00:00 I'm filming you, you're filming me.
00:02 (laughing)
00:03 Couture is my passion.
00:06 Couture is a collection of the most brilliant minds
00:11 in the world of fashion,
00:13 and it's a space where fashion designers
00:16 get to be as fantastical, over the top,
00:20 intricate, and intimate with their materials and creation
00:24 as ever, without any limit.
00:26 When price is not an object,
00:29 there are no ceilings on what they can create.
00:33 I personally have been collecting haute couture
00:37 for over 10 years, I think closer to 15 years now,
00:40 and with each year and each season,
00:43 my mind continues to be blown.
00:46 So one of the primary differences
00:48 between ready-to-wear and haute couture
00:50 is the exclusivity of it,
00:52 and that really has to do with reproduction.
00:55 In haute couture, only one piece is made,
00:57 and one piece is made by hand.
01:00 I think on average, tens of thousands of hours
01:03 goes into every single piece.
01:05 There isn't one second that I'm at Couture Week
01:08 where I'm not learning something new about fashion history,
01:11 or about the designers,
01:12 or about even the sourcing of materials,
01:15 or the processes, or the advancements of fashion technology.
01:19 So we're just gonna hop into my treasure trove
01:22 of couture stories.
01:24 So this is an Idli Saab haute couture gown,
01:27 and of course it's beautiful and luxurious,
01:29 but the funny story behind this
01:31 is I was having dinner with Prince Charles
01:34 and Duchess Camilla at Buckingham Palace,
01:37 and the conservative gown that I had planned to wear
01:40 got stuck at customs.
01:42 So the only other thing I had in my luggage
01:44 was this really risque, deep V gown with a high slit,
01:49 like higher than the bone slit,
01:52 and it was either this or naked.
01:55 So I decided to wear this.
01:57 I broke all of the rules in Buckingham Palace.
01:59 There are rules on modesty.
02:02 It was very naughty, and of course,
02:05 I did not know they had placed me next to Prince Charles.
02:08 So that was quite embarrassing.
02:11 This is an Armani Privé piece, and I love this piece.
02:16 This probably is my favorite haute couture piece
02:19 because it's a jumpsuit, and it has pockets,
02:23 and I love anything functional and practical.
02:26 If you look at every detail,
02:28 every embellishment was done by hand,
02:30 and it's so delightful and fun and comfortable.
02:35 That's the most important thing, is comfort.
02:37 I often get asked, "Do you prefer French couture houses
02:41 "or Italian couture houses?"
02:42 And that's a very tricky question,
02:44 but I have to say that the Italian couture houses
02:47 come with the Italian family hospitality,
02:51 and that extra level of warmth definitely makes things
02:56 and the experience more fun.
02:57 This is my next couture piece,
03:01 and this is a Dolce & Gabbana Altamoda couture dress
03:06 that was exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
03:09 I loaned it to them for their Heavenly Bodies exhibition.
03:12 It comes with a cape, and also, I call it a Pope hat,
03:16 but I was corrected.
03:17 It's a Bishop, not a Pope.
03:20 Overly ambitious.
03:21 This is a Versace Atelier haute couture gown
03:26 that has very special memories for me
03:30 of the Cannes Film Festival,
03:32 because I had it essentially fitted during my time
03:36 on a boat in the French Riviera.
03:39 It was a very dreamy time and a romantic time
03:41 I had with my husband, and the entire team came on board,
03:46 and the boat was rocky,
03:48 and everyone was with pins and needles
03:50 trying to stitch me in.
03:52 This is the Grand Dame of haute couture, Chanel haute couture.
03:57 Chanel haute couture was my very first couture purchase.
04:01 I started my fascination, love, passion collection
04:05 of haute couture with Chanel.
04:06 This is from the first collection after Karl passed away.
04:11 I love this because I've had the same seamstress
04:14 at Chanel haute couture for a very long time,
04:16 and she knows that I like to break the rules
04:20 once in a while, and I like to add my own special touches.
04:23 So after the house approves of a look,
04:26 she always goes in and helps me add something fun.
04:30 This look was shown in the show, but I like sparkles,
04:34 so she added these little sparkle details throughout,
04:38 and you can see them everywhere.
04:40 And another fun fact with haute couture
04:42 is that everything is custom.
04:43 So believe it or not, our bodies are not symmetrical,
04:47 so my right arm is thicker than my left arm.
04:50 And so with pieces that are basically perfected
04:55 to your body, like this sleeve is bigger than this sleeve.
04:59 So if you try to wear this, it would not fit you.
05:02 This is a recent Valentino haute couture slip dress,
05:07 and although it looks very kind of demure
05:11 and simple on the hanger, it has a big impact
05:14 because of the craftsmanship and the elegance it carries.
05:19 And that's what I love about Valentino haute couture.
05:21 By the way, I love the entire team at Valentino haute couture.
05:25 They are, how do I describe them?
05:28 They're like family.
05:29 Katya, who's the director of haute couture,
05:32 I wore this at the most recent couture week,
05:35 and in the middle of backstage fittings
05:38 and all of the craziness,
05:39 because they were going to have their show
05:41 in a couple of hours, she actually came into my hotel room
05:45 and helped me fit into this.
05:47 This comes with a very iconic ostrich hat,
05:52 and
05:52 which requires really a guide when you're walking,
06:01 and these luxurious gloves.
06:06 There's a history on this particular leather,
06:09 which is no longer available.
06:11 The house of Valentino couture saved it just for this look,
06:16 and it fits me like a glove.
06:17 This piece is a fun lesson
06:22 in the social warfare of haute couture.
06:26 This is a Jean-Baptiste Valle haute couture gown.
06:30 You know, in haute couture,
06:32 the special part of it is there should only be one owner
06:36 of one piece,
06:37 and they never make the same piece twice.
06:39 So this was the first time when I bought a piece,
06:43 and I also saw a celebrity wear it.
06:46 So it was kind of an awkward moment,
06:48 but fortunately, the celebrity who wore it
06:51 is someone I really look up to and respect and admire,
06:54 so it made the sting just a little less hurtful.
06:59 This is a Dolce & Gabbana Altamoda piece again.
07:04 So many things to say about this,
07:06 but I really respect the craftsmanship of this.
07:10 This is, I mean, if you've ever tried
07:12 to hand embroider anything,
07:14 you can appreciate the thousands,
07:16 tens of thousands of hours that went into this piece.
07:20 But the funny part of this piece is,
07:23 and I actually didn't bring it,
07:25 and I'm really surprised I'm gonna tell you this.
07:27 It comes with like these hot shorts, like boy shorts.
07:33 At this time, I had lost so much weight
07:35 that all of the fat in my butt went away.
07:37 And so it just didn't look so great.
07:40 So in a very delicate fashion,
07:43 the Dolce & Gabbana team asked,
07:45 since they were making everything custom,
07:47 if I would like some padding in my hot shorts.
07:51 And of course I said yes.
07:52 So when I was wearing this,
07:54 I had basically like a Kardashian butt,
07:56 and I really enjoyed it.
07:58 This is another Chanel haute couture set.
08:03 And this set is particularly special to me.
08:06 And I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it
08:08 because Chanel haute couture has been a house
08:12 that I've been with for a very long time collecting from,
08:15 and the team I've known for a very long time.
08:17 So we've gone through all of life's
08:19 kind of journeys together.
08:20 As some of you may know,
08:22 I had 10 years of difficulties in trying to have a child.
08:27 And in those 10 years, I went through seven rounds of IVF.
08:31 And for those of you who maybe have gone through
08:34 infertility treatments,
08:35 you know that it does a number to your body
08:38 and obviously your mind,
08:40 and particularly your body swells, contracts.
08:44 It just does weird stuff to the shape and weight.
08:46 And Chanel haute couture was so patient with me.
08:49 They actually made this look four times
08:53 because my weight fluctuated four times.
08:56 Allegedly, they lost money on this look,
09:00 but they gained a lifelong loyal customer, so, and friend.
09:05 So when I look at this piece,
09:08 I remember my struggles in infertility
09:10 and ultimately the triumph with baby G.
09:14 This is another Chanel haute couture piece.
09:18 I just love the sparkles.
09:20 Chanel's so fun.
09:21 Actually, every house is so great
09:23 that they like to give you surprise gifts along the way.
09:26 And Chanel made these custom sandals for me that laced up.
09:31 Chanel works with this house called Massaro,
09:36 who is basically the industry standard for shoes.
09:41 So anyway, Chanel gifted me, you might die,
09:46 but those sandals are 7,000 euros.
09:50 And they gifted me a pair when I bought this dress,
09:52 which was so kind.
09:54 And this is another Armani Prive look.
09:57 And I love this piece
09:58 because I actually hate the color purple.
10:02 Growing up, my mom was fascinated and obsessed with purple.
10:06 So I lived in a purple house with purple rug,
10:09 with purple furniture, with purple wallpaper,
10:12 and she wore purple head to toe.
10:14 So I hate the color purple,
10:16 but I trusted the house and they said Armani Prive,
10:20 and they said that this look really should be done in purple.
10:24 And so we went with it.
10:27 Since my mother has passed away, when I look at this piece,
10:30 I think of her, and I'm really pleased
10:34 that I went forward with purple.
10:36 This is another Armani Prive gown
10:38 that I love in this mint green.
10:40 And the best part of this gown
10:42 is that it comes with a little bow.
10:45 No, it does not go on the head.
10:47 It actually is like a little shawl.
10:50 So you wear it behind your back.
10:54 You can wear it like a little shawl like this.
10:56 You know, just casual.
11:00 Okay, so let's hop into the accessories.
11:04 These boots are super special
11:08 because when I first started my journey with Haute Couture,
11:13 I couldn't get over how I could possibly spend
11:17 150, 200, 250 and up thousand euros on a dress.
11:23 And so I had to start smaller
11:25 and kind of tiptoe my way in.
11:29 So these guys are less than that.
11:32 They're all made to measure.
11:33 So they measure your calves and your ankles.
11:37 It's sometimes quite embarrassing,
11:39 but you do it and it fits really well.
11:41 And of course they're so comfortable to walk in
11:43 because it's made to accommodate every curvature
11:46 and oddity in your foot.
11:48 I love collecting Chanel specialty clutches and bags.
11:53 So I have a bunch.
11:54 This I love in particular because storytelling
11:58 and any form of storytelling is a passion of mine.
12:01 This reminds me why I love fashion,
12:03 because it tells great stories.
12:05 Also, sometimes people don't realize
12:10 that couture houses have wonderful accessories.
12:14 One season, I didn't find a gown that spoke to me,
12:17 but I found a bunch of accessories that I loved.
12:21 So that year I gifted all of my girlfriends
12:24 Haute Couture clutches, gloves,
12:27 and bracelets from Armani Privé.
12:30 So these are some of the bracelets that I gifted my friends.
12:33 This you might remember from "Bling Empire" season one.
12:39 This is not couture, but there was a moment
12:42 where I said me and my couture are leaving.
12:45 And so, gotta go.
12:47 Me and my couture are leaving.
12:48 (upbeat music)
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12:54 (upbeat music)
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