By Raechal Leone Shewfelt for omg.yahoo.com
What is it about Lauren Conrad and confections? The original leading lady on MTV's "The Hills" named her bestselling book series LA Candy, and today in Times Square she kicked off Hershey's campaign to declare May 18 national I Love Reese's Day.
Afterward, omg! caught up with the 24-year-old to talk about chocolate, her books, and her personal style, which is evident in her LC Lauren Conrad clothing line for Kohl's. What we didn't talk about was anything related to her former so-called "reality" show, as I was told the starlet would not be discussing it. Sorry, Speidi, I know how you love controversy, but the woman nicknamed LC won't be giving you any press today!
I've read you don't have a strict diet and exercise regimen. How are you able to stay so slim when you're eating delicious things like chocolate? "I think the main thing is to remember moderation. Unless I have a shoot coming up or something that I need to be in good shape for, I tend to be more lax. I focus just on eating healthy and having more of a balanced diet. Honestly, when I go on a diet, unless I have to stick to it, I feel like I eat worse, because I feel like I'm depriving myself of food that I want."
I know you're just coming out with the summer collection for your clothing line at Kohl's. What's that been like? How involved are you in the process? "It's been great. I'm very involved from the beginning, coming up with concepts and inspiration, to delivery, to dealing with sketches and samples, so I'm involved every step of the way. It's a lot more work ... I'm constantly flying back and forth between New York, LA, and Milwaukee [where Kohl's is headquartered]."
How would you describe your latest collection? And what are some of your favorite pieces? "We did a maxi dress that had kind of almost like a watercolor broad /stroke on it. I love maxi dresses, because they're just a very easy piece to wear, and they tend to be flattering on lots of different body types. [The collection] is very California, I think. We want to keep it cool, and we want to make it more relaxed, so every season we're incorporating new trends."
You make so many appearances. How do you choose what you're going to wear? Do you rely on a stylist or do you just go with your instinct? "It depends on what I'm doing. If it's a big event, I work with a stylist, because stylists, they can get pieces before they're out. But if it's a small event, I normally dress myself. For, like, a talk show, then I would use a stylist, but for all my book tour stops, I just dressed myself, because I like to shop. So that's the fun part."
How would you describe your personal style? "I like dressing girly. I like wearing dresses, but I also like to be comfortable, so I tend to wear drapier pieces or full skirts. I think that when you're comfortable and confident in what you're wearing, you always look your best."
You're also busy with other projects, including penning the last of your books in the LA Candy series. What's your writing process like? "I found that it's very important to set aside time in my schedule [to write]. My week fills up pretty quickly, so when I know I have a deadline coming up and I have chapters due, I always make sure that there's at least one day in there where nothing else is going on because, you know, you can't really write a book in your spare time. People are like 'oh, well you can do it at night, this, this, this.' And I'm like, 'yeah, but' ... it's difficult when you're rushing your creative process, because you also want to enjoy it, and you don't want it to be forced. I learned to set aside time and also put myself on a schedule, because if you procrastinate like I tend to do, it can get a little scary toward the end when the deadlines approach and you don't have it all done."
So what's next for you? "I've actually just finished the manuscript for the third book in my LA Candy series, so hopefully I'll be done with editing it pretty soon. So my book and a style guide are coming out on October 5. Then I get to go tour again, and do all that fun stuff."
Click here to see more photos of Lauren from I Love Reese's Day. Credit - Raechal Leone Shewfelt for omg.yahoo.com, thanks for the heads up S! : )
~Kelli at
Hills Freak
By Raechal Leone Shewfelt for omg.yahoo.com
I know you're just coming out with the summer collection for your clothing line at Kohl's. What's that been like? How involved are you in the process? 
You're also busy with other projects, including penning the last of your books in the LA Candy series. What's your writing process like? "I found that it's very important to set aside time in my schedule [to write]. My week fills up pretty quickly, so when I know I have a deadline coming up and I have chapters due, I always make sure that there's at least one day in there where nothing else is going on because, you know, you can't really write a book in your spare time. People are like 'oh, well you can do it at night, this, this, this.' And I'm like, 'yeah, but' ... it's difficult when you're rushing your creative process, because you also want to enjoy it, and you don't want it to be forced. I learned to set aside time and also put myself on a schedule, because if you procrastinate like I tend to do, it can get a little scary toward the end when the deadlines approach and you don't have it all done."
