Tracy Feith Still M.I.A., Owes Over $200K To Landlords

Six months ago, Lauren noticed that Michelle Obama-anointed designer Tracy Feith seemed to have disappeared. The surfer-cum-designer known for his bright floral prints became a household name after Mrs. O wore one of his dresses twice, followed by a successful collaboration with Target. But despite the first lady’s proven ability to move the fashion market, Feith is in serious trouble.

The designer’s brick-and-mortar stores in New York and Los Angeles have closed, his website is down, and today the Daily News is reporting that he owes over $200,000 to landlords in NYC and Montauk. His former landlords are, understandably, pretty pissed. Feith’s Manhattan landlord’s lawyer told the News, “It is shameful that a popular and successful designer has shunned his most basic business obligation by failing to pay rent for his retail store.” But Feith and his business partner Susan Winget are nowhere to be found. Once fixtures in Montauk, they were conspicuously absent this year. We’ve reached out to Winget for comment but haven’t heard back.

Feith had been consulting for Calypso, and we hoped he had held onto the gig as a source of much-needed income, but a rep from Calypso told us that while Feith had worked for the brand a while ago, it was only for about two months. Feith reportedly made $550K for his Target lines. Where did the money go?