NBC has tapped Jessica Simpson to be a "celebrity mentor" for budding fashion designers on the upcoming reality show Fashion Star, which will be hosted by model-slash-lingerie designer Elle Macpherson. As you may recall, Simpson has a wildly profitable mass clothing label (currently preparing to accost the tween market!), and served as a guest judge on Project Runway last season. Fashion Star is, of course, supposed to be NOTHING AT ALL like Project Runway, according to producers, mainly in that it focuses on clothing that can be sold on a mass consumer level. Explained Macpherson previously, "We're not looking for someone to create a couture dress for the Oscars. We want someone who can design lingerie, swimwear, denim — accessible things that regular people wear." We do know that both Jessica and Elle are good at this; both of their labels are sold at department stores nationwide, and as far as we know, no one has ever worn any of their designs to the Oscars.

Simpson won't be a judge on Fashion Star, since the winners are chosen by viewers who can go online and vote for a piece of clothing by actually buying it (thus proving its desirability to the everywoman). If her stint on Project Runway is any indicator of how she'll treat contestants, we already know that she'll be incredibly sweet to them, and when she's trying to pay a compliment, she'll say, "I'd wear that." Which, in poor Mondo's case as well as many others, is not necessarily a good thing.

Jessica Simpson to Mentor Aspiring Designers on NBC Reality Series [UsMagazine]