This morning, Celebuzz hit the tents at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week for the debut of the latest collection from Whitney Port’s uber-successful line, Whitney Eve. We also got to chat with The City star about her new collection – and even got her talking about former Hills beauty Kristin Cavallari‘s pregnancy news.
As Whitney herself explained to us yesterday as she prepared for Wednesday’s show, the collection was “originally inspired (at least prints-wise) by a kaleidoscope that I found at my grandmother’s apartment … I was just like, ‘Wow, these images are really awesome. Why don’t I emulate these kind of geometrics and jewel tones into my prints?’ My prints are really what I feel like stand out the most about what I do.”
“As far as the aesthetic of the collection, it’s really reflective of my style aesthetic – that kind of easy, breezy Los Angeles vibe, mixed with a little edge and sophisticated aspect of New York,” she added.
So, just how long did it take for Whitney to complete her collection? “It’s really like a six-month process,” she said. “You basically start your season as soon as your last one goes off the runway. So as soon as this one is done, I’ll be starting to work on Spring of next year.
Today marked Whitney’s first solo show, and her third overall show at New York Fashion Week. In that time, she tells us she’s grown “immensely” as a designer.
“I think at first, I was kind of looking at it like a fun art project, and now the collection looks much more cohesive,” she said. “I feel like I know how to design a whole look from head to toe. I think [my collection] is definitely more wearable and it speaks to girls like me who don’t take fashion too seriously, but they really love fashion and want to step out of the lines a little bit.”
“The thing that people don’t really understand about Whitney is that she was an intern at Women’s Wear Daily before she was ever on television,” added People’s Revolution’s Kelly Cutrone, who Celebuzz spoke to after the show. “She grew up in the manufacturing business. That’s what she’d always set out to do.”

We did a double take when we spotted Kelly Cutrone's tweet this morning saying, "It's true! I am joining America's Next Top Model!" We loved her no-nonsense boss lady ways on The City, so we're excited to see what advice she dishes out to the ANTM contestants. We dug a little deeper and found that Kelly's not only joining the Top Model team, but she's taking over Vogue editor André Leon Talley's spot on the show.
Kelly told Jethro Nededog at The Hollywood Reporter "I am a huge fan of America's Next Top Model and have watched the show for years. Having worked in various aspects of the fashion industry over the course of my career, I am excited for this new opportunity and hope to bring a different perspective to the show."

A new Kelly Cutrone MTV project has been in the works since last year, and today the tell-it-like-it-is fashion publicist, reality star, and author revealed the name of the pilot to TresSugar first! It will be called Normal Gets You Nowhere. If it gets picked up, the show will share its name with Kelly’s latest book, which reminds young women that successful people often don’t fit in and calls on them to embrace their inner freak.

Kelly told us she’s traveling somewhere in middle America to shoot the MTV pilot this Friday, and plans to channel Dear Abby. She says, “We’ll meet kids in the middle of America whose parents think their imagination is a dangerous thing, and they should be lucky that they work in a factory, and that art is a hobby, and stuff like that. So we go there and talk to the parents and be like, ‘You have no idea. Your kid’s super talented, and they’re coming to New York.’ And then we help them get on the right track for what they want to do.”

Does the idea sound promising to you? Stay tuned for more from Kelly about her new book, as well as sex and dating advice straight from her mom Beverly.

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!

Whitney blogged : Hi guys,
Thanks so much to everyone who left their questions here on my blog. I only had time to answer a few because I've been working like crazy -- hopefully I'll get around to some more in a bit :)
xoxo, Whit
Was there ever a time in The City where you thought you were wrongly portrayed in a scene? And if so, what scene was that?
There have definitely been times where I felt the situation or story told was dramatized or facts didn't really line up. However, who you truly are really does get portrayed. There is only so much editing they can do and no one ever forces you to say anything. All the words that come out of our mouths are a reflection of our personalities. So while it is a TV show and the producers are awesome at making things look super dramatic, we all are very close to the people we are portrayed as.
The season finale of season 2 left a lot of questions unanswered about yours and Roxy's relationship. Did you two reconcile and are you still in touch?
We have definitely reconciled and talk all the time. We have been traveling quite a bit since the show ended filming so we haven't gotten much face time but I miss her so much and will see her when we are both back from our current trips!
I was just wondering how things went with Kelly since we didn't get to find out. Did you go with the pink girl (I can't remember her name, just that everything was pink), or did you stick with Kelly?
I actually went to work with Alison Brod PR but was never actually represented by Kelly in the first place. She was and is a consultant but did not do the press for my line so it wasn't like I was ditching her!
Why after Jay you didn't show your personal life as much?
I realized that my personal life is something sacred and private. It is the only thing that keeps me sane so I wanted to keep all other opinions out of that equation. From the beginning I have never shown my family (to a large extent) or many of my very very close relationships. While I know I was on a reality show, there was always a boundary I kept.
Do you still have contact with your friends of The Hills? Like Lauren, Audrina and Lo?
I talk to all of them periodically. I ran into Audrina recently at a party which was so nice! I was so proud of her for her recent stint on Dancing with the Stars!
Were a lot of people fake to you in nyc because you were famous, or was it easy to make friends. were the friends you made on the show your real friends and do you still keep in touch with them?
I didn't really make very many friends here because I am a bit of a loner. I'd rather have a very few best friends then a bunch of fringe friends. Roxy and Sami have always been genuine girls and they will always be a part of my life!
Are you going to do any more reality TV? I know that Lauren Conrad is coming out with a new style reality show, will you do anything similar to this?
I hope to continue my career in television. I never knew it was something that would bring me so much joy and fun! I love being involved in the production side of things. But who knows! It is all a work in progress!
Are you and lauren still friends? I used to think it was the only real friendship on The Hills.
We are still friends of course. We will always have an awesome experience in common that is so unique.