5 Style Lessons Courtesy of Angel Lenise

22 Oct 5 Style Lessons Courtesy of Angel Lenise

New York is full of those girls. You know the ones—on the train, ahead of you in the line for coffee, on the ‘Gram with an aspirational feed you can’t help but fall face-first into—that leave you wondering why didn’t I think to wear that? These are their closets. Welcome to 5 Style Lessons.

I’m not at all afraid to admit that I am a little biased toward the woman who stands in front of the closet I’m showing you today.

She is a source of inspiration, my accountability partner, and in a world (mine) where more is more, I admire the minimalist approach she takes, not just with her style but in life. And be clear, simple doesn’t make either approach less impactful. Angel Lenise, on-air personality, editor, and writer, packs a punch.

“If you hear that voice enough, you just have to pursue it, even if it’s in a very small way, every single day.” Angel told me in the very adult-looking Brooklyn apartment that she shares with her college sweetheart. “Even if it’s applying for that on-air position that you know you’re not going to get, at least you put it out there in the universe.”

As for what exactly she’s putting into the Universe— “I see myself on E! News, week days and weekend shifts.  I’m really fond of celebrity and pop culture, I’m on the web and social media and I’m looking at these stories all day. I’m talking to my coworkers about them, I’m talking to my friends, I’m talking to my sorority sisters about it nonstop, because it’s something that makes me happy. I think I could offer, not a biased opinion, this is journalism, after all, but I think I could offer a more well-rounded conversation. I think there needs to be a more critical side of entertainment news and you don’t see that. It’s all praise. It’s all fluff. It’s all applause. I want to be able to offer some sort of critique and be respected for it.”

And in the meantime, the multi-hyphenate is doing her part to pursue her dreams, on her terms. “I wanted a space where I could write intelligently about things that people deem shallow like fashion or beauty,” she said of her eponymous blog. “I lost that in my work place, we had a huge company shift and transition, I have two degrees in journalism and at my core—whether I want to be on-air, write, be a creative director, or edit—at my core, I’m a storyteller. And I just like to stories about things that I’m really passionate about.”

Angel knows that part of being on-air is crafting a look that speaks to the image she wants to portray and one that let’s the world know she means business. Ready to see how she does it? 5 style lessons starts now.

1. Realize Your Look Has to Evolve

“When you know what works for you, I’m not not saying aesthetic, per say, but when you find a silhouette that works, stick with it. But realize it has to evolve. In college, I was always legs and boobs, you saw my legs coming a mile away, they were always out, but I’m not a size two anymore. I’ve obviously filled out and I’m in a environment where you can’t have your legs out all day—I’ve had to redefine what I think is sexy. When I was younger, skin tight club dresses were sexy, were as now, I think a midi-length cocktail dress with the back exposed is sexy. There is merit to recognizing what your aesthetic is and what look you want to go for is but you also have to be open to evolve and mature that with your age, with your environment. You don’t have to lose sense of yourself based on where you are but you do have to make subtle changes that reflect where you are in life and the image that you want to portray to others.”

2. You Can Never Have Enough Little Black Dresses

“You can never have enough little black dresses. I have so many. I’ve just acquired them over the years from Zara to Dolce & Gabbana to Urban Outfitters to I think I just grabbed you from a video shoot and just kept you. There’s so much value in them. LBDs make you limitless. I’ve really carried that into other things, like I really like monochromatic looks — different shades of reds, of dark hunter greens or aubergine, or whatever, because I want to sound fancy, instead of saying purple. Black really makes me respect how one single color can make such an impactful look. I have little black dresses that I’ll wear to work under a skirt and take the skirt off after and it makes transitioning easy. You always look like you’re somebody. Like you have something in your clutch, like you have a little money. It doesn’t have to be expensive but with a good fit, makes you feel like more than what you might have been feeling that day.”

3. Do Not Underestimate What You Can Find at a Sample Sale

“Okay, listen, 26 in New York and you’re not making six figures, you don’t have the money for everything everybody else has. I wasn’t born with into a family like Leandra Medine’s or Chiara, The Blond Salad. The Blond Salad never stops because she has coin, okay? I don’t have that privilege. And I’m not the type of person to be like oh, that’s so last season, I can’t pull that out, I can’t wear this, that bag is two seasons ago, no, if this is a Jimmy Choo shoe, I don’t care if it was made five years ago, it’s going to be Jimmy Choo for life. Especially it’s a classic, clean silhouette, if it was something that was made well, in a style that was season-less that’s going to transition. Samples sales are the best thing. You can find so many gems and hidden treasures. It’s a way to invest in pieces that you know are going to be worthwhile but you can’t necessarily afford the retail price right now. I got my first Cushnie et Ochs dress at a sample sale and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.”

4. Take it to the Tailor

“You don’t always have to spend a lot of money on clothing but if it fits you poorly it’s going to look cheap. If you invest and pay attention to how something fits, you’re going to look good. Make sure you have the proper undergarments to make things look flat. People think that Spanx are to suck in stuff, actually, they are to make your clothes lay flat. They think slips are for cellulite, no, they’re to keep your dress from riding up and you from looking like a fool.”

5. Invest in Your Beauty

“There are people who don’t wear lotion because they don’t think you can’t see the ash, but you’re ashy, yet you’re wearing a Chanel Boy bag, you have on David Yurman bracelets, and your nails aren’t done. Or you’re a superior [at work] and your eyeliner bleeds from Monday to Friday and you don’t refresh. Pay attention to how you put yourself together before you put your clothes on. I don’t care what you’re carrying, if you’re ashy, if you don’t smell good, if your breath stinks, if your eyebrows are not on fleek—and I hate that term—but I’m going to say it, I’m not going to take you seriously. You don’t care about the inside, you just care about the outer shell. Invest in skincare: eye creams, lotions, masks, and use them. Take care of your body.”

Bonus:  Pay attention! “No one should walk New York streets in a good pair of heels. I think you should bring a change. And I say that to say, I see so many people dressed nicely from the ankle up, but their shoes… the taps are gone, the little material on the back of the heel is rolling up like curly fries and you look ridiculous. I hear you before I can see you, because you’re walking on metal. Really take time to appreciate the small things. One small inconsistency in your look can really alter someone’s perception of you.”

Isn’t she great? My girl dropped gems. I look forward to watching her reach her ‘Mama, I made it moment,’—which, for the record, she described as— “After I go home, and I watch myself on E! and I’m critiquing it. Saying ‘oh, I hate my voice, or I don’t like that,’ but that would be the moment.”

Just wait on it… you’ll definitely see her face again and, most likely in HD. Be sure to read her eponymous blog and follow her adventures on Twitter and Instagram.

What did you think of Angel and her tips? Isn’t her apartment gorgeous?