CULVER CITY, Calif. - Lauren Conrad has another show to add to her resume.
Conrad, full-time star of MTV's "The Hills" and part-time student at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, made her designer debut at Mercedes-Benz L.A. Fashion Week without her MTV reality TV crew in tow Tuesday. The budding 22-year-old designer's first fashion show won't be featured on her popular docu-soap because she says it's "what I do in my spare time."
"I kinda like that it's separate," Conrad told The Associated Press after the show. "It's not something that I really want to be part of a reality television show. It's a career I want beyond my 15 minutes."
Conrad's debut featured 30 different looks from her fall 2008 line. Flowy wraps and strapless dresses were accented with touches like leather gloves and berets. Conrad said the oh-la-la designs were inspired by her recent trip to Paris, which will be documented on "The Hills" when it returns March 24.
The mostly subdued fashion show wasn't without its own drama. At one point, a model accidentally slipped out of her left shoe while strutting down the runway, prompting many audience members to cringe or gasp. Once the model reached the end of the catwalk, she coolly kicked off her other high heel and continued barefoot.
"Poor thing," Conrad said, flashing a frown about the misstep after the show. "It happens."
"Hills" co-stars Whitney Port, Audrina Patridge, Lauren "Lo" Bosworth and Brody Jenner - in that order - lined the front row of Stage One at Smashbox Studios. On-screen adversaries Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, however, were nowhere to be seen. The remanning recognizable faces in the audience were like a who's who of "Laguna Beach" alumni.
Kristin Cavallari, who infamously feuded with Conrad on their sun-kissed "Hills" predecessor, was perched next to Jenner pal Frankie Delgado. Meanwhile, Dieter Schmitz and Stephen Colletti, the boy Conard and Cavallari clashed over in high school, sat on the other side of the catwalk.
So what did L.C. think of her first time at L.A. Fashion Week?
"I didn't really get to see it," she said. "I was busy getting them all ready backstage."
