"The Real Housewives" are invading Chicago.
Three ladies – Gretchen Rossi of Orange County, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of New York, and Teresa Giudice of New Jersey – will be making appearances at the In Fashion Lounge @ Water Tower Place, which is part of the In Fashion: The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival presented by MasterCard.
"Fashion is my passion if you will," Rossi told RedEye before she boarded a flight to Chicago. "I have so many great fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter that are constantly asking me where I shop or how I put things together or how I create an outfit."
RedEye couldn't pass up an opportunity to chat her up about the Thursday event where she'll give fashion and styling tips.
She tells RedEye that yes, she's still with her boyfriend, Slade. She continues to build her "lifestyle" brand anchored by handbags and cosmetics. And she's waiting to start filming Season 7 soon. Last season, things didn't end on the best of terms with Tamra Barney and Vicki Gunvalson.
"I'm just to the point in my life now where I've really figured out who each girl is and what girl is my friend and what girl is not," she said. "I'm going to live my life optimistically and hope that the women can figure out that being catty and tearing each other down and doing the things they're doing is not worth it. I doubt that's going to happen."
Rossi gives RedEye the scoop on her sense of style.
On how she picks her outfits: Traveling for me is like a nightmare. Poor Slade, because he's the guy that refuses to allow the girl to carry her bags. But he should really let me carry my bags because I end up having like two bags no matter what, where ever we go, even if we're gone for the night I have two bags. The problem with me is that it really does truly come down to my mood and what I feel best in … If I don't feel good in it, it's going to resonate on my face and it's going to resonate whether I'm going to a red carpet event or a wedding or where ever. So my motto is always put on what you feel you look good in.
On the must-have fashion accessory/item for fall: Well, I think we always know the must-have accessory for fall is boots. Going into the winter months, obviously especially in places like Chicago, you want to be warm but you also want to look good – so some really fashionable great-looking boots.
On the trend she loves: I just love this new color blocking trend. I think it is such a cool trend. I'm just going to run with it because I love color. I've never been just a "let's wear black, or white or grey." Actually, I do like white, but I like white with a pop of color.
On the trend she wants to go away: I'm a little over the leopard trend ... I feel like especially in Orange County, the leopard thing has been here for the last 10 years. I think people associate with Orange County and these women that are in their 40s-plus – although I'm not – some of the women they consider, "Oh they're cougars and they're wearing this leopard." I think I'm a little over the leopard. However, I'm the first one to gravitate toward something that is leopard or printed like that. So I'm not really one to talk. You'll probably see me prancing around in some big leopard fun coat for the fall.
On how she describes her sense of style: Fun, flirtatious, girly-girl with a little bit of bling. I'm not really your jeans and T-shirt kind of girl. If I'm going to be dressed down, I'll be in one of my Juicy [Couture] suits. I'll wear a sweat suit before I wear jeans.
On which housewives have the best style: I would say probably Beverly Hills as a whole … Out of all the women, I don't know who that'd be. That'd be a pretty good toss-up between them. Lisa [Vanderpump] and Camille [Grammer] probably would be right up there.
On where things stand with her boyfriend Slade and the possibility of having kids and being married: Slade and I are still happy and still content and we are so in love and we are so OK with it being just that. That's the best way to sum it up. We are happy where we're at and I don't feel this overwhelming need to be married right now and I don't have this biological clock saying I have to have a baby.
Can't get enough of these housewives? The only way for fans to see these reality TV starlets is to win access to the lounge. To do that, fans can follow @watertowerplace on Twitter or like Water Tower Place on Facebook. They also can donate new or gently used women's suits, shoes and purses or spend $100 at Water Tower Place in one day between Aug. 26 and Sept. 8.
Three ladies – Gretchen Rossi of Orange County, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps of New York, and Teresa Giudice of New Jersey – will be making appearances at the In Fashion Lounge @ Water Tower Place, which is part of the In Fashion: The Magnificent Mile Shopping Festival presented by MasterCard.
RedEye couldn't pass up an opportunity to chat her up about the Thursday event where she'll give fashion and styling tips.
She tells RedEye that yes, she's still with her boyfriend, Slade. She continues to build her "lifestyle" brand anchored by handbags and cosmetics. And she's waiting to start filming Season 7 soon. Last season, things didn't end on the best of terms with Tamra Barney and Vicki Gunvalson.
"I'm just to the point in my life now where I've really figured out who each girl is and what girl is my friend and what girl is not," she said. "I'm going to live my life optimistically and hope that the women can figure out that being catty and tearing each other down and doing the things they're doing is not worth it. I doubt that's going to happen."
Rossi gives RedEye the scoop on her sense of style.
On how she picks her outfits: Traveling for me is like a nightmare. Poor Slade, because he's the guy that refuses to allow the girl to carry her bags. But he should really let me carry my bags because I end up having like two bags no matter what, where ever we go, even if we're gone for the night I have two bags. The problem with me is that it really does truly come down to my mood and what I feel best in … If I don't feel good in it, it's going to resonate on my face and it's going to resonate whether I'm going to a red carpet event or a wedding or where ever. So my motto is always put on what you feel you look good in.
On the must-have fashion accessory/item for fall: Well, I think we always know the must-have accessory for fall is boots. Going into the winter months, obviously especially in places like Chicago, you want to be warm but you also want to look good – so some really fashionable great-looking boots.
On the trend she loves: I just love this new color blocking trend. I think it is such a cool trend. I'm just going to run with it because I love color. I've never been just a "let's wear black, or white or grey." Actually, I do like white, but I like white with a pop of color.
On the trend she wants to go away: I'm a little over the leopard trend ... I feel like especially in Orange County, the leopard thing has been here for the last 10 years. I think people associate with Orange County and these women that are in their 40s-plus – although I'm not – some of the women they consider, "Oh they're cougars and they're wearing this leopard." I think I'm a little over the leopard. However, I'm the first one to gravitate toward something that is leopard or printed like that. So I'm not really one to talk. You'll probably see me prancing around in some big leopard fun coat for the fall.
On how she describes her sense of style: Fun, flirtatious, girly-girl with a little bit of bling. I'm not really your jeans and T-shirt kind of girl. If I'm going to be dressed down, I'll be in one of my Juicy [Couture] suits. I'll wear a sweat suit before I wear jeans.
On which housewives have the best style: I would say probably Beverly Hills as a whole … Out of all the women, I don't know who that'd be. That'd be a pretty good toss-up between them. Lisa [Vanderpump] and Camille [Grammer] probably would be right up there.
On where things stand with her boyfriend Slade and the possibility of having kids and being married: Slade and I are still happy and still content and we are so in love and we are so OK with it being just that. That's the best way to sum it up. We are happy where we're at and I don't feel this overwhelming need to be married right now and I don't have this biological clock saying I have to have a baby.
Can't get enough of these housewives? The only way for fans to see these reality TV starlets is to win access to the lounge. To do that, fans can follow @watertowerplace on Twitter or like Water Tower Place on Facebook. They also can donate new or gently used women's suits, shoes and purses or spend $100 at Water Tower Place in one day between Aug. 26 and Sept. 8.
- From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday: Book signing by LuAnn de Lesseps, author of "Class with the Countess."
- From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday: Celebrity styling event with Gretchen Rossi
- From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 8: Book signing by Teresa Giudice, author of "Fabulicious!"
