>> Rachel Zoe put celebrity styling on camera with The Rachel Zoe Project, and now Kelly Cutrone has signed on to show another behind-the-scenes fashion sector to the public: fashion PR.

Cutrone, who founded firm People's Revolution and previously appeared on The Hills with a continuing mentorship role on Hills spin-off The City, has been planning a TV show of her own for a while now.  Although no network has been announced as attached — the pilot is being shopped, and NBC has a first-look deal — the reality show will follow Kelly and People's Revolution as they try to get clients into coveted publications, shoot lookbooks, hold meetings and photoshoots, work with celebrities, and produce fashion shows.  As Kelly explains, it's "going to showcase the nitty-gritty side of fashion publicity."

Filming is expected to start as early as February — just in time for Fashion Week — and Cutrone is serving as executive producer along with Magical Elves, the original producers of Project Runway.
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>> INSIDER WIRE —As much as we hoped otherwise, it doesn't sound like we'll be getting a lot of Diane von Furstenberg on The City.  She didn't appear in the trailer, and the show's star, Whitney Port, says that she's only worked with Diane once, for "about five minutes" before the DVF show at Fashion Week.  Meanwhile, it looks like we'll still be seeing Whitney's ex-boss, Kelly Cutrone, on camera — she acts as a mentor to the New York transplant. [The Cut]
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>> Come Dec. 29, we'll have a new reality TV show on our hands — and Diane von Furstenberg is involved.  The first trailer for The Hills's New York spinoff, The City, is out, with Whitney Port replacing Lauren Conrad as main girl and socialite Olivia Palermo filling in as supporting sidekick.  Both girls are employed by Diane as part of her in-house PR, and although the designer doesn't make an appearance in the preview, the whole show is sure to be an extension of her branding, targeting the show's audience of girls looking to buy printed wrap dresses.

Magazines have caught on to the power of TV as part of their business model — Teen Vogue with The Hills, Elle with Stylista and Project Runway, Vogue with Model.Live — if Diane has as much success with this as Michael Kors has on Project Runway, there could be a lot more designers investing time in TV in the future.

>> It's clearer and clearer that fashion magazines, labels, and personalities are looking to television to strengthen their brand — The Rachel Zoe Project, Project Runway, Stylista, The Hills, and upcoming Hills spinoff The City are all proof — so why would Kelly Cutrone of People's Revolution get off the train and let Diane von Furstenberg pick up where she left off?

It was Teen Vogue which was originally tied with The Hills — they employed two of the show's stars, Whitney Port and Lauren Conrad, until they decided they wanted out, no reasons given, in January.  That's where Kelly Cutrone came in: "[Senior West Coast Editor] Lisa Love called me at Vogue and when I talked to them, I thought, There has to be a reason why Anna [Wintour]'s doing this. You know?"  She has employed both Lauren and Whitney for the past two seasons of the show, the first of which started airing in March 2008, but now, "I feel like I maximized that."

Whitney Port is getting her own show, but Kelly isn't coming with her: "I didn't really feel like it was a great idea to be on a spinoff of a spinoff of a spinoff. I felt like I already rolled the dice."  Plus, she has another show in the very early stages in the works, through the William Morris Agency: "I have another deal that I'm going to be an exec producer on — that I'll own part of.  I know some real talented people, and we want to be able to produce a show that we're not on as well.  I'll be the Ryan Seacrest of fashion."

And that's where Diane von Furstenberg comes in: She's employing Whitney on her new show, The City.  Will it pay off?
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With what looks to be her daughter, Ava, "Rebel Rebel" Art Elysium Benefit Party; New York, June 24.

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>> Since we're going to be seeing a lot more of Kelly Cutrone — thanks, The Hills! — The New York Observer graciously served us up a little backstory on the People's Revolution founder and tooth-gnashing power publicist.

First, the mini-bio — it's quite a whirlwind.  She lives with her 6-year-old daughter, Ava, an Argentinian male model named Demian (who she's not dating), and a 7-year-old girl who is the the granddaughter of a former boyfriend.  She was married to her first husband, pop artist and Warhol affiliate Ronnie Cutrone, briefly in her early twenties (she's 42 now), and then seven or so years ago met Ava's father, an Italian in Paris, only shortly after leaving her second husband, an actor.  She promptly left Ava's father three months into her pregnancy, and has been dating music producer Jimmy Boyle for some years now.   

She left her first PR firm, Cutrone & Weinberg, in her late twenties because she wasn't happy and decided to become a tarot card reader on Venice Beach for a year and a half.  As for where she is today, People's Revolution reps 46 clients, including Longchamp, Yigal Azrouel, Vivienne Westwood, and Sass & Bide.  Kelly's happy with where the company is at, and curates her clients based on those she thinks deserve "a voice."

I wouldn’t want 80 percent of [powerhouse fashion firm and rival] KCD’s roster.  I would never rep Versace, I can’t stand her, I think she makes disgusting clothes. Calvin [Klein] is like, snore!  Who wears Calvin Klein?  I’m not dissing him. I think he’s built an amazing, respectable business, but I would never want to work for Calvin Klein, ever.

Oh, and good thing Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port aren't Kelly's assistants — althought it might make for better drama — she works until 1 or 2 am during fashion week, midnight many other months, and doesn’t allow her two assistants to leave before she does.

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>> After Teen Vogue dropped all connections with The Hills earlier this year, TV refugee Whitney Port turned to Kelly Cutrone and her fashion PR firm People's Revolution for new employ. 

Now comes the news that MTV is working on a Hills spin-off focusing on Whitney working bicoastally for People's Revolution, flitting between LA and New York, and befriending shunned socialite Olivia Palermo. 

Kelly Cutrone must be feeling the spotlight love — just like Elle — but I wonder who else will pop up on the show unexpectedly?
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