Part of the experience that we strive to provide to our readers, is an in-depth, almost vicarious, opportunity to gain knowledge about fascinating individuals and places. Today, ladies and gentlemen, we aim to transport you to the high-fashion world of downtown Manhattan, and into the closets of two of the powerhouse women that make this concrete jungle look so good.
Chances are, if you have been lucky enough to achieve some level success in New York fashion, especially downtown, you will be well aware of a particular duo. Emily Bache and Abigail Breslin are the WanderLust Girls. Renowned fashion bloggers and stylists, the duo first received acclaim for their blog, which later grew into a full-service fashion LLC. So successful, they now have branched into lifestyle and travel. Fashionistas, stylists, media mavens, staples of downtown New York’s fabulous parties, and fixtures found at every stylish event, The Knockturnal could not pass on the chance to chat with these dynamic ladies.
Hailing from Massachusetts, Ms. Bache and Ms. Breslin have been best of friends since the tender age of 11. It was during college that their mutual affinity for fashion and adventure resulted in the creation of their blog, the WanderLust Girls. With the blog gaining a lot of traction, due to its success, and with only one New York Fashion Week under their belts, the two women were hired by Playboy to style their first major ad campaign. Subsequently, launching the WanderLust Girls as a full-service fashion LLC, the rest, one could say, is fashion history.
The Knockturnal: Very nice to speak with you, once again! Let’s dive right in. What inspired your recent transition from NYC to Nashville?
WanderLust Girls: Cowboys and rockstars… In all honesty, we just needed a change and absolutely love Nashville. We do split our time between NYC and Nash now, but down south is the new home-base.
The Knockturnal: Tell me about how you started off as a blog and then transitioned into a full-service fashion LLC.
WanderLust Girls: We started the blog simply to keep in touch while we were in college. We shared a closet growing up, so the blog was a way to show each other what the other would soon own when we reunited in NYC. At the time we didn’t even realize what a blog was or that other people could see it. Someone else told us that we had a bit of a following and should try and take it seriously. In September of 2010, Abigail moved in with me (Emily) and we decided to try and go to NYFW. We ended up getting a great response to our requests and covered 50 shows that season. We met a lot of people and began to get hired to style look-books and editorials based off our personal style, or hired to host events etc. Once we got our first major job (a story for another time) we formed a company that offered many services as well as blogging.
The Knockturnal: Friends since childhood, how does your bond and friendship influence your professional life?
WanderLust Girls: Our professional and personal lives are just one at this point. We live together, work together, go out together, family vacation together. We are always working and always hanging out as friends it’s a weird combination that does not work for many. We’re an anomaly. That being said, I think a lot of people hire us because they instantly feel like they are friends with us when we work together. It takes a lot of stress off a stressful job. It also helps because we know each other better than we know ourselves, so we are able to think as the other person. We also never fight, so we are a pretty solid weird alien team that can read each other’s minds and get things done without even communicating. Did that answer your question haha?
The Knockturnal: Yes! Haha. How did you branch into lifestyle and beauty?
WanderLust Girls: Fashion was something we loved from the beginning and beauty kind of goes along with that. The one thing that really bonds us is our love of activities. Hence, lifestyle really working its way into our blog. We are able to combine fashion and lifestyle together, which I think makes it more exciting.
The Knockturnal: Absolutely. What was it like to be a personal shopper?
WanderLust Girls: A lot of the time people think that we are going to dress them like us. So not the case! We have dressed professionals in the medical industry, tech industry as well as rock stars. We like to dress people the way they would feel most comfortable and confident. Who honestly wouldn’t want to shop for a living though?
The Knockturnal: Right?! Dream job, for sure. Clearly, you both have the most impeccable fashion sense. Was this learned or developed over time? How does it differ?
WanderLust Girls: When we met in middle school our fashion sense was tragic. The 90’s did a number on us. Our style really evolved over time and began to become very similar and much darker than when it started out. Just to paint a picture I used to wear yellow cardigans and Abigail wore Allen Iverson’s. We bother have a very dark aesthetic now. It is rare that you would catch us in anything else besides black. There are slight differences in our style. I usually opt for a little bit more femme looks. I love skirts and dresses and rarely wear pants (that sounds sort of weird, but very true.) Abigail’s style is a bit more tomboyish.
The Knockturnal: Haha, very cool. What are the sources: people, places, and things that you draw inspiration from?
WanderLust Girls: We draw a lot of inspiration from music, specifically rock n’ roll. We will usually get ready for an evening out and once we are completely dressed we will put on a song. Halfway through we will completely change our look because we don’t feel edgy enough.
The Knockturnal: As lovers of travel, where are your favorite locations globally for fashion finds and inspiration?
WanderLust Girls: We love to shop in different locations and find pieces at small boutiques or street markets. One of my favorite dresses is from a market in Barcelona. Abigail found this amazing bolo tie in Seattle that makes its way into a lot of her ensembles.
The Knockturnal: I too love Barcelona! What are your must-go-to events?
WanderLust Girls: We love travel events, they are usually the most exciting to us since we love explore. Although, any event that offers something a bit different is intriguing. One time we went to a Barbour event where we went skeet shooting, off-roading and fly fishing. It was amazing!
The Knockturnal: Who are some of your fashion heroes?
WanderLust Girls: Daphne Guinness, Keith Richards, young Kate Moss.. the list goes on. We really appreciate extravagant edgy style.
The Knockturnal: True Icons! Any particular must-haves, brand wise?
WanderLust Girls: For jewelry, we totally dig DylanLex. We love metal and she really knows how to pile it on. She has epic personal style as well. Reformation is great for beautiful simple dresses that you will wear forever. Otherwise, we love wild unique pieces, so we try and find vintage, shop at small boutiques or order from obscure places online.
The Knockturnal: Having worked with so many people, there must be certain special moments that stand out for you. Can you share some of the highlights?
WanderLust Girls: One of our favorite shoots was for Major League Soccer. We got to style the men’s world cup team and it was HOT. We made all of them take off their shirts and then took a good 30 minutes to decide what they would wear. (We knew the whole time what they would be wearing.) Another favorite was when we worked with Logan Neitzel and Macklemore for his SNL performance.
The Knockturnal: Haha, what awesome experiences! Jealous. Who are some of your favorite people to collaborate within the industry?
WanderLust Girls: We love working with travel brands or tourism boards.
The Knockturnal: Where are some of your special go-to spots around various cities to pull amazing clothes from/ for incredible finds?
WanderLust Girls: Bela Shehu has amazing womenswear in Philly. Style Mafia in Miami. Thomas Wylde based in LA and Paris.
The Knockturnal: What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your work?
WanderLust Girls: It is difficult because we can never really stop working. However, most of our work is so fun that it does not really feel like work. In this industry, you can’t really shut off or shut down, which can be exhausting. The most rewarding is putting a price on your worth and someone agreeing to it. It’s really an amazing feeling to say “this is how much I think what I am doing is worth” and someone saying “great, let’s do it!”
The Knockturnal: Tell me about some of the things you are currently working on.
WanderLust Girls: We have a lot of things in the works right now. Lots of upcoming travel that you should stay tuned for. Everything else is a bit under wraps right now, so keep following along to see our reveals.
The Knockturnal: I will definitely stay tuned. Well, ladies, it was so great to speak with you again. Lastly, I would love to throw one more question your way: favorite things in your closet right now?
Emily – Vinyl pants (although very squeaky)
Abigail – Silver glitter boots
We here at The Knockturnal would like to thank these two incredible women for their time and gracious offering of insider fashion knowledge. ‘Til next time!
http://www.thewanderlustgirls.com/
https://www.instagram.com/wanderlustgirls/
https://www.facebook.com/WanderLustFashion/
https://twitter.com/wanderlustgirls
Contact: info@thewanderlustgirls.com