It's All About White

The A List and her idol, Kelly Cutrone

The lady in black wore white. It shouldn't be such a newsworthy event, but when the dresser is Kelly Cutrone, white is headline news. The first lady of PR donned a white tunic while in Toronto to promote her pro-bono client AMMA, the hugging saint. While I made sure to take the time to receive a blessing from the "love is my religion" guru, I was most interested in meeting Kelly.

I would like to say I was starstruck, but I can't. Kelly may star on hit reality shows like The Hills, The City and Kell on Earth, but in real life, she's a doll. Our time together felt more like catching up with an old friend than it did talking to an influential public relations practitioner and television star. Kelly greeted me warmly, recognizing me from Twitter, and proceeded to get me a hug ("darshan") from AMMA. Following the long embrace, I chatted with the PR maven about branding, social media and television (head to Hip & Urban Girl's Guide for a full recap).

Just like The Hills finale showed us, nothing is as it seems. Kelly's television persona is developed and edited into a character the producers want her to be, while in reality she is warm and welcoming (she even hugged me goodbye!). Friends were shocked to hear how open and gracious I found Kelly to be, but I think it speaks to her spirit. The PR maven knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Kelly broke into the industry by not taking no for an answer, and she managed to not lose her true self. In all, Kelly was a true inspiration and remains my PR idol.