Cavan Mahony Linde is someone I have known for a very long time, and from her days at Wellesley College with me onwards she has shown the same brilliant qualities of strength and stylishness with a heavy dose of get up and go.  A free spirit and a woman who is always absolutely true to herself, it was never a surprise to me that she has achieved success in spades in several ways throughout her career. Wedded to a career in fashion and beauty from the start, from Wellesley, Cavan Mahoni went to Harvard Business School before joining the likes of Lancome and Chanel. From thereonin she reinvented herself as a serial entrepreneur, first co-founding the natural beauty label Sundari along with Ayla Hussein and Christy Turlington. Together they launched their brand based on the Indian practice of Ayuverda, tapping into the world’s keenness at the time for a holistic and healthy approach to beauty. Next, she brought the Italian fashion house Missoni to the UK, opening the flagship franchise store for the famous Italian knitwear label on Sloane Street in London before extending her reach to Madrid and Marbella.

Cavan Mahony Linde most recent venture is that of an internet entrepreneur with her newly lauched e-commerce site www.cavan.com, a brilliant hub of highly edited fashion and homewards with a focus on carefully honed styling advice.  Bringing together an eclectic group of designers ranging from the established to the up and coming, the site’s broad yet focused aesthetic is really a reflection of Cavan herself.  A highly astute businesswoman who works a bit of 1970′s inspired Missoni, a mother with a fast growing online concern, an entrepreneur with her very own eclectic sense of style – Cavan is all these women and more. Here, she talks us through her style choices.

What’s in your make-up bag?

YSL’s shocking mascara, Bobbie Brown lipstick in Brown, Bobbie Brown pink peony blush, Tom Ford eye shadows in cognac and cable.

Do you have a beauty secret?

I wish I did! What would be your desert island essentials?

My Husband, my son and a Missoni bikini

What do you wear on a fat day?

A fabulous handbag

What’s the most treasured item in your wardrobe?

An Andrew Gn long grey and silver beaded evening gown. I feel like a warrior Princess when I wear it.

Is there anything in your wardrobe you should get rid of but can’t?

The tiny Chanel sweaters I bought at the Chanel sample sale when I worked there many many years ago.

What do you never leave home without?

Hope

Hot date night, what do you wear?

Not much

When home alone, what do you wear?

Lounge Lover trousers, t-shirt and sweatshirt because its all so cozy and still flattering

What do you wear to bed?

Poplin Pyjamas or a Jenny Packham nightgown if I am in the mood to feel glamorous

You’re the fashion police for a day, what do you ban?

A bad attitude

Have you ever worn anything you now regret?

In University… do we really have to go there?

How high is too high a heel?

Never too high

How old is too old for jeans?

Never too old If you could live in any other time for its fashion, when would you choose?

The 1970′s

What is your most recent purchase?

A Kotur Breen gold and black evening clutch with a red jewel closure. Its divine!

Can you judge a book by its cover?

No, there is always more than what meets the eye

What’s your greatest extravagance?

A massage

What are your guilty pleasures?

Red wine

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

To believe in myself

What’s your favorite smell?

Cristalle Eau de Parfum by Chanel

What’s your idea of a great holiday?

With my Family and Friends in the mountains or by the sea.

What are you most proud of?

Never giving up

What are you least proud of?

Being afraid

What is your pure bliss?

Being with my Husband and son under a tree in the sunshine

Who or what would you like to be reincarnated as in your next life?

A champagne glass

What would you eat for your last supper?

Pasta with truffles

If you could meet someone from history who would it be?

Queen Elizabeth I

Yes or no to a nip and a tuck?

Whatever makes you happy

Do you have a favorite purse or bag?

My favorite bag is the taupe Hermes birkin bag my husband gave to me for my first Mothers day.

Do you have a favorite KOTUR bag?

My favorite KOTUR bag is the bicoloured clutch. I love the art deco feel, it’s very glamorous.

On a scale of one-to-ten, how good looking are you?

Oh Gosh I am off the charts..seriously? Does any one actually answer this question??

How would you like to be remembered?

That I made a difference

Elizabeth Reaser is our favorite type of actress – the kind that can turn her hand as easily to a blockbuster as to a Broadway play, the kind with the confidence and talent to make you believe in either an art house character or a mega star in a Hollywood blockbuster.

And off screen, she embodies what we look for in our MUSES- strength, independence, intelligence, and a flare for the dramatic, though that, perhaps, comes with the territory…

Brought up in Michigan and trained at Juilliard in New York, Reaser has crossed our screens and radars in everything from comedies such as The Family Stone to blockbusters such as the Twilight series (in which she plays Esme Cullen) TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy to the period drama Sweet Land, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as best actress. At Kotur, we are lucky enough to work with her supporting FilmAid – a charity close to both our hearts for it’s use of film and media in education worldwide. A proud supporter of the initiative, Reaser has frequently carried our Limited edition FilmAid clutch to raise it’s profile. Beyond her work as an actress and in support of the charity, she is also extremely good company, the sort of woman you could talk anything from shop to shoes and back with, a Hollywood regular with a refreshingly down to earth approach and, quite simply, a lot of fun to be around. Here, she answers Kotur’s questions.

KOTUR: What’s in your make-up bag?

Elizabeth: Sunscreen, Giorgio Armani foundation, black mascara, blue-charcoal eyeliner, really old Chanel blush and translucent loose powder

K: Do you have a beauty secret?

Sunscreen, sleep and healthy food

What would be your desert island essentials?

A friend. And snacks.

What do you wear on a fat day?

Cozy dresses

How would your female friends describe your style?

I just texted my friend and she very kindly said, “relaxed chic”

What’s the most treasured item in your wardrobe?

A really soft sweatshirt someone left at my house in 7th grade

Is there anything in your wardrobe you should get rid of but can’t?

That same sweatshirt! I still don’t know whose it is.

What do you never leave home without?

The phone

Hot date night with your partner, what do you wear?

I try to throw some heels on and a comfortable dress.

When home alone, what do you wear?

It used to be a lot of sweatpants but now I’m more into a house dress.

What do you wear to bed?

A nightshirt

You’re the fashion police for a day, what do you ban?

Judgment!

Have you ever worn anything you now regret?

Yes, but I’ve blocked them all out!

How high is too high a heel?

Anything you can’t walk in. I love to walk.

How old is too old for jeans?

No rules.

If you could live in any other time for its fashion, when would you choose?

The 1930s

What is your most recent purchase?

A We Are Handsome bathing suit and black Gizeh birkenstocks

Can you judge a book by its cover?

I shouldn’t but I do, sometimes.

What are your bad habits?

Where do I begin?
What’s your greatest extravagance?

Travel, food and wine

What are your guilty pleasures?

Great food and wine. The internet.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

Work hard. Be nice.

What’s your favorite smell?

The ocean

What’s your idea of a great holiday?

Being in the water somewhere

What are you most proud of?

The work I’ve done on my life

What are you least proud of?

Time I’ve wasted.

What is your pure bliss?

Being in water.

Who or what would you like to be reincarnated as in your next life?

Beyonce looks like fun. Or Jack White

What would you eat for your last supper?

A cinnamon roll and some dry champagne. Or a great burrito and a margarita

If you could meet someone from history who would it be?

Anton Chekhov

Yes or no to a nip and a tuck?

Not for me

Do you have a favorite purse or bag?

My KOTUR Pearce FilmAid clutch!

On a scale of one-to-ten, how good looking are you?

Between a 5 and 7, depending on what town I’m in

How would you like to be remembered?

As kind and funny and a good actress

Picture: Elizabeth Reaser carries KOTUR at the premiere of The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn: Part 2, Hong Kong

As we embark on summer, we thought we’d highlight three Kotur Muses for you, three women who, when it comes to living life, know a thing or two about doing it with grace, style and a heavy dose of brilliant individuality as shown in our picks from their summer collections in the gallery above.  Stay tuned for more Muses throughout the summer months, but for now we will leave you with Tory Burch, Aerin Lauder and Jenna Lyons: true beacons of style, and women who do it all their very own way, and rather brilliantly. We hope you find as much inspiration both clicking through our current picks from their collections and reading their Kotur Muse questions as we do.

Read all of our Kotur Muses here

Pictures: Jenna Lyons, plus J Crew’s Looks we Love for summer available at www.jcrew.com

Aerin Lauder, small cream jewellery box $790 and Ram’s Murex Shell $340 both available here http://www.aerin.com/Objet/8,default,sc.html

Tory Burch and her Walton Pant and matching Tory tunic, plus her classic grosgrain fedora available at www.toryburch.com