Fashion Week Thrillers

Bravotv.com: What do you think of the season so far?

Rachel Zoe: People are loving it, which makes me happy.

So in this episode, you travel to New York for Fashion Week. You bring Taylor, but she's prepping for Jennifer Garner's In Style shoot and has to leave. What happened there?

Well, it goes back to the usual with Taylor. I try to make her happy by bringing her with us so that she doesn't feel like it's always me and Brad going to shows and getting to do that stuff. So I bring her because I think that she'll like it, she'll appreciate it, but ultimately once she's there, she doesn't really care that much to be a part of it. Once the job hits, she gets into that mode, and she's like, 'I'm not even here.' My hopes were that we would prep the In Style shoot during Fashion Week, but in the end she had to leave early to go back for the job. We knew that it was going to be a beauty shoot, but very often with a beauty shoot, you still shoot waist up or sometimes a full shot. But in this case it was going to be more shoulders up.

Were you aware all along that the shoot would be shoulder up? Taylor gets so angry about the lack of communication.

In my experience, even when they say that it will be a beauty shoot, it very often isn't. I like to be extra prepared. I had been prepping the job from New York, and Taylor needed to do some stuff in LA.

How do you decide which Fashion Week shows to attend?

I go to the shows that are either a. very close friends of mine b. new designers I want to support or c. shows of designers I've had a lot of history with or success with, whether it's casual or red carpet. Sometimes I go to shows that are really over the top because I use those for fashion editorials.

What was it like going to Matthew Williamson's store opening and running into Lindsay Lohan?

Matthew is a really good friend of mine, so I will do anything to support him. I also think it's really important to support the English designers that show in New York. In terms of seeing Lindsay, it really wasn't a big deal. Lindsay and I are friends and we hadn't seen each other in a long time, so we gave each other a big, warm hello, and the media just went nuts. There was no real reason for the media reaction.

How was seeing Diane Von Furstenberg and her Nomad collection?

We had the best time. Going to see Diane at any given moment is always a thrill. But when you go the day before her show, it's that much more intense. You get the preshow experience, when they're still finalizing the looks, the models, and the music. It's very exciting. Those moments are the best part of my job.

Did you get to use anything from her Nomad collection?

Yeah, we pull in Diane for almost anything.

Any pom-pom hats?

Not yet! I'm saving them for editorial.

In this episode you spend time with Giorgio Armani.

I mean. He's pretty extraordinary. He's just an incredible, incredible man. He just is. Mr. Armani, Mr. Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, I mean these are the masterminds of fashion. They set the tone for a lot of young designers. I think Mr. Armani is fascinating not only as a designer, but also as a businessman. He's managed to build such a relentless empire that just gets bigger. His empire just expands and expands, but he does it with such a grace and elegance that you look at him with such respect. He stays on top of his game. It's amazing because he's been a designer for so many years and then he launched Prive not that long ago to tremendous success. I've had huge success with him on the red carpet. He just does everything right. He has a very loyal following.

You're getting the Armami gown for Anne Hathaway and you want to add a train, but the train doesn't work. What happened?

They made two trains. They knew when they made them that it doesn't always work. That's part of the routine. No one takes anything personally. I made a suggestion, but until you see it come to life, you don't know if it's actually going to work. The fabric of the train was just a bit too heavy and overpowering, and I think it took away from the beauty of the dress.

Can you tell us more about your faux fur clothing line?

Making faux fur is one of the most important components to the equation of my brand ... it kind of sends out the idea that luxury can be created at extremely affordable, accessible price points. I think it also eliminates the question of "Do I wear real or not?" I think it looks real, it feels real, and it's wearable for anybody and everybody. There's no controversy there, and I'm so excited to wear it. I'll be wearing it a ton, because I designed what I love. I'm excited to wear it myself.

So poor Rodger barely gets to see you on Valentine's Day.

We spent time together! Until Fashion Week and the Oscars move to a later time, the period around our anniversary and Valentine's Day is always going to be very intense. We tend to celebrate in March.

In real time Fashion Week is coming up again. Are you prepping for that now?

Yes. I'm tired already! I really am. I'm launching a QVC line during Fashion Week, promoting The Rachel Zoe Project, and then of course attending the shows. It's a lot. I'm really tired thinking about it.