The Who What Wear Podcast: Is Your Closet Making You Cancel Plans? Overcoming Fashion Frustration With Evereve Co-Founder Megan Tamte

0:10Hillary Kerr:Welcome to the Who What Wear podcast. I'm your host, Hillary Kerr, and today we have a special episode with the co-founder of Women's Wear brand and retailer Ever Eve, the one and only Megan Tamte, as well as Who What Wear's executive editorial and style director, Lauren Eggertsen. Over 20 years ago, Megan started EverEve after a particularly bad shopping experience and is now helping women shop better via her over 100 stores across the U.S. EverEve also just conducted a national survey to better understand how real women feel about fashion. Today, we're talking through all of those results and sharing our recommendations for making getting dressed easier and more fun.

0:58Hillary Kerr:It's all coming up on Who What Wear.

1:07Hillary Kerr:Megan and Lauren, welcome to the pod. I'm so excited to have the two of you here today. Are you ready to go? Ready. Yes. Excellent. Okay, so to start, I wanted to say thank you to EverEve for sponsoring this episode. I'd love for us to start by talking about you, Megan. Can you tell us a little bit about how you entered the fashion space? You and I were talking about this a little bit earlier and what you wanted to build with EverEve. Entering into the fashion space was a little bit unexpected. I was a mom, a young mom in transition in my life. My life was changing. Things were evolving. And I was feeling like my fashion and my style was being left behind.

1:46And so I went shopping at a department store looking for fashion that would help me feel unstuck, that would move me forward, and ended up in a dressing room crying. I have literally been there. Have you been there?

2:01Hillary Kerr:I have absolutely been there. And it also happened after my first kid, where it's like, who am I? What am I? What is going on? It was such an emotional experience. And I literally sat in this dressing room for about 10 minutes and just cried my eyes out and just wondered, who am I now? Yeah. Once I pulled myself together and, you know, left the dressing room without anything in hand, I went back to my car and started the drive home. And it was really on that drive home that I began to reimagine what that experience could be. I started dreaming about the fashion. And I know I wanted modern, wearable, easy fashion, but it was versatile and also had a little bit of edge.

2:40And I also wanted a community. I wanted women to help me on my journey and to come alongside me and to help me just really feel good and confident again. And so it was really on that drive home when the Ever Eve dream was born.

2:56Hillary Kerr:I love that. It's such a pivotal time because you're trying to reinvent yourself or trying to rediscover yourself. And I'll be honest, I mean, fashion can be very exclusionary. It's part of the reason why we started Who What Wear in the first place is thinking about like, sure, it's one thing if you work at a fashion magazine in New York and you might have access to all of these things. But what about for everyone else? Fashion should not be intimidating. Fashion should help women move forward. And that was really what I realized that day in that dressing room is that I wanted to build something that would help solve this problem.

3:28I love it.

3:29Hillary Kerr:So, Lauren, you've been on the pod a number of times and we are always grateful for having you on it. But I don't think we've ever really discussed like what your job is or why you're on the pod. So can you give our listeners a little bit of context for what you do as an Ultimate Fashion Insider? Yes, of course. Well, I've worked at Who It Wear for over 10 years now, which is crazy. I've seen it through so many eras, which I'm so grateful for. But my current title is executive editorial and style director, which means I wear so many hats. But I would say to sum it up, I essentially oversee our day-to-day editorial content in terms of strategy, content planning, brand image, maintenance, all the things.

4:09I also manage our fashion team specifically. Our team's broken into beauty, shopping, and fashion. So those are kind of my girls. And then I also style a lot of our celebrity cover shoots, which is kind of a separate part of my job that I work really closely with our creative teams on. Got a real 360 job, girl. I do. You do. Wow. That's a lot.

4:27Hillary Kerr:Well, I'm very glad that we're having this conversation because, as we said, I think that Ever Even Who What Wear have really shared missions. You know, we've always been about helping women get dressed at Who What Wear and making sure that they understand their personal style. I also want to talk about the fact that, Megan, you and your team at Ever Even recently have gone the extra mile and conducted a study to find out how real women feel about fashion. What was the inspiration behind doing this? Why did you want to do this? We just wanted to hear from real women. We wanted to understand the state of fashion.

5:01And I feel like so much has changed in the last couple of years. Yes. You know, we just wanted to take a moment and pause and reach out to women and understand how they're feeling about fashion. And we found out that a lot of women are feeling intimidated. A lot of women want help. And we just love the idea of listening to women.

5:22Hillary Kerr:Yeah, that sounds nice. That sounds really nice. What do they have to say, right? So your spring campaign is called Ever Wonder. And I know that you built this entire campaign around a set of questions that real women have about fashion. Talk to me a little bit more about the inspiration behind it. What sort of questions you wanted to answer? What sort of inspiration you wanted to give? We just found out so many interesting things. Like 70 % of women feel intimidated by fashion. 70 % of women admit that they want guidance and they want help. There's a stat that says, I might get the number totally, like 53 % of women actually have not gone out for a night because they have not known what to wear.

6:09Women love fashion. They view it as part of taking care of themselves, but they don't always know how to make it happen. We have over 120 stores across the country, from the East Coast to the West Coast and all in between. And we are very close with our customers. I'm very close with our customers. I love getting in a dressing room and listening to their stories and understanding what they're up to and listening to their questions. And we get a lot of real live data from our customers. And so we are just so excited to answer the real questions that women have about fashion right now.

6:50Hillary Kerr:So, Lauren, I'm curious about your point of view on this as well. What are some of the questions that you get, whether it's from friends who are in the industry or people who are out of the industry? I know you just got back from Fashion Month. So you've been seeing some of those trends up close and personal. What are the questions that you get the most? I do have a lot of friends that are in this industry that I've kind of grown up with and they're my peers now. and I feel like the kinds of things we talk about are you know what's worth the investment right now versus just a trend and what do you think of you know this designer and it's maybe more industry focused and I feel like those questions about advice really are more event focused if that makes sense so what to wear to a wedding I'm going to this cocktail party what should I wear to these places that's a big question women have to wear to all the places I go yes I think it's also proof that like it's not a unique experience to struggle with how to get dressed even if you do work in the industry sometimes it's actually more complicated in a lot of ways there's so many like layers and there's so much nuance to it but I feel like my friends who don't work in the industry a lot of what they struggle with is like how to look current without like they're trying too hard like they don't want to feel left behind in the trajectory of like where fashion is heading but they also don't care about much like they don't want to know what I know but they want to feel good when they get dressed and they don't want to feel lame when they're out at a coffee shop.

8:11Like they want to be a cool mom. Like a lot of my friends are starting to have kids. And, you know, I can't personally resonate with the struggle, but I'm sure I will soon of, you know, maybe losing your identity in terms of personal style after having children. But I can speak to my friends who have started to have kids. And definitely that's something that they talk to me a lot about is like, I don't recognize my body. I don't recognize my day to day. I don't recognize my schedule. Like I don't know how to get dressed and I don't like to. And I am struggling like so deeply. So they're so specific.

8:39Like what jeans do I wear? What shoes? Yeah. Even like shoes are really hard for a lot of my friends. Bottoms and shoes. Yes. Bottoms and shoes. Jeans and shoes. Yes. Very hard. There could be a whole conversation about all the denim silhouettes and what shoes go back to the denim silhouettes. Women have a lot of questions. In fact, that is our number one question that comes through on our social channels is what shoes do I wear with these bottoms? Yes, definitely. I think that's a huge thing. And denim silhouettes in general, I feel like can speak to how like on trend you are or what your knowledge is.

9:13And so a lot of times I'll just get the funniest text from my friends like, OK, like a wide leg. Like, is that am I lame? Like, do I wear that? Do I not like a skinny jean? I've seen the headlines like we're not doing that. But now I saw this other headline and we are like, you know, they're like, what's going on? Just like tell me. So it's funny.

9:30Hillary Kerr:I feel like that's the nice thing, though, about this current moment in trend is that even like 10, 15 years ago, it was like if you weren't wearing a bright skinny jean, then you were doing it wrong. Whereas now it's like you can be like Kendrick and you can wear a bell bottom or you can wear a wide leg or you can wear a stovepipe. I feel like there's more range at this exact moment in time, which honestly probably leads to more confusion. It leads to more confusion, but it's also super free. So we're noticing that as well. We're noticing that women in the past, women have asked, what's the it gene?

10:00And it's really not about that. It's really about your collection of denim and the different silhouettes and how do I wear these different silhouettes. But back to the idea of being able to invest in more pieces, I think that gives you freedom to know I can invest in all these different silhouettes because we're just in a fashion cycle where it's not just about the one you need. But it does then lend to a little more confusion. There's like decision paralysis. Because you wear a different shoe with the barrel than you wear

10:27Hillary Kerr:with the wide leg and different with the straight leg. And it does lend itself to just some more questions. Yes, definitely. It's really about feeling good with who you are and your body. And like I don't look good in every trend. Like my shape doesn't. And I try to not get like discouraged by that because it's really about like finding something in your closet. Like when you're getting dressed that's going to make you feel good that day. And that can change every day, you know, like depending on your vibe or what you have planned. And so I think that's like a good reminder is you can look current if you're feeling confident.

10:59You just and like styling can change. And so I think there is a lot of freedom and like accepting that. Yeah. I feel like what women I've noticed women want is they want to feel like themselves, but a modern version of themselves. Yeah, exactly. That's what accessories are for, my friends. That's true. That's what accessories are for.

11:16Hillary Kerr:They always fit and you can change them depending on the season. Exactly. And then still wear the jeans that you like. Okay. So I want to talk about some of the findings. You mentioned a statistic earlier. So according to EverEve's State of Style survey, 90 % of women feel that fashion is a form of self-care, but 71 % find that fashion is intimidating, which is wild. 57 % of women have canceled plans or said no to an event because they didn't know what to wear. So Lauren, I think of you as someone who has a very clear and assured sense of style. Do you ever have moments that you feel that way?

11:52Hillary Kerr:Or have you ever felt that way where you're like, I'm just not going because I have nothing to wear? Yes. No. Truly. All the time. I'm not, I'm not just gassing you up. I always feel like that. I don't think I've ever not gone to something. I feel like in those situations, I just pick like the simplest kind of most comfortable thing. I have this like structure where I try to like look at my closet and find one thing that I know I'm going to feel so good putting on. Sometimes that can be like a crazy vintage Prada skirt. And sometimes it's like, actually all I can stomach right now is the same black trousers that I wear every single day.

12:27And I'm going to feel good in that when I walk out of the house. And so that's what I'm starting with. And I kind of build from there. But there's definitely moments of struggle for sure all the time.

12:37Hillary Kerr:Even for you. Yes. Even for me. So Megan, And when you looked at the results from the survey, were you surprised by what you were seeing or did they align with what some of the information you had been receiving from your 100 stores? I think it was validating. And it was really helpful to understand and to just reconnect to kind of the feelings that I had so long ago in that dressing room and to know that even though the brand has grown and evolved and we've grown up in a way, that women still feel the same way that I felt in that dressing room that day. So the survey also showed that 80 % of women feel that fashion doesn't understand how women actually live.

13:21Hillary Kerr:And I feel like we've had this conversation over the past few years that after a show, one of the greatest compliments that anyone can give a designer is to say like, oh, this designer really understands women and really appreciates women and really enjoys women. It feels like this sentiment rings true at every level. So Lauren, as someone who attends these shows, what does it look like when a designer does understand how women actually live aside from pockets. I mean, how many times have you put on something and someone's like, oh, that's so cute. And you say, look, it has pockets. Yeah. No, I think that when you experience those collections, whether it's live or you're seeing the images of it afterwards, to me, when a designer really loves women and that's apparent is when I think the point of view of a woman is considered when creating this collection or creating one look.

14:07It's not about designing something that's specifically flattering, quote unquote, on a woman or perfecting a specific silhouette that is traditional to women's dressing. I think it's really about considering the complexities of women and more about like you can look at a collection and whether it's from one look specifically or a whole entire, you know, like specific sections or just the collection at large, like you can see that that person, the designer was considering like where the woman is going, what she is doing, what she stands for, that she's busy, that she is complex. And there's a lot of intimacy that I think is considered there with the busy life of a woman.

14:42I think designers who do this really well are Sarah Burton of Givenchy. That's a narrative that we're seeing a lot right now. She just left Alexander McQueen, Miuccia Prada, of course. I think she's always breaking down these stereotypical ideologies of what a woman represents and flipping it on its head and just surprising people every single time. She shows a new collection. Tory Burch, Rachel Scott, now at Proenza. I think those are female creative directors right now that we're seeing that, in my opinion, love women. And then male creative directors, I think, right now that are doing this well are Joseph Altazara, Peter Moulier, who's now going to Versace from Alaya, and of course, Mathieu Blaise from Chanel.

15:19I feel like the new Chanel collections are a true showcase of like, women can be anything and they are everything. And it's not just one note at all. But I think a pocket. It's like something as simple as that is like, she's busy. She has stuff like she's on her way. She has to have function. It's not just about like a pretty dress or a pretty perfect form at all. It's actually like a lot about the imperfections and kind of just taking that into consideration for me.

15:43Hillary Kerr:So Megan, you're coming from the other side of the industry. And in addition to EverEve having your own brand, you also work with lots of incredible, incredible brands like Favorite Daughter and Frame and Claire V, who's a personal favorite. Her store is right down the street from me and Silver Lake. When you're thinking about EverEve, the brand, or you're thinking about what other brands that you're bringing in or specific products that you're bringing in, what are the guardrails that you have in place to make sure that your curation is actually speaking to the way that women live. Our customer wants to be modern.

16:16So she does want to feel like herself, but she wants to feel like the modern version of herself. So trend and curation of trend. So not every trend is wearable. Correct. All right. And so for us at Evereve, we really curate. No naked dresses. That are right. Right. Like the short, what's going on with like the bathing suit, The micro shorts, right? Not as grounded in reality for most of us. Not grounded in reality for most of us. So we just love the idea of like not every trend is right and wearable for every. So our team does the hard work of curating and editing the trends to what we believe is really right and wearable for our customers.

16:58So that's the first point. The second piece is ease and unfussiness. The women we serve are really busy. Yeah. They are working full time. They're taking care of families. They're involved with their friendship. They give back to their communities. These women are taking care of a lot of things. They love fashion, but their lives are really busy and they are looking for things that are modern, but wearable and easy and unfussy. Versatility. These women, they are, you know, going to work, to soccer games, to nights out, to girl trips, to work trips. I mean, they are doing it all. And they are looking for pieces that are going to do it all with them.

17:42Hillary Kerr:Yeah. And the last thing is edge. A little bit of something that maybe makes her feel like she's true to who she is, but she's moving forward. So just maybe something bold that maybe feels for her a little bit new. And these can be something simple like tying, you know, a scarf around her neck with a T-shirt. or it could be wearing a new silhouette that she thinks is interesting. Before I buy something, I try and think, do I have three things that I could wear this with that I already own, that are already in my closet? And do I have three different locations that I could go? Could I wear this to work style one way?

18:19Hillary Kerr:Could I wear this on the weekend style another way? Could I wear it out for drinks or a dinner date with girlfriends for another? Not everything has to hit all three on both sides, but the closer we can get to that, I want my closet to really work. For me, comfort is another thing that is incredibly important. I want to be able to move comfortably in my clothes. That's why I ended up in kitten heels. I have downgraded for my four-inch heels pre-pandemic too. I agree. Yep. That is something I have given up along the way. I'm like, I'm not going to stuff my feet in torture chambers anymore. I definitely feel like women want comfort and it's really important in that curation.

18:57Hillary Kerr:Yes. So another stat from the study that stood out to me is that 65 percent of women feel that they have lost touch with their personal style, which is interesting because it does indicate that they feel like they were in touch with it. And to me, I can only imagine that part of what's going on right now has to do with like to some degree the pandemic. And I feel like everyone had a big shift into sweats, into comfies and then came out the other side and said, now what serves me now? That also happened to align with maternity leave for me. So I had the double impact of like, oh, who am I now as a mom of two kids, which, you know, certain practicalities had to come into consideration because, you know, some of the skirt length choices I was making before having kids doesn't make as much sense when you have two little ones.

19:40Women are ever evolving and they're changing. Their priorities are changing. The way they spend their time is changing. Their bodies change.

19:48Hillary Kerr:change it's interesting because I feel like I had a uniform pre-kids and then it has taken some time to like figure out what the new uniform is for me as time has gone on what is that uniform yeah I was gonna I'm curious my pre-uniform my current your current uniform it's a long leather pencil skirt at this point in time like this is my current so I love a leather like a longer like a midi pencil skirt but I like them in leather so I have because I feel like that's the thing where it's like, it's a little edge. Yeah, it's got that little bit of edge. But it's a traditional silhouette. Yeah. And it's something that I can wear like with a flat or I can wear it with a heel.

20:22Hillary Kerr:I can wear it with a t-shirt. I can wear it with a sweater. I think they're surprisingly versatile. Yeah. And they make me feel great. I have a uniform right now too. And my uniform right now is definitely some sort of relaxed denim, maybe a barrel-ish. Yeah. A solid sweatshirt, some sort of flat and then I'm just really into I was gonna say a fancy flat a fancy flat coming out fancy flat and then some interest something fun but then like I'm really into like the personality pieces yeah yeah like taking the scarf and the necklace the beads the belts I can make so many outfits so many with like a sweatshirt a relaxed jean and like a flat and then just kind of mixing all the personality pieces yeah it's super fun and it's so nice when you're overwhelmed or you you are busy to lean into those formulas that really work for you.

21:15So I love that.