I have such a huge girl-crush on Shala Monroque. She’s always well put together without looking overdone. I love that she wears such a small amount of make-up, if any at all. Nothing she does is ever cliche, she adds her own twist to even the most classic looks, whether it’s an evening gown or a suit. This is all well and good, of course, but it’s her intelligence that really hooked me. A brilliant woman who’s madly in love with fashion! Who’d have thunk it?! I feel like contemporary American culture demeans fashion, as it’s constantly portrayed as being the realm of ditzy girls and superficial bitches in the mainstream media and Hollywood movies. Fashion fanatics are rarely depicted as strong, intelligent woman; which is a shame, because that’s who they really are. The movers and shakers who are leading the world in a variety of fields, from finance to art, are fashion’s real luminaries. I’m ecstatic to see these women being recognized more, whether it’s in publications like Gentlewoman or by retailers like NET-A-PORTER.