Style Insider:
All Ze Details

Tell us about yourself – how did you get to where you are today?

Starting out at an agricultural college as a fashion guru you’re sure to stand out. I started the first weekly fashion column at Texas A&M University in The Battalion and in the campus magazine Maroon Weekly. From there it just took off and my ideas grew. I’m a very right brained, creative person so I hit the ground running after college featuring fashion columns in other newspapers and magazines around Texas.

Now I run my fashion column in Texas, California, London, Singapore, and Australia. I am also a Wardrobe Stylist seeking out new designers when I travel and featuring them not only in the fashion column but also on clients at home (home is Texas) and on the red carpet. I started small and carried out doing my work from there. It’s something that I love and that I’m passionate about so I think it shows through my work.

What do you love most about what you do?

That fashion translates in every country. Even when I travel and seek out new designers I know the language of fashion even though I may not speak their fluent language. I may seek out several pieces of their line or home wares and that to me is something amazing and special. I definitely remember each trip from each piece and it becomes sentimental – I guess I could call it sentimental fashion.

How do you describe your style?

My style is very simple, elegant and chic. Black is not boring it is conveyed easily and has a very sort of Audrey Hepburn elegance to it. I do wear black a vast amount of the time.

Who are your style icons?

Audrey Hepburn and Blake Lively – the current icons always change but Audrey Hepburn is always a style icon of mine.

From where do you draw inspiration for your style?

Designer store fronts, styled shoots, movies — fashion is everywhere and I stay up to date on it by pulling inspiration from various magazines, the newest movies and TV shows. Music has a huge inspiration on my style — with that said I think what you hear inspires your mood and ultimately has input to what you are wearing.

Do you have a favorite piece of clothing?

I have one piece that came from one of my first trips to Australia. It is when Sass & Bide was solely based in Australia. I purchased an amazing piece from them and still wear it to various events. It’s one of those special pieces I’ll always keep. They only produced a couple of them and Kourtney Kardashian was pictured on the cover of Cosmopolitan Magazine wearing it.  I’m not an uber fan but it confirmed that I had the eye for a good piece. As a Wardrobe Stylist it was like a pat on the back.

Where do you like to shop?

I shop at various stores for certain pieces of apparel that fit me like a glove. I’m super tiny so stores like BCBG Max Azria fit perfect. I have a list that can go on and on of boutiques and stores that I love but to name a few labels I’m loving now are Peter Pilotto, Steph Audino, Zuhair Murad.

What is one thing that makes you truly unique?

I will admit that I do have my hands into everything – music by playing acoustic sets, styling shoots as a Wardrobe Stylist, jet setting pro as a world traveler at least living in two countries a year, and becoming a Syndicated Fashion Columnist and becoming a Style Ambassador to a couple of different designers. I like the way things are going right now and I like being a woman of many hats.

On another note, I don’t think that anyone is truly fulfilled without volunteering and putting your time into something that you truly believe in. I believe in rescuing shelter animals so a lot of my time is spent in helping with local shelters. I think it’s important for everyone to dedicate his or her time into volunteering no matter how busy life gets. Giving your time is always in style.

What challenges have you faced so far in your business and how have you overcome them?

Keeping my brand in my client’s minds while abroad. Fashion gets creative when you’re dressing someone for red carpet in California while you’re about to cover Perth Fashion Festival in Australia.

What advice would you give to someone who has a dream or talent they want to pursue?

If you want something so badly you have to go out there and do it yourself. Fake it until you make it and just keep being you! There will be people that tell you no so start your own business until someone takes you under their wing. Keep going until you get exactly what you want – if you’re doing it for all of the right reasons and have a passion for it no one is stopping you. Just like someone told me today ‘The world is your oyster!’