Our foundational references and influences in life are what obviously form us, and nothing tells more about a person than what those influences are and where they come from. For Deena, it’s not only personal, it’s also pop culture. The fashion desk has interviewed many a designer, supermodel, and hero from style’s hall of fame, but we noted in our last editorial meeting there is someone we hadn’t interviewed on the topic of early style inspiration… Deena herself. So, without further ado, we deep-dive on what has most influenced her sartorial interests and her approach to dressing for the joy of it.

#1: Who or what was your first style influence growing up?

Deena: The first style influence ever in my life is my mother, and for good reason! To this day, she remains one of the chicest women I ever saw in my life -  tall, slender, with an incredible sense of style. I would spend hours watching her getting ready, completely mesmerized. It all started with Mama.

Then, as a child, I began to notice her friends, and even at three or four years old, I preferred the ones who dressed beautifully, though I didn’t fully understand why. My eye naturally gravitated towards elegance and beauty. By the time I was five or six, I discovered my first fashion magazine. I didn’t know it was called a “fashion magazine”, I just knew that when I opened it, I thought, “Oh my God! I want to be a part of this world, whatever this world is”. I didn't have a name for it yet, I was too young. That's when I realized that there was a whole universe of style beyond my mother and her circle.

#2: Is there a specific designer that captured your attention at that time and what was it about their work that spoke that much to you?

One of the earliest memories was an old advertisement for a Yves Saint Laurent perfume. The image of the woman in the campaign struck me deeply – I wanted to be her. Back then, models in campaigns and editorial didn’t just wear the clothes; they seemed to embody a whole lifestyle, or at least to my young mind, it looked like it. I wanted to not only emulate the model, but to live the life she was living on the page or in the movie.

It wasn’t just Yves Saint Laurent. Designers like Valentino, Armani, Versace and Azzedine Alaïa all captured something timeless for me. I’ll give you another example: the music video for Bryan Ferry’s Slave to Love. When I saw it, I thought, “I want to be one of those women”. That longing to emulate not just the style but the essence of that world has stayed with me.

#3: Is there a piece of clothing or an accessory that you own that still feels like a treasure to this day?

So many things! I can’t pinpoint just one. I remember being 14 and receiving a bottle of Cacharel perfume. It felt like such a luxury for my younger self. Later, my first Chanel No. 5 perfume left me in awe, as these were the closest things I could afford back then to high fashion. I couldn’t buy designer bags or clothing at that age, my parents wouldn’t have allowed it anyway. But I remember my first pair of Manolo Blahniks, prior to Sex and the City, I was so over the moon and I felt like I had finally become chic. My first Chanel bag, my first Hermès bag, my first Gucci outfit, they all hold a special place in my heart. I even remember my first Emporio Armani outfit, which I bought because I couldn't afford the main line of Armani, and I still own it 35 years later.

#4: What aspect of fashion do you feel represents you the most, like a color, a texture, a silhouette or anything else?

For me, it’s the process that speaks to me the most. The inner workings of how a piece comes to life. The why, the how, and what it signifies fascinate me. It's always so much more exciting to me when I have the pleasure of being able to see how something comes together. Whether a collection, a dress or a singular piece. That's more memorable than anything else. Believe it or not, it's more exciting than actually attending the actual show! Because I've already seen how it came into being. It’s that journey – the artistry behind the creation – that resonates with me the most and stays with me long after.

#5: What specific moment, or maybe collection, made you equate fashion with art?

It was the first piece of couture I ever owned: a Christian Lacroix dress for my engagement. I’ll never forget being fitted for it and seeing how it was constructed, the layers, the craftsmanship. That’s when I realized that couture is not just clothing; it’s art. It showed me that these pieces deserve to be preserved as works of art for generations to come.