Gretchen Rossi's Handbags Stun at #NYFW Show

Yesterday (September 16) marked Gretchen Rossi’s return to New York Fashion Week, and it was definitely one to remember. The Real Housewives of Orange County alum’s Gretchen Christine handbags were featured in Raul Penaranda’s show at Metropolitan West in Manhattan, and we got a chance to speak with the stunner after the show to find out how it all came together.

“So this is such a fun story,” she told The Daily Dish. “Raul reached out to us — he had seen our line sheet for our 2016 collection, and he was going with a different designer and he decided to not go with them and pick me instead, so that was huge and very exciting. I felt so honored.”

Rather than go with the bags she had already planned for Spring 2016, Gretchen took the new Fashion Week opportunity and ran with it. “What ended up actually happening is we collaborated and made a line just for his collection, so I have a 2016 collection that was backstage that’s being shown right now to all the retailers and all of that, but this collection was specifically curated just for his looks and this fashion show,” she explained. “He sent us all of his sketches and we designed the bags.”

The show featured electric hues that paired perfectly with Gretchen's designs. The romantic feel was evident in the title: #LoveWins. Gretchen Periscoped throughout, giving fans an inside look at the runway and her handbags.

The blonde beauty sat front row alongside longtime love Slade Smiley, looking gorgeous in a red crop-top and printed skirt emblazoned with England’s famed red phone booths. “It’s Fashion Week [and] I decided to be a little more fun and over the top, so I wore a big, fun poofy skirt with London on it,” she explained.

After the show, Gretchen posed for photographers on the red carpet with her beau in tow. See more pics of the couple in the gallery below.