Flower Girl

Rachel juggles her full-time job as a copywriter in an advertising firm with her part-time passion of floral styling. Things can get pretty hectic for Rachel, she admits, but she seems to have found a way to make time for everything and everyone. “Most of my weekends are spent doing floral styling, so I do find it hard to juggle personal time and work, but I try to get my family and friends involved in projects I have so that we can spend quality time together creating something,” she says. “I do believe that it’s really about putting in the effort — even if it means waking up earlier on a Saturday just to have a cup of coffee with your parents before crashing again.” As tiring as it sounds, she still derives joy from both worlds — she likes the challenge of coming up with creative solutions to address business needs, she says, while her free time is spent experimenting with flowers if she isn’t watching films, traveling, reading, cooking, or doing yoga. If she could, however, she’d love to be a full-time floral stylist with her own farm. “But if money was really not an issue, I would like a tea plantation with a cat and a huge library,” she says. “I am an avid, or, some say insane, book collector — I have about 500 books on my bookshelf at last count.” Rachel’s inspirations are as eclectic as her sense of style. “I think dressing up should never be at the expense of comfort,” she says. “My wardrobe is filled with bohemian pieces and classics of clean silhouettes — a little schizophrenic.” We see that in her outfit today: there’s a whiff of bohemian charm in the swept-up hair, the oversized earrings, the brown leather boots and bag, and the warm, rustic colour palette of her simple shift dress. There’s a laidback cool to Rachel that she seems to get from the people around her. “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with,” she says. “I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by people who inspire and help me learn something new every day.”