Tuesday Takeover: Lauren Warkentine
I’m proud to welcome my friend and custom suiter extraordinaire Lauren Warkentine to takeover today’s blog. A few months ago a mutual friend introduced us and I’m so impressed by Lauren’s custom suiting business William & Lauren. Since then we’ve been scheming up fashion forward concepts, photoshoots, and our next partnership to pay it forward…stay tuned! Along with being a professional fashion suit maker to follow @williamlaurenco, she’s began to build her real estate empire through flipping local homes and you can follow that journey on @lmwrealestate. For me, it’s always great to connect to someone that shares your values of working hard, feeling good, and looking good and I’m so excited to pass the baton to my fav lady leader of the week, Lauren Warkentine.
Hey Maz Modern lovers, I’m so excited to be with you today! I was initially intimidated when Katherine asked me to do a take over because I have never considered myself a “fashionista” per se. This confuses people because I own a custom clothing company, William & Lauren, but I started the company simply to provide the solution that I wanted as a consumer, suits and blazers that actually fit and I felt good in. I wanted to feel feminine, powerful and comfortable in what I was wearing.
A little about me, in my free time I love a good glass of bourbon exploring new places and meeting new people. I love anything that keeps me curious- podcasts, books, scuba diving, traveling to my next adventure, catching a Thunder game or having a drink on a patio with good friends.
Professionally I started my career working in pharmacy software, as I was progressing in my career the need for suits grew and I struggled to find any I felt good in. I wanted to be like the women I admired on TV that wore beautiful, feminine suits. To me they were powerful, confident and beautiful. However, the only suits I could find for myself were masculine, boxy and not flattering. When I wore them I just wanted to disappear.
Most of my career I was able to get by without needing a suit, but there was one particular meeting I couldn’t. I put together a blazer and a dress because that’s all I could find and flew to Atlanta. I was so uncomfortable, I deferred most of the meeting and wanted to just sink into the chair, it couldn’t be over fast enough.
The entire flight home my mind was racing, and I knew there had to be something better out there. I never wanted to feel that feeling of collapsed confidence again simply because what I was wearing- William & Lauren was born.
It has been far from a straight line from that point to today. I had no idea how much I would learn (and am still learning). From sewing, patterns, fashion and styling such as different lapels, colors, patterns. I have learned there is no right or wrong to fashion and I can’t help but see every detail on others suits. Now that I’ve come full circle, I am passionate about fashion and its impact on our confidence, to me it’s all about crafting looks that match your personality and unleash your confidence so you can show your true self to the world.
Even before I had William & Lauren, my style has always been a classic, simple look. I love pattern, but you typically won’t find me mixing patterns (I love it on other people). While I have fun with trends ultimately, I really love pieces that are timeless and elegant. Below are a few tips I’ve learned on this journey with my own style and working with many other clients on their own journey in suiting.
Look #1 : Don’t be Afraid of Color
Maybe you won’t see me mixing patterns all the time, but I do love color. I work with a lot of women (and men) that want to have some fun, but are just afraid to do it. They feel like they have to stay in the box of traditional black, gray or navy and can only do color in their blouses.
When it comes to color, this is such a great way to add your personality to any look. I like to take the opposite approach of most people and play with color in my suits paired with a neutral blouse.
In this look I have my favorite green William & Lauren suit paired with a classic black and white Ann Taylor top.
Look #2 : The Devil’s in the Details
I have learned so much through this process, but one in particular are all the various style options most people don’t know are available to them. These might seem like small differences to you, but they are the details that matter.
Believe it or not, 95% of the suits for women are the basic notched lapel with 2 pockets and a center vent. I’m here to tell you, there is more out there! I want to point a few out for you so you will keep an eye out for them as you make your decisions. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Lapels: The notched lapel is a classic and there is nothing wrong with a classic notched, but it’s not the only option! In the green suit above I have a shawl lapel- I love this look because I think it is a softer lapel giving a more feminine and timeless look. It lays really well on all body types and adds a different element. The other option I love to highlight is the peak lapel. Opposite of the shawl it is a strong, powerful lapel- I love a peak lapel paired with a feminine color or with a plaid or windowpane, like you see in my lavender jacket.
Vents. No one thinks to look at this part of a jacket, but it matters! The vent is the back of the jacket where it slits open. I have a very strong opinion against the center vent. If you’ve been buying off the rack, you likely don’t know the difference because that’s what 99.9% of jackets are. The double vent is what I recommend, for men and women it is so much more flattering on our backside. Laying smooth over the butt instead of splitting it in half. Start looking at your jackets and others, I promise you will be shocked at the difference!
Look #3: Make It Casual
Suits are the core of what William & Lauren does, but for men and women, I am always trying to dispel the myth that suits are boring, stuffy and uncomfortable.
Suits can go from professional, casual to brunch. Being self employed I’m always on the go or running around, I love to go casual and dress it up with a blazer. Or wear a suit with my favorite white sneaks and a t-shirt.
The goal is to think outside the box, find looks that you feel like yourself, put together and most important confident.
I’m always up to grab a cup of coffee and talk lapels, vents or current events. You do not have to choose between your power and your femininity, invest in yourself and feeling your best, whatever that means for you. Fashion to me is all about confidence and that is available to everyone!
Best, Lauren
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Custom suiting styles all available at William & Lauren.
