5 Surprising Things Rachel Zoe Reveals In Her New Style Book
Rachel Zoe rose to fame in the early 2000s as the celebrity stylist, working with everyone from Nicole Richie to Lindsay Lohan. Next came the requisite Bravo reality show, followed by her own eponymous line of clothing that she launched in 2011. No wonder The Hollywood Reporter referred to Zoe as having: “success … so beyond what anyone thought a stylist could achieve.”
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Zoe’s latest project, among many, is her second book Living In Style: Inspiration and Advice for Everyday Glamour, a follow-up to her 2007 bestseller Style A to Zoe. “This is basically my grown up version of my first book,” Zoe told us. “This book encompasses everything from how to get dressed every day, to how to set your table beautifully in ten minutes, all without having to buy a lot.”
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“I want to help women say, ‘I can feel better about myself, I can look better, I can build confidence in how I live, I just need to take a step back,’ and that’s what I hope this book is.”
Beyond tips on everything from buying vintage clothing to giving a toast to buying art, one of the best reasons to pick up a copy of Living In Style is for the interesting tidbits you are bound to learn about Zoe, things that you probably don’t know about her just from watching her on TV.
We chatted with the fashion entrepreneur about some of our favorite discoveries about her from the book, to get the backstory. Read on for fascinating facts about Rachel Zoe!
1. Zoe used to play stylist to the neighborhood kids when she was growing up in Short Hills, New Jersey.
Zoe reveals in Living In Style that she played stylist to the neighborhoods kids, in particular, one boy, a family friend, who she morphed from geek to budding Ralph Lauren model.
“Growing up I didn’t know what being a stylist even involved, I didn’t really know until I graduated from college,” Zoe told us. “But when I was growing up, I was constantly giving makeovers to my friends. And there was this eight-year-old family friend, and I went in and labeled outfits for him from Monday to Monday. He wore everything I told him to, and everyone in school noticed the difference. Even though I didn’t know what a stylist was, I always just loved the idea of dressing people. When you make someone look good and feel good, that’s what’s most rewarding.”
2. She might now be a front row regular, but Zoe’s first fashion show was Marc Jacobs, and she crashed it.
Another interesting tidbit from Living In Style was that Zoe’s first fashion week show was Marc Jacobs, and she showed up without an invitation. Of course the ironic twist is that Zoe and Jacobs are now friends.
“I was very determined when I was younger, my son is like that now, to not take no for an answer,” Zoe shared. “I was an assistant at the time, and assistants don’t really get invited to fashion shows, but I was going to go no matter what. So I stood in line, and just fought my way in with the best of them. You know it’s funny, I would do the same thing today if someone told me I couldn’t go to something I really wanted to.”
3. Zoe arrived at the hospital to give birth to her first child Skyler, in eight-inch Givenchy heels.
One of the best reveals from Zoe’s latest book? That she arrived to give birth to her son Skyler in eight-inch Givenchy wedge boots.
“I didn’t actually think about it, that’s what’s weird,” Zoe told us. “I wore heels during both pregnancies, to and from the hospital. I just didn’t want to surrender to flats. I wish I could explain it better. I still wear those boots all the time, and they’ve become my everyday boots, and I travel in them. Even though they’re an eight-inch wedge, they’re extraordinarily comfortable.”
4. Sure, we all know Zoe is fashion obsessed, but she’s addicted to jackets and coats.
No surprise that Zoe is a serious fashion fiend, but in Living In Style, Zoe repeatedly mentions her addiction to jackets, and even shares that she styled her closet so the first thing she sees is her collection of Chanel jackets.
“I think I love them because you could put anything under a great coat—jeans, sweaters, leggings, and still look timeless,” Zoe says. “I’ve collected this amazing wardrobe of jackets and coats, and it makes me want to move back to New York. It’s sad that in 89 degree weather [in Zoe’s home base of Los Angeles] that I can’t wear some of these things.”
5. Zoe only spends 30 minutes getting dressed each day, and takes three-minute showers.
In Living In Style, Zoe shares her daily itinerary. Perhaps the most surprising? She only takes three-minute showers and only spends 30-minutes getting dressed. “I’ve never spent a long time getting ready,” Zoe says. “Of course, if I’m getting my hair and makeup done for an event, it takes, longer, but if I’m just getting ready for my daily life, I like to spend about twenty-minutes. I can’t have a toddler, and a baby, and a brand, and spend all day getting ready.”
Living In Style: Inspiration and Advice for Everyday Glamour (Grand Central Publishing, $28), by Rachel Zoe, is available to order from amazon.com .
