Driven, fabulous, and ultra inspiring, Laura Schuffman and Saba Salehi are two ladies every fash lover should know. The fabulous duo best known as ABC Family's Styleistas are proof that dedication, team work, and a fabulous wardrobe can lead to a life dreams are made of. ABC Family has been one of my favorite networks for years and Pretty Little Liars is at the top of my TV obsessions list, so you can image my excitement when I got to connect with these inspiring ladies. Check out part one of my interview below!
You both hold a fabulously fun and unique position at ABC Family, can you explain your jobs?
LAURA: Yes!! We are the ABC Family Stylistas. We write fashion content for the website, consult on their shows, interview celebs and designers for their website, do Get the Looks and Tend Alerts, help fans find the clothes that their fav characters are wearing and just about anything else that involves fashion and the ABC Family viewer!! One thing that has really been amazing is that during Pretty Little Liars and Jane By Design, we tweet out the fashion info for each of the outfits as they come on screen. Fans have FLIPPED out over this. Last week, we sent out the link to a dress “Aria” was wearing and it went to backorder status by the next day. CRAZY!! We are a great resource for the fans that LOVE their PLL fashion. No other network has this kind of fashion initiative so we are SUPER excited about it!!
Was a career in fashion always your dream or did the passion stem from somewhere else?
SABA: I was always infatuated by fashion from a young age, however I started college at 16 to pursue a career as a dentist! I graduated from UCLA at 21 and applied and was accepted to dental school but the month before I was supposed to start I all of a sudden had an epiphany to take a risk, let go of the safe path, and instead go after what I was truly passionate about and would enjoy as a career, forever- FASHION! Every single day I am so thankful and grateful that I took that leap of faith and believed in myself enough to make that life altering decision.
LAURA: I have always been really motivated by life experiences and that motivation led me from a childhood in Missouri to New York City where I worked on the trading floor at an investment bank and then onto Los Angeles where I spent two years at CAA working for a talent agent. When I left CAA, it was to work for one of their clients who was a model/actress and I started helping her with her own wardrobe and red carpet appearances. The next thing I knew her publicist was sending me clients and I was off and running. I left that job and went on to assist 3 top stylists in Hollywood to learn everything I could on how this part of the business really worked. I wanted to train with the best people possible and come out prepared and equipped to confidently put my name on my own clients. The world of celebrity styling can be incredibly stressful and harsh so I needed to build a skill set and relationships that would give me the confidence to trust my judgment and instincts. The work ethic and skills I learned in those environments has been invaluable to me and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. So did I always want to work in fashion? No but I have been willing and excited to walk through any doors that have opened and that has never led me astray.
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Fash Boulevard readers are all about inspiration, can you share with us how you both got your jobs with ABC family?
LAURA: A friend of mine recommended me to the network for a new job they were creating at ABC Family. Right about this time, Saba and I were developing our partnership and we came in together to interview. We had a fantastic meeting and connected on so many levels and loved the ideas that were being discussed. We had several subsequent meetings over the next few months and were eventually asked to come aboard. We have been beyond thrilled and grateful for the experience. We have learned so much and met so many amazing and talented people.
What is your favorite aspect of your job?
SABA: There are so many but I would have to say the number one thing is forming our relationships with our clients and watching them evolve both in their careers and in their style. It is a really beautiful journey to be a part of!
LAURA: I LOVE working with actors. Everyone we have worked with has been so different and unique. They all have strong opinions about who they are and how they want to develop their look and most of them are pretty open to trying new things. We work very hard to refine what they bring to the table and send them off to events feeling beautiful and confident. But the best part about working with the talent is just being a part of their ride. Unless you work with actors, or as in my case are married to one, you really don’t know how hard that journey can be and how long it can take to "make it." I love sharing those happy moments with them.
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I'm obsessed with the Trend Alerts and Wardrobe Diaries that you both write. For those Pretty Little Liar's fanatics out there that don't know what it is, can you explain?
SABA: We watch all the episodes a couple weeks before they air and we go through all the looks and pick our faves and then create a “wardrobe diary” around it for viewers and fans. We talk about where the pieces are from and how you too can create a similar look.
LAURA: The fans have responded so well to these! They love knowing where they can get the looks. The costume designer for Pretty Little Liars, Mandi Line, does such an amazing job of using pieces that girls across the country can actually afford that giving the info and links to the fans was a no brainer.
For all the girls out there who wish they were in your shoes, could you walk us through a typical work day?
SABA: Our day-to-day work is never the same. Ever. The morning is all about answering emails and a TON of them. Then we are off to appointments at different showrooms in LA to pull clothes for whatever fittings we have that week. That usually takes up a good chunk of our day given the traffic in LA, but luckily there are two of us so we usually divide and conquer! We also always have a lot of writing to do for the ABC Family Style Site so we have to set time aside to watch the episodes of all the shows and write style blogs. One of our favorite things to do is attend fashion events throughout the week that we are invited to. It is great catching up with all of our colleagues in the industry and supporting one another.
For Part 2 of this interview click here and to check out my Spencer Hastings inspired outfit be sure to click here.
FOLLOW LAURA AND SABA ON TWITTER @LAURASABASTYLE
Don't forget to watch the season finale of Pretty Little Liars tonight on ABC Family. Laura and Saba will be tweeting live throughout the East Coast showing of PLL tonight with all the inside details! Trust me, you won't want to miss a single tweet!
Don't forget to watch the season finale of Pretty Little Liars tonight on ABC Family. Laura and Saba will be tweeting live throughout the East Coast showing of PLL tonight with all the inside details! Trust me, you won't want to miss a single tweet!