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Rachel Bilson is not just playing the part of a shoe designer. The star of The CW’s “Hart of Dixie” recently teamed up with her longtime stylist, Nicole Chavez, to introduce ShoeMint, a membership site that offers monthly selections based on personal taste. It’s the latest addition to the BeachMint e-commerce company, which launched in 2010 with JewelMint, a jewelry line designed by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter. The firm has since expanded with collaborations with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, as well as Jessica Simpson. For ShoeMint, Bilson and Chavez serve as the designers and work with footwear veteran Steve Madden on production of the line. And so far, the partnership has been a good one, said the actress. “Working with Steve is great for me and Nicole,” Bilson told Footwear News. “He has built a global shoe empire and brings extraordinary expertise to ShoeMint to ensure our designs are of the best quality and work within the market.” Still, Bilson promised that the collection would stay true to her fashion sensibilities and remain affordable, at $80. “I work closely with Nicole to gather inspiration, and then work with Steve to bring our vision to life,” Bilson said. “Nicole and I share a lot of the same design preferences, and we’re both really versatile and always go for an effortless look. These shoes really reflect me; they are exactly what I want to wear.” And while Bilson said she is focused on the launch of the line, other product categories could soon be in the offing. “We’re excited to get through our debut collection launch and the full collection launch in the spring. But we are already thinking up some exciting ideas, so stay tuned.” Here, the actress talks about the growth potential for the brand and how small feet — and the difficulties associated with finding fashionable styles — led her to create her own collection. How did you get involved with BeachMint? What have you been doing to learn the footwear business and build your design skills? What first attracted you to the footwear business? How are you balancing your acting career with your burgeoning design career? How big do you think ShoeMint can be and what are your plans for growing it? |
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She may be besties with Karl Lagerfeld, but when it comes to shoe designers, Rachel Bilson’s her own biggest fan. The actress, who has teamed up with her stylist, Nicole Chavez, and Steve Madden to create the ShoeMint line of footwear, introduced her brand-new collection with a breakfast event at the London Hotel in West Hollywood. “It’s been fun and we love working together,” Bilson told FashionEtc. “And Steve Madden is an amazing company to work with. We’re in good hands for sure, so it’s fun. I can’t wait for months to come.” “When we got the first notice that a certain style actually sold out, it was just such a cool feeling that people actually liked the shoes,” the Hart of Dixie star said. “I mean, we were really hopeful that people would like the shoes but we started selling on Thanksgiving, and by that Monday, we were being notified that we were almost sold out of a bunch of things,” added Chavez (who has quite a project of her own coming soon: the designer is just weeks away from the birth of her first child!). The wallet-friendly collection (every shoe is $79.98, with free shipping) includes a range of booties, pumps, and more, all meant to complement customers’ personalized styles. “[Our inspiration] came from our own experience and what was missing in our own closets,” Bilson explained of the designs. “A lot of it came from what we like to see and touch and look at,” added Chavez. “We also just talked about things that we love and bits and pieces of things in our own closet that we love and would like to tweak.” Of course, they probably didn’t take inspiration from one pair of Bilson’s in particular. “My mom kept my first pair of little red Keds,” the brunette beauty shared of her early footwear. “But I was like, ‘Red Keds, Mom? What, was I a boy?’” Today, she goes for shoes that are a little more glam. Bilson told us that her favorite style is the Hattie (not yet available), while Chavez favors the Janis. “I really like shoes that make you stop and think and really look at them,” said Chavez. Of course, a little edge goes a long way, and both designers admitted that Lady Gaga’s signature heel-less shoes (by Noritaka Tanaka) aren’t exactly their style. “That’s a little extreme,” laughed Chavez. “That’s not really our vibe,” added Bilson. ShoeMint is the footwear branch of the ever-expanding BeachMint family of companies, which also includes Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s tee collection, StyleMint; Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter’s jewelry collection, JewelMint; and Jessica Simpson and skin care expert Nerida Joy’s skin care collection, BeautyMint. And though, for now, ShoeMint is limited to women’s offerings, Bilson revealed that she’s open to branching into men’s shoes, and it may not be that far off. “I think that would be so much fun and I kinda think that we should talk to them [the ShoeMint powers that be] about it soon,” she proclaimed. Meanwhile, both Bilson and Chavez agreed that they’d love to do a collaboration with a brand like Brian Atwood or Chloé. Get ready for the ShoeMint empire! |
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Rachel Bilson raps. If you don’t know, now you know! Like the song, download it here: http://www.facebook.com/StrongMedicine. |
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Some fresh “Hart of Dixie” scoop has been revealed by E! Spoiler Chat.
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I have just added 981 high definition screen captures of Rachel Bilson from the last two episodes of “Hart of Dixie” that aired before the winter break, 1×09 and 1×10.          
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Zoe Hart’s daddy issues will be moving front and center during the second half of Hart of Dixie‘s rookie season. We know this because TVLine has learned exclusively that acting vet Gary Cole is joining the CW charmer as the superstar surgeon whom Rachel Bilson’s character was raised to believe was her father. Cole, who in recent years has recurred on Desperate Housewives, Entourage and Chuck, is booked to appear in at least two episodes. Zoe’s dad grew distant from her when she was young after learning that he wasn’t her biological father — something Zoe herself only recently discovered (and after pinning her hopes on one day joining his esteemed medical practice). As a result, their reunion is sure to be a bittersweet one. |
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Some new scoop about “Hart of Dixie” has been revealed by Ask Ausiello!
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Hart of Dixie Season 1 Episode 11 Promo/Preview. |
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