Vera Wang's Clothing Collection for Kohl's is Disappointing

I look up to Vera Wang, even though I have never bought a single Vera Wang item in my life. I admire her for her talent and hard work, and her story is one of inspiration. The fact that she is of Asian descent makes me feel proud that Asian girls can make it so far in an industry that is dominated mostly by men. So imagine how excited I was to read an interview with her in the Wall Street Journal. in which she announced that she's coming out with a collection called "Simply Vera Vera Wang" designed for the Kohl's discount chain at very low-end prices. In the beginning of the interview, she was asked about whether she thinks that it's a step down from designing thousand-dollar wedding dresses, and the several hundred dollar ready-to-wears that hold much prestige. Her answer was very Liz-Claibornesque: It would be great to dress women of all ages and sizes.

It's all fine and dandy, until we got to this question:

WSJ: Do you think middle America is getting more or less sophisticated about fashion?

Ms. Wang: I have been all over the United States in my fashion career, and one thing I noticed was how terrific women look today. I see the way girls are put together and how their moms are put together, and I am really pretty amazed. They know what the flip-flop is, the T-shirts, they have the shorts. They have a special jean. They have a great designer handbag.

Sigh ... I think Vera Wang is just trying to sound very diplomatic here. Of course she couldn't have said T-shirt, flip-flops and jeans are pretty much the only things the middle America knows, without sounding arrogant and risk ticking off too many likely customers. If being put-together means T-shirt, flip-flops and jeans, then Old Navy and the Gap would suffice. I certainly hope that her collection is more than just T-shirt, flips and jeans. People go for the extra edge when they go for designer labels. I hope her collection will be as edgy as the label that comes with it, even at discounted prices.