Holly Morgan: Timeless Contemporary

After launching juniors brand XOXO with her then-husband, Gregg Fiene, and later heading up Rampage’s design and merchandising, designer Holly Fiene has had her fill of trend-chasing and fast fashion. “Juniors is exhausting,” Fiene said. “Your timing has to be just right; you can’t be the first, and you can’t be the last to come out with something. I got burnt out.” After quitting Rampage in 2006, Fiene also closed Chantal, an upscale contemporary boutique she opened in Manhattan Beach, Calif., in 2001. “My real dream was to design contemporary fashion. That’s the world I live in; that’s what I wear,” Fiene said.

Fiene, who will soon reclaim her maiden name, Morgan, launched a line of contemporary dresses under the name Holly Morgan for Fall 2007. John Macaluso, formerly of sportswear manufacturer California Concepts, is Fiene’s financial backer for the brand.

“We launched with just dresses to get our bearings and introduce ourselves as a brand,” said Fiene. Spring 2008 will see the addition of camisoles and blouses to the lineup.

As a retailer, Fiene said she found a void in the marketplace for contemporary clothes that were subtly sexy, not overtly trendy, girly or over-the-top sexy. “That’s the niche I want to fill—feminine, classic clothes that you want to keep in your closet and love to wear season after season,” she said.

Holly Morgan has already been snapped up by retailers such as Lisa Kline, Fred Segal Fun and Dari. The line has elements of trends without being trend-driven, Fiene said. For Fall, satin, chiffon and georgette dresses come in rich jewel tones and minidress silhouettes. A tiered mini-dress in navy satin and a fitted tunic dress with bishop sleeves appealed to buyers, as did a black Aline mini-dress with a black lace bib. Spring will see printed chiffon shot through with gold thread and plenty of voluminous silhouettes. “There’s not a lot of ’bling,’ but it will be special,” Fiene said.

Targeting women ages 20 to 40, Holly Morgan is wholesale priced from $80 to $180. The Clarity Group showroom in the Gerry Building in Los Angeles is representing the line. “It is my chance to be creative, not follow trends or play the numbers game,” Fiene said. For more information, call (213) 623-9693.—E.B.