Her Story
About Laney
My journey in fashion began at a young age when I started working for Fred Siegel, a legendary store on the West Coast where every A-list movie star shopped. I opened the Santa Monica store and got to work with incredible people and stylists who inspired me to pursue styling as a career. My bosses were so supportive - they let me try assisting stylists even though one warned me I'd hate it. I loved it. I assisted one woman who really taught me the business for 5 years, and one day she told me I'd become the worst assistant and it was time for me to become the key stylist. She was right. I took over her two directors and became the stylist in television for 17 years. It was an incredible, difficult career with long hours and lots of location work, but I loved every minute of it. I was part of the entire process from casting, dressing 12 principals and 20 extras, hiring assistants, working within budgets - you're the head of a department and it's so much more than just going to the mall. I've worked with A-list actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, George Clooney, and Charlize Theron. From there, I became a buyer and opened probably 5 boutiques because I was very good at understanding demographics and reading customers instinctually. I also got deeply involved with my best friends' denim line, True Religion Denim, doing photo shoots, going to meetings in New York, and learning about manufacturing and that aspect of the business. Eventually I opened my own store, Two Moons Boutique, in California, but sadly had to close during COVID when so many businesses in California went under. I moved to Florida where the business environment was so different, and now I work as a personal stylist. I go back to California to style my clients there, I edit closets, shop for them, and bring items to them - whatever they don't want, I return. I love it because it keeps me in my creative space and I get to keep up on fashion trends and what's happening in the market. I'm kind of a fashion nerd - I love sussing out new lines, and it's weird how something I discover often becomes a very big line. I also went to FITM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) and got my degree while working at Fred Siegel, putting myself through school. Fashion has always been my thing, and I find beauty in every shape and size. I really believe women are so hard on themselves, and I try to make them feel beautiful. When I put something on them and see them smile and feel good, that is a gift. Whether I'm working with an actress doing a fitting or a regular client, if they're not feeling good in something, they won't be themselves, so I always pick out 3 different choices. That expertise of making women feel beautiful is extremely important to me.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Laney
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say I was so driven, I was very, very driven. People would say things like, oh, it's so saturated, and I did not ever, for one second, let that get me down. I pushed forward with perseverance. I knew what I wanted, I kept my eye on the prize, I didn't listen to what anybody had to say, even when my boss said you're gonna hate it, you're gonna hate it. I thought, you know what? I'll find out for myself. And I just kept going. I ended up paying my dues being an assistant, and I just kept going. And then eventually, I became the key stylist, and I learned from somebody who had been in the business a long time. I watched what she did, I learned from her. And it took a while, because it's not something you learn overnight. So, I just kept my eye on the prize. I stayed focused. And it was my passion. And you gotta follow your passion.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say get with a high-end store and start talking to these women, especially in places like Palm Beach. A lot of them would love to have a stylist. Maybe just start a conversation and see if they need a personal stylist. Even better, what they could say is, I do closet editing. That's a gateway into it. If you can say, I do closet editing, that's great because a lot of women need that. And then, from there, they can get into the styling thing, because if you say the styling thing at a store, it may not work so well. But if you say, I do closet editing, that's something you could do and not get in trouble for.
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