Even Gwyneth Paltrow Thinks Fashion Has Gotten Too Expensive
The actress held her first press preview for goop Label, her brand’s clothing line, on Thursday afternoon.
Gwyneth Paltrow certainly knows her brand. At Thursday morning’s press preview for goop Label, goop’s own line of Italian-made clothing, the actress was enthusiastically showing off the brand’s latest collection, as waiters offered up custom chia bowls and plenty of fresh vegetables. Paltrow herself sipped a green juice. “Goop approved,” Paltrow offered. “And I need it after last night. I was eating French fries and drinking martinis at 1 a.m.”
While mere mortals might look a little worse for wear at that point, Paltrow was her predictably glowing self, clad in a cool velvet suit from the label, which just celebrated its first anniversary. “I’ve learned so much in the last three years, since we started to actually monetize the business,” she said. “In terms of the clothing, it has been really interesting to test what sells out right away, what we need more of, what we need less of. It is interesting to see that women are into this idea. Fashion is incredible, but I don’t think of this as fashion. I think of this as really, super-flattering, cool basics, that are not on any schedule or are supposed to move the needle. They are just supposed to be easy and great.”
Of the decision to launch the label, Paltrow said there was a void in the marketplace for attractive basics, something that other veteran labels, like Proenza Schouler have also recently embraced. “This was born out of a frustration for where the price points have gotten in designer clothing. Not that I don’t love Gucci, because I love, but it is bananas. It is so expensive. I also have noticed that if I buy something super expensive, then I am scared to wear it.”
Goop Label offers instead what Paltrow calls “elevated basics:” chic, cashmere sweaters, easy jumpsuits, classic trousers, etc, with most price points hovering around the $300-600 mark. “These are clothes that you buy and wear them now,” she added. “They are right for the season; they are respectful to the woman—all the bottoms have some stretch and the pants have a high enough waist that it is chic and also cinches. It is meant to be versatile—for work, to running out to your kid’s soccer game, to cocktails.”
Which is not to say they aren’t also very stylish; in fact, Paltrow has looked to some of her favorite designer pieces for inspiration. There’s a black LBD based on a Chanel dress she owned over 15 years ago, and a plaid skirt inspired by Raf Simons‘s tweeds at Calvin Klein. Of what pieces she is most excited about in the collection, she said, “I’m a big jumpsuit person. Then you don’t have to think about anything.”
As for what she’s learned from her first year in ready-to-wear? “Some interesting, good feedback is that we don’t cut tiny,” she said. “My best friend, for example, is a size 12, and said, ‘Thank you so much for making an actual size twelve that I feel good in.’ It is very real woman focused, if that makes sense.”
But don’t expect a full wardrobe-takeover from the label just yet. “I don’t know. My plate is full,” she said when asked if any goop Label accessories were in the works. “The only accessory that I think about sometimes is a great, easy modern bag. Certain bags are so gorgeous but you can’t fit them over your shoulder, or they are so small. So, maybe that.”
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