Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle’s opening night designers discuss dressing them

Fans of “Project Runway” spinoff “Under the Gunn” may recognize Oscar Garcia-Lopez’s name from his appearance on the reality show, but Lara Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle turned to the designer to create their dresses for Monday night’s presidential ball.

The Cuban-American designer met members of the Trump family after being invited by some of his clients to galas at Mar-a-Lago years ago. Trump, whose husband Eric is the former president and the president-elect’s younger son, wore a Garcia-Lopez creation to Donald Trump’s first inauguration and to the 2016 presidential debates. She met the Coral Gables-based creative through a friend who shared her design portfolio with Trump. Trump, a former television producer with two children, is also the former co-chairman of the Republican National Committee. They also collaborated on editorial shoots for Hola! Magazine, and at the annual New Year’s Eve bash at Mar-a-Lago, including when she sang with Tom Petty on stage at last month’s bash. The designer has also dressed Donald Trump’s younger daughter Tiffany.

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Born and raised in Cuba, Garcia-Lopez lived in Mexico for four years before moving to the United States in 2005, where he became an American citizen. His family lore tells of his grandmother, who designed menswear, and her sister, who was a master of evening gowns. As a boy, he always hung out with seamstresses in his neighborhood, and he liked to take clothes apart to examine the construction. “Basically, I just taught myself by practicing sewing. I honestly think it’s a gift because sometimes I do something and I don’t know how I did it.”

After starting his company in 2008, he faced Tim Gunn’s critical eye on the “Project Runway” offshoot more than a decade ago. He is the creative director of Oscar G. Couture and Oscar Lopez Designs. Unable to reveal the details of what Trump will wear Monday night, Garcia-Lopez said: “It’s very couture, elegant and has an Audrey Hepburn vibe. It’s a color that every woman loves.”

Millions will be eager to see what Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s former fiancee and newly minted US ambassador to Greece, will wear on Monday night. The designer said: “I can’t say anything because I want it to be a complete surprise.”

As was the case with Lara Trump, the 51-year-old creative and Guilfoyle developed a friendship after working on editorial shoots and first meeting at the Mar-a-Lago galas. Years ago, Guilfoyle was romantically linked to now-California Governor Gavin Newsom during his mayoral days in San Francisco. His couture gowns sell for upwards of $5,000, and bridal gowns cost considerably more, even between $10,000 and $25,000 plus. “Typically, my work is very complex. I like hard things,” he said, adding that Trump’s attire was the equivalent of five days of nonstop work. Ditto for Guilfoyle’s dress. While Lara Trump prefers “very clean, very demure and elegant” styles, Guilfoyle is “more sassy, ​​very sensual and she likes to show off her curves. She has a beautiful body. They are two different personalities.”

So how are they? “The two of them are very easy to work with. They’re very nice and very proper. I’ve never had a problem with them. They trust me,” he said. “I always like to ask my clients what they like and what they don’t like about themselves. In the end it’s a collaboration between the client and the designer. But they always trust the designer – I love that.”

A recent wedding dress that Garcia-Lopez made for a bride in Paris required four months of work including 70 hours of embroidery. He declined to comment on the price of the wedding dress because of an NDA with the Paris bride. There are clients who don’t like social media, so sometimes he doesn’t post things because they’re very private.

He said he taught himself English by listening to music and watching subtitled movies in America. Asked about the incoming president’s plans for increased deportations, Garcia-Lopez said: “I usually don’t like to talk about politics because I’m an artist and a fashion designer. I think this country gives you a lot of opportunities if you just comply the law and choose the right things to do. I came to this country and learned the language first. When you come from a communist country (like Cuba) you have to understand that there are things you must do when you travel to a new country.”

Next on the designer’s agenda are wedding dresses for 2026. “And the customers are so impatient. They just want to start working with you – we have time, you know?”

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