Heather “Fancy Pants” Dubrow doesn’t skimp on the small stuff. To celebrate her 8th season on Real Housewives Of Orange County, the reality TV vet invited a select group of press to the classy Italian restaurant Arva at the Aman Hotel—right across the street from Bergdorf Goodman— in NYC to share a toast with her signature “champs.” Thanks to the gorgeous setting and yummy hors d’oeuvres, conversation about the show’s landmark 18th season flowed, as well as news of Dubrow’s exciting upcoming collaborations.
Like all good Housewives, Heather Dubrow’s projects all stem from her passions, like her sparkling wine collection GEMs in partnership with Family Equality. “The reason I came back to the show was to start conversations with other people’s families,” explained Dubrow. The organization—which provides resources to LGBTQ+ people who want to become parents—is near and dear to Dubrow’s heart. After serving as an honorary co-chair of a Family Equality gala alongside her “high school buddy” actor Dan Bucatinsky, Dubrow was approached about a potential collaboration by Equality Vines.
“When I was there, Equality Vines asked if I would be interested in doing a collab with them,” said Dubrow. “I said, ‘yes, if 100% of the proceeds go to Family Equality, I’m in.’ And they agreed.” Dubrow teased that fans will get to see her put on a “big event for Family Equality,” which includes a fashion show. “Instead of just standing around and sipping champagne, I thought maybe it would be fun to get the girls involved and do a fashion show,” said Dubrow. This led Dubrow to team up with NY-based designer Susan Bender to co-create a capsule collection of “classically timeless pieces.”
Dubrow had been a fan of Bender for many years before their collaboration. Dubrow reported that every time she would wear a particular jacket of Bender’s, people would reach out to the designer and ask where they could buy “the Heather Dubrow jacket.” “So, this collaboration happened very organically,” said Dubrow. “She’s really known for very chic New York style, and I think that’s why we are very simpatico.”
Dubrow’s natural passions, as displayed on the Real Housewives Of Orange County, have led to some of the more fruitful creative endeavors of her life. “If you’re here for the right reasons; if you’re authentically yourself; if you’re just living your life, you can be successful,” said Dubrow. Dubrow does not take a minute of her time on the Real Housewives franchise for granted. “You are given this unusual, unique opportunity to do the things that you inherently feel passionate about,” gushed Dubrow.
Dubrow gives back to the audience as much as she can by sharing her stories and experiences. When her husband, Dr. Terry Dubrow, suffered a stroke while the pair were out at dinner, she was very open about the experience. Dubrow remembered: “We talked about it everywhere. We gave interviews. We shared how to search for signs of a stroke.” She received countless messages from people thanking her for raising awareness, with one woman even crediting Dubrow for saving her husband’s life. “After watching one of our interviews, a woman recognized that her husband was having a stroke,” said Dubrow. “The doctor said to her, ‘you saved your husband’s life tonight,’ and she went, ‘no, Heather Dubrow saved my husband’s life.'”
Dubrow also recounted her feelings when her daughter, Katarina, was 15 months old and wasn’t walking or talking. Dubrow talked to her friend group and took Katarina to several specialists, one who concluded that Katarina “was apraxic and wouldn’t have three words by the age of four.” Thankfully, Katarina was just a “late bloomer” who “needed some speech therapy,” said Dubrow with relief. “Years later, I found out there were two mothers with children in our group who faced similar issues but never told me,” said Dubrow. “I was on island by myself trying to navigate this world.”
Dubrow was struck by “this real need people to appear to be perfect at any cost, even if that means not helping other people.” “I don’t understand. I really don’t,” said Dubrow. From that day forward, Dubrow has vowed to talk about her problems openly with the hope that her struggles can maybe guide someone going through something similar. “Let’s help each other out,” said Dubrow warmly. It’s safe to say that reality TV is a kinder place when Dubrow is an orange holder on the Real Housewives Of Orange County.