Help! I've been Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker!

After of months of hype and a roasting on the internet by fashion snobs, Steve & Barry's Bitten line--endorsed by actress Sarah Jessica Parker--was unleashed in its stores nationwide on Thursday.

Despite the online flaming, or perhaps because of it, I wanted to check it out for myself at the local S&B yesterday. I saw pictures of the clothes from when it was featured on Oprah a month ago and I thought it looked like stuff I would buy. I was especially pleased to see that the line would go up to a size 22 or XXL; virtually every other new "celebrity" line is not only expensive, it also ends at the size 14 watermark. And you're lucky if you can find that 14.

The prices were unbelievable...less than eight bucks for tops and nothing costs more than $19.98. The quality of the merchandise was a lot better than I expected; I'd say it's about the same as Old Navy, the Gap, or maybe the better lines at Targét. I saw some cute dresses good for date nights and I was sorely tempted by the cropped trench jacket. But the item I really wanted was the denim capris. It's tough finding denim capris in my size. All of the premium denim brands run too small for me. The only ones I own are a DKNY denim clamdigger I found at a Saks Fifth Avenue outlet some years ago and one pair from Lord Wally of the Mart. Svoboda makes denim short pants, but they're $138.

I tried it on and while the fit was a little snug, I figure going up to size 18 would be too big. So I bought that and a belt ($14.98 and $5.98 respectively). My mom went nuts, buying four tops. Ladies who need extra room in their tops will be happy to know the XLs and XXLs run pretty true to size.

The line emphasizes basics. It's up-to-date without being screamingly trendy and it's just classic enough to suit any kind of person. Which I suppose is the idea if you're creating a mass market line. I look forward to see what else they bring for summer and for fall.

Now for the complaints of the fashion snobs. I get the idea that they were upset because they expected Bitten to reflect the style of Parker's character on "Sex And The City" or Parker's red carpet looks. I also think they didn't like that the line was for a lower price point store that's not as trendy as H&M or even Targét. As far as I'm concerned, Bitten is Steve & Barry's attempt to shore up its appeal with female shoppers; S&B's is known primarily for targeting young men. Sarah Jessica Parker is simply endorsing the line; she's an actress a lot of people like and is known for her fashion sense. I don't have any illusions that Ms. Parker is sewing samples in her spare time any more than Justin Timberlake is stitching up William Rast jeans. I'm sure she has some input into the line but she's primarily there to help pitch it.

There's nothing wrong with more options for those who don't have lots of disposable income or just love a bargain or for those of us who belong to the double-digit size set. If the clothes don't appeal to you, that's fine, but the curled lips are a bit much. Judging by the huge lines in several stores over the weekend, it looks like S&B has won over the folks who really matter, the consumer.