Madison fashion - style news: 10.09.09

Couture design house Emanuel Ungaro has employed mean girl Lindsay Lohan as an ‘artistic adviser’ alongside chief designer Estrella Archs in an unusual effort to relinquish interest in the struggling brand.

The Lohan-Archs collection will preview in Paris on October 4, and Ungaro’s chief executive officer, Mounir Moufarrige, told WWD that the days of “designers in their ivory towers” are over, and the input of Lohan — the ultimate fashion girl — will lend a “consumer” voice to the mix that is vital in today’s volatile fashion market.

“My target consumer for Ungaro is the woman of perpetual 30, and I think the combination of these two girls will greatly contribute to burnishing a great name, which is Ungaro,” he said.

The bold move is a strategic one for Ungaro, with the last few Esteban Cortazar designed collections failing to cross into commercial profitability, or any great media interest in the house.

“Odds are it could work,” Moufarrige told WWD. “Everything we’re going to get is going to be a plus. I think the noise level around Lindsay will be very, very big.”

Lohan, 23, told WWD she hopes to take Ungaro to a “younger place” with a harder fashion edge and that clothing and design was something she had always been interested in.

“When I’m involved in a project, I give my all to it,” the controversial celebrity said. “I feel like there’s a correlation between everything I do, whether it’s pop music or film. I’ve always played a big part in what I wear, the costumes. To be in a position where I’m working with a fashion house in Paris sets it apart from every other celebrity brand.”