PERPETUAL girl of summer Kim Jones-Rosales has long had the fashion industry wrapped around her lightly tanned finger ever since she launched her blog Miss Jones (www.kimcamjones.com) in late 2010.
And like most fashion bloggers who gain clout from having a loyal fan base, she has her dainty, ladylike style into a capsule clothing collection.
Her limited-edition line is in collaboration with premium online retailer AVA.ph. It was launched just this week, though we got an exclusive peek at Kim’s designs recently at Commercenter, Alabang.
Kim arrived with her husband, actor Jericho Rosales, looking radiant in an off-shoulder dress with a sunflower print as cheery as her disposition.
The dress, it turned out, had been ordered from ASOS, a leading British online store, but it appeared to be the piece in her wardrobe that inspired her entire collection.
At the sneak preview, Kim talked about creating fun pieces that women could comfortably wear this summer, and which they could easily incorporate into their wardrobes.
A word on celebrity clothing lines: In the same way that a photographer will tell you that taking photos and publishing them on your blog doesn’t make him a photographer, Kim’s ginger take on clothing design doesn’t make her a fashion designer.
(Kim is the third celebrity non-designer that AVA has worked with, following Divine Lee and Tweetie De Leon-Gonzalez.)
And while some women would willingly cut off both their pinky toes if it meant clothes would flatter them the way they do Kim, the truth is, many of us don’t have her delicate collarbone, defined shoulders or tiny waist.
And that’s something many Filipino women will have to keep in mind when checking the collection.
Since Kim was approached by AVA because of her personal style, it would make sense that a lot of the pieces seem as though they were created to accentuate her best features.
Creative process
Kim herself appears to confirm this in a behind-the-scenes video that gives us a filtered glimpse into her process.
“It was all new to me, learning about different types of polyesters and stretchy fabrics and cottons, and everything like that,” she says. “But it was fun. I mean, how many times do you get to design your own clothes that you know you’re going to love?”
Case in point: the Bardot Crop Top, a cropped off-shoulder peasant blouse, and halter Maxi Dress emphasize Kim’s defined shoulders and sinewy arms.
The Scallop Shorts appear to be tailored for her long, toned legs.
But high-waist, A-line shorts, which Kim dubbed “the perfect silhouette” on the AVA website, are a no-no for anyone with short legs, actual hips or, heaven forbid, a paunch.
As Kim shares a passion for the beach with Jericho, many of the pieces have a tropical feel.
Together with the AVA team, she created a pineapple print—which she feels “will be a really strong trend for summer”—that serves as a break from the predominantly white and pastel collection.
Some pieces could also serve as cute beach cover-ups, like the Wrap Skirt and the strappy Halter Bow Top.
As anyone who has followed Kim’s career trajectory from being a fresh-faced TV host to fashion blogger and It Girl might agree, she’s living a charmed life, and this new collaboration with AVA is another feather on her cap.
After all, it’s almost every girl’s dream to design her dress and wear it, too.
The Kim Jones x AVA collection is offering a preorder discount of 10 percent until April 30. Prices range from P1,700 to P3,600. To order, visit www.ava.ph.