Rachel Zoe - Family over Fashion

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week kicked off this morning in New York, and while in reality we’ve just begun shopping for spring, designers are already showing us what to expect for Fall 2014.

We’re excited to see new collections from designers like Diane Von Furstenberg, Zac Posen, Carolina Herrera, Badgley Mischka, Herve Leger and plenty more, but one person we won’t be seeing this season? Our fave celebrity stylist, Rachel Zoe.

For the first time since her designer debut in 2011, Rachel Zoe will not be showing her name sake collection during New York Fashion Week. As crazy for fashion as we all know she is, there is one thing that will always top her priority list and that is her kids. With the recent birth of her second son, Kaius Jagger Berman just a few months ago in December, Rachel has decided that in the best interest of her family, she would not show her collection in New York this time around.

Zoe and her gorgeous family on Kaius Jagger`s first day of life.
(Could she have looked any more fabulous after having just given birth!?)

“While I look forward to New York Fashion Week each season, I’ve made the difficult decision to move our fall 2014 runway show from Feb. 13 in New York to a later date in Los Angeles. As a new mother, my newborn son is too young to travel with me and I’m unable to leave him for the amount of time required to appropriately prepare for the show in New York.”

While her signature ’60s-inspired bohemian chic looks will be missed on the runway, I have to say, I really respect Rachel for making this decision. It must have been a difficult one to make, but she surely knows where her priorities are, and that is with her family. This is definitely a dilemma we all face as working mothers, when trying to balance work and family life. I think both her family and her business will benefit from this decision as her young sons will have mommy at home when they need her most, and at the same time she will be able to adequately prepare a fabulous show later on in Los Angeles, instead of (pardon the expression) half-assing either situation. Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made in order to accommodate everyone`s best interest.

Pregnant Rachel Zoe laughing with her son Skyler backstage at her
 Spring 2014 New York Fashion Week show back in September.

What are some of the dilemmas you face as a working mom? Have you ever had to make a tough decision between work and family like Rachel did? Let us know in the comments.

PS. Loving the rock star theme of Rachel`s boys middle names - Morrison and Jagger (aka Jim Morrison and Mick Jagger). I`m also a little bias towards the name Jagger since my son shares the same name. :)

Rachel Zoe, Skyler and Marc Jacobs in St Barts

Um..why weren’t we invited to this play-date?

During a post-holiday family vacation to St. Barts, celeb stylist Rachel Zoe hit up the beach with her baby son Skyler and met up with fabulous fashion designer Marc Jacobs and his ex-fiance, Lorenzo Martone. They chatted, sun bathed and dotted over Zoe’s beautiful, blue-eyed baby boy. At only 8 months old, Skyler Berman sure is living the high life.

Rachel Zoe Interview with LilSugar

Check out this one-on-one interview LilSugar.com did with fab fashion mom Rachel Zoe at the Fisher Price and Sherwin Williams event Room to Bloom in New York. They talk all about fashion and motherhood, from baby Skyler's first fashion week to how wearing flats was the moment she knew she was a mom. Rachel also shares some great mom advise she's received along the way.

Rachel Zoe visits Canadian fans at Holt Renfrew

Fab fashion mama and stylist to the stars, Rachel Zoe was in Toronto earlier this week for an in store appearance at Holt Renfrew to launch her new namesake collection.

Looking glam in a sequin top from her resort collection & her new RZ tux pants.

While we’re glad she made it out to Canada for her fans, we were admittedly bummed that she didn’t come to Holts out here in Montreal, like her friend Nicole Richie did last year to promote Winter Kate and her shoe collection for House of Harlow. It would have been amazing to meet her, especially since she so kindly checked out Montreal Fashion Moms and tweeted us just last week.

“@MTLFashionMoms Montreal Fashion Moms, I love it! Thx for the cute coverage of @thezoereport :) http://bit.ly/o8Ssqo" @rzRachelZoe tweeted.

Gotta love when a celeb takes some time to holla at their fans and support what we’re doing too. It was ba-nanas!

While we unfortunately did not have the chance to meet her, she did meet up with ET Canada and had some great things to say about juggling motherhood and her booming fashion career. She said she was “living proof” that while it may not be easy, it is possible to manage both.

”I’ve only spent one night away from him since he’s been born.” Zoe said of her 5 month old son Skyler, who will be joining her for the upcoming fashion weeks in Europe and New York.

The woman, who was previously debating on her reality show The Rachel Zoe Project, if the time was right for her and her husband Roger Berman to have a baby, while her fashion empire was rapidly growing, admits to becoming a “baby pusher”. She advised, “If you’re thinking ‘Should I? Shouldn’t I?,’ you should!”

“It does change your life,” Zoe continued. “It does turn it inside out and upside down, but in the best way possible, and the difference is you don’t care because you’re altering your life for the best reason in the world … He’s everything.”

We can totally relate. Before Montreal Fashion Moms were moms, we were Montreal Fashion Minds. We were working full time in the fashion industry, going to school for fashion event planning and attending as many local fashion events as we could, all while kicking back a cocktail or two. Life has surely changed since then, we’re on maternity leave, changing stinky diapers and wiping spit up off our shirts, yet, it couldn’t be more fabulous! And our blog, Montreal Fashion Moms, is proof that you don’t have to give up one passion for another, the two can coincide harmoniously. 

On dressing her son to the nines, Rachel also adds “I put him in really beautiful clothes, but they’re all soft and comfy. I think he’s going to rebel and just be like, ‘I’m wearing a soccer uniform, I’m wearing Adidas and Nike, Mom. That’s it.’” But Zoe has no problem with that at all! “I’m going to have to deal with it, because kids need to express themselves,” she said. “I don’t want to control him that way. Style is the best way to say who you are without having to open your mouth.” Very well said! We couldn’t agree more.

Check out this clip for more of Rachel Zoe’s interview with ET Canada.

Photos via http://oncelebrity.com/

Chic Sleeper Recommended by The Zoe Report

Are you a busy mom on the go, often traveling with your little one?

Check out this fab Alma-mini crib by Bloom, recommend by famed fashion stylist and new mama, Rachel Zoe. The chic sleeper is one of her latest recommendations from her daily newsletter, The Zoe Report.

“Nothing relaxes me more than knowing that my bundle of joy is secure and cozy, and this crib does the trick. Helping both Skyler and myself sleep at night, it is compact in size with a foldable structure for easy transportation from one place to the next. Oh, and did I mention Bloom created it in five fun colors? Ba-na-nas!” Zoe writes.

This is definitely a great product if you often travel with your baby, especially when you want your child to feel a little more comfortable and at home with a ‘real crib’, rather than a portable play-pen. Though, at $340 it might be a little out of your price range, Rachel also suggests a more affordable version, The Delta Fold Away crib from Target at only $119. A-mah-zing!

Zoe even recommends other products you can “style it with” like this gorgeous Marc Jacobs baby bag, a Barefoot Dreams receiving blanket, and a large Jellycat Truffle Dog plush toy.

I absolutely love that Rachel now includes great recommendations for moms on The Zoe Report, among all the other fashion, beauty and lifestyle tips she offers.

To sign up for the free daily newsletter that features all of Zoe’s favorite must-have obsessions, visit RachelZoe.com, and a little glamour will be sent directly to your inbox every day.

Also check out this previous Montreal Fashion Moms post to read more about Rachel Zoe’s views on motherhood, baby boy fashion, and designing a kids collection.

Rachel Zoe on Motherhood & Baby Boy Fashion

New mama, stylist, Rachel Zoe spares no expense when it comes to dressing her four-month-old son Skyler Morrison, in the latest designer fashions.  But what mom wouldn’t do for her child, what she would do for herself? Plus some!

Proud new mom, Rachel Zoe & son Skyler

On Wednesday, the 39-year-old fashion mom appeared in an interview with Juju Chang on ABC’s Nightline, where she gave a tour of her son’s luxurious nursery and walk-in closet. Rachel showed off Baby Skyler’s already extensive shoe collection that includes Tod’s loafers ,Gucci trainers and Hermes boots. The item Rachel was coveting the most was an adorable brown Gucci bomber jacket. She also showed off some cute knit Missoni sweaters gifted to her by her friend, Margherita Missoni. She recently told Popsugar, "The Missoni sweater on him — you have no idea — it melts my heart! And he sits in his little Missoni stroller with the Missoni blanket. I'm a Missoni lover."

Skyler's red carpet debut in his Missoni cardigan

Pretty over the top, yes. But do you really expect anything less from fashion obsessed Rachel Zoe?

In the Nightline interview, Zoe even reveals that she’s expanding her fashion empire. The stylist who has a women’s collection coming out this fall, and a QVC line that she launched earlier this year, announces that she’s also working on a children’s clothing line.

“it’s just so intriguing to me right now because dressing my son is the highlight of my day. In the morning it’s just so much fun ,” Zoe said of working on a kids collection.

Rachel says that the collection will focus strongly on boys clothing, since she feels like there just aren’t enough cute options for boys out there. I have to say, I agree with her on that one. I love dressing my son, and its true there aren’t a ton of great options for boys out there - at least not as many as for girls.

Check out this video to see the whole segment of Nightline with fashion mom Rachel Zoe.

Fashion Moms Unite for Good Cause - Baby2Baby

Fashion Moms unite! The other day, across the pond in California, a few fab fashion moms gathered at West Hollywood boutique, Jenni Kayne, to honor and raise funds for the charity Baby2Baby. 

Jenni Kayne, designer, and mom of 2 was happy to host the event. "I thought it would be a great excuse to throw a fun party and raise money for an amazing cause.”  She said.

Pregnant celeb moms, Jessica Alba and Rebecca Gayheart attended as well as new mom, stylist Rachel Zoe who came with her hubby Rodge and baby son Skyler.

 

Rachel Zoe, Jenni Kayne, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Jessica Alba,
Norah Weinstein, and Jessica Iclisoy

Everyone made it out to the event to support Baby2Baby which is an amazing charity that supplies less-fortunate families in Los Angeles with all the important essentials they need for children ages 0-4. Baby2Baby collects, and distributes new and gently used items to those who truly need them, in order to help take some of the burden off their shoulders so they can focus on their goals, and moving forward in life.

Could you imagine a baby without basic essentials like food and diapers? We sure can’t, and neither can fashion mom Rachel Zoe. Here is what she had to say about the charity..

"Baby2Baby kind of means everything to me.” Rachel said. “It meant a lot to me before I had Skyler, but now that I have Skyler, the thought of these women and children who don't have food, who don't have diapers, who have never played with a toy . . . it's gut-wrenching."

Baby2Baby co-presidents Norah Weinstein, and Kelly Sawyer Patricof were also in attendance of course. These ladies are not only avid philanthropists. Norah is a hard working mompreneur who founded handmedowns.com, a classified website just for moms, while Kelly is a model-turned-mom who works as creative director for Satine Boutique’s private label.

Kelly is also friends with fellow fashion mom Nicole Richie who is a Baby2Baby ambassador alongside Jessica Alba. “We take the basic necessities for granted, but for many families, it's a serious struggle.  This is one way to ease the financial burden, and help new babies have a good start in life.” Nicole said.

Nicole Richie, Kelly Sawyer Patricof, Jessica Alba & Norah Weinstein
at a previous Baby2Baby event

It’s nice to see all these famous mommies supporting this great cause and doing something positive for families in need. Check out Baby2Baby’s website to see how you can contribute as well.