Hello from Naples, Florida!  As you know, if you've been reading my blog, I've been here in Naples for several days.  Yesterday, I decided to do a little shopping at the Ritz Carlton Beach Club Resort and met the most charming and beautiful woman in one of the shops.  She invited me to a fashion show and at the time, I thought it would just be a little diversion and a chance to get out of the sun for an hour or so, since my plan was to find a chair and enjoy being by the pool.  Turns out, it was an amazing experience to see beautiful clothing and jewelry designed by Julie Miles!  It also turns out that the woman I met in the shop was Julie Miles herself!  It was a beautiful day and the fashion show was held on the terrace overlooking the pool.  I fell in love with the clothing and jewelry and wanted to share it with you.  I also want to share more about the designer, Julie Miles.

"The Julie Miles Label is a brand with a passion for bending the rules of fashion and style. At it’s core is the premise of women blazing their own trails, and dressing in a spirit that defies convention that scoffs at the robotic styles offered by institutional brands."

Julie's passion and unstoppable spirit come from events in her life that have made her an extremely strong woman.  Shortly after her 47th birthday, she was diagnosed with stage 4 appendiceal cancer and also scleroderma, which is an autoimmune disease that can be life threatening.  She went through 24 weeks of chemotherapy and had 60% of her liver cut out.  In September of 2010, she was pronounced cancer free!!  

At this point, Julie was broke and started making necklaces and sold them to friends (that's the very short version, but see Julie's website for a more in depth version).  The story continues to today and Julie is making the most beautiful pearl jewelry and designing wearable and beautiful clothing made by artisans in India.  Her designs are worn by celebrities such as Maria Shriver, Katie Couric and Kelly Ripa!

I love this quote from Julie:

"They say the pearl is an autobiography of an oyster; out of something so ugly comes such incredible beauty.  This was, literally, the most perfect metaphor for what I had just gone through." 

Julie says that cancer taught her about life and love and that everyday is a gift.  After learning her story, I think her designs are even more beautiful.  Meeting her and learning about her was a gift to me.  I am inspired by her strength and willingness to persevere!  Read more about Julie and see her designs on her website, Julie Miles.

Julie, pictured below in a beautiful dress that she designed and absolutely dripping with her amazing pearl jewelry!

It would be hard to say what my favorite piece of clothing was, but these shorts are high on the list!  They go anywhere from the pool to a casual dinner and I think they are a resort wear must have!

This caftan is an example of the bright colors that are Julie's signature!

As you can see from the age range of the models, this clothing is for everyone!

Julie's brother was there to lend support and show off some of the clothing from the Men's shop at the Ritz Carlton!

Julie, surrounded by the models wearing her beautiful clothing and jewelry!

I didn't get many close up shots of the jewelry yesterday...I didn't even expect to be taking pictures, but thank goodness I threw my camera in my bag at the last minute!  Follow along with me today on Instagram as I share more pictures of Julie's jewelry!

The adventure that I had yesterday at the fashion show comes at a very significant time!  Monday is Forever Fierce Day!  Forever Fierce Day is a day to celebrate empowered women at midlife.  It is a celebration of vitality, power and wisdom of the midlife woman.  On Monday, 50 women bloggers are coming together and sharing blogposts with interviews of hundreds of women from all over the globe.  Be sure to be part of this campaign to read the diverse stories about what makes women fierce in midlife!  I am pleased to announce that I am one of the 50 bloggers and I can't wait to share my post on Monday!  If you haven't already, be sure to join the Facebook group Forever Fierce - The Midlife Revolution and join the conversation to celebrate Fierce Women at Midlife!  I think that Julie Miles is a perfect example of being fierce at midlife!

Thank you Julie, for making yesterday a very special day for me!