State of grace

Actress, producer and entrepreneur Tracee Ellis Ross has been dubbed the poster child of many things. But she'd prefer to be the face of living life on your own terms - even though it's not an easy ride.

- CHRISTI NORTIER

"I like to wear the clothes rather than have the clothes wear me, and I know when something feels good." That's Tracee's philosophy in fashion and, seemingly, in life too. She's wearing life, and she's very intentional about it - who she hangs out with, how she represents herself online, her acting roles and the kind of business she does.

But she's the first to admit that she did not "wake up like this" - in fact, that Beyoncé song was "challenging" for her. It took her years to build this life and to live it with confidence - and now that she's in her 50s, Tracee feels she's only just got to the best bit yet, she shared during an interview with The Guardian. "I have struggled with perfectionism," she admits, “and now I shun it. I want to be in a relationship with myself as I am."

THE ROSS RESIDENCE

If the cascading curls and grace didn't give it away, then you might be surprised to hear that Tracee is the daughter of the Diana Ross. But she was taught from a young age that having a superstar for a mother was not a free ticket. "I've always been taught that you work for the things you want," she told The Guardian. "My mom always joked: 'I'm not leaving you guys any of this money. I made this money for me! I'll make sure there's a roof over your head. You can have health insurance and food. But other than that...' I mean, I had a job in high school. I worked as a salesperson at Ralph Lauren. My mom was like, 'If you want to keep buying those clothes, you're going to have to figure out how to pay for them.' There was a commitment on her part to a normalcy that I have taken into my adult life."

Tracee attended prestigious schools in Switzerland and France, and grew up around her family's famous friends such as Andy Warhol, Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye.