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Style and Beauty

Special interview with Matthew McConaughey's fiance, Camila Alves!

Camila Alves talks about her new line of perfect-for-moms purses, life balance, what fiance Matthew McConaughey's like as a dad and more!

By Haley Overland
Special interview with Matthew McConaughey's fiance, Camila Alves!

Photo by John Russo

Remember a little while ago I told you I got to congratulate Camila Alves, 30, on her engagement to Matthew McConaughey, 42? Well here's the rest of the convo!

Camila is promoting her handbag line on The Shopping Channel tomorrow (March 28), at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., 5 p.m., and 11 p.m. EST, and the bags are available online at The Shopping Channel from now until May. In this interview, Camila tells us why her bags are made for moms (by her and her mom!), what she has in her handbag and a little about life with Matthew and their two kids Levi, 3.5, and Vida, 2.

Haley: Can you tell our moms about your new handbags?
Camila: I'm a mom too, so people always ask me, "Can they be a diaper bag?" And I say, "Well, they're not diaper bags, but I use them as diaper bags because it's hard to find one that's beautiful and stylish." So all the handbags that we (my mother and I) make are multifunctional. So they can be everyday handbags, but they also have pockets on the sides for water bottles, or baby bottles. And we try to keep it practical, fashionable, accentuating what you have — it'll give you that little pop that you may need in your outfit every day!

H: If you could recommend one particular bag to moms, which one would it be?
C: There's one particular bag that I nicknamed the "Spy Bag," which has a lot of hidden pockets built right into the design, and it has a compartment in the bottom that you zip completely open. So if you leave in the morning and you have to got to the gym and to work, you put your tennis shoes in the bottom or your high heels, and it's separate from everything else. I've been using it for my kids' diapers, wipes and snacks.

H: And how is it working with your mom?
C:  A lot of the line is inspired by our couture line, which we've been doing together for eight years now, and it's really nice. We work really well together. She has three degrees in designing, and has been doing this for over 30 years. So we have a really great partnership, creating everything from beginning to end.

H: What are three must-have items that you carry in your handbag?
C: Basic stuff.... My keys, my cellphone. As a mother you cannot go without a cellphone — forget about that! And a lip balm, and a floss. I'm a big floss person; I can't go without a floss!

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H: What's the weirdest or funniest kid item you've found in your bag?
C: I found just one sock the other day at the bottom of my handbag, and I had no idea what it was doing there. That's the latest funniest thing.

H: As a busy mom of two, promoting your new handbag line, how do you balance work and motherhood?
C: I don't really know how I do it yet. It's very challenging. It's just me and my mother with the kids. I don't have a bunch of different nannies that circle around. There's nothing wrong with a lot of nannies. I just like to be very hands-on. We make their lunches, get them ready for school, drive them and pick them up from school every day. So it gets tricky with timing. I'm not a very organized person, but I'm learning to be very organized, and I think that's the key for any mother that works: You must be organized; there's no way around it. And I'm learning to anticipate a lot, so I have things done for school or holidays beforehand. I'm already looking for Easter gifts for the teachers so they're ready. I have birthday gifts wrapped and in the car beforehand. So when it gets to the time, I'm not driving myself crazy running around.

H: Congratulations on your engagement! Do you have any thoughts on how you'll incorporate the kids into your wedding?
C: Not yet. I haven't really thought about the wedding yet. I'm enjoying just being engaged right now. I'd be lying if I said I have any tips!

H: We have a lot of Matthew McConaughey fans among our readers. Is there anything you can tell us about family life with him?
C: He's very hands-on in everything that we do with the family, and he helps a lot with the kids too. We're just like a regular family, just like your readers' families. We do everything together. And we try to keep our life as simple as we can. We rarely go out to eat, so we take turns cooking. He's a great cook. He great with steak (he's makes the best meat I know)!

H: We're looking forward to seeing you share your handbags live on air on The Shopping Channell! Any final thoughts?
C: I'm very excited to be coming to Canada. We have a big following and ship a lot of our couture bags over there. I'm excited to be on the Shopping Channel and have direct interaction with Canadians. I'm a big fan!

Love! xo Haley-O

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Celebrity Candy: Follow along as Haley Overland delivers the latest scoop on celebrity families — plus sweet celeb interviews! You can’t have too much of this candy, so check back often.
This article was originally published on Mar 27, 2012

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