Smells Like Teen Fashion - The Hottest Teen Idols and Their Celebrity Fashion Design Labels

You've got to love today's teen idols. They sing. They dance. They act. And they design clothes. They might not have two years of fashion school under their belts, but their legions of fans represent sizable buying power, so it's inevitable that these celebrities would lend their names to a label. However, even the most popular teen idols don't necessarily find success with their namesake brands. As with any fashion line, it takes a well-designed, marketable product to be a success. Let's take a look at ten of the most notable celebrity fashion lines by teen idols, some that have become wildly successful, and some that have fizzled.

Avril Lavigne. Lavigne's "Abbey Dawn" clothing line for Kohl's is one of the retailer's best-selling brands. Her signature pieces include skinny jeans, hoodies, and graphic tees. She even collaborated with Disney for an "Alice in Wonderland" inspired collection, demonstrating the strength of the Abbey Dawn line. One reason the singer's line is so successful is because she has always been known for her offbeat fashion as much as she has for her music.

Gwen Stefani. Unlike most celebrities who launch fashion labels, Stefani actually has roots in fashion design. She comes from a long line of seamstresses, and she created most of the outfits she wore on stage as No Doubt's lead singer. It's no wonder that with this expertise, her "L.A.M.B." line has become one of the most critically respected and financially successful celebrity brands in history, with sales of more than $90 million a year.

Miley Cyrus. She's already conquered the worlds of television, movies, and music, so the teen idol is out to rock the fashion design world as well. She's teamed with Max Azria of BCBG for the "Miley and Max" line for Walmart, a mix of boho chic and English rocker looks.

Justin Timberlake. Just as Timberlake transcended boy band teen idol status to become a global superstar, his clothing label "William Rast" has gone beyond being only a celebrity line of denim. It is now a high-end lifestyle brand encompassing leather jackets, outerwear, and tops for both men and women. The brand has become so successful, William Rast flagship stores have opened in Los Angeles and Santa Clara, California. Perhaps one reason William Rast has succeeded is that Timberlake hired actual fashion designers to develop the collection.

Lindsay Lohan. A stint as Artistic Advisor for Emanuel Ungaro resulted in a critically panned collection. Although she has parted ways with Ungaro, she continues with her own "6126" line. Originally just a line of leggings, 6126 now features dresses and bodysuits inspired by Marilyn Monroe.

Taylor Swift. The multi Grammy-winning teen queen partnered with clothing label LEI to create a line of $14 sundresses that were sold exclusively at Walmart. After one season, the line was no longer available at the store.

Mandy Moore. The once tween pop star and actress branched into fashion with her line "Mblem," a brand of contemporary knitwear and cashmere that sold in high-end boutiques and department stores. After three years, she pulled the plug on the line, saying she would get back into fashion when she found a partnership that reflected her ideas, which was not happening with Mblem.

Hilary Duff. The "Lizzy McGuire" star's first foray into fashion was her clothing line "Stuff by Hilary Duff," which was sold through Target. The company soon expanded its business to include furniture, fragrance and jewelry, but Duff eventually discontinued the line when she felt she did not have full creative control anymore. She then launched "Femme for DKNY" in a partnership with Donna Karan, which sold very well.

Lauren Conrad. After attending fashion college at FIDM and interning at Teen Vogue. the reality TV star developed "The Lauren Conrad Collection," which was carried at trendy boutiques like Kitson. Because of lackluster sales, however, the line was discontinued. Undaunted, she is now in Kohl's stores with the affordably priced "LC Lauren Conrad" line.

Ashley & Mary-Kate Olsen. The ultimate celebrity entrepreneurs, the Olsen Twins became fashion icons with their boho chic style, and are all over the fashion design landscape with several labels targeted to different markets. Besides a clothing line for Walmart, they've launched a couture label called "The Row," as well as a contemporary line called "Elizabeth and James," named after their siblings.

Teen idols come and go, and so do their fashion labels. But it looks like the trend of celebrity fashion designers are here to stay.

If you've dreamed of launching your own fashion label, an education at a fashion design school can help you towards your goal. Visit FIDM/ Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising for more info.

Paris Fashion Week - Who Says Paris Is Best In The Springtime?

You haven't lived until you've been to Paris in the winter -- during Fashion Week of course! It may be cold and rainy, but Paris is always beautiful, and buzzing with excitement at a myriad of fashion shows, expositions and parties that even us mere mortals of the public can attend. And, if you're lucky, you'll get to brush elbows with celebrities and fashion world icons who jet-set over from the prior Fashion Weeks in New York, London and Milan.

The Fall/Winter Paris Prêt-a-Porter Fashion Week is the most prominent trade event for the fashion industry, when Fall fashions are rolled-out as a season preview for the world's biggest retail buyers who're scrambling to place their orders for fashion, handbags, jewelry, shoes, hats and cosmetics. Unlike other large industry convention hall tradeshows, Fashion Week is orchestrated citywide at some of Paris' most prominent points of interest.

This year from February 25th to March 4th, top designers and fashion design students staged fashion extravaganzas ranging from the pinnacle of good taste to the surreal. Among the selected sites, were the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Musée de l'Homme, le Champs-Elysee, le Tour Montparnasse, place du Trocadéro, Théâtre du Châtelet, and La Sorbonne.

Winter Paris Fashion Week 2007 took place February 26 through March 4, and featured everyone who's anyone in the designer world, including long-time Parisian favorites Chanel, Dior, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix and Givenchy.

Ah, the drama! Aside from the expected eccentric styles and surreal shows, more than a few eyebrows raised when an animal rights protestor stormed the catwalk nude in response to this year's apparent return to use of fur as a luxury material.

London designer Stella McCartney (daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney), then made headlines for her "fur-free" show, showcasing warm alternatives to fur, with models clad in taffetas, satins, knitwear and cashmere.

Emanuel Ungaro's Peter Dundas got everyone ready to hit the discos with his collection designed to celebrate night clubbing. Decked-out in plenty of bling and leather, the models strutted and slinked down the runway.

The most controversial show of the week had to be that of Viktor & Rolf. Dutch design partners Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, are renowned for elaborate, wildly-imaginative shows. This year, they invented awkward contraptions that the models had to balance delicately, which were fitted with lighting and music as a kind of "personal fashion show." The designs were somewhat gothic, reminding one of the movie Van Helsing. The poor models were also required to were stylized wooden clogs, which clip-clopped loudly as they paraded carefully down the runway.

Expectedly, there were WWII and ancient war themes in many of the fashion collections this year, incorporating tall boots, leather, fur, fatigue green, body armor, medallions and epaulettes. Even Jean Paul Gaultier revealed models wearing Scottish tartans with stylized Mohawks, as if going into battle.

Also during Fashion Week, the exclusive Paris boutique Colette, celebrated its 10th anniversary by inviting 10 art curators to spotlight a talent gallery-style on one of it's walls. It was a fabulous way to show off it's ultra-trendy collection of music CDs, shoes, handbags, branded water and accessories. The boutique is also renown for glamorous parties, art exhibits and dance classes, and definitely worth a visit when you're in Paris.

Speaking of accessories, Nokia decided to unveil its Nokia 7373 Special Edition fashion phones by designer Giambattista Valli at Fashion Week, at the "Dress-your-Nokia-in-Giambattista Valli" Party. For the label-conscious, this is a must-have phone. Each one comes pre-loaded with a "behind the scenes" video for a glimpse into the life and inspiration of the designer, along with a selection of Valli graphics and the exclusive ring-tone, "Rhodium."

Next year is sure to hold more fun and surprises. For sure, Paris in March is the place to be!

Mimi O'Connor is a contributing writer for Welcome2France a Paris corporate housing [http://www.welcome2france.com/short-term-corporate-apartment-in-paris.php] service.

Fashion Trends Followed by Hip Hop Celebrities

The lifestyle of the rich and famous personalities determines how much fashion trends they follow. Most of these celebrities get famous for their unique style of their own clothing line and accessories they wear. Apart from music and dance talent, they are considered as the all-around entertainment personality and an eventual fashion image at the same time. Hip Hop celebrity is a combination of fashion with a classy style, attitude and sophisticated music performer.

The fashion line they follow has a unique collection of ultra stylish accessories, shoes and clothing with exclusive patterns, radiant colors, and fabrics. These urban wear can be chosen from wide range of variety for both men and women. The best trendy clothes are more preferable by the people which make them stand apart and can be easily recognized with their choice of clothes. They simply show an attitude with a style in comfort.

The clothing wear by today's youth is the most of the clothing worn by celebrities. Such clothing is inspired by music and fashion. Whether they are spending holidays or just relaxing, youth love to be in such fashion. Celebrities clothing gives cool looks and sheer comfort. The celebrity wear consists of entire range of clothing. It includes jackets, t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, shirts, track pants, thermal wear etc. They all are available for both men and women in its unique style and cut.

Hip hop artists prefer to have sport flashy design watches which exactly suits the glamorous and funky style of the famous personalities. They are designed exclusively for superbly looking men and women. These cool, sporty and branded watches match the outfits of the celebrities. You can even find these artists with an exclusive collection of fashionable watches.

The hip hop celebrities can never be seen without their accessories. The number of well-known hip hop artists has always received a lot of attention and enjoy getting noticed for their diamonds watches and stainless steel accessories. They are considered as their favorite materials and seem perfect with their personality.

If you want to know about the happenings in the celebrity world, just have a look on the numerous websites available exclusively to join celebrity gossips. At such places, you can enjoy and get information about latest fashion, celebrity news, entertainment news, rap music news and gossip on celebrity. They are loaded with free listening songs, new songs, new rap songs, their reviews and cover all latest hip hop news. These websites are updated frequently and tightly focused on the hip hop lifestyle. Whatever detail you want for your favorite celebrities, just click and get satisfied answers related to your questions. They are actually a one stop shop for albums, music videos, events, fashion, gossips, TV shows and plenty of pictures for every celebrity.

Whatever your clothing style is, but the stylish and trendy urban wear of celebrities will surely give you a new look and attitude!

I intends to have the largest repository of all content Hip Hop, all young Hip Hop Artists, music & merchandise which is accessible to all Hip Hop Celebrities

The Fashion Style of Miley Cyrus

The fashion style of Miley Cyrus is something that is being copied in teenager's homes across the country. Even "tweens" and younger children's fashions have been influenced by this singing, dancing, acting phenomenon. Whether as herself or her alter ego "Hannah Montana," young ladies are clamoring to share in the fashion style of Miley Cyrus.

Miley Cyrus lives a pretty glamorous life for a teenager, and her fashion style definitely reflects this. In front of the cameras when she's attending a movie premier or appearing on the red carpet at music awards, the fashion style of Miley Cyrus is always exciting and fresh. From flannel to chiffon, her vivacious spirit adds sparkle to everything she wears.

"Kids are crazy about Miley Cyrus and they can't get enough of her and I must admit the kid has style"

-Tracy Montgomery Public Relations for Harper-Arrington Publishing

The teen star is always on the cutting edge of fashion, and she is a bit of a chameleon. She can go from girl-next-door to sultry young lady while barely batting a false eyelash. While she does have a variety of looks, the fashion style of Miley Cyrus is a very put-together one. She is styled from head to toe, and no detail seems to go unnoticed.

For example, her luscious chestnut mane is always shining and healthy, which is quite a feat considering the variety of styles she's able to create with the long locks. It certainly helps her achieve her different looks. Sometimes pulled back, sometimes cascading in curls, her hair makes a fabulous accessory to any outfit.

Of course, there are the clothes themselves. From plaids to polka dots and from plain to prints, Miley Cyrus can wear just about any look. She seems to shy a bit from pastels, and maybe it's because the brighter colors match her personality. Her thin frame also affects her clothing choices. She is one of the fortunate celebrities who truly does look good in a pair of leggings, and skinny jeans certainly do their job on her body.

The fashion style of Miley Cyrus has a lot to do with layering the look. She can often be seen sporting a funky jacket over the top of a colorful tank, with a low-slung belt to accent her waist. Boots ranging from Uggs to the cowboy variety are common in her ensembles, although she's certainly not above a classy high heel. She looks adorable all winter in scarves and knitted caps, and summer sees her in cute designer tees and the occasional strapless top. Each look is generally polished with the perfect jewelry, such as some cute hoops in her ears or a few bangles around her wrists. No matter what the ensemble, though, she manages not to overdo it with accessories.

"She has a lot of style and her influence seems to be rubbing off on teen girls around the country." -Jay Arrington

There are entire websites devoted to helping young ladies imitate the fashion style of Miley Cyrus. They analyze what she's wearing and then find similar styles at stores all over the world. The result is a shopping guide for those who want to emulate the singer's look. This famous pop star is certainly a major trendsetter when it comes to teen fashion.

Lance Smith Public Relations and Fashion writer for StartingaClothingLine.com and Digital Fashion Pro fashion designing software.