Lauren Conrad wants you to know she's not just another celebrity putting out another clothing line. Really.Despite being Orange County's best-known reality TV star, Conrad says, fashion is something she's had her heart set on, even before starring in MTV's "Laguna Beach: The Real O.C." and now "The Hills," which follows Conrad's pursuit of a fashion career.Conrad's eponymous clothing line made its online debut Saturday with 10 pieces for fall. A full launch with a bigger collection will come this spring."Fashion is something I've always wanted to do, ever since the sixth grade," the 21-year-old said in her trademark husky rasp.In person, Conrad appears a polished version of the archetypal California girl: sun-kissed skin, blue (sometimes green) eyes with strong brows, and flaxen hair tied in a loose ponytail.While she posed for a photo shoot at her working studio in Santa Monica, just two days after presenting an award to Justin Timberlake at the MTV Video Music Awards, chatter with her publicists revolved around Britney's comeback performance and the evening's fashion hits and misses."Your dress was sooo cute," they cooed, referring to the white and silver sequined sheath Conrad designed herself. Conrad also designed the strapless teal bubble dress she donned for the Teen Choice Awards last month.That she's been able to ride the wave of her reality TV fame for so long and continue to raise her profile – she's also the spokeswoman for mark, a line of makeup for younger women by Avon; and in the works is an accessories line for Avon and a handbag collection with Linea Pelle – is proof that Conrad isn't banking on just 15 minutes. During the shoot, Conrad's publicist asked whether Conrad was up for being on the cover of Shape magazine. In a swimsuit." … With a week's notice?" Conrad asked dubiously. "I'm going to need a month or two to prepare for that."The media exposure isn't slowing down any. She's on the cover of the October issue of Seventeen magazine, a regular fixture in US Weekly and is often mentioned on PerezHilton.com. Still, Conrad said, it's the clothing line in particular signifies the start of what she hopes to be a lasting career."This is something I want to continue to do, long after the show ends," said Conrad.The Lauren Conrad collection is filled with slinky jersey dresses and flowy tops, and each piece looks exactly like something Conrad would wear either to the beach or out to dinner – and that's exactly what she intended. She said she decided to use her name for the label because all the fashion designers she admired, like Phillip Lim, Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs and Cynthia Vincent – had clothing collections in their names, too.Each garment in her collection is named after a friend, so there are dresses named after her "Hills" co-stars, like the Audrina and the Whitney."The clothes really fit my personality. I like comfortable, beachy clothes that can also be dressed up, too."Moving from Laguna Beach to Hollywood has influenced and changed her style a bit. In high school, Conrad said, girls lived in Juicy Couture sweats and designer handbags."O.C. is definitely a lot more casual and label-oriented," she said. "I used to wear only tanks and jeans but now I love dressing more girlie and wearing more dresses. There's a lot more mixing it up in L.A., more of an anything-goes style."Churning out her own line of apparel was a "really cool" process that she said allowed her to use what she's been learning at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, where she's majoring in product development, and what she's picked up while interning at Teen Vogue."You realize you have to do 40 pieces and it's overwhelming but then you have to stop and handle one piece at a time," Conrad said.She said she spent a lot of time shopping to get ideas and to think about what fabrics to use. When Conrad was asked how hands-on she was, Sherry Wood, creative director for the fashion line, eagerly answered for her:"She did all the sketches. … she was at every single fitting, from deciding on the labels to the hang tags. She was involved every step of the way."And, Conrad added, laughing, "I was the fit model for every piece. That saved us money."She also said she's aware of the opportunities and doors that have opened because of the show. MTV has partnered with Conrad for her fashion line for two years. After that, she said, the line will belong exclusively to her."Right now, I'm just trying to build up the brand and build up the image," she said. "The real test will be whether women out there who will buy my clothes."Her ultimate dream?"It would be amazing to someday show my clothing on the runways in New York."The limited fall collection will only be available online at shoplaurenconrad.com, but the spring collection will be available at selected specialty retailers like Planet Blue in Santa Monica and Shopbop.com. Prices range from $40 to $180.
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