Inside the brain of Kelly Cutrone

The high priestess of fashion PR and newly minted memoirist schools us on her New York.
By Sharon Steel for Time Out New York
Cutrone’s favorite places to buy black
The PR doyenne for People’s Revolution (peoplesrevolution.com) and star of a new Bravo series wears all black every day—and so do her minions. “It’s easy to look good in black, and for cheap; it looks like money,” she insists. One of her favorite shops for gothy-dark gear is If Boutique (94 Grand St between Greene and Mercer Sts, 212-334-4964). Says Cutrone, “They carry the best designers who are not my clients, like [Maison Martin] Margiela—the No. 1 king of black—followed by Yohji Yamamoto.” Cutrone also loves the Gap’s black button-down shirts, CP Shades black tees (cpshades.com) and “anything James Perse” (jamesperse.com).
Cutrone’s favorite places to buy everything else
Unlike many of her contemporaries, Cutrone doesn’t give a flip how she looks on camera. When asked where she gets her hair dyed, she laughs and suggests another question: “Why don’t we start with, ‘Do I comb my hair?’ Yeah, I comb my hair. Once a day.”
For special occasions, Cutrone patronizes Almog Beauty Salon (25 Thompson St between Grand and Watts Sts, 212-941-8199). “[Owner Almog Burbea]’s not, like, a hair snot or anything,” she says. “He does all the girls at the Rev.”
Zen Spa (32 Thompson St at Watts St, 212-226-5272) is another Soho fave. “When my color is on, I walk over there and get reflexology with my hair all Eddie Munstered out,” she says. That, or she grabs lunch at the Grand Street Deli (42 Grand St between Thompson St and Broadway, 212-625-3248). “It’s my favorite deli in New York; I go there with my hair robe on, too,” says Cutrone. “I’m like Sammy the Bull—one of those old-school mafia guys who used to walk around Little Italy. I’m the fashion-victim version of that, haunting my neighborhood.”
Cutrone on being a “power bitch”
“Being a bitch is being in total control of yourself. I’m 44. I’ve been around the block a couple of times. If you asked me this question at 23, I would have probably told you I was devastated. [But now] I don’t care. As long as they’re talking about me, it’s fine. Call me whatever you want.”
Cutrone on being a New Yorker
“I see myself represented in the spirit of New York City. [When I got here] it was like this tuning fork just started pulsating. You didn’t have to say please or thank you if you didn’t want to. You could do and say what you wanted. Things were moving really quickly, and work was the church that everyone was praying at. I loved how you could go into a store and someone would scream, ‘What’s your problem?’ And I was just like, This place is amazing! When you go other places, it’s a lonely little world.”
Catch her on the tube!
“It’s my retirement fund, babe,” crows Cutrone about her new show, Kell on Earth, which follows her daily goings-on at People’s Revolution. Anyone who watched MTV’s The Hills or The City solely for Cutrone’s appearances will go bananas for this one. It premieres Monday 1 at 10pm on Bravo.
Meet the power bitch!
Cutrone will sign copies of her new book, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You (Harper Collins), at Barnes & Noble (1972 Broadway between W 66th and 67th Sts, 212-595-6859) on Tuesday 2 at 7pm.
Cutrone’s marginally biased list of designers and shops to watch
Mara Hoffman (marahoffman.com)
“She is my client, but I think she’s really paid her dues. She’s prime for the taking right now.”
No. 6 (6 Centre Market Pl between Broome and Grand Sts; 212-226-5759, no6store.com)
Specifically, the shop’s clog boots. “I live for them,” says Cutrone. “Agyness Deyn, the model, she’s a friend of mine. She bought, like, six pairs. We all live in No. 6 clog boots.”
Anna Sheffield (annasheffield.com, bingbangnyc.com)
“I love her jewelry,” coos Cutrone. “My daughter and I share her bracelets.”
credit - Sharon Steel for Time Out New York