Kate Bennett, fashion editor at Washingtonian

Do you have any get-stuff-done secrets during the summer doldrums?
"Yes — one. "Street Life" by Randy Crawford. Volume up. If you're not motivated and feeling like a badass by the time the horns kick in on the bridge, the doldrums have won."

How do you stay motivated and on track?
"I'm in a deadline-driven business, and I happen to love my job, so it's not difficult for me to stay on top of all of the things I have to do, even in the summer. Plus, I have the added bonus of covering trends that are a few months out — so in the summer, I'm looking at everything for the fall season. Plotting outfits and themes that will look chic when it's chilly tends to put a little cool-weather fantasy into summertime heat. If I can envision it, I forget that it's a billion degrees. For whatever reason, that seems to work.

A lot of times, when things are tough or I'm feeling really bored and blah, or when I'm faced with a work dilemma, I ask myself WWKMD? Or, What Would Kate Moss Do? I'm not sure if Kate Moss wouldn't just throw in the towel and play hooky on some island somewhere, but it's fun to put her in different situations and sort of daydream how she might tackle certain issues — I can see some pretty cool adventures with KM fighting summer blues."


Photo: Courtesy of Kate Bennett/Andrew Propp