00:00I'm filming you, you're filming me.
00:03Couture 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, intricate,
00:20and 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.
00:33I personally have been collecting Couture for over 10 years, I think closer to 15 years now,
00:40and with each year and each season, my mind continues to be blown.
00:46So one of the primary differences between ready-to-wear and Couture is the exclusivity of it,
00:52and that really has to do with the reproduction.
00:54In Eau 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 about fashion history,
01:11or about the designers, or about even the sourcing of materials, or the processes,
01:16or 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 Ily Saab Eau 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 at Buckingham Palace,
01:36and 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
01:49slit, like higher than the bone slit,
01:52and 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.
02:09So that was quite embarrassing.
02:11This is an Armani Privé piece, and I love this piece.
02:16This probably is my favorite Eau 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?
02:42And that's a very tricky question, but I have to say that the Italian couture houses come with the Italian
02:49family hospitality,
02:50and 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's a very dreamy time and a romantic time I had with my husband, and the entire team came on
03:45board,
03:46and the boat was rocky, and 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.
04:00I started my fascination, love, passion collection of haute couture with Chanel.
04:06This is from the first collection after Carl 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, and I like to add my
04:22own 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, so my right arm is thicker than my left arm.
04:50And so with pieces that are basically perfected to your body, like 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, and although it looks very kind of demure and simple on
05:12the hanger,
05:13it has a big impact because of the craftsmanship and the elegance it carries.
05:18And 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.
05:29Katia, who's the director of haute couture, she, I wore this at the most recent couture week,
05:35and in the middle of backstage fittings and all of the craziness because they were going to have their show
05:41in 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 and, um,
05:57which 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 haute couture saved it just for this look, and it fits me like a glove.
06:18This piece is a fun lesson in the social warfare of haute couture.
06:26This is a Jean-Baptiste Valli haute couture gown.
06:29You know, in haute couture, the special part of it is there should only be one owner of one piece,
06:37and they never make the same piece twice.
06:39So this was the first time when I bought a piece and I also saw a celebrity wear it.
06:45So it was kind of an awkward moment, but fortunately the celebrity who wore it,
06:51um, is someone I really look up to and respect and admire.
06:54So it made the sting just, um, a little less hurtful.
07:00This is a Dolce & Gabbana Altamoda piece again.
07:04Uh, so many things to say about this, but I really respect the craftsmanship of this.
07:09This is, I mean, if you've ever tried to hand embroider anything,
07:13you can appreciate the thousands, tens of thousands of hours that went into this piece.
07:19Um, but the funny part of this piece is, and I actually didn't bring it,
07:25and I'm really surprised I'm going to tell you this.
07:27Um, it comes with like these hot shorts, like boy shorts.
07:33At this time I had lost so much weight that 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, um, the Dolce & Gabbana team asked,
07:45since they were making everything custom, if I would like some padding in my hot shorts.
07:50And of course I said yes.
07:52So when I was wearing this, I had basically like a Kardashian butt and I really enjoyed it.
07:58Um, this is another Chanel Eau Couture set.
08:03And this set is particularly special to me.
08:06And I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
08:08Because Chanel Eau Couture, um, has been a house that I've been with for a very long time collecting from.
08:15And the team I've known for a very long time.
08:17So we've gone through all of life's kind of journeys together.
08:20As some of you may know, I had, um, ten years of difficulties in trying to have a child.
08:27And in those ten years, I went through seven rounds of IVF.
08:31And for those of you who maybe have gone through infertility treatments,
08:35you know that it does a number to your body and your, obviously your mind.
08:40And, um, particularly your body swells, contracts.
08:44It just does weird stuff to the shape and weight.
08:46And Chanel Eau Couture was so patient with me.
08:49They actually made this look four times because my weight fluctuated four times.
08:57Um, allegedly, they lost money on this look.
09:00But they gained a lifelong loyal customer.
09:04So, and friend.
09:06So when I look at this piece, I remember my struggles in infertility.
09:10And, um, ultimately, the triumph.
09:13And with Baby G.
09:14This is another Chanel Eau Couture piece.
09:18I just love the sparkles.
09:20Chanel's so fun.
09:21Actually, every house is so great that they like to give you surprise gifts along the way.
09:26And Chanel made these custom sandals for me that, um, lace up.
09:33Chanel works with this, um, house called Massaro.
09:36Um, who is basically the industry standard for, uh, shoes.
09:40So, anyway, Chanel gifted me, you might die, but those sandals are 7,000 euros.
09:49And they gifted me a pair, um, when I bought this dress, which was so kind.
09:53And this is another Armani Privé look.
09:57And I love this piece because I actually hate the color purple.
10:02Um, growing up, my mom was fascinated and obsessed with purple.
10:06So I lived in a purple house with purple rug, with 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 Armani Privé.
10:20And they said that this look really should be done in purple.
10:24Um, and so, um, we went with it.
10:27Since my mother has passed away, when I look at this piece, I, I think of her.
10:32And I'm really pleased that, you know, I went forward with purple.
10:36This is another Armani Privé gown that I love in this mint green.
10:40And the best part of this gown is that it comes with a little bow.
10:45No, it does not go on the head.
10:47It actually is like a little shawl.
10:51Um, so you wear it behind your back.
10:53You can wear it like a little shawl like this.
10:58Um, you know, just casual.
11:00Cool.
11:00Okay.
11:01So let's hop into the accessories.
11:04These foods are super special because when I first started my journey with Au Couture,
11:13I couldn't get over how I could possibly spend 150, 200, 250 and up 1000 euros on a dress.
11:22And so I had to start smaller and kind of tiptoe my way in.
11:28Um, so these guys are less than that.
11:32They're all made to measure.
11:33So they, they measure your calves and your ankles.
11:37It's sometimes quite embarrassing, but you do it and it fits really well.
11:41And of course, they're so comfortable to walk in because it's made to accommodate every curvature and oddity in your
11:47foot.
11:47I love collecting Chanel specialty clutches and bags.
11:53So I have a bunch.
11:54This I love in particular because storytelling and any form of storytelling is a passion of mine.
12:01This reminds me why I love fashion because it tells great stories.
12:06Also, uh, sometimes people don't realize that couture houses have wonderful accessories.
12:13One season, I didn't find a gown that spoke to me, but I found a bunch of accessories that I
12:20loved.
12:20So that year I gifted all of my girlfriends Au Couture clutches, gloves, and bracelets from Armani Privé.
12:29So these are some of the bracelets that I gifted my friends.
12:34Um, this you might remember from Bling Empire season one.
12:39This is not couture, but there was a, there was a moment where I said me and my couture are
12:44leaving.
12:45And so gotta go. Me and my couture are leaving.
12:48See you soon...
13:04Morning!
13:06Today
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