Thursday, July 03, 2008 || Lauren in July's LA Direct Magazine
It’s been a banner year for Lauren Conrad. The Hills’ star has become a prime paparazzi target, graced numerous magazine covers, designed her own collection of handbags for Linea Pelle and levied her fame as the protagonist of America’s most-watched reality soap into launching her own clothing line, Lauren Conrad Collection.
However, the jury is still out concerning Conrad’s position in the entertainment industry — she’s technically considered a “television personality” — yet she carries herself like a young Hollywood starlet. During press events she regularly enjoys typical celebrity perks such as gift suite freebies, primping by professionals and a team of seasoned handlers at her beck and call.
Of course, there could be a future for Conrad in show business. This year alone her rising star status and countless projects have garnered her one of the coveted spots on Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 List. She skimmed in at number 97, sandwiched between Jennifer Love Hewitt and Vanessa Williams.
Quite impressive for a girl who shot to fame for deciding to allow MTV cameras access into her once private life during her senior year in high school. After four years on the air, Conrad’s personal drama continues to be endlessly fascinating for about 4 million MTV viewers a week. But the truth is the photogenic 22-year-old doesn’t act, sing, dance, model or engage in any of the traditional pursuits associated with being a major star.
Nevertheless, this young girl from the picturesque small-town of Laguna Beach has, in just a few short years, managed to infiltrate the fickle celebrity scene, and actually become one of Hollywood’s elite.
Conrad’s launch into the celebrity stratosphere has been both fascinating and perplexing. It can be argued that she fits in more with the “famous for being famous” types like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian, than the actual stars who headline movies and release records. Yet Conrad feels she’s neither. “I always say this isn’t what I signed up for. I thought I signed up for a one-episode documentary,” she says.
When Conrad first captured the public’s attention she was an all-American teenager going through the trials and tribulations of high school life on MTV’s answer to the then-popular, The O.C., the aptly titled reality docudrama, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The series quickly took off, becoming one of the highest rated shows on MTV. The series was so successful that MTV created a spin-off for Conrad, The Hills, featuring Conrad and her move to Los Angeles. Fueled by dramatic feuds between her ex-BFF Heidi Montag and Montag’s boyfriend Spencer Pratt, the show has become a true pop-culture phenomenon, a guilty pleasure, a show that you hate to love or love to hate, or whatever.
What started out as a would-be one-episode documentary on teen life in Laguna Beach has amazingly morphed into a multi-episode reality series, and then into what many consider a scripted docudrama.
Conrad, however, denies any fakery. “All of it’s pretty much real,” she declares. “It’s just editing to give it more drama.” She does admit at times her representation on the show can be misleading, “I feel like [the show] makes me look like I sit around all day and feel sorry for myself, but I’m actually a very happy person. Sometimes I want to reach into the TV and smack myself, and say ‘get over it.’”
On the day we spent with Conrad, the on-going Hills drama reared its ugly head when Conrad’s publicist received a call informing her that Spencer had just called into KIIS-FM’s morning show with Ryan Seacrest and proceeded to spew his usual venom at guests Lauren “Lo” Bosworth (LC’s best friend from her Laguna days) and Stephen Colletti (LC’s friend/former love interest). The news of Spencer’s surprising call-in left the cover girl visibly distraught, and it took the arrival of her new puppy to ease the tension.
Conrad’s saving grace is her innate optimism and personal strength, which have enabled her to look past the rumors, the drama and the feuds, and to leverage all the media hype into a career as a clothing designer. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do since I was young,” she says. “I just had to find a relationship that was willing to let me do what I wanted to do.” As one can imagine, her own celebrity has proven to be great publicity for the collection, “It was easier to get started and use publicity to get it out there, but it’s hard because I feel like I’m constantly trying to prove myself.”
In spite of having worked in the fashion industry since she was 16 years old, Conrad still had a lot to learn when it came to creating her first fashion line. “I had an idea of what I was doing, but you can never really be prepared for it until you’ve actually done a line,” she says. She debuted Lauren Conrad Collection earlier this year in March during LA’s Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios to a packed house including close friends and co-stars Whitney Port, Audrina Patridge, Brody Jenner and former Laguna Beach rival, Kristin Cavallari.
The runway show was met with mixed reviews, and the collection has been criticized as being too basic and overpriced (a typical dress can retail for up to $180). Perhaps, somewhat unrealistic prices for most of Conrad’s younger fans. However, reports have shown that the line has been selling well. The collection is carried at trendy, high-priced boutiques like Kitson, Belle Gray and the recently opened Sienna Brown in Newport Beach, which proudly boasts Conrad’s collection as its bestselling line.
The budding designer advises young girls looking to break into the fashion business to get as much experience as they can, doing internships or working retail to become familiarized with the industry.
Though her celebrity status may be a point of contention among many, there’s no doubt Conrad has effectively parlayed her reality show fame into a legitimate and promising career in fashion. She has certainly been the most successful out of all of her former Laguna Beach co-stars, and her personal life drama continues to provide sensational fodder for The Hills.
As for the future of the show, Conrad is taking it day by day. She says, “It’s been a crazy four years, but they’ve been amazing. I got to travel all around the world. I’ve met so many cool people. I’ve had all these opportunities. I’m really lucky. You got to take the good with the bad.”
Source: ladirectmag.com
posted by Lysandra @ 1:00 AM
"New City, New Drama"
27 Comments:
those are two cute dresses.
now if she can lower her prices it starts to make sense.
Hot, classy and fabulous ...
She looks so good in these photos, love her ... & we want some more!!
She is hidding her thunder thighs!!!!
Is her dress supposed to be up her ass?
Shes a stunner
love her!
She looks so cute.
Why should she lower her prices, her clothes are selling out, I don't think she gives a damn about lowering her prices.
She looks amazing in these pics
She looks stunning here! Although I don’t really like the middle picture (with the white skirt) - not that she looks bad, but it just doesn’t look like her at all. But the first and last pictures are maybe some of the best pictures I’ve seen of her.
In regard to the article, I just don’t get this quote (when comparing her to other “famous for being famous” types like Nicole, Kim, and Paris): “I always say this isn’t what I signed up for. I thought I signed up for a one-episode documentary,” she says.
Uh, what about the other five times you signed up for a new season of reality tv? I like Lauren, but let’s call a spade a spade. She’s in it for the fame just like everyone else - why else would she subject herself to all of this? And I understand that ultimately fame helps her career, but that’s true for everyone so it’s a moot point.
the prices were high because she made the decision to have the garments manufactured in the U.S. rather than in Mexico or some other foreign country where labor is cheap and workers are often exploited. I commend her for making such a responsible social choice.
she has got a fat ass and is really pathetic. i hate her.
Lauren looks great! Love the 1st pic especially.
Lauren looks horrible what a fat ass!!!
9:31 I had the same idea at first. But maybe she's talking about how when she first signed up she probably didnt think anything like this would come from her senior high school experience, you know. Kudos to her and all that she has going for her.
Lauren seems like a bitch.
She looks like a tranny too.
Too bad these aren't pics of Kristin. Kristin is gorgeous. Lauren is fugly!
Lovely dresses on her.
2:15 - yes, I get that. But if she had only signed up for that one season, she would have just faded into oblivion like the rest of them who went on to live their normal lives. Kristin was huge right after season 2 and even she would be a complete non-entity now if it weren't for her constantly putting herself out there.
I just don't like how she's always trying to play it off like she's not in it for the fame or she doesn't like the attention. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with wanting to be famous if it gets you the things you want in life, but god, don't whine about it or pretend you don't like it...it just comes across as completely phony when nearly all of your actions show otherwise.
Is it just me or does it seem like the posts dissing Lauren are all the same person? Spencer, did you find your way to this site?
Anyway, Lauren looks great. I love that she doesn't complain about fame and paparazzi a lot, she realizes she'd be nowhere this soon without LB and the hills. And she's always very thankful about all the opportunities she's been given. She seems like a really sweet person.
2:38
you don't like lauren, that's fine. but why are you still hanging onto a high school feud that's long since over? do you have so little going on in your life that you need something to obsess about?lauren & krisin have moved on, why haven't you?
Too bad these aren't pics of Kristin. Kristin is gorgeous. Lauren is fugly!
^Too bad you've posted this twice now. Lauren is beautiful and skinny. Anyone posting otherwise has issues.
SEXY!!
I read somewhere that the dresses featured in this article are all from her upcoming holiday collection. can anyone confirm this? if so, she had done a really good job of raising the quality of dresses. people were really critical of her first collection for being too simple, especially considering the price point of the clothes.
beautiful..
that yellow looks great on her!!
4:41, it's 2:15 LOL :-)
i see what you're saying and agree.
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