Idina Menzel Describes New ‘Inclusive’ Clothing Line Encore as ‘Sleep to Street’: ‘It’s for Everyone’
Idina Menzel is stepping into the style game.
The Broadway icon, 50, has launched her very own clothing line, a collection of fashionable yet easy-to-wear pieces called Encore.
Speaking with PEOPLE, Menzel says that she “never really saw myself as a very fashion kind of girl,” but the desire to craft the collection — which will be sold on QVC — came about out of a want to have clothing that she could wear to bed and continue wearing the next morning, all while still looking “chic.”
“Sleep to street, that’s kind of where it came from,” the actress tells PEOPLE with a laugh. “And then, when I started to really manifest the idea and put it out there, I [saw] how I could build upon that for an entire collection and really take decision making [of a day’s outfit] out of the equation.”
“To be able to go into my closet and not feel overwhelmed, and know that I have these pieces that work with everything in my closet — that the colors go together, that the fabrics feel great, that I feel confident in them … and it all works together — [is what I wanted],” she continues.
“Even though I’m in these costumes and on these red carpets and all that stuff, the real me is someone at home who likes to just roll up on the couch and feel comfortable, and not be overly dressed,” adds Menzel.
Encore retails for between $40 and $100, is composed of 15 pieces total and features sizes from XS to 3X. Making Encore in a range of sizes, Menzel says, was of the utmost importance.
“The line needed to be inclusive and diverse and feel like it’s for everyone,” she shares. “When you’re doing a line like this, it’s actually really rewarding to see when you create a certain look and how it looks on different body types, and all kinds of women.”
“That,” the former Wicked star continues, “actually was the most exciting part for me.” She adds: “I put myself in the room with some great collaborators, and I [told them] I need things to feel really comfortable and model them after things that I want on my own body and a lot of my own idiosyncratic, neurotic body insecurities.”
Of the name of the line, Menzel explains that she wanted it “to be reminiscent of me, the performer, but more than that on a deeper level, it’s this idea that I truly believe that the clothes are for all of us who play so many roles in our lives.”
“We’re trying to multitask and trying to keep it together, and occasionally everyone needs to stand on a stage in the spotlight and take in an applause and have an encore,” she adds. “That’s how I really feel, and I just want other people to feel that way too.”
As for how she would describe the line in three words? Menzel tells PEOPLE, “I would say: comfort, timeless and honest.”
According to Menzel, she is “the best in my work when I am authentic to who I am.” Because of that, the star says, “I knew that I didn’t want to just put my name on something,” which is what prompted her to become involved in the behind-the-scenes process of creating her line.
“I needed to learn this business and understand it, and collaborate with people that really knew what they were doing that could help me really make this vision come to life,” Menzel explains. “I didn’t want to bulls— people.”
Partnering with QVC to sell the line “felt organic” the Glee alum notes, adding that the platform allows her to “talk directly to my consumer,” which she says, “is probably my strength.”
“I think I’ve learned, as a performer, I’m really good at sort of being vulnerable and real with people,” she shares. “Trying to connect with people, it’s what I do for a living.”