High-End Fashion for the Average Woman

Luxury fashions don't have to wipe out a bank account.

Isaac Mizrahi, Vera Wang and Daisy Fuentes are but a few designers who have chic lines at affordable prices, including trendy fashions that cost less than $25.

Actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Ashley Judd, as well as athletes Venus Williams and Stephon Marbury, have their own lines of affordable designer fashions at reasonable costs.

Ms. Parker's line, Bitten, is sold exclusively at Steve & Barry's.

Bitten jeans sell for $10, novelty tees are $6 and a corduroy blazer is $20.

"Sarah Jessica chose to partner with Steve & Barry's because she loved the philosophy of providing high-quality merchandise at the lowest possible price point, essentially changing the mindset of what great clothes should cost," said Howard Schacter, Steve & Barry's chief partnership officer. "She doesn't want clothing to cost more than groceries."

Nothing at the store sells for more than $20. Mr. Marbury's Starbury basketball sneakers are $15.

Thanks to Target, fashionable women of all socioeconomic backgrounds are wearing Isaac Mizrahi designs. The well-known designer launched his Isaac Mizrahi for Target line in August 2003.

"I used to think my job was about coming up with a new, bold, crazy look every six months, making something fabulous and pretty for my friends and the models," Mr. Mizrahi told the Wall Street Journal. "I did this blended wool toggle coat with a pink quilted lining for $50, and Target sold something like 17,000 of them."

Quality clothing at affordable prices attracts people from all backgrounds, retailers said.

"We're a cool, hip store that appeals to a younger shopper but is accessible to anyone of any age and background," Mr. Schacter said. "At Steve & Barry's, shoppers will find brands they can't find anywhere else at astonishing values. Our stores have been well received in rural, urban and suburban communities throughout the country."

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student Emily Hollis, 21, was surprised at the quality of the fashions and the prices.

"I couldn't believe the costs," she said after her first shopping experience at Steve & Barry's. "I had heard about the store from a friend, and I particularly like Sarah Jessica Parker's clothes. I'm a college student, and the low prices and cute clothes are really good for me."

New designs are added to the Bitten collection four times a year, Mr. Schacter said. "The biggest two seasons for this are spring and fall, with smaller infusions added for summer and holiday/winter."

The Ashley Judd Collection, which launched last summer at Goody's Family Clothing, includes jeans, tops, casual and career wear, accessories and holiday fashions. According to www.styledash.com, the actress had a hand in developing the value-priced line, which is meant to reflect the style of the modern Southern woman.

"I partnered with Goody's to create the Ashley Judd Collection; simple, elegant styles and attention to detail that make it easy for today's busy woman to look beautiful," she said on http://shopgoodys.com/. The line ranges in price from $20 to $50.

"With $5,000, I could go to Rodeo Drive and buy a great-looking outfit, but what's the value? I could also go spend $300 and look equally good and feel great -- like I've really gotten something," said Pam Danziger, author of "Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury for the Masses as Well as the Classes," on http://lifestyle.msn.com. "The luxury market should be nervous because the bottom's moving up."

Source: Chattanooga Times/Free Press. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. Powered by Yellowbrix.