Zamani’s Chat With George From E! Fashion Police

George Kotsiopoulos is one of the four co-hosts of E! Network’s hit TV Show, “Fashion Police”. He co-hosts alongside Joan Rivers, Giuliana Ransic and Kelly Osbourne. It was with great pleasure that I was given the chance to have a 10-15 minutes sit down with George and get to pick his brain. 10-15 minutes is not a long time to get out of a person, so I decided to keep the interview very light-hearted and fun. So those who had already started taking out their Oprah Kleenex out should put them away. Here is my quick chat with George… 

Q: A lot of people only know you as George from Fashion Police, can you tell more about you? How you started out and got into Fashion and TV?

 A:  I’ve been a stylist for over 15 years, I was working at the New York Times Magazine as a Fashion Associate and Marketing Editor. I got into television about six years ago, just socially meeting people, I met someone from E! at a luncheon and they were like; “Oh you should come on, we always need stylists to comment on things.” So that just kind of started the whole TV thing.

It took me 7 years to get on a show, I had done a couple of pilots, basically anytime anyone asked me to do anything for TV, I said yes. I was also a fashion correspondence on MSNBC (I forgot about that one), You know I just really enjoyed it and got positive feedback. The more I did it the more I wanted to do it. As a stylist there’s a window of opportunity, I didn’t want to be in my 50s dressing 25 year old girls. A- There’s something creepy about it, B- They don’t want me to do it, they want a thirty year old doing that.

Q: Besides Fashion Police, What other projects are you involved with?

A: I’m styling, I style a lot for the Hollywood Reporter, Details Magazine and whatever photographers want to work with me. The Hollywood Reporter is fun because I get exposed to working with so many celebrities. I’m also currently working on a book and hope to get my own TV Show soon.     

Q: What inspires you in terms of fashion/style etc? When you style a celebrity?

A: It depends on the celebrity, you know currently we are not being trendy, everyone is just doing what they are comfortable with and what suits their body form. So individual celebrities inspire me in their own way when I style them.

Q: Who is your Ideal Style Icon? Dead or Living

A: Gosh there are so many, I don’t even know where to begin… (Thinks) Sophia Loren, Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe. With men Richard Gere, Alexander McQueen. There are just too many.

Q: Who would be your ideal celebrity “Make-Over Project”?

A: (Laughs) You know I get that question quite a lot. I’d like to say Christina Aguilera, but then I wouldn’t want to work with her. No Comment! All I can say is that I would like to work with people I really like because that’s what inspires me.

Q: With your work on Fashion Police you are very opinionated, have you ever had awkward celebrity run ins where you gave a bad critique and then you meet them the following day etc. And if so, who?

A: I always try to be nice; I am not too opinionated to the point of being hurtful, so I don’t have many of those. But I do remember a time I made a comment about Cameron Diaz having man-arms, immediately after I said that comment I regretted it. A few days later I was at a party and a mutual friend of Cameron and I told me that she was also at the party, and asked; “Is that George?”

Firstly I was just shocked and amazed that Cameron Diaz knew whom I was. I was like awww can I not run into her but she later came up to me and told me that when she watched the show she could see that I regretted my comment immediately. There have been times where some have treated me funny because I was guilty by association. Maybe laughed at a joke that Joan made but those should just relax and understand that it’s part of the business.

 Q: How is it like working with the legendary Joan Rivers, is she the same off-screen and on-screen?

A: Joan is a very sweet, warm and funny woman. A lot of people find that hard to believe, but she’s very sweet and FUNNY. And not funny in a, “I’m always trying to entertain” kind of way, but she is organically funny. When you are sitting and having lunch with Joan, she’ll have you in stitches without even trying to.

Q: Out of your three co-hosts which one do you get along with the most, off-screen?

A:  You know, I get along with all very well, but honestly I hardly see them off-screen. Joan is always travelling, Giuliana has five other shows and just had a baby, Kelly is not in my age group so we don’t socialize in the same circle but I get along very well with all of them. I know you were probably hoping to get something bitch out of me, but we all really do get along. (Laughs)

QUICK QUIZZ: Who’s your ideal Style Icon amongst these?

Victoria Beckham or Kim Kardashian?

A: That’s a tough one, they are both so different in their own unique ways, It’s like apples and Oranges but since I have to choose I’ll say Victoria Beckham, because of how she’s re-invented herself from a pop star to a really recognizable Fashion brand.

Beyonce or Solange?

A: Another tough one, I mean Beyonce is Beyonce, but I’d have to say Solange because she has become more experimental, she’s coming into her own and a sister coming from  that huge shadow, that deserves to be applauded.

Britney or Xtina?

A: Neither!

Joan Rivers or Betty White?

A: Joan off course! But they are generations apart (laughs).

Rihanna or Rita Ora?

 A: Honestly, I have never heard a Rita Ora song, I have only seen her spreads in magazines, but don’t know much about her. I would like to say Rihanna because of how naturally stylish she is, how consistent she is to her looks. She is not stylishly schizophrenic, this look today and another look tomorrow but she gets a look, keeps it for a while. She had the red hair and stuck to it for a period and then moved on.

Ends. 

It was a pleasure chatting with George, he is as sweet, warm and approachable as he seems on TV, I wish we had more time to speak because he seems like the type of person I would spend hours chatting to and not even realize that the time had gone by so quick.

By Zamani Khethelo

@Za_Maniac.

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