Vera Wang and a Prayer

It’s September, time for that progress report we’ve all been waiting for.

Gen. Petraeus’ report on the progress of the surge in Iraq? Sure, that one too. But I was referring to the debut this month of the exclusive Simply Vera by Vera Wang line in Kohl’s department stores. The name associated most with stylish and expensive bridal wear has turned out a whole collection of mainstream fashion – “mainstream” except for the Vera Wang label on it. Madison Avenue meets Madisonville Mall.

Kohl’s ongoing attempt to reposition itself as a style leader comes at parlous times. A similar effort by Wal-Mart has publicly crashed and burned. Jones Apparel Group, which has long tried to bring fashion brands to the masses, is struggling and has gone through significant management shakeups. Same with Liz Claiborne. Martha Stewart never has been much of a savior for Kmart. And Macy’s recently cut back on plans for a Stewart shop program for home goods.

But Kohl’s has always had a better sense than most of who it is. And though it generally has nothing pricier than Ralph Lauren’s Chaps label, the Simply Vera line will include coats and dresses in excess of $100 (though most of the other pieces, including jewelry, shoes, intimates, accessories and home decor, will range from $30 to $70).

The question is not whether the merchandise will have the special Vera Wang touch, even at a fraction of her Saks Fifth Avenue prices. The question is whether the Kohl’s shopper will be drawn to it – and, of course, whether non-Kohl’s shoppers will convert. Sales of Kohl’s new cosmetic lines by Estée Lauder, repackaged as American Beauty, have reportedly been disappointing. So what makes them think Vera Wang will perform better? Kohl’s president Kevin Mansell says the retailer knows what its customer wants – or it finds out.

“They say, ‘Vera Wang at Kohl’s seems a stretch,’ ” Mansell told The New York Times, “ ‘so why do they feel so confident?’ The reason is, we’ve done a ton of research.” During year-long negotiations with Wang, Kohl’s surveyed consumers about their perceptions of the designer and their expectations for the proper price and quality of her collections. “This is not like throwing darts and seeing which ones stick,” Mansell told the Times. “This is really based on quantitative research.”

There’s another, attendant question: Even if the association helps Kohl’s, will it hurt Wang? Will she become a modern version of Halston, Pierre Cardin, Alexander Julian – designers who lent their names to so much that the cachet disappeared?

Bloggers were outraged. (Okay, no shocker there.) They accused her of selling out (and used much worse, stronger language). Many said they’d sooner see her stuff in Anthropologie or H&M.

How defensive would that make a fashion designer who lives in a world of creativity and depends on public opinion? Surprisingly, not defensive at all. Wang told the Times that her business has grown so rapidly and in so many directions that she lacks the resources – especially cash – to keep expanding it on her own. “Designers need money,” she said. “We need infrastructure, design talent, promotional budgets. We need a lot more to play in the sandbox, so to speak. Because of that, every decision I have ever made has been motivated by staying alive and keeping the doors open with the employees that I have.

“I’m not being overly dramatic, I’m being really truthful.”

Refreshingly so. We’ll assume the same from all September progress reports.