congratulations to nate and jeremiah - why this means so much

nate & jeremiah - nate berkus is now engaged to jeremiah brent and their love is really beautiful {see photos below!}.  jeremiah previously worked for rachel zoe finally giving her, her family, and her wardrobe the backdrop they deserved.  so, in a way, this is a merger of my design icon and my fashion icon {in a little roundabout way!}!  
this also means a lot to me because they are both starring in banana republic ads - on billboards and bus stops - all across NYC in which their love is prominently displayed...  that breaks barriers and, as nate said, a little girl saw the ad and said to her daddy "that's just like you and daddy."
hearing that brought tears to my eyes.
would love to hear more of their story...  
i know that nate loves so passionately, as any good designer would, and i love to see them both so happy...  mazal tov, nate ♥

the red carpet begins!

yay for today!  oscar day begins with a continuation of my favorite red carpet pics {continued from here} as more red carpet fashion- past and present- is revealed on E's Countdown To The Red Carpet: The 2014 Academy Awards.  i will do my best to keep up with it and post faves here {no promises, though, as i get so sucked in sometimes i lose all track of everything else!}

gorgeous lupita

green is always a favorite of mine and, speaking of which, olivia wilde...

gwyneth paltrow

actually, any of these "sparkel n' plunge" numbers from elie saab's spring 2012 collection would have been a perfect red carpet choice:

loving Kerry Washington - she looks incredible!

lupita does it again!

one of my favorite moments of the night:

i only wish that everyone who had gathered around made it in- it was a GREAT shot and an exceptional moment!

 #2014Oscars 

fashion friday - red carpet fashion; ready, set, Oscars!

well, it's fashion friday again and this time it's all about red carpet fashion and favorites.  i am SO excited for the oscars this sunday- especially the red carpet- i can't wait to see and get some inspiration...i can hardly contain myself!!!

my all-time favorites for breathtaking style, time after time almost always my faves, are:

kate hudson

cameron diaz

and rihanna

and, of course, my favorite stylist is rachel zoe 

{sorry george!  would love to have you over for some wine, though!}

who are yours?!

thanks, rachel zoe!

now i haven't read rachel zoe's book, but i did learn a great style trick from her that i'll bet isn't in there- wearing my engagement ring on top of 2 other rings.

i used to 'sandwich' or what i call 'bookend' my engagement ring between my wedding band and whatever other ring i felt like at the time, it goes in phases {lately, it's been my triple rolling ring}.  i did this not only because i love chunky jewelry, but because my engagement ring is a bit too large for my finger and i feel like the ring on top helps keep it in place- although the diamond still spun around my finger all day every day and that drove me a bit crazy...  {the reason it's not exactly the right size for me is another story for another time but let's just leave it at that my knuckles are huge and my fingers are skinny}.  
recently, i noticed that rachel wears her engagement ring on top of a diamond band and a triple rolling ring and, since i wear mine with a diamond band and a triple rolling ring, i decided to try wearing mine on top, too...
the moral of the story?  if you, too, have large knuckles and want to keep your ring in place, stack 2 rings under it so that it sits on top of the larger part of your finger- closer to your knuckle, like a booster.  i Love it!!  and i Love how it looks, too.
if you would like to see how i used to wear it, click here

 

 

are you asking if i copied her with the rolling ring too?  no, i did not.  not that i wouldn't, but anyone who knows me knows that cartier -and even sometimes 'cartier inspired' {i don't have rachel zoe cash}- is my favorite.  classic and timeless.  it really is a coincidence that, aside from our engagement rings, we both wear rolling rings together with a diamond band {although i believe hers is an eternity band...maybe someday...}. 
oh, by the way, i recently learned another thing that we have in common:  we both go by first and middle names only.  i didn't know that zoe was her middle.  so, that too, is a little coincidence.  
and we both studied sociology and psychology in college- and both in the DC area!
i've been watching her show the rachel zoe project.  i really like it.  i'm kind of hooked.  i can't always identify with her- for instance, we don't at all have the same taste in interior design- but there are some things we have in common...  {besides just the jewish background, the huge, highlighted hair...}
both we and our husbands share the grateful dead background, which i find is so hard to find among people who care about couture as much as we do.  so it's nice to hear someone who loves all the fashion houses at least as much as i do talk about that.  it is such a part of me, such a part of our family and our household.  and the couture, well, that is something i grew up with and it's just in my bones.  i'm the only one i know who sits at fashion shows and literally get so emotional that i cry.  with real tears.  like three at a time sprouting.  i can't stop it.  i got like that the 1st few times i watched the sex and the city movie too, and part of that was just because of the fashion...  on some level, we definitely both share a gut-wrenching, extremely consuming love for the things that we love -we never just kind-of care about things, i think.  that includes vintage, too.  i always prefer something with a story which is how i ended up with the diamond in my engagement ring.  my husband and i scoured the country {i'm not exaggerating} for an estate piece and finally found my, at the time, 50 year old diamond which we had set.  it is still one of my proudest pieces.   
but back to rachel, i really admire her work ethic and her success.  i realize that my business cannot begin to compare with the success of hers, but we both are entrepreneurial proprietresses of our own fashion-infused businesses that we are passionate about {and that sometimes frustrates our husbands, but also makes them proud!}.  
...mine may not be a name everyone recognizes, but, back when i lived on the road, i used to get recognized in every state i traveled to- and that counts for something, right?  and, i am able to make a living doing what i love without having to work for anyone else and i like that. ☺

thank you, rachel, for teaching me something new!  hope that you'll give us a shout the next time you and rodger are in palm beach- i can really see our husbands getting along and we can all listen to the grateful dead together ♥ 

how about navy for valentine's instead?

how about navy? click here!

p.s. i have a pinterest now, too!  it's: sharonna misha on pinterest
be careful, it's a little addicting.