Get Ready with Bravo's Paige DeSorbo at NYFW

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Bravo, Bravo, fucking, Bravo! Paige DeSorbo is acutely aware that breakout stars on the beloved network have a certain... reputation. "People think, ‘Oh, they’re crazy,’ which sometimes, yes, so true. But we are always looked down upon when, really, we’re not doing anything different than what every influencer is doing on social media," she says. "We just happen to be on national television."

To achieve success—and longevity—on reality TV is a great feat. However, being accepted in the fashion industry, one notoriously known for scoffing at anything or anyone not considered très chic? It (surprisingly) remains a challenge, although the tides are turning. Last year, former J. Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons made headlines for choosing to participate in a freshly-redeveloped Real Housewives of New York, instantly earning the title "Unlikely Housewife" by The New York Times, while also receiving praise (from this very publication!) for her enigmatic and impossibly elegant wardrobe.

Lyons, a former corporate executive who cut her teeth in the industry and even walked the Met Gala red carpet, may be a once-in-a-generation exception. Yet, there's a head-scratching shift in the public perception of whether reality stars are déclassé. Still, the term Bravolebrity conjures images of ridiculously dramatic rich people flipping tables at group dinners and using social media as a way to encourage troll-driven smear campaigns against their co-stars. But when executed well and with a good publicist handy, the act of transitioning away from simply being known as "one of those reality girls" to becoming a certified fashion star celebrated by luxury houses is an absolute possibility.

Just look at DeSorbo, whose career began as an assistant at ABC News to the President of Unscripted Television. From day one on her Summer House run, the 31-year-old Manhattanite stood out for her (apologies for the cliche...) passion for fashion, leveraging her career to broker business deals with corporate behemoths like Amazon. Fast fashion isn't her only lane, though. This month, DeSorbo attended the Fall/Winter 2024 runway shows of Retrofête, Area, Lapointe, Cucculelli Shaheen, and Brandon Maxwell, breathing the same air as brand-approved celebrities like Lea Michele, Coco Rocha, and yes, Lyons. To say she's made it is a fact.

"Of course, there are people that are like, ‘She has no idea what she’s doing or no idea what she’s talking about.’ And I’m sure some of them are right! But it just truly shows how much I love fashion and how grateful I am to now be able to go to certain shows that I’ve only ever watched on social media," DeSorbo says. "Many years ago, you used to be able to watch fashion shows live on E! News. I remember watching them with my mom and thinking, ‘Oh my God, one day I’m gonna go to a fashion show.’ So, no hater or internet troll is going to take my happiness from sitting front row in many fashion shows this week. I don't care what Jessica from Iowa thinks about my fashion sense when I literally sat front row at Brandon Maxwell."

I said hello to DeSorbo—warm, friendly, gorgeous IRL!—at the Cucculelli Shaheen show, where she sat beside her boyfriend, Southern Charm's Craig Conover, plus ROHNY's Jessel Tank and Ubah Hassan. "I love sitting with the Bravo girls," DeSorbo says. "We’re in this weird sorority that we sort of didn’t ask to be in, but we all know each other because we all do this very niche thing, which show our entire lives. I loved seeing them—it’s like seeing your teacher outside of school."

DeSorbo says she had a blast at New York Fashion Week, citing Area and Maxwell as having displayed her two favorite collections of the season. Below, she exclusively walks InStyle through her week in the front row. Sorry, Jessica from Iowa.

Lapointe

"This is one of the shows that I feel like I've seen so much on Instagram and, for whatever reason, hadn’t gone to. So it was my first time at a Lapointe show, and it definitely did not disappoint. I was very happy to see the no-pants trend is staying—it’s one of my favorites. I think it’s so fun. I love this look, and it probably rivals my top look. Everything here is head-to-toe Lapointe, except for the glasses, which are Aureum."

Cucculelli Shaheen, with Craig Conover

"Craig was blown away at fashion week. He couldn't understand how many looks we were doing. He didn't get that every day I was gonna go to something. And so he was really begging to go to a show. I brought him to one, and he said that it was enough for him. He was good and said this is definitely my thing. And he would like to continue to go to just one show a year. Just one."

Street Style

"I had multiple shows in one day, so it was a little bit hectic, but so, so much fun. What people don’t talk about is that sometimes you don’t have time to change your hair and makeup. I knew I wanted my hair and makeup for Lapointe to be like a slicked-back bun, but for the show prior, the one I saw you at, I was wearing this almost ice skater-ish look, so I was nervous that my hair and makeup just did not go. I made it work. Actually, the night before we went to that show, Craig gave me my Valentine’s Day gift early, which was this cute little silk Fendi bag, and it made the look come together. I felt less like I looked like an ice skater. Come through, Craig!"

Craig's Thoughts

"Craig asked, 'When you sit down at a fashion show, should you talk to the people sitting next to you on either side?' I was like, 'You can say hi to the people next to you, but don’t talk their ear off. They might be here with someone.' Also, this is New York City, don’t look anyone directly in the eye. He said the whole time, he was the only person that smiled. The entire fashion industry is very stoic for him. Everyone was so uptight at that show, and he was uncomfortable. He was like, 'Why is no one talking?' I always say Craig’s beige flag is that there can never be an awkward silence, so he actually gets me out of a lot of small talk that I don’t have to do because he’ll just talk a mile a minute. It really comes in handy sometimes."

The Lapointe Finale

"For a finale, the models usually walk in line, one by one. At Lapointe, they all just started walking together side by side, which looked so cool. It looked like the streets of New York City as if they were running to work that day in a really great outfit. Loved it."

Retrofête

"This look is Retrofête. I was so late [to the show], and I’m never late—it’s like my one thing. I’m always very punctual, so I was so sweaty when I was sitting there watching the show. I wore this same hair and makeup through the whole week. I loved the show. It was a lot of really good suiting for women, but like, in a very girly way—a lot of miniskirts and cuffs, and I love that."

The Giggly Squad

"Hannah Berner, [her former Summer House castmate and Giggly Squad co-host], and I record no matter what’s going on, even if it’s fashion week. We record once a week. We had a full day Monday, and that’s why I was late to Retrofête. We’re actually doing a collaboration with Mattress Firm, which couldn’t be a better partnership. We got to lie in bed while recording, which I desperately needed.

"Monday’s recorded episode was about the Super Bowl. I loved the halftime show. I think Gen Z is being really mean to us about it, and I thought it was amazing and epic. It was for us! I just thought this was a funny picture to coincide with what I was doing at fashion week."

The Glam Squad

"I have the best hair and makeup team in the game—Taylor Fitzgerald for makeup and Mitchell Ramazon for hair— so I never worry about whether it’s going to stay after a long day. This year, I hired a Blacklane car because I had to change so many times throughout the day. I kept everything in the car, and it literally ended up turning into my apartment. My driver was so nice and couldn’t have been more intrigued with what was happening.

"This was at the start of fashion week. I always sit in the same spot at home, and this was when we were about to cut bangs. I started fashion week going to a Kendra Scott event, and I just randomly cut bangs. I was like, If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it during fashion week. We never play music when I'm doing glam because I talk too much, and my glam team have become such good friends that we have too much—even though we saw each other every single day—too much to catch up on. We don’t even play music, which is insane."

Working 24/7

"I called in a bunch of looks, but in those garment bags, simultaneously, I was also working on styling women for The Today Show tomorrow morning for a segment discussing what I saw at fashion week. One of the trends I’m doing tomorrow on Today is tweed. I styled four different models in different tweed looks, so [I called these looks in] while changing between shows and waiting for samples to come in to pack up for the models. There's gotta be at least 10 to 12 garment bags in my apartment right now. It’s crazy. And there's definitely two full racks of clothes for this whole month."

Area

"I have had this Area top for almost a year and was like, I'm never gonna wear this, I have nowhere to wear it to, but I love it so much. When I got invited to the show, they had sent over the dress that Taylor Swift wore on the cover of Time, and I felt like a bad girl for not wearing my old top. I felt bad that it had been sitting in my bedroom for a year and had never had a place to go. She finally had a place to go, so the thought of wearing a different dress, I just couldn’t do it. I get very sentimental about my clothes. And I had just ordered those Dion Lee pants; I got them on sale.

"In my early 20s, I could not really afford anything but Zara, so to look luxurious, I would only spend money on pieces that I knew I was wearing every single day. I invested in a single long black wool coat—it’s just always a chic and dressed-up look. I invested in leather boots. The trick to looking more expensive than the clothes actually are really is, less is more. I love wearing all-black. I live in New York—everyone wears all-black. It’s just easier to be chic here. And then, of course, splurge on a good bag because you deserve that.

"Area was such a fun show because there were so many looks that you've never seen before that you’d never think to see anyone in. It’s so fun to sit and watch the creativity of Area. Also, it was fucking freezing. Well, actually, it was very cold but pretty mild compared to some fashion weeks."

Backstage at Area

"I had never gotten to go backstage before a big runway show like this, and it was everything I imagined: gorgeous models running around trying to get dressed, pictures being taken, people meeting. It was so fun and it felt like such a manifestation moment. There was a model I was obsessed with because she looked so gorgeous. There's a picture of it on my Instagram. I creepily took it because she just looked so cute in this little pink dress. I was like, I need to own that."

Front Paige News

"This is at Amazon Live. We recreated the set for my Amazon Lives, and during fashion week, I styled a Giggler [one of her Giggly Squad podcast listeners] live, and she needed different work outfits. She’s a newly engaged bride, so we did a bunch of outfits smack-dab in the middle of fashion week. It was so fun, and we’re definitely going to do it again."

Before Hosting a Kendra Scott Event

"Kendra Scott asked me to co-host her Valentine’s Day event, which was so perfect because every Valentine’s Day, I always send my girlfriends a card and a little Valentine’s Day treat. It just worked out perfectly because I ended up getting so much jewelry and sent each of them a piece of jewelry. I love doing events just for the girls. This was just minutes after fully having bangs. I like to call this situational awareness. I knew that I was in front of Chick-fil-A, and I knew that I wanted to wear a red bag that night, so that's just science. The skirt is 16 Arlington, the shoes are Salvatore Ferragamo, the jacket is Frankie Shop, and the top is Wolford. Oh, and the amazing jewelry is Kendra Scott."

Brandon Maxwell

"Brandon Maxwell just felt so rich. It felt like you're walking into this really, really expensive, exclusive spa. And the vibe was just very ethereal; I could have stayed there all day."

Summer House premieres Thursday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams next day on Peacock.