Renee Strauss is the triple F status (aka feisty, funny, and fashionable - uh huh!) owner of the sparkling Renee Strauss Salon in Beverly Hills. Fact: One glance at the salon and your eyes and/or heart will freak out - in the best way possible. Try it. Strauss is also the star of TLC’s smash hit new show Brides of Beverly Hills (Get hooked - Fridays at 10 PM)...Which chronicles the Beverly Hills bridal genius and her a-list team (including Kevin Lee, can we say "Fabulous!") as they help brides hunt for the most dazzling, sizzling and blinging wedding dresses Beverly Hills money can buy. Hello, Heaven.
Strauss took a time-out to talk about picking out the "perfect dress," getting a Beverly Hills bridal look on a budget, and the secret to becoming a Beverly Hills bride.
MM: How did Brides of Beverly Hills get created? Was there a whole lotta drama going down on the Renee Strauss Salon bridal floor and someone with a camera started taping?
Renee Strauss: TLC fell upon me and liked what they saw! Beverly Hills is the most enviable shopping location in the world, so it’s a natural location for a wedding show. Plus, Renee Strauss Salon is a landmark destination. We get a lot of interesting people at Renee Strauss Salon, and we have a sense of humor about it. “Brides of Beverly Hills” captures the reality of what really happens in Beverly Hills.
MM: What’s your favorite moment from this season?
RS: There are a lot of favorite moments. Almost every episode spoke to my heart or sense of humor. One of the most touching moments was in the first episode, when a young girl got engaged, and her father was there. It was an incredible feeling that by virtue of having a film crew there, this family's special moments were documented for posterity. They’ll have these moments forever and can watch them again and again.
MM: There's drama, then there's Beverly Hills bridal drama aka hectic - which you live every single day. How do you manage non-stop Beverly Hills bridal chaos?
RS: I’ve been doing this for 30 years, so I know what I’m doing, and I try to exude a calmness…Even though it doesn’t look it on the show [laughs]. My goal is to make the bride and her family happy, but that’s not always a reality. In the end, people come to us because we perform and get the job done.
MM: Would you ever be down for a spin-off TV show of you, Randy, and Monty finding the perfect dress?
RS: [laughs] Our shows are very different. Unlike "Say Yes to the Dress" and "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta", “Brides of Beverly Hills” isn't about finding the right dress. Our show has a campier feeling, and quirkier people than “Say Yes to the Dress.”
MM: Challenge: How can brides on a budget get a Beverly Hills look?
RS: My feeling is that at every bridal salon, every piece of inventory eventually has to be sold to make room for new inventory. So, just be honest and communicate. There’s nothing wrong with asking if the sample is for sale. Or being directed to a cheaper alterations department. Or, you can always go to David’s Bridal and hope for a miracle [laughs].
MM: What advice do you have for single girls who dream of becoming a Beverly Hills bride?
RS: The question really is “How do you nab a Beverly Hills guy?” [laughs] I’ve had interesting things happen. There’s a beautiful boutique in Beverly Hills called Bijan, named after my old friend Bijan, who sadly passed away recently. I did the wedding gown for Bijan’s first wife, and over time I became friends with her. She’d tell me stories about how Bijan sales staff would be proposed to all the time by wealthy clients! So, I think to get a Beverly Hills guy, you need a good work ethic, and then you need to get a job as a saleswoman at a boutique or hotel in Beverly Hills! [laughs]
MM: Quite possibly, every single woman in North America and beyond saw Kim Kardashian's wedding dress. Even though Kim is now a divorcee, do you think her dress will still influence bridal fashion?
RS: Bridal fashion goes through trends. I think Vera Wang used Kim Kardashian’s wedding as a platform to shake up the industry…which it needed…and bring the 80’s look back into fashion. For example, Kim’s dress has a basque waist – we haven’t seen that since the 80’s. And the Pocahontas on forehead piece that Kim wore was most popular in the 80’s.
As far as other shake-ups in the industry, tulle is very strong again. For 10 years, we couldn’t give a tulle dress away. I just got back from shows in places like Barcelona and Chicago, and I’m seeing tulle everywhere.
MM: What’s the secret to picking out the perfect dress?
RS: Buy a dress that you feel so beautiful in that you can’t wait for Mr. Wonderful to see you walking down the aisle, becoming Mrs. Wonderful.
MM: You have a wildly successful Beverly Hills salon, the hottest celebrity clients in town, and a smash hit show on TLC. What’s the secret to your success?
RS: You have to love what you do every day, and learn from mistakes you make. We get to a certain level in our careers not because we don’t make mistakes, because we learn from mistakes. I also have a retail mentality. Meaning I look at every person in the eye, and greet them by name. And always be progressive. Look forward to things you want to get accomplished, and that will propel you forward. That’s what I do in my life.
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