Buy it: A.L.C.
When celebrities start their own clothing lines, their stylists tend to have a heavy hand in them. Take, for example, Gwen Stefani's successful L.A.M.B. line; Gwen has a very distinct personal style that informs the line, and that style has been honed over the years through a close collaboration with Andrea Lieberman, her longtime stylist. Lieberman has made a name for herself over the years, styling music-industry folk from Faith Hill to Diddy and JLo (Lieberman put her in the infamous green Versace dress); she was also the stylist to whom Nicole Richie ran after her infamous blowup with Rachel Zoe. But whereas Zoe has developed a signature look (wavy hair, big sunglasses & bag, gold jewelry, '70s influence) and a larger-than-life personality ("I die!"), Lieberman has stayed behind the scenes. Until now, that is. Lieberman has a new line of clothing called A.L.C., and I can honestly say that I want every last piece. There is definitely a strong rock-chick inspiration in the collection, with shrunken asymmetrical leather jackets and skinny black pants, but there are also innovative updates of basics that could work for any woman's closet, such as this draped-back striped tee or this pleated black skirt. But I think the true standouts in the line are the dresses, which range from a sexy asymmetrical LBD to my absolute favorite, the jersey chevron stripe dress. While not a bargain per se (the line is carried at Barneys New York, Intermix, and La Garçonne), prices are in line with other contemporary designers--a basic T-shirt is $150, dresses and pants are in the $400-ish range, and that leather jacket tops out at $1100. And since you (probably) can't afford to hire your own stylist, why not get the next best thing?

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