Lauren Conrad - Not Just Another Celebrity Putting Out Another Clothing Line

[Mercury News] - Lauren Conrad wants you to know she's not just another celebrity putting out another clothing line. Really.

Despite being Orange County's best-known reality TV star, Conrad says, fashion is something she's had her heart set on, even before starring in MTV's "Laguna Beach: The Real O.C." and now "The Hills," which follows Conrad's pursuit of a fashion career.
Conrad's eponymous clothing line recently made its online debut with 10 pieces for fall. A full launch with a bigger collection will come this spring.
"Fashion is something I've always wanted to do, ever since the sixth grade," the 21-year-old says in her trademark husky rasp.

In person, Conrad appears a polished version of the archetypal California girl: sun-kissed skin, blue (sometimes green) eyes with strong brows, and flaxen hair tied in a loose ponytail.
While she posed for a photo shoot at her working studio in Santa Monica, just two days after presenting an award to Justin Timberlake at the MTV Video Music Awards, chatter with her publicists revolved around Britney's comeback performance and the evening's fashion hits and misses.

"Your dress was sooo cute," they cooed, referring to the white and silver sequined sheath Conrad designed herself. Conrad also designed the strapless teal bubble dress she donned for the Teen Choice Awards in August. She's been able to ride the wave of her reality TV fame and continues to raise her profile: She's the spokeswoman for mark, a line of makeup for younger women by Avon, and is working on a handbag collection with Linea Pelle. During the shoot, Conrad's publicist asked whether Conrad was up for being on the cover of Shape magazine. In a swimsuit. "With a week's notice?" Conrad asked dubiously. "I'm going to need a month or two to prepare for that."

The media exposure isn't slowing down any. She was on the cover of the October issue of Seventeen magazine and is a regular fixture in US Weekly and is often mentioned on PerezHilton.com. Still, it's the clothing line in particular that signifies the start of what she hopes to be a lasting career. "This is something I want to continue to do, long after the show ends," she says.

The Lauren Conrad collection is filled with slinky jersey dresses and flowy tops, and each piece looks like something Conrad would wear either to the beach or out to dinner. That's exactly what she intended. She says she decided to use her name for the label because all the fashion designers she admired, like Phillip Lim, Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs and Cynthia Vincent, had clothing collections in their names, too.

Each garment in her collection is named after a friend, so there are dresses named after her "Hills" co-stars, like the Audrina and the Whitney. "The clothes really fit my personality. I like comfortable, beachy clothes that can also be dressed up, too." Moving from Laguna Beach to Hollywood has influenced and changed her style a bit. In high school, Conrad says, girls lived in Juicy Couture sweats and designer handbags.

"O.C. is definitely a lot more casual and label-oriented," she says. "I used to wear only tanks and jeans but now I love dressing more girlie and wearing more dresses. There's a lot more mixing it up in L.A., more of an anything goes style." Churning out her own line of apparel was a "really cool" process that allowed her to use what she's been learning at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (she's majoring in product development) and what she's picked up while interning at Teen Vogue.

She's aware of the opportunities and doors that have opened because of the show. MTV has partnered with Conrad for her fashion line for two years. After that, the line will belong exclusively to her. "Right now, I'm just trying to build up the brand and build up the image," she says. "The real test will be whether women out there who will buy my clothes." The limited fall collection will only be available online at Shoplaurenconrad.com., but the spring collection will be available at Shopbop.com. and selected specialty retailers. Prices range from $40 to $180.