We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Sears a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I feel like my love of fashion has been ingrained in me since I was a child, but developing that passion into a skill and my actual purpose didn’t reveal itself until much later.
I remember sketching dresses when I was sitting in class in the 4th grade and that evolved a couple of years later into starting a tie-dye business with one of my best friends. I was always experimenting with looks and pushing what was trendy and acceptable in small-town Kentucky! I ended up studying theatre in college with an emphasis on costume design. It wasn’t fashion, but it allowed me to develop my design skills and learn more about fabrics and construction.
After college I worked on the visual merchandising team at Nordstrom on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. I started as a men’s stylist and eventually became the contemporary women’s and window stylist. Looking back now, it was an invaluable time, getting to explore and examine a variety of brands. I learned A TON!
After nine years in Chicago, I took a leap of faith and moved to Nashville because I was ready for a life change (if you’ve been to Chicago in the winter then you understand). I started freelancing as a stylist for music videos and commercials and then began wardrobe consulting with private clients, and I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I feel so fortunate that not only do I get to work in television creating looks for various productions, but I also get to develop style strategies for my private clients and help them create wardrobes that are both functional and fashionable. I love the variety of work that I do and feel that each aspect of my career informs the other. It keeps me fresh and feeling creative!
Whether I’m working with a personal client or TV show, there are still the same styling points to consider; the budget, body type(s), creative direction or personal style. Clothing is a language and I’m passionate about helping people build looks that communicate their personal message. My goal is to help people find and enhance their style, not impose my own upon them.
It’s currently in a testing phase, but I’ve recently launched a new digital styling service with my business partner who is also a wardrobe stylist. It’s called The Style Grail. We know that not everyone can afford to work with a personal stylist so we’ve taken our expertise and created downloadable guides that will help people build and maintain their dream wardrobe. We’re excited to see where this new venture might take us!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
When aspiring stylists ask me what they should do to develop themselves and their careers, I tell them to start working in retail. Work somewhere that exposes you to as many brands and bodies as possible. To put it simply, put clothes on bodies, lots of different bodies! That’s how you learn what works and what doesn’t. Sizing isn’t consistent so learn about proportion and alterations; understand what’s possible to change and what’s not. It’s not enough to dress cute and take selfies. If you want to dress people you have to understand fabrics and fit. People say they want to work in fashion, but retail is the biggest part of the fashion industry.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
As an entrepreneur, being well-rounded isn’t an option, it’s a necessity. You have to wear a lot of hats! Running a business isn’t just the fun, creative stuff, it’s the tedious tasks like doing your Quickbooks and sending invoices and marketing and more dreadful accounting. Finding your specialty, where you excel and what you enjoy is important, but personally I never want to close myself off to new opportunities. Certain areas may make me feel uncomfortable, but I want to keep growing and trying new things.
Contact Info:
- Website: amandasears.com
- Instagram: @glamandaloves
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glamandaloves
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-sears-3a792b4/
- Other:thestylegrail.com
