Kelly Osbourne was in Miami Nov. 4 for the “Lucky Stars” casting call for Material Girl, the ultra-chic clothing line Madonna and her daughter Lourdes design for Macy’s. But the next night, Osbourne was unfortunately seeing stars when a ballroom dance at Liv landed her at Mercy Hospital with a concussion and multiple stitches in her head. On Nov. 8, Sharon Osbourne said on her show “The Talk” that Kelly was dancing with a guy and as he dipped her down, she hit her head on an amplifier. “It split her head open. They cleaned it up. She thought she was fine, went back to her hotel and fainted twice,” Osbourne’s mom explained. “She’s fine. She just has a very sore head.”
I’m so relieved the down-to-earth starlet is OK. The day before my interview with Osbourne, my bedroom was looking like a fashion emergency room with 20 outfits strewn all over my bed. I had to be in Miami for a marathon day of interviews from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and I wanted to wear something the “E! Fashion Police” host wouldn’t deem a fashion felony. I decided to wear Ralph Lauren Jeans, a black INC sweater, a leopard fedora I bought on sale at Hot Topic and a beige Missoni for Target scarf I recently snagged off a clearance rack after someone foolishly returned it. I was feeling extremely awkward in my leopard fedora, especially after someone in the Dadeland Mall parking lot made fun of me for having it on. But Osbourne complimented me on it and that was a major confidence boost. [Note to self: leopard hats are great ice breakers].
Osbourne, who told me the novelty of staying in new hotels never wears off on her, has been on a tour visiting cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York in search of the next “Material Girl.” The winner will be featured in an ad campaign and score $5,000. But Osbourne insists this isn’t a model search. “We don’t want a model. If anyone comes up to us and says they’re modeling or hands us a modeling card, they’re automatically out because that’s not what we’re looking for,” Osbourne says. “We’re looking for a normal girl that has something to say, that is fearless and not afraid to take risks with fashion–a true all-around material girl. So it doesn’t matter what size you are, it doesn’t matter how tall you are. It’s what you have inside that you can project and show off.”
Osbourne, who replaced Taylor Momsen as the face of Material Girl in January, admits she was a bit shocked when she was chosen to represent the line. “Just being the face of Material Girl has been incredible. It’s such an honor they asked somebody like me to do it. I’m not a model. I’m barely a model citizen,” Osbourne laughs. “I was terrified on my first photo shoot. I had no idea how to stand or move. It took a good hour for me to get comfortable and I learned how to pose properly for the camera.”
It’s that genuineness about Osbourne that made her an ideal candidate to ease the nerves of the dozens of young Miami women who came out for the event. Material Girl-hopefuls stood on a box before Osbourne and two other judges which included Joshua McKinley from “Project Runway” and New York-based DJ Jesse Marco. Osbourne asked the contestants questions such as “Who is your style icon?” and “Why do you want to be the next Material Girl?”
While Osbourne has listed Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn as her style icons, she’s hoping the Material Girl collection inspires young women to experiment with fashion. “Everything in the line is affordable. They try to keep it under $40 and that’s great because with the state of the economy and everything, it’s allowing young girls to have high fashion,” Osbourne says. “ I love all their skirts in the line because they’re elastic waists and there’s this one cropped knitwear sweatshirt with a pocket I love. It hits me just where my waistband is so it’s perfect. I wear it almost every day.”
One of Osbourne’s favorite aspects of the line however, is getting to meet the real people who really wear it. “The overall experience as has been amazing, getting to do these appearances at Macy’s where mothers and daughters get to ask me whatever they want to about style, weight loss, bullying or anything like that,” Osbourne says. “It’s become almost like motivational speaking with Material Girl. There’s been times where mothers were crying. It’s been an amazing ride. It really has.”
Thrashin’ Show
The 17th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball Nov. 5 in Miami had a heavy dose of rock royalty this year with a performance by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Jett later made her way to a VIP area next to the runway where she sat next to Forge owner Shareef Malnik and “Burn Notice” actress Gabrielle Anwar to watch a fashion show by Miami brothers Fabrice and Patrick Tardieu of Bogosse. Then the runway was overtaken Andrew Charles, a new collection of python-printed skinny jeans, paisley peasant blouses and bell bottom jeans. Designed by Andy Hilfiger, Hilfiger partnered with his brother Tommy Hilfiger and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler on the line that’s sold exclusively at select Macy’s. With pieces available for men and women, the collection is billed as “Fashion With Rock ’N’ Roll Swagger.” That’s just what Hilfiger delivered. At the end of his fashion show show, he bounced around the catwalk wailing on his Gibson SG guitar.
Backstage, Hilfiger filled me on his fashion line. Tyler is the brand ambassador for the line while his daughter Chelsea is the female face of the brand. “I’ve always been into rock ’n’ roll,” Hilfiger says. “Really, how my brothers and I got into fashion–we used to look at album covers like Rubber Soul, High Tide and Green Grass by The Stones, Van Halen and early Aerosmith.”
Hilfiger’s rock roots inspired him to launch Andrew Charles. “Rock stars always want to look good on stage. It’s really hard to find products for that at a mass level. So we came up with this idea to do a rock ’n’ roll line that was not too crazy with zippers and pins all over,” Hilfiger explains. “But we went for the whole back leather look. We came up with this brand, Andrew Charles, which is my middle name.”
Hilfiger recalls his brother Tommy picking him up in the ‘70s and driving him to New York City with their brother Billy to hit rock clubs such as CBGB’s. “We were 15 or 16. We hung out with Joey Ramone and the Deadboys. We were really into the same thing and we’ve never really changed. I played in a band with Ricky Byrd, the original guitarist for Joan Jett and The Black hearts,” Hilfiger says. “I was in several bands with my brother Billy. Billy died of brain cancer the same week of 9/11. He was the real rock ’n’ roll guy in the family. I played bass in his band and Tommy was our manager.” Hilfiger reminisces about the days his brother Tommy used to book his band in upstate New York. “’ I was in high school and Billy was maybe 21 or 22. Tommy used to book us at all the clubs and we’d pack them. Then we did a record in 1979. It was on the radio all over upstate New York and in Pennsylvania,” Hilfiger says. “I just wrote two new songs and I’m releasing a single in the near future on Andyhilfiger.com and we’ll use the music for the Andrew Charles line as well.” Whether you want to look preppy or punk, the Hilfiger brothers seem to have opposite ends of the fashion spectrum covered.
