5 Minutes with Whitney Port

by Jethro Nededog
Earlier this week, we posted the new trailer for Season 2 of "The City." For fans, it was a thrilling two minutes, and it did what a trailer should do: Get us excited about the season premiere at 10:30 p.m. April 27 on MTV.
According to MTV, the Season 2 premiere picks up where it left off. Whitney gets to show her new clothing line at New York Fashion Week. Afterward, Kelly Cutrone (who has been fronting her own show, Bravo’s “Kell on Earth”) returns to guide Port in getting her line out. Frenemy Olivia Palermo throws some shade Whitney’s way (of course). Roxy Olin still has Whitney’s back, but she’s not one to stand in the shadows. So we hear things get rocky for the two of them too.
Of course, we needed to know more. So Whitney Port spoke to us for about five minutes between shooting scenes for the show, and we asked her about as many questions about Season 2 that we could fit into the short time.
What was your impression of the Season 2 trailer?
It’s dramatic. At the same time, I think it shows the cutthroat industry that is fashion. As shallow as that may sound, it’s a really competitive industry. I think it’s awesome that we get to take such an inside look at it. Tell us about the show at New York Fashion Week.
This is my first show at Bryant Park. It was my spring 2010 show, which was in September. I had a truly rare opportunity to show alongside two other designers for a group show. People’s Revolution produced it. The kickoff episode is the fashion show, then it goes into the whole process behind getting the line out there.
You were freaking out over it. What was the most stressful part of producing that show?
It was really, really overwhelming. I mean producing a fashion show is so much work. People just do not understand. There’s so many details that go into it. That week before, figuring it out, was the most stressful time of my life. That’s what you do when you’re passionate about something. I don’t know what the most stressful part of it was, but usually people have months in advance to prepare for a fashion show. I had literally a week, maybe a week and a half, because I just found out. It was so last minute.
You also finally let loose on Olivia. How good did it feel to finally rip into her?
Well, what happened was that she basically attacked my clothing line, and I’m more passionate about that than I care about my own feelings, to be honest. When it came down to it, I was just sick of letting her walk all over me, and I had gotten to a breaking point. I think it’s important for people to take notice that you have to be your own best advocate, because no one else is going to do it for you. So I just got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore, and I thought she needed to hear it from someone.
So who’s the Frenchman? His name is Jonathon, and we met while doing a photo shoot for my clothing line. He’s a photographer, and he actually specializes in war photography, but he does these fashion shoots on the side, and he works a lot with Elle. We worked together, and he was such a nice, lovely guy, so we hit it off. You’ll see how that whole relationship progresses.
Your friendship with Roxy Olin hits some hard times this season. What's going on with her?
Roxy and I definitely have our share of clashing. At the same time, it’s more about Roxy finding her own path this season. It’s a lot of Roxy helping me but figuring out that she needs to discover what she truly wants to do. So it’s fun to see her go on that journey.
credit - Jethro Nededog for the LA Times