Loving This Living: California Dreaming Edition

Amy Mac’s first LOVING THIS LIVING profile is all about the big business of fashion. I am a true believer that loving (or hating) what you are wearing can make or break your day, but let’s face it - everyone doesn’t have a knack for pulling together outfits that work.

That’s where a personal stylist like Sutton Stracke (and her fabulous blog) comes into play.
Sutton Stracke, of Laguna Beach, California, is a stylist and the founder of Bespoke Trunk, a lifestyle and fashion consulting company that caters to the individual fashion needs of women around the world. In addition to personally styling clients that live in her region, she writes a splendid blog where she gives advice to women on looking fabulous – whether you spend your days presenting in the boardroom or cleaning in the playroom.

Check out the transcript of my interview with Sutton:

Tell us what you do to Love your Living: The company I founded, Bespoke Trunk, helps style women no matter what their budget using pieces from mainstream stores, high-end designer boutiques and vintage pieces.

What is the best part about your job? The worst? What makes your job interesting and unique? I love chatting with clients about their likes and dislikes of fashion, and I love the hunt of shopping based on those likes and dislikes. The idea of helping someone look and feel better is fascinating to me. The worst part is resisting buying for yourself during the hunt!

Is there any special training required to perform your job? A good eye for putting looks together and good people-listening skills are all that it takes.

If someone was thinking of pursuing a career in your industry, what would be the first steps they'd need to take? If I could do it all again, I would probably get my BA in fashion merchandising from an established school such as the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Living in New York is almost be a prerequisite for a job like this. Street style in NYC is the inspiration of many designers, and seeing those styles on a daily basis becomes your own inspiration.

Tell us something fun you’ve done recently because of your job. I loved doing the closet makeover with my sister-in-law. Though it was a long process, and perhaps painful for her, it gave such a sense of accomplishment to us both. I loved watching her face when I showed her multiple ways she could use one dress or one pair of trousers. Giving people a sense of power over their own closet is a remarkable experience.

How do you keep a good balance between your work life and your home life? I am still working on this part. Because I am new to the Orange County area and have just realized this business, I need to spend a lot more time on it than I do. But having a good nanny helps, and supportive husbands are the whole key – luckily I have both.

Any parting words of advice for our readers about balancing work and life? The one thing that has come to me this year is to do what you love. Once you have that, then the work is no longer a chore. If work isn't a chore, but something you really desire to do, then the stress of a job disappears. But when you work at home you must be disciplined to work only in the constraints of the hours that you have decided on, or otherwise it all blends together, and you do neither well.

AMY MAC LOVING THIS LIVING CONTEST: Subscribe to the Amy Mac Blog (on the right side of the blog under "Get Email Updates for Amy Mac) and you’ll be entered to receive a FREE two-outfit consultation with Sutton via e-mail! A winner will be chosen randomly from the list of Amy Mac subscribers (if you’re already a subscriber you’ll automatically be entered) on Feb. 6!