MOST Magazine Celebrity OCT'15 ISSUE NO.1 | Page 95

I was lucky in my life to crown two of
my friends and both of whom I dressed
by bringing them up to Jovani, helping
them pick their dresses. Over the
years I’d go up there to visit, and they
were truly like family to me, and Saul
and Abraham used to hold my boys
and play with them. I loved them all.
But then we moved to Florida, and
I hadn’t seen them in about 20 years,
until just recently.

by Norieta Stephanos
of My Crowning Closet

F

ormer Mrs. New Jersey and Mrs.
American Queen, Norieta Stephanos,
started off dressing her friends and
fellow pageant contestants and is now
the owner of My Crowning Closet
in Jupiter, Florida, providing high
quality gorgeous evening wear for prom
queens and pageant winners. She sat
down with MOST Fashion Magazine
to tell us how it was all because
of one designer who changed her life and
inspired her to follow her dreams.
Jacob was like a father to me. I
actually wound up in his showroom by
accident when I was looking for another
gown designer in a building with my
friend. We got off the elevator, and I
looked in the window of a showroom
and was like, “Oh my god , you have to
be kidding me!” And it turned out it was
Jovani. He kind of took me under his
wing, and he just would not let me leave
without this blue dress. I had said to
him, “So what do you think? Should I do
this pageant?” He told me, “Remember

how big your heart is, keep it with you,
and with my gown you’re going to win.”

And I did! (Mrs. New Jersey) And he
had my picture on his desk until he
died. He had two young sons, a little
younger than me, and I used to go up
there once a week and bring other girls.

It was at the market in Atlanta where
we go every year and look at all the
designers and put your orders in.
I happened to be coming up these long
winding stairs on the last day, and my
purse was falling off and I was laughing
at myself, when I saw Abraham, one
of