Femme for DKNY
Femme for DKNY Jeans is a fashion line designed by Hilary Duff for Donna Karan New York that ran for a limited time. It was announced in the November 2008 issue of Fashion Rules magazine that Duff's previous hit fashion line Stuff by Hilary Duff would be discontinued since she didn't have full control of it anymore. She also stated in the article that she would like to design clothes for girls her age. Femme was officially announced in Women's Wear Daily on February 5, 2009[1] Duff said she wanted to design clothes that were multi-functional, like tunics with removable scarves, skinny jeans with adjustable belt loops and tees with detachable and printed necklaces. Femme for DKNY Jeans hit shelves nationwide in August 2009 with prices ranging from $39 to $129.
Promotion
Femme for DKNY was actually announced in the February 5, 2009 issue of Women's Wear Daily, this also included photos of Duff wearing the clothes herself and of sketches. Duff also appeared in the September 2009 issue of InStyle which included an exclusive photoshoot of her wearing the clothes taken by photographer Thomas Whiteside. Duff has also been a model along with Sophie Srej and Gracie Carvalho in the Femme for DKNY Jeans Fall 2009 ad campaign. Shot on the streets of Manhattan by photographer Scott Schuman, the ads are designed to reflect the individual style of trendsetting New Yorkers. These ads have appeared on the DKNY website and in many fashion-related magazines including Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Company and Kiss. Duff also has a multi-guest arc in Season 3 of Gossip Girl which will air around the time when the clothes hit stores. Duff also has an internet mini series on YouTube called "The Chase" (see below) which premiered August 21, 2009 and another episode aired every Friday thereafter. Femme was first released to be ordered on the official DKNY website on September 4 and featured all 30 individual pieces. Femme was featured along with Duff and a model in the Seventeen September issue and also in the Us Weekly September issue including Duff versions of the catwalk trends in her collection.
The Chase
The Chase is a mini-series which Duff stars in on her official YouTube podcast channel.[2] It premiered on Friday August 21, 2009 and a new episode is added every Friday afterwards. The first episode "Chapter One: The Beginning" brought in over 22,000 views in its first week and became one the channels most viewed videos. On Friday 28 August two more videos were added, "Chapter Two: Suspect Ryan" and "Chapter Three: Suspect Ruby." Both of these videos are around 20 seconds long and are based in European cities. "Ryan" is based in Amsterdam and "Ruby" is based in Paris. Both videos have an arrangement of clips featuring Duff in different disguises. They show the clothes from her line Femme she was wearing lying in places where she was as the police try to chase her down. In chapters 4 and 5, both released Friday 4 September, "Chapter 4: Suspect Layla" is set in Shanghai and features a sequenced hoodie and black leggings. "Chapter 5: Suspect Kim" is in New York and features the bomber jacket and grey jeans. "Chapter 6: Closing In" is set in the headquarters and shows two police men at a billboard with all the photos of Duff in all of the clothes on that she was wearing in the previous chapters. The final video in the series was called "The Final Chapter" was released on the 18th of September, and was under 3 minutes in length. This video starts with Duff in her natural blond hair and a green pollo neck, the two male detectives enter and Duff leaves the cinema. They follow her out and she turns a corner and bumps into them again in a different disguise of black hair, then they follow her into a club. In the club Duff changes disguise numerous times as people walk past, from short blond hair to long brown hair and a sequined green dress and finally blond hair with the tunic. Duff then finally walks down a street where she passes many posters of her with wanted printed on them. The video ends with a link to the website.[3]