.215 Raissa Bretaña

A day with Raissa is a day filled with bright and vibrant colors. The shine likely comes from her fabulous coat or shoes, or even her hand-painted nails, but most of all it comes from her wonderful self and personality. Raissa is a unique mixture of elegance, honesty, beauty and tenacity that make her such a fun and stimulating friend and human to be around.

We met at … The Met, and I was genuinely struck by her fashion and knowledge about the topic itself. Raissa has this wonderful ability to teach and invite you in to the universe of information that she has worked so hard to be an expert in. Her drive and extremely impressive work ethic run on a parallel track to her kind and compassionate nature, and I sincerely have enjoyed every moment we’ve spent together. She tells stories almost as well as she “exits stage left” and her overall presence is a force of strength, resilience and grace. Perhaps my favorite moments with Raissa, however, have not been in fancy clothing or museum galleries; they have instead been in the Mermalair or at our place with great cocktails in hand, chatting honestly about life, and enjoying her magical energy and company.

Raissa, thank you for being such a larger than life person who inspires me with her ambition and willingness to work hard. Thank you for your contagious laugh and fabulous lip stick and for being such a pleasure to be around. Thank you for giving Kaz so much joy, too, because as we all know, seeing him happy is, well, wonderful. Thank you for your wit and sharp mind and for always knowing how to make me laugh. Thank you, Raissa, for being you.

-BD