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Fashion is art because it’s self-expression and helps a person to form their identity. Celebrities aren’t different from this; they just have a different price tag! Celebs have access to luxury fashion through both designers and off-the-rack items. Sometimes, they can even get custom or vintage pieces from the archives.
Celebrity fashion is so important to us because it inspires us to recreate our looks, follow trends, and look for cheaper alternatives. Therefore, fashion magazines and social media pages focus on celebrity fashion for an affordable price bracket, although their fashion still varies in price and taste depending on the occasion.
Celebrity streetwear is much easier to create because the pieces tend to be capsule pieces and it’s possible to dress more like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid. For events, celebrities often dress in formal designer outfits because designers invite them to wear their clothes. After all, this gains them publicity, particularly in outlets like Vogue and Elle.
However, event formalwear does depend on the kind of event. For award shows like The Grammys and MTV Music Awards, celebrities may be loaned outfits – frequently more fun ones with a less strict dress code. For the Met Gala, outfits will be over the top and involve multiple fittings and accessories to suit that year’s theme.
Celebrities also often attend charity events, where fashion is understated so it doesn’t overshadow the cause. However, in active charity events, celebrity fashion will change according to what the activity is. If it’s sporty, celebrities may wear designer activewear or sponsor-approved clothing. If it’s something more upmarket like a charity poker game, it’ll be a balance between glamour and comfortable fashion.
We often associate casinos with high-end, luxury clothes, but that isn’t all we should be thinking about! The swish tuxes and cocktail dresses may look amazing, but they’re not the whole calculation. Celebrities who have participated in charity events where they play casino games for real money need to be comfortable at the table. In photos from events like this, you will often see celebrities in evening attire but in a dressed-down state, especially if they are playing games like poker.
Poker requires intense focus, and so fashion will need to reflect that. Think T-shirts over blazers, simple cocktail dresses, and maybe jeans. Depending on whether they are attending or participating in games, the fashion will be between a black tie and a smart casual dress code.
If it is just a casino event, black tie would be more appropriate, as casinos often have a dress code for guests. However, as fashion continues to develop, so does celebrity access to it, with collaborations, events, and endorsements, which we will explore in this article.
Celeb fashion collaborations
Once brands realized the power of celebrity fashion collaborations, they started to work with them more. Because household names are recognizable, they are also profitable when making fashion collections that reflect a particular style. Beyonce’s Ivy Park range that she designed for Nike was one of the top athletic fashion lines for years. Even Rihanna hopped on the street style trend, collaborating with Puma on another collection in 2023.
More high-end collaborations are also a part of celebrity fashion collaborations. Kim Kardashian’s collection for Balenciaga received a lot of publicity thanks to The Kardashians TV show. People yearn to dress like the stars, so when there is a collaboration with a brand, star power helps the designer succeed.
The launch of celebrity fashion brands.
Celebrity fashion brands aren’t new, but their mainstream success is. Kim Kardashian, for example, is the founder of the shapewear brand Skims. Rihanna is also the founder of her own lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty, which has become one of the most recognizable brands of its kind out there.
High-end fashion brands also became popular among celebrities with that vibe. Victoria Beckham founded her brand with her name selling high-end fashion pieces. As did Stella McCartney, whose fashion brand focused on capsule clothing and accessories.
Some celebrities have even delved into high-end fashion, with Victoria Beckham running a high-end fashion brand for years and Stella McCartney doing the same with stores globally.
However, the best celebrity clothing brands have been the ones that offer something signature. Skims, as previously mentioned, tapped into a niche market of people who love shapewear. Kim Kardashian was known to wear shapewear to accentuate her figure, so the Skims brand felt authentic. Combined with her fame and campaigns for Skims, she made it extremely successful.
Also key to the success of celebrity fashion is keeping a “luxury” price tag. Selling items at a premium has made celebrity brands more desirable, as has stocking them in designer shops like Selfridges and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Influence on everyday
The celebrity influence on everyday fashion has also become a huge part of social media, with apps like Pinterest and Tumblr letting folks pin images of certain celebrities just for their outfits. On Tumblr, this was evident with Kylie Jenner, known for her grunge and edgy fashion at the time. On Pinterest, there was a larger focus on street style, with models like Alexa Chung and Lauren Conrad becoming unintentional style icons for users.
Specific styles became popularized by celebrity fashion, especially in America. The trend of athleisure (wearable athletics clothes for every day) propelled a movement of yoga pants and gym leggings on the streets.
To an extent, celebrity fashion even helped create new athleisure brands and caused a resurgence for some. New athleisure brands have popped up and have become all the rage among influencers and celebrities. Alo Yoga and Tala are some of those founded in recent years that you’ll spot on the Instagram stories.
Similarly, celebrities wearing athleisure made the trend come back and caused a new obsession with older brands like LuluLemon.