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EXCLUSIVE: We chat to the E! Fashion Police team

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Just last week we took a whirlwind trip to meet the Fashion Police squad at the E! headquarters in Los Angeles.

Giuliana Rancic, Melissa Rivers and Brad Goreski dressed to the nines kept their cool as 40 journalists from across the globe threw questions at them from every possible angle.

Like the pros they are the three fashion gurus handled it with ease, almost making it look too easy.

“Giuliana and Brad are actually never allowed to sit next to each other,” Melissa quips as the co-hosts of the beloved fashion TV show take their places on stage.

Brad is wearing a navy blue suit and tie, Melissa opting for a suit but with pinstripes and Giuliana looking flawless in a black and white collared shift dress.

Fashion Police, one of the E! Network’s most viewed and talked about shows, sees the three co-hosts and celebrity guest stars dissect red carpet fashion blunders and triumphs.

The show’s first episode aired on 10 September 2010 with Joan Rivers at the helm. Back then Rivers was joined by featured panelists George Kotsiopoulos, Giuliana and Kelly Osbourne.

After Rivers’ death in September 2014, due to complications during a surgical procedure, the show experienced a dip in ratings and made the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

But Melissa wasn’t going to let her mom’s legacy end there as she took over the reins and brought new life to the American TV series with the 2016 Golden Globes being their big comeback episode.

All three co-hosts were in high spirits during the E! International Press Junket last Friday and held nothing back during the panel discussion.

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Picture: Channel24

What’s your best red carpet style tip?

Brad: I would say wear what you want.  I'm one of the cooks in the kitchen.  I think people now need to stick to what they are gonna feel the best in.  And having been in fittings all week with people, I can tell when my clients are loving something or not loving something.  And I want them to feel their best.  So I would say be true to what you’re wearing.  Be involved in the process and don’t let somebody tell you what to wear. Because the carpet’s getting a little washed.  It’s becoming a parade of really pretty dresses as opposed to these moments where we can’t even believe what we’re seeing.

Giuliana: I agree. My rule would be go for it.  This is your night.  It’s a big show.  This is your moment.  You could wear a gown that’s out of your comfort zone but it’s so fabulous, it’s right off the runway, your stylist is dying for you to wear it.  If it looks amazing, even if it’s out of your comfort zone, go for it.  Because I think to be a true fashionista, yes you want to be on best dressed lists but there will be times you will be on worst dressed lists because it means you’re taking risks.  So don’t play it safe, just go for it, especially at these big award shows.

Melissa: I would say the most important thing is good tailoring.  It doesn’t matter how beautiful a gown is, if it does not fit properly, it does not work.

How do you balance your busy work schedule with living a normal life?

Giuliana: Since leaving the E! News broadcast I’ve been able to free up a lot more of my time and I get to spend more time with Bill and Duke at home. E! News was a great time of my life and I still get to do Live from the Red Carpet and Fashion Police. So it’s actually the best of both worlds.

Brad: I’m very lucky that I have a dog nanny, named Steve, that takes care of my dog Penelope when I’m busy working and Gary (Janetti), my boyfriend, is out of the country. No seriously Steve does a great job looking after Penelope and making sure she sticks to her diet and does her exercise.

Melissa: Balance? I’ve never had balance in my life. (She laughs) I grew up in these hallways of E! so this is all part of my life. My family is so used to it. Believe it or not but Cooper is already 15 and he is so used to this. He really gets it. He’s a teenager now so he doesn’t want his mom around all the time. But I always make time for my family. Every year I put out dates that are non-negotiable. Those dates are for my family and I simply won’t work then. I got that tip from my mom.

Melissa, how has it been taking over the reins from your mother?

Melissa: Well it’s been 14 months now and somehow this festive season was more difficult to deal with than the previous one. I think before I was still in shock and now it has really sunk in. It’s real now. I’m fortunate that my mom set the tone. She loved the show and she really just wanted it to be fun. You know she loved the fun. I think about that and it inspires me. I sometimes sit back and think: “Isn’t this just the best!” I’m lucky to have this opportunity.

Giuliana: I think Melissa’s been amazing.  She really has been doing such a great job.  To walk into that space and to walk into that situation, that is not easy.  And she has been doing an unbelievable job because she’s very funny.  She’s naturally very funny, very witty, very smart, and that’s what you need to be on television and to do what we do.

Have you ever bumped into a celebrity after you criticised their look on TV?

Brad: OMG! Yes. I remember last year ripping apart Heidi Klum’s yellow dress that she wore to the Emmys. It was really a horrible look on her and I didn’t hold back. A few days later Giuliana and I were hosting an event together in New York and the event was in Madison Square Garden theatre, so the smaller venue next to Madison Square Garden.  Literally the entire place is empty.  I walk in to do my rehearsal and who’s one of the only people sitting in there?  Heidi Klum.  I texted Giuliana. I was like are you kidding me?  I just gave her worst dressed on Fashion Police and of a 5000 seat theatre, Heidi Klum’s one of the only people sitting in here?  What do I do?

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Picture: Getty Images

Melissa: But the celebrities really don’t take it personal. I mean they know it’s a TV shows and they actually love being featured on the show. It means someone is talking about them. Look, if you are stinking rich and live the Hollywood life I’m not going to feel sorry for you if someone says they don’t like your dress. There are worst things in life. The show is fun and as with everything in life with the good comes the bad.

Giuliana: I agree. The celebrities really get the show and know what it’s about. I remember one year criticizing Tina Fey’s dress on Fashion Police and a few weeks later I had to interview her on the red carpet at the SAG Awards. I didn’t think she even watched the show at all. So I was surprised when live on air she called me out and said: “Didn’t you take a huge dump on the last dress I wore on the red carpet?” I was stunned and caught a little off guard but I kept my cool and we joked about it. I was just being honest and she understood that.

Is the question ‘who are you wearing’ still relevant today?

Giuliana: I love asking who they’re wearing because we do extensive research. Time and time again, year after year, the viewers always come back, and the first thing they want to know is who someone is wearing, what designer they’re wearing on the red carpet.

Melissa: I know there’s this whole movement of ask us something serious.  It’s not the appropriate place for it.  I'm not going to ask you about your feelings on world hunger in the 30 seconds I have with you on the carpet where you also have to say who you’re wearing, who’s paying you to wear it, and get your plug out.  Let’s be honest, the red carpet is not the place for depth.  We’re already all honouring each other.  Let’s not get crazy.

Brad: Also as a stylist myself, if Giuliana or Ryan doesn’t ask who they’re wearing, and your client goes past without saying it, you’re like "oh great".

The next episode of Fashion Police will air Thursday night at 20:00 on E! (DStv channel 124).

READ NEXT: We talk award season glam with Fashion Police’s Brad Goreski

Channel24/Women24’s trip to Los Angeles was sponsored.

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