Express x karla
Express Partners with Celebrity Stylist Karla Welch on Exclusive Collection
Effortless Style for True Originals
EXPRESS, Inc. today announced the brand’s design collaboration with one of Hollywood’s most powerful stylists, Karla Welch. Express x karla is the first in a series of two exclusive capsule collections Welch will design for Express.
Designed with versatility in mind, the limited-edition collection offers classic silhouettes in a cool, neutral palette. The pieces are at once timely and timeless, designed for this season, next, and the one after that. With Express x karla, Welch set out to redefine wear-everywhere staples with a few remarkable twists. The result is a range of simple, perfect pieces like slouchy double-breasted blazers and full eyelet skirts, plus swishy, sequined bermuda shorts and well-cut blouses. “Karla believes good style is easy and it’s her job to dress industry luminaries for their most important moments,” said Patrice Croci, Vice President of Brand & Performance Marketing at Express. “We couldn’t think of a better collaborator to help our customer dress for the important moments in her life.”
“With any of my collaborations, I always want to design pieces that I need in my wardrobe and that women will wear time and again. Classics that are for this season but that will also transition into go-to pieces year-round,” said Welch. “I truly believe in the confidence that comes from feeling great about your own personal style. I hope the pieces in this collection inspire fearlessness in the women who wear them.”
WWD - “Super-stylist Karla Welch is bringing her Hollywood magic to the masses once again, this time at Express.”
By: Booth Moore
Super-stylist Karla Welch is bringing her Hollywood magic to the masses once again, this time at Express.
The celebrity wardrobe architect for Tracee Ellis Ross, Busy Phillips, Elisabeth Moss, Cleo Wade, Justin Bieber and more is teaming with the retailer on a 20-piece capsule collection of everyday summer basics with a twist in neutral hues, including oversize linen boyfriend blazers (“shoulder pads are back” she says); mechanic’s jumpsuits; tie-dye cropped Ts; men’s wear-inspired shirts; clear sequin-coated boxing shorts; off-shoulder eyelet lace shifts, and high-waist Latex miniskirts. Launching July 17 in sizes 00 to 18, the Express x Karla collection is priced $19.90 to $128, and will be sold at select stores and online.
“I actually hate summer dressing, that’s how I went into this. But this is who I am and what I want to wear. I wanted to keep it really limited and small and just what you need,” said Welch, an L.A. fashion fixture known as much for her tomboyish personal style and democratic-leaning political Instagram posts as for her red-carpet finesse.
[In Hollywood], “red carpets are massive fashion moments. But for every woman out there and every guy, every day is a fashion moment and it feels great to like what you’re wearing and there is power in that,” said the stylist, who has now collaborated with a handful of iconic American everyday clothing brands including Levi’s, Dockers and Hanes. “I want to empower.”
She designed the collection with the Express team at the New York studio. “I brought in my old basketball shorts I love to wear, and an old vintage dress that’s covered in clear sequins and we mixed the two,” she said of the process. As a native of Vancouver, she doesn’t have much nostalgia for the circa 1980 all-American mall brand, but says the capsule collection does have a bit of nostalgic feel. “There’s a bit of ‘Miami Vice’ and Au Coton from Canada back in the day, and shoulder pads and linen and a neutral palette. And I love that they let me cast misfits and badasses because I love making the pictures as much as making the pieces.” (The campaign photos and films were created by the stylist and her photographer husband Matthew Welch, through their agency Meritocracy.)
The collection will be launched through Express and Welch’s social channels. “She has an engaged follower base, her friends are getting behind it. We’re doing paid, owned and earned,” said Croci of the strategy. “Today, it has to be about layers of influence. It can’t just be us.” A second Karla x Express collection will bow for holiday with more dressed-up options.
Croci maintains an upbeat outlook for Express despite quarterly losses reported in March, praising the new chief executive officer. “We’ve been celebrating women since 1980. We are about outfitting ambition and leveling up. We are really excited about Tim Baxter coming on board. He started a couple of weeks ago, he has a wealth of experience in retail.
“Digital is centric for us, that’s where our customer is. But we don’t shy away from being a mall brand. It’s an important part of our DNA, and there is a role for our stores. We know our customers still like to try on work items, try on denim and try on going-out clothes.…So we feel like our properties compliment each other,” she said, adding a personal anecdote about the plot point a mall plays in season three of the Eighties-nostalgic Netflix hit “Stranger Things.” “When I was watching it, my branding wheels were turning.”
Original Link: https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/hollywood-stylist-karla-welch-summer-collection-for-express-1203218315/
PAGE SIX STYLE PRESS
By: Elana Fishman
The woman responsible for Justin Bieber’s, Tracee Ellis Ross’ and Olivia Wilde’s closets has created a line of clothing non-famous folks can actually afford.
Karla Welch has partnered with Express on a 20-piece capsule collection of mix-and-match summer staples like slouchy linen blazers, ribbed tank dresses, boxy short-sleeved button-ups and mechanic-style jumpsuits, set to launch July 17 and priced from $19.90 to $128.
And while the Hollywood power stylist said the range was primarily inspired by her own personal style, nods to her celebrity clientele abound.
A pair of white sequined basketball shorts seems tailor-made for Bieber and his wife, Hailey Baldwin, a high-waisted eyelet midi skirt could’ve been plucked from Ross’ own closet — and surely the oversized boyfriend blazers were created with Wilde’s parade of “Booksmart” suits in mind?
“The tank tops, too, are really an Olivia shoutout,” Welch told Page Six Style. “Because for years, she’s been like, ‘Make me a good tank top!’ So those are for her. But also, they’re pieces that, from years of styling, I felt like I needed and saw that other people would need too.”
And while the range is heavy on wear-everywhere basics in neutral hues, more daring types will appreciate the collection’s statement pieces, like a ruched latex miniskirt and a tiny bandeau top that comes in neon shades and even a sequined version.
“The key is to wear it with something high-waisted, or stick a blazer on top and wear it with jeans; it can just be a little pop,” Welch assured us of the latter. “You kind of feel like a baller once you do it!”
Original Link: https://pagesix.com/2019/07/11/celebrity-stylist-karla-welch-teams-up-with-express/
US WEEKLY - “I want to empower women.” says Karla Welch
By: Emily Rekstis
“I believe that feeling great about your personal style creates confidence,” she was quoted saying on the website. “I want to empower women.” And that she will!
The 20-piece line — x Karla — features a variety of styles and pieces that range from softer, prettier offerings like the eyelet lace cami dress to edgier picks like the latex mini skirt and come in sizes from 00 to 18.
“I designed pieces that I need in my wardrobe and that women will wear over and over again,” she said. “This collection is about classics for this season that will become go-tos year round.”
The idea is you can capture just about any vibe by mixing and matching her line. For example, you can achieve business chicness
Opens in a new Window.
courtesy of the boyfriend blazer or laid-back perfect-for-brunch style with the tie dye cropped crew neck sweatshirt. It may sound all over the map, but surprisingly it’s all cohesive.
Welch promoted the line in an Instagram Story the day before the launch on Tuesday, July 17, rocking the x Karla Short Sleeve Menswear Shirt, which she refers to as “a lifetime shirt.” She tucked the oversized button-up into cuffed-up loose-fit jeans and topped off the look with a pair of Manolo Blahniks
In an Instagram post on the xKarla account, the brand wrote, “You CAN sit with US! I’m thrilled to introduce my collaboration with @Express It’s everything I want to wear and I hope you do too!”
Original Link: https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/pictures/express-x-karla-collection-top-pieces-to-shop/
THE ZOE REPORT - BASICS YOU NEED FOR SUMMER
By: Dale Arden Chong
It’s been nearly two years since Karla Welch first launched her collaboration with Hanes, which focused on updated versions of the classic white T-shirt. Since then, the celebrity stylist has put her unique touch on brands like Levi’s and Dockers — all while keeping her clients’ names in headlines for stylish looks on and off the red carpet. And just when you thought Welch might be slowing down, the stylist is bringing you a whole new set of basics with the Express x karla collection.
In the first of two collections, Welch — who is known for styling celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Tracee Ellis Ross, Busy Phillips, and more in addition to her fashion collaborations — has designed chic basics that you’ll want to wear throughout the rest of summer as well as any other time of year. And if you’ve been following any of the stylist’s other collaborations, you know this one is going to be just as good as the others.
Available exclusively on the Express website and in select stores, the collection spans all types of styles with pieces like a flirty eyelet dress, a menswear-inspired shirt, tie-dye T-shirts, and latex skirts. And with most of the pieces available for under $100, you’ll want to get these in your closet, stat.
Update your wardrobe with everyday staples like the Short Sleeve Menswear Shirt, which costs $49.90. Wear it with a pair of classic trousers or the $98 High Waisted Eyelet Lace Maxi Skirt for a classic summer ensemble. If you want to go for a more casual look, wear the button-down shirt over the $59.90 Scoop Neck Midi Tank Dress. With a pair of sneakers or espadrille wedges, this outfit will be perfect for a weekend vacation.
Speaking of weekends, this collection has a ton of cool pieces to wear when you’re off the clock. Stock up on the Ribbed Racerback Tank, which you can get in up to six different colors and costs $24.90. Wear it tucked into the $49.90 Wide Leg Twill Bermuda Shorts with a pair of leather sandals as an easy ensemble for Saturday brunch.
Original Link:
https://www.thezoereport.com/p/the-express-x-karla-collection-is-full-of-under-100-basics-you-need-for-summer-18209434
INSTYLE - “I GUESS WE’RE ALL SHOPPING AT EXPRESS NOW”
By: Alexis Bennett
If you ever thought it was impossible to find stylish, runway-worthy clothes at the mall, think again. Express has teamed up with Karla Welch (she's the go-to stylist for stars like Tracee Ellis Ross, Olivia Wilde, and Amber Valletta) to create a limited-edition capsule collection, and every single piece looks undeniably cool.
"I wanted to make pieces that are forever, although they are incredibly affordable," Welch tells InStyle.com. "And you can easily transition these pieces from season to season."
Going for more hot-girl-summer vibes? The latex mini skirts ($50; express.com) with ruching on the side will definitely shut things down.
Karla also acknowledged how tricky office dressing can be, especially during the summertime. She designed some cool linen blazers ($128; express.com) with coordinating mini skirts, which are easy to mix and match with other pieces.
"It's kind of like a full closet," Welch explains. "If this is all you had, it's all you'd need."
Original Link: https://www.instyle.com/fashion/clothing/express-x-karla-welch