Skip to main content

Catching Up with Project Runway's Chloe Dao

Five years after she battled Santino Rice and Daniel Vosovic to win the coveted title of top designer on the second season of “Project Runway,” Chloe Dao is still building her fashion empire.  Since May 2008, the designing woman has been selling her popular Simply Chloe Dao line on QVC, and in 2009 she launched a line of slim laptop cases and luggage, Dao Chloe Dao for Nuo.

The industrious designer recently took a break from her hectic schedule to chat with me, and I was delighted to find out the Houston, Texas resident is a lot funnier than she led on during her TV stint.  
“I couldn’t compete with those gay guys from my season” she says.

How did being on “Project Runway” change your life and your career?

Chloe: My life is crazier than ever -- I have my store [Lot 8], QVC, and the Nuo line.  So my design repertoire has expanded. I travel every two weeks to New York and to Philly [QVC is based in West Chester Pennsylvania]. I have a fan base and I’m still doing interviews after all these years.  It’s amazing that people still care since season two was so long ago.

What do you think of your “Project Runway” cast mate Santino being a judge on RuPaul’s “Drag Race.”

Chloe: I love the show.  This season the drag queens are even prettier. I hope JuJuBee wins.  I love her.  More power to Santino.  It takes a lot to be a successful designer, [so] it’s good to be on a show that’s about fashion in its own right.  He’s a perfect fit for the show.

What do you think of this season’s “Project Runway?”

Chloe: I was watching up until Ping, the crazy Asian girl, got eliminated. They let 10 designers show at Fashion Week.  It’s insulting to past seasons.  What’s the point if [almost] every designer gets to show at Fashion Week?  They could have waited and let three designers show. I was turned off and disgusted. I feel bad for both seasons [6 and 7], especially [sixth season winner] Irina [Shabayeva].  She didn’t have the experience of walking out with the crowd.

Did you ever consider moving to New York to open a boutique?

Chloe: I lived in New York for eight years before Houston. It’s tough to survive and Houston has been amazing to me.  [In New York), it’s hard to stand out and I didn’t want to be one of many. I don’t think I had the finances.  The prize for winning “Project Runway” was $100,000; then taxes takes about $30,000.  So you have $65,000 left over. That’s fabric and one collection.  And if you show in New York Fashion Week, that’s $30,000.  You have to be thrifty, and $65,000 is not a lot in New York.
Tell me about your Simply Chloe Dao line for QVC.

Chloe: It’s sportswear for all ages and sizes, from extra small to 3X. It’s contemporary; not a lot of short sleeves because every woman has an issue with her arms. It’s like J. Crew meets Anthropologie, with a lot of details and textures that give bang for the buck.  The customer is aged 35 to 65. My mother is 64.  I’m turning 39 this year, Lord have mercy! I’ve been preparing for 40 by telling everyone I’m already a year older.

How does your Dao Chloe Dao collection for your Lot 8 boutique in Houston differ from your OVC line?

Chloe: My design philosophy is to design for everyone. My high-end collection at my boutique [only] goes up to size 10. I’m my own size 6.  I used to be my own size 2.  But QVC is for everyone.  It’s rewarding when you get live phone calls.  A woman who was a size 3X said my clothes make her feel beautiful.  I never try to hide the figure. I try to enhance it.  I know because I have issues with mine all the time.  My [Lot 8] ready-to-wear line is for women who are already for risk takers and who understand fashion.  But I get to educate the QVC customer on how to wear [clothes] for your body and age.
Click here to watch a video of Chloe on QVC.


What inspired you to design laptop cases and luggage for Nuo?

Chloe: It’s very cool to carry your own luggage.  You never lose it cause your name is on it.  I saw a woman carrying my laptop case in the airport and asked her where she got it.  She said Office Max.  At first she was like, “Who is this little Asian girl harassing me?”  Then she realized who I was.  
All designers want to design everything.  Any time I’m given an opportunity to branch out from just clothes, I jump at it.  Who doesn’t want to be a lifestyle brand?  We all aim to be Ralph Lauren.

What’s next for Chloe Dao?

Chloe: On April 17 I’m showing my spring collection in a charity fashion show in Houston.  Once I show [the clothes], they’re available.  That works better than waiting for six months [like at Fashion Week].  
To purchase tickets for Chloe's upcoming "Lightness" 2010 Spring Fashion Show, go to www.warehouselive.com.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Conway Discount Clothing Chain Closing in New York City

It's the end of an era. Conway discount stores are closing . As of this weekend, a sign on the sole Herald Square location (34th Street btwn 7th and 8th Ave) says the store will close in "7 Days." Before I relocated to New York City, I was introduced to the discount chain while on a bus trip from Baltimore.  I recall the first time I saw Conway's signature pink bags carried by hurried shoppers in midtown. And Miss Foster, the trip organizer and a bargain hunter from way back, took me to the store for the first time. Conway store in the Fulton Mall./Tracy E. Hopkins When I moved here in 1994, my love affair with Conway continued.  I furnished my first apartment with discount knick-knacks and home goods from the store.  And much to my chagrin, in hindsight, I curated most of my wardrobe for my first full-time job from the long-shuttered 42nd Street and Third Avenue store. One regretful ensemble: Lime green and white checkered pants with a matching lime green
Post a Comment
Read more

Memorial Day Weekend 2023 Cultural Highlight: DanceAfrica Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Throughout Brooklyn

In her essay, " African Dance is Medicine for the Mind, Body and Spirit ," dancer, teacher and choreographer Cherie Hill wrote, "The more I perform African dance, the more I discover and enjoy euphoria. When the drums are beating and the body is dancing everything fits in sync and I feel limitless and powerful."   Photo by Nate Palmer                                                                                                                         Hill is honored with a portrait by Cecilia Lamptey-Botchway that's on display   at the  BAM Howard Gilman Opera House  during the annual  DanceAfrica Festival .  The festival celebrates Black joy and resilience and the regal power of African dance.  I mark my calendar each year for the  DanceAfrica Bazaar, where I often run into old friends and see familiar faces. In a Brooklyn that has quickly become gentrified, I love to see us walking tall, beaming with pride and to quote Bey, "shining, shining, shining, y
Post a Comment
Read more

The Re-Education of NeNe Leakes: The Reality Star Talks About College Hill, What Housewives She's Still Friends With and More

I’ve been a fan of The Real Housewives of Atlanta since the beginning.     So I jumped at the chance to chat with original RHOA cast member and breakout star NeNe Leakes.     It’s been a tough couple of years since NeNe parted ways with the show. In 2021 her husband Gregg lost his battle with colon cancer and earlier this year she filed a discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, Bravo. But on the brighter side, the 54-year-old is dating again and starring in the BET limited reality series,   College Hill: Celebrity Edition.    Along with other headline-grabbing reality TV stars including, Big Freedia, Lamar Odom, Stacey Dash and Ray J., NeNe and the members of the cast lived together and attended classes at the historically Black Texas Southern University.     We asked NeNe what it was like to go back to school, what the biggest misconception about her is, which housewives she's still friendly with, and more.   Everything She Wants : What did it feel like being back in
Post a Comment
Read more