Mixing everything up, high with low, sporty with couture, masculine with feminine, old with new, might seem like something new and innovative on the pages of magazines and blogs, but veteran fashion editors, like Marilyn, were the creators. She was a Senior Editor at Harper’s Bazaar for many years and has been chronicled by the first street fashion guru Bill Cunningham of the New York Times for being such an original. Marilyn is undaunted by creating the unexpected and feels that too many people are scared to make mistakes, ending up dull and forgettable. She agrees with fashion icon Diana Vreeland, that “bad taste is better than no taste”. Some of Marilyn’s brainstorms are wearing army jackets with vintage Pucci, white jeans in winter, piles of gold chains together (ALL at the same time, from her mom’s antique coins to Forever 21 brand), attempting to look good when it rains, (thus her voluminous collection of the chicest rain boots) buying one of-a-kind except for basics, and owning lots of coats (they are important because you can put them over anything and “1,2,3, you’re dressed”). Her adreneline rush over everything from the amazingness of original Pucci to her white rubber Hunter boots with her camel coat is infectious. But what I love most is how on her cherished daily run on the Esplanade in Battery Park City, she will make only one concession to her usually pulled together wardrobe by wearing sneakers – she doesn’t even change out of her jeans. Her husband says, “you don’t look like you’re going running.” Her response: “What’s the difference?”

I found it very poignant to the point of moving when asked who she liked on this site the most, not so much for who she chose, but for the passion and attention with which she gave to each person. She said, “There are so many who have fascinated me and for different reasons, but among the more recent standouts: the chic and highly original dandy John Wellington-Simon, Ebeneezer Nii-Sowah because I’m a purist and classicist at heart, Tay Trong because of his inherent creativity, the mother daughter team of Frederique and Scyler van der Wal because they are the essence of natural beauty and unforced chic, Magda Berliner because of her eclectic and creative approach to style, Barbara Louis because she proves that style has no expiration date, and Koos van den Akker, because one of my all time favorite possessions is a coat of his that I bought at a vintage show and it turns heads no matter when or where I wear it.” Marilyn claims she is a frustrated artist, but to me she is an accomplished one.