Independent Spirit: Bonnie Morrison

Bonnie Morrison by Alexandra Phanor-Faury Here at Essence.com, we’re always on the lookout for exceptionally dressed ladies with great individualistic style to fawn over and fashion PR maven Bonnie Morrison fits the bill to a T. Deemed “one of the most socially connected fashion publicists in New York” by Fashion Week Daily, Morrison, who currently represents fashion designer Chris Benz, has an impressive resume to prove it. Morrison has worked as a publicity director at the renowned fashion PR firm KCD (reps the who’s who in fashion) , PR consultant for Proenza Schouler, Dries van Noten, Phi and magazine editor for the now defunct Men’s Vogue. Rubbing shoulders with fashion’s distinguished set at industry cocktail parties or store openings is all in a day’s work for this New York City nightlife fixture, as is looking sharp. Although Morrison’s life revolves around all things fashion and current, you’ll never catch her piling on every one of the season’s trends. Morrison’s personal style leans towards a classic aesthetic which includes a mix of high and low designer wears and vintage styles. She’s that cool girl who always looks so enviably chic and comfortable without having to try so hard. She makes pinstripe blue shirts, navy wool peacoats, cardigans, shift dresses and a trench look anything but basic. While she tends to stick to a color palette of mostly grey, beige and black, Morrison doesn’t shy away from prints. And judging from the number of pretty, printed shift dresses we’ve seen her donning around town ,courtesy of The Sartorialist and the many other fashion street photogs who capture her looks during fashion week , Morrison must house a sweet collection of vibrant party frocks in her closet. We love how she’ll throw on a leather jacket or tie a long cardigan with a belt over these feminine dresses. We admire her ability to mix textures and play with proportions to infuse some polished charm to an ensemble. Like when she paired a black sequins cardi with a yellow flower print voluminous skirt. Another signature of Morrison’s style is her penchant for bejeweled bib necklaces to lend some glitz to her looks. She’s been quoted as saying she favors heirloom costume jewelry from the 50’s and 60’s. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite Morrison looks that best express her one of a kind style pedigree.