Gwen Stefani’s Collection

Designer Clothes – Don’t give Gwen Stefani any guff about the validity of celebrity clothing lines: Not only has she been successfully plying her trade for seven years now, but she pointedly didn’t name the label after herself, because she wanted people to buy the clothes for their own merits and not “because of me.” (But, really, who wouldn’t want to look as good as Gwen does in clothes?)

Spring found Stefani mixing African and eighties-pop references (think Bow Wow Wow and Bananarama) with some rock-chick edge, natch. Besides the requisite biker jacket (in white leather), there were lots of zippers and tarty (in a good way) off-the-shoulder dresses and tunics, and one very mini pleated kilt (can you say Harajuku girl?). Harem pants, washed-silk cargo pants, and diaper dresses added a softness and ease to the line and demonstrated that it does indeed have relevance beyond smoky, poorly lit music venues that smell of stale beer—and can stand on its own outside in the bright, daylight world.