"Simply Vera" Simply Boring

Since one of the services I hope to provide for my readers is weeding through the best and worst of fashion available here in our great city of Indy, yesterday I went on a Kohl's excursion to check out the new "Simply Vera" line by Vera Wang, which arrived on the floor yesterday. Purely for research and reader service, you know.

I'm not typically a Kohl's fan; I'm much more of a Target girl, myself. To me, Kohl's has always felt like L.S. Ayres after they closed the Crystal Room - too much Monet and Liz Claiborne, not enough luxury, edge or style. Plus you can't pick up any cleaning supplies, food, or a flat-screen TV while you're there.

But I was eager to see the much-hyped Simply Vera collection for myself. I've got to tell you, I was utterly underwhelmed. Everything seemed drab and very sack-ish - big, shapeless shifts in tones of grey and muddy purple tones; a short-sleeved car coat that could have been cute if it came with a quality belt or sash besides the strange elastic band; a brocade bubble skirt (at least one nod to a current trend) that hit at just the wrong spot - right under the knee. Bubble skirts need to be short to work.

I also checked out the Simply Vera home stuff, which for now at least appears to just be bedding. That looked pretty cute from afar, but as I got up close and touched it, the material seemed cheap. And the price tag wasn't - I think it was like $350 for Queen bedding. Certainly, Frette it's not; but for that price you could buy multiple Isaac Mizrahi or Simply Shabby Chic ensembles at Target.

Don't worry - intrepid IndyStyle also checked out the Vera jewelry. Again, I recommend taking a pass. It looked to me like the line focused mainly on big, semi-precious stones (like amethyst and blue topaz) set in silver or vermeil, antique-y looking settings. Ok. But again, expensive I thought for what they are - price points in the hundreds for stuff that looks lifted from the QVC TV screen. Disappointing.

It's just the first season, so maybe Simply Vera will hit its stride in future collections. For now, I eagerly await Temperley for Target and - my most anticipated - Roberto Cavalli for H&M.