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"The best thing about my fashion gig is not &amp;quot;talking about shoes and stuff 24-7&amp;quot; (as suggested by a rather presumptuous dude that I met at a party last week) but getting to meet so many amazing creative types, especially designers. I&amp;#x27;m fortunate enough to know from first-hand experience that the folks who make the shoes, bags and dresses that we all lust after are a thoughtful, hard-working and (it almost goes without saying) devilishly fun bunch--and that makes me love their work even more. To let you guys get to know some of our favorite designers just a teensy bit better, we&amp;#x27;re starting a new &amp;quot;Designer Diaries&amp;quot; series, where a few VIP style insiders share their personal photos, swap stories and, among other things, soft drink preferences. Think of it as a fashiony Facebook, but without all that poking stuff. First up, jewelry designer Rachel Leigh--and full-disclosure, one of my favorite going-out gal pals ever--lets us snoop in her studio, reveals her weakness for Cheese-Its, and brainstorms about what her talent would be if she somehow found herself in the Miss America competition. Before I go to bed I always set my alarm for 6AM yoga. When I was a kid my nickname was Rach. My favorite comfort food is mac &amp;amp; cheese, ice cream sandwiches and Cheese-Its. My first &amp;quot;cool&amp;quot; outfit was white leather flat booties that I got from who knows! They were so Madonna-esque, I was 6 and thought I was so very cool. Of all the places I&amp;amp;#8217;ve traveled to, Barcelona is my favorite spot. I&amp;#x27;d never have animals in my house. I&amp;#x27;m obsessed with this antique mirrored banquet. It is the perfect contrast to the industrial feel of our loft. I have about 150 shoes in my closet I weed out my closet every year and give my mom all of my past season shoes. My biggest splurge was on this obscenely expensive diamond and pearl cuff link and stud set for my husband as an engagement gift and my cheapest find was my fur coat at some small store on Cape Cod. All of the colors on my cork board above my desk inspire me every day. I collect magazine clippings because they are inspiring!! One of my first fashion icons was Twiggy. My first job was Public Relations Coordinator at Yves Saint Laurent. This is my favorite angle of my wedding ring! If I had to compete in the Miss America contest, my talent would be I&amp;#x27;d be screwed unless they had a mini ice skating ring ... If I had more time I&amp;#x27;d read more books. The last good movie I saw was Notorious. The color I wear most often is black. Here&amp;#x27;s a snapshot from our wedding. The sand was wet and muddy so I went barefoot for these photos. I was cringing at the time but I knew they would be my favorite. I&amp;#x27;m originally from Cape Cod and now I live in NYC and Philadelphia because my husband is getting an MBA at Wharton but my office is in NYC. When I told my friends + family I was going into fashion they were intrigued and apprehensive. Fave color combo: Lilac + Hermes orange. Birthday: March 24. Loves: Dogs or Cats? Love dogs but I&amp;#x27;m allergic! Fave season: Spring or Winter? Spring! I can NOT live without candy!! We have a candy bar of these pretty jars in the office. Pepsi or Coke? Diet Coke. Jeans or skirts? Jeans. Heels or flats? Flats but I wish I could be that girl that can run around the city all day in 5 inch heels and look effortless. Tea or coffee? Ice coffee. Snooze-button hitter or jump out of bed? Jump out of bed. Pitt or Clooney? Clooney. The latest Rachel Leigh designs: How cute is she? I have to say that I&amp;#x27;m with her on the Clooney thing...how about you? And if you&amp;#x27;re into swapping nickname stories, you&amp;#x27;ve got to check this out! Photos: Courtesy of Rachel Leigh"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/dressed/2009/02/designer-diaries-jewelry-maven>