Kelly Bensimon believes that Alex McCord was “misled” by donning the infamous “Herman Munster” shoes on Season 4 of “The Real Housewives of New York City.”
“When you’re in Morocco, don’t bring New York streetwear to Morocco,” Bensimon jokes on Page Six’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast.
“It’s a vacation spot. This isn’t Broadway, so I think again, sometimes it’s a bit misguided.
McCord memorably wore brown leather-padded boots by Louis Vuitton during a 2011 player trip to Morocco, where he clashed with both Bensimon and fellow “RHONY” OG Luann de Lesseps.
When the ladies finally returned to the Big Apple, Lesseps scolded McCord not only for his overseas behavior, but also for his dubious designer purchase.
“I was sitting there, having a nice moment with the ladies, and you walked in in your Herman Munster shoes,” he said in a controversial scene, prompting McCord to justify, “They’re Louis Vuitton.”
De Lesseps later proposed a phrase that is now part of the Bravo rule: “Even Louis Vuitton makes mistakes.”
McCord described de Lesseps as “rude” to his face at the time, and in a 2017 interview with BravoTV.com he maintained the same view of the Countess as she pondered the exchange.
“He just has a complete lack of self-awareness and this compulsive nastiness,” he said. “He’s really arrogant, but it’s also about him. He is absolutely unaware that he is being completely inappropriate and rude.”
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Never giving up on De Lesseps’ “Herman Munster” opposition, McCord continued his Louis Vuitton extravagance.
This January, she even brought the shoes back to Morocco to shoot Season 4 of Peacock’s “Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” with Caroline Manzo, Vicki Gunvalson, Gretchen Rossi, Phaedra Parks, Eva Marcille, Brandi Glanville and Camille Grammer.
Bensimon hopes McCord can put together stylish pieces to steal attention from his polarized shoes.
“People ask me what to wear when traveling to exotic places,” he tells us. “That’s why I created my outerwear line called Enville. [for Pologeorgis]. This is how to dress when traveling!”
The designer and real estate professional would love to have more tailoring tips about McCord should he join a potential “RHONY: Legacy” series. (The negotiations are “back on the table,” an insider tells Page Six despite a previous stop.)
“I hadn’t seen her in a long time, so it would be fun to see her again,” says McCord, who currently lives in Australia with her husband Simon van Kempen and their 19-year-old sons François and 17-year-old Johan. .
But Bensimon doesn’t mind if Van Kempen doesn’t make any international trips to film.
“Without Simon, alone, it would have been great,” he says, recalling McCord’s close dynamic with his enthusiastic wife.
“He’s really smart. He didn’t need his ear. To be honest, I think she served him badly,” continues Bensimon. “I think he just wanted to spice things up and that’s not his personality, so he always seemed very insincere.”
While Bensimon doesn’t remember van Kempen helping McCord make the best-dressed list during his Bravo tenure, he does applaud former staffmate Sonja Morgan for her classic fashion sense.
“Sonja had really good taste. She looked really good. She had a real Ralph Lauren vibe: blazers, white shirts, jeans,” the model praises. She looked great.
Benismon was also influenced by de Lesseps’ personal style.
“Luann always looked good. Very well put together,” he says of his close friend. He understands proportion. He always looked good.
However, Bensimon disliked de Lesseps’ famous penchant for statement necklaces, which he designed himself at one point.
“I mean, it’s been a lot. And because she’s tall, a flashy necklace isn’t for someone like her. She doesn’t need a statement necklace, he is an expression,” he tells us. “She’s beautiful.”