Orange County's Next Top Model

Housewives and fashion shows go together like peanut butter and jelly. Or like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong (yes, that's a Grease reference). The point is that they always deliver (especially when they walk the runway themselves), so much so that my fabulous co-worker Kim created a gallery dedicated to this phenomenon. The O.C. ladies brought fierce to a whole new level, from Tamra's Jeana drama to Peggy and Tamra's signature walks (I wonder what Miss. J Alexander would have to say). So let's see what lessons we can learn from the ladies' model behavior.

Oh and Fernanda revealed her lesbian scandal with Tamra while at the gym. To Lynne. Best episode this season? Perhaps. 

Fashion and Modeling

Peggy and Tamra were asked to walk in their designer friend's fashion show. But little did they know ex-Housewife Jeana was also participating. Dun dun dun! In the face of such adversity however, Tamra taught us that a model never reveals her true feelings about another model. At least not to her face. Tamra delivers the ultimate compliment/burn combo when she tells the camera, "Jeana looks great, she just has a nasty soul."

A model truly distinguishes herself on the runway with a signature walk. Peggy and Tamra both had very distinct styles, so let's break them down. Peggy's quite leggy, and she certainly used that to stomp the yard with confidence. However she really injected something special into the mix with her self proclaimed "crazy arm." It was certainly memorable and probably helps keep other models from getting in her way.

And then there was Tamra's walk. She started out strong, pretty standard. But then once she loosened up a bit, she was trying all sorts of different things. She waved to Eddie, she threw down a peace sign at the end of the runway, and she high-fived people in the crowd. Definitely some risky moves, but it looked like it paid off for her in the end. 

The designer is not always right, and sometimes you have to take matters (and scissors) into your own hands to prove your point. Alexis wasn't letting Tal keep the sleeves on her dress, and she took some drastic measures to show her who's boss. I felt for Tal, but I have to say, those sleeves really, really needed to go. They were a little too medieval times meets Vegas. 

Mothering

As a mother, you should be willing to go to any lengths necessary to meet your child's significant other. And if that means setting yourself on fire, so be it. Vicki was ready to grab the kerosene and some matches just to meet Briana's new fire fighter beau. Oh Vicki... You've got to love that she always comes up with the subtlest and most sensible of solutions. 

I also love that Briana gets so much joy from pushing Vicki's buttons. Like when she refused to call or text Vicki from Vegas to let her know that she got in OK each night. But really, do you want to hear from someone who's been out in Vegas all night? I imagine that would be one very unitelligible voicemail/text, and it would probably worry Vicki even more. 

Art

Gretchen joined the growing ranks of Housewives with self-portraits as Slade presented her with one for her birthday. And as Slade taught us, the perfect place for a picture of your queen is right near your throne... in the bathroom. 

We also got a taste of what Housewives like in their modern art pieces. When painting with Slade, Gretchen revealed what she had in mind: "I was imagining this whole rolling around in the paint, and then my top comes off and it rolls in the paint, and then I roll over the canvas and you see two nipple marks, but it was nothing like that." If they had gone that route, Slade could have saved himself the trouble of purchasing painter's pants. 

And next week we start to see where things go south between Alexis and Peggy: