Mecca is a true ray of light, bright and radiant as the California sun she grew up under. We first met her a few years ago when she attended our annual holiday fundraiser for Planned Parenthood with our longtime friend and muse Paloma Jonas. Since then she has been a treasured member of our extended community, her light illuminating every event she graces, filling the room with smiles, laughter and dance.

A stylist by trade, Mecca’s sense of style is as effortless as it is cool – drawing equally upon fashion icons of eras past as it does upon the most current tenets of culture. Whether dressing herself in the best vintage denim, or styling musician muses head to toe, Mecca’s eye for style is distinctly her own, unwavering and confident in the way that all good style is. Below, she shares with us a few of her style influences and references, from her grandfather to Diana Ross, writing with the characteristic humor and spark that lit up the afternoon we spent photographing her in some of our newest Fall styles and chatting about boys, her cat Lisa (best name!), NPR and more.

– PD

Mecca on the style icons who shaped her career & passion

"1. Strangely enough Ricky Ricardo was one of my first style icons - I used to watch I Love Lucy as a little kid with my grandmother and I just always remembered how well dressed he was in the high waist trousers and gabardine shirts, and “Ricky jackets” which is that 1950s box cut zip-up jacket that used to be really popular. I just always thought he was so good-looking and well-dressed. Ha!

2. My father who was always very stylish - he went through a whole block of time when I was little where he basically only wore snakeskin cowboy boots with big western buckles and Texas tuxedos. But then on another day he and my mom would be in matching Fila tracksuits or Members Only jackets, and by night it was tuxedos and glamorous dresses with fur coats - they were really iconic! Also my Grandfather who always wore a hat, and suspenders with high waist trousers and a walking stick, which was definitely for function not fashion, but it was a look! The men in my family always had great style and paid attention to it, but without being fashion-conscious. I think it made a big impression on me. I'm the youngest in my family so I kind of just absorbed everything.

3. Diana Ross. I watched Mahogany and Lady Sings the Blues as a kid and she was just pure glamour, even when she wasn’t supposed to be. I’m still obsessed."

– Mecca