SEMLOHE 28

Terrific interview by Grazia Daily
Grazia Daily: What was the best thing you learned from interning with Diane Von Furstenburg? Are you still influenced by her in designing your own label?
Whitney Port: Yes definitely. I mean, Diane Von Furstenburg taught me that I need to design for every woman, that I can’t just keep one woman in mind and I have to think about what girls of all shapes and sizes are going to want to wear so this is always in the back of my head. She’s just so empowering in general and as a female influence she's made a big impact on my life.
GD: Who is the Whitney EVE girl?
WP: That’s a really good question. I don’t know, she’s so many different types of girl! Someone who just wants to make the most of herself. She's motivated and doesn’t have it all figured out just yet! She definitely works really hard and tries to be as confident as possible and not put too much pressure on herself. She's a fashion fiend but not necessarily a follower, she's making her own path.

GD: The City was our favourite show and totally kicked The Hill's proverbial ass because it was so fabulous and fashion heavy. How was it as an experience?
WP: It was so much fun! I mean, obviously there are points when I thought I can’t handle this anymore! I didn’t want the pressure of every move I made and everything I said being on TV, but for the most part, I was able to launch my clothing line off the back of it, which was my ultimate goal so I'll always be grateful for that. So I enjoyed every experience I had because it is very rare for someone my age to be put in such a cool environment and have so many opportunities.
GD: Do you miss the constant cameras in your face?
WP: At the beginning it was a little strange, but now it’s really nice and refreshing to not have to worry about everything that comes out of your mouth and what I wear everyday!


GD: We heard Kelly Cutrone is actually very nice and good fun to hang out with! Was her on screen persona amped up a bit or is she really as intimidating as she seems?
WP: Kelly is exactly how she is on camera! She has a very nurturing side, which I think you see on camera as well. She is very motherly and a really awesome mentor. I think she just wants to push people to take chances and to not be afraid of failure. She was my biggest cheerleader! If you manage to get passed that rough edge you realize that she’s a big softy!
GD: Olivia Palermo, your nemesis, on "The City" is pretty well renowned for her sense of style, but who's more stylish; you or her?!
WP: Olivia, for sure. I mean, even in general she is one of the most stylish girls out there. She has a really great eye!
GD: You're a style icon in your own right, describe it in 5 words!?
WP: My style is eclectic, comfortable, funky, feminine and casual.
GD: Do you work with a stylist?
WP: Lately, I've just been styling myself which is really nice. When I was in New York filming every day I had to wearing new outfits all the time so there was no choice but to have a stylist on hand!
GD: What are the three items of clothing you couldn't live without?
WP: I have this awesome camel leather jacket, which I probably couldn’t live without. A pair of black ankle boots by Toga and a trusted pair of Levis cut-off jean shorts.
GD: You've been travelling a lot. What are you listening to right now (on your iPod)?
WP: I have been listening to Mumford and Sons, Foster the People and Ratatat

You worked really closely with Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port on 'The City' and 'The Hills'. Do you keep in touch with them?
Kelly: I keep in touch with Whitney a lot. I mean Lauren, when I see her we talk and stuff but we were never… like she would never call me and spend holidays at my house, Whitney does. I’m really close to Whitney.
We hear you’re launching your own fashion line?
Kelly: I am – I’m doing a new brand with Chris Burch we’re starting a brand called the Electric Love Army which I’m really excited about.
MTV: How has that transition been for you? Going from PR to the other side?
Kelly: Well, I’ve been doing it for 20 years… and we’re constantly styling and also working on a bunch of collections where people are spending anything from $250,000 to $1 million to make them, and we're watching what works and what doesn’t. So it’s kind of like working in an amazing horse track. After a while you kind of know how to breed the horse, how to find the right jockey and how to make it run.
I had to start making brands - I can’t just sit there and know all this and not spin it. My whole thing is, I want to strip the walls of the fashion world down and bring it to the masses. I don’t like the fact it’s an art form that people are not always welcome in. I want girls to be able to go in and feel good about themselves and feel really empowered and not have to be some granola indigo girl.
So ‘Jersey Shore’…
Kelly: Jersey Shore!!? I rode in a jeep with The Situation to the MTV awards… it was me, Whitney and The Situation and Frankie [from 'The Hills'] and it was pretty funny!

What do you think of their whole style sense? You know, rocking the whole Ed Hardy look, the bling…
Kelly: I bet they’re not now! I bet J-Woww and Snooki are rocking the Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga at this point...
Define success…
Kelly: Knowing that you’ve done your best, between 88% and 100% and that you’ve given whatever you're doing your best and you’ve brought as much of yourself as possible with what you have to work with. That’s my measure for motherhood, as a manager, and an author. You can’t do one thing the way you would do eight things; your measurements have to change but if you’ve done your best, give or take, you’re allowed a couple of bad days of bad behavior. I kind of look at it like a bank deposit, you know, you’ve got to take a few withdrawals and you can do it on a weekly basis, as long as you make more deposits. [laughs]
What’s next?
Well I’ve got my new book which I think is spot on for the times — it covers fashion, human rights, women. Then on April 18 I’m shooting a new pilot for MTV, and I’ve been executive producing a series on E! [The Fashion District]. And my line with Electric Love Army comesout in 2012. So yeah, there’s a lot going on!