Zoe brings easy glamour Reality star, designer and stylist Rachel Zoe became a household name when her show, “The Rachel Zoe Project,” became an instant hit on Bravo. Zoe, who works with celebrities on the red carpet and is known for matching vintage-inspired wardrobe pieces to create the unexpected, came to Nordstom Fashion Valley on Dec. 15. Fans awaited her much-anticipated appearance and Resort Spring 2012 collection, the show for which she narrated herself. The creations — which could be described as easily wearable — included maxi skirts paired with tailored jackets or leather blazers. Some favorites were the animal prints — especially a cobalt-blue halter-top and maxi skirt. “I like to use elements from every decade,” she said, when asked if she pulled inspiration from the 1940s. Zoe’s latest news is the launch of the Zoe Media Group, which will add the newsletters Zoe Beautiful and AccessZOEries to the already-successful Zoe Report. Asked what she loved most about what she does, Zoe said, “I love everything I do and won’t do it unless I am passionate about it. The reward is making people feel good about themselves and hearing them say they never felt so pretty.” Wonderland collection Grace Slick, known for her icy-cool voice in Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, came to Alexander Salazar Fine Art on Dec. 3. Given a chance to chat about her style throughout 25 years of performing on the stage, she said, “We didn’t have a stylist back then but did our own hair, make-up and wardrobe and sometimes we would even come on stage with what we were wearing.” Reminiscing about some of her favorite styles, Slick said she often wore clothes from India. Another fashion memory came in the form of a blouse with pirate sleeves and a vest with an ultra-short shirt. The costume for Woodstock was white bell-bottoms and a lace-up vest with 16-inch fringe. Slick was in town for an exhibit of her newest series of paintings (The 420 Collection) and to support medical marijuana. “If people were to wake up, we could actually cure California’s monetary problems,” she said of one of her reasons for supporting the cause. In addition to The 420 Collection, the exhibit showed some of her most recent surrealist paintings, along with some of her best-known works from her own collection, many of which share Alice in Wonderland themes. Visit Alexander Salazar Fine Art at 640 Broadway or visit www.alex- andersalazarfineart.com for more information. The Siren, The Muse and The Goddess M.Dot Design Studio presented a holiday fashion show on Dec. 2 at the W Hotel San Diego. Guests arrived early for a social hour and shopped at an art and trunk show. The pop-up boutique included M.Dot Studio, Leoluca Handbags, Barbara Wheeler from Lush Jewelry.com, Elisa Gonsalves from Elisagonsalves.com and artwork by Janelle Carter. The fashion show got under way with 28 stunning looks created by Michelle Aquino and was themed The Siren, The Muse and The Goddess. Models showed off the holiday collection with a variety of casual chic styles and eveningwear, accessorized with Leoluca handbags, which boast high-quality, U.S.-made workmanship. Aquino announced she is the new fashion insider for the W Hotel San Diego, which means she will be the go-to girl for anything fashion, art, music and food related. M. Dot Studio makes cut-and-sew garments, limited editions and custom orders. The studio is located downtown at 941 E St. To make an appointment, call (619) 255-3305. Upcoming events • Jan. 29 — Winter Bridal Bazaar and fashion show presented by Gretchen Productions at the San Diego Convention Center (three shows presented throughout the day). For more information, contact Bridal Bazaar at (760) 334-5500. • Jan. 30 — Burl Stiff Tribute and Inside Our Costume Closet from 3 to 6 p.m. at the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. Tickets are $20 for SDHD and Costume Council members or $25 general. Reservations are required at (619) 232-6203 ext. 129 or [email protected]. • Feb. 23 — Nordstrom Designer Preview at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier. Cocktail reception and boutique shopping will be at 6 p.m. and fashion show at 7 p.m. For ticket information, call (858) 427-1112. — Diana Cavagnaro is a nationally recognized hat designer and milliner. She has been operating a fashion business for 30 years, the last 20 years in Downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter. She has been teaching in the fashion department at San Diego Mesa College for 20 years and is an active member of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, The American Sewing Guild, the San Diego Costume Council and the Fashion Group International.