What do you think about when you get dressed in the morning?
How I can look good and feel comfortable at the same time.
Before going out?
These shoes hurt and I’m okay with it.
Do you start from the shoes and then work your way up, or clothes and then down?
I start with outerwear and then go in. So I’ll decide what coat and shoes I want to wear and then build from there. Sometimes everything revolves around a statement piece.
How does living in New York influence your style? What about where you’re from or where you grew up?
In New York, I’m a bit more tailored. I feel like that in most urban areas. I come from a beach town in New Jersey — the style there is edgy and relaxed.
Help! One transition-weather dressing tip:
Wear a jacket that looks cool tied around your waist.
What do you like your outfits to say about you?
That I take myself very seriously…even though I really don’t. At all.
What’s your foolproof styling trick?
Always have visual balance, from colors to shapes.
The one garment that never lets you down?
What item of clothing makes you feel most like yourself? Why?
A fitted blazer with oversize shoulders. I have a weird thing for 80’s power suits. My mom used to store her vintage Mugler and Armani suits in my closet, so maybe that’s why.
At what point in your life did you really start to come into your own in terms of personal style?
During college I started to understand what my style was. I think that’s because I started to ask myself why I liked the things I liked, and what had, over time, made me me.
How do accessories change an outfit?
Sometimes being extra is necessary…and that usually comes in the form of large earrings.
How does working in fashion influence your daily style?
I don’t think working in fashion necessarily influences my style because my style has largely been the same my whole life. I do think working in fashion helps me be in the know of what’s out and hot, though. I like to be “in the know.”
What are your favorite three places on the Internet to get inspired?
TED, Instagram, Tumblr.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve learned in the last week?
Ancient Egyptian engineering. YouTube has some really awesome documentaries about it. And I’m a freak for useless facts to bore people with.
Best song to get dressed to?
Follow Lainy on Instagram @lainyhedaya. Photos by Edith Young.
