is Madonna. At the same time, it has the warm if not altogether fuzzy story of the Madonna/daughter collaboration to sell the moms of Material Girl’s target audience. They, after all, have ultimate control of the credit the cards that will determine if the brand lives up to Material Girl rolling-in-bucks aspirations.

If Momsen acts up - in the wrong way, that is - and turns out to be more of a hindrance than a help moving the brand as back to school progresses toward the holiday season, Macy’s can dump her in a flash. It’ll still have an ace in the hole with Lourdes, or Lola. The name used may depend upon how much damage Momsen has done and just how Macy’s wants to spin the line in the aftermath.

I have to admit: beyond finding Madonna to be sort of joylessly pursuing the shadow of her former notoriety these days, her devotion to all things Ed Hardy (not to mention her semi-disastrous tracksuit line for H&M some years back) make her a dubious choice to helm the latest celeb fashion line. As Stylelist points out, much like the lady herself, “the collection is a mishmash of Madonna’s greatest fashion hits from the early years.” Which is to say, an 80s retro meet not-quite-ready-for-Topshop look.

And then, there is the Momsen. Much like Little J, Momsen has been on a particularly bratty winning streak as of late, which does somehow does solidify her as a natural choice for spokesmodel.

My prediction? Despite the interesting marketing choices, this collection will most likely fizzle like those ill-fated velour tracksuits, especially when celeb-driven shoppers can find much more solid wardrobe pieces from the Olsens and Gwen Stefani. Madonna, of course, will keep on keeping on, Lourdes will remain one to watch, and Taylor Momsen? Well, that’s anyone’s guess, although the Courtney Love path is both a cheap shot and a good guess.

Your thoughts?

Image credit: Macy’s/Material Girl Collection

Exclusive Fashion Orbit Discount: 20% Off Mapel

Until July 31, Fashion Orbit readers can save 20% on all non-sale items at Mapel using the discount code ORBIT20.

Beyond carrying affordable boutique favorites like BB Dakota, Tulle and Alternative, Mapel has a newly expanded denim selection, including labels Citizens of Humanity, Joe’s Jeans and 7 For All Mankind.

We personally heart the favorite-tee-goes-luxe look of the Champagne Lace piece shown above (currently available at $34, $27.20 with discount). Some of our other favorites include:

• Best skinny jean with a heart of gold: 7 For All Mankind’s The Skinny in Indigo ($149; $119.20 with discount)
• Deceptively spendy looking (and vegan!) bag under a Benjamin: Compose’s Studded Brown Shopper ($68; $54.40 with discount)
• Best blue jean to be buried in: Citizens of Humanity’s Dita Petite Angel ($172; $137.60 with discount)
• Best sophisticated summer short: Tulle’s Canvas Shorts ($32; $25.60 with discount)
• Best piece to channel Blair Waldorf in: Champagne Lace’s Holiday Silk Headband ($18; $14.40 with discount)
• Best secret weapon for the board meeting: Pico’s Summer Shirt Dress ($52; $41.60 with discount)

The fine print: Take 20% off full-priced items at Mapel using the discount code ORBIT20. Offer expire July 31, 2010 and cannot be combined with any other promotions/discounts.

Item of the Day: BB Dakota’s Mesh Me Much Top

I’ve always had an odd fascination with the whole ecru netting ice-skater look, and judging by the recent preponderance of mesh items on Gossip Girl and the red carpet, it’s becoming more socially acceptable off the ice.

BB Dakota is always a good bet for cheap chic pieces, and I love this top’s combination of mesh and stripes, as well as the fab exposed oversized zipper detail at the back.

It’s a distinct possibility that this shirt may make me look like an extra from a Tim Burton film, but at $60, I’m willing to take the risk.

Currently available at $59.99.

Will Celebrity Stylists Go Extinct?

From The New York Observer:

Blake Lively, the tall, shapely, 21-year-old actress, wore a white, backless Roberto Cavalli dress to the opening of the Swarovski Crystallized store last week; a neon-pink strapless Michael Kors dress to the CFDA awards; and a fitted turtleneck dress to the Ralph Lauren show in February. These, everyone agreed, were good choices.

Her baby-blue, low-cut romper at the CW upfronts in May; the backless, one-sleeve, high-slit teal Versace number at the Met Costume gala; and the unflattering, eggplant Burberry Prorsum dress at the New Yorkers for Children benefit were not so well received.

Ms. Lively does not employ a stylist. Or so she says, anyway.

“She’s the one that looked like a mess in that Nina Ricci dress at the Golden Globes!” sniped celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch, who has worked with Halle Berry and Salma Hayek. “This is why you need a stylist. If you go to a designer, their goal is to get you out the door and on the red carpet in their gown come hell or high water. They’re never going to say, ‘This just might not be right for you.’”

And yet, Ms. Lively and other actresses, including her Gossip Girl co-star Taylor Momsen, Chloë Sevigny, MTV newbie Alexa Chung, and, sometimes, Kirsten Dunst, Natalie Portman, Tilda Swinton and Sarah Jessica Parker, are increasingly going directly to designers, visiting showrooms and runway shows, borrowing clothes and thereby cutting out the people who used to broker such deals.

Perhaps this has something to do with stylists like Mr. Bloch, the name-dropping Rachel Zoe, and TLC’s Stacey London, who once worked with Kate Winslet and Liv Tyler, becoming themselves the stars of shows about their industry—at times gaining more publicity than their clients—and, in a sense, destroying the mystery of how the stars’ looks were constructed.

Personal stylists are an easy line item to cut in the dwindling budgets of movie studios and major networks. (’Member when Ms. Johansson reportedly missed the Cannes premiere of Vicky Cristina Barcelona after the studio wouldn’t pay for her $4,000-a-day makeup artist?) “Ellen Pompeo and I had lunch a couple of weeks ago,” said Mr. Bloch. “And she said ABC gave her $500 for hair, makeup and stylist to go on Letterman to promote the next season of Grey’s Anatomy—that ain’t gonna cut it!”

It’s true: some of these celebs simply cannot be trusted to dress themselves, although there are people like Chloë Sevigny and Sofia Coppola who have been successfully making a go of it for quite some time.

I personally find it pretty irksome when a stylist sends out one of their clients to the red carpet in some boring and safe ensemble that any slightly discerning friend could have selected, given the array of wardrobe options available to most celebrities.

Photo credit: Us Magazine