Wow! And we at DressMonkey thought we were leading the pack in low-cost retail...

At its 264 barnlike stores in malls across the country, including the perpetually mobbed one at the Manhattan Mall in Midtown, Steve & Barry’s offers an assortment of flowery sundresses designed by Sarah Jessica Parker ($8.98), heart-printed hoodies by the Nickelodeon alumna Amanda Bynes ($8.98) and basketball shoes by the New York Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury ($8.98). Lines at the registers are often 20 deep.

The question on everyone’s lips: How do they make a decent dress or a jacket, with sleeves, or a pair of functioning shoes for $8.98?

Read the entire NYT article here

It will be interesting to see if Steve and Barry's marketing strategy of latching on to Gen Y's obsession for anything and everything touched by celebrities will pay out for them. The article says the company doesn't advertise, instead relying on WOM. But partnering with celebrities to develop lines IS a form of advertising, and most definitely is a cost weighing on the company's profitability. The timing couldn't be better for low-cost fashion, however, with Americans looking desperately to save a buck or two anywhere they can.

For those DressMonkeys that were with us from the beginning, you may remember our own attempt at associating big name celebs to our brand. No one bigger than this guy! Unfortunately, we soon realized his sense of style wasn't all that cracked up to be.