FASHIONTRIBES 5 MIN. PODCAST: Rebecca Romijn Replaces Mischa Barton as the Face of Bebe. FASHIONTRIBES FASHION BLOG & PODCAST

The lovely Rebecca Romijn.

If pink is the new black, and fifty is the new thirty, then a chronological thirthy-something is the age to be...if Bebe's advertising strategy is anything to judge by. Having snagged the 31 year old Eva Longoria for its Bebe Sport division and replaced the 20 year old Mischa Barton with 34 year old Rebecca Romijn, Bebe – like all successful fashion retailers – is giving the people what they want.

"Mischa did an amazing job for the company and gave us a lot of presence," Bebe CEO, Greg Scott, recently told WWD. "We never thought of Mischa as her character on ‘The O.C.. We portrayed her as more of a woman in our images. With Rebecca, we'll keep her in that same genre." The former Sports Illustrated covergirl, House of Style host on MTV, and the cartoon’y Mystique from X-Men will soon be adding "Ugly Betty castmember" to her growing resume.

But will she appeal to Bebe’s 25- to 35- year old female demographic when the print campaign – magazines, billboards & direct mail – launches in mid-April?

The fact that’s she’s a willowy, blonde 5'11" former model with a body that’s still to kill for could possibly alienate her from a mainstream that’s an average of '5'4" and 140; however the fact that she’s well into her thirties and still fabulous is a strong mark in her favor, and Bebe’s sexy image is consistent with the glamourous image that the public associates with Romijn. "It sometimes takes a year to choose [a spokeswoman]," explains Scott. "You have to meet with them many times to make sure there's a connection between the person and the brand.…I think Rebecca's always represented someone who is a very natural, sexy, self-confident woman." And Romijn herself doesn’t disagree. "I have always been impressed with the strong, sexy and confident image that reflects the bebe brand. I am thrilled and proud to be working with them." (Look for her in the front row at Los Angeles Fashion Week in March at the bebe runway how.) (via WWD)

To hear the Fashiontribes 5 Min. Podcast about this, visit PodcasterNews.com.

- Lesley Scott

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