Whitney Port
American TV star and designer Whitney Port talks to Chic Outlet Shopping® about launching the Kildare Village Summertime festival and designing a charity tote.
Was this your first visit to Ireland? Tell us about your impressions.
Yes, I loved Ireland. It was so great. I got to actually walk around Dublin the next day, and it was so lively and so much fun and everyone seemed to be so happy and positive. It was so beautiful; all the buildings and all the history. I loved it. I got to go to Brown Thomas, which was great and I got to see some great brands. There was one called Whistles, which I’ve never seen in the states before that was cool. There was that brand Maje.
What did you enjoy most about your visit to Kildare Village?
That was really amazing and I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was so cool to be able to meet everybody. It was so weird to go to a different part of the world where people know what you’ve been up to, so it was just really awesome to meet all the girls and guys that came out. It was a really cool experience to be able to design that bag and have the money go to charity.
Kildare Village is a collection of designer boutiques – who were your favourites while you shopped there?
We were really busy at Kildare, but I did get some really cute stuff from All Saints.
You are the face of the Summertime Festival @ Kildare Village – what do you love about festivals?
I think the best thing about festivals is just being able to enjoy the weather outside and be with people you enjoy being with and also meeting new people. The best part is that there is such a different energy there and everyone is so friendly, I guess that’s the summer vibe.
How do you like to dress at festivals?
Well, it depends what the weather is going to be like, but I try to stay really comfortable and have a little bit of an edge, but I always keep it pretty feminine. Comfort is key for these things, because of the long, hot hours.
What are your failsafe shopping tips?
My failsafe shopping trip is definitely have the patience to try everything on. And don’t go shopping when you’re feeling a little bit insecure because you’re just going to get annoyed when trying things on. Try not to always follow the line and go with the trends, and step out a little bit. I think the girls in the UK and Ireland are more willing to take chances, and they’re not so by the book. In the states, everybody wants to wear what the celebrities wear and I think it was cool to be over there because everybody has their own spin on style, so you should continue to do that.
Who are your favourite designers?
I love Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang, and I love anything Topshop.
What was the inspiration behind the bag you have designed for the Kildare Village Summertime Festival?
The print on it is from my fall season – it’s on dresses and jackets and tops. It was a really cool way to merge shopping with charity, and I think right now if you can merge those two, since I know that not only Ireland is going through this economic drop but everywhere is, then if you can drop that in to the shopping experience then that’s the perfect scenario.
You’ve also written a book, can you tell us about it?
I wrote a lifestyle how-to guide called True Whit, and it is basically my first book on what I call a quarter-life crisis and they’re [the reader] maybe just out of school and they’re getting out in to the job world and they have a lot of questions about how to interview well, or how to find a great apartment on a budget or what to wear on a first date. So I give my tips and how-to points on those certain things that us girls ask on a query basis.
What are your summer plans?
I’m travelling a bunch. I’m continuing to work on my line, because I need to have that done by August, but I’m going to New York and Miami and doing some real cool things in the states. I don’t think I’m leaving the states again this summer.
Do you have any other projects coming up?
I’m just working on my clothing line right now. My fall line hits stores at the end of August and then I’ll probably be doing something with my line at fashion week in New York.
What does chic mean to you?
I think chic means being able to pull off sophistication and class in an effortless way.
11-07-2011
