As told to 
When I was a little girl, I begged my mother to let me wear a party dress every single day. Growing up, we would watch old movies and musicals where the heroines wore big, beautiful gowns and got gussied up for every occasion. Gone with the Wind and My Fair Lady were my favorites. At an early age I was influenced by the appropriateness of dressing up for all sorts of occasions. My parents were always social and I loved watching them get dressed for an evening out...I still do. Twenty-five years later nothing has changed (if I could wear a ball gown with a hoop skirt and a bustle every day, I would), and each day presents an opportunity to experiment with a different look. Utilizing all the pieces in my closet allows me to keep each outfit completely fresh and different every day.
To me, getting dressed up in beautiful clothes is an outward representation of my personality and, most importantly, makes me feel confident. I wish I could be a jeans and t-shirt girl and I appreciate the ease of wearing a uniform like Matilda Kahl, but I'm just the polar opposite. I've never seen my Dad or brother in a pair of jeans, so I guess it's not in my DNA. Putting on a new outfit makes me feel like the best version of myself. Standing in front of my closet and curating a look every morning is inspiring and allows me to be creative (it's not a space where I allow myself to get frustrated). I've been a clothes collector basically all my life (coincidentally, I used to act and was an extra in the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic). Several of my favorite pieces have been handed down from both my grandmother and my mother. They're all beautiful, but they also hold incredible memories. I still have my grandmother's Valentino gown and a Bonwitt Teller opera coat.
I'm not so concerned with having all of the latest, newest pieces and don't buy into major trends unless my friends and I agree that they're absolutely necessary. And while I collect clothes for all of life's occasions, I've had to avoid becoming a hoarder and force myself to purge my closet (I recently let go of a pair of Earl jeans I'd kept from high school), which I do via donation or consignment. I don't set out on specific shopping expeditions, but rather I pick things up as I go along (like wide-leg gaucho pants or my most recent splurge—a pair of Prada sandals) and I enjoy the hunt for a special dress for a special occasion.
Being creative in my daily outfit choices is also an extremely important part of my job as a publicist and founder of Tuke Consulting. If I'm meeting with clients in the morning then hosting an event for fashion editors in the evening, I'll wear completely different looks. In the fashion and editorial world, just as it would be in the business world, there is an expectation to dress a certain part, and I embrace that as a necessary but also very enjoyable aspect of the industry I work in.
I really just genuinely love clothes. Like the Superbowl is to men, fashion is to me. It's fun, ever-changing, can certainly be frustrating at times, but is always worth the extra effort.
