10 Celebrities Turned Fashion Designers

In the world of celebrity fashion, her line is surprisingly successful

(NEWSER) - When you think of Jessica Simpson, "savvy businesswoman" is probably not the very first phrase to come to mind. But the singer-actress's fashion empire did $750 million in sales last year, and with the additions planned for this year, sales will probably surpass $1 billion. That's about the same volume in sales as Michael Kors, New York reports. So how did she do it?

• She's directly involved: Simpson, or her mother, approves every single item in her collection.
• She doesn't focus on the "celebrity" part of the line: After all, most other celebrity fashion lines have failed miserably. "When it comes to other celebrity brands, I think a lot of people do a great job, but it can’t be all about them," Simpson explains. "Everybody doesn’t want to just look like the celebrity, because they can’t. They just want one element of that style.”

6126 is not just for leggings anymore

(NEWSER) - Lindsay Lohan may not be doing much acting nowadays, but her fashion universe continues to expand. Her once leggings-only label, 6126, is set to launch a full apparel line in fall 2010, Women’s Wear Daily reports. In typical Lilo fashion, she tweeted the news: “i need MORE followers i am so sad about this, how can I tell everyone about my 6126 full collection COMING OUT! all clothing.” Cosmetics, handbags, shoes, and jewelry will follow in spring 2011. More»

Lindsay Lohan's collection for Emanuel Ungaro has few fans, to say the least

(NEWSER) - Lindsay Lohan made her fashion debut yesterday at the Emanuel Ungaro show, and the fact that her acting got the better review shows just how awful it was: “We love Lindsay Lohan—as an actress. Period,” one art director tells the New York Times. “Call the fashion police!” Lohan took a fashion house known for $1,500 dresses and turned it into a showcase for sequin-covered pasties. More from the show: More»

For celeb designers like Timberlake, recession means hard times for fashion lines

(NEWSER) - The latest casualty of the economic crisis: celebrity clothing lines. “Every D-level celebrity who thought they could make a quick buck by designing a handbag or whatever is going to disappear,” Vogue editor Anna Wintour tells the Wall Street Journal. “And I think that's a good thing.” Wannabe-designers including Jennifer Lopez, Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag, and Nicky Hilton have had to call it quits on their collections due to disappointing sales. More»

She discusses comeback with huge fashion line, reality show, too

(NEWSER) - Jessica Simpson waxed prescient in an interview with Glamour just days before the demise of her relationship with Tony Romo: “I don’t know what the future holds, but I hope that my life, as it is now, doesn’t change,” she says. “If this article comes out and we’re not together, I’d still love him, and he’d still be a huge part of who I am today.” More»