Stripe Talk: Joey Wolffer, The StyleLiner.

Joey Wolffer and I have not actually met yet but I feel as though we already know each other very well. That’s the power of Instagram for you! She’s had an illustrious career, she’s traveled all over the world, and I really love how she’s managed to combine her passions of travel + fashion and accessories into a business that is both viable and unique!

Meet The Styleliner… a mobile boutique full of the limited edition finds that Joey has curated during her travels around the world. On top of running The Styleliner, Joey also designs and sells her own line of accessories. The jewelry is amazing and the bags are heaven… (how gorgeous is this one?) Oh and if you recognize her last name then we’ll probably get along just great. Her family owns the Wolffer Estate vineyard, out in Long Island (they have the BEST rosé!)

Grace:  Tell me a little bit about how you got your start in the industry. You have such an interesting background… first designing jewelry and then serving as Trend Director for Jones Group!

Joey: Thank you! Well, I graduated from Vanderbilt in 2004 and I hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I had started “making jewelry” and doing trunk shows the summer before after my internship at Jill Stuart. Jill loved a pair of earrings I made for her as a parting gift and actually told me to be a jewelry designer!

My mother is English so I have a British passport. Wanting to live abroad and escape a bad boyfriend, I decided to live in London! I got an internship with a friend of a family friend at her jewelry company. I was an intern 3 times a week and within a month, she had fired her designer and hired me on full time! It was the most fun job! I worked with different brands like TopShop, Jigsaw, Miss Selfridge and Urban Outfitters to create special jewelry lines for their stores. I worked for this company for a year before moving back to NYC.

I was lucky that I was so marketable having worked in Europe in design, so I was able to meet with some fantastic companies. My first job in NYC was for a company called Accessory Network. There I did everything from design to production and merchandising. This was one of the hardest jobs I have ever had working crazy hours and weekends for little pay, but it has made me the worker that I am. Next up I met with Jones… specifically Nine West! I soon became a jewelry designer for their team. It was such a great experience and I learned the ins and outs of the corporate fashion world… becoming trend director was one of my favorite moments in my career. Firstly, because it was a big role for a 25 year old and secondly because my last memories of my father were him announcing me to all his friends as “the director.” This position was really how I started thinking about doing my own thing…through my travels and research for my presentations, I came across incredible unknown designers . I knew there was a market for them, I just didn’t know at that point that I’d do it in a truck!

Grace: Wow. I love learning a little more about your background! How did The Styleliner come about?

Joey: Yes, this leads me into the Styleliner. The Styleliner was born on the idea that traditional retail was not going to be for me and that it was also something that we had to look at in a different way after the economic crash in 2008. Anyone who knows me knows that I like to move around, see the world, and meet new people. I wanted to create my own line but knew that I had to build a name for myself in fashion first. The truck was inspired by both the food truck phenomenon and the social media takeover of 2010. I knew that I had the demographic and location to start the business in the Hamptons. My father had recently passed away and I was inspired by his “joie de vivre” to just make it happen with my own business!

Grace: Walk me through your typical day.

Joey: Typical doesn’t really exist! When you’re constantly moving, it’s very rare that you every day is the same.. My favorite days are spent designing at the factory I work with in Dumbo or at trunk shows with my favorite customers. As any small businesses go though, we do everything. No one really has one job, so while some days are spent designing, others are spent with my accountant and looking at the budget or planning out future shows. I really hate administrative work, it’s NOT my forté, but it’s the necessary evil of a start up.

Grace: Tell me about your own beauty routine… what are your favorite products? (And your hair! I need to know what products you use.)

Joey: I wash my face with  Shisiedo Brightening cleansing foam and then use Decleor Aroma Cleanse Essential toner. For moisturizer, I swear by Decleor aroma c moisturizer and I love Laura Mercier everything… except Chanel Beige Tinted Moisurizer… it’s my daily jam!

AHHHH the hair… all summer long it’s wash it and hope for the best. 🙂 My hair likes the salty, humid air! In the fall and winter, I have just discovered a new technique…Partially dry it with a curling brush, braid it and then release the braid after an hour or two! It’s working for the moment. For shampoo and conditioner, I use Frederic Fekkai Technician color care! And right after I shower I put in Frederic Fekkai olive oil glossing cream!

Grace: Let’s pretend that you are traveling for the next month and can only take along three beauty products… what would they be?

Joey: Chanel tinted moisturizer with sunscreen, my face wash, and mascara!

Grace: The Styleliner stocks an amazing assortment of unique brands. What are your favorite styles for Fall?

Joey: Fab military coats lined with rabbit fur and embellished with Moroccan coins. Our signature Classic bag! The Lola rabbit Mainstreet fedora, Chunky knits from a Berlin based designer, Guatemalan mola boots from Teysha out of Austin, Texas… Ear cuffs from Jacquie Aiche, and Vintage pendants found all over the world!

Grace: Along that note, you just launched your own line of handbags! Tell me about those.

Joey: These are truly my pride and joy! We have 3 styles with another on its way: a classic cross body, a mini, and a pouch. They are made in Dumbo and designed by yours truly. The line is a reflection of all my travels combined with the luxury and quality of the finest Italian leathers. We mix vintage embroidered straps with pony, embossed skins and suede. Each one has a signature jewelry piece and a large luxurious tassel! I love tassels! They have been such a hit so far. I am so happy to be creating my own product now and plan to do more in the future!

Grace: The Styleliner is all about shopping by destination, and you are always jetting all over the world. Which destinations would you say have the best shopping?

Joey: Well, I have my favorite destinations for different things. For boutique shopping, IBIZA. For Vintage, LONDON! My absolute favorite market was the hippie market in Rio and the souk in Fez, Morocco. BUT, the best flea market in the world is also in Paris!

Grace: And what’s your personal favorite place you’ve traveled”

Joey: I can’t name one…But I have loved every single trip I have ever made to Africa….Kenya, Tanzania, and Morocco. You are truly changed as a person when you return from time there.

Grace: You have a knack for putting together outfits that are easy and effortless, yet unexpected. What advice do you have for Stripes & Sequins readers looking to hone in on their own personal style?

Joey: Why thank you! My best advice is more is more, never be afraid to mix and match. Try not to follow a specific trend, personal style is so much more attractive!

Grace: Also on personal style… who are your favorite designers?

Joey: Isabel Marant (via the Outnet), Philip Lim, Zimmerman, Rachel Comey, and Candice Cooper Sneakers

 Grace: What are your favorite places (to eat + shop) in the city?

Joey: (hooray — she made us a whole list!!)

Shopping:

• Narnia Vintage on Rivington and Clinton
• DEAR Rivington on Great Jones Street
• Philip Lim on Mercer
• Curve on Mercer
• Bird in Cobble Hill
• Maryam Nasser Zadeh in Cobble hill

Restaurants:

• Il Posto Accanto on 2^nd between A and B
• Narcissa at the Standard… some of the best food I have had in a long time!
• Bar Tabac in Boerum Hill
• Jewel bako in the East Village for sushi
• Yunnan Kitchen in the Lower East Side for Asian Fusion

Grace: If you weren’t running The Styleliner, what would you be doing?

Joey: I would love to be a Creative Director for a mass accessory brand. Having so many great designer and production abilities under your fingertips!

Grace: Have to ask… did the Hamptons actually almost run out of rosé this summer?

Joey: They certainly ran out of Wolffer Rose!

A huge thank you to Joey for participating! Be sure to follow her adventures on Instagram… and read past Stripe Talk features here!