L.A.M.B. By Gwen Stefani Fall 2011 Fashion Collection

L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani is one of the most surprising design success stories. Best known as a singer, Stefani has managed to cross over into the fashion design world with a great deal of success, and her collections are consistently well done. Many celebrities have been creating their own fashion collections these past few years, but few of them can pull it off as well as Stefani, and it typically seems like a vanity project to keep them in the headlines. L.A.M.B is the exception. It's the one celebrity collection that other celebrities will admit to wearing. That's a fairly big deal, because to gain acceptance in the fashion world, you have to be popular amongst the celebs, so for her fellow celebrities to give her that recognition means that she's solidified her standing in fashion.

This Fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection has a significant amount of green and plaid throughout. The style of the pieces is very mature, and looks like something Michael Kors would have designed if he decided to use color, rather than sticking with black and white tones. The green is a darker, muted shade, and looks perfect for fall. Combined with the choice of heavier fabrics, it really looks very suitable for a fashionable, warm winter wardrobe. The plaid is also muted. Despite her rock star credentials, this is more of your grandmother's plaid than a punk sort of style. Despite this maturity, the look does not say, "Raid your grandmother's closet." It's more of a world traveler inspired collection. It looks like the sort of glamour that used to be associated with dressing up for a ride on an airplane to an exotic location. It's a very retro-glamorous look.

But that doesn't mean she completely leaves behind her rock star status. There are also fashion collection staples with a unique twist. Many designers love to display jodhpurs, despite them never having caught on with the public. Stefani's take is to create wide legged pants, but corral them at the bottom with zippers that go up to the knee. This brings them in at the bottom, but leaves them wide on top for that jodhpur look. Also present is a sense of fun that most of the shows are missing. She played the 80's song "Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry, and it's one of the very few shows where the models are actually smiling and looking like they are having a good time on the runway.

All in all, L.A.M.B. will be a brand that people will talk about for years to come. I expect that she will continue to gain a lot of attention for bringing new twists to old-fashioned styles, and that she will produce many interesting collections for years to come.