Pocahontas

My friend is better than your friend.

Just joking! But seriously, I do have a really amazing friend. She might be one of the most beautiful women on earth. Well, maybe beautiful isn’t quite the right word. This girl makes men salivate. She literally makes taxi drivers crash into things, angels sing, and straight women question their sexuality (me included). I don’t know if it’s the endless legs on her 5’10” frame, her doe eyes, or her easy-going smile that makes you fall hopelessly in love-lust with her, or the fact that she is completely genuine and totally grounded. I emphasize grounded because she is kind of famous. This friend of mine is Althea Harper, an American fashion designer who dominated season six of Project Runway (I don’t care if she came in 2^nd, she is still the winner in my eyes) .

My Fabulous Friend

I totally pulled the friend card and asked her to let me interview her for my blog. I already know other bloggers have already written the obvious questions and answers surrounding her new-found fame. So I decided to ask the really important, deep questions that we really want answered.

AGNC: “You are in the public eye a lot and are always surrounded by people. What is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you while you were doing an event?”

Althea: “Oh no, there’s been a million embarrassing moments… let’s think. Oh my, there are so many. How about the most recent? We [Althea and fellow PR castmate Logan Neitzel] had this event in LA, so I went up there and wore a knit dress I designed. It was a meet and greet, the kind with lots of one on one experiences with people. We were doing personal shopping. People were taking pictures with us. There were lots of kids. I mean lots of kids. The photographer guy sent me some of the pictures from the event and with the flash from the camera, you could see right through my dress! I was wearing a one shoulder dress with a strapless bra and a thong pulled up really high, like to my natural waist. I always wear a strapless one size too small and pull my thong up really high so everything stays where it should, so not only was my dress see through, but my undergarments were completely awful! And all these little kids were staring at me all day, taking pictures with me! It was pretty bad. So embarrassing. And the pictures weren’t even sexy like they were purposeful, it was awful!”

AGNC: “Oh my god, you totally scarred those children for life! Those poor little boys are going to be dreaming of your too high thong and boob squeeze for the rest of their lives. Will you send me the pictures; I swear I won’t show them to anyone. I just want to laugh. Okay, next question. So you just got engaged, how did Stewart propose to you?”

Althea (Laughing): “It’s not a good story. Stewart’s a weirdo. He told me to sugar coat it, but I’m not going to. I was going up to New Haven. I spend half my time there and half my time in New York. We had already looked at a ring so I knew it was coming. I came up to New Haven on a Friday after work on the train. When I got to the train station he was late, so I read a book. He came in finally and he asked me and I was really embarrassed because I had purposely asked that he doesn’t do it in a public place. He had ordered the ring right after we saw it and it came two days later. I asked why he did it so boringly and he said he just couldn’t wait; he had to ask me right away.”

AGNC: “That’s not bad at all, that’s a good story! He couldn’t wait, that’s really sweet! The ring is stunning. I am the same way though, I told my boyfriend not to do it at a sporting event or on a holiday. His response was, “What makes you think I’m going to ask you?” I’m sporting an unhappy face right now.

So now that you are rich, famous, and skinny (are you eating enough?), what would you like to say to all those meanies who tormented you and doubted your amazing talent? Think of this as your “in your face” speech.”

Althea: “You know how I eat! I eat a lot! It’s just the posing that makes me look skinny. Thanks, though! Are you trying to get me in trouble? I guess I would just say to them that in the future they should just focus more on themselves. Take all that negative energy they spend putting down other people and spend it making themselves better. I would tell them “You shouldn’t be so quick to judge, you never know what the future is going to bring.” ”

AGNC: “This might be the most important question ever. What are you going to be for Halloween this year?”

Althea: “For Halloween I saw this really cute picture of an innocent and sweet looking girl from either the 1930’s or 1940’s in little black shorts and a tied crop-top holding a sign that says “I’m evil.” I think it’s really fun and cute. I would like to do a couples thing with Stewart, but if I can’t think of anything for us to do or something better, I want to be the girl because she’s so cute. Or maybe Pocahontas. I used to call myself Pocahontas when I was little.”

AGNC: “Okay, last question. I’m writing a blog not a novel. What advice can you give for making it in this crazy world? I mean, you take huge risks and really put yourself out there. Your work ethic and spirit is really something out of the ordinary. What motivates you and keeps your eyes focused forever forward? I think that’s two questions….”

Althea: “Pretty sure it is two questions. As far as part one, what advice, my biggest thing is believing in yourself. If you don’t think you can do it why should you expect someone else to? To answer the second question, I would say some days I wonder myself! I can be really lazy. There is this really great quote that I am going to totally butcher that says something like “success comes to those who keep standing.” You always take hits, people always say no. Keep standing. Eventually what you want will come to surface. Don’t let the little hits get you down; success could be on the other end. When I get frustrated because this business is hard and I need money and sales to keep going, I say “all I need is one major account and I am so close. Why give up now?” Life is never success after success after success. You always take a hit somewhere. Keep believing in yourself and asking yourself “what else would I rather do?” If you can’t answer, you know what you have to do; keep going! Always take the bad with the good and keep going for it.”

If you haven’t checked out Althea’s collection, do so now at www.altheaharper.com .

Make sure you check out her trunk show calendar to see if she is coming to a city near you. She really is something special. You just have to meet her!