Celebrating Personal Style
Who Wore What to Where by Elysze Held
In South Florida, the name Elysze Held is synonymous with style. As founder and president of the Miami fashion/image consulting firm, Style Out of the City, Elysze is a veteran insider in the fashion industry, is the personal stylist to WSVN 7/Deco Drive’s hosts, Lynn Martinez & Louis Aguirre and has dressed CEO’s, models, super-models, celebrities, socialites & fashionistas! Based in South Florida,Elysze commutes to New York, styles national advertising campaigns and is the Fashion Editor for Palm Beach Woman Magazine. With her stylist’s eye, she lets us know WHO WORE WHAT to WHERE!
There seems to be quite a big disconnect between what women read in fashion magazines, or see on celebrity style television and what they really need to know about dressing themselves well. REAL personal style has little to do with what is considered trendy in any given season. Renowned designer Diane Von Furstenberg once remarked “looking good is really about confidence and the secret to looking great is in choosing clothes that look like they were designed around your body and wearing clothes that look like they were made for you”!
As a personal stylist and a fashion columnist, I am always on the lookout for great style- people who simply look great in their clothes; this year, I have run across three stylish standouts in the Miami philanthropic community—each of whom has developed and celebrated their own personal style, wearing what works for them!
CLASSIC: LINDA LEVY GOLDBERG
With a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Miami, Linda transformed her management background to benefit many charitable organizations. Linda has dedicated a significant amount time and energy supporting charities: Past President of the Young Patronesses of the Opera, Founding Co-Chair of the Ronald McDonald Twelve Good Men, Ball Committee of Vizcaya, American Red Cross, Patricia and Phillip Frost Science Museum Gala and a member The American Cancer Society Inner Circle of 12 as a committee member and past honoree (and! this is not the complete list!). Needless to say, Linda keeps a very busy social schedule.
As for her personal style, her taste is as authentic as she is-Linda prefers classic, elegant pieces in fashion that are timeless, namely, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin, and her go-to shoe- Manolo Blahnik. “Often my days may require me to go from meetings, to a charity luncheon then on to my son’s basketball game so I need a style that can transition”.
Currently, Linda is transitioning once again from an Art Curator to Charity consultant, with her company, World Alternative Community. With the globalization of Miami’s present environment and the entrance of so many new players into the South Florida market, many individuals and corporations are seeking to become involved in philanthropy in South Florida. Thanks to many years of involvement in so many charity organizations, Linda has been asked for advice on where the newcomers to Miami, or in charity, can get involved in the charities–Linda’s focus is in South Florida, where she is renowned as a leader as well as a team-player, and her World Alternative Community seeks to act as a sounding Board for those in need and those that seek positive change. Linda and her husband Sid have four children, Shelby, Noah, Gina and Raleigh.
HIGH FASHION: KRISTIN M.K. DUCOTE
Kristin M.K. Ducote grew up in the small town of Davie, Florida. Eager to see more of the world, “M.K.” studied abroad in Melbourne, Tokyo and Paris as an undergraduate and interned with Sotheby’s in New York and Melbourne– went on to law school and studied international law and human rights in Cape Town and Lima, graduating with a J.D. from the University of Florida and an LL.M. from the University of Miami.
Having seen the world, M.K. settled down to practice law and met her husband, Chapman Ducote, a professional racecar driver and entrepreneur; tossed into the world of motorsports, M.K. turned to her life-long passion and set pen to paper, plucking from real life the colorful scenes of her fiction series, Naked Paddock.
Kristin’s style can be described as uber-fashion: uptown chic with a modern edge; she favors Chanel, Dior and Giambattista Valli.
After winning the (coveted) Best Shoe Award at the 2014 Wine, Women and Shoes Luncheon, M.K. was invited to join the planning committee for the 2015 luncheon and is currently raising money to support the Miami Children’s Hospital. Currently, M.K. and her husband are Benefactors and active members of the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and will be hosting the PAMM Art of the Party Gala on January 17th, 2015, sponsored by Louis Vuitton. MK and her husband also support many other local charities and organizations including Women of Tomorrow, Honeyshine, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO).
GLAMOUR GIRL: BRONWYN MILLER
Bronwyn Miller has been passionate about giving back to the community since she arrived in Miami in 1994. Her commitment manifests itself through both her charitable pursuits and her professional endeavors. Judge Miller serves in the civil division of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court. Over her past nine years on the bench, she has presided over thousands of cases and she has served as a faculty member at Florida’s Conference of County Judges, New Judges College, and the College of Advanced Judicial Studies.
Bronwyn dedicates her time to numerous philanthropic causes–she currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Chapman Partnership for Homeless and on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami. She is the Co-President of the Women’s Committee of Big Brothers Big Sisters and is a member of the Fairchild Tropical Garden “Gala in the Garden” Committee, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science Gala Committee, the Humane Society Pet Brunch, and Miami Children’s Hospital “Wine, Women, and Shoes” Committee. She chairs Chapman Partnership’s annual “Take a Walk in her Shoes” fashion show and the Big Brothers Big Sisters annual “Miracle Makers” fashion show.
Bronwyn gravitates toward feminine, fitted pieces and favors designers Roberto Cavalli and Zac Posen; for her shoes and bags? Chanel, Christian Louboutin of course– a true Miami girl, she loves her shoes and bags!
Bronwyn also has a passion and enthusiasm for running that she initially discovered as a member of her high school cross-country team. She ran her first marathon in 2005; over the past five years, she has completed eight ultra-marathons! Bronwyn has been married to Maury, for fifteen years; they have a son, Miles, age six, and a daughter, Rayna, age three.
