Dreadful Dereon

BeansTalk readers know a couple of things: 1. we usually love the items we profile on this site. 2. we shop at Ross.

Ross has been an outlet for "urban" wear for a long time -- Machiavelli, Apple Bottoms, Phat Farm. Lately, however, we have seen loads and loads of clothes from House of Dereon (by Beyonce and her owner/manager/stylist Tina Knowles). They're priced higher than usual Ross fare (sweatshirts are $34, for e.g.).

We have never (never, ever) seen such thoroughly horrible clothes. When Stella McCartney started we were fixated on how lucky she was that she had that last name and the coin to "design" clothes that resemble something an aspiring designer, circa-junior high would create. Still, she had plenty of celeb supporters.

Tina Knowles had one big red-carpet staple: her own daughter. There is this old theory that when you get dressed up, right before you go, you look at yourself in the mirror and take off one thing (avoid clutter). Looking at Beyonce, it seems painfully apparent that before she leaves, Tina adds ruffles and lame.

My grandmother, who grew up very poor, used to put tons of meat in any kind of mixed dish -- she believed that the more meat the better, even if it overpowered the meal. That's exactly what Tina Knowles' designs are like. No, that's not fair to our Granny. Her designs are just bad.

The above items, the best of the bunch, are marked down on the Dereon site, from $80 to $60. Those are two items that are $34 at Ross.