Dean Street Society: A Brooklyn blogger and personal stylist
Hilary Rushford is the cute-as-a-button creator of Dean Street Society, a blog/personal-styling company that teaches people to be the best versions of themselves. And we can say, after weeks of reading the blog and getting to know Hilary, we’ve definitely learned a thing or two about our personal style, how to make smarter decisions in the morning battling our closet, and how to be more confident in our own skin. We’re pretty sure, like us, you’ll add Hilary to your blogging speed dial. Meet Hilary …
Where I’m based: Home sweet Brooklyn, N.Y.
How long I’ve been blogging: September will be my second year anniversary.
Blog/business basics: As a stylist I work with “real people with real budgets” and Dean Street Society is a place of education and inspiration for all. Rather than fashion feeling exclusive, insider-y or illusive, I strive to make style truly understandable, breaking down the principles behind the hows and whys, amidst an inclusive community that celebrates confidence and the desire to walk into rooms as the best version of ourselves.
What do you like most about being a blogger? Any time I have a creative idea, I can just do it! My previous career was in musical theater, which I loved, but you’re always waiting for someone to give you your next opportunity. Being empowered to create my own creative opportunities when inspiration strikes is such a gift.
Other blogs I love: A Girl A Style, Style & Pepper, Tulip Louise and A Blog About Love.
Guilty pleasure: SurisBurnBook.Tumblr.com. It’s genius. And I still re-read TextsFromHillary.Tumblr.com — even more genius.
Last thing I bought: A long black one-piece jumpsuit from Urban Outfitters. All black rompers/maxi dresses are the easiest thing to throw on to walk to my local coffee shop to work without giving it thought, but always feeling chic.
Fav stores: Madewell, J. Crew, Primark in London, the sale section on Asos.com, Accessorize for bags and any thrift or vintage store.
How would you define your style? Optimistic, vintage, Parisian, Brooklyn
What inspires your fashion decisions? Often it’s colors or patterns which I might see in an interior design shot on Pinterest or a scene from a movie. Plus the more I learn about the science of style, the more creative I get on my own to play with the balance or new pairings in my closet.
What are you most proud of that you’ve accomplished so far in your career? Making my business profitable within the first two years. I realize how rare it is to be able to say that and I don’t take it for granted — I now coach other entrepreneurs on how to do it too!
What is the most common issue you come across with your clients? A lot of people know they don’t look awful, but they see other people who look incredible, and don’t know how to move from OK to wow. Which makes sense, because no one ever taught us how to dress. Unless you had an exceptionally fashionable mother, no one ever explained fit, proportion, balance, color mixing, pattern mixing, which details make something look more expensive. Home Ec. might have taught you to sew, when you need your haircut you go pay a professional — but getting dressed is something we have to do on our own everyday. It is deeply tied to our self-confidence and self-perception, yet no one really ever gave us the fundamentals.That, is why I love what I do!
Who would you say is your celeb look-alike? Zooey Deschanel, Katy Perry, Alexis Blendel, Marion Cotillard in Nine when my hair’s in a bun, Reese Witherspoon when she was brunette for Walk The Line and Amy Poehler when she was on SNL. I like to say I’m a walking pop-culture barometer. I get people for a season or year while they’re (popular) and then on a dime it changes. Everyone says someone new as they’re in the news more.
You named your bicycle? That’s neat, tell us about her … Bicycling is a very big part of the culture in Brooklyn. Almost all my friends have bikes. So I of course bought a darling mint green vintage beach cruiser with a wicker basket and named her Charlotte. And promptly discovered that a heavy one-gear bicycle was not going to cut it in hilly Brooklyn. So alas, she’s decoration in my home and a lovely partner in photo shoots, but she’s getting a little sister soon who’s going to help me get about town without looking quite so sweaty and miserable when I arrive.
