Lindsay Lohan the Latest Fashion Victim

By Chris Jancelewicz Posted Oct 5th 2009 05:01PM

Lindsay Lohan has made her fashion "debut", and it's not pretty.

Blogs around the world are roasting the actress for the latest Ungaro collection, which presented halfway through Paris' prestigous Fashion Week. Created mostly by veteran Barcelona-born designer Estrella Archs, the United States' very own LiLo was invited to add input into the collection.

Originally, some people thought it was a joke (or just a thinly-veiled marketing masterpiece), but as rumours turned into hard fact, appointed head designer Esteban Cortazar abruptly quit Ungaro.

From what we saw on the runway, Cortazar was an absolute genius to wash his hands of this collection and of Ungaro. Packed with bright fuschia, orange, and pink, the runway presentation was like walking past a club lineup. The necklines were shamelessly low, and the skirts were short, almost useless, since sometimes a butt cheek errantly peeked out.

But, you say, there are tons of fashion shows I see where there are practically-naked women walking down the runway. True, but there's something in fashion that provides a tease, a cheekiness (excuse the pun), a je-ne-sais-quoi that draws you into the clothes and the designer's aesthetic. Lohan and Archs' collection looks exactly like what it was - the brain child of someone who's been to a lot of shows, but who doesn't have the first clue about how to make something of substance or style.

The outfits were lacking the heart, which is ironic because on a lot of the clothes, Lohan and Archs slapped an ugly plastic heart right in the centre. That's a real 'ugh' addition; I mean, come on, even a 'Project Runway' contestant knows better than that.

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Lindsay Lohan Snapshots

Actress Lindsay Lohan (R) and designer Estrella Archs walk the runway during the Emmanuel Ungaro Pret a Porter show as part of the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 at Le Carrousel du Louvre on October 4, 2009 in Paris, France. Emmanuel Ungaro - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 Le Carrousel du Louvre Paris, France October 4, 2009 Photo by Dominique Charriau/WireImage.com To license this image (58555458), contact WireImage.com

Dominique Charriau/WireImage.com

WireImage.com

Lindsay Lohan Photos

Dominique Charriau/WireImage.com

PARIS - OCTOBER 4: Jade Jagger and Lindsay Lohan attend the after party of Emmanuel Ungaro Pret a Porter during Paris Womenswear Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 at Hotel Plaza Athenee on October 4, 2009 in Paris, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jade Jagger;Lindsay Lohan

Getty Images

PARIS - OCTOBER 4: Lindsay Lohan (2-L) and guests attend the after party of Emmanuel Ungaro Pret a Porter during Paris Womenswear Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 at Hotel Plaza Athenee on October 4, 2009 in Paris, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lindsay Lohan

Getty Images

PARIS - OCTOBER 4: Lindsay Lohan and Jean-Daniel Lorieux attend the after party of Emmanuel Ungaro Pret a Porter during Paris Womenswear Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 at Hotel Plaza Athenee on October 4, 2009 in Paris, France. (Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jean-Daniel Lorieux;Lindsay Lohan

Getty Images

Fashionistas and members of the Fashion Elite are understandably up in arms about this fiasco. Is this the end of fashion as we know it? Is this going to trigger a flood of celebrity input into fashion lines? It's one thing for this to happen in North America where we have celebrities plugging everything from toasters to medication to cologne, but for this to happen in Europe, in the Carrousel du Louvre, in the epicentre of Paris, is quite another. For an industry that prides itself on the rigourous, painstaking work it produces, it's a total slap in the face for someone to sacrifice integrity and quality for celebrity power.

And as for Lohan, it's not really a shock that these are the kind of clothes she would create. On a downward slide for the past year, Lohan has transformed into tabloid chuck, merely there for shock value and derision. She's had more screen time banging on the door of her ex-girlfriend's house and crying than on the actual movie screen. Directors and producers know better - the publicity she brings to a project, though of a massive magnitude, is usually not the kind of publicity you want. It seems that Archs didn't get the memo.

Several media sources are claiming that Lohan "welled up" as she walked down the runway after the show. I don't know whether to feel sorry for her or to roll my eyes. Lohan more than likely felt genuinely happy about her creations, but honestly, what did Archs expect?

This is a woman born and raised in the spotlight as a child star and then a teen actor, and eventually a nightmarish young adult. She can shop with the best of them, but to be a designer? That's quite a jump. And everybody knows celebs who dabble in fashion (maybe other than Gwen Stefani) don't really design their own stuff. Not really.

Lohan should stick to wearing, not to creating. Or go back to movies, if they'll even have her.

Tags: designer, esteban cortazar, EstebanCortazar, estrella archs, EstrellaArchs, lindsay lohan, LindsayLohan, paris fashion week, paris fashion week 2009, ParisFashionWeek, ParisFashionWeek2009, ungaro