Okay, as previously (briefly) posted about Rachel Zoe made an appearance at Holt Renfrew in Vancouver. I’ve still not done a proper recall of the day around here (click here to read my ramble-free KENTON Magazine article) but today is the day! It took a lot out of me to comprehend life enough to write my first article about this, but I’ve finally mustered up the strength to do it again. Seriously people, when you meet your hero it takes a lot out of you. So, without futher ado, here’s a recap of the day and a breakdown of a few of her runway looks!
Rachel with Barbara Atkin (VP, Fashion Direction of Holt Renfrew)
*All images via Peter Jensen
It all began around 12:00 pm when I met Randa inside the pearly white gates of fashion heaven (aka. the make-shift Rachel Zoe world at the entrance to Holt Renfrew’s second floor). All was calm until about an hour before the event when the (totally expected) barrage of anxiety-fueled text messages began … transit explosions, Lions Gate debacles, panic attacks and the like. Anyway, we finally made it, grabbed our seats and anxiously awaited what was to be a seriously surreal moment in both of our lives. Soon enough a bevy of familiar faces came filtering in and I channeled my adrenaline-fueled energy into chatting and dithering about. Couldn’t appear totally maniacal and fan-girled (but lets be serious … I was obviously sweating off my 50 shades of self-tan). And then just as we were all rocking out to No Doubt’s new song, Mr. Movie Phone himself came over the loud speaker announcing Rachel Zoe and Barbara Atkin were to take the stage. And before I knew it, my fashion hero stepped out in all her platformed and blonde-haired glory, sounding just like she does on TV and declaring the people of Vancouver to be so beautiful! Here’s a video clip of that:
The chat started out with Rachel discussing her foray into the fashion world and how she sort of fell into her first job with no idea what being a stylist or editor meant. From then on she focused all of her energy into becoming the best stylist she could be.
Her words of wisdom to “everyone with dreams” is to “follow them and go after them because you can’t expect them to come to you” and that if you work hard and do what you love “success will come.” Having now done all the things she’d once written off (writing a book, having a TV show, and designing) Rachel says to never say never because you never know where you’ll end up. “Always dream, always be good and be kind. Don’t stab people in the back,” were her final words before delving into her collection.
Rachel Zoe Fall/Winter 2012
As any RZ lover knows, Rachel is constantly inspired by the ’60s and ’70s in fashion and music. So as a designer she says she “set out to put that message out there, but keep it modern and keep it fresh.” She wanted to find a way to channel the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Mick Jagger, and the general rock and roll London scene into modern day women’s fashion. In doing so, she came up with this collection, epitomized by maxi dresses, jumpsuits, furs, and capes. There’s a definite feminine quality but infused with structure and edge.
Love this unexpected magenta for a tuxedo-inspired look! I’d rock these pieces together, but also as separates for a fun burst of color.
Rachel says she designed her denim to be “crisp” enough to wear out at night and to the office during the day. Paired here with a blouse and jacket it’s perfect for a pulled together downtown look. For evening I’d rock these with a sequin t-shirt for a casual meets glam effect.
This jacket was shown in pink ombre in New York, but I’m totally diggin’ the bluish-grey. The jumpsuit is a great transitional piece and really works in any situation. When you find the right jumpsuit for your body, I promise you it will become your new best friend.
Love myself a shift dress and this vintage-inspired sequin number is casual, cool, and totally glamorous at the same time. Paired with edgy leather booties, the look evokes a total London party girl feel in a super effortless way.
Take it from RZ and consider the cape your new winter jacket. Again, I love the look paired with leather ankle boots, which gives the classically feminine silhouette a more badass vibe. Cue the whole feminine rock and roll theme she was referencing.
Rachel says she’ll always have animal prints involved in her collections, but likes to do them in an unexpected way, a la the contrasting colour combos in this great maxi dress.
I mean. The epitome of cool. That’s all I can say.
A printed maxi is (again) great for day or night. When the cooler months hit, layer up with tights, booties, and a cropped leather jacket. And when the serious chill factor hits, a huge fur coat is the ultimate ’70s throwback.
Clearly no RZ collection would be complete without the perfect sequin-infused LBD. The long sleeves, high neck and casual silhouette give this that cool-girl vibe and the booties give it that rock ‘n roll edge
After the presentation was when the real mayhem hit. Rachel came over saying she just had to come say hi to everyone. In a fleeting fan girl moment, I had grabbed my copy of Style: A to Zoe before leaving my apartment that morning and thank baby J I did because it’s now even more of my Bible than it originally was. Signed by the fashion God herself. I meaaaan! She apologized profusely for her messy writing (which apparently gets worse as she gets older …) and after some quick banter I gracefully bowed out so some other maniacal fans sophisticated event attendees could have their moment. Further points of interest include (but are definitely not limited to): the fact that her and I are essentially the exact same height. Both armed in 6 inch platforms, we stood pretty much eye level to each other which I think is way fun. And also, her blonde hair is much warmer than I thought. Less white-blonde, more California blonde.
My outfit for the day.
And then just like that, Rachel, Joey (hairstylist extraordinaire), and Mandana (badass VP of RZ INC) – the formerly fictional characters filtered off to catch their flight and ambled off down the glowing white hallway in all their fashion force glory. I rode that fashion high for a longgggg time (I’m pretty sure I’ve had extra adrenaline since that day … not like I needed any more). It’s funny how a brief 45 minutes can become such a landmark moment in your life. I can’t even really convey what that moment meant to me, but basically, when you meet your hero … it blows your top off. And I mean seriously blows your top off. It still seems surreal two weeks and two articles later.
And that’s that kids! If you have any crazed fan question for me feel free to hit me up in the comments section or send me an e mail to meganwest@pointytoeshoecrew.com I can pretty much give you any ridiculous detail of the day you want …
Stay stylish, xxMegan West
PS. Huge thanks to you, PBJ for sending these pics my way! xo!
Bonus Pics:
As we made our way out, we passed through the backstage area. Here’s a couple behind the scenes pics (from my Blackberry):
