[IMG:L]It was a madhouse for Dollhouse Thursday when the fashion label teamed with Paris Hilton to unveil a new clothing line collaboration at the famous celebrity one-stop-shop Kitson in West Hollywood last week.
Arriving on Paris time, which means fashionably late (almost an hour, by the way), the one-time jailbird-turned-fashion muse, stepped out of her black SUV in one of her very own Paris Hilton gold paillette dresses and onto the red carpet to hundreds of awaiting fans and paparazzi.
“I love things that stand out. I love sequins and I love bright colors so I put all my ideas down on paper and I am so excited about it,” Hilton explained.
Always creating chaos wherever she goes, Paris had another run-in with the local police. Only this time they weren’t pulling her over–they were stopping traffic for her. Police–six black-and-white’s worth, as well as a hovering helicopter–were called in to help control a growing crowd desperate to catch a glimpse of the Simple Life star and a lane of traffic on trendy Robertson Boulevard was closed for all the star-spotting pedestrians.
Several members of the crowd outside had pre-purchased a $100 voucher to gain entry into the boutique–with proceeds going to the Los Angeles Childrens Hospital–and get personal style suggestions on what to buy from the heiress herself, who walked them through the store pointing out the items that she thought suited them best.
[IMG:R]And according to Paris, the fans shared the same assessment of her designs. “Everyone really loves it. It’s really comfortable, it’s really affordable,” she said. “It’s a dream come true to have my own clothing line. It’s just Paris style—fun, bright and flashy.”
The introduction line is all about skinny jeans, t-shirts, flowy tops and glittery dresses. And we all know Paris is known for wearing designer duds, but these aren’t at designer prices. You can buy your very own Paris t-shirt (seriously, with her name and face on the front) or tops emblazoned with her apparent motto “Luv Thy Self” for only $34, up to $140 for a dress.
The 20-piece collection is chalk full of stretchy skinny jeans in silver and dark denim ($88), bright and billowy silk charmeuse tops ($88), cotton tees, and gold and silver paillette tops and dresses. It’s all about mixing, matching and layering.
Deke Jamieson, senior vice president of marketing for Paris Hilton for Dollhouse, said in his experience Paris is the most marketable celebrity and her sense of style is truly unique. “This whole thing is inspired by Paris—her closet. She has been so involved in this entire process—from the design component, to putting scrapbooks together, from putting together materials and fabrics, from going shopping with us, she’s so inspirational… we’d be at her house at midnight, two o’clock in the morning going over the products,” he said.
From late-night outings with Britney Spears and buying new puppies to behind bars and laying on the beach in Malibu, who knew Paris had so much time on her hands?
[IMG:L]But this collection, Jamieson said, is all about work and play. “This whole idea is to be right in her closet to your closet. So every possible, conceivable place you want to go, you’re going to have the right clothing for it,” he said.
Kitson owner Frasier Ross is expecting the line to sell out in the store. Even in its first few hours online, Kitson already sold 100 pieces. “The line is Paris. She’s a fashion walking hanger, she’s a fashionista,” Ross said.
A huge fan of Kitson herself, even though she now knows where to buy her own clothes, Paris has never needed an excuse to come into the store. According to Frasier, she loves the shop’s accessories, headbands, and another celeb’s line—L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani. Even other celebrities are getting in on the Paris clothing line fanfare. Frazier said just the other day Rihanna’s stylist bought the songstress a Paris Hilton plaid button-down for a photo shoot.
“She’s been such a supporter of Kitson over the years and we want to support Paris like she has supported us. You know, the Paris fans relate Paris to Kitson, so it is the perfect place to launch it. And this is Robertson Boulevard where the paparazzi are, and the fans come when they get off the airplane and they can feel comfortable in this store,” he said.
[IMG:R]Paris also discussed other matters in her life. When asked if she’d be designing some maternity wear for her famous pal and Simple Life co-star Nicole Richie, she said she hasn’t thought about that yet. And the pending sale of her Hollywood Hills home: “It’s really an incredible house. I had a great time there, but I need some privacy.”
Kitson will display a new Paris collection every month, and in the spring Dollhouse will introduce the first Paris Hilton activewear collection. And for those of you who can’t make it from around the world to Kitson, the Paris Hilton collection will also be sold at Macy’s and Nordstrom.
