The Real Dollars Behind Fake Drama
Town & Country US|September 2022
Are TV's deepest pockets on its shallowest soaps? The stars of Bravo and Netflix aren't just dressing the part of Alexis Carrington Colbythey're the genuine article.
BRIAN MOYLAN
The Real Dollars Behind Fake Drama

It all started with Sky Tops. When Real Housewives of Orange County premiered in 2006, the biggest fashion statement on the show were these often ruched, often satiny, often sleeveless blouses with embellishment and jewels around the (often surgically enhanced) décolletage.

These days, if you tune into one of the eight Real Housewives programs on Bravo (or the two more on the Peacock streaming service), it's quite a different story: Gucci prints, high-end logos on everything from sunglasses to scarves, and a pair of earrings reading CHA on one lobe and NEL on the other that are so ubiquitous you'd think Andy Cohen gave them out as part of an initiation ritual.

"It has totally changed," says the journalist and Housewives diehard Amy Odell. "Now part of the reason people watch is to see what the ladies are wearing?" It's not just fans who have noticed a shift. Ur-Housewife Bethenny Frankel acidly commented on her podcast that behind the scenes is an army of "glam squads and costumes and hair pieces and a whole fashion show." And yet the fashion show onscreen may be more real than what walks the red carpet, where celebrities more often than not are playing dress-up for the step-and-repeat.

The Housewives don't borrow clothes luxury brands won't lend to them and they don't rent the runway. To keep up appearances, they're buying their Alexis Carrington Colby finery at their own expense." To quote Dolly Parton, it costs a lot of money to look that cheap. "It's all from closet,' says Sutton my Stracke, of Beverly Hills. "When people write, 'Sutton needs to fire her stylist, I just want to write back, 'I am my stylist!"

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Town & Country US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2022 edition of Town & Country US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TOWN & COUNTRY USView All
As If We Never Said GOOD BYE
Town & Country US

As If We Never Said GOOD BYE

A designer restores a historic home by an the glory it enjoyed during its classic Hollywood heyday.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
SIR Mix-a-Lot
Town & Country US

SIR Mix-a-Lot

Look, Muffy, our old clothes are back! A generation consumed with nostalgia rediscovers and reshuffles trad style their way. The new official preppy dress code is here, and one pony is riding high.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
Les Robes Dangereuses
Town & Country US

Les Robes Dangereuses

In Revolution-era Paris, three radically chic media stars swept away centuries of strictures about what women should wear and how they should live. A new book unveils the other French Revolution.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2024
A Nose DIVIDED
Town & Country US

A Nose DIVIDED

Legends are never made by playing it safe.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Friends of JUDY
Town & Country US

Friends of JUDY

For her fans of 30 years, Judy Geib is a jeweler's jeweler. For young designers, she's something rarer: a role model.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Anatomy of a Classic
Town & Country US

Anatomy of a Classic

A 63-year-old icon just got a face-lift. Can you tell?

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
This Old Thing? T&C Reviews: Barn Jackets
Town & Country US

This Old Thing? T&C Reviews: Barn Jackets

The rags-to-riches tale of how a humble workingman's staple got its high fashion glow-up.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Nellie Oleson, MODERN MUSE
Town & Country US

Nellie Oleson, MODERN MUSE

The kids are in couture and the grown-ups are in oversize bows. When did things get so Freaky Friday?

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Loromania!
Town & Country US

Loromania!

A standard-bearer of quiet luxury finds itself unexpectedly tap dancing in the spotlight, embraced by American hypebeasts, Gstaad Guy, and Kendall Roy. Back in Milan, it's business as usual. There are 100 years to toast.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
Steal the Show
Town & Country US

Steal the Show

How Broadway fell in love with celebrity producers.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024