Photos: Courtesy of Phillip Bloch
“I am so sad for the loss of my friend, mentor & fashion fairy-godmother,” Creative Style Director, writer, TV Correspondent Phillip Bloch told Hollywood on the Potomac on the death Joan Rivers. “Our friendship & working relationship spanned two decades. She was always a consummate professional and managed to show us how to stay relevant even at 81 years old.”
We interviewed Bloch back in February about the Oscars and the Fashion Police, a show airing on E! Entertainment Television featuring hosts Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne, and George Kotsiopoulos, and the late great Joan Rivers that comments on celebrity fashions.
Joan Rivers and Phillip Bloch Photo credit: WireImage
On the Fashion Police: “I love John Rivers. I’ve known Joan for years and years. I think George Kotsiopoulos knows his business because he’s a stylist and think he gets it right a lot of the time. Kelly Osbourne – I don’t think she gets it right all the time, but she does provide a young voice to the show which I think the show needs. You know, that young kind of cool funky girl, so she provides that voice.
Are the Fashion Police mean? “Giuliana Rancic is anything but mean. She’s one of the sweetest people I know in the business and is genuine. I don’t think they’re mean, I think they’re just doing their job and everybody has an opinion and they just happen to have a platform to do it on, as I’ve done for many years too.”
Photo credit: Unknown
“I appeared regularly with Joan on her various E! TV shows and fashion events. She taught us all how to laugh and find humor even when times were tough. She constantly kept reinventing herself and if one thing wasn’t working she had another idea and forged ahead with it. Everyone else with a huge career is like 20 and you can easily become a has been by 30 – but not my beloved, tenacious, crass, garish, many times inappropriate, but always well put together Joan. These are the lessons that I will take with me. I am proud to have been someone that she believed in when others didn’t even know my name.”
Phillip relayed to us one of his favorite Rivers’ moments. When she met his father, she just grabbed his hand, without bothering to say hello. She told him that he was obviously more handsome than his son, but ‘Congratulations. How wonderful to have a son who is successful and working. Is he sharing his money with you?’
“I believe she would be so happy to see how much people are in love with her and saddened by her loss, but as a true professional she would want the show to go on.”
Slider photo credits: E! Online
