by Daniel Quintanilla for examiner.
Lauren Conrad for the first time ever sat down with this reporter discussing the ever-popular Sweet Little Lies, and the wonderful world of fashion.
Without further ado, here's my interview with Lauren Conrad.
DQ: How's it feel to finally be in Philadelphia after trying to come here the first time and having the big snowstorm just uh.. kill all that?
LC: Um, well it's good to finally make it here (laughing), it was disappointing the first time when we had to deal with weather. But uh.. we made it.
DQ: Sweet Little Lies, it's already number one on the bestsellers list, and uh.. it's really popular. It now goes into more detail with like... Jane and what she's going through, and what you went through on The Hills. How do you think Jane has grown throughout the series?
LC: Well, I don't... I think that one of these advantages I have with having the opportunity to write three books to tell one story is that I get to... I get to take my time with character development. So, I think that at this point in the story, she hasn't yet grown, she's kind of experiencing it all. I have the third book for her to kind of access that's happened to her and you know... take away what she will.
DQ: Now... Sugar and Spice... Here's a better question, Hillary Duff is coming out with her own novels in October, then followed by a non-fiction novel. What do you think you can do to counter that? Do you think that you want to make Jane more adventurous, make her like more rebellious, make Jane Roberts into her own series... like something where she totally rebels against everybody but she upholds her good-clean image at the same time?
LC: Do you mean in the third book?
DQ: Yeah, in the third book where she can possibly expound from there.
LC: You mean like a spin-off series?
DQ: Yeah, exactly.
LC: Um, I'm not sure. Right now, I'm focusing on just completing the series. I'm uh.. I'm right now just finishing up the third book. So, that's my main focus right now and then you know from there, we kind of decide what we're gonna do. But I mean... I love the writing, it's been the best experience and I hope to continue.
DQ: Now, also in October, you have your style book coming out. Yes, you're beaming on that, you're most proud of that obviously
LC: Um, it was great. It was um.... it was a very personal project because you know I... I love clothes, I love fashion, I love style, um... and I just spent the last few years.... learning about it, you know. Whether it was working for a magazine, working with stylist, and you know, working as a designer. I just kind of learned all these different areas of the industry. And I think that um... pick and fit... a lot of people struggle with style just because they haven't had that experience. So, the point that I you know, the message I wanted to bring across in my book is um... it's style made easy. It's... when you're a young girl, you play dress up as a game, it's something that you love to do. Um, you know, you dig into your dress up trunk, and it's just... it's play time. And then, fast forward 20 years, and it's an obligation. It's I have nothing to wear, I don't know what to wear to this, and it becomes you know a stress on your life. So it's... it's about making it simple so you can enjoy the process again. And you know, I got to work with my own team, I got to do with my own hair, I got to do my own make up, my favorite photographer, I got to work with my favorite stylist and you know, it was a five-day photo shoot. Um, so it was just something that I was just something that I was... you know, involved in every step of and um... very proud of it.
DQ: Oh My God. Now this also correlates with your new Kohl's collection that's doing extremely well.
LC: Umm hmm, I actually... tomorrow, we're going over to New York... actually, we're going to New York tonight. But, we're meeting uh... a couple days of meetings with Kohl's uh... we get to meet with the design team to work on the next delivery. Those are the fun days.
DQ: Next delivery, meaning for this upcoming Spring collection? Or for the Summer... or for the Fall?
LC: I think it's the end of summer is it? Yeah, August.
DQ: Right, Right.
LC: They have a pretty quick turn around. So that's fine because you get to stay really current with trends.
DQ: Good, Good. Now, you're original collection, The Lauren Conrad Collection, now that also did extremely well like a few years back. From what I understand you wanna bring that back as well. Is that gonna be a little more daring than as in... as in like years past, it's gonna be like more....
LC: Yeah, it'll definitely... I'm... actually in the process of bring it back right now. It's been a long time because I uh... I took time off, I wanted to focus on Kohl's. I wanted to get it off the ground. And now it's up and running and doing well, so now I have... I have the opportunity to focus on my you know, original line and bringing it back. And we're gonna... we're gonna rename it, kind of give it a whole new look. Um, but it's very exciting, that's the fun part for me.
DQ: I guess one factor is that... I guess in a way that was sort of affected by the current economic climate or so. I'm more like it doesn't matter what climate it is, I just want to go out there and do it anyway. Is that what you're thinking should be with the original as well as the Kohl's line?
LC: Yeah, I mean... I think that they're couldn't be a better a time to partner with Kohl's. I think that they're whole message of bringing value at a great price point um... is very appropriate right now because that's what people are looking for. You know, they want... they still wanna have great style and they wanna look nice. But you know, not everyone has the luxury of being able to spend whatever they want, so I couldn't be more happier with that. But there are also limitations when you're doing it with that too so that's why um... we wanna bring back the other line as the... there's certain things you can't uh do at a lower price point. Um, it's just different. And obviously, the economy makes it a challenge. But, I think that a lot of times when businesses start in a climate like it is right now, they get stronger.
DQ: One last question, what advice would you give fashion designers or writers who aspire to go into what you've done over the past six or seven years?
LC: Well Fashion, my advice is get as much experience as you can. I've been interning since I was a teenager. Um, there's so many opportunities out there, I worked in you know... market research groups for different companies where they go and you just tell them what you like and what you don't. I've worked at trade shows, I've worked in showrooms, I've worked you know... I've interned for magazine, I've just... all this experience is... you just learn things you can't learn in a classroom. And while you know, a classroom is equally important, it's just... you get to see where it's all applied. So I think experience is really, really important.
DQ: Oh yeah. Now you said you worked as an Intern since you were a teenager. I know you worked at 3-Dot prior to Teen Vogue, did you work anywhere else prior to 3-Dot? Did you work at small companies?
LC: I worked at a lot of surf companies. I worked with Bello Bongolot. Ummmmmm...... and I worked with now I'm gonna forget their name...... was it Curve? Split!!!!!!
DQ: Oh. Okay
LC: I use to model at trade shows for Split, so I got to see that whole process. Um.... It was... you know, a lot of like local companies that were kind of out of Orange County.
DQ: Oh My God.
LC: It was a lot of fun, but I just... even at a young age, I got to see the industry from that kind of point of view.
DQ: Oh My God. That's so fantastic. I never knew.
DQ: Thank you so much Lauren, (LC: Yeah, thank you) I really appreciate it.
After and even before the interview, Barnes and Noble in Fairless Hills, PA outside of Philadelphia was brimming with what this reporter thinks was anywhere between 1,000-1,500 excited young girls just dying to see Lauren Conrad right in front of their very eyes.Right around quarter of noon, all the adoring fans started poring into the bookstore, buying their copy of Sweet Little Lies in order to be guaranteed an autograph signed by Lauren Conrad herself.
Pink, Red, and Orange were the colors you needed to be the very first people to have their books signed by Lauren herself.
Those who had green or any other color would have their books signed later on in the event.
Between 1p and 2p, the second floor literally had to be cleared so employees can get their finishing touches squared away while Lauren back signed extra copies for those staff people who were adoring fans of Lauren Conrad themselves.
When after 2p rolled around, the excitement began as Lauren graced us with her presences posing for pictures for media, and her fans of course.
And for just about two hours, the lines zig-zagged all around the book shelves on the entire second floor of Barnes and Noble, it wasn't until after 4p that the unforgettable event finally came to an end.
And all throughout that time, this reporter was approached by two young ladies who recognized me from the Harrah's Atlantic City event as I feverishly took pictures of Lauren Conrad last July, giving nothing but praise and support for what this reporter does.
The presence of Lauren Conrad is stronger than everyone realizes; it's not just in the long sweaters, long tees, black leggings, hair styles, or even in the exciting new Kohl's line, it's in the way style and fashion are influenced, how pop culture is forever adjusted by Lauren's presence in spite of fleeting trends that occur periodically, and how many young women and men have aspired to walk in the shoes of Lauren Conrad.
Lauren Conrad proves that you're never too young to start living your dreams in every way possible, as she's proved during her teen years even before Lauren became famous to the rest of the world.
And that's why with Lauren Conrad, there's more than meets the eye.
Credit - Daniel Quintanilla for the examiner.com, Thanks for the heads up taylor : )!!
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