Answering Your Questions From Instagram - From My Go-To Wardrobe Essentials To How To Land A Job in Fashion

0:01Hi, guys. Welcome back to another episode of Let's Get Dressed. It's your host, Liv Perez. is. Every weekend on my Instagram, I host an AMA. I let everyone in my community ask me anything. Fashion tips, beauty tips, styling advice, what to wear to their wedding, what they should wear to their friend's wedding. So I wanted to do a podcast episode on YouTube answering all of the questions that I see pop up every weekend. These are the most highly requested in-demand questions that I see all the time. There were so many last weekend. I genuinely didn't know where to start. So thank you if you submitted questions.

0:34I love doing these. Genuinely, my most favorite part of the week. I pulled together a few. There's, again, so many. So let's dive in. Okay, first up, what are you most excited about for fashion this spring? I would say I feel like fashion in the past two to three years has been in like quiet luxury era. I feel like that era had a really long lifespan. Like it was around for a really long time. Whereas you see some trends, usually have like a six-month lifespan and then kind of fizzle. Quiet Luxury was at the forefront of all things fashion for a really long time. I really liked the opportunity to go into my wardrobe and kind of build what I feel is a capsule collection.

1:17I think Quiet Luxury was a really good opportunity for everybody to go into their closet and make sure that the essentials that they needed were there. Before that, I definitely felt my closet was like a little discombobulated. I had colors that didn't work together and fits and styles. And at least for someone who it was in their late 20s when quiet luxury was happening. It was a great opportunity for me to grow out of my college self and into my more adult self. Now, I feel like we've all kind of fatigued that even right now saying the word capsule wardrobe kind of makes me want to like stop.

1:47It's just I can't handle it. I'm kind of ready to be doing something different. And I think everyone's feeling that way. So I think we're going to see a lot more color. I think we're going to see a lot more pattern and print and things that feel really exciting in fashion. I think we're going to stray away from like the classic kind of neutral tones. I think we're ready for something that feels fun. I'm also feeling like that's going to trickle into beauty. Like I want pink eyeshadow and I want a bold lip. I'm kind of over also like the clean makeup era. I'm ready for something that feels really fun.

2:19Okay, the next one. If you could do anything different from your wedding, what would you do? I actually, when I first saw this question, I was like, I don't want to answer that because genuinely like I love the weekend. I think it's as a bride for anybody listening that's going through a wedding process, once it's over, you're so sad it's over that all you really want to do is like give it love and light. Like I don't want to sit here and like regret anything or like nitpick. I think that's the most like unhealthy, toxic thing you can do. You're going to do it. We all do it, but do everything you can not do.

2:50I would say something that I wish I had a little bit more guidance on was like what happens after your wedding. I've actually had a lot of girlfriends who have gotten married and have felt so sad and kind of disoriented post-wedding planning that they like needed a lot of support from their community. It's definitely a weird time. You spend at least a year planning this thing and then all of a sudden you have all this free time and you're meant to go on your honeymoon and kind of unwind. That's one side of it. But the other side of it is that I got married on a Saturday night. I had Sunday to say bye to my guests and then I I booked a flight for Alex and I to leave Monday morning at 5 a.m.

3:30Yeah, I did that at 5 in the morning for us to go on our honeymoon in Sicily. And it was so chaotic. That Sunday was so chaotic. I woke up, obviously slept two hours. I was really hungover. I was so sad it was over. Everybody was leaving. I had to pack my house that I'd been living in for the full week prior to the wedding. I had to say my goodbyes. I had so much to do that day. and wish that I'd given myself a little bit more time. So whether you're doing a destination wedding or not, I really recommend that like wherever you are getting married, you give yourself a little bit of time and cushion to like decompress and you really just want to be with your people.

4:10So I would plan for that. I did it all wrong. I don't regret it. No regrets. But it definitely was a rude awakening Monday morning when I had not gone to sleep because I was packing all night and saying my buys and it was over just really fast. Moving on from wedding, we'll circle back on wedding stuff soon. Guys, don't worry. We'll be back. Must have basics on a budget. So I have three brands that I am always looking at for basics. And I would say at any given moment, I'm wearing something from one of these brands. Reformation, I go to for all of my jeans and great just everyday tops, an elevated tank, a great t-shirt.

4:46Reformation has it all. My favorite pair of jeans is from Reformation. They're called the Gavin jeans. I wear them every day, but finding your one pair of jeans is kind of life-changing and mine are from Ref. My second one is Aritzia. I love Aritzia basics. TNA is God. Whoever's at TNA, I'm sending you your flowers right now. TNA hoodies, TNA long-sleeve tees, short-sleeve tees. I actually just ordered this one hoodie from TNA and I'm not a hoodie girl. I never wear hoodies, but I got this one in gray and I love it so much. I wear it every day when I walk my dog and I now have it in like three different colors.

5:23I also love their long sleeve cotton tees. They wash really well. The color doesn't fade and they're super soft. So Aritzia is a great one for just really good closet basics, usually kind of under a hundred. And then lastly, Jenny Kane. I have so many sweaters. I'm kind of a sweater hoarder at this point, but all of my sweaters are from Jenny Kane. I have a code. It's live P15. I'll put it in the description of this episode as well. But I get so many great knits from them. And I would say for the quality, the pricing is amazing. A lot of their sweaters are between$250 and$450. And I feel like they're such great quality.

5:59They could be charging way more than that. For a good sweater that you're going to wear for a long time, I think it's worthwhile to invest in them. Those are my closet essentials. I love them all. Live and die by them. great closet basics. Also for sweaters, if$250 is a little bit too high of a range for you, I've been shopping at Almena Concepts a lot lately and they have great sweaters in the$150 range. I just got a gorgeous v-neck from them. Really fashion forward, which I love. It's not just a simple v-neck. There's always like a cool stitch detail. Highly recommend. Moving on. It's February and a lot of you had questions about fashion month, which I'm excited about.

6:34I love answering these. What fashion weeks will you be going to? Do brands pay for accommodations? Great question because I think fashion week is confusing from afar. So if you're listening to this episode right now, I'm currently, well, not in this recording, but I will be in New York City for New York fashion week. So excited. I really see any of these fashion weeks as kind of like the fashion conference of the year. You go, you meet with all the brands, you show face, you make connections, you network. It's really important to be there. So whether a brand's paying me or not, I will always make the effort to be there and show face.

7:09I think creators do it in a lot of different ways. I think one, you can pitch a brand to go the whole week for them, great content for them. You can pay your way there and then also pitch a job to kind of compensate for you being there. There are so many ways now that creators get themselves to Fashion Week. But if you are someone who wants to be in the industry or you're working in the industry, highly recommend going because it's definitely a time where I've made a lot of great relationships and fostered a lot of them as well. I also just get so inspired from the week after Fashion Week is over.

7:42I'm probably sitting in my office for two weeks just going through collections and finding moments that have inspired me, whether it's a new trend I'm seeing across the board at a bunch of different brands, or sometimes there's like one look from one collection that I'm like, oh, like that look is going to define a moment in fashion. Like that look feels like I think back, I'm a big Tory Burch fan. And I think back to a few seasons ago when she showed all of these like Roman drape dresses and skirts that really defined so much of even now what we're still wearing, kind of all these drape dresses.

8:16I see like Hellsau on Revolve is all these like beautiful drape moments, all of that trickles from fashion week. They're all moments that get highly shared, highly reviewed. And then also, of course, they're attended by some of the biggest celebrities in the world. So it's a moment where the fashion industry is getting a lot of attention and it's really exciting. Fun to be there. I'm always so grateful anytime I get to be there. And again, just like for a fashion nerd like me, it's just great to see it all trickle down. Okay. This question I literally get every week and I get it in like different price brackets.

8:49It is what is the most versatile tote for work? I'm going to break it down in three different price ranges. Okay, let's talk totes. If you're looking for a tote under$350 that you're going to have forever, such good quality. I love the Freya Linnea tote. I think it's around$300. I have it long strap so it can go over your shoulders, which I love. Classic, perfect for every day. If you're looking to splurge a little bit more like you want something a little bit more fashionable, stylized. The Tory Burch Romy Tote, chef's kiss is unbelievable. Comes in multiple different colors and it's so chic.

9:26I think it's about$600, but again, something you'll have for life. I actually think it's the perfect everyday bag. I'm about to splurge on it myself. I can't wait to wear this bag every day. Like I'm going to take it traveling in the car with me when I'm running errands. It's just the perfect bag. And then if you're looking for something a little bit more and more of a splurge, I love the tote from Totem. It's long and narrow. So if you're someone who's on the New York City subway every day and you don't want something that's like a bit wider where somebody could like potentially reach in and grab something, I really recommend this tote because it will fit kind of right under your arm.

10:02Also gorgeous. It has kind of like a belt detail around it. They make such good bags. I literally want every single bag from Totem, but this one has to be a fave. If it's a specific product that I'm mentioning in this episode, it's all going to be linked in the description. So in case you can't find it, it's there. Okay. Ultimate dream bag, no budget. Roll up my sleeves. I don't know if it's just a me thing, but this changes every month. Like I have a new flavor of the month. Not because I'm getting the dream bag, because I'm just obsessed with everything. I would say though, a bag that's like been at like the forefront of my mind for probably two years now is probably a Kelly 25 and gold, which is brown.

10:45It's just classic. I have a Kelly right now, but it's the bigger size. And that definitely feels more like a hefty bag. Like it's not something I'm like taking out every day. It's definitely more of like a women's briefcase vibe is like what I like to say. And I love the 25 because it's just like that perfect everyday bag that will go with everything. Next question. Great one. I get asked a lot about investment pieces that I wear frequently. Someone asked, what's one investment piece that you've had the longest and still wear and love? So as I mentioned earlier, when it comes to investment pieces, I'm usually looking at bags, shoes, outerwear.

11:20Like I even think of the past month where I've looked at things. Maybe it's like a coat from guests in residence or a pair of boots that I just got for my birthday. They're all things that are classic that I can wear with everything in my wardrobe. I would say like, of course, we all have those items in our closet that we love that are like very fashionable and cool and different and kind of make up the like juice of our wardrobe that feel really personal and they're different. And those things I'll splurge on like once in a blue moon. But when we're talking investments here, it has to be something that I can see myself wearing almost every day.

11:53There's a jacket that I got from a brand called Source Unknown, three Christmases ago. It's a leather jacket, simple, silver zipper, has a little bit of like a worn out look to it. And I wear this jacket all the time. The girl math on this jacket is like at this point, every time I wear it, it's been like one cent. At the time when I bought it, it was about, I think,$800 to$1 ,000. But for me, if it's something that you're going to wear every day, totally worth it. Go-to work from home outfit, I've been in a slump. I mean, working from home is pretty challenging. Let's say that already. Like for me, I'm home.

12:27I've got a dog. If I'm working from home and like there's dishes in the sink or like clothes in the dryer, like I'm for sure getting distracted and going and doing those things when like meanwhile I have so much work I should be doing. Like let's be real. We're all doing that. So I need as little distractions as possible when I'm working from home. And for some reason, when I'm like still in my pajamas, the distractions are in abundance. Getting up every day and putting on an outfit, even when you're working from home will change your life. Put on an earring, put on heeled boots, whatever it is.

12:56Like, I just think that it's the same mentality as like getting up every day and making your bed. Like it prepares your brain for discipline and to go and like do the day. My biggest hack with like work from home outfits, get a great pair of slacks that are comfortable enough that they feel like wearing like soft jeans, throw a belt on and you can literally just wear white tee with it and you'll look put together. My go-to pair of pants, they're the effortless pant from Maritzia. They're under$200. I have them literally in every color. They're really soft and like not over-constructed. And I just wear them around my house.

13:35And it's such little effort. Like it's no more of an effort than putting on a pair of sweatpants. But that and a belt just gives me that like oomph. Like I'm ready. I'm dressed. Like I can take on whatever I need to take on. And for some reason, I work better at my desk when I'm dressed up. Even with shoes on, like a heeled boot, whatever it is, I just feel more equipped to handle the day. I think there's so much therapy involved with getting dressed every day. And if you feel good, you act good, you do your best. Okay, most recent purchase. I just had a birthday and I actually still have it in the bag.

14:07So I'll show you my most recent purchase. And it's really on brand to everything we've just spoken about. I have so many shoes from them. I think the price point and the quality is a great entry point if you love the brand. Again, it's a splurge for sure, but anything I get from them, I'm wearing every day. I actually was on the hunt for a black boot. So I have a boot right now, but it's really chunky. The sole of it is so heavy. And even just traveling with it or wearing it in the airport was annoying. I felt like I just weighed 10 extra pounds. So I wanted a boot that felt really sleek that had like a really refined thin sole And that I could wear every day and these are them.

14:47These are the kilda ankle boots They're calfskin leather great for every day. Definitely. This is like a lifer purchase while we're on the topic of boots though There's a question in here about boots again. This is another question. Oh my god that I get every Single weekend is live. What's the perfect either knee-high black boot or ankle black boot? Obviously, those are a splurge. Highly recommend those. But for a daily basis, the boot that I wear literally every day is the Stodwally boot. It's under$400. I have recommended this boot to every single woman that I know that I literally went to my niece's birthday over the weekend.

15:22And my sister, my sister-in-law, everybody was wearing the boot. And I was like, OK, I've done my job. They're really comfortable. The leather stretches nicely. and I've actually worn those boots through like a full day of walking and meetings in New York City and just felt totally fine. The heel on this is so tiny. It's just perfect and like gives you that little oomph. I also love that it's a pointed toe. It makes everything look so chic. I think when you're in a pointed toe, it gives you height. Like it elongates your body versus a round toe. It kind of stops you right there. So anytime you're looking to like make something look a little bit chiquer, you want to give yourself a little bit of height, wear a pointed toe shoe.

15:59And that stalled wall-e boot, by the way, comes in a short ankle boot that's like 400 And then they have the stalled wall-e knee-high boot that I think is 650 and they have them in every color you could possibly ever want black tan dark brown dark brown suede green red Literally everything i've actually been debating getting the dark brown suede ones for a little while now Must-haves in the closet love them This next question I love because I've been thinking about it so much and I'm so glad that somebody asked so I can talk about it. Thoughts on an earring stack? Are you over it? I put these earrings on for the episode.

16:36If you guys follow me and know me, you know that I usually have a full earring stack on. And this morning when I saw that question, I actually went in the mirror and looked and all of my earrings were off. I have like slowly taken out what is usually six earrings in my ear and have just been really loving a bare ear lately. Of course, I'll put like a staple earring in for an event or for something like this. But on a daily basis, for some reason, I'm just really feeling that like chic kind of clean line where like all these cute little dainty earrings aren't cutting it off. No shade. I will probably be back to the earring party really soon.

17:14But for some reason right now, I'm just feeling a clean ear. I don't know. Now the holes are going to close and I'm gonna have to go get them open back up. But I don't know. We're just feeling that vibe a little bit right now. I actually had an experience last year where I had a cartilage piercing in. I had done a podcast, seen the footage, and I'd had that cartilage piercing for more than 10 years. I got it when I was 16. Never thought twice about it. It was just kind of always part of my routine to have it there. And when I saw the footage, I was like, whoa, that piercing is so not me. That made my whole outfit looked different and I don't feel like that's usually my vibe.

17:51And I took it out and never looked back. It's definitely closed now. I've had it out for over a year, but sometimes we just get really used to these things that we're wearing every day. And I think it's nice to kind of mix it up a little bit. So I'm ear naked for a little while. We'll circle back on this. Okay. Back on wedding things, best place to find bridal wear. So if you're based in Los Angeles, I highly recommend going to Loho Bride. They just opened. The coolest experience I've ever seen. I honestly wish I had it when I was shopping for my wedding dress. On the second floor, they've launched a VIP program where you can go up there and kind of have a stylist, get connected to designers one-on-one.

18:29It's really for custom work, but it's gorgeous and such a great experience. My favorite part of the whole thing is they have a mini party dress, basically like bar.

18:42which are like basically like mock-ups of dress styles, like strapless, halter, whatever, and then try different fabrics and different embellishments over it so you can build your own mini. I died when I saw this. I was obsessed. Like the build your own mini for your wedding is a genius idea. So I think it's going to be a hit. Definitely go check it out if you're in LA. And if you are able to come, if you're not here and you're able to come, really recommend it. I also love Happy Isles. I saw a lot of great like vintage bridal things here and in New York that are very one of a kind, very unique.

19:16When I was getting married, I had a lot of vintage Instagram accounts flagged and I was checking them daily. Tab Vintage, a company called Sweet Disorder Vintage, Timeless Vixens, Cillian Vintage, Shrimpton Couture, all of these kind of vintage places that sell online have such incredible vintage selections. And I was really interested in finding things that are unique. And if you're that way too, definitely keep these tabbed. Again, I'll have them all linked below so you can find them. But it was so much fun. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt every day. Overall, I think that there is a white space for a bridal showroom.

19:59I think it's a question that I get asked a lot. And usually most of the time I have one or two good answers. I think Loho is doing a great job here in LA. But besides that, I think shopping for a wedding dress, you kind of get to the point where you realize that we're all getting married at some point and all the dresses are the same to some point, to some extent. So I think being able to have as personal of an experience as you possibly can is where you'll win. But yeah, I think there's a white space for it. What advice would you give to a 27-year-old who wants to follow a career in fashion. So I have a great story that has stuck with me forever and I feel really altered the way that I think about this.

20:38I was DM'd by a woman about four years ago right out of COVID who was living in Colorado in college and really wanted to get into the fashion industry. She emailed me saying she was really excited at the idea of moving to New York but didn't know the steps to get there. She asked me for a 30-minute call. If you are cold emailing people, I highly recommend keeping it concise and having the request front and center. I want something that feels really just thoughtful and right to the point. And I said, yes, we met on Zoom and she talked to me about her interests and where she wants to go. And the biggest piece of advice that I gave to her was I think that having a point of view in any industry is crucial today, especially in fashion where we have so many different points of views and so many voices, so many creators, so many designers.

21:24I think having a very, very firm perspective is crucial. And so I told her, I said, hey, you know, unless you live in a big city where you're able to get an internship, it's probably really hard to get your foot in the door with some of these brands and show what your taste is and what your point of view is. And I said, you know, I think of Instagram like a digital business card. You should start an Instagram account that's basically a mood board of everything you're paying attention to right now. What are the things you're finding? And maybe even like in the caption, write a little blurb about why it interested you.

21:58A runway look, something from Pinterest, something vintage, something from a designer from the 60s, just anything that showcases your point of view. She did that. It ended up being a hit. So many people followed it. I followed it too. And it was a really, really carefully curated platform. and she was able to show that as her perspective as she was applying for jobs in New York City. She ended up getting a job, lives in New York City now, is thriving, worked for one of the best showrooms in New York, and now works for one of the biggest brands in the world that I work with all the time. So we actually get to work together frequently.

22:35And I'm so proud of her. That success story just hits me so deeply. And I want the world for her. And we've gotten close as friends and I think that she's just amazing. But I think I always go back to that. I always go back to find a way to share your perspective. Whether you want to be an influencer in fashion, in PR, an editor, a writer, a designer, I think having something to say is really where it's at. So find your voice, cultivate it, and then find the right medium to share that message. Last question before I leave you guys. How do you keep fashion as a hobby without spending money. Honestly, I think we all have that experience.

23:18I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm not constantly thinking about buying things. Let's be real. But I don't think that that's what fashion is really about. I actually think that so many things capture my attention before I actually go to buy something. Fashion is, to me, more of a conversation. It's not just transactional of what you're buying and putting on your body every day. It's like, what is moving the needle in terms of what people are paying attention to? What's being worn on red carpets? What's being shown on the runway that was also subtly shown in the 70s and is being referenced again?

23:52How can we look at fashion today and take it back to history and see how that through line, that thread through multiple decades means something? Again, I think that transactional point of fashion of just buying the shoe is like the last step of the journey for me. But if you really love fashion, it's about having deep respect and admiration for the industry and how your voice and that dialogue can expand it and make it more interesting. I think, again, the things that I love most about fashion are hearing cultural takes and trend takes. All of that is really the heart and soul. Okay, this was really fun.

24:30I love answering your questions. Again, if you want to submit a question every Saturday morning on my Instagram, there's going to be an AMA box. If you want to know anything, you're looking for a specific item, I am here for you always. Hope to do more of these. They will always be on the podcast, but hopefully we'll do more on YouTube in the future too. Before you sign off, if you could go and leave me a kind review on the Apple podcast page or on Spotify, it would mean the world. Really helps the show grow and I love to know what you guys want to hear more from me. All right. See you next week.

25:07Thank you.