Dress: Self-Portrait | Jacket: IRO; look for less here | Booties: Steve Madden, last year; very similar look here | Bag: CHANEL ‘medium’ BOY | Belt: Gucci (wearing a size 70 for reference)
Hey guys, Happy Sunday! I am back home, and it feels ah-may-zing! My trip to New York was one of the most incredible experiences in my life. I heard from well respected creative designers, CEO’s and founders of some of the top world brands in the fashion industry. It was literally story after story of inspiration that I will never forget. To hear what these people went through, gave up their lives for, worked relentlessly for hours and years for their dream was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Sam Edelman and Nili Lotan’s stories were 2 that stuck out to me.
Nili moved to NYC from Israel and thought she was coming here for her husband to go to school and they would move back as soon as he was done. They came here with nothing. Left their entire house back in Israel, all the memories, their cars, etc. She said they didn’t even have a cooking utensil when they came here. She started her brand and never looked back but continues to lead a simple, minimalistic lifestyle. Her fashion advice is to pick a few items that you need each season, and to stick with that. Not to over do it, but to buy only what you need. That advice resonated hard with me, as we live in a society of constant newness and things changing rapidly each day. You can check out her brand here. I am DEADDDD for these joggers and trying to find a way to justify getting them. HA!
The second designer that was incredibly inspiring was Sam Edelman and his wife, Libby. Sam worked for Espirit back in the 80’s and was a very influential partner in their success before he decided to start their own brand. He left work one day and called Libby and said that he wanted to quit his job and start a company. They went to look at apartments the next day, found one (a 2 BR without a stove), signed a lease and sold everything they had, including their cars. Sam walked in to their new apartment and said “Libby, there’s no stove.” She looked over and said, “well, there’s a hot plate and I can cook on that.” The level of respect and dedication that they have for each other and their company is something I will now strive for in my own life. Sam even said that both of their sons worked in the shoe department at Nordstrom. Such a cool story!
I know I’ll think of more as time goes on, but wanted to share those while they were fresh in my mind. I wore this look to the Theory showroom rooftop party one night, that was equally incredible. The founder and CEO, Andrew Rosen was gracious, humble and just as inspiring. I’ll share more about him in my next post, so stay tuned…
Thank you so much for reading! xoxo, Christian
Fit Tips & Sizing Info:
Self-Portrait runs small. I am wearing a size 2 dress and it fits snug, but perfectly. There is no give at all in these dresses. I would recommend sizing up 1-2 sizes in this brand, always. My jacket also runs a little small. I am wearing a size 36, which is about the equivalent of a 2. The leather stretches over time and molds to your body in the most perfect way!
