LINDSAY, Paris, Jessica, Nicole? Ancient history. Never before has the fashion industry encountered a force like Miley Cyrus.
In the year and a half since her show, “Hannah Montana,” debuted on the Disney Channel, the wee 15-year-old starlet has redefined the power of product placement as we know it, single-handedly moving millions of dollars in clothes and accessories as her fans – ages 6 to 60 – clamor to look, dress and act like their favorite teen idol.
Miley’s golden touch has even created new fashion stars.
“We’ve been getting a huge volume of calls from across the country and A-list boutiques,” says designer Nuj Novakhett, who created the stunning strapless red dress Miley wore to the American Music Awards.
And though the $500 strapless number (far left) has yet to hit selling floors, it’s nearly sold out in pre-orders alone: “It’s been crazy,” says Jennifer Cohen, co-owner of Beverly Hills boutique Switch. “We have a waiting list of at least 20 names” – something almost unheard of in the world outside of luxe European fashion.
“We were one of the first to put her on our cover last April,” says CosmoGIRL! editor-in-chief Susan Schulz. “When so many young celebs were spiralling downward, here came Miley. She’s the antithesis to what so many Hollywood stars are today and the answer to so many teenagers who are looking for a role model.”
Teens still can’t get enough of her girl-next-door wholesomeness, says Teen magazine’s entertainment editor Kelly Bryant. “Our readers are demanding more and more Miley,” she says. “They want to know everything they can possibly know about her. They want to be like her.”
And parents? “We don’t get much feedback from parents about Miley Cyrus,” Bryant says. “But maybe that’s more telling – the fact that we don’t get calls from parents about her.”
A teen idol the parents can get onboard with is a recipe for success – in retail, that is.
“Miley has a cool, girl-next-door appeal that makes kids want to be her while still being parent-approved,” says Justin Watson of Mighty Fine clothing. The singer/actress was spotted in Mighty Fine’s Madeline T-shirt ($25) at a recent concert stop and, “We definitely saw a spike in sales,” Watson says.
Even fake hair flies out of stores. “Nobody can really understand what’s really going on with this,” says Kelly Cutrone, founder of p.r. firm People’s Revolution and mom of a 5-year-old. “Miley Cyrus goes beyond a teen-tween market. My daughter made me take her to Libby Lu, where they sell Miley hair – for $25, you get this hair extension thing to plop on your head.”
Miley’s secret style weapon just might be her army of stylists – LA stylist Nicole Chavez picked out the Novakhett dress and stylist-to-the-stars Zoe Joeright styled the “Miley” side of Cyrus’ double-sided album cover. Joeright also picks out clothes for her personal life.
“She has a really playful fashion sense,” says Joeright. “We try to avoid putting her in too much black, because she’s young. She loves pink a lot, though she’s not so girly as to wear pink all the time, and she loves metallics.”
And though Miley may be rocking some $300 jeans, oftentimes, her looks are a result of mixing and matching different price points. You can find some of her looks at Target, but for all her down-to-earth appeal, Miley is a star. “I don’t let price dictate what I pull for her,” Joeright says “but we definitely spend a little more on shoes.”
dlo@nypost.com