This season on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, the newest Housewife Bronwyn Newport is making quite a splash. Introduced as a friend of Lisa Barlow’s, this newbie came on strong from the jump. She’s already called out perceived hypocrisy from Lisa and Heather Gay. And she came hard at Britani Bateman. But most of all, she stands out because of her outlandish personal style.
Bronwyn is very proud of her bold looks. After all, her tagline is, “The only muted thing about my wardrobe is my black card.” But much like her fiery personality, her outfits can be a little divisive. Specifically, they’ve launched discussions about whether or not her ensembles could be called costumes, even if they are by big-name designers.
As the costume or couture debate rages on, we’re looking at some of Bronwyn’s most notable looks on RHOSLC Season 5 so far. Let us know whether or not you agree with our rulings for each one.
Bronwyn Newport’s glittering gown in the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5 cast photo
When discussing her style, Bronwyn compared herself to a Tim Burton character. She also said that she never cared about looking sexy. However, Bronwyn can serve some sleek and elegant looks as well. See, for instance, the super chic white turtleneck sweater and matching pants ensemble she wore in the first RHOSLC scene at her home.
Bronwyn’s other looks may be unusual for Real Housewives, but for the cast photo, she knew to look the part. She looks glamorous in an Old Hollywood sort of way, which suits her well. Of course, it says a lot about Bronwyn’s fierce style that a super glitzy gown is considered one of her more muted looks! While her other dresses may cause debate, I think we can all agree that this gorgeous Bronwyn gown is couture, not a costume.
Bronwyn Newport’s much-discussed heart coat from the RHOSLC Season 5 premiere
Bronwyn made her entrance on RHOSLC in an outfit that still has people talking all these weeks later. You know, the coat, which appeared like a giant, fuzzy heart. Hey, it was a Valentine-themed party!
This is, of course, where the costume versus couture debate about Bronwyn’s wardrobe began. Her fellow newbie Britani called the coat a costume, which also set off Mary Cosby’s disdain. Well, that and Britani assuming Mary grew up poor. Who would’ve thought a coat could stir up so much drama? Of course, Bronwyn and Britani’s feud is now about much more than their different taste in clothes.
According to Bronwyn, only three of these coats exist. One is owned by Rihanna, and the other is in a museum. If that’s true, it makes this couture by default. However, it’s quite a striking look, so it’s not that ridiculous that Britani called it a costume. If anything, this distracted from her super cute lip print dress, which was extra perfect for the Besos event.
Bronwyn’s Moschino outfit on the Milwaukee Miller Lite RHOSLC tour
Like many of the Salt Lake City Housewives, Bronwyn wore three different ensembles for the final night of the Milwaukee cast trip. For the tour of the Miller High Life factory, she dressed in her first head-to-toe Moschino ensemble.
This is cute and looks super cozy. I imagine it must be very warm, which is perfect for Milwaukee in February. As we know, Bronwyn isn’t opposed to sacrificing warmth for fashion. The editors pointed it out to us in the season premiere, where she wore hot pants and a crop top on a day when the temperature was 36 degrees. It’s a cute and practical ensemble, so we’ll definitely rule this couture over costume.
For the Harley Davidson tour, Bronwyn switched to a motorcycle jacket paired with a black tulle skirt. That outfit had a retro-chic vibe to it that was also more couture than costume. But it was her final look of the night that got the most attention.
Bronwyn’s hot dog ensemble for RHOSLC’s drag night
For her final look of the night, Bronwyn wore an ensemble that made her heart coat look low-key by comparison. To attend the Whitney Rose-hosted drag show at Trixie Mattel’s venue, Bronwyn, who proudly supports drag queens, switched from her motorcycle chic look to a full-on hot dog ensemble. There was a cape that looked like a hot dog bun and everything!
According to Bronwyn, she saw this in person walking down the runway at the Moschino fashion show, and thought to herself, “I must have it.” And she wore the look note for note, including a mustard cap hat and ketchup packet earrings. At the very least, we can admire how hard Bronwyn commits to a theme. Moschino is a major brand that, like Bronwyn herself, stands out for fun looks that don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s not a reach to call some of the brands’ designs costume-esque, nor is that an insult.
Ultimately, Mary Cosby said it best. The heart coat was couture, but the hot dog dress is a costume.
Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is currently streaming on Bravo.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK BRONWYN NEWPORT’S LOOKS LEAN MORE COUTURE OR COSTUME? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BRONWYN ON RHOSLC SO FAR?
