Rachel Zoe

No one lived and breathed fashion quite like Rachel Zoe. As the ultimate stylist to the stars, Zoe transformed Hollywood's A-list into sartorial goddesses on the red carpet, with the help of designer gowns, jewelry and expensive footwear. Once an easy tabloid target for her "anorexic" frame and for allegedly handing out diet pills to clients so they could lose weight, Zoe developed a tough skin and addressed such rumors on her hit reality series, "The Rachel Zoe Project" (Bravo, 2008-13). The program followed Zoe's every move - from her style studio in L.A. to the runways of New York and Paris - and revealed a lighthearted side few outsiders knew she possessed. Apart from making popular several Zoe-like exclamations - including "That's bananas!" and "I die!"- the frenetic program humanized her and expanded the Rachel Zoe business empire to include equally successful ventures in media and retail branding.

Rachel Zoe Rosenzweig was born on Sept. 1, 1971 in New York City and raised in Short Hills, NJ. The future celebrity stylist was exposed to contemporary art and high fashion at an early age, thanks to her mother's vast collection of vintage clothing and jewelry. Zoe studied sociology and psychology at George Washington University, where she met Rodger Berman, whom she married in 1996. Prior to launching her career as a stylist, Zoe worked for fashion and lifestyle magazines, including Gotham and YM.

After spending a few years in New York, Zoe moved to Los Angeles, where her love of Old Hollywood glamour and high fashion truly intersected. She began her career dressing pop stars such as Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, but soon found herself styling top actresses for high profile events. One of her first clients, actress Jennifer Garner, made fashion history at the 2004 Academy Awards in a fiery orange Valentino gown that topped Best Dressed lists for years to come. After that iconic moment, Zoe styled numerous A-listers like Demi Moore, Cameron Diaz and Anne Hathaway, as well as supermodels Naomi Campbell and Jessica Stam.

Zoe also earned the respect of the fashion world, where designers from Marc Jacobs to Oscar de la Renta consistently sent her couture fresh off the runway to dress her clients. She appeared as a guest judge on two hit fashion-centric series, "Project Runway" (Bravo, 2004-08; Lifetime, 2008- ) and "America's Next Top Model" (UPN, 2003-06; The CW, 2006- ), before releasing her guidebook in October 2007 titled Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty, and Everything Glamour. Zoe added best-selling author to her résumé after the book ended up on the prestigious New York Times bestseller list. Yet her surge in popularity was not free of controversy, which began shortly after her client, notorious socialite Nicole Richie, fired Zoe in 2006.

There were rampant rumors that Zoe allegedly offered her clients Clenbuterol, originally an equine asthma treatment, as a diet pill. Zoe was also accused of taking the pills herself and that her petite frame was a result of anorexia. She denied the claims that she gave diet pills and drugs to clients, and also set the record straight during a 2008 Black Book magazine interview that she had never done drugs.

That same year, Zoe produced and starred on "The Rachel Zoe Project," where viewers had a glimpse of the glamorous yet stressful world of styling celebrities and supermodels. The series also featured her husband and business partner Berman, as well as her hardworking yet often bickering staff. Nicknamed "Team Zoe," her fashion associates - the bow-tie wearing Brad Goreski and the ever-grumpy Taylor Jacobson - assisted Zoe with styling for magazine and ad campaign shoots, personal shopping for clients, and dressing her A-listers for awards shows. Now with a perfect forum to clear the air, Zoe addressed the rumors about her alleged drug history, her falling out with Richie and fellow party girl Lindsay Lohan, and even her marital problems on the top-rated show. Along the way, Zoe's quirky and catchy signature phrases, including "I die," "Lit-er-al-ly" and "That's bananas!" won over viewers.

Ever the businesswoman, Zoe parlayed the show's success into expanding her brand in 2009, launching an accessories line on QVC and partnering with online retail company Piperlime.com. When the third season of "The Rachel Zoe Project" premiered in August 2003, one member of Zoe's camp was noticeably missing - Jacobson. During the season premiere, Zoe and her team made veiled references to Jacobson possibly stealing money and high-end merchandise from the company, which led to her dismissal. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly after the episode aired, Jacobson denied any wrongdoing on her part, but also confirmed she was not returning to the series.