By Zoe Shapiro

Burlesque, drinking, fashion, antics and drama, drama, drama. Love ‘em or hate them, Jaclyn Genovese and her gaggle of impossibly coiffed girlfriends have caused a stir with their webisodic reality series Jaclife. In time for the season finale (check it out at www.jaclife.com), I headed over to JacFlash, Genovese’s boutique on Queen Street to play twenty questions with her and Kaity Wong (manager of Jacflash and co-star in Jaclife.)

Like many of Jaclife’s viewers, I wasn’t very impressed with the first few episodes of the Slice.ca show. Instead of offering a legitimate peek into what owning a boutique and being a Toronto playgirl is about, they were more on par with celebrating drunken antics and making life dancing on Queen West look enviable. But after chatting to Jaclyn and Kaity, I stuck around long enough to see them back up those fighting words.

The girls talk over each other, collapse into giggles and take a time out for an impromptu waltz around the clothing displays. Despite the antics, it ain’t all about guzzling vodka and maniacal texting. We spent a day with them and watched as they greeted each customer with care and managed the various roles that entrepreneurs must juggle. So are they savvy with a smart strategy and creative business plan? Or silly girls out to get attention anyway they can? Let’s find out.

SDTC: So how did the show come about?
JG: Vanessa Grant, the producer of the show, did a segment on my loft for HGTV. Three months later she called and pitched the show. I thought it’d be great marketing for the store

SDTC: Were there any specific intentions for what you wanted the show to be about? A perspective you wanted it to take?
JG: Nah, we decided whatever happens, happens when the camera turns on. It’s entertainment. We were all turned into a character. Like when Augustina pours vodka down my throat; I’ve never done that. Any blonde moment is blown up.

SDTC: Do you feel extremely edited then?
KW: No, but you have to get Jac’s humour to get it….

(At this point Kaity trailed off to pose in the mirror with her wrap over her head)

SDTC: There’s been some barbed criticism, and outright negative comments, made. What’s your response to the charges that are being directed at you as shallow? Or boring?
JG: Those people are the people that are going to take the time to comment. They didn’t like it but these are the people so interested to put in an email, fill in a comment. And we need those people to watch the show. After the first negative article, I called Shenae Grimes, who’s had a lot of negative stuff written about her. She said stay away from blogs. They’re just sitting there, judging you. And there’s no point in worrying what others think. And surround yourself by positive people. Since then I’ve been fine.

SDTC: What’s the biggest misconception of you?
JG: That we are ditzy and dumb and that we don’t work hard. Kaity and I are working day and night. Apart from the store, I have my promotion company, Flashbam, and we’re throwing parties at Nyood every week. We’re out and about marketing the store. People like to think we sit around and look pretty, but really we work hard. On one night in fashion week we go to two shows then four or five bars. We drove and didn’t drink. Just meeting people and taking pictures.

STDC: Having read these reviews and seen yourself on screen, is there anything you would do differently? Anything you wish hadn’t been caught on tape? Or even something that makes you cringe to watch it?
JG: People want me to say that I wish I didn’t have Augustina pour vodka down my throat but the amount of press that one thing has generated…So whatever.
KW: I wish I didn’t have such short layers in the first episode!

SDTC: What’s the best and worst part of filming a reality show?
JG: The best part of filming is that it’s always an exciting day. It also makes you appreciate what you’re doing a lot more.
KW: Being filmed merchandising makes you appreciate it more than just waking up and doing it.
JG: The best part of having a show is that it’s fun and at the end of the day, when we’re older, it’ll be great footage to have as friends and to show our family. The worst part…I would’ve said the negative press before. But now we get off on it! We think it’s funny. Like one article said we were anorexic and then that we were fat. Clearly we’re neither.

SDTC: What’s it like watching yourself?
JG: Not that weird. Steven freaked out [the guy who flies in from New York to meet Jaclyn in one episode], but I love the camera and we film a lot in our lives. Lauren and I had our brothers follow us around with cameras. We’ve done a lot of interviews anyway.

SDTC: I had a Jaclife marathon before coming in today. The last few episodes seem a lot more relaxed and natural. Less staged, more personal.
JG: Yeah, they’re less broad. We wish they were longer and get to know us better. They just take five minutes of our lives. They don’t get to know us.
KW: The first one or two set a standard and we thought we should be more proper. Then we got more comfortable.

SDTC: Is that what you’re hoping for in a second season?
JG: We’re waiting to hear.
KW: Hopefully MTV calls.

SDTC: What’s the most exciting thing that’s happened to you since the show premiered?
JG: It’s really cool being recognized. We’ve met a lot of people. Having a reality show makes people think they really know you. We get approached at Starbucks or at a party to meet new people.

SDTC: The store is Jacflash, the show is Jaclife. How did you decide to put yourself out there as the brand itself, make it so personal? Did you have reservations?
JG: My whole life I’ve been talked about in one way or another, I’m not sure why. It doesn’t make a big difference to put myself out there as a brand. People come into the store using the vocab [from the show] like “I’m so peeked off this jacket.” It’s fun! Negative press is to be expected when people base our entire lives off of a three minute episode [she means the preview that aired last month]. They jump to conclusions. All the negative press never interviewed us. Never talked to us, don’t know what we’re like.
KW: Yea, people think I’m rich. I’m not rich.

SDTC: What advice do you have for young female entrepreneurs? For those girls who see your show and want to create a fashionable career for themselves in Toronto?
JG: Just start somewhere small and build up. I started working at Urban Planet and after graduation, pursued fashion and researched and travelled. I lived in Hong Kong for three months. Opened a boutique, the small boutique turned into large boutique, then I had my line, then there was the press, HGTV and Slice ran with it, got the show, started a promotion company… Set goals, do what you can to make one thing the best as possible then keep moving up.
KW: I worked retail while in fashion school, got promoted and promoted. Now I’m a Merchandiser and Assistant Buyer and Manager and Chinese Royalty. [the girls high five]
JG: We never high five! We should make that a thing!

SDTC: So what comes next?
JG: Jac and Gill [Genovese’s line] second season is about to arrive in the store. Throwing parties at Nyood. Buying trips to New York. In five years? Maybe opening another location of the store, maybe in New York in LA. Branch into baby clothes when we have babies! Kaity’s doing a spinoff…

Cue more giggles and end of interview.