blog life | Meet & Greet with E! Network's George Kotsiopoulos

" .. So then I got out of that, then I decided that.. the big, ya know realization was that I didn't want to go to bed on Sunday night, dreading monday morning." -G. Kotsiopoulos

Living the dream.

Meeting industry professionals is the icing on my passion, dreams and work sundae. So getting to be a part of Gap Factory's "Exclusively Styled" New York launch was amazing.  This is a new campaign headed by their brand ambassador, famous stylist, and all-around fashion guru, George Kotsiopoulos.  

With the fabulous mind of Kotsiopoulos, whom you might recognize from E!'s Fashion Police, "Exclusively Styled" aims to offer expert tips and on-point pairings for seasonally on-trend looks using Gap Factory pieces. "..It is star style on a real girl's budget.  Its all very, very affordable and well made and its fashionable. You do not need to break the bank to get the chic looks." George told me in regards to shopping the line at Gap and obtaining movie star style on a budget. 

Jumping right into the campaign, George Kotsi styled some great layered looks with Dylan Penn for spring and some hot looks for the summer with Chanel Iman. All the products in the line range at an unbelievably affordable range of 9.99 - 49.99. The Campaign kicked off in late March and will continue to be on tour through the fall. Be on the watch for the tour!

So in honoring this launch of Gap Factory's "Exclusively Styled" Campaign, I got to interview George at the Deer Park Tanger Mall and he was so amazing, possibly even cooler than his amazing Marc Jacob's shoes. So read on to Check out my exclusive interview. 

My Chat with George Kotsiopoulos.

{ G: George, C: Me } 

G: So your blog is I Can't Afford My Lifestyle - well I hope you're not getting yourself into debt!

C:  No, not at all. I only work four jobs and go to school to be this fab! hahah. I'm finishing my business degree and then I'm applying to art school; I want to be a stylist.

G: Oh, Ohhhh! You want to be a stylist?! That's kind of what I am, I have my bachelor's in accounting, so..

C: Yeah, I'm actually battling accounting too right now. I'm almost done!

G: No, you know- I just never worked in it, because I just clearly didn't.

C: Clearly, you are just too fabulous to be sitting at a desk somewhere.

G: Well, no, no, nah-no. It's not that, that. Life happens sometimes. Things change. But at least you know what you want to do and you can go from business to your passion.

C: How did you go from accounting to styling? 

G: Uhm, you know what it was, I just never... I moved to LA thinking I would work in production accounting and then I realized it was just boring. It was still just boring accounting, it was just that you were on a movie set.  It was the same thing. And I was just like I can't do this, this is horrible. Then I worked for a different agent, a manager - then I just stumbled into... 

C: Then you got into PR?

G: PR, yeah I got into PR for a few years. And then realized it was not me, I hated it. It was also celebrity PR,  which is just weird.  Its not for everyone. 

C: It's kind of just like trying to make everything pretty huh?

G: Yeah, I think it is and when you are working with really big clients its saying no a lot and it just wasn't for me.  I think when you are at a certain level in PR, you are assigned clients - so its basically you are paying someone to call press and say nice things about you. So unless you're passionate... Like I'm not an actor, so I couldn't really do the BS thing.

C: You gotta believe it to sell it!

G: Hahaha! Yeah I have to believe it, if I believe it I can get you the cover of anything - that's easy! Uhm, so anyway - So then I got out of that, then I decided that.. the big, ya know realization was that I didn't want to go to bed on Sunday night, dreading monday morning. And that was why I quit my PR job. And I never have, ever since. And I just did a bunch of other jobs  and found myself and found my way into fashion and I worked for the NY Times Magazine for 8 years.

C: That is just soooo incredible.

G: Yeah, I know, it was wonderful. Ya know. It was a great experience and it just kind of found me and I found it. And I realized when you are on shoot for 13/14 hours and you're like, "Oh, oh are we still here?" And don't realize, that that's when you realize "Oh,  ok this is what I like to do!" 

C: That's amazing, that's what we should all hope to find.

G: You know, I don't think that everyone needs to have a fabulous job, but I think that you just really need to love your job. I think you are very lucky if that, ya know.  If Joan Rivers is going this whole time because she loves what she does, thats why she's 80 and you she think she's 40.

C:  Because she's still a firecracker!

G: Because she loves what she does, ya know people think like, "oh poor thing", because she's working. It's like Don't, No poor thing!

C: I would never say "oh poor thing", about Joan Rivers! haha

G: Joan lovesss what she does, we should all be so lucky, You forget that she's 80.

C: I honestly had no idea she was 80.

G: No, you'd think she was like 60-65, something like that,

C: It's because she's so saucy!

G: She's just Fabulous.

C: Yeah, she is Fab.  So speaking of Fab, you are doing the Spring Trending for Gap today?

G: I'm the Brand Ambassador for Gap Factory Stores, so today there is this whole "Exclusively Styled" Campaign and there's a sweepstakes winner who gets a little styling session with me and a meet and greet in the store, and what else are we doing.... there's a Q&A and also a book signing.  I have a new book coming out, Glamorous by George. 

C: Some exciting stuff!  I can't wait to check out your book!

G: Good, Good! It is the key to movie star style.

C: The key to movie star style, on a budget? Because I can't afford my lifestyle. haha

G: Yeah, which is really what ties Gap in as well. Because you know its really all about, I mean I think fashion is so accessible to everyone. I mean to every single price point and thats one of the things that drew me to the Gap, Gap Factory because it is star style on a real girl's budget.  Its all very, very affordable and well made and its fashionable. You do not need to break the bank to get the chic looks.

C: You just have to look for the right lines and shapes, right?

G: Absolutely, I mean its true.  Its all just not necessary, you don't need to be wearing Prada.  I mean look if you can afford it and its not going to literally affect you at all, go for it. Do whatever you want.  There is no reason for it. 

G: Also, a lot of people like to think that Gap Factory is rejects from the Gap stores, like things that are defective or whatever. But it is its own completely separate collection, thats made just for Gap Factory.  It's its own line, its own team. Its wonderful! Dylan Penn is in the Campaign with me, you know she is Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn's daughter, she's just a little bombshell. And Chanel Iman is in the next one. We're an evolving cast of players.

C: Awesome, I can't wait to see it all. But lets talk some more fashion, you think the boyfriend jeans are here to stay?

G: I think the great thing about fashion right now, is it is all here to stay. There used to be a time where skinny jeans defined it, or straight legs defined it or flairs defined it. And thats all you wore or you were wearing last year's whatever. And it's just not like that anymore, you can wear whatever works on your body type.  In any store you can get straight-legs, you can get skinnys, you can get boot cuts, you can get boyfriend, drop crotch, low waist, high waist- whatever works on your body type.  You know, it was not like that always, it used to really be like "this is the style of jean that is working right now" and this all anyone is going to be wearing right now.

C: And if you're not wearing that, you are last season - get out of here... haha  

G: haha! Yeah exactly, then get out of here, you're not cool! It's not like that anymore, and fashion's not like that anymore.

C: Yeah, I think nowadays its about knowing what rules can be broken.

G: You just have to know what looks good on your body- period.

C: Like I have always liked mixing retro femininity with a punk grunge kind of style.

G: Yeah, Totally!

C:  I'm so excited it is so big this year!

G: Its great, you gotta do what works for you.

C: Most Definitely, I would also love to take some photos of you today, if you don't mind. I love your shoes!!

G:  Oh not at all! haha!  Thank youuuu -They are Gap Factory, hahahah! No, they're not; they are Marc Jacobs. But this is all Gap Factory except my this,  my Bow tie is Dries Van Noten.

C: Haha! Like me.  Only my shoes are expensive, they are Stuart Weitzman. 

G: They are cuteeee! You are so very cute!

C: The rest is all from Target and this is an H&M men's t-shirt deconstructed. 

G: So cute, Yeahh, Its great! Yeah these are Marc Jacobs, all my clothes are Gap Factory, the bow tie is Dries Van Noten and my watch is IWC if you want all the fashion credits. 

{ Began Taking photos. George is advised to tuck his cell phone out of the shot.}

G: Hahaha. Because no one has phones, like God forbid there be a phone in the shot. I don't care, I have no problem with my phone, like the back of it is broken. 

C: Yeah, my phone is really broken.  Whenever people look at my screen, I'm always like yeah I Can't afford my lifestyle, just a shameless plug. 

G: Ohhhhh. wow. haha. You need to get that fixed. 

{ More Photos taken and laughter }

G: Alrighty, well thank-you - for coming out.

C:  Thank you. It was such a pleasure meeting you. 

G: Good to meet you toooo! Thank you so much,  Muah, Muah!

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