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Reality Rules the Runway (and Whitney Port) for Fashion Week

City girl kicks off a string of reality star shows—mixed in with a few bonafide stars like Avril Lavigne and Kristin Davis—for Spring 2010

By Breanne L. Heldman Sep 10, 2009 3:50 AMTags
Whitney PortMercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim

We always knew reality stars liked to strut their stuff for the whole world to see, but we couldn't have predicted they would take over New York Fashion Week, which official starts bright and early tomorrow morning.

Of course, we expect (and hope) to see a few Project Runway alumni take the narrow stage. Christian Siriano is the only one under the Bryant Park big top, but Jillian Lewis, Kenley Collins, Malan Breton and Terri Stevens are also showing their wares over the next eight days.

Still, Real Housewives and a certain superfab City girl are surely dominating many tastemakers' schedules.

Whitney Port's line, Whitney Eve, makes its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week debut tomorrow afternoon. Regardless of whichever Watch With Kristin regulars will be showing their goods, she insists her passion for fashion is for real (and not just reality TV).

"Living in New York and being part of the entertainment industry, obviously fashion plays a huge role in that, so all of us find passions within that," she tells E! News. "I pretty much always knew I wanted to be a designer, but I just took some shortcuts along the way and am finally being able to do what I've always wanted. So, television aside, I really am living out my dream."

The leggy starlet will be the first of the Hills hotties' lines—Lauren Conrad and that other girl are also "designers"—to participate in America's biggest couture carnival.

Her inspiration, she says, is a word she made up: "funderland."

"We're doing kind of like Alice in Wonderland goes to a really chic cocktail party," she explains. "It's really fun and playful and feminine and flirty."

She admits the pressure is high, especially since she's entering the big show right out the gate.

"It's very, very intimidating, but awesome at the same time," she says. "I'm putting myself out there for a lot of judgment and a lot of opinions, so I just have to be confident in my line and work as hard as I can and then know that, in the end, as long as I did the best that I could, that's what matters.

"The stakes are really, really high. I think what helped me out a little bit is that I'm actually doing a group show with [fellow People's Revolution clients] Nicholas K and Mara Hoffman, so I feel like it takes a little bit of the pressure off. We can kind of all be a backbone for each other and support system."

She may also have a little support from Conrad, whom, Whitney says, is trying to make it to NYC in time for the show.

Other notable names making an appearance:

Real Housewives of New York's resident vixen, Kelly Killoren Bensimon is launching her jewelry line on Thursday, while fellow Atlanta peeps Sheree Whitfield and Dwight Eubanks will be showing their clothes.

And one of E!'s favorite reality queens, Kimora Lee Simmons, will be hitting the runway with her Baby Phat line this weekend.

On the more A-list end, Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. is strutting its stuff at Milk Studios tomorrow. Both Avril Lavigne and Sex and the City gal Kristin Davis are showing in the middle of the week, while Rachel Zoe will be showcasing her stuff for QVC.

Gossip Girl's Joanna Garcia is hosting the GenArt show on Tuesday.

And then there's Fashion's Night Out, where we'll see the likes of Sienna Miller, Justin Timberlake, Blake Lively, Taylor Momsen, Debra Messing, Padma Lakshmi and so many others.

If you want to keep track of all that's hot—and, of course, all that's not—this Fashion Week, make sure you're following @redcarpet on Twitter and keep checking back for galleries and juicy bits from inside all the action.

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