Woman 2 Watch- Amy Salinger
Amy Salinger
This week’s Woman 2 Watch, Amy Salinger is a nationally recognized fashion expert who has styled for such television shows as, “The Oprah Winfrey show”, TLC’s “What Not to Wear” and “The Makeover Story” and has appeared on “The Today Show”, MTV along with touring the country as a shopping expert appearing on local morning news programs. Amy has been featured as an expert in the pages of InStyle Magazine, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal and Life and Style publication, among others. All of her style knowledge is available for any fashion junkie at her daily blog and web series, www.SassnStyle.com. Learn more about this Woman 2 Watch by reading below….
FG: What was the inspiration behind creating Sass N Style?
AS: I wanted to offer fun, logical, entertaining fashion advice for the “real” woman. Lots of women watch these makeover shows on television, but don’t actually have direct access to a real, live New York City fashion stylist! My blog and web series give women (and men) all over the world the ability to contact an expert directly with their most difficult styles questions.
FG: What is the most valuable fashion advice you’ve ever been given?
AS: This may seem funny, but in college I wasn’t exactly the best dresser. I was still young and dressing in a juvenile manner. My best friend (who has an innate sense of style), taught me that sometimes wearing more clothing can be more stylish and sexy then wearing less clothing! Often times, younger ladies think bearing it all is what “sexy” is. How wrong!
FG: What were some of the misconceptions people have about the fashion industry?
AS: That it is all glamorous and fabulous! It is hard work and often times, like performing manual labor. As a stylist, a huge part of the job is lugging massive amounts of clothing around the city. Try looking super stylish when it is 100 degrees outside or raining on you.
FG: What are items of clothing should every modern woman own?
AS: This is truly a loaded question. There are several basics though that I always stand by. A pair of amazing dark jeans, a perfect white button down and a single breasted black blazer and a sleek, fitted coat. These few items are great foundation pieces for any women of any age or background. You can style them a multitude of ways and mix them up with trendy pieces to make them your own.
FG: How often should a woman update her wardrobe?
AS: I always promote a good shop twice a year, just as it gets warmer or colder outside. This doesn’t mean buying the kitchen sink, it just means updating your closet with a few replacement foundation pieces and adding a couple trendy items. Of course, if you accidently grab some great accessories along the way, that certainly couldn’t hurt! They are the easiest and least expensive way to update your wardrobe.
FG: What are some simple things woman can do to update their look without a whole lot of effort?
AS: As mentioned in the last answer, accessories are your best friend. They can instantly spice up your look! If jewelry isn’t your thing, try some fun scarves or a great belt. They can make any basic foundation pieces shine!
FG: How many of your business decisions are based on know how vs. your intuition?
AS: It is always a combination of both. I have a strong sense of intuition that I definitely listen too, but over the years, I have honed my “know how” skills and am very proud to exercise them!
FG: What do you consider to be some of the major highlights of your career thus far?
AS: I have two amazing experiences that still put a huge smile on my face. The first is appearing on The Today Show highlighting back to school styles from Target. I found out about the segment only 12 hours prior and I had never appeared on live television before! Quite a combination, but I loved every second of it. The second experience was staring in a series of advertisements for JC Penney on MTV. It was a huge production and I was the star! I even had my own “fan holder” because we were shooting in an un-air-conditioned school and I was dying. Ah, to be a star!
FG: What is a spiritual mantra or philosophy that you live by?
AS: Try to enjoy the moment you are in, you are never going to be here again. It is truly difficult to always practice this when you live in a city like New York. Everything is go, go, go, never pausing to take a breath.
FG: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
AS: Stop complaining. I know I do not practice this enough! It is so easy to constantly vocalize what is annoying you, that it takes a lot more effort to talk about what is going right. Why is that??
FG: What would you tell your younger-self if you knew then what you know now?
AS: Learn as much as you can from others you are more established then you are and minor in business. I think there is something to be said for working your way up the ladder because it truly gives you the opportunity to learn about every aspect of your business. It makes you a more well-rounded individual with a lot more to offer. Taking on a business minor would have been my other huge bit of advice. Everything in this world is a business no matter what your profession. There is something to be said for learning the basics of how to run one from finances to marketing.
Finish this sentence….
FG: Women should stop complaining about______ and start doing _____________
AS: Women should stop complaining about needing to lose 5 pounds and start loving yourself for who you are now!
FG: If your life had a soundtrack what would be your top three songs?
AS: I really can’t think of three specific songs, but anything Madonna because of the sheer fact that she did what she wanted to do and is still at the top because of it.
FG: What project(s) do you have coming up?
AS: I am currently in the middle of a media tour which means I travel around the country going on local news programs chatting about great shopping tips. I am also putting together some fantastic style workshops for the New Year. Everyone, including your readers, can get great tips in person from an expert stylist, me! Look for upcoming events in New York City.
For more information on Amy please visit www.SassnStyle.com, where you can find style tips for every shape, size and budget. You can also find more information at www.AmySalinger.net. Mention this post when contacting me and receive 10% off of all initial personal styling services!
