I was promised 15 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 3-minutes of face time with the model, mom, mogul Kimora Lee Simmons of Baby Phat and reality television fame.

Kimora was chatty, but she didn’t want to talk about anything personal. That’s becoming the rule with celebs. Ask me about my business, my personal manta, my new product line, my political stances, but don’t ask me about the elephant in the room (pending divorce? pregnancy? the new beau?) Great. So let’s talk scholarship.

Kimora was a little fragile during her visit. She has had a tough week. Her canine best friend, Zoe, for the past 18 years died on Monday and she’s been mourning ever since, she almost canceled her entire trip because she’s been distraught and was visible shaken. She explains simply that “a member of the family died.” And then a media manager cuts off that topic of discussion.

So what did Kimora talk about for 18 minutes. Well, to know Kimora is to know that she can talk about anything for 18 minutes. I think that’s the key to her reality television acumen. She’s a ramrod entity and syllables trip off her tongue uninhibited.

Tidbits from Kimora session:

She whispered a confidential memo to her assistant and told her to put that into her “information book,” something regarding local business entrepreneur Michael Roberts, who was in attendance and had a private meeting with her in the green room, hmmmm.

On being tarde: “Was I late. Really. I only do what I’m told, so it’s really them (her staff) that’s late, but I just get in trouble for it.” (She was one hour late for the mayor’s ceremony at Wash U, more than two hours late for her scholarship fundraiser luncheon and nearly two hours late for a Macy’s appearance at the Galleria, but she made up for the last event by staying late, greeting and chatting and shaking hands like a politician at a rally.)

Mom flew in from Jamaica, she lives in the Hamptons.

Kimora Day proclamation and her other awards: “I was so flattered. BJ (her media relations manager extraordinaire) set me up. I didn’t know I was getting 55 awards and 10 keys.”

Red carpet moments: “Don’t come to a major red carpet event looking like a downtrodden little wet-something. It’s like America’s wedding day, the single most black tie, red carpet event in history… Not to gloat, but I think I did the right thing by my hair and makeup. But these girls who show up looking like they’ve been playing tennis for 5 hours, as my friend (Vogue Editor-At-Large) Andre Leon Tally says … their hair is disheveled… we expect more of you (she said addressing the A-list celebs). Don’t be a mess girl.”

Supporting Hillary Clinton: She seemed tepid in her support but noted that she’s not deserting Hillary now. What about Hillary’s questionable fashion: “I think Hillary does well with her suits and her choices. Whether it’s Barack Obama or Hillary I am just thrilled that the face of the nation is changing and we are moving into a better place. I feel like either way with either candidate we will be in a better place.”

Kimora the inspiration: “I don’t know all the impact that I have, but it’s deeply motivating when people say you’ve made a difference in their life. Like I’ve had people come and tell me stories you would not believe. At a meet-and-greet like this, they would come up and say, ‘Oh, I was raped,’ or ‘My mother was murdered’ or ‘My child was molested,’ and I read your book and it pulled me out of my slump.” She said that being an inspiration is one of the greatest measures of success.

On Baby Phat: “When I started, they said there is no room for that in the industry or it’s urban and no one is going to buy that and that’s not really popular right now. And (now) a billion dollars later and almost 20 years later, look, it’s been OK.”

Hip-hop diva: “The underlying note of hip hop is to embrace the underdog and make something of nothing…. to make a beauty from a beast… to make a diamond from dust. I think that’s the story of my life. It’d be different if I had been born with all those diamonds, I’d be preaching another story, but I wasn’t.”

Who inspired Kimora: “My mom inspired me and at a very young age I was shuffled off to Paris because that seemed like an easier life than living in St. Louis and being teased or heckled or whatever because you look different and your mom looks like that and your dad looks like that and where is your dad does he live with your mom, what’s going on, you’re kind of a freak. So I went to Paris at 13 and then Karl (Lagerfeld of the house of Chanel because her inspiration).

New word: “Faux fabulous,” meaning not fabulous. Uttered as a diss to the girl who vandalized her car when she was in high school (Kimora has not forgotten or forgiven, but now that she has the key to the city, she feels vindicated she said). By the way, Kimora says, the girl’s name starts with “T.”