Fashion Girl Gone Wild had the pleasure of interviewing TV personality and entrepreneur Dolores Catania. We are excited to share this interview with you because we believe she is a true fashion guru! Plus, we admire her willingness to help others. From the cast of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Dolores is the most authentic and relatable person you could meet. During our interview, we discussed topics about fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and her professional life. We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we enjoyed interviewing Dolores!
What does fashion mean to you? Dolores Catania: “Fashion means everything to me! It means having a unique sense of style and having a lot of confidence. If you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing, you will always look your very best!! As a matter of fact, fashion is about feeling good about yourself. Dressing up well is important because it lets people know you care about the people around, the venue, or the moment. When I was growing up, I didn’t have a lot of money, so we worked for everything we had. When I started working at a young age, I always knew I wanted to look nice and dress nice.”
How would you describe your style? Dolores Catania: “I would describe my style as classic, but really my style depends on how I feel about myself that day. I don’t have time to go shopping, so I have a wonderful stylist (@amandanycfashionista) that picks out my wardrobe. When you find a good stylist it’s everything because you have someone who knows your taste, style, and size. She is like my wife!!”
How would you describe each of your cast member’s style? Dolores Catania: “Siggy Flicker has a very classic style. She buys what fits her 10x! She likes to wear La Petite Robe di Chiara Boni. Teresa Giudice has a very flashy style. If you want to know what a Jersey girl wears, you should go to Teresa. Her sense of fashion is very fabulous and fun! Melissa Gorga has the most beautiful body and anything she wears will look fantastic. Her style is not overstated and is very sexy. Jacqueline Laurita has beautiful legs and a great body. Her style is very conservative and expensive. She also has a stylist!”
What is the typical New Jersey look for women and men? Dolores Catania: “For women it depends! My sisters dress differently from how I do. The typical must-haves for men are owning Robert Graham shirts, jeans, expensive loafers or boots, and the watches are everything for men in New Jersey.”
Who are some of your favorite designers? Dolores Catania: “I love Alice + Olivia and Ted Baker. My go-to luxury brands are Jitrois, Chanel, and Prada. For jewelry I love Cartier! For everyday apparel, I like to wear Alice + Olivia dresses as well as DVF wrap dresses. I’m really into Jitrois because their clothing is very unique, few pieces of each, and high-end. Jitrois is marvelous because the material they use is fascinating and it allows their clothing to fit everyone.”
Where do you find yourself doing most of your shopping at? Dolores Catania: “I have a very voluptuous body, so I’m always looking to see what will compliment my body type. When you are built muscular and curvy like me, you can look heavy with some styles and great in others. I don’t have a lot of time to go out shopping, but my stylist will get me items from DVF, the ShoeBox, and other cool stores. My stylist knows my style more than I know about it and it’s great to have someone lay specific options out for you.”
Describe the general process you go through to get ready for an event? Dolores Catania: “Prior to anything else I always ask myself where I am going? What is the venue? What is the event for? Before RHONJ I would guide myself by checking how much the ticket cost because that would tell you what you need to wear. Now I can’t go by the amount of the ticket because I have to look good no matter what. Earlier when I took my son to Hollywood I learned that you can’t get ready, you have to be ready!!”
Would you like to have a fashion/makeup line of your own? Dolores Catania: “Maybe not a makeup line because I’m not that good applying it myself, but I would love a fashion line. Making a fashion line that I know would look good on people would be ideal because that’s what people look for and buy.”
How do you stay so beautiful can we get your secret to looking fantastic? Dolores Catania: “Thank you for the compliment!! I’m Irish and Italian, so I believe my ethnicity features my exotic mixture. I have darker skin and light eyes. I always say I can work with the rest of what I have but not my height! I keep up with myself and try to find the best doctors and procedures. I was thinking this morning, I never look in the mirror and say I’m hot and I think every woman should, but I don’t. I believe personality is the answer to everything!!!”
What are the key elements to being healthy? (Tell us a little bit about your fitness centers,) Dolores Catania: “Diet!! Diet!! Diet!! I’m currently into New Vision Nutrition, a home meal delivery program and it’s all healthy food. The key to our health is dieting by eliminating junk food and exercising. Everyone should go for at least one medical check-up and make sure everything is going well. With my current busy schedule, I haven’t taken my nutritional and exercise routine into action. After coming home late from events, I tend to eat junk food. I’m pretty sure I can find a place in the city to eat healthily, but I just want to get something quick, that’s on my way and get home.”
Dolores Catania: “I treat my fitness centers like a home. We know the business, so we know how to cater to everyone’s needs and what our clients feel comfortable doing. Everyone is welcome! We have a mixture of clients such as bodybuilders, 70-year-old clients, and teenagers.” Gold’s Gym in Teterboro, New Jersey Powerhouse Gym in Old Bridge Township Powerhouse Fitness Center of Whippany located at 50 Route 10 West Whippany, New Jersey.
What do you enjoy the most about your profession? Dolores Catania: “Being able to help people and making a difference to peoples lives is what I love to do. Being able to use my platform to reach out and help schools and motivate people is everything. When you have a strong reach, you and your people can help together. I love the fact that I have so much experience as a wife, a mother, a person that has gone through relationships that ended up being a disappointment and being able to showcase that on TV for people who might be in similar situations to find out there are more stories like their own.”
Tell us something about the show you are in? Dolores Catania: “The Real Housewives of New Jersey is the most authentic and organic of all housewives. It’s made up of friends and family and that’s what makes it real. There are high and sometimes heated emotions involved, but we are all passionate about friendships and family.”
You adore animals tell us a little bit on how people can help abandoned or abused animals? Dolores Catania: “Get involved! You must be careful, but I’m not afraid to do it. I always help animals by bringing them water or food. When I see a neglected animal, I find out how I can adopt them or give them a better life. I’m involved in the Onyx and Breezy Foundation which 100% goes to help animals.”
The fashion industry is constantly evolving, how do you keep updated on fashion themes (trends)? Dolores Catania: “I look and see what people wear to red carpet events and I check out magazines. I also usually scout pictures on Instagram and other social media platforms.”
Do you believe social media and online advertising has impacted the fashion industry? Dolores Catania: “Yes, I totally say they have impacted the fashion industry. I think it’s all about the reach! A few days ago I was at the Shoebox and I did a Facebook live and about 900 people started calling and asking for what I was trying on.”
Who inspires you to be the best person you can be? Dolores Catania: “My children!!”
The majority of women have an obsession with either handbag, jewelry, or shoes. What is yours? Dolores Catania: “For a while, I was into jewelry, but every single time I would go out I would end up losing my earrings. Therefore, my obsession has changed to handbags! I really like Chanel and Prada.”
What is one look you would say would make a girl look the opposite of classy? Dolores Catania: “There is one rule: never wear too short and too low at the same time.”
What is one piece of advice you give your children on a daily basis? Dolores Catania: “The advice I give my kids every day is to have confidence in themselves. I hope all parents motivate their kids and build them up. It’s always a good idea to stay positive around your children.” What is one thing you would like to accomplish this year? Dolores Catania: “Now that I worked on my self-esteem, it’s time to put my businesses where they need to be. I would also like to work on my physical self and accomplish my goals.”
I enjoyed interviewing Dolores Catania because she really knows how to keep things real. She is such a sweetheart and I wish her the best with all she does!! YvannaxX Special thanks to Frank Catania and Dolores Catania for making this interview happen.
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