Click:cnc routing
Within a year of launching her Skinnygirl jeans line, Bethenny Frankel’s new venture is already off to an unbelievable start.
Nearly every design has sold out on her website, shopskinnygirl.com, and she just teamed up with Macy’s to bring her designs to a Market at Macy's location near you. PEOPLE caught up with the Real Housewives of New York star at the launch of her line’s debut at Macy’s Herald Square in N.Y.C. to talk all things denim.
+ Follow
“These jeans are for every body,” Frankel tells PEOPLE. “They are completely inclusive: They are for all shapes, sizes, women of all ages. There is a level of detail to the fashion combined with comfort that I haven’t seen.”
Despite having no previous fashion background, she took the design process very seriously. “I’m very, very specific about details. I like details, but not too many. I like there to be a signature.”
What resulted are a variety of styles from plain black, blue and stone-washed shades to pairs with subtle embellishment to make them “uniquely SkinnyGirl,” says Frankel.
(Above, some of the standout pieces include: Mid Rise Skinny Ankle Inwood $149.50; shopskinnygirl.com; Buy It! Mid Rise Skinny Bowery $109.50; shopskinnygirl.com; Buy It! Mid Rise Skinny Ankle Madison $159.50; shopskinnygirl.com)
“Women are really feeling like their best selves [in the jeans]. They’re feeling sexy, they’re feeling comfortable, they make your butt look incredible – the proof is in the booty,” she jokes. “And [plus-size models] frankly look better in the jeans than anyone else. If I had a little bit more of a butt, I would be a better Skinnygirl jeans model.”
Many of her RHONY co-stars were on hand to celebrate with an impromptu dance party, including Luann De Lesseps and Sonja Morgan, who has been Skinnygirl Jeans’ No. 1 fan from the start. “Sonja took every pair I have,” Frankel says. “Sonja cleaned me out and she wears them so well.”
Frankel says she sent all her co-stars a pair when they first were made last year and she’ll give Luann de Lesseps and Morgan another pair for celebrating with her on Wednesday night. “They asked me [for an invite to the party],” Frankel said. “I said, anybody’s welcome but Sonja and Luann were like, ‘We’re coming, we can’t wait’.”
In between running her enormous Skinnygirl brand, which in addition to the jeans includes food and beverages (you know their margaritas well) and shapewear, Frankel also created the initiative for disaster relief, #BStrong, which stepped up to aid with the relief efforts after Hurricane Harvey in Houston and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last year.
With Hurricane Florence coming for the Carolinas, Frankel is ready to take action. “I’m very heightened right now and it’s good for me to have other projects to focus on,” she says, referring to her grief in the wake of the death of her boyfriend, Dennis Shields.
“Dennis was very, very instrumental in donating [to #BStrong] and I think that he would love that I was focusing my energy on helping other people,” she shares. “It’s okay that I’ve been mourning, but there are going to be some other people that are going to be in some really bad situations and we are already on the ground there assessing as the days and the hours go by. I told my staff, I could very well be leaving for the south this weekend and let’s just pray, everyone be strong, be safe, take care of your pets. And I’ll let you know as I know.”
Leave a Reply