Model and actress Ali Landry has made it big in the entertainment biz. From being the first spokeswoman for Doritos and her unique closet set up to her new show on TV Guide, Hollywood Girls Night, with The Biggest Loser’s Alison Sweeny, Ali gives her story to Style Solutions.
S: Let’s go back in time to when you were crowned Miss USA.
A: At the time, I was in college in Louisiana. I competed because I was thinking about the opportunities like jobs, meeting people, and traveling. The best part of winning was my hometown’s pride and support– there were pictures of me on billboards on the freeway!
S: You were the first spokeswoman for Doritos during the 1998 Super Bowl commercials. Did anything surprise you?
A: I was never told it would be for the Super Bowl–I found out while watching TV. I don’t think I understood the importance of a Super Bowl commercial back then, but the next day everything changed; people called asking me if I could sing to give me a record deal. It was really insane!
S: Tell me about your new show, Hollywood Girls Night!
A: Alison and I started having dinner parties 1 year ago with some of our celebrity mom friends. We’re all in the business so we see each other, but we’re always rushing and say we’ll get together, but we never do. So, we came up with the idea of having dinner parties to get the girls together; it was incredible to connect with these women. We would Tweet and Facebook asking for recipes for our parties and we would get lots of responses. Some of our dinner party guests include Niecy Nash, Kyle Richards, Sheryl Underwood, and Kendra Wilkinson.
S: What inspired your children’s line, Belle’s Parrish?
A: My daughter. When I had her, I was having a hard time finding clothes for her in LA that resonated with me; I found that everything was very trendy, which is super cute, but I really wanted to find pieces that actually showed she was a baby! I couldn’t’ find anything, so I came up with the idea of designing age appropriate clothing for children, pieces that you could pass on to generations.
S: You’ve been on Fear Factor and have run marathons. Tell me about your athletic side!
A: I’ve always been extremely athletic since I was 2! I did dance and was a cheerleader. I later took on the challenge of running the Boston Marathon for the Boys & Girls Club of America. It was an incredible experience.
S: Let’s chat about your closet!
A: Fortunately, I have a really big closet. I follow the concept of the bigger your bag, the more stuff you put in it. I try to keep things as organized as possible, but my husband has a section of the closet and the way our house is configured, I have the baby’s clothes in it too, so it takes up even more space!
S: What do you like to splurge on?
A: I love home decor, so anything for my house. I also don’t mind investing in a really great bag–I try to switch it up every season. I also have a passion for cool jewelry pieces that I find throughout my travels!
