HAT A FUN SHOOT we had with Stacie J.! She has such a great personality and made the day quite enjoyable for all of us. We saw a totally different Stacie than what was portrayed on The Apprentice (the real story is only a page away) and thoroughly enjoyed her company.
   Her phone did not stop ringing throughout the shoot—she is a very busy lady, juggling her business, acting and public appearances!
   The amount of jewellery we had there was insane, in the ball park of US$1 million, including designs from Leora Abdolazadeh, Baby Phat Fine Jewelry by Kimora Lee Simmons and Chris Aire. Jon Moe, our photographer, who also shot last month’s Lucire cover, did an incredible job shooting her, and Brad Batory, our stylist, kept us all laughing throughout the day.
   Hair was by Carrie Fernow of Cutler Salon, which has had a long association with Lucire (from the days when it was Arrojo Cutler). Kristie Taylor from Canyon Ranch did the nails, including some extreme ones.
   We had Stacie for around three to four hours, all told, before she had to hop off on her next appointment.—JT

Creative capital: speaking with Stacie J.

EBRASKA-BORN, Colorado-raised and New York-based Stacie J. has been out on the US west coast filming: unlike most Apprentice contestants, she remains visible, with film roles and modelling assignments. She was listed with Ford Models prior to The Apprentice. As we chatted, she was planning to fly out of Los Angeles, and we were interrupted every now and then by her need to sort out tickets with the airline clerk.
   Stacie J. is a stylish woman, with her look described by her as ‘very New York and edgy. I dressed funkier, edgier than anyone on the show. Having your own sense of style and developing it is something that’s very, very important. I’ve been influenced by the fashion industry—I’ve been modelling since I was a kid.’ Roberto Cavalli (whom she loves), Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gucci are her favourites. ‘And I love thrift-store shopping. You can find some funky, vintage stuff.’ Her only faux pas was a purchase that she thought resembled a ‘gorilla jacket’.
   My next question was about her business, since she had been on The Apprentice. One thing that never seems to be stressed on Mr Trump’s show is social responsibility in business, something I have campaigned strongly for with my own clients and with this magazine. While Stacie found it important, and there was scope for it, she wanted to highlight the topic of race.
   I was already quite appalled in my research to find that Stacie J. was being compared to Omarosa, an African–American from the first season of The Apprentice. The only reason the comparison was made was because of race. Yet these were obviously two very different women. It is as invalid as comparisons made between Maori comedians Mike King and the late Billy T. James: if both were Caucasian no comparison would be drawn, for they are as distinct as Rowan Atkinson and Benny Hill.
   Her idea of social responsibility was addressing the sort of inequality that still persists in the United States. ‘For me, I think of me employing African–Americans in my community. My store is in Harlem [across from President Clinton’s office on 125th Street], and in America, it’s very hard for African–Americans in general. We don’t have as high an education as our Caucasian mainstream counterparts. A lot of African–American men are in jail. A lot of families are completely disrupted through divorce. My social responsibility comes in to my community, which is an African–American [one]. I employ young kids. Everyone who works for me is teenage, from 16 to 19. My responsibility is to keep them focused, have a job, stay in school and get them the most education that they can get.’—JY

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: Stacie J. on the cover of Lucire July 2005: bracelets by Judith Ripka; necklaces by Kimora Lee Simmons, and rope ring by Crown Gems. Make-up: eyes: The eyeshadow used was LORAC Portable Paints in Bare/Buff. The eyeliner was LORAC Cream Eyeliner Collection 1. Inner eyeliner was MAC Smolder. Mascara was Lancôme Flextencils. Cheeks: DuWop BlushTherapy in Vivaldi. Lips: Cargo Ipanema. TOP: Leora Abdolazadeh 14K white gold with 8·50 cts of round and pear cabouchon rose-cut natural colour black diamonds, and 12·49 cts of rose-cut natural light champaign color diamonds. Retail US$16,785. ABOVE: Leora Abdolazadeh14K white gold chandelier necklace and earring set with 10·81 cts of natural black cabouchon rose-cut diamonds and 8·69 cts of white rose-cut diamonds. Retail $16,085. Make-up on eyes: MAC paint in Shimma, Cargo shadow in Qatar. On cheeks, Cargo blush in Cable Beach. Lips in LORAC Pro 9 Collection 1.

Jessica Tarazi is Director of Beauty (New York) for Lucire. Jack Yan is founding publisher of Lucire.

Stacie J. appears on E!’s Kill Reality, débuting July 25, 2005 at 10 p.m. EDT/PDT, and in the horror film The Scorned, scheduled for a September 2005 broadcast on E!.

Visit Stacie J.’s official site