00:00I'm filming you, you're filming me.
00:04Couture is my passion.
00:06Couture is a collection of the most brilliant minds in the world of fashion,
00:13and it's a space where fashion designers get to be as fantastical, over-the-top,
00:20intricate, and intimate with their materials and creation as ever, without any limit.
00:27When price is not an object, there are no ceilings on what they can create.
00:34I personally have been collecting haute couture for over 10 years, I think closer to 15 years now,
00:41and with each year and each season, my mind continues to be blown.
00:47So one of the primary differences between ready-to-wear and haute couture is the exclusivity of it,
00:53and that really has to do with reproduction.
00:55In haute couture, only one piece is made, and one piece is made by hand.
01:00I think on average, tens of thousands of hours goes into every single piece.
01:05There isn't one second that I'm at Couture Week where I'm not learning something new
01:10about fashion history, or about the designers, or about even the sourcing of materials,
01:15or the processes, or the advancements of fashion technology.
01:19So we're just going to hop into my treasure trove of couture stories.
01:24So this is an Idli Saab haute couture gown, and of course it's beautiful and luxurious,
01:29but the funny story behind this is I was having dinner with Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla
01:35at Buckingham Palace, and the conservative gown that I had planned to wear got stuck at customs.
01:41So the only other thing I had in my luggage was this really risque, deep V gown with a high slit,
01:50like higher than the bone slit, and it was either this or naked.
01:55So I decided to wear this. I broke all of the rules in Buckingham Palace.
01:59There are rules on modesty.
02:02It was very naughty, and of course I did not know they had placed me next to Prince Charles.
02:08So that was quite embarrassing.
02:11This is an Armani Privé piece, and I love this piece.
02:16This probably is my favorite haute couture piece because it's a jumpsuit, and it has pockets,
02:22and I love anything functional and practical.
02:25If you look at every detail, every embellishment was done by hand,
02:30and it's so delightful and fun and comfortable.
02:35That's the most important thing, is comfort.
02:37I often get asked, do you prefer French couture houses or Italian couture houses?
02:43That's a very tricky question, but I have to say that the Italian couture houses come with the Italian family hospitality,
02:51and that extra level of warmth definitely makes things and the experience more fun.
02:57This is my next couture piece, and this is a Dolce & Gabbana Altamoda couture dress
03:06that was exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
03:09I loaned it to them for their Heavenly Bodies exhibition.
03:12It comes with a cape, and also I call it a pope hat, but I was corrected.
03:17It's a bishop, not a pope.
03:19Overly ambitious.
03:21This is a Versace Atelier haute couture gown that has very special memories for me of the Cannes Film Festival
03:32because I had it essentially fitted during my time on a boat in the French Riviera.
03:39It was a very dreamy time and a romantic time I had with my husband,
03:43and the entire team came on board, and the boat was rocky,
03:48and everyone was with pins and needles trying to stitch me in.
03:52This is the grand dame of haute couture, Chanel haute couture.
03:57Chanel haute couture was my very first couture purchase.
04:01I started my fascination, love, passion collection of haute couture with Chanel.
04:06This is from the first collection after Karl passed away.
04:11I love this because I've had the same seamstress at Chanel haute couture for a very long time,
04:16and she knows that I like to break the rules once in a while,
04:21and I like to add my own special touches.
04:23So after the house approves of a look, she always goes in and helps me add something fun.
04:30This look was shown in the show, but I like sparkles,
04:34so she added these little sparkle details throughout, and you can see them everywhere.
04:40And another fun fact with haute couture is that everything is custom.
04:43So believe it or not, our bodies are not symmetrical,
04:47so my right arm is thicker than my left arm,
04:50and so with pieces that are basically perfected to your body,
04:56like this sleeve is bigger than this sleeve.
04:59So if you try to wear this, it would not fit you.
05:02This is a recent Valentino haute couture slip dress,
05:07and although it looks very kind of demure and simple on the hanger,
05:13it has a big impact because of the craftsmanship and the elegance it carries,
05:19and that's what I love about Valentino haute couture.
05:21By the way, I love the entire team at Valentino haute couture.
05:25They are—how do I describe them?
05:28They're like family.
05:29Katya, who's the director of haute couture,
05:31I wore this at the most recent couture week,
05:35and in the middle of backstage fittings and all the craziness
05:39because they were going to have their show in a couple of hours,
05:42she actually came into my hotel room and helped me fit into this.
05:46This comes with a very iconic ostrich hat,
05:52and—
05:58which requires, really, a guide when you're walking,
06:02and these luxurious gloves.
06:06There's a history on this particular leather, which is no longer available.
06:11The house of Valentino couture saved it just for this look,
06:16and it fits me like a glove.
06:19This piece is a fun lesson in the social warfare of haute couture.
06:26This is a Jean-Baptiste Valli haute couture gown.
06:30You know, in haute couture, the special part of it is
06:34there should only be one owner of one piece,
06:37and they never make the same piece twice.
06:40So this was the first time when I bought a piece,
06:43and I also saw a celebrity wear it.
06:46So it was kind of an awkward moment,
06:48but fortunately, the celebrity who wore it
06:51is someone I really look up to and respect and admire,
06:54so it made the sting just a little less hurtful.
07:00This is a Dolce & Gabbana Altamoda piece again.
07:05So many things to say about this,
07:07but I really respect the craftsmanship of this.
07:10This is—I mean, if you've ever tried to hand-embroider anything,
07:14you can appreciate the thousands—
07:16tens of thousands of hours that went into this piece.
07:20But the funny part of this piece is—
07:23and I actually didn't bring it,
07:25and I'm really surprised, I'm going to tell you this.
07:28It comes with, like, these hot shorts, like boy shorts.
07:33At this time, I had lost so much weight
07:35that all of the fat in my butt went away,
07:37and so it just didn't look so great.
07:40So in a very delicate fashion,
07:43the Dolce & Gabbana team asked,
07:45since they were making everything custom,
07:48if I would like some padding in my hot shorts.
07:51And of course, I said yes.
07:53So when I was wearing this,
07:55I had basically like a Kardashian butt,
07:57and I really enjoyed it.
07:59This is another Chanel haute couture set,
08:03and this set is particularly special to me.
08:07I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it
08:09because Chanel haute couture has been a house
08:12that I've been with for a very long time, collecting from,
08:16and the team I've known for a very long time.
08:18So we've gone through all of life's kind of journeys together.
08:21As some of you may know, I had 10 years of difficulties
08:25in trying to have a child.
08:28And in those 10 years, I went through seven rounds of IVF.
08:31And for those of you who maybe have gone through
08:34infertility treatments, you know that it does a number
08:37to your body and obviously your mind,
08:40and particularly your body swells, contracts.
08:44It just does weird stuff to the shape and weight.
08:46And Chanel haute couture was so patient with me.
08:49They actually made this look four times
08:53because my weight fluctuated four times.
08:57Allegedly, they lost money on this look,
09:00but they gained a lifelong loyal customer and friend.
09:06So when I look at this piece,
09:08I remember my struggles in infertility
09:10and ultimately the triumph with baby G.
09:14This is another Chanel haute couture piece.
09:18I just love the sparkles.
09:20Chanel is so fun.
09:21Actually, every house is so great
09:23that they like to give you surprise gifts along the way.
09:26And Chanel made these custom sandals for me that are laced up.
09:33Chanel works with this house called Massaro,
09:36who is basically the industry standard for shoes.
09:40So anyway, Chanel gifted me, you might die,
09:45but those sandals are 7,000 euros.
09:49And they gifted me a pair when I bought this dress,
09:52which was so kind.
09:53And this is another Armani privé look.
09:56And I love this piece because I actually hate the color purple.
10:01Growing up, my mom was fascinated
10:04and obsessed with purple.
10:06So I lived in a purple house with purple rug,
10:08with purple furniture, with purple wallpaper,
10:12and she wore purple head to toe.
10:14So I hate the color purple.
10:16But I trusted the house, and they said,
10:19Armani privé, and they said that
10:21this look really should be done in purple.
10:24And so we went with it.
10:27Since my mother has passed away,
10:29when I look at this piece, I think of her.
10:33And I'm really pleased that, you know,
10:35I went forward with purple.
10:37This is another Armani privé gown
10:39that I love in this mint green.
10:41And the best part of this gown
10:43is that it comes with a little bow.
10:45No, it does not go on the head.
10:47It actually is like a little shawl.
10:52So you wear it behind your back.
10:54You can wear it like a little shawl like this.
10:59You know, just casual.
11:01Okay, so let's hop into the accessories.
11:04These boots are super special
11:08because when I first started
11:11my journey with haute couture,
11:14I couldn't get over how I could possibly spend
11:18150, 200, 250 and up thousand euros on a dress.
11:23And so I had to start smaller
11:26and kind of tiptoe my way in.
11:29So these guys are less than that.
11:32They're all made to measure.
11:34So they measure your calves and your ankles.
11:37It's sometimes quite embarrassing,
11:39but you do it and it fits really well.
11:41And of course, they're so comfortable to walk in
11:44because it's made to accommodate
11:46every curvature and oddity in your foot.
11:48I love collecting Chanel specialty clutches and bags.
11:53So I have a bunch.
11:54This I love in particular because storytelling
11:58and any form of storytelling is a passion of mine.
12:01This reminds me why I love fashion
12:03because it tells great stories.
12:06Also, sometimes people don't realize
12:10that couture houses have wonderful accessories.
12:14One season, I didn't find a gown that spoke to me,
12:18but I found a bunch of accessories that I loved.
12:21So that year I gifted all of my girlfriends
12:24a couture clutches, gloves, and bracelets from Armani Privé.
12:30So these are some of the bracelets that I gifted my friends.
12:36This you might remember from Bling Empire Season 1.
12:39This is not couture, but there was a moment
12:42where I said me and my couture are leaving.
12:45And so, gotta go.
12:47Me and my couture are leaving.
12:54I love you.
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