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The Daily Dish The Real Housewives of Orange County

Katie Ginella Explains the Inspiration for Her "Fierce" & "Confident" Reunion Look

The Real Housewives of Orange County newcomer opens up about her intentional first reunion look.

By Hannah Chambers

If there's one thing most cast members from each of The Real Housewives franchises can probably agree on, it's that reunions can get pretty intense. Especially in your first season. 

How to Watch

Watch The Real Housewives of Orange County on Thursdays at 9/8c and next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo App.

To get a peek into what it's like to attend one of the infamous sit-downs for the very first time,The Daily Dish caught up with The Real Housewives of Orange County newcomer Katie Ginella before and after her reunion debut. 

From the way she felt when it was all said and done to the specific vision she had for her stunning Season 18 reunion look, Katie shared every detail. Read on to see what she had to say about it in her very own words. 

Katie Ginella spills on her first RHOC reunion

"I've heard that the reunion can be really hard, which having [seen] some of them, I can only imagine. But, I'm actually kind of excited about the reunion," Katie shared ahead of the sit-down conversation with the cast. 

Afterwards, she noted that she "took two days after the reunion to just recover."

Katie Ginella's RHOC Season 18 reunion look

Full length of Katie Ginella wearing a red dress at The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 18 Reunion

"I noticed that Orange County is a tiny bit more casual in their reunion looks than say, you know, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or Dubai. Even Salt Lake City, I feel like their reunion last year, they were a little more dressy," said the cast member. "So, I knew going in, we didn't have to have a gown. We didn't have to have something over-the-top. It was supposed to be a good glam look, but nothing too crazy."

As for Katie's favorite look from a fellow cast member?

"I actually really loved Jen's," said Katie. "Jen wasn't sure about her dress... But when it all came together, her shoes, and her dress, and her makeup and everything, she looked stunning. And I'm not biased. We're really good friends. Not being biased... but she really did look the best, I think." 

Full length of Jennifer Pedranti wearing a brown floor length dress

Katie did some homework ahead of her first reunion.

"I watched the reunion of Orange County last year, and they had shorter dresses and a tiny bit more casual. So that actually took a lot of the pressure off, to be honest with you, because you didn't have to have something super crazy," she explained. "It could just be really beautiful and simple."

Katie worked with two New York-based stylists to put together a meaningful look.

"A lot of my looks this season have been Asian designers and Asian brands," she said. "I told them that I really wanted to stick with Sau Lee, which is a really, really cool Chinese brand, and we found the perfect dress. It was like, this maroon, sheer on top, kind of sheer on the bottom, too, long dress. It was absolutely perfect." 

As for the vibe she was hoping to channel? "I wanted to come in looking kinda fierce and confident, and that’s definitely what that dress did for me."

Reporting by Stephanie Gomulka. 

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