Joan Rivers: Prada Hates America, Is Still Angry About WWII

by Verena von Pfetten | 9:33 am, December 22nd, 2010

Interviewing Joan Rivers may well be every fashion blogger’s dream — no matter what you ask her, you know you’re going to get something awesome. Which is why The Cut’s interview with Joan and her daughter Melissa is both wide ranging and hilarious — the pair opine on everything from Prada, to Kate Middleton, to why hosting a weekly Fashion Police show is so much better than being stuck on the red carpet.

While most Serious Fashion People (of which there are many) would hardly consider either of the Rivers sartorial experts, there’s something so wonderfully egalitarian about their commentary. Fashion is art — certainly, but at the end of the day, it’s also just what you wear. And while many in the industry laud Miuccia Prada as a genius, she’s also a woman who put out a collection of banana patterned clothing. And so, without further ado…

Joan on the politics of the red carpet:

When you’re on the red carpet, you get word from on high: “Don’t say anything bad about Angelina Jolie because she’s a friend of the network. Don’t say anything bad about Sarah Jessica Parker because she’s a friend of the network.” No one says anything bad [about celebrities] — they’re not going to say, “Your ass is too big, and you shouldn’t be wearing that color, and you look like a fool.” You can’t say that so what’s the point of doing the red carpet? So the Fashion Police, when they came to me, they said let her do it. I don’t have to meet them on the red carpet. I don’t have to deal with Rihanna. Rihanna and I will never meet unless we both go clubbing together, and I don’t think we’ll go to the same clubs.

On Kate Middleton:

Joan: I think she’s going to be smarter than all of us put together. She’s got the body, she’s very thin, she’s got a great style to her. The hats are the terrible Treacy hats — half of them I swear look like IUDs. But she knows what she’s doing, she’s smart, she’s older — it’s not like Princess Diana at 19. I think she’s looked gorgeous so far.
Melissa: Central Casting could not have sent over anyone more perfect. And people I know in the circle of both Prince Charles and Prince William say she is absolutely a hole in one. I think the clothes are perfect. The next thing is eventually she’ll cut her hair, and that will start a whole other trend. It’s that whole thing where she’s really pretty, but not where she’s intimidating to other women.

On Prada:

Joan: I just think Prada should be shut down, and truly I think they hate Americans. I think they’re still angry at us for WWII.

Melissa: My favorite dresses this year were a little black dress from Prada and a little black dress from Miu Miu. I wore the dress in front of my mom and she loved it and didn’t know it was Prada.

Joan and Melissa Rivers on the State of Red-Carpet Fashion, Living Together, and Kate Middleton [The Cut]

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