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Chic Traveler: Mary Alice Haney
Occupation: Celebrity Stylist
Hometown: Los Angeles
Mary Alice Haney is a stylist, editor and fashion TV producer with visionary talent. Inspired by the gowns in old Hollywood films and on the pages of Vogue, Mary Alice earned her MFA from LA’s prestigious American Film Institute and studied at Parson’s School of Design in Paris. A job at Harper’s Bazaar then led to a mentoring relationship with industry giant Polly Mellen and fashion editor roles for Marie Claire, GQ and Allure. Appearing in front of the camera as a makeover show host and behind it as a producer, Mary Alice’s range ensures that she understands the nuances of style across visual mediums. An avid fan of couture and designers such as Balmain and Tom Ford, Mary Alice also possesses the valuable ability to make elite fashion accessible to viewers of The Today Show and Good Morning America, where she has appeared as a style expert.
Dream destination?
Capri
What’s always inside your carry on?
Lip gloss, BlackBerry, eye mask for sleeping. One pair of heels that go with everything.
What’s on your plane play list?
Country or Frank Sinatra
Your guilty pleasure while traveling?
1st class!
The Stephanie Johnson bag/bags that always make the trip?
I only use Stephanie Johnson bags when I travel. I use them for make-up, vitamins and toiletries.
What’s the most stylish city/locale you’ve visited? Anywhere in particular where the fashion/beauty/women’s personal style really blew you away?
Paris always blows me away. The effortless chic that Parisian women embody always amazes me.
Next on your Stephanie Johnson wish list?
A beach bag!
Is there a favorite possession you’ve acquired during your travels? What is it?
I always like picking up jewelry from different destinations.
Your personal travel style: (Do you like a luxury resort? A private hideaway? Do you prefer to lay on the beach? Explore the countryside?)
I love a luxury resort but get bored after a day or two of lying around. My perfect vacation mixes luxury and adventure. Skiing, diving, trekking, safari.
The one thing that you cannot leave home without?
BlackBerry, iPad
Favorite pre-travel or travel-friendly beauty routine?
I choose each outfit and then pack. I always carry on even when traveling for 2 weeks.
First drink in the air: H2O, champagne or OJ?
Mimosa
Go-to luggage brand?
Favorite in-flight pastime?
Watching movies and catching up on emails.
Plane food or bring your own?
Bring my own. I HATE all plane food.
Current favorite getaway?
Mexico
Any tips for breezing through airport security?
Don’t bring your children.
Your flight’s delayed: best way to kill time at the airport?
Get a mani-pedi or a massage.
How often do you fly?
Every other week.
Go-to Flying ‘uniform?’
Beyond Yoga yoga pants, J.Crew t shirt, Rick Owens sweater, and running shoes so I don’t have to pack them.
Do you work in-flight or use the time to unwind?
Work!
Chic Traveler: Marlien Rentmeester
Occupation: Founder, LE CATCH and West Coast Bureau Chief, Lucky Magazine
Hometown: Los Angeles
Marlien Rentmeester is Lucky Magazine’s West Coast Editor and the Founder of LE CATCH. Marlien is widely admired for her masterful mixing of high, low and vintage clothing that defines her personal style. She shares her must-have online shopping finds and her expert advice about how to get dressed on the very shop-able (and addictive) LE CATCH.
Dream destination?
Capri (been there) and Corsica (never been!).
What’s always inside your carry on?
My jewelry case, an extra pair of socks (in case my feet get cold on the plane), Purel, a great book and too many magazines.
Your guilty pleasure while traveling?
Drinking wine at lunch.
The Stephanie Johnson bag / bags that always make the trip?
The Laura Large Trapezoid gets the most play, since my work trips are often a just few days long. I can squeeze everything into this bag–and feel like I am doing it in style.
Is there a particular destination that inspires your creativity?
New York, Paris, and London for the street fashion.
Any travel misadventures you’d like to share?
Stephanie and I once missed a connecting flight from Madrid to New York by seconds. I was sad and frustrated because I was eager to get back to my kids and husband. Stephanie took control of the situation and said, “Let’s make the best of it.” The next thing I know we’re in a taxi heading to the Hotel Ritz in Madrid. We checked in, put down our bags, toured the Prado museum next door, went out for a great dinner and caught a flight home the next morning. It was the best travel misadventure I’ve had to date!
If you were introducing a world traveling friend to SJ for the first time, what’s the first piece you’d recommend they buy?
Anything and everything, because all the prints are chic and every style is super functional. You simply can’t go wrong!
What’s your favorite SJ piece to give as a gift?
One of the pouches because they’re multi-purpose–and incredibly chic.
Is there a favorite possession you’ve acquired during your travels?
I’ve brought home everything from dishware (I once stuffed my carry-on with a 5-piece set from Paris!) to vintage clothing to a Moroccan rug!
Favorite travel ritual or souvenir?
I love shopping the local flea markets and coming home with an authentic souvenir or ten.
The one thing that you cannot leave home without?
My iPhone–and running sneakers (the best way to see a new city)!
Your happy place / Favorite travel destination?
New York City, my hometown. The minute I land at JFK I feel my cells dancing!
First drink in the air: H2O, champagne or OJ?
Water, then some wine to quell the nerves.
Checked bag or carry on?
Carry-on, if I can get away with it–which is infrequently!
On your reading list?
Rules of Civility (just finished Gone Girl–loved it!).
Favorite in-flight pastime?
Reading magazines and the latest bestseller. I also love watching movies, because I never get to the theater. Somehow, no matter how cheesy the movie, I always end up crying.
Current favorite getaway?
Napa, Malibu, Aspen, Westhampton Beach.
Window or aisle?
Window.
Go-to flying ‘uniform?’
Jeans, flats, some type of heavy cardigan and a cashmere scarf. I always freeze on plane!
Next on your Stephanie Johnson wish list?
The Laura Large Trapezoid in Turin (I will use it as a clutch), the Jenny Train Case in Turks and Caicos (love the texture and roominess!) and the Malibu Navy Large Pouch (so sleek!).
Chic Traveler: Emily Procter
Occupation: Actress
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Emily Procter is an actress, a Mom, and a Libra. You may know her as Ainsley Hayes from The West Wing or as Calleigh Duquesne from CSI Miami.
She is currently working part time on White Collar and part time as the “room mom” at her daughter Pippa’s school.
What’s always inside your carry-on?
Before Pippa was born (almost 2), I hadn’t checked a bag since the 90′s. So the answer was: everything! Now, it’s makeup, jewelry, raisins and plastic jungle animals. Oh, and wipes!
Your guilty pleasure while traveling?
Eating the food! It’s always covered in cheese and I fly American so there are hot cookies.
The Stephanie Johnson bag or bags that always make the trip?
I have an SJ jewelry roll, a makeup brush holder (Grace Brush Case), a Lucy bag and a small square bag with a handle on top. I always use the jewelry roll and depending on the length of my trip, either the Lucy bag, or the square bag and brush holder. I have them all in a brown alligator print with light blue trim. Stephanie invited me to the warehouse years ago and I bought them all at once.
Any travel misadventures you’d like to share?
My all-time favorite travel misadventure/adventure happened in the 80′s. I was flying to Venezuela on Eastern Airlines. As soon as I got to Miami from NC, Eastern folded. By the skin of my teeth I managed to get on another airline, only to arrive in Caracas during the middle of a coup.
Best packing tip to keep you organized during travel?
My best packing tip as of late: I use plastic bedding bags to separate clothes. Pippa and I share a suitcase, so I pack my clothes in one bag and her clothes in another. Comforter bags are rectangular so they easily accommodate folded clothes, and since they are clear, it makes it easy to find things quickly without throwing things about.
Your favorite SJ bag to give as a gift?
The littlest zipper wallet (Zip Case). A friend gave it to me and I love it.
What’s next on your Stephanie Johnson wish list?
To get locked in the warehouse with an empty shopping bag and a whole evening to fill it!
