Watching The Rachel Zoe Project With Rachel Zoe

My list of television guilty pleasures is getting shockingly long: NYC Prep, Wife Swap, Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D List, the entire Real Housewives franchise. But one show that drifts between shamefully enjoyable reality TV and full-on fashion obsession is The Rachel Zoe Project, Bravo’s in-depth look at the daily trials and tribulations of the stylist to the stars. The second season premiered last night, and since I was still in L.A., where much of the show’s magic happens (although it should be noted Ms. Zoe goes to Paris this season and visits none other than Lagerfeld himself), I was privileged to attend a private dinner and screening for the big debut. The highlight? That Zoe and her entire fashion flock were in attendance, including last season’s lovable rivals Brad and Taylor and this season’s new recruits Jordan and Marisa. Watching the actual show and having an alternate show happening in front of me was surreal. And kind of confusing. There was Brad on TV wearing a Missoni sequined shift dress impersonating his boss, and then there, in the flesh, was Brad trying on a Louis Vuitton tennis skirt and booties impersonating his boss. Taylor was on TV moaning, and there she was in person moaning. Mediating all, on screen and off, was Zoe herself. But instead of dodging the cameras, she now has other ideas on her plate, like her line for QVC, the bangles of which were stacked on one wrist—but only one wrist. The other was all Cartier. “Very high-low,” she rationalized. “And with the show now I can think about my other ventures, like www.rachelzoe.com.” The brand continues. (But FYI: If you still have the show on TiVo, a good game to play is to turn the screen off and just listen to Rachel when she goes jewelry shopping—it’s sounds like softcore porn!)

By Derek Blasberg

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