DList Magazine Fall "Fashion" Issue 2015 | Page 30

You were cast on The Hills while you were attending
college; how did you become part of the show?

WP: I was just in the right place at the right time. I was an
intern at Women’s Wear Daily, and I heard there were intern
positions opening at teenVOGUE. I was attending USC in
the fall and I thought that it would be a good idea to start
there to get experience. So I went upstairs and gave them
my résumé. They said, “It looks great; the only thing is that
we are filming a TV show alongside of the internship with
MTV. If you want this job, would you feel comfortable being
on TV?” I asked questions, spoke with producers, and had a
casting tape done. The next thing I knew they were calling
me in for an on-camera interview with Lisa Love that was
filmed with MTV, and the rest is history.
Is that what you wanted to do or did it just work out that way
[being on the show]?
WP: No, I never wanted to. I never thought that would be in
my future. Always just wanted to be in fashion.

At that time you were interning at teenVOGUE, what was your
experience like being on the publication side of fashion? Any
The Devil Wears Prada moments?
WP: It was a little mix of both. There were moments when it
was just like shipping and receiving and organizing closets,
mundane things like that. Then there were times where
we were able to be on cover [photo] shoots, work behind
the scenes on fashion shows and parties. In all fashion
internships there is always little nicks, mundane tasks, and
glamour. I think with being part of a TV show we were able to
get a little bit more of that behind the scenes and glamorous
jobs because that was what people wanted to see and watch.
So I am assuming you feel the experience was worth it?

WP: Yeah, I learned a lot about the fashion industry and a
lot of valuable information about launching my own clothing
line. I got to learn all aspects of it; interned at a magazine,
a PR company, and for a designer — all while being filmed. I
got really good experience. I would never ever change it.
From The Hills there was The City; do you feel the show is
what advanced your career, or would you be where you are
today without it?

WP: No, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without it.
I think the exposure definitely got me to where I am now. I
think I would still be a designer and hopefully have my own
fashion clothing line. But the show exposed me to so many
people that I would’ve had to go about it a different way.
So how did The City come about being a spin off from The
Hills?

WP: I became friends with the producers and told them what

I wanted to do. I wanted to start my own
clothing line and wanted to live in New
York City because I thought it would
help give me experience and gain the
knowledge I needed. They had asked,
“Do you want that process to be filmed?”
I took my time with it and weighed out
the pros and cons because being on TV
and showing that part of my life wasn’t
an immediate feeling for me. It was
definitely a collaborative effort to get me
up there.
Was the show pretty realistic to your
experience?

WP: Yeah, definitely it was. I mean,
there were parts where you only saw
snippets of conversation and scenes
out of someone’s entire life. So there
were maybe some things that were
exaggerated, but the show was really true
to what I was going through during that
time.
What is your inspiration behind each of
your collections?

WP: My inspiration is really about
expressing girls’ personalities through
fashion. It’s very unique. Each piece is
very, very different. I heavily focus on
vibrant fabrics and easy, comfortable
silhouettes. Take each outfit from day into
night, to layer it and accessorize it and
be versatile so every girl can take it and
make it their own. There really isn’t one
specific look.

for the past seven years is what I’m most
proud of.

Why was QVC your top pick?

WP: The thing that I love about QVC
is about how many women they reach.
It’s the goal for any designer to be
able to empower women with your
design and see people loving it and
wearing it because that is what makes
it all worthwhile. QVC was just that
opportunity for me to get out there and
be able to actually talk to the women so
they could see what my clothes were all
about. You only just get to see a piece
of clothing on a rack or in a store so you
don’t really get the full story or the vibe
behind it. So it’s cool that QVC created