Though she hasn’t set a date for her wedding to fiancé Eric Johnson — they might even elope! — Jessica Simpson has one big detail in mind: her dress. “I will be part of designing my own wedding gown,” the star, who wore a custom Vera Wang gown for her 2002 wedding to Nick Lachey, tells WWD. “But not without telling your mom,” interjects mother Tina.
The mother-daughter pair shares everything, it seems, including ownership of Jessica’s billion-dollar fashion empire, which includes sportswear, prom dresses, denim, shoes and more. “I couldn’t do this without my mom. We have the same eye,” Jessica says. “[She's] been my stylist since I was born.”
The two approve every item in the Jessica Simpson line, down to the button. “It’s a three-step process,” Tina explains. “We see it at the beginning design stage. We’ll give our inspiration and our color palette. And then, mid-design, they bring to us what they’re working on, and then we have final approval.”
When Jessica is busy with other commitments in Los Angeles, it’s Tina who jets to New York to do the dirty work. “The biggest thing … is we just don’t walk in and put Jessica’s name on something and walk away,” she explains.
For Jessica’s part, having her mom on board couldn’t be better. “We get along great,” she says. “I feel like we’ve grown up together. Having a young mom has inspired my style.” And though she names fashion houses like Lanvin, Alexander McQueen and Valentino among her favorites, she vows to never charge designer prices for her duds.
“All this looks expensive, and it doesn’t fall apart,” Jessica shares. “I don’t think we need to go there. Making it affordable for everybody is really where we’re at.”
Credit: PEOPLE (Kate Hogan)