First of all, we love your coat. Is it Donna Karan?

Yes! It is. It’s one of the many perks of the job. What it means to you to be the new face of DKNY?
I think it’s a huge compliment that they wanted me to be the face of DKNY. I’ve always been a fan of the brand, so I think it’s a really organic fit for me. The brand represents this really incredible style that is New York—and I love New York! So I was very flattered that they asked me to jump on-board.

Are you living in New York right now?
Yeah, I am. You know, I go back and forth between here and Los Angeles, but I’m doing Pan Am out here right now, so it’s a very good excuse to be here for a long time. I try to book everything I possibly can in New York so that it gives me an excuse to be out here. Do you prefer New York to Los Angeles? I do like having both worlds. Sometimes, I just want to jump in my car and go places myself and hide from the rain. But I think that there’s this really incredible creative energy in New York that you don’t get anywhere else. And especially because of the line of work that I’m in, it’s a really great thing. It’s inspiring to be here! I feel like everyone has their own thing going on, but everyone kind of co-exists together. It’s a really interesting city.

How much do you love the ad?
I do love it! I love it so much. They sent me a book with probably thirty images that they were talking about using to do the ads, and it was the first time I saw every image. And I just said, “Oh, my God! Yep, I’m fine with all of them. Pick whatever you want.” And you would expect nothing less, because DKNY is incredible, but it was so cool. These images were some of my favorites of the bunch, so the fact that they picked them was a very cool thing for me. I was, like, “Yes!” It is crazy to see them, though, that big right in the middle of Times Square.

Is it just crazy to see your face hanging out in the middle of Times Square?

Yes! But it’s cool because my parents are coming into town for Christmas. It’s going to be really cool for them to see them.

What are your Christmas plans this year?
Lots of cooking and eating.

Will you be doing any of the cooking?

Yeah! I’m trying to coordinate with my mom right now, picking out our favorite recipes and getting all of the food we need—and making sure we have all of the proper cooking utensils! It’s all part of hosting Christmas. Just waking up and opening presents and eating all of the food will be really fun for me. My family will be out here for a while—they’re staying through New Year’s—so I’ll be getting to spend a lot of time with them. I don’t get to see them as often as I’d like to. My brother’s actually never been to New York before, so it’s his first time coming.

How cool!
Yeah, it’s going to be so cool. We’re going to do a couple of tours together, see a bunch of things probably. There are also a bunch of little local spots that I want to take them all to, too.

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?
I’m pretty sure I’m just going to do something really mellow with my parents. The place that they’re staying actually has a bunch of really amazing restaurants, so that makes things really easy for us.

Do you have any winter must-haves, fashion-wise?
I just got this really incredible shearling coat, and it’s reversible, which is huge since you know there isn’t a lot of closet space in New York. It’s nice to have two awesome jackets in one. So that, and I say you should get a really great cashmere sweater, because it’s great to layer over. It’s not that thick and it’ll always keep you warm. It’s really beautiful today, but it does get very cold here, doesn’t it?

It sure does. And the jacket, it’s DKNY?
Yes! I just went into the store and destroyed the place. I was, like, “Yep, I’ll take that!”