Lauren Caruso and Alyssa Coscarelli, editors at StyleCaster and Refinery 29 respectively, know good style — to say the least. So we were thrilled when we got the chance to talk with them about how they got into fashion, their current careers in the industry, their favourite upcoming trends, and their own eyewear wardrobes.
What originally drew you both to fashion? Was it an immediate love?
Lauren:
I didn’t set out to have a career in fashion, but I separately enjoyed writing and personal style and was always actively seeking out ways to be creative in both fields. But I’m an ’80s baby and I really came up during Tumblr’s prime. There’s a huge fashion base that’s rooted in personal style on there; the community on there democratized something that felt so untouchable and it fascinated me. I haven’t really looked back.
Alyssa:
I loved fashion from a young age. I used to put on little fashion shows for my family when I was a toddler. My parents used to get slightly mad at me for changing a million times in one day by the age of 5. So you could say it started pretty early.
Frames featured: Joseph Marc Morrow in Crystal, Love L742 in Snow White
How did you get your start in the industry?
Lauren:
I interned at a few small fashion websites, and when I graduated, I started freelancing for places like Of a Kind and Refinery29. When I started as a Staff Writer at R29 five or six years ago, I decided I would be a “yes” person, and that attitude helped me pick up a ton of skills and experience outside of my assigned role.
Alyssa:
I knew I wanted to work in the fashion industry, so I made it my goal to move to NYC and attend LIM College, a private college for the business side of fashion, and that college experience (and all the internships that came along with it) really gave me a head start in the industry.
What would surprise people about your job?
Lauren:
I’m the site director at StyleCaster, and I work with a team of talented editors and help steer the day-to-day operations of the site. I also manage big-picture initiatives across editorial, sales, and audience development. People might not realize it’s not just writing and editing all day long; there’s a ton of collaboration required, too.
What’s the best part about your job?
Alyssa:
I’m the Fashion Market Editor at Refinery29, so I oversee the shopping-focused stories on the site. I like to jokingly tell people I online shop for a living. The best part of my job is meeting small, up-and-coming brands and designers and giving them a platform to tell their brand story.
When it comes to your own personal style, how do you pick the perfect pair of glasses?
Lauren:
I tend to throw traditional rules out the window when choosing them: I have a long face, and though conventional wisdom says I should pick a wide set of frames to balance out my face, I feel too much like Iris Apfel in bigger frames. (She looks great, but it’s her). So I end up trying on about five dozen or so pairs until I find ones that feel like me.
Alyssa:
Asking lots of friend’s (and strangers’!) opinions. You can only look in the mirror for so long without going crazy, so I like to try on pairs for friends or store clerks and have them honestly tell me what looks best and suits me best.
Do you see glasses more as an accessory or a necessity? And do you match your outfit to your glasses, or the other way around?
Lauren:
Well I’m basically blind and wear either contacts or glasses every day, so they’re definitely more of a necessity to me! My style is pretty uniform across the board: neutral hues in minimalist silhouettes. My accessories game follows suit, so any frames that I’d own already match any outfit I’d be wearing!
Alyssa:
Right now, they’re an accessory, but I can feel my eyesight getting worse by the day, so I’m sure they’ll be a necessity soon. I won’t even mind it! I love wearing glasses. Sometimes I build my outfits around my glasses, believe it or not. Glasses really set the tone of an outfit, so I like to build a look around them instead of the other way around.
Which upcoming eyewear trend are you most excited about? And what do you want to see more of?
Lauren:
I love the acetate trend! It’s at once subtle and impactful.
Alyssa:
I love all of the aviator and super-’80s-esque styles that are coming back. Bring ’em on.
And what do you want to see more of?
Lauren:
I’d love to see glasses that bring out your brows. Weird, I know, but I spend too much time on them to ever let them be covered up by frames!
Alyssa:
Glitter. More glitter.
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