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UNLIKE
the closets of most style celebrities, Kate Moss’
coveted wardrobe is not about her turn on the red carpet
or her image peering out from the cover of almost every
fashion magazine. For Moss it’s those moments in between
all the glamor that are indeed her most glamorous ones.
From
paparazzi snaps of her early days in quirky baby blue
Adidas shell toes with tube socks to her recent fling
with beaded Versace mini-dresses and Manolos, she has
fascinated both the fashion industry and the
style-obsessed. She’s been a muse to designers including
Alexander McQueen and Christopher Bailey at Burberry,
photographer Mario Testino and endless wannabes on both
sides of the Atlantic.
Now,
with enormous fanfare, Moss has released her own
collection of clothing and accessories. With her kind of
fashion clout, it could easily have been priced into the
stratosphere, but instead Moss is collaborating with the
British cheap-chic chain Top Shop. (Around these parts,
Top Shop is in the retail landscape courtesy of retail
giant Robinsons.—Ed.) Once again, Moss is right in the
moment. Cash or credit? Kate chose cash.
The
collection ranges from $20 for a cotton racer-back tank
to $278 for a one-shoulder pleated dress. It went on
sale last Tuesday at Top Shop in London (where shoppers
are limited to five Moss items each). It hits the US on
Wednesday. Barneys New York, Barneys Co-Ops and
Barneys.com will carry a pared-down selection without
the accessory line. The boutique Opening Ceremony in Los
Angeles and New York will carry what co-owner Humberto
Leon calls “a good selection of the line,” about 50
styles in all, plus bags, scarves and shoes. Leon says
that his store is getting at least 20 calls daily from
eager customers who want “any information on it they
can.”
The full
line will also be on sale starting Wednesday at
www.topshop.com (assuming the Brits haven’t completely
wiped out the stock by then).
Moss’
inspiration is clearly her own closet, and why not? Some
of her most memorable (and notorious) moments are
captured in the collection. There are skinny red jeans
($115), which are playfully reminiscent of the ones she
wore in a huff, walking out of the hotel room she and
Johnny Depp had just trashed. The denim hot pants ($102)
are a lot like the ones she wore with lace-up suede
moccasins while swigging beer from a plastic cup at the
Glastonbury music festival in England with current beau
Pete Doherty.
The
collection channels her brilliant ability to do
“high-low” with an injection of devil-may-care attitude.
It’s equal parts ingenue, vintage queen and lead
groupie, shown best in striped sailor front hot pants, a
black mini-dress with rectangular cutouts above the
chest, and a midriff-baring lace-up vest. If you’re not
into showing so much skin, there are more conservative
pieces such as striped gray trousers, a sweet
‘40s-inspired floral dress and a replica of a canary
yellow one-shoulder vintage dress Moss wore to a recent
magazine party, this time done in a crisp white Swiss
dot.
The
accessories range from clutches to boots to sandals—all
with her stamp of style. Red lace-up gladiator sandals
and knee-high moccasin boots have a ‘70s flair, and a
gold sequined scarf certainly channels your inner wild
child.
Or at
least the fantasy of having your own life of jet-set
days and debauched nights. And maybe that’s what
everyone’s really lining up for: the hope that by
wearing “her” clothes, we might gain the confidence to
dance on a table or shrug off the paparazzi just like
Kate does, with grace and, of course, style. |
