“She’s my person. If I murdered someone, she’s the person I’d call to help me drag the corpse across the floor.” I absolutely love that quote from the television show, “Grey’s Anatomy,” and it’s exactly how I feel about my stylist, Shari Bloch.
She’s my person. The one I’d call if I got arrested in the middle of the night; she’d style my mug shot with ease and then bail me out of jail. She’s the one I’d depend on if I had to flee the country at a moment’s notice with nothing to wear. She’d insist on pulling looks for my life on the lam and remind me to always buy quality and classic as she kissed me goodbye.
She’s the Thelma to my Louise and if I were ever to drive my car off a cliff (like they did in the movie,) she’s the one I would want in my passenger seat, holding my hand, screaming, laughing, crying and seeing me out of this world as well-dressed as possible. It wasn’t always that way, though.
When I first came to Miami as a young entertainment reporter, I struggled to fashionably fit in and felt very self-conscious, even inadequate at times. Especially as I started to frequent Los Angeles and New York City for my job. My clothes were cute, but conservative and nothing special. My style was, well, to be totally honest, I’m not sure that I had one, but it wasn’t from lack of trying.
I spent a lot of time roaming around the Aventura Mall and local boutiques perplexed on how to harness the sex appeal of South Florida fashions, but at the same time, balance and blend them with the class and sophistication that the movers and shakers of Hollywood and Manhattan expected. That’s how I met Shari…
I bumped into her at an upscale boutique where she was working at the time and I fell in love with her immediately. She was affable, fun-loving and full of light and love. What’s more, she knew her fashion and was incredibly astute. She noticed something about me that NO ONE ever notices. I’m related to someone incredibly famous and there’s a very subtle clue about me that gives it away. Shari caught on immediately, but had the class and decency enough not to mention it in a room full of people.
Read the rest of “Sweater Weather” at www.wsvn.com or shop the look at www.kokopalenki.com. Remember, if it makes you happy, wear it!
