Deluxe Celebrities

Victoria Beckham doesn’t promote dVb clothing line

Fraser Ross was once a charming, young, gossipy shopkeeper with a hole-in-the-wall store nestled beside the Four Seasons Hotel in the Yorkville area of Toronto. Naturally flamboyant, he had a knack for luring visiting Hollywood stars to his place, and they would snap up his store’s eclectic clothing and gift items.

Some years back, Mr. Ross took his knack for trend-setting to Los Angeles - his spiritual home, certainly - and his shop, called Kitson, became the darling of celebrities and leading U.S. fashion magazines on the prowl for the latest.

This week, Mr. Ross was reportedly embroiled in a catfight with the redoubtable Victoria Beckham, and the story has titillated gossip magazines and websites in the U.S. and Britain.

It seems Ms. Beckham, a former Spice Girl and wife of soccer celebrity David Beckham, has been accused by some retailers of failing to promote her dVb clothing line with in-store appearances.

Two weeks ago, Britain’s Daily Express newspaper quoted Mr. Ross as criticizing Ms. Beckham for not coming to his store - even though it is considered her very favourite boutique in L.A. She has made appearances at other stores, including Holt Renfrew in Toronto recently.

On Monday, reports circulated that a number of U.S. stores had dropped her line because she hasn’t done the expected PR work. “Celebrity lines are no different from an album or music tour. They have to be promoted to sell,” Mr. Ross has been quoted as saying.

On Tuesday, Ms. Beckham showed up at Kitson to “mend the fences,” in the words of one celebrity website.

What power our Mr. Ross apparently has. Following her appearance at his store, however, Mr. Ross is saying “the rumours are ridiculous - Kitson is extremely proud to be selling dVb by Victoria Beckham.”

A recession sponsor?

Perhaps in an effort to prove anything can be a marketing opportunity, the makers of Leblon cachaca (a spirit made in Brazil and the chief ingredient in a cocktail called a caipirinha) threw a bash this week at a bar in New York’s financial district.

The invitation read: “Lose your job? Owe taxes? Foreclosure? Who knows how to muddle through economic turmoil better than the Brazilians” and billed the brand “the official sponsor of the 2008 Recession.”