Christie Brinkley is ready for her on-air appearance at midnight on Thursday to showcase her new women’s collection, Twrhll (Towerhill), which will be distributed exclusively on HSN.
“I’m not really thrilled it’s at midnight,” quipped the 70-year-old supermodel, actress and entrepreneur, who serves as the public face and voice of the brand and will appear on live broadcasts and streaming services for HSN.
Starting Thursday, Brinkley will make live appearances from the HSN studios in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she’ll share with HSN customers the inspiration behind her new clothing line.
“Today is so exciting,” said Brinkley, speaking to WWD at a kick-off event earlier this month at La Mercerie at 53 Howard Street in New York. “What’s exciting is so many women are wearing it, and everybody looks great in it.”
Brinkley said there are many jersey pieces in the collection so women can travel on an airplane in them, and they don’t wrinkle.
Twrhll is inspired by Brinkley’s love of architecture, gardening, the sea, and her home, Tower Hill, in the Hamptons. What she particularly likes about the collection is the pieces are versatile and easy to wear and can be personalized “to make them your own.”
Describing her own style as “a little bit sailor and a little bit cowboy,” Brinkley said she likes all the stripes and nautical looks in the line. “The nauticals look French,” she said, pointing to a striped on/off shoulder sweater.
HSN executives came to her house and she was able to offer input into the line. They also did Zoom meetings where she could see the looks on models. She was impressed that at HSN they talk about their customer and know what she likes. That knowledge was combined with what she likes.
As for her strategy for appearing on HSN, she said, “I’ll try to stay out of the hosts’ way. They have a gift for gab.”
Ken Downing, chief creative officer at Xcel Brands, which partnered with Brinkley and HSN on the collection, told WWD, “Christie is a lot of fun to work with. She has a lovely, artistic passion deep inside her.” He said her home Tower Hill has chickens, beehives and vegetable and flower gardens. She paints and also collects seashells. “She’s just a lovely spirit, and she has great personal style. It’s something the customer will respond to in a very positive way,” he said.
Everything in the collection retails for under $100. Twhill encompasses knit dresses, woven tops, knit tops, denim, bottoms, hats , belts and a bag. Sizes range from XS to 3X, and prices go from the $20s to $30s for belts and hats up to $39 to $90 for apparel.
Bridget Love, general merchandise manager and vice president, merchandising, fashion and beauty at HSN, said at the breakfast, “At HSN we have a deep history rooted in celebrity collaborations, with nearly every category of business at HSN housing some of the top celebrity collaborations available on the market today.”
She said the HSN customer not only tunes in to shop, but also tunes in to be entertained. When they do these collaborations, they take into consideration the celebrity’s ability to connect with their customers, their authenticity and whether they can bring that product to life. “When we had the opportunity to work with Christie, it was clear she represented all those things,” said Love.
“It’s been a pleasure for our team to work alongside Christie in bringing this collection to life,” she said, adding Brinkley’s infectious spirit resonates across the items in the line.
Stacy Bowe, president of HSN, said the morning’s event was “an incredible example of what makes HSN an incredible place for our customers and team.”
“Our ability to organically connect those authentic storytellers to exclusive products like we’re wearing today is an art we’ve been honing for over 45 years,” said Bowe.
As the models walked around the room, Brinkley offered up lively commentary about each of the looks.
“I love mixing stripes. Stripes are a basic you just have to have in your wardrobe,” or “I love an easy dress. This is one you will grab over and over again. You can pair it with flats or belt it.
“I love a good trenchcoat and I also love an anorak. Why not combine the two?” she said about one of the jackets. She also pointed to two favorites, such as a laser-cut denim jacket and sailor pants.
“Since quarantine, we want to be comfortable all the time. We still want to look good, but want to be comfortable,” said Brinkley.
