Rachel Zoe / Photo Credit: Andrew Durham

My biggest style icon without a doubt is Rachel Zoe, and today’s post is dedicated to her {Rachel Zoe Project Season 3 premier TONIGHT – on Bravo – cannot wait!!!}!

As Kelly Ripa said yesterday when Rachel was a guest on Live with Regis & Kelly, “I can tell when a celebrity starts working with you because they suddenly look better.  They just look more stylish.”  Evolving / Growing / Before & Afters… I’ve always loved this kind of stuff.  Seeing these high-profile transformations was what made me first take notice of Rachel’s work.

She has become a favorite of mine not only for her incredible style but for her outlook on life:  creating a lifestyle that embodies what you love. {My personal mantra is surround yourself with what you love, so maybe that’s why I love, love, love HER!}  When watching Rachel Zoe Project, her intense passion for what she does is undeniable.  {Passion fits into my mantra since your surroundings aren’t just things, but activities, career, passions, people… it’s about what you do, how you do it, who you do it with. And if you aren’t crazy about your story, design a new one – hence my company’s tagline: design your life + preserve your story}.

The newest category of my relatively new blog is FAVORITES.  Rachel, along with Rose Apodaca, penned my favorite book on style: Style A to Zoe:  The Art of Fashion, Beauty & Everything Glamour {Grand Central Publishing}.  Some excerpts + my thoughts:

“Sure, as with fashion and beauty or any other aesthetics, the pursuit of glamour is not going to save the world… life’s too short not to pay attention, to get up an hour earlier and stay up an hour later, or even to be wide open to all of its amazing possibilities….A life of glamour and style makes everything that much more electrifying, that much more engaging.

“Glamour can come in the form of a suggestion, a hint – like a pair of oversized sunglasses – or it can appear in all its unapologetic glory, blinding bright from the pile of gold bangles on a bronzed wrist or at an informally chic dinner you through for your friends at a favorite restaurant.  It isn’t about fashion.  It’s style.  In my book, glamour is pure lifestyle.”

Rachel Zoe, Style A to Zoe:  The Art of Fashion, Beauty, & Everything Glamour

Although I’ve been through different stages when following trends or trying to fit in, I’m living more authentically these days {always a good thing} and have circled back to what I’ve loved since I was little – glamour.  {BTW, the definition of glamour:  the attractive or exciting quality that makes certain people or things seem appealing or special.}  But no matter your style preference, I bet you’ll learn lots – or simply be entertained! – by Rachel:

  • Create your own look {RZ:  “The operative word is ‘create.’ “} Rachel is big on the style file idea of collecting images you love; revisit these posts for more on creating (getting to know!) what you love:  Design a More Stylish Life and Imitation…the Sincerest Form of Flattery.
  • Know when to buy {RZ:  “Buy something because you love it, you need it, and you will use it.”}  If it’s not a “yes” to those 3 things, don’t bring it home!
  • Make your home something you love coming home to {RZ:  “No matter where I look inside my home, I like what I see.  This didn’t just happen.  So don’t believe for a minute that you don’t have it in you to reach this goal…. Making your true lifestyle part of your home is not a one-shot act, something you do when you move in and never revisit.  It might even necessitate dedicating time each month, each season, to rearrange, refresh, and purge.  In essence, creating your environment isn’t unlike creating a wardrobe.”}

And since ORDER is a {mah-jor} component of ANGELA HARRIS DESIGN, here are some why-organization-is-so-important thoughts from Rachel:

PLANNING / PREP

“Whether you have an invite awaiting your RSVP or nothing on the calendar, the first steps in this entire process are as basic as they are consequential: taking stock and planning ahead….Like a stock person at Barneys, be up to date with what is in every department of your wardrobe.  No wardrobe is too small to overlook in this process.”

LIST! {organizing your thoughts}

“For all my dependence on my PDA, cell phone, and laptop (and I can’t live without them), nothing beats a notebook and a pen when I’m making up a list.  Success in styling is in the details, and nowhere are the details better highlighted than on paper.”

“I am a huge on making lists.  Lists that help plan an outfit, a trip, a menu, or even accessories you’re missing in your home can go a long way toward making life easier.  The best-laid plans may not always triumph, but they can save you plenty of stress. As a stylist, I ensure my clients don’t have to stress or worry about how they’re going to look for an important public appearance.  Do the same for yourself.”

Now, time to set my DVR for tonight’s premier!!!

PS… 

  • Rachel, if you are reading – what a dream that would be!!! – I LOVED what you shared in A to Zoe on p. 14 (eyes closed or open…). For as long as I can remember, I have done the SAME THING!!!! xoxoxo
  • To see a clip from LIVE! with Regis & Kelly featuring Rachel and her fall trend picks, click here!
  • To sign up for The Zoe Report, your daily dose of everything glamour & style, click here!
  • If you enjoyed this and other posts, please subscribe to my blog, pass along to friends, etc.!!! And, if you have ideas, favorite things, whatever…I’d love to hear: info@AngelaHarrisDesign.com.  Thank you, thank you!