Olivia Culpo always seems to be on the move.
The New England native and former Miss Universe winner has been all over the place recently, whether it’s walking red carpets and partying at Coachella on the west coast or flying back east for work related gigs. Amid the fun and glamor, Culpo has found the time to design, star in film and television projects, and curate a new book club for her wildly popular website.
Considering her busy schedule, the model and Boston University alum was more than excited to take a quick trip back to the Hub on Thursday night for TOD’s grand opening party at Copley Place. Culpo credits Boston as being the “launching pad” for her career, as the city was where she basically started her journey in the world of fashion before taking the Miss Universe crown in 2012.
“I love coming back to Boston,” Culpo tells Metro. “This is where everything kind of started for me.”
Culpo’s Boston roots go behind her BU days, as her mother Susan performs with the Boston Pops and her family owns several restaurants in the area, including Lulu’s Allston and Parish Cafe, in addition to Back 40 in North Kingston (which she co-owns). Prior to her trip to town, Culpo made a stop at the restaurant in her home state of Rhode Island, which is currently testing out menu items for a new brunch program.
Aside from her family’s joints, Culpo has a lot of love for Boston’s food scene.
“There’s a really good Indian place in Kenmore Square that I go to, [India Quality],” Culpo says. “I always love going there. And, of course, the North End for anything pasta related.”
Before her latest east coast excursion, Culpo spent some time in Boston last summer to film the comedy “I Feel Pretty,” which stars Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Aidy Bryant, Naomi Campbell and Emily Ratajkowski. Culpo admits she had a blast serving as the cast’s go-to tour guide.
“It was so cool to see them in my hometown,” Culpo says. “I felt like I had to tell them everywhere to go and everything to do, which was awesome.”
The model and actress will be back on the big screen this summer in “Reprisal.” The upcoming action thriller is set to debut on Aug. 13 and stars Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo.
Although she tries to keep her private life private, especially when it comes to her recent break-up with former Patriots receiver Danny Amendola, Culpo will show fans the “real Olivia behind the scenes” in “Model Squad,” a new reality series that’s coming to E! later this year. The show will give viewers a peek behind the curtain at the lives of models and how they deal with the pressures of high fashion.
“I think everybody gets one interpretation of a person,” Culpo says. “The only chance that I felt like I could show people a real, inside view of my life is through the show. I’m grateful for it for that. I’m excited for people to really get to know me and see what my business is all like.”
Even though she’s had a blast dipping her toes into the worlds of movies and TV, Culpo hasn’t forgotten about her career in fashion and is currently designing a new collection that will debut at some point in 2018. And now that spring is here, she’s been kind enough to offer a few tips for all of us wardrobe-challenged guys out there so we can step up our game this season.
“A crisp, white sneaker is always a great thing to have,” Culpo says.”I think buttoned down is the way to go and you can wear it with like a t-shirt underneath. I also think Henley’s are really cute.”
