Fashion: The XI Way...Say it ain't so, J.Lo!

So, I guess the recession is hitting everyone in the pockets these days. It seems that Jennifer Lopez has temporarily suspended her line Sweetface as it enters a restructuring phase, WWD reported Wednesday. Sweetface, a clothing line created for the ‘about-town diva within’ in 2003, was Jenny from the Block’s 3rd attempt at a clothing brand that no longer exists in the U.S. Her J.LO brand (launched in 2001) was shut down in the U.S. and replaced with justsweet, launched in 2007, a sexy & sparkly mix of pants, jumpsuits and dresses to bridge the gap between her casual J.LO line and the high-fashion Sweetface. justsweet was discontinued after only a few seasons. In 2006, the Sweetface brand reported $200 million in sales, as it converted its initial urban street wear brand to that of one of higher-end fashions. In a company statement, the Sweetface line plans "to reintroduce the brand in the near future with new messaging points and an entirely new fashion point of view."

Again?! I guess three’s the charm when realigning brands and visions for those brands in her case... Well, maybe, that remains to be seen. I’m assuming slumping sales and a downward sloping economy are due to these brands demise, (here’s hoping) and not her creative designs because Lopez is a talented individual and has been touted as one of Hollywood’s ‘best dressed’. However, designing may not be her forté. In my opinion, naming clothing lines Sweetface and justsweet does not appeal to many grown women in our movement and would have been better suited for a little girl’s designer clothing line. I don’t know about you, but grown women aren’t ‘justsweet’ or ‘Sweetface.’ We want to exude sexiness and sophistication, not sweetness. And as for her fashions, tracksuits for IamXI are on reserve for comfort and relaxation only and not for attending parties and walking red carpets. I didn’t much follow her clothing lines after I graduated from college in 2003 due to the fact that all I saw were those damn tracksuits, but obviously she has been missing more than hitting when it comes to her brands.

But, hey, if you are one who is checking for Lopez’s clothing lines, Sweetface debuted its Spring 2009 collection late last year and can currently be found in stores such as Intermix. And the J.LO brand is still selling overseas in 40 countries.