Amanda Bynes Launches Clothing Line, "Hairspray" Actress Branches Out With Affordable Fashions

NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2007

Actress Amanda Bynes waves to fans at an event launching her first-ever apparel and accessory line at Steve & Barry's at the Manhattan Mall in New York on Aug. 16, 2007. (CBS/Melissa Castellanos)

(CBS) By Melissa Castellanos

Actress Amanda Bynes says girls of all ages shouldn't have to make empty their wallets to look their best. On Thursday, the 21-year-old officially introduced her apparel and accessory line, Dear, in New York at Steve & Barry's, a casual retailer.

Shoppers will be pleasantly surprised when they check out the price tags from the Dear collection - every item is priced at $19.98 or less. But Bynes said affordable doesn't mean dull.

"I wanted a clothing line that made affordable fashionable, because it is really hard when you're in school and maybe your parents can't afford or won't let you get the expensive clothes and you still want to be wearing the hip thing. I think that it's now hip to have affordable clothes," Bynes told The ShowBuzz.

Bynes jumped on the affordable bandwagon by following in the footsteps of fashion icon and "Sex In The City" star Sarah Jessica Parker, who recently launched her apparel line, Bitten, and NBA star Stephon Marbury, who launched his apparel line starbury, at Steve & Barry's.

Everything in Parker's Bitten collection is priced at less than $20, and the starbury collection offers shoes for $14.98.

Steve & Barry's has recently gained popularity among celebs by promoting and selling reasonably priced clothing, which has become one of the better Hollywood trends lately.

"I love to wear clothes that make me feel cute but that are just an extension of my personality, colorful or whatever mood I am in for that day," Bynes said.

According to Bynes, her clothing and accessory line is designed to be comfy and cute - and is versatile enough that girls of all ages can wear it.

"I saw girls out (there) that are ages five to 40," Bynes said. "It's really for anyone."

Although Bynes says she now does most of her shopping at Steve & Barry's, she said she also likes to mix and match with shoes from Louis Vuitton and Steven Madden.

The launch of the Dear clothing and accessory line comes as students shop in preparation for the start of school. Bynes recalled trying to choose the perfect outfit for the first day of school.

"My mom made me my favorite back-to-school outfit. My mom actually used to make a lot of my clothes. She made me a really cute dress out of this fruit pattern. I have really loved clothes ever since. My mom has always sewn and I have always drawn so, it's a little bit of a fashion thing in the family," Bynes said.

For a young Hollywood actress, Bynes already has an extensive resume. As a child she attended a comedy camp and was trained by some of the best comedians in the business, Arsenio Hall and Richard Pryor. From there, she did several on-stage performances.

Bynes starred on several TV series on Nickelodeon, including her own show - "The Amanda Show." She made the transition into the film industry with "Big Fat Liar" with Frankie Muniz, "What a Girl Wants" with Oliver James; "She's the Man," "Lovewrecked" and recently "Hairspray" as Penny Pingleton. She has also starred in The WB's "What I Like About You," and her voice was featured in "Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure" and "Robots."

Her latest movie, "Sydney White," based on the contemporary version of "Snow White" and set at a college, is scheduled to hit theaters on Sept. 21.