I'll never forget the tyranny of the Benetton sweater. That and those necklaces with three or four gold balls in the middle (attabeads? Add-a-Beads - thanks Fanny!) were all the rage in eight grade. Benetton sweaters were NOT cheap -- one sweater cost around $80, which felt like $8K when I was 13. Luckily for me, this was when I was working on getting kicked out of Harpeth Hall, an all-girls school in Nashville my parents thought would curb my rebellion. Since Harpeth Hall required us to wear uniforms except on "Duds Days," I could skate by with one or two Benetton sweaters. And while I remember making fun of a classmate who was so into horses she wore a shirt with an airbrushed image of her horse every Duds Day, I don't remember girls berating other girls for wearing the wrong designer. Fast forward to the days of Teen Vogue and kiddie couture, where girls tormenting other girls for wearing the wrong brand has become another way for "mean girls" to bully. From this Wall Street Journal article:

Dorothy Espelage, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who has studied teenage behavior for 14 years, says she has seen an increase in "bullying related to clothes." She attributes that to the proliferation of designer brands and the display of labels in ads. In the more than 20 states where she has studied teens, she has been surprised by how kids revere those they perceive to have the best clothes. Having access to designer clothing affords some kids "the opportunity to become popular -- and that protects you and gives you social power and leverage over others," she says....

...In one study, more than one-third of middle-school students responded "yes" when asked whether they are bullied because of the clothes they wear. Susan M. Swearer, associate professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, surveyed a total of more than 1,000 students at five Midwestern middle schools from 1999 to 2004, with about 56% of the sample female. While the prevalence of fashion bullies was greater in wealthy cities and towns, where more designer clothing is available, she found the problem is significant in poorer communities, too.

Can we bring back the DIY, be yourself ethos of Andie (Molly Ringwald's character) in "Pretty in Pink"? Does anyone know how SJP or Amanda Bynes's lower end lines are doing at Steve & Barry's?

Update: Ypulse reader Ryan wrote: "I noticed the Steve and Barry's mention at the end and have heard that none of their celebranded lines have done well, but it's part of a strategy shift as they are trying to go after more of the specialty market. From what I've heard from other people in the industry it's more of a long term move than anything they expect to see success with in the short term.

Posted by anastasia