Top fashion editor Amy DuBois Barnett's most special occasion

Elegant Simplicity

The décor was simple, Barnett recalls. White orchids in pots were placed elegantly around the loft. The furniture was muted and modern but luxurious—all creams and tans.

"It was all about the skyline and the night and the old-school R&B that the DJ was playing, and the catching up.

"It was chic but also very warm and simple at the same time," she continues. "Hopefully, it reflected me. I like to be stylish, but I also like to be very warm and personable too. I felt that the night was a perfect reflection of who I am and what my book is all about. It was a great evening for me and I was very happy."

One of the highlights of Barnett's night came in human form: Besides her good friends being there, what made the party really special was that her husband's family flew in from Ohio.

"My husband's parents were there," she beams. "They are an amazing couple who run the oldest African American-owned art gallery in the country. It's called the Malcolm Brown Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. It was important to me that they were there, along with my father, my best friend, my closest associates in publishing and even my former boss, Keith Clinkscales from Primedia."

Accentuating the positive

Amy's book was the focus of the evening, and she speaks about the pointer she begins the book with: Stop wasting so much time picking yourself apart.

"We pick ourselves apart to the point where we feel uncomfortable in our own skin," she relays. "When you do that it becomes impossible to move with confidence through the world. Whatever you put out is what you get back. If you walk around feeling negative, insecure, unsure of yourself, people are going to treat you that way.

"But if you walk around knowing your value, expecting that your goals are going to be met, as if you're enjoying your life, as if you're happy and confident, then that's what's going to get mirrored back to you."

Motivated by her personal mission to empower women, Amy hopes to spread her formula of achievement to women everywhere.

"The main thing that I want readers to take away is that success is a mindset," she concludes. "Living your dreams is all about preparing yourself to achieve. If you can walk through the world knowing that you are a person of value and that you are able to achieve your goals, then you will be able to achieve your goals and live your dreams."

On September 26th, Amy DuBois Barnett enjoyed celebrating the achievement of one of her dreams. It's a night she'll long remember.

For more information, visit www.amyduboisbarnett.com.

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