One of the recent newcomers to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has already experienced her first taste of drama by upsetting some of Rihanna‘s passionate fanbase — and now the reality star is speaking out.

Socialite Sutton Stracke came under fire for comments she made about the singer’s Fenty fashion line on the Bravo show’s season 10 premiere, during which she was captured asking Housewife Dorit Kemsley about a Fenty blazer she was wearing.

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Stracke misheard Kemsley’s response as “Fendi.” And when Kemsley corrected Stracke by revealing it was from Rihanna‘s luxury brand, the newbie shared her opinions in a confessional interview. “If a celebrity has done a collaboration, I could care less,” Stracke said in the episode. “I mean, if God came down and helped collaborate with Tom Ford on this dress, that does not interest me.”

Now, Stracke is speaking out about her comments — and clarifying that the apparent shade was more a case of unfortunate editing.

“What was missed was the first thing out of my mouth to Dorit, which was, ‘I love your dress,’ ” Stracke tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I really loved how she looked; she looked beautiful that night.”

“Honestly, God and Tom Ford coming together would be a serious dream come true, because I love them both equally,” Stracke continues. “I wasn’t referring to Dorit’s dress. If I like something, I’m going to like it because I like it. Not because God and Tom Ford came together to make it. It had nothing to do with Rihanna and [parent company] LVMH. I love Rihanna. I’ve got three teenage kids here in the house, so that’s not what it was referring to at all.”

Image zoom Sutton Stracke and Rihanna Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

For the couture-wearing businesswoman, who owns her own fashion boutique, it was a lesson in how things can be twisted and taken out of context on reality television.

“You can’t be the editor in this,” says Stracke. “We can try to explain ourselves later, and it’s kind of crazy how editing can change, but I can’t control that.”

Friend of the Housewives Stracke, 48, who joins Housewife Garcelle Beauvais as the newest members of the RHOBH cast, is still getting used to seeing how she’s portrayed on camera.

“It’s so funny because I’m like, ‘Gosh, am I that big of a jerk? I had no idea.’ I hate that I’m coming across as a jerk. Maybe I might be one,” admits Stracke. “So there’s that moment and then, ‘Oh, I need a lot more makeup. What happened? I thought I had a lot of makeup on.’ It’s crazy.”

Image zoom John Tsiavis/Bravo

“I think my least favorite part was worrying about hair and makeup and what to wear. That was very stressful for me,” reveals Stracke. “One of the reasons I did this show is I wanted to finally have my own voice in my life and celebrate all that I do. It was really nice to spend time with other women that own their own business, and that have children at home. That’s something new for me. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with them, getting to know them, and getting to know how they balance everything as well.”

Though Stracke says it took time for her to get comfortable in front of the cameras, she built a great bond with the other women as filming went on.

“I’m not an actress, so I didn’t feel like I needed to play a role in any way,” says Stracke. “I think the more we got to know each other as a group, the more you see me coming out of my shell and not relying on my debutante skills to get me through things. I was nervous to meet this group of girls in the beginning, and then I warmed up to them and opened up just like I would with any other group.”

“Kyle [Richards] and I clicked pretty early on and we chat all the time and text,” says Stracke. “We just have the same sense of humor and a lot in common. I’ve got a 17-year-old, a 16-year-old and a 13-year-old. She’s got older children, but still she understands, so we can kind of commiserate together in that. She’s a very down to earth person.”

But in true Housewives fashion, Stracke didn’t immediately befriend the entire cast.

“Teddi [Mellencamp] and I had a rough start, and then I didn’t get to know Dorit as much as I would’ve liked to,” admits Stracke. “That was a slow one to make happen because I just don’t think we got a lot of one-on-one time together and we didn’t click immediately because of that. Hopefully there’s more time to get to know everybody. Even Garcelle and I were kind of separate from one another at first and we’ve gotten to know each other much better over the past six months.”

“When you sign up, they want all facets of your life. And unfortunately this season I wasn’t able to film with my children and sort of me at home,” says Stracke. “I felt badly about that, but there was nothing I could really do. We’re just moving on and hopefully next season we’ll be able to see more of my personal life at home. I was sad, but I understand the decision completely, and I just want to do my best for next season.”

While Stracke says her teen sons could care less about the show, she has the support of her biggest fan: 17-year-old daughter Porter.

“I get a little preview so I can know: Can we watch this? Should I let them watch us? My boys are just into their games, but my daughter thought it was cute,” says Stracke.

Though Stracke isn’t an official Housewife, she definitely has tagline suggestions in mind should she be promoted in future seasons.

” ‘I might be southern, but don’t ring my bell.’ That’s my favorite,” reveals the Georgia native. “I also like, ‘There’s always room for one more diamond.’ You know women love their diamonds.”

Image zoom PHOTO: DIMITRI HALKIDIS

Much talk has been made about the alleged affair between Stracke’s costars Denise Richards and Brandi Glanville, and the Real Housewives rookie says she hasn’t figured out whose side of the story she believes. (Denise has denied the affair through her rep.)

“It’s all, she said, she said,” explains Stracke. “I definitely had a side at first, and then I went straight into the middle as more information came out. I still don’t have all of the information to give a true opinion.”

RELATED: Denise Richards ‘Didn’t Quit’ RHOBH Despite Drama over Alleged Affair with Brandi Glanville: Source

“I got to know Denise really well and love her,” says Stracke. “She’s a great person and she’s been a really good friend. I also know Brandi and Brandi is also this sweetheart of a person, but she bites sometimes. The real truth is, I don’t care. You can do what you want in your life. I think we all feel like, who cares what happened? But we want to know the truth and at the end of the day, that’s what counts: telling the truth and being honest.”

Overall, Stracke says the experience has “been so fun.”

“I think there’s two parts to the experience: one is shooting and the other is watching. So far they’ve been a little different, but it’s been so fun,” she says. “It’s a learning experience, but it’s been great overall. I’ve really enjoyed it.”