No flash in the pants
Reba McEntire puts her stamp on her new fashion line
In the old days, country music artists were known mostly for the gaudy excesses in their wardrobes.
Head-to-toe rhinestones, multiple wigs, high-heeled boots: Nothing was too flashy or too much. They had to be seen from the back of an auditorium.
The old guard might be surprised today to see how dramatically the tide has turned.
Reba McEntire, the country singer and television star, is the name and voice behind a new clothing line bearing her name.
She is flying across the country this week on a promotional blitz to launch the label, which is moving into more than 100 Dillard's department stores. She will appear at a Reba fashion show at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Oak Park Mall store.
Even she is somewhat incredulous to find herself in the garment trade. When she was appearing in “Annie Get Your Gun” on Broadway a few years ago, she attended a designer's runway show in New York. A reporter asked her who her favorite designer was and after she thought for a moment, she said, “Levi's.”
McEntire repeats that story these days as a way of disclaiming any pretension to sophisticated style. She grew up on an Oklahoma ranch and made her debut in 1974 singing the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. She told Reader's Digest recently she once wanted so much to look like Dolly Parton she hired Parton's designer to make her sequined gowns.
When retail apparel executives approached her with this project about two years ago, her immediate response was “No.”
“I grew up wearing hand-me-downs,” she says in a telephone interview. “I knew nothing about fashion.”
But she knew what she liked. So she agreed to a meeting where for two hours stylists held up patterns and sketches. When they finished and turned to her, her verdict was to the point.
“I'm not going to put my name on any of that,” she told them. “I'm not going to put my name on something I wouldn't wear.”
She says: “I didn't like what they showed me. There were a lot of flimsy materials. They showed me a lot of prints. I don't wear prints very much. And I don't like flimsy fabrics.”
So she took matters into her own hands. She went home and searched through all the magazines and catalogs she could find. She tore out photos and sketches of clothing she liked and took it back to the apparel executives.
Now she regularly meets with a fashion stylist who shows her fabric swatches and drawings. She selects colors and comments on details. Sometimes she'll take out a pocket or lower a waistline.
“I like clothing that is tough, sexy and comfortable,” she says. “The thing that's most important is confidence.” When a woman feels good about what she is wearing she can get on with her day without worrying about how she looks, McEntire says.
Priced from $48 to $289, the line includes knit separates, work wear, casual items and novelty looks. Predominate colors this season include two of her favorites, pistachio green and blue.
It is billed as “affordable luxury,” and McEntire says she wants the styles to be versatile enough to appeal to her 11-year-old granddaughter as well as her 79-year-old mother.
The country music performer is considered a good fit for Dillard's because she is “multifaceted,” says Dillard's spokeswoman Julie Bull. McEntire is multitasking as a singer and star of her own television show (“Reba” on the WB) just as the Dillard's customer also has a busy, multitasking life, Bull says.
“We are constantly looking for ways to match our customer's lifestyle,” she says.
The line will be displayed in the stores in a special “Reba” boutique space surrounded by pale wood tone fixtures and promotional photos of the singer.
So far, McEntire says, her personal style has not changed much with her new venture. “I am wearing pinstriped pants now,” she says.
And she is paying more attention to people around her. “I want to see what everyone is wearing.”
Nor has her new career affected her life significantly. “My sister listens to me a little more now,” she says.
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
In the old days, country music artists were known mostly for the gaudy excesses in their wardrobes.
Head-to-toe rhinestones, multiple wigs, high-heeled boots: Nothing was too flashy or too much. They had to be seen from the back of an auditorium.
The old guard might be surprised today to see how dramatically the tide has turned.
Reba McEntire, the country singer and television star, is the name and voice behind a new clothing line bearing her name.
She is flying across the country this week on a promotional blitz to launch the label, which is moving into more than 100 Dillard's department stores. She will appear at a Reba fashion show at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Oak Park Mall store.
Even she is somewhat incredulous to find herself in the garment trade. When she was appearing in “Annie Get Your Gun” on Broadway a few years ago, she attended a designer's runway show in New York. A reporter asked her who her favorite designer was and after she thought for a moment, she said, “Levi's.”
McEntire repeats that story these days as a way of disclaiming any pretension to sophisticated style. She grew up on an Oklahoma ranch and made her debut in 1974 singing the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. She told Reader's Digest recently she once wanted so much to look like Dolly Parton she hired Parton's designer to make her sequined gowns.
When retail apparel executives approached her with this project about two years ago, her immediate response was “No.”
“I grew up wearing hand-me-downs,” she says in a telephone interview. “I knew nothing about fashion.”
But she knew what she liked. So she agreed to a meeting where for two hours stylists held up patterns and sketches. When they finished and turned to her, her verdict was to the point.
“I'm not going to put my name on any of that,” she told them. “I'm not going to put my name on something I wouldn't wear.”
She says: “I didn't like what they showed me. There were a lot of flimsy materials. They showed me a lot of prints. I don't wear prints very much. And I don't like flimsy fabrics.”
So she took matters into her own hands. She went home and searched through all the magazines and catalogs she could find. She tore out photos and sketches of clothing she liked and took it back to the apparel executives.
Now she regularly meets with a fashion stylist who shows her fabric swatches and drawings. She selects colors and comments on details. Sometimes she'll take out a pocket or lower a waistline.
“I like clothing that is tough, sexy and comfortable,” she says. “The thing that's most important is confidence.” When a woman feels good about what she is wearing she can get on with her day without worrying about how she looks, McEntire says.
Priced from $48 to $289, the line includes knit separates, work wear, casual items and novelty looks. Predominate colors this season include two of her favorites, pistachio green and blue.
It is billed as “affordable luxury,” and McEntire says she wants the styles to be versatile enough to appeal to her 11-year-old granddaughter as well as her 79-year-old mother.
The country music performer is considered a good fit for Dillard's because she is “multifaceted,” says Dillard's spokeswoman Julie Bull. McEntire is multitasking as a singer and star of her own television show (“Reba” on the WB) just as the Dillard's customer also has a busy, multitasking life, Bull says.
“We are constantly looking for ways to match our customer's lifestyle,” she says.
The line will be displayed in the stores in a special “Reba” boutique space surrounded by pale wood tone fixtures and promotional photos of the singer.
So far, McEntire says, her personal style has not changed much with her new venture. “I am wearing pinstriped pants now,” she says.
And she is paying more attention to people around her. “I want to see what everyone is wearing.”
Nor has her new career affected her life significantly. “My sister listens to me a little more now,” she says.
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
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