When Bold and the Beautiful EP and head writer Brad Bell teased that viewers would see more fashion wars on the soap, not a soul would have guessed he meant between the Forresters and the Spencers. Yet on the preview for the week of December 13, it became clear that’s the very direction the daytime drama is headed, thanks to Bill Spencer’s wedding gift to his Katie.
Key Takeaways
- Why Bill is giving Katie a fashion house
- What this venture at Spencer Publications means for Forrester Creations
- Speculation on whether this will be a flash in the pan
Katie Is Going From Head of PR to Fashion Head
It didn’t take long on B&B for us to be informed about why we were being reminded that Katie Logan (Heather Tom) had once been the CEO of Forrester Creations. All roads lead to a Spencer fashion house.
Public relations is not the same as the day-to-day operations of a business dedicated not only to producing high-end clothing but also to being a leading influencer in the fashion world. However, because Katie did run a legacy brand, she’ll have a leg up compared to a newcomer in the field.
This also shouldn’t be confused with a vanity project. For all that Bill (Don Diamont) is offering Katie, a financially backed company where money will be no object, he’s also not in the business of failure. Neither is Katie, which makes this solution to her problems at Forrester all the more intriguing. They made a move she didn’t like regarding her work at their fashion house, and now she’s set to be their competition.
As for Bill, he wants his family under one roof in terms of business. This is the most expedient way of accomplishing that task. Katie will be in charge of the new family venture. Will (Crew Morrow) is likely to join her, as he’s building a career in the industry, and Liam (Scott Clifton) is still leading Eye on Fashion, in addition to his other duties at Spencer. So it truly would be a family affair. It will also have the added bonus of upsetting Ridge (Thorsten Kaye), which Bill enjoys doing, especially if he feels his family has been slighted.
The Return of Fashion Wars on Bold and the Beautiful
While an up-and-coming fashion house can’t truly threaten a legacy brand, the conflict that could arise over Spencer’s dive into making luxury clothing, and perhaps other goods, would infuse B&B with fire.
This story has the potential to successfully carry out some of the plots during Carter’s (Lawrence Saint-Victor) and Hope’s (Annika Noelle) takeover of Forrester that didn’t have much room to grow. Such as Carter’s point that Forrester should expand to making handbags, luggage, and spirits. He wanted to build the brand into a conglomerate. Bill already owns and runs one.
The CEO is also a billionaire with money to burn and a bone to pick with the Forresters over Katie. This means he could get the ball rolling far faster than a scrappy and promising but broke fashion start-up with something to prove. Not to mention, Bill is ruthless in his business practices, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could attempt to poach from Forrester.
Bill Could Cross the Line and “Steal” Forrester Employees
Katie’s fashion house is coming at a time when tension is knocking at the door for the Forrester family. As the preview showed, Thomas (Matthew Atkinson) has returned to town. He’s been listless since his engagement with Paris Buckingham (Diamond White) fell through, and he’s not currently attached to a line.
Thomas has every intention of returning to work at Forrester, and Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) is aiming to make that happen. However, there is a major problem. It appears that she intends to put Thomas back on the Hope for the Future line, and that’s something the brand ambassador is unlikely to be comfortable with. It could have to do with Thope’s past and Lope’s recent nuptials, or the possibility that Deke (Harrison Cone) will have less room to grow because Thomas will be the lead designer.
Deke’s already complained to Deacon (Sean Kanan) that he’s not where he wants to be yet at the company. He’s green, so that’s not surprising, but he’s also ambitious, so waiting to execute his full vision is chafing. If Deke gets displaced, he’d be ripe for the picking as a possible employee at Spencer’s new venture.
While it could be a long shot, Zende (Delon de Metz) might be as well. He has been leading HFTF, but he has expressed more than once that Ridge’s children receive preferential treatment at the company. If Zende is shunted to the side again, he may walk away from his family’s legacy to establish a name for himself elsewhere. Somewhere that takes his design future into account and isn’t dependent on the whims of his immediate family.
Will the Spencer Fashion House Last? (Speculation)
Spencer having a foothold in the fashion world beyond magazines could be the major shift B&B needs. The Forresters haven’t had any competition but themselves in years. If this story is meant to revitalize the fashion portion of the soap past the occasional fashion showcase in the FC salon or overseas, then Spencer Publications could be in the dressmaking business for some time.
It really just depends on whether B&B is going to build Spencer back up. The company had been put on the back burner. But with the Spencers reunited as a family, that is changing. Adding another fashion house to the mix also gives new characters a means of entering the soap outside of the Forresters, which is something viewers have wanted.
While this story choice feels very experimental, it doesn’t have to be a one-and-done narrative. It could have staying power and, if it does, it could be a positive change for B&B.
READ THIS: Brad Bell Explains the Creative Line He Refused to Cross on B&B.
READ NEXT: Katie’s New Fashion House on B&B Could Disrupt Forrester Creations.
