"I tend to spill on things," Lauren Conrad explains, which means her business partner (and childhood friend), Maura McManus, isn't letting Conrad wear any of the samples from their new collection, Paper Crown, until after Coterie wraps up. "This is entirely self-funded," the 25-year-old explains, which is just one of the reasons she wants the collection of romantically tinged party dresses and leather leggings to be in pristine collection when boutique owners from across the country descend on the three-day-long NYC trade show to place their orders. "It's just three of us," she adds, "so I'll be there, working our booth!"
Sadly, none of their New York City escapades will be caught on tape, after MTV decided to pass on the pilot they ordered from the star, which was intended to document the launch of the line. "I'm disappointed," she explains, "because I loved the show, but ultimately they wanted it to be about my personal life." And while Conrad has received offers from companies eager to pick up where MTV left off, she's torn, if only because it would be just half of the story. "Since we stopped production, we finalized the line, shot the lookbook, and now we're going to New York," she explains. "The show was about a group of friends coming together and making something from scratch, and that's what we wanted to capture." 
While film crews missed those crucial final moments, the effort is captured in the Paper Crown lookbook, which is packed with pieces that look like they could have been lifted straight out of Conrad's own closet. "I know how important branding is," she explains, "so it feels very cohesive, and very much like me." Case in point, she can't wait to take one of the tiered maxi dresses for a spin, and she intends to pair it with the Paper Crown cropped leather jacket. "It's a very romantic dress, but the jacket toughens it up a bit," she adds. While the line is significantly more expensive than the LC Lauren Conrad collection, which she'll continue to design for Kohl's, Conrad is aiming for a high cost-per-wear ratio with Paper Crown. "Nothing is overly trendy," she adds. "We want these pieces to be in people's closets for a long, long time."
~Kelli at Hills Freak
