Celebrities have been hocking clothing lines since Jaclyn Smith designed housewife ready-to-wear for K-Mart in the '80s. But today's affordable star-helmed collections target the young and young-at-heart fashion plate.

"Hairspray" actress Amanda Bynes' dear collection for Steve & Barry's retails for $19.98 or less and includes fun pieces like hoodies and jumpers geared towards the trendy female shopper.

"Amanda Bynes is the calling card for the customer to check out the merchandise," says Howard Schacter, chief partnership officer for the department store, which also carries Sarah Jessica Parker's Bitten and Venus Williams' Eleven lines. "She has great fashion sense and is a great fit for our shopper."

Who's That Girl?
But not everyone is impressed. Veteran celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch has worked with Halle Berry and Salma Hayek and designed an upcoming footwear line for Hush Puppies. He champions brands by Beyonce (House of Dereon), Gwen Stefani (L.A.M.B.), and J. Lo (Sweet Face and Just Sweet) whom he calls "fashion icons of our time," and commends Nicky Hilton for taking fashion design seriously.

He's less fond, however, of lines by wholesome stars like Mandy Moore, Hilary Duff and Bynes.

"Who is Amanda Bynes?" Bloch asks cheekily. "I understand when someone is particularly creative and drawn to something. But did she grow up wanting to be a fashion designer? These girls don't have a particular sense of style, they have stylists."

What a Girl Wants
Fashion Institute of Technology student Chrissy Leavell recently critiqued Mandy Moore's Mblem. line for "The Tyra Banks Show." The 21-year-old former intern for Marc Jacobs says Moore's colorful collection of A-line, trapeze, and tunic dresses is cute but prefers Nicky Hilton's moderately priced Chick line and her higher-end Nicholai designs.

Although Leavell thinks celebrity designers have an unfair advantage, she admires their entrepreneurial spirit.

"Younger people look up to them," she says. "It's cool to see how [celebs] balance their time – that they can act and sing and launch a clothing line."