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Coveted: Alex
Curran
with Chloé's Betty bag |
Once Steven
Gerrard's fiancée, Alex Curran, had taken her Betty on a few shopping trips
during the World Cup, however, its allure was in doubt. It didn't help that she
used it to shield herself from the paparazzi, making the huge snakeskin number
even more prominent.
Suddenly, the Betty wasn't so hot. The same fate surely awaits this autumn's
Chloé bag, the Edith - a neat little satchel already owned by Kylie Minogue.
Fashion houses control much of their celebrity exposure by offering their new
collections to a favoured few, long before the items are available to civilians.
But they can't stop Curran & Co getting their hands on the first autumn
deliveries.
Between them, the WAGs have been the kiss of death to endless labels and
fashion trends. Now that they have tarnished the Chloé brand, they are busy
giving Stella McCartney the same treatment - Louise Redknapp has been spotted
touting her bags.
The Hermès Birkin - possibly the most coveted accessory of all time - isn't
such a rosy prospect now that Posh owns it in several colours.
Roberto Cavalli has always celebrated the vaguely trashy, yet two years ago
he was co-hosting the ultra-chic Serpentine Summer Party and dressing women such
as Sienna Miller and Katie Holmes. Now he's hooked up with Posh and is putting
her in some dubiously cut numbers that would look more at home on a Vegas
showgirl.
Do sparkly shoes by Jimmy Choo and Gina carry the same cachet now that they
are de rigueur on the French-pedicured feet of the WAGs? And are oversized
shades now looking less cool after endless pictures of the girls in them?
Some of the WAGs do less damage than others. Coleen McLoughlin is probably
the most notorious shopper in the group, hoovering up Chloé and Missoni. Yet
since ditching the Juicy couture tracksuits and Muk-Luk boots, she manages to
wear the labels without tainting them - perhaps because she appears to be more
natural.
While the rest of the WAGs are rarely seen without full make-up and high
heels, McLoughlin often resembles other girls her age, favouring shorts and flat
sandals.
Thankfully, some labels are immune to being WAGGED, such as Mulberry's bags -
presumably because they are not bling enough.
Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga haven't become WAG staples, either, despite being
two of the hottest brands around. Jacobs may be ultra-cool, but his slightly
off-kilter aesthetic doesn't really click with girls who want to flash their
tanned legs. Balenciaga's strict architectural lines don't appeal, for similar
reasons.
But some of the fashion cognoscenti's favourite brands hang in the balance.
Lanvin is in serious jeopardy now that Peter Crouch's former girlfriend Abigail
Clancy has been spotted in its platform sandals.
And Chanel is also in danger: Victoria Beckham attended its couture show in
Paris and is now touting one of its classic, chain-handled shoulder bags.
Is Christian Louboutin at risk of being WAGGED, too? The French shoe-maker
has long been the choice of the ultra-chic, but now that Coleen has been
treading on its famous red soles, surely it's only a matter of time before the
other WAGs follow suit.
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