One of my favorite possessions is a copy of Assouline’s The Proust Questionnaire – it’s a book where your friends and loved ones can fill out the infamous questionnaire that French writer Marcel Proust wrote (his magnum opus being In Search of Lost Time).  Each month, the last page of Vanity Fair magazine features a Proust Questionnaire to celebrities, and it’s remarkable the amount of insights you are able to learn about someone from the questions asked.  It’s a wonderful gift to give and it’s a wonderful book to have.

One of fashion’s truly rosiest designers is a man from Lebanon: Zuhair Murad.  His designs are princess gowns come to life with countless lace details and creatively sexy placement of lace – his signature style.  Young ladies can graduate from Sherri Hill prom dresses to Murad’s designs in the US, unless you’re one of the debs who attends Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris like Sophia Stallone, Sylvester’s daughter.  In that case, you step straight into the atelier couture, as Murad resides in Paris.  As the point of Le Bal is for young debutantes to be introduced to society, they are given the honor of wearing a famous designer (atelier Dior or Chanel or Armani etc.), but in this case, Zuhair Murad has made a name for himself in a few short years as a notable and valuable contributor to fashion, seen on the likes of Catherine Zeta Jones, Halle Berry, and Hailey Baldwin.  It’s an honor to wear the fashion house. The newly crowned Miss Lebanon, Maya Reaidy will hopefully wear his designs at Miss Universe this year, a lovely way to show off Lebanon’s finest designs.

November 6th is quickly approaching and I can’t emphasize enough, especially if you are in California, how important it is to go out and vote in this election.  Gavin Newsom is my choice for Governor, and I am very open in my support of him as I think he is the most viable candidate in leading California through incredibly tumultuous times.  An essential part of civic engagement is getting out there and voting, so do the thing, and go mark your vote!

Growing up, the commencement of the holiday season began when my mother took out our family collection of Gmundner Keramik pieces from Austria.  These are hand painted ceramic pieces made in Austria.  My favorite part of Christmastime was the beginning of Advent and when we would light our Advent wreath, which happened to be a Gmundner Keramik wreath.  I was always dazzled when we would light the first candle of Advent, there was a sincere understanding of what Christmas truly stands for during those Sunday evenings.  Gmundner Keramiks have been created since 1492.  That’s right.  Since the Middle Ages.  These pieces are truly an Austrian tradition and stand the test of time as a symbol of Austria.  Artists such as Gustav Klimt have been inspired by the designs of the famous ceramic house – Gmundner is timeless, and I’m proud that the heritage of my country remains so strong.  Gmundner pieces are the perfect addition to any holiday table!

One of my greatest passions is learning and understanding the pathways to improving the world we all live in.  In the image above, you will see a list of 17 goals outlined by the UN as “Sustainable Development Goals” or SDGs.  These are goals that, ideally, the world’s largest NGOs, governments, and nonprofits will align their goals with and has a projected end target date for 2030.  There is a common good that we can serve, and in turn can serve us all.

Personally, my involvement in co-leading my firm’s women’s group has given me the understanding of the importance of gender equality in a more informed, confident light. Truly, feminism is about fairness.  Feminism is not about pushing men to the sidelines through exclusion (even if women have been consistently sidelined throughout history), feminism is about being fair.  It is more important than ever that we include women and ensure that we have a place at every decision making table.  By 2030, we should no longer need to discuss why women should be in leadership positions or why they must assert the positionality anywhere.

While feminism is where I am most closely anchored to, I believe that maintaining the vision for a better world is anchored in a passion for innovative ideas for achieving sustainable development and understanding how we can specifically approach solving each of these seemingly insurmountable challenges.

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.  Without them humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – William Shakespeare

“What we think, we become.” – Buddha

“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19

One of the brands that I’ve been infatuated with as long as I can remember is Fiorucci.  When I first saw their magical bottle of perfume with wings on it and their classic cherub head logo years ago, I fell instantly in love with Fiorucci as a teen.  When they had a collab with Target in the mid-2000’s, my favorite bikini was a Fiorucci x Target collab.  And then, suddenly, they fell off the face of the earth.  With the passing of Elio Fiorucci in 2015, the brand had been in despair for years before. Fiorucci is essentially the Italian (and cooler) version of GUESS.

Now, they have a stores in London and SoHo, NYC and Fiorucci is well and alive again: the brand has been spotted on celebs including Justin Bieber, which has helped revive Fiorucci into the mainstream once again.  Fiorucci is a strong brand and I am beyond thrilled to see it alive and well again.  Long live Fiorucci.  xx Bianca

Well, rosettes, it’s November 1st and that means – it’s time for Christmas music!!  Today I’m listening to Jessie James Decker’s newly released holiday album, and I can’t help but say, I’m IMPRESSED.  All of the songs are great, but I’m most enjoying the tune of “Snowlight.” It feels like some new version of a classic Bee Gees song, and I LOVE it.  I am not one to be a huge country music fan, but Jessie James Decker’s tunes are perfect to play in the background when you cuddle up with a blanket and a hot cocoa and enjoy her melodic voice.  I was not entirely sure what to expect with this album, but it’s a great addition to the holiday music lineup, make sure not to miss this one!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpfDoEdgcSm/?hl=en&taken-by=kendalljenner

Wow.  This was a HALLOWEEN for the Kardashian clan.  From Kylie’s first post as a rose colored butterfly matching with her baby daughter, Stormi, to the ladies lined up as Victoria’s Secret angels (with real wings on loan to them from Victoria’s Secret), I was impressed with all of the costumes.  Most thoughtfully impressive was Kourtney’s costume as Ariana Grande with her “God is a woman” nod to her hit song. I was digging the retro wave as well that Kendall had with her fembot inspired costume with her Austin Powers boyfriend, and the retro style that Kylie had with her pals, including bestie Anastasia Karanikolaou (try pronouncing her last name, it’s fun) dressing up as Fanta soda girls.  Most clever was possibly Kylie’s costume as “stormy weather” with her daughter Stormi. You did well this year, ladies, you made the most of this Halloween and I loved every second of it.

As October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) comes to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on how the Breast Cancer Research Foundation has made significant strides in funding research and working towards the cure for breast cancer.  Every 19 seconds in the world, a woman is diagnosed. The Breast Cancer Research Foundation founded by Austrian American Evelyn Lauder in 1993, has raised over $500 million in funding for research. The CSR arm of The Estée Lauder Companies, their Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign has worked tirelessly to raise awareness in their work to end breast cancer. My role model, Liz Hurley, has been the ambassador for the organization for many years.  She began modeling for Estée Lauder in 1995.  Each year, a gala is hosted in NYC, the “Hot Pink Party,” with a star studded pink carpet and the Foundation releases a list of items for sale on their website, products provided by BCRF’s partner sponsors. Make sure you shop pink 😉 #TimeToEndBreastCancer

“It really is something that can never be done by one person; it has to be done by a group.” -Evelyn H. Lauder