Ep. 110/ Fashion Stylist Liz Teich Creates Your Dream Closet From What You Own
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Fashion stylist, style expert and sustainability advocate Liz Teich shares incredible tips on how to create your dream closet using what you already own, and helps you reinvent outfits with existing wardrobe pieces, ensuring that every look feels fresh and new. Liz also dishes insider secrets from the fashion world, revealing that what you see isn’t always reality - so don’t compare yourself to those models! She also shares insights into how she’s grown her social media following to 500,000 followers and how it’s likewise grown her business. Liz and Kim both share their backgrounds as jewelry designers in the past and the excitement (and challenges) of building a design company.
Liz has been featured in publications such as Forbes, InStyle, DailyMail, Women’s Health, USA Today, CNN, NY Post, and Better Homes & Gardens and had styled for Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Target and celebrities like Ashley Graham. Through the campaigns she’s worked on she’s styled celebrities including Mike Tyson, Tom Brady, Ashley Graham. Liz's journey is a testament to the power of passion and creativity. She discusses her career pivots and how staying true to her passions has always led her back to creativity and fulfillment. Leaving the corporate world behind proved to be a fantastic decision for her, enabling her to leverage social media effectively for client engagement and business growth. You’ll also hear about a bizarre and entertaining moment she had with Mike Tyson.
In this episode you will learn:
Pivoting is crucial for moving forward happily. - 10:36
Liz gives styling tricks to enhance your style and wardrobe - 20:44
Lis shares some awkward styling photos and her strange moment with Mike Tyson. - 45:40
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In her interview with Kim Rittberg on the Exit Interview Podcast, Liz Teich shares invaluable insights into the fashion and styling industry. She emphasizes the importance of creating your dream closet using what you already own, highlighting that you don’t need to constantly buy new items to look fashionable. Liz delves into the often deceptive nature of the styling industry, revealing that what you see isn’t always reality and advising against comparing oneself to models. She also offers practical tips and tricks on how to refresh and reinvent outfits with existing wardrobe pieces, ensuring that every look feels fresh and new.
Liz's journey is a testament to the power of passion and creativity. She discusses her career pivots and how staying true to her passions has always led her back to creativity. Leaving the corporate world proved to be a fantastic decision for her, enabling her to leverage social media effectively for client engagement and business growth. The episode also features some entertaining and weird moments with Mike Tyson.
In this episode you will learn:
Pivoting is crucial for moving forward happily. - 10:36
Liz gives styling tricks to enhance your style and wardrobe - 20:44
Lis shares some awkward styling photos and embarrassing moments. - 45:40
Quotes:
"It's so crucial to understand the impact of fast fashion—it's not just wasteful; it's toxic. We need to make conscious fabric choices and embrace recycling options to truly minimize our environmental footprints."
"People often overlook the potential of their current wardrobe. By tailoring clothes to fit our changing bodies and extending their life through small adjustments, we can refresh our style without constantly buying new items."
"Pivoting in my career has taught me that sometimes you need to take steps back to move forward. It's all about following your passion and being open to new opportunities, even if it means starting over."
Inside Secrets from the Fashion World: "Models wear heels, or they go on their tippy toes when they're wearing swimwear, because it changes your whole body. So even if we're shooting from the waist up, models will ask for heels just because it changes, like, your whole posture, how you're sitting or standing."
BIO:
Liz Teich is a New York based fashion stylist, style creator for The New York Stylist, on-air style expert, mom of two, and sustainability advocate.
As a professional commercial stylist for over 15 years, she has styled fashion and home goods for major brands and retailers including Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Target, and ESPN. Through the campaigns she’s worked on she’s styled celebrities including Mike Tyson, Tom Brady, Ashley Graham, and the cast of Stranger Things. She has been featured in publications such as Forbes, InStyle, DailyMail, Women's Health, USA Today, CNN, NY Post, and Better Homes & Gardens.
After styling bloggers for an ad campaign, she launched her own blog and Instagram. This also led her to create a popular personal styling service called “The Closet Refresh™” and through her services and platforms, she teaches women how to get the most of what they already have in their closet and to shop smarter, in a more thoughtful and sustainable way.
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LIZ’S LINKS:
Liz’ site The New York Stylist
Kim (00:02):
Get ready to be inspired because Liz Teich joins us. She is a fashion stylist and expert. She shares incredible tips on how you can get your dream closet with what you already have. She's all about sustainability, and she shares how she built up a business that's heavily based on social media and her professional pivots, including quitting corporate and her past life as a jewelry designer just like me, plus a really weird moment that she shared with Mike Tyson.
(00:31):
Welcome to the Exit interview with Kim Rittberg. Do you work for yourself and want to supercharge your business while still having fun? Well, this is your go-to podcast part MBA Part Cheer Squad. Every week I'll be joined by top business owners who share the secrets to their success. After I found myself working during childbirth true story, I quit my executive media job to bet on myself fighting the fear and imposter syndrome to eventually earn six awards, an in-demand speaking career and features in Fast Company and Business Insider. Now, I'm here to celebrate all you rock stars betting on yourself, and I want to help you win. Tune in every Wednesday to hear from remarkable founders and don't miss our Solo Friday episodes, a treasure trove of video and podcasting mini masterclasses with me. Exit the Grind, enter success on your own terms. Don't forget to subscribe today and grab my free video tips at my website, kimrittberg.com.
(01:32):
I am really, really excited. I've been wanting to bring Liz on for many, many months since finally we're chatting. I'm very excited. Liz Teich is a New York based fashion stylist style creator for the New York Stylist on air style expert mom of two and sustainability advocate as a professional commercial stylist for over 15 years. She has styled fashion and home goods for major brands and retailers, including Marshalls, TJ Maxx, target, and ESPN. Through the campaign she's worked on, she styled celebrities like Mike Tyson, Tom Brady, Ashley Graham, and the cast of Stranger Things. She's been featured in publications such as Forbes, in Style, daily Mail, women's Health, USA Today, CNN, New York Post and Better Homes and Gardens. After styling bloggers for an ad campaign, she launched her own blog and Instagram. This also led her to create a popular personal styling service called The Closet Refresh. And through her services and platforms, she teaches women how to get the most of what they already have in their closet and to shop smarter in a more thoughtful and sustainable way. Liz, I'm so excited to have you.
Liz (02:27):
Thanks, Kim. Thanks for having me. It's so funny because you're always preaching about bragging and telling everything, and I'm cringing listening to you talk about my bio, but it's pretty amazing while I've accomplished through the years. So thank you.
Kim (02:42):
And it is important you hear it and you're like, that person's done. Good stuff. Wow. I think sometimes when you hear someone introduce you, you're like, I should brag more. I've done pretty big things.
Liz (02:54):
Yeah, you're right. And I wish I did more.
Kim (02:57):
Oh, you wish you bragged more.
Liz (02:58):
I wish I bragged more. I mean, I also wish I did more. I mean, we all do. That's driving us. All right,
Kim (03:05):
I love that. So there's several things I want to talk about with you today. So one is for everyone. Liz shifted from I love Pivot. So Liz shifted from being a commercial stylist and now she's a personal stylist for people across the country. And I just think this world of deciding something's not working for you and figuring it out on your own is this kind of new thing that's different than years ago with a mom and pop shop. So I want to talk to you about your path from commercial stylist to helping individual people will get into your fashion tips. I personally want your your fashion tips, and then I'd love to talk about social media. For anyone who's not following Liz, she has the most dreamy and useful feed, which I just love following. It's such a resource. So I first want to start with how did you go from being a commercial stylist? And maybe you can explain to people what does that mean and then how you started doing it for individuals.
Liz (03:56):
Well, I have to go back to the fact that you said about pivoting. I think I'm the queen of pivoting, which is so funny because my dad worked in the same job for 45 years and has a pension, and that was the thing that I knew. And so for me to go from a cushy job, I actually started my career as an art director in advertising. And much like you were working for a company and then all of a sudden was like, this is not where I want to spend my time. I want to work for myself, and I wanted to be more creative. I felt like I was kind of wasting my ability to create while I was sitting in a cubicle and doing the same thing every day. And my favorite part of being creative was being with people, creating on photo shoots and being on sets and seeing my ideas come to fruition.
(04:44):
And so I decided to quit advertising, and it was such a scary thing because I would've had this really cushy job for the rest of my life. But I started from scratch at 25. I said, I want to be a stylist. I always wanted to work in fashion. I interned in fashion, I freelanced in fashion before I even got into advertising. So it was kind of innate to me to just make this move. But then when I did it, it was so scary because I had no experience and I, no, I was starting from scratch. I contacted everybody I could, and I said, I will work for you for free, and I just want to learn the ropes and get out there. And so I did that. And while I was doing that, I was also freelancing for the company that I interned for while I was just kind of getting out there.
(05:34):
And so I at least had some kind of income, but it wasn't enough. So I also, which was so crazy, I decided to open a jewelry line that I was handmaking. So I would work all day on photo shoots at night. I would hand make all this jewelry, and I think we talked about our jewelry businesses together, and I was selling it at markets on the weekends. So I literally was working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and just to kind of hustle and it was all kind of taking off at once. My jewelry was, the celebrities are buying it. I was custom making jewelry for Quest Love and was on, he wore it on the Tonight Show when he got to meet Obama. And I thought it was so cool. At one point, a model I worked with, and I was an assistant on a photo shoot, she asked me, so what do you want to focus on?
(06:16):
What are you going to do for the rest of your life? Do you want to do jewelry? Do you want to do styling? Do you want to, oh, and at that point, I think I was also blogging, and she's like, what are you doing? And I was like, I want to do it all. I didn't know that maybe I should focus on one thing. And it's so hard when you have so many interests and passions. So I ended up, when my styling career took off, I ended up quitting my jewelry, unfortunately and putting that on the back burner for now. So I was working, I got signed with an agent. I was working for major brands and retailers and huge ad campaigns that you probably have seen and working with celebrities, and it was so exciting, but I wasn't feeling fulfilled and I was finding myself, how exciting is it to style somebody who looks beautiful all the time, and I want to help real people and make a change and make a difference.
(07:06):
When I was blogging and going on Instagram, I started connecting with women around the world that were asking me for my fashion advice. And that's part of why I started blogging and doing Instagram. I wanted to connect to people on a deeper level and say, Hey, this is my experience and knowledge. People need to know this. I want to share it. So it came from a place of authenticity and also just to advertise my styling. And it's crazy that my Instagram took off and it became really an essential part of my business, and it's how I find my clients. It's the number one driver for my clients. Second to Google referrals as well. I was styling for years and then I realized that I should help other women, and I was doing that kind of on the side, and then it kind of took off on its own and just became its own thing.
(07:56):
And I was like, I need to focus on this. And now I have clients all over the world. I do virtual sessions, I do in-person sessions, so I have clients as far as New Zealand and Switzerland and Canada and all over. So it's really exciting, but it kind of all led me to this place and all these different pivots, and I feel like I'm still finding room to grow and pivot again. Right now, I just started taking on associates because I am booked more than I can keep up with, so I'm expanding in that realm. So I don't know where my business is taking me, but it's really exciting and I'm always open to pivot.
Kim (08:36):
Oh, I love that. There's so many things that I want to dive into that you just said. So one thing I thought is so interesting, so for listeners, Liz and I both separately had side hustle jewelry businesses, and my experience like Liz was sharing how she was working 24 7. My experience was that I started my jewelry business after I backpacked for a year, two years after college. So I came back for my backpacking year and I was like, I want to start this jewelry business. But I was like, I didn't have the structure or the discipline, and I really had started only selling to a few stores, so I didn't have enough money. So I started working in TV at the exact same time. So as my TV career was growing from being a junior person to a booker to associate producer, and then I was interviewing people on red carpets, interviewing experts, starting to learn to write for tv.
(09:20):
At that same time, my jewelry got selected to show in Bloomingdale's and Henry Bendell and so on the weekends. So I would be a TV producer during the week, very intense job. And then on the weekends I would stand in Henry Bendle and then later Bloomingdale's from nine in the morning till six at night. And so I worked seven days a week, definitely in the holiday season for sure, seven days a week for basically five weeks at a time. And one thing that I think about for the pivots is now that I'm older, a little older, a little wiser, I think that to your point of I have stopped designing jewelry for now is exactly the right way to say it. I still have my jewelry website up toasted on Squarespace and why not? And I'm like, if you want a custom piece, and once a year I try to make something with my hands, I try to do something artistic, but I love your attitude of I closed it for now.
(10:10):
It's like who knows where the world will take us. If you have creativity or passion, you don't even have to be creative. If you have passion for something, it will always come back in some way. And so I like your attitude about it. I talk about pivoting. I'm on year two of, I've been doing this podcast for over two years. So I talk so much about pivoting with all different people, and I like the idea of there's not a closed door unless you burn a bridge and you burn it down. There's no closed door. So there's always a way to go back at a different time.
Liz (10:36):
That's so true. And it's so important to keep that in mind because without pivoting, if you don't kind of take two steps back, sometimes you don't move forward. And so I think it's always important to have that perspective. And actually the best advice I got when I did the same thing as when I quit my cushy nine to five job, actually it wasn't nine to five, it was like nine to nine because that's the way advertising was. But I quit and I traveled across country with my now husband, and we stopped in San Francisco to go see a cousin of mine who owned a huge fashion company. And I was like, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. And she's like, I have to tell you, I was 25 and at a crossroads. And she's like, I have to tell you, everybody, by a certain point in my life, maybe around 30, 35, they all decided to quit and work for themselves. And they're so much happier. I mean, not to say that working for, if you're very happy in a job that you love, then that's great, but that for me, I think that was just in my DNA, it worked for my cousin, it worked for me, and I think it was so nice to have that mindset. She also ended up quitting her company, which was super successful. It was called Chakin, a Capone, then it turned into Chakin and it was the number one place to get black pants in the nineties. Oh,
Kim (11:55):
Black pants. I love a good
Liz (11:56):
Pair of, I know who doesn't, black
Kim (11:57):
Pants with platform shoes with a tube top.
Liz (12:01):
And she was selling out in Barney's and she was in all the magazines. It was amazing. But I think she got burnt out and ended up quitting. And she's saying never say never. She's not going to do it right now, but she's working on other things right now. So I kind of just followed her lead in that. And I think that's why I have that mentality of it's not right now, but maybe in the future, I decided because I was just like, I was unable to keep up with all my orders for all the boutiques and everything because I was so busy. So I was like, I'm not doing the jewelry right now, but maybe I will have it manufactured. So pre pandemic, I was going to the jewelry district and working with a guy who, or a company that they were manufacturing for David Yurman and they were amazing. And I was ready to, I had all the samples ready, ready to go, and then the pandemic happened. So it was kind of like all these curve balls. I think it was a blessing in disguise. It helped me focus my business in a different direction.
Kim (13:01):
Yeah, it's interesting. I stopped doing the jewelry because my media career was rising. I was becoming a producer in tv and then eventually I ended up launching the video unit for US Weekly. And all of these jobs were just, they're really full, full-time jobs. And I think that at that point when I was in jewelry, it was like you had to go towards more expensive. My jewelry was in the middle, and so you had to go to much more expensive diamonds or really low end and manufacture in China. I didn't want to do the manufacture in China under a hundred dollars, but I wasn't necessarily ready to do 5,000, 3000, $10,000 jewelry. And I was like, you know what? This was really fulfilling. My jewelry was featured in Women's Wear Daily, it was worn by celebrities. It's been in Bloomingdale's, like I'm proud of myself and it's not quitting to say this season has wrapped, I'm going to move on to the next season.
(13:51):
I think that it's also important people are like, oh, you're not doing jewelry anymore. I'm like, sometimes I spend the summers in the North Fork and there are all these amazing stores here and amazing creatives. And one person was like, oh, if you ever want to sell your jewelry in here. And my husband and I were like, I don't know. It's enough to be splitting my time between parenting, running a business, and then also just breathing and just enjoying sometimes a bike ride by yourself. And so I think that there are seasons for everything, and that season has wrapped. I try to do an art project every once in a while. I've shown it in a gallery actually last year, which was exciting. But I think you don't have to set aside creativity forever. You can just do it. And I think for you, you work in fashion.
(14:29):
So I bet that jewelry will come back in a collaboration or in a fashion way where maybe not all the work is on you. What people don't realize about these things that sound glamorous is like all the work is on you. But anyway, I want to get to fashion tips because I am so enamored by what you post on social media. Every post is very, very useful and full of great advice, but also really beautiful. I don't want to phrase this wrong, this isn't about fashion, but what do you see for the women you work with across the country? What would you say the biggest mistake they're doing is?
Liz (15:01):
Oh, wow. I think the biggest mistake I would say is that people aren't utilizing what they own. And everyone is so quick to buy new things without taking a look at what they have. And so my goal, even if I wasn't to get paid for this, I just want people to know that they don't need as much as they think and they don't need to keep buying things and they need to look at their closet in a different way. And I see it. Even yesterday, I had a client who she was so excited, she was like, I think I'm going to tell my husband that I'm going to need a whole new wardrobe. You guys are going to tell me that I need to throw everything away. And it turned out she needed maybe one thing, like a black belt and maybe a black blazer.
(15:43):
It was so simple and she actually didn't need as much as she thought. And it was because she wasn't looking at different ways to style things. She wasn't looking at tailoring. We had about four bags of things that I showed her ways to tailor so she could wear them. And I think that's part of why fast fashion has become so popular is because people aren't looking at the things that they have and saying, how do we make this work for the longevity of my closet? So I think that's the biggest mistake, and it's something that is an easy fix.
Kim (16:15):
Interesting. So I'm right now in the middle of a, not fashion refresh, but literally redoing my closet and they basically shamed me into getting rid of a lot of things. And I was like, I haven't worn this in several years. Valid. So I have a multiple part question. What items should we get rid of? And then what should we keep that you feel we can tweak or refresh or recycle? What's the stay and what's the go?
Liz (16:40):
So my number one thing is if it doesn't make you happy, it doesn't make you feel good, then let's get rid of it. But it's why maybe it is that you need tailoring. Maybe it is that it needs the right styling piece. Maybe it's that you just don't know how to wear it. So I am not so quick to get rid of things. My goal is actually to save everything. There's a reason why you bought everything in your closet, and I want to see why it's not working. Other things that I'm quick to get rid of are things that are pretty much not great quality made from polyester and that you don't feel great in that makes you sweat because it's that synthetic fabric. But if it's done well, then let's keep it. Let's hang onto it and let's elevate it in different ways. And then other things.
(17:25):
I'm not one to say, oh, you can't do skinny jeans because they're out or whatever. Fashion is cyclical. I don't believe in getting rid of things because they're out of style. I believe in getting rid of it if you would never do it again. So a lot of people are hanging onto their skinny jeans or things that maybe they've done 10 years ago and they're like, maybe it'll come back. But look at it, the rise is as big as your pinky. You're not going to wear it again. So things like that. But generally, I think we can save most things in our closet. And the biggest thing I see is people don't know how to upkeep with their clothes. And that's something that you can easily learn and you can easily save a lot of money because if you're going to resold your shoes, you're going to clean them. You can actually look like you have new shoes and you don't need to buy new sneakers every season. They got dirty.
Kim (18:15):
So I love these ideas. And by the way, I recently, there's two things that I have learned personally. A, I should spend more money on brass. But anyway, B, I saw a picture I in the summer, I have a great wardrobe of lots of dresses. I love dresses. I saw a picture of myself last year on a field trip with my kid and I looked so schlumpy and I was like, Ew, what am I wearing? It was like, the brands were fine. I was wearing sneakers obviously, cause I'm out with my kid, it just looked wrong. I went to Bergdorf's or something like that in New York that I don't normally shop at. It's higher. And then I normally would, and I just was like, help me get a couple of new pairs of jeans and also help me. What do I need to do? And she's like, A belt shirt's tucked in.
(18:52):
I'm curvy. I have an hourglass figure. And so tuck in your shirts, wear a belt, cinch things. I was like, you're right. And to your point, I did not need to throw out a lot. I needed to tuck things and I had several of the jeans, I have to get them tailored at the waist. They look much better when they're actually sitting where they're supposed to sit. And even a brand that fits you great might not fit you perfectly. So I thought to your point, every time I've tailored something, it looks so much better. But B, my other question for you is we're in the era of social media where people want to be wearing new things because they're photographed at different times and they feel like, oh, I already wore that before. What do you recommend for people to get that newness that they're looking for, whether it's for life or for social media?
Liz (19:34):
So to answer your second part of your question, the newness factor is such a thing. People are like, oh, I just feel like I've had this so long. I'm so sick of it. My trick is to, if you see something in your closet and you're like, this is so old, I don't know. I don't know if I want to break it out, pair it with something new that makes you feel good. So update it with a new pair of shoes or style it in a new way. You said tuck it in. The simple things like that can make it feel like a brand new thing. You're wearing a tunic with skinny jeans. Give it a little tuck, give it a belt or something and make it feel new. I actually have a post, I have a series of posts called The Power is Styling, and it's so important that you look at things like you put it on, you get it home from the store, you get it in the mail and you're like, Ugh, this is so just looks like pajamas. And when I saw it on the model, it looked amazing. So how can I make this better? So little tweaks, putting on accessories or styling it with a different shoe or maybe it is a tailoring or a hem or something like that.
Kim (20:31):
I love that I'm taking notes. I'm like, I can't help but take notes. I've always been a TV producer, so like it looks like I'm looking away, but I'm really just taking notes on what you're saying. I love it. I love the idea of adding accessories so we can add an accessory. What was your other thing you just said?
Liz (20:44):
It's just even styling tricks like you tucking in adding a belt. I also think the way that you carry yourself is also a huge difference in your clothing. So if you are looking in front of a mirror and you're slunched over and you don't have your hair and makeup done, you're like, why is this not looking like the model? You have to also realize there's a team of people on the photo shoots like me to make the model look great. So I don't go on set with a garment without giving it something, whether it's like having my assistant steam it or pinning it or we have to make it look good in different ways and models. Like I did a post recently saying about swimwear, we're our toughest critic when we're putting on swimwear and we're like, oh, I look terrible. I don't want to show anything. Models wear heels. Or they go on their tippy toes when they're wearing swimwear because it changes your whole body. So even if we're shooting from the waist up, models will ask for heels just because it changes your whole posture, how you're sitting or standing. And that makes a huge difference. So there's a lot of factors that go into what makes something look good, but if you don't take those things into consideration and you're not going to feel good.
Kim (21:58):
Yeah, now you got me onto it. I'm like, now I need to ask, tell me other things that people wouldn't know. Give me more secrets of styling because I think it helps regular people realize I know it's model. I know there are secrets. I know they're also born with different jeans, they look totally different than my body. But it helps people to realize that there are stylists behind every photo shoot and there are secrets behind what they do that we can't do. So it can lower the bar for us. I'm not going to look like that Sports illustrated model and that's okay. So give me more of those stylist secrets. Well
Liz (22:28):
First of all, Martha Stewart is a Sports illustrated swimsuit model, and I feel like if she can do it, we can all do it.
Kim (22:36):
I believe in confidence, but I also believe in, I think it's helpful for me to say that is a different person and actually who I should look at is that other person who just has a more similar to my body type or a more realistic body type. And I think that that's helpful just to have in our head. So now I'm going to make you dish. I'm going to give you spill on all the stylist secrets.
Liz (22:55):
Well, I started my career, like I said in advertising and I was working on, Maybelline was my main account. And I can't even tell you how many times that we like Frankenstein. I don't even know if I'm allowed to say this. We Frankenstein a lot of the models together. So I would take Adriana Lima's head and put it on Erin Watson's body, which is so insane. Not my choice. I didn't love it, and this is part of why I wanted to get out of that industry. It's crazy. What you see in magazines is not usually what is reality. But that really opened my eyes to it and gave me more confidence because if I'm correcting Christy Turlington's eyes on a computer and they don't think she's perfect, I'm like, who is perfect? Nobody. So that first and foremost, just remember everything is Photoshopped and that's not what it looks like.
(23:45):
I see models in person, they're not as perfect. I mean, yes, they're amazing because they're models, but nobody's perfect. You always have makeup artists and hairstylists. They transform them when the person that comes in the room to the person that walks onto set are two different people. So makeup artists will put makeup on their body even so tattoos are all covered. I always see, I'm very insecure about after kids. I've had tons of veins on my legs and I'm like, Ugh, I don't want to show my legs. And then I remember that models get that covered or they get it airbrushed and photoshopped. So things like that. And then styling, everything gets tailored or pinned. So a garment that you see might not look the same when you get it because of that. There are times when I worked for some brands that they only had samples in extended sizes for a size four girl, and I'd have to make it look good for that.
(24:40):
So things get completely transformed. I worked on brands where we would completely, everything got tailored. So down to bathing suits, everything got tailored that got on set, and I was so lucky to have amazing talented tailors with me to make it look good. But just know that nobody is exactly the same size or shape. So they base everything on a fit model. So when you go to a store, that's why every brand has different sizes and different fits because they have one person that has their ideal, not your ideal, not what the masses are, but it's what fits their ideal and it's not going to fit you or everybody else. So for me, my waist is smaller. I have to size up because of my hips. I have to actually get most of my pants taken in the waist, and that's just normal for me.
(25:34):
That's fine. We're all different. Something I learned when I interned and freelance for that fashion company, the designer was such a proponent about everybody is so different that she would try every single garment on everybody in the office on different figures to see how it works because the fit model wasn't their consumer. Their fit model was the person that's walking down the runway looking good in it, but the client that's at Barney's is not going to be or RIP Barney's, but they weren't the same person. So it's so important to realize that we're all different.
Kim (26:09):
And actually I feel like because I follow you on social, I understand more of your perspective on fashion, but I feel like I didn't let the audience hear it from you. Can you kind of give me your main points that you believe in as you style people? I feel like I jumped into, I believe in tailoring just like you and I didn't let the audience hear it from you first. Can you let the audience know kind of your perspective on, you had said already, we have so much in our closet that we're not using, but what are the main things we should be doing? I feel like I've learned from your feed tucking, tailoring. I think tucking and belting is a really big thing that I feel like I learned from you. Tailoring I had done before, but I think it was a big part of me to see it all over your feed. You're like, tuck, tuck this way, do it this way. And I'm like, oh, okay. So can you share a little bit about how you see people can refresh their wardrobe more sustainably, but also in a way that makes them happier? What are the main tenets that you believe in?
Liz (27:03):
Yeah, so I mean, as I've told you many times, my first and foremost passion is sustainability and making sure that we are not destroying the planet with this fashion can be so frivolous. And so it's the number two pollutant for the planet, which is so terrifying that we are contributing to that fashion.
Kim (27:22):
Fashion is a number two pollutant,
Liz (27:24):
Which it's horrible and it's something I'm so passionate about fashion my whole life that it's something that I need to contribute. I've seen so much waste that goes into the industry when I worked at fast fashion brand styling for them, they would actually have us destroy the garments. They would say that they needed sample swatches, so they'd have us cut it up, but it was really, I think because they would not have to sell it and they wouldn't have to declare it because it was damaged. Then I've just seen there were days that I would steam a whole rack of clothing and my hands would be all sore and red because they sprayed all the clothes of formaldehyde. So things that get shipped from overseas, they spray it with toxic chemicals like formaldehyde to preserve the clothes. So that way it keeps it from wrinkling, it keeps it from getting attacked by bugs.
(28:15):
So we end up wearing that formaldehyde and all the toxic chemicals and that doesn't really get out of your clothes that well. So things like that to keep in mind. So that's why it's important to know where your clothes are coming from. It's important to know how they're made and also how when they're going away, where they're going. So polyester doesn't ever break down. It's a non biodegradable fabric. So you are forever contributing to pollution with anything that's synthetic like that if you do like polyester, because it doesn't wrinkle and it's easy to take care of, look for, there's so many great fabrics now. Reprieve is a great one that is made from recycled materials like water bottles, I always pronounce it wrong, Kotex, which is a sustainable certified organic cotton. There's so many different fabrics out there and that are a better option. So that's something to be conscious of and that people don't realize.
(29:12):
Just taking care of what you have and knowing where it ends up in the future is really important because a lot of people are so quick to say, well, I'm just going to donate it. It's going to go to something good. Chances are 60% of what gets donated ends up in landfills. Yeah, and overseas too. So all these poor countries across the world are inundated with all of our Zara rejects that we don't want, and they get piles and piles of it to the point where they don't know what to do with it. It ends up in the ocean.
Kim (29:44):
Are there donation places that we know are actually going to people?
Liz (29:47):
Yes, so I am very big into local donations. I mean, dress for Success is obviously a great one because you know that they accept only pieces that are going to go to women that need it for job interviews and to get back into the workforce. There are other local ones within everybody's regions that do similar things like that. I also really love Housing Works because they do use a lot of their products and then they're very selective and then they also, they give back to the AIDS community and things like that. In New York City, I am very big into right now thread up because they recycle all the things that they don't take so it doesn't end up in a landfill, which is super important. And then I really love selling clothes. I love being able to, different things like that, like the RealReal, Poshmark, Macari, eBay, any of those kind of things where it just keeps it circular rather than going, I hate to say, but a lot of things, they can't recycle all fabrics because they don't know how to break down. If it's a blend, we don't have the technology yet. So there are so many things that people don't think of unfortunately when it comes to fashion. And that's my job. I want to educate people.
Kim (31:01):
I love that. I personally have never had success. I've tried to sell things online and I found a couple of things from thread up and I'm like, alright. And then I donate it locally. I just donate it. I'm like, as long as someone else is going to utilize it or I try to give it to someone I know now more conscious I'll buy just garbage things. So I'm like, no, this is a legitimately nice blazer. Would you like it?
Liz (31:20):
Yeah, I mean that's the ultimate way to do it. If you have friends and family that will take your secondhand pieces I love, that's nothing it's fulfilling for you and it's also great for them. So that's the ultimate, if you can find that.
Kim (31:32):
Talk to me about you're a big believer in tailoring and then tucking and saving, and what's worth bringing things to the tailor, right? Obviously it depends where you are. Getting something hemmed or taken in could be expensive, not expensive, but it costs money. What fabrics are worth it or what items are worth it to tailor versus say, this didn't fit me great, my body's different now. It's okay, changing bodies, but what should I bring to the tailor?
Liz (31:56):
Well, speaking of changing bodies, people are so quick to get rid of jeans because they're gaining weight, losing weight. I have this hack that I've shared about many times about, it's like a little snap on button that you can get on Amazon and you can just snap it to your jeans where you button your jeans and you can move the button over and you can cover it. If you see it, you can cover it with a belt, which I love, and it'll save you. That $5 will save you a pair of jeans. You don't have to get rid of them. I also love tailoring jeans. Like we said, putting a little dart in the waistband or just taking in a little bit can make a huge difference because we are all different, and especially after kids, our body's changing and it's not quite the same as it used to.
(32:36):
So things like that, I think you have to look at the cost per wear. I wouldn't probably spend a lot of money on tailoring a dress that you're going to wear once. Maybe that's something that you can save, but if you're going to wear something a lot, then yeah, it's worth it. Things that are lined or more expensive to tailor. So think about blazers, that's one that I probably would try to find something off the rack rather than tailoring, because it can be really expensive. They have to deconstruct the whole thing to reconstruct it. You can't just move the arm up, you have to take off the sleeve. You have to take out the lining. So things like that just to keep in mind. But overall, if you can tailor your whole wardrobe and buy less, you'll feel like you have the whole design wardrobe for you.
Kim (33:21):
I love that. This is my headline for this episode is just the dream closet from what you already have.
Liz (33:27):
That's the goal. Well, that's why I call it the closet refresh because it is your closet still, but I want to refresh it and make it feel like you 2.0,
Kim (33:36):
I want to talk about social media because you have at this point over half a million followers, which is incredible and congratulations. Thank
Liz (33:45):
You.
Kim (33:45):
I'd love to know for you having a social media following of half a million followers, when you think about how it's happened, how you've grown, what lessons would you take away and share with other people about that?
Liz (33:58):
Oh, well, it happened overnight and I just became an overnight success and it was nothing. It was so easy. I just woke up. Yeah, no, I have been doing this since 2011, and it's something that I didn't expect to be this behemoth and part of my business, but I styled a bunch of bloggers for an ad campaign and I was like, okay, so first of all, what is a blogger? This was a brand new thing. I had no idea. And I was like, wait, they're getting paid to talk about fashion and their advice and expertise in it, but most of them had never worked in fashion. Or if they did, they were interning and that's it. So it was something that I just kind of jumped in head first and I was like, I'm going to try this. And I didn't know what the hell I was doing.
(34:41):
I just kind of had my husband take pictures of me. We had a little point and shoe, and then we upgraded to a nicer camera eventually, but we were taking pictures literally every single day. I would post on my blog. It was insane and on top of all the other things I was doing, but I was just posting my outfits and I would talk about how, and even back then I was still into sustainability, so I would talk about how mixing in vintage and utilizing things in different ways, it was something that it was supposed to be just advertising my styling. And then maybe about a few years into it, people were like, I'll send you some pieces if you want to share about it. I was like, sure. And I was accepting everything. So I was just so excited to be at that point. I didn't have the integrity to be like, I don't need this. I don't really want it. But I was accepting everything. And it got to the point where I realized that it was a business and I can make money from this. And I had a company contact me that ended up managing me, and they were like, you can actually charge for this.
Kim (35:37):
Wait,
Liz (35:38):
What? It was such a new thing back then. I didn't know that. And it was something that just grew and grew and grew. And it wasn't until probably, I think I only had 30, 40,000 followers when I was free pandemic. And then all of a sudden during the pandemic, I had a lot of women going through the same thing as I was. I was eight, nine months pregnant and locked down in New York where it was the epicenter of the Covid virus. People were just following my journey. And I had a viral post for my birth because it was the very beginning of the peak of the pandemic. And so that really, I think people finding my journey of that just kind of catapulted it. And then when Instagram reels were a thing that really took off. So I realized that I didn't really, my passion wasn't just showing my outfits. I wanted to teach people things. And so reels was a really cool way to have, I know you love video as much as I do. It's just such a great channel to be able to teach people. So it became just an educational thing, and I didn't think much of it. I was just like, people need to know these things. And then it just took off.
Kim (36:52):
I love that. And I do think for the listeners, it's like I'm very passionate about teaching people videos. You should come with education service. You should go in with a, I want to teach you this thing, or I want you to learn about this thing. Or let's have fun doing this thing. And I think that's really what separates your feed is yes, it's beautiful, but everybody learns something with every single video. It's very thoughtfully constructed as content. It's like a new segment. You wouldn't watch a new segment and someone's like, just look at this pretty thing. You're like, okay, what about this pretty thing? I think you do a really good job at explaining what am I seeing? How can I apply this to my life from this video? And I have a question. You had, let's say 30,000 and then eventually a hundred thousand, I feel like going from a hundred thousand to 500,000, is there something that you saw was happening? Was it these big bumps? Was it partnerships? What took you to that next level?
Liz (37:42):
I wish I could say what the secret was. I think my background in advertising, and this is the whole pivoting thing, the full circle. I think that my well-rounded background and knowing how to reach an audience and how to advertise essentially, that really made me stronger at what I do. I realized who is my audience? My audience are women that were like me. I could literally give them a face and a name and know exactly who they are. A majority of my audience is New York. So that was a no-brainer to talk to my audience like that. So knowing who your audience is, super important. And then also, I was realizing that on Instagram, the people that were doing really well had, I don't want to say a shtick that sounds really cheesy, but a way of putting together content that you knew that if you saw that in your feed, you would stop scrolling because you're like, oh, it's that person.
(38:35):
I love following that person. And it's the same thing every time that you know what you're going to get. So I made a conscious decision, I think in 2022. Maybe it was to only post essentially the same format. And I think that maybe has helped. I don't know. It's all, everybody's throwing spaghetti at the wall here in Instagram, don't. And social media, we have no idea what is happening until it sticks. And so I'm just going with it and riding the wave as long as I can. But it's been a really fun journey because connected me with so many amazing people and it's given me that outlet that jewelry used to give me. And it's given me such a fun, creative thing. I'm essentially creating advertising campaigns for brands I'm working with, and I'm doing exactly what I went to college for. I'm doing exactly what I did in my first job, and I'm seeing it to fruition, which is so cool.
(39:26):
I'm able to come up with a concept, pitch it to the brand, the brand accepts it, then I get the full creative leeway of doing whatever I want to get this point across, and I get to also pick out the clothes and I get to execute it and see it through. And it's the coolest thing that I am pinching myself that I get to create these little mini ad campaigns when back in the day, you would have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to do this, and now I get to shoot it on my phone, which is so wild.
Kim (40:02):
Something you said just really struck me about how everything kind of comes full circle. I feel like the last year and a half of my career, I'm now teaching people how to leverage video, but I'm also speaking and I'm getting a lot of speaking inquiries, and I always loved being on camera, but it was a small part of my career because I just didn't want to be an on-camera reporter covering news. Those types of stories didn't light me up, and I realized that type of path I would have was not what I wanted. You'd basically have to move to a really small city, a really tiny town, another tiny town. I already lived in New York, that's where my family's from. I'm like, I don't want to do that. And the stories didn't really light me up, but I did love communicating a message. I myself, I think I'm fun and I like to teach people.
(40:44):
And what's interesting is in this evolution of my business where I was like, I don't know what this business is, but here I am doing it in the evolution of my business, where now I teach people about how to be confident on camera, how to make great videos. I'm also bringing back that performance aspect. And to your point of bringing creativity, some of my video projects, I'm like, this is so fun. I worked on a big project for it gets better, and we won all these awards, so I felt like I'm having impact for the L-G-B-T-Q community and the videos themselves are just gorgeous and so cool. And so I like your attitude of things come together. Nothing is wasted, your background in advertising. It's also, I can see that on your feed. It's very visual. It's obvious that you have an art past. And so I love your idea that things come full circle. I think it's very inspirational to people that you don't necessarily have to have this career and then throw it in the garbage and never return to it or have this passion and that was what it was. No, it can come back in different ways. And so I think it's very inspirational. Okay. And now before we wrap up, I do like to tell my clients, which I think I'd love to know, when your Instagram was smaller, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, were you able to get clients from social media?
Liz (41:55):
Yes, actually, that's how I started. So I think it doesn't matter what your following is, it's who your are following is. And I think it's more important that you have an engaged audience and people that are there really just for you. I mean, I didn't seek out to become a personal stylist. And actually at the time, I was embarrassed by it, which is so crazy to say, because I was like, I'm a commercial stylist and I worked so hard to build this portfolio and to have this clout, and I actually, I'm loving personal styling so much. And when I had a very small following, I had people reaching out to me, and that's how it all started. I had no intention of actually doing personal styling. It was like, oh, people need this. So I think it's really important to look at who's following you rather than the numbers. When I lived in Brooklyn and I had maybe 20, 30, 40,000 followers, I would get stopped on the street almost every day. People were like, I love following you. And even last night I went to a concert and people are messaging me and they were like, oh my God, I saw you at the concert in New York. New York's not a small place. This happens all the time, and I don't have a million followers, but it's something that it's who follows you really?
Kim (43:07):
I think it's great. I love pointing that out to people that even if you have a huge following now, but even when you're following a smaller, you're getting business from it. And people forget that. People forget. I'm like, you have 500 followers or 5,000 followers. Those are humans, and if they're your target client, engage with
Liz (43:20):
Them. Can you imagine though, if you are in a room with, say you have a thousand followers, but you're in a room with them, could you imagine that audience? That's your audience. That's huge. So even if you only have a thousand followers, you're talking to them.
Kim (43:36):
Totally. And I say this in my video bootcamp. I'm like, imagine you walk into a coffee shop and someone introduces you with your elevator pitch, which I help people build their elevator pitch with their accomplishments, and someone says, meet Liz. She's been featured in all of these amazing outlets and has worked at all these amazing companies, and she helps women revamp their wardrobe sustainably. You'd be like, amazing. If I did that to 40 people, you'd be like, yay. So I think you're right. It's the idea of if you have the right following, it doesn't matter the numbers. If it's the right people, it's great. Before we hang up rapid fire, I'm going to do rapid fire with you. Okay. What does success mean to you?
Liz (44:11):
Success is when you feel good about what you're doing and you don't regret everything that you're doing.
Kim (44:18):
What do you always say yes to?
Liz (44:19):
Oh, I always say yes to something I feel that I want to do. I don't know. It's something that, sorry, this isn't rapid.
Kim (44:30):
Maybe it's jewelry. Yeah, maybe.
Liz (44:32):
Yeah, anything that just feels good and that is creative.
Kim (44:36):
What always gets a no,
Liz (44:38):
Something that takes too much time away from my family.
Kim (44:40):
What's the weirdest job you've ever had?
Liz (44:42):
Ooh, weirdest. I don't know about the weirdest, but I think the craziest, most memorable photo shoot was when I styled Mike Tyson and he brought his whole entourage and they saw that I was recently engaged, and they were like, you should do your bachelorette party at Mike Tyson's house. And a part of me was like, that would be so cool and memorable, but a part of me just saw the hangover. I know what to expect.
Kim (45:07):
I'm like, yeah, you should. I was like, yeah, you should.
Liz (45:10):
But it was such a cool experience. He's definitely this. You could just feel the energy as soon as he walked into the room, and he was so intimidating, but so soft-spoken. When I was styling him and fixing his garments, he was like, so where are you from? And just very quiet, and it was really, he's like a sweet soul. But then I was also shaking Mike Tyson, and I don't get starstruck that often, but that was a big one.
Kim (45:37):
That's really funny. An embarrassing moment in life or work?
Liz (45:41):
Embarrassing moment in life or work? I don't know. I mean, I have this hashtag, I haven't done it in a while, but it's called Awkward Styling Photos where I am always in awkward positions on photo shoots, and they somehow capture me where I'm in somebody's crotch or doing something really that doesn't look good, that looks like I'm touching somebody's boobs. And so I have a picture of me styling Tom Brady that somebody took, and it looks like my hand is up his butt. Sorry, Tom.
Kim (46:12):
That's pretty good actually. That's a good one. Something you hate.
Liz (46:16):
I hate fake people. I'm just such a genuine, real person and I love what I do and I love the people in the industry, but something that I can't stand is in the fashion world. There's a lot of fake people, and I get very uncomfortable in these situations, and that's why I probably for years gravitated towards the mommy bloggers more than the fashion bloggers because I just felt like everybody in the mommy world was just real. And they were there just to get out and escape the kids and just meet other moms. And I don't know, I can't stand fake people.
Kim (46:49):
First thing you do in the morning,
Liz (46:51):
I want to say it's like get a cup of water and lemon and meditate and all these nice things, but I hate to say it's scroll, my phone
Kim (47:00):
Advice you'd give to another business owner.
Liz (47:03):
I think that tenacity is the most important thing that you can do beyond even talent. I think it's not to give up and to just keep trying and hustle. It's really like, I would say 90% hustle, 10% talent, I think they say, and it's so true.
Kim (47:21):
Worst advice you've ever gotten?
Liz (47:23):
Let's see, in business, I think worst advice I ever got was to probably not go freelance and not own a business. It's hard. And people, my family didn't quite understand that back in the day that you get your cushy job, you get a pension and you stay in this one career. So I think that's bad advice in this day and age. I think that's like you pave your own way. In this day and age, the beauty of everything with technology is that you can do so many different things and reach so many more people, and you don't have to stick to one thing,
Kim (47:57):
An embarrassing parenting moment.
Liz (47:59):
Oh, embarrassing parenting moment. Oh god. I think one of my first events where I was an influencer and I was starting to get a big following, I brought my son to this event with all these mommy bloggers, and I was so excited to go out there and be seen. And then my son cut his lip open, he pooped his pants. It was like one thing after another, and I'm like, oh my God, I'm so embarrassed. But then I realized that everybody else was kind of stressed and in the same boat with their kids, so it was okay.
Kim (48:31):
You're like, don't worry, I'm not mad at you. Yeah. Alright. Awesome. Good job in the rapid fire. It was pretty rapid. It was good.
Liz (48:36):
Oh good. I have so many things to say.
Kim (48:39):
And where can people find you?
Liz (48:41):
You can find me on social media at the New York Stylist all spelled out, and you can find me at the NewYorkstylist.com or the closetrefresh.com.
Kim (48:51):
Amazing. Thank you so much, Liz.
Liz (48:52):
Thank you, Kim. It was great chatting with you.
Kim (48:58):
Thank you for joining us. Don't forget to exit the grind and enter success on your own terms. This is the exit interview with Kim Rittberg. Don't forget to grab my free download, how to Grow Your Business with amazing video at kimrittberg.com and linked out in the show notes. I love to hear your feedback. Make sure to submit to me what you learned from the show and how you are crushing it on your own terms. Connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn at Kim Rittberg, R-I-T-T-B-E-R-G. And this show is edited by Jillian Grover and produced by Henry Street Media. I'm your host and executive producer Kim Rittberg.