Meet Cat Slater

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cat Slater a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cat , so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?

I’m really not sure that I ever looked like anyone else in the room. At thirteen in 1980-81 I looked around at what was becoming “fashionable” in my little world and realized I didn’t like any of it. I quickly realized I didn’t want or need to look like anyone else. What was in the department stores were pink Lacoste shirts with little green alligators and pink, green and white plaid shorts or trousers. Instead, I hit up every thrift store in Los Angeles and looked like a cross between a hippy goddess and the lead female singer of a heavy metal band. I also wore enough sterling silver jewelry that the metal detectors at the airport would beep before I even stepped through. Last but not least, at twenty-one I grew my nails out and wore only blue polish. Back then there was a light blue and a dark blue. That was it. No greens, purples, yellows or any of the colors you see every day, all day now. I started working at nineteen in the film industry in the accounting department. I made my look Iconic to me! It was turned into my calling card. There were no tattoos or piercings, just long nails, wild cloths and a lot of jewelry. Producers would call my references and I was always referred to as the one with the long blue nails. No one ever forgot me! I made sure I always did more than what was expected so after a while, no one even cared or noticed.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I have always believed that life is the greatest adventure there is. Instead of running away to join the circus, I ran away and joined the film industry. It was nepotism, and I admit it! The lure was come work in accounting and eventually you will meet a costume designer and move into wardrobe. Two years later, I got that call. By then, I was already pretty far up the accounting food chain. I looked around at how many people wanted into wardrobe verses how many wanted into accounting and realized that that if I stayed put, I would work just about everyday I wanted to and many I didn’t want to. It also afforded by a stunning life and a glorious vintage collection. Since the industry has been in contract negations for the last year and a half I decided to start some online specialty shopping events. Now I will be hosting Men and Martini’s on Monday, Wine and Woman on Wednesdays, and Size me up with cocktails on Friday or Sunday. So far, we are getting super positive feedback. We will also be doing 1-2 minutes quick and quirky videos that showcase or teach something. One of our first videos is on how to wear cufflinks for both men and woman. It will also show how to adjust or alter your regular dress shirt to accommodate wearing cufflinks. With all of this going on, I truly believe in giving back. I am in the process of starting a nonprofit to teach design students vintage clothing. How do you design for tomorrow and not understand the clothing of yesterday?

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Everyone journey is subjective to whatever is happening in that exact moment all around them. When I was eleven my father was killed in a car accident. That shaped so much of how I saw my life. I realized then, that life was short. That I wanted a life full of stories. My stories. Of adventures I had, the people I met and the places I had gone to. I was never reckless, but I never let anything, including myself, hold me back. I always trusted until I was given a reason to doubt and I always worked hard and listened to my assistants. Be a really good boss, and I am. I always stood up for my team and helped them move forward. Don’t hold anyone back to be petty. I once found out that the producer had worked with one of my assistants before. He asked her what her opinion of me was. The job was between myself and someone else. She told the producer all about my work ethic, ability and the kind of person I was. I got the job. Be a great assistant and an even better boss. Always take the time to hear their opinions. As time marches forward, they have kept me up to date with all the changes so I have stayed on top of my field better than if I went it alone.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

My life is super busy. Between a sixty or more-hour workweek in the film industry. A vintage store that is an hour and a half away from me and continuously needs new merchandise, cat and kitten rescue, practicing with the magician that I am her assistant and seeing my friends and family, time management is what gets me through it all. Everything is run on a rolodex system. I handle whatever is the next thing that has to be done by the most current due date. An example of this is: I was producing two vintage fashions shows on the Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend. Both shows had over 30 models and not all of them were able to be there both days. This meant it was just about two entirely different shows. Two weeks before the shows I bring into the store a vintage leather dress that needs some work. My store manager loved it and I said I needed to find a leather expert to ask a few questions about the conservation of the dress. A week later my store manager calls me to talk about the dress. I am now less then a week away from the shows and getting all the models situated, the venue dressed, the food and beverages ready and the scripts done. To me there is nothing about that dress that needed to happen right then. It wasn’t in the show. If it didn’t get done for another year, it wouldn’t change anything or be late. The fashion shows and the event they were part of needed to be done. This was the next thing with an expiration date. Take care of one thing at a time and completely get it off your plate. Do not have thirty things all half done. Changing your focus takes more time than you think it will. It’s harder to remember where you left off and to get back in the swing of that task then it is to just get it done and then move on to the next thing on your list.

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