Style Spotlight: Bonnie Morrison

I’m sure I’m not the first to have noticed Bonnie Morrison on the pages of “The Daily Front Row” or on the New York Social Diary web site rubbing shoulders with fashion’s elite. Fashion Week Daily calls her “one of the most socially connected fashion publicists in New York” and with good reason. Bonnie is currently the publicity director at the renowned fashion PR firm KCD, so that means she has a hotline to all the city's up-and-coming designers. With that in mind it’s no wonder she always manages to look chic and polished. Click here to see Bonnie’s warm-weather style tips for the summer, then read the brief Q&A below that she did for PaperMag.com’s "Beautiful People" issue.



Occupation: Fashion publicist
Why do you like to go out in NYC? "You're always seeing old friends as well as meeting new people -- it's a place where your world is as big as you want it to be."
How would you describe your fashion look? "There is a pretty eclectic group of women I think of as major style icons: sixties and seventies Tina Turner, Bianca Jagger, Kim Gordon and, if you can believe it, Donatella Versace. But my fashion fairy godmother might actually be Bea Arthur."
What's the best thing about being one of the most popular girls in NYC? "When I first moved here ten years ago, I would wonder if I would ever make a single friend. Now, everywhere I go, I see people I know and love. Live here long enough and eventually, you feel like a star."

I Like Her Style!: Katie Rost

Hi guys! I’ve been swamped with work lately but I’m trying to keep the blog up to date. I don’t have a post for today but I interviewed D.C socialite and model Katie Rost a couple of weekends ago and thought you’d be interested in reading snippets of it. She was so sweet, funny and drop dead gorgeous! The interview is posted over on HoneyMag.com because she was on their cover once with Andre 3000. Click here** to read it and be sure to tell me what you guys think and I’ll post soon!

Sylvia
xx

**The interview has been reposted below.**


The life of a socialite, entrepreneur, and Honey cover girl is a busy one, so I thanked my lucky stars when I got the chance to sit down with the delightful Katie Rost. As we chatted at the Four Season's Hotel in Georgetown, D.C., Ms. Rost filled me in on her upbringing, impending projects and let me in on what it's really like being a non-white socialite in the nation's capitol...

When did you start modeling?
Well I started a little bit when I was 14. I was in the Ford New Model program where they basically look at you, try and track you, and see where your head is at. My mom decided at about 16… I'd done little nothing things, like mall stuff, nothing big. But she was worried because I was kind of immature and I took everything really personally. So if someone did my make-up and I didn't like the way it was done I would start crying or yell at people or whatever... and my mom was like "ok, you're not ready for this!"

Do you still model full-time?
I've just decided to recommit myself to it for the next few months because I just got a phone call from my agent and she's like, "we miss you here and we want you to come back and get a little more intense with it." So I'm going to but I'd basically taken a year off.

How was the Honey cover with Andre 3000?
That was crazy! Andre was like crazy and styled us all. I had this Mohawk and stars down my face. So much fun!

So are you going to be based in New York for the next year or will you be between NY and D.C.?
I just bought an apartment in New York but I'll be in between. Either I'll be at my farm in Virginia or I'll be in Manhattan or I'll be with my mom in Potomac, Maryland.

Now I understand that you worked for BET briefly on their Teen Summit show? What was that like?
It was really fun. It was like the only show on BET that was really quality and geared towards teenagers. Everything else was like Hip-Hop videos. A bunch of nastiness all throughout and then the gospel on Sunday. I don't even quite understand why that's considered to be Black entertainment.

Tell me about it!
Teen Summit was a great show. It had an intelligent, topical spin to it. So whatever was going on, whether it was, "Oh we're listening to these lyrics that say 'bitch' and 'hoe' all the time and what's this really about?" or "How is this impacting us as teenagers and what do we think of this?" or even "Is that how black women should define themselves?"... Absolutely not! And then we'd really get into those topics. I was a presenter so I got to meet so many amazing people.

So you've modeled and presented, surely acting is the natural next step?
Yeah, I thought about doing that... [hesitates] ...I had a little nothing part on Six Degrees this past season. And that was really fun because I was just at this party and the casting director was like "oh, I like your personality" and I was like whatever but I ended up on the show! I played a model so it wasn't a stretch or anything!

What about movies?
If someone wants to put me in a movie I'm happy to do it! [laughs at the thought] But I don't think I'm going to take acting classes.

So how did the Washington Life cover come about?
I ran into the editor, Michael Clements, at Elton John's Oscar party. The best party ever By the way! Anyway we literally slammed into each other on the dance floor and he was like, "you're hot!" And I was like, "so are you!" And he was like, "tell me everything about yourself." And I was like, "I'm leaving New York! I just bought a farm in Virginia!" And he's like, "you're gonna be in D.C? Like, oh my God, we have to hang out..." And we just completely fell in love with each other on every level he's just a brilliant, wonderful man. He also mentioned that he was really excited about what's going on as far as socialites in general in the media.

Do you define yourself as a socialite?
I think people are just starting to pay attention to that for some reason. And I was like, "Oh. I didn't really know that I was one." But ok! So I guess if I go to an event every night, or three sometimes, then that means that... That that's what I am. And I'm like cool! Y'know? I have no problem with that. But you know I've always gone to these sort of things, It's just what me and my mom do. Y'know? (Katie's Mom, Rynthia Rost, is VP of Public Relations for Geico)And it just always seemed natural... I just thought everyone did. So I'm realizing that it was sort of special.

And what do you think of your fellow black socialites?
I don't really know if there are any black socialites. I guess they are supposedly...

There's Genevieve Jones...
I honestly don't even know who she is. That's so strange. I think I was at one party that she was at but I don't really know her. I googled myself once and I was reading all these weird, weird things about myself and then I was reading about her and I was like this poor girl! I would die if people were saying these things about me! It just left a bad taste in my mouth. Just the way y'know, those stereotypes of black women. I don't care who she had an affair with or what she did, there's no reason to put someone's business out there like that. That's just nasty.

Who is your favorite designer?
I would have to say Stella McCartney still. She's pretty bad ass! But favorite designer who helped me the most in my career and was the most supportive to me was Stephen Burrows. He is an amazing, amazing black designer who not a whole lot of people know about but he is brilliant.

And how would you define your like personal style?
I try to be funky, I try to be kinda like downtown New York. But I definitely love ball gowns and I love to glam it up at night. And live for it really.

So tell me about your new skin care line Body by Katie Rost.
I just love it! It's so much fun! I have this beautiful farm in Virginia and I'm gonna be growing lavender and all of that stuff.

Do you have a team that makes it for you?
My production area is just finally been finished so I will have a team. But it's just been team Katie. I come up with all the recipes. That's what I've been doing for the last year at my farm. Mixing products...

Katie gives me some beautiful samples of her Vanilla/Plumeria Body Scrub and Shea Butter Body Soufflé.

Are you literally like churning away at your farm?!
I do churn! [giggles] But I mean the shea butter comes to me in bulk and then I add to it. The scrub I completely make myself. Shea butter is like the best thing for your skin. I coat myself with it every morning. I put it on thick on my skin then I get in the steam room and relax.

Ah the good life... Must be nice!

To buy Body by Katie Rost products visit www.bodybykatierost.com and also visit www.katierost.com.

BAP’s: Reality or Myth?

Katie Rost on the latest cover of Washington Life magazine (L) & at a recent modeling job (R).

Thank you to whomever it was that introduced me to D.C. socialite Katie Rost – She’s stunning! Since the Genevieve Jones post, I’ve been interested in learning more about “Black American Princesses” (BAP’s) and their “role” in American society. It seems that Paris and Nikki Hilton are not alone up there on that pedestal. To my knowledge other black socialites include, Susan Fales-Hill (look for more pics of her on www.style.com), Paige Johnson, Mahogany Rhodes, Courtney & Chloe (based in Chicago) and of course Nicole Richie! There has been a strong emergence of middle to high-class families within the African American population, so why don’t we hear more about black socialites? Are they better behaved than their white counterparts? Less interesting to the American press? Or do they just not exist in large numbers? Either way I find it fascinating that these young women are floating around, brown-nosing and hob nobbing with society's 'finest'… What do you think?

As for Katie Rost, she was raised in Bethesda, Maryland by her German-American father and African-American mother. She worked on Capitol Hill before realizing her life long dream of becoming a fashion model. She’s making plans to move to Manhattan and conquer NY… Good luck to her.

Style Spotlight: Genevieve Jones

I’d never heard of Genevieve Jones until I read about her on the blog Fashion Nette-Work. For those of you familiar with her please humor me one moment… Apparently, Miss Jones is a New York socialite and that’s pretty much all I can tell you! The details of her life are closely guarded. She has been heard on occasion to cite ‘Interior Designer’ as her occupation, but it’s unclear if she works for herself or for a company. Other details I found out about her were that she has no degree, isn’t an heir to millions of dollars and doesn’t date any one famous. In any case Genevieve is a muse to many top designers and it’s easy to see why, her poise and class are undeniable. I found photos of her on www.style.com and you can learn more about her at Socialite Rank here and here – The story of how she climbed up the social ladder is remarkable!