Fly Away Holmes

I’m not sure what, exactly, gave Katie Holmes the idea that she is qualified to and should be a designer. Maybe it’s her innate chic-ness. Maybe it’s her close friendship with Victoria Beckham. Association by proximity? Although, that same argument could be made for Ms. Beckham, as well. Either way, consistency is certainly not the bat with which Mrs. Tom Cruise has chosen to play ball, as the “plans” for her clothing line have been shuffled around in what’s known as The Ol’ Switcheroo, regardless of how great the designs themselves may turn out to be.

The former Dawson’s Creek star (as I still prefer to fondly remember her) was originally slated to do a collaborative line for Armani—a shocker in and of itself, as no fashion house of Armani’s stature has ever before joined with a non-professional designer in such a way. What’s more, the collection was going to be for toddlers. Yes, toddlers. All inspired by Katie’s own stylish daughter, Suri, of course. (Her—ehem, her-mother-on-her-behalf’s—style is, after all, inspiring toddlers across the world....) The line was, theoretically, going to have debuted in the spring of 2009, with a collection for “older children” to follow in the fall (now). This, in turn, would supposedly be succeeded by women’s clothing and handbag collections by fall 2010.

And yet, where are the Armani-clad toddlers, compliments of Katie?

Hence, The Ol’ Switcheroo. Instead of debuting her collection for the high-fashion fixture, the red carpet maven has seen spring 2009 come and go, and has had her reps announce (without mention of the aforesaid, uncompleted collection that seemed to mysteriously drop off the map) that she will be doing a line with her stylist, Jeanne Yang. According to Women’s Wear Daily, her new plans include a fall 2009 collection of “premium” women’s clothes, which will be sold at L.A.’s Maxfield, the West Coast equivalent of Barney’s or Bergdorf’s, and—what’s this?—a toddler collection inspired by Suri. I guess one thing did stay the same.