Rachel Zoes new project: a clothing line - Miami Herald

Rachel Zoe is busy, busy. The new mom son Skyler, with husband Rodger Berman was born in March is launching a namesake clothing line. The Rachel Zoe Collection will be available at Neiman Marcus in August.

To herald the arrival, NM collaborated with Facebook for a contest, The Oh So Zoe Challenge, through July 18. Those who enter will have the chance to meet the celebrity stylist and win a $2,500 gift card to the luxury department store. All you have to do is create a few virtual ensembles and channel Zoes gift of gab (e.g. I die). The looks and story will be collected in a submission gallery on the Neiman Marcus Facebook page. Pretty cool.

We spoke to the native New Yorker, 39, about motherhood, her reality show (Season 4 of the Rachel Zoe Project starts Aug. 2 on Bravo) and naturally clothes.

How is it being a mom? Are you having fun dressing the baby?

I always have had a lot going on; now i just have more going on. Its the best job in the world. I always say Skyler is my most high-maintenance client! Dressing him is really fun, but I will say theres a shortage of boys clothes out there. I have friends who are mothers who tell me that theres this sort of time limit on how long you can dress your kid before they say, I dont want to wear that! Im just milking this time right now.

Are you happy about your new fashion line?

Yes! To be honest, its overwhelming and exciting and humbling and surreal. I cant even discuss it.

Describe your collection.

I tried to keep it modern, very glamorous and wearable. For fall, I was looking to hit a lot of different types of women, ones that I gravitate toward. The Charlie Girl, the Uptown Girl, the Downtown London Cool Girl. Then, of course, theres the Parisian Chic Girl. I will always have tons of references to the 70s and that glamorous time period, and Yves Saint Laurent, one of my idols and one of the most brilliant designers of our time.

How can South Floridians wear your pieces?

Miami is so no fun sometimes. I know that. Take fall trends and incorporate them into your warm weather wardrobe. Wear a little flouncy dress and pair it with a great pair of black leather ankle boots and a tailored suit jacket or tuxedo jacket. You can get the feeling of fall without being in, like, a big, chunky sweater.

You have this contest going on Facebook. Are you social-media savvy?

Not as much as a lot of the girls that work at my company because theyre a lot younger than me. The answer is Im getting better at it, and Im very fascinated by the immediate interaction and response. Im getting somewhat addicted to Twitter.

Youve dressed some of the biggest names in showbiz. How is it being famous yourself?

I dont take it too much to heart. I consider myself a stylist and now a designer, but not a celebrity. I pretty much am a very kind of normal person who hangs out with my husband and my baby and my friends. The media can build you up and make you a celebrity and they can also take you down and destroy your life in like 10 minutes.

What can we expect from Season 4?

You definitely see a lot of the design process, which is really fun. Ill be a little different because I was pregnant. I wasnt traveling as much. I didnt go to Paris Fashion Week. Still, a lot of interesting stuff happens.

How much do you love your job?

So much. Getting people to dress better: Thats always been it for me and why I decided to do the show in the first place. So that people could have more insight into what really goes on in this industry, how brilliant the designers are and what goes into making an image.

Madeleine Marr