Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/149326
Kari soft duchesse dress, Bottega Veneta ($3,500). The Shoppes at The Palazzo, 702-369-0747; bottegaveneta.com. Gold and smoky quartz bracelet ($16,000) and Boboli ring ($4,700), H.Stern. The Shops at Crystals, 702-736-5829; hstern.net Styled by Nicolas Bru for margaretmaldonado.com Makeup by Sabrina Bedrani for DiorShow at traceymattingly.com Hair by Marcus Francis at starworksartists.com using Oribe Hair Care Manicure by Tracey Sutter for Cloutier Remix Sittings editor: Joan Allen Even her boss, SYTYCD's cocreator, executive producer, and resident judge Nigel Lythgoe, shares in the love, which is truly saying something, given his reputation as the panel's most critical member. "It's the honesty with which she conducts herself that helps her to not take herself too seriously," he says. "You believe she's interested, unlike many presenters, who have got the next question ready before you even answer. She's interested in what makes it so hard to be a dancer. She gets the best out of them. And she's willing to talk to them." After earning her third Emmy nomination this year (the awards are September 22) as well as her first Teen Choice Award nomination, Deeley knows that her appeal transcends demographics. "You can make edgy jokes, but do it in a smart way," she says. "It's like a Disney movie—it can be watched by anybody. Because you just do it with a twinkle in your eye, and adults get the twinkle, and the people who shouldn't get the twinkle don't get the twinkle." With her packed schedule and all the preparation that goes into hosting the show, you might think that in her free time, Deeley would want to take a little break. Not so. In fact, for a while she turned that preparation into a show of its own, the weekly Web series In the Dressing Room, in which she picked out her outfit, gave hair and makeup tips, and welcomed famous friends. Most celebrities won't go on camera for a hair or makeup tutorial without putting on a full face of makeup first. But vanity is not Deeley's strong suit. "I didn't want to continue this myth that everybody's perfect," she says. "I just don't think it's very healthy for young women who don't know the industry. It's taken a village of people to make me look like that. Some of the best magazines are so creative and the images are pieces of art, but I think it should be made very clear that that's not reality. It's important that women aren't faced with this idea of perfection and trying to aim for something that's absolutely unattainable." Her fashion choices are similarly accessible. As her own stylist for the show, Deeley mixes high and low fashion quite comfortably. Says good friend and high-end designer Matthew Williamson, "I have always been drawn to a very down-to-earth and effortless glamour. Cat represents this so perfectly." On her last In the Dressing Room webisode, Deeley chose a Topshop dress over a Marc Jacobs sheath. "I buy things that I think, Oh my God. That's a great piece and I'm going to love it forever and it's a little piece of history and a work of art," she says. "But if it's a super fashion moment and you know everybody's had them, I'll do it from Zara. I always think how you feel on a day depends on what you put on. I felt quite girly today, and a bit hot and bothered, so I put on this little vintage dress. Some days you can rock a black leather minidress because you're feeling like Debbie Harry." When she's not hosting or shopping or tweeting or hanging out with choreographer, director, and sometime SYTYCD judge Adam Shankman ("We're proper geeks about it," she says. "We drink wine and order takeaway and give critiques. We went around to his house recently, and there was us and a couple of my friends, and Julianne Hough came over as well"), Deeley is traveling back to London to spend time with her husband, comedian and television personality Patrick Kielty, whom she married in September of last year. Long distance can be tough, but as with all the other facets of her busy life, Deeley handles it with ease. "We have an absolutely lovely time when we're together, because we're like, 'Oh, I have to go again in a minute.' All my friends are really jealous of it, weirdly," Deeley says. "They're like, 'What I wouldn't give to have my husband get out of my hair sometimes for eight days!'" Deeley calls SYTYCD "the little train that could" and says the show really benefited from not starting out in the reality TV spotlight. "We were left alone to do our own thing for so long, but we found our niche," she says. "I never feel terrified. I feel excited and my adrenaline goes and I love it. The audience likes when people mess up, because every single person does in every day of their lives, but it's how you handle it when you fall over or when you drop the mike. If you handle it with a bit of charm, the audience loves it." Seems like this glamorous charmer is handling it all just fine. V " he's interested in S what makes it so hard to be a dancer." —nigel lYthgoe 116 vegasmagazine.com 112-117_V_FEAT_CoverStory_Sept13.indd 116 8/6/13 5:44 PM