PRESS: talking fashion with STYLE.it

STYLE.it – a Conde Nast Digital website – asked me to sit with their very own Margherita Calabi late last year to talk fashion. Here is what I had to say in good ol’ English, don’t wish to include plain in there as I like to think I have a fancy way with words. I applaud you if you can read what the Italian me had to say here as needless to say I can not.

– My wardrobe looks like…New York City meets the resort islands of The Bahamas. A rather eclectic mix which is reflected throughout my home, even down to my coffee table book collection. Makes sense really as I look to emulate what Ralph Lauren once had to say about India Hick’s move to The Caribbean, “It strikes me that many people may dream of leaving high-profile lives in New York or London to go and live on a tropical island, but very few actually do it – or have the imagination and creativity to make it work.”

– My most expensive buy ever was….a silk revealing v-neck caftan gown from the MAX AZRIA Resort 2010 collection, purchased to commemorate the moment before my departure from the big apple. While I don’t consider myself a “bohemian” as Lubov Azria, wife of Max Azria designed it for, I think it suits my lifestyle as a “Bahamian.”

– The most precious thing in my closet is…my Hermes Scarf, once owned and worn by my late grandmother who taught me to be fearless yet elegant when it came to fashion, and admittedly helped foster my confidence with her “If you’ve got it flaunt it” attitude.

– And the trashiest one, the one i most regret buying…honestly there is not one piece that I can point a finger to. As a woman evolves I think the same can be said for her sense of fashion and any “mistakes” of mine make me the woman I am today.

– My last purchase…has leant to many-a-fun nights, it was a bit of a gamble at the time when I purchased the Long Accordian Pleat Skirt from American Apparel but later a “steal” when I realized it served better as a strapless dress and was asked for designer details by dear friends. The fun didn’t stop there, shamelessly on a hot summer night (the fabric, polyester, doesn’t breathe well) I tucked it into my undergarments (ahem!) and danced well into the morning, you’ve got to work with what you’ve got no?

– My last obsession is…my continuous obsession, the Banana Republic “Brooch Cluster” Necklace that I purchased with the anticipation of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York Spring 2011 shows. A go-to statement piece that never fails me and therefore is best deemed & self-proclaimed as “timeless.” Interesting enough I think the same can be said for a brooch?

– During the day i prefer….to be in my favorite Agua De Coco bikini, if the beach were a runway there would not be one empty lounge chair.

– My favorite designer is…Diane Von Furstenberg. Simply because I have emotionally bought in to her brand’s culture and aspire to be the woman she designs for, the woman she is. I admire her as a business woman, wife, mother, activist. She is a leading lady and designs for a woman who holds herself to same esteem.

– Shoes: High in the sky or flat on the street? Once upon a young self-conscious time of my life, specifically at 13 years of age when I was a 5’ 9’’ – a height of significance only because I remember hearing Cindy Crawford measured to be the same – I was most comfortable being flat on the street…however, in terms of height, I reached the height of my confidence (pun intended!) after moving to New York City, how could one not? The city takes you to great heights.

– Most coveted item of the moment…Theodora & Callum’s Black Multi Aztec Blanket Scarf, the would-be perfect accessory for an island gal like me. Whether I am boating on our crystal clear waters or dancing the night away I know I would be able to find endless looks with their “Ways To Wear” videos featured on their website.

Thanks ever so much to Margherita and the team over at Style.IT for their support in the launch of The 700 Experience.