Barefoot in a Miu Miu ankle length kimono-esque dress that she lusted for and wears to weddings, both out at night and during the day, Gloria has a sense of self possession in her style that cannot be bought. She is elegant, but doesn't take herself too seriously (witness her prim black and cream Jill Stuart dress with ankle socks that have red lips and black and white printed Tibi oxfords.) Gloria refers to her sense of style as Roman, an ode to where she is from. Magical, historical and cosmopolitan blend for her in the Roman aesthetic that she describes as the old and the new together, with elements of Asia, India, Morocco and Mexico mixed in as well. In essence, Roman's are chic, but with a slight gypsy affect, especially with everyone's love for gold and perennial tans.

Despite the fact that Gloria is a veteran Fashion Director, from the school of working very hard and for a long time in order to know your craft, dressing for her is never about what the magazines or the designers are doing. In a Tara jumpsuit, where surfer meets a flight suit that she says is "a little tilted off," she describes her mom as someone who had a crazy way of looking amazing that was never about fashion or looking good. One example was how she would use a tie as a belt on one of Gloria's dad's military pants, with a sweater, lace blouse and pearls. Attracted to the way boys dress more than women, Gloria says that her dad was also a big influence on her in his dandy, casual cool way of putting clothes together. Her parents know how to make their surroundings beautiful, she reflects, and Gloria's eclectic apartment with colorful walls, mosaics made from old plates and tea cups as well as the profusion of prints, is a clear indication of their eclectic good taste having rubbed off on her.

Growing up during the 70's in Europe with it's cafes and streets filled with social interaction, strong political points of view and people with a killer sense of how to wear denim and fur, the rebel in Gloria is apparent. She may gravitate to the classic Italian love for color in Tory Burch's acid green sweater, but she pairs preppie unexpectedly with a red rose printed Luella Bartley skirt, Eddie Borgo punk bracelets, 50's diamante necklaces and loads of her ethnic accents. Hanging out in her teens in New York in the 80's, the explosively imaginative era of Stephan Sprouse, Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, Area and Studio 54 is also a part of her style DNA. Gloria finds standing in front of her closet, stuck with nothing to wear, her most creative moments.

Gloria has a personal relationship to her jewelry that tells as much about her depth as her commitment to motherhood. She is often in the same pair of gold earrings from India that her sister in law buys her on annual trips, bracelets from Argentina that she has had forever and layers with Maasai beads, and a charm necklace that she received when she was born. The things that we collect are more meaningful when not dispensable, just as it is an honor and beautiful in Italy to grow old, be a mother and have lines on your face. So comfortable in her natural skin, Gloria has effortlessly sexy written all over her in a Chloe beige skirt, ikat print Aldo wedges, native print shirt (that she designed) and piles of her signature stones everywhere. She goes on to point out that she wears black only in order to draw the focus away from her when the attention is on her as a celebrity in the fashion business. "Sometimes when your persona as someone in fashion gets too big, you forget what you really care about," Gloria professes, ""My life is not my job. My life is my daughter, my family and my friends."

If you love Gloria, you may also like Michela Gattermayer, Natalie Gibson, and Lori Goldstein.