Life of Fashion | Jessica Hunter

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Some find their calling early in life and never let it go. For Jessica Hunter, fashion was always something that intrigued and lead her to her calling. Her primary goal is to inspire others. Whether it be through style,  story or the content she creates. Jessica wants every person she encounters to come away from an interaction with her or her brand feeling empowered.

“Style has been something that interested me since I was little. I loved to go shopping, and would plan my outfits weeks in advance when I was in grade school. Oddly enough though, it wasn’t until I had graduated from college and started working in finance that I realized that style and fashion were what truly inspired me. Women like Tamara Mellon the founder of Jimmy Choo and Kate Moss were my icons and so when I relocated to Scottsdale after more than 5 years in finance, I took my first step into the fashion industry working part time as a Sales Associate at Jimmy Choo,” Jessica shares.

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Intrigued

Interested in learning more about Jessica’s love of fashion, I asked her if she could share some of her first fashion memories. Right away, this question took Jessica all the way back to her childhood. Her mom and dad are her first and favorite fashion icons and even inspired her blog.

“Growing up, my mom was a corporate powerhouse and would dress in absolutely immaculate Armani suits, TSE cashmere and David Yurman cuffs. She had her finger on the pulse of timeless fashion since before I can remember. She is my Chic.

My dad on the other hand, had his own way of dressing that was equally as stylish, yet could not be more opposite Ripped up 501’s, Chuck Taylor’s that he had sharpied drawings onto and a ornate hat and sunglass collection that would rival any collector. He is my Disheveled.

Together they taught me the value of High-Low fashion, taking risks and that confidence is key when it comes to style,” Jessica lovingly describes.

As the conversation kept flowing, I learned that her mom and dad weren’t the only ones who had a hand in Jessica’s journey to pursue a career in the fashion industry. As fate had it set out, her brother and his wife played a crucial part!

“I was in New York for the first time visiting my brother and his girlfriend (now wife) Roxanne. As fate would have it, they lived blocks from the Lincoln Center and New York Fashion Week was in full swing.

We were walking through the neighborhood one day and I saw a group of people running through to the tents with long sleeve shirts on that read ‘volunteer’.  I immediately went home to look up the program and applied to volunteer for the next season. Because of my retail sales experience I was accepted and went on to volunteer and eventually work for LDJ productions as a volunteer team manager.

That experience really lit a fire under my ass to find fashion wherever I could get my hands on it, which eventually led to my career as a fashion stylist. Through time I realized that it was street style and my own personal relationship with style that inspired me more than  publishing high fashion editorials, so I started my blog, Chic & Disheveled. I felt like so many people misunderstood what high fashion editorials tried to convey so I began to dissect trends and translate them into something more relatable, Jessica reveals.

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Style

One thing you have to know about Jessica is that she really enjoys putting her style on display. This doesn’t mean flashy or super fancy. Jessica has a more laid-back approach to fashion, however she wears everything with confidence. The confidence she brings allows her style to stand out and her personality to shine through.

“Comfort + Confidence are the two major factors in my style. It doesn’t matter how trendy or ‘IN’ something is, if I feel like an asshole wearing it, it will never make it to my closet. Comfortable doesn’t just mean leggings either – (but I am a BIG fan of the athleisure trend). To me, comfort goes way beyond how comfy something feels. It also has to do with mental comfort, you have to feel your best regardless of what’s trending or what a Personal Stylist tries to sell you.  

Style is such a personal thing for me, and it comes from so many different channels that it’s hard to pinpoint just one. It is totally irrational and feeling based. I know it when I see it because of how it makes me feel. I still create actual lookbooks with fashion magazines which is a time-honored tradition from girl’s night with my mom and sister.

Instagram and Pinterest are also great source of inspiration because I am such a visual creature that seeing cool pictures often lead to ah-ha moments about what I wear and how I style it,” Jessica explains.

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Future in Fashion

Jessica wants to continue to find new ways of sharing her style and helping others discover theirs. And she also is growing in  personal sense too. I couldn’t wait to find out what she has in store for us next!

“Businesswise, my next main focus is to develop my e-newsletter and start sending that out consistently. I have been building my subscriber list for a while now and am in the final throes of design. I want it to really benefit peoples’ lives and have it be something people look forward to so I am really taking my time to make sure that the content is engaging and worth subscribing to.

YouTube is also at the forefront of my mind. I have been partnering with a bunch of cruelty free beauty brands and so I want to start bringing that content to life via more how-to videos! Stay tuned and make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel here to stay in the loop for when they launch:

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

On the more personal front, I just got engaged and my fiancée moved in with me so we are in the process of decorating our little love shack and starting to plan our wedding,” Jessica exclaims!

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A Piece of Advice

“For anyone who’s looking to start a blog or entrepreneurial endeavor YAY!!! I think my biggest piece of advice would be to follow your own heart.  It can be so easy to get so caught up in what everyone else is doing that you can forget your own accomplishments and goals. Remember, you are the only person who can share your point of view and that’s valuable! Stay true to yourself and believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who lift you up and genuinely support you!

Believe it or not, I graduated college and became the branch manager of a financial institution. After about 5 years of my year career, I realized I detested the industry and began to look for ways to transition into the fashion industry. Thankfully, my honesty with my District Manager was well-received and he allowed for me to work part-time at the branch while working part time as a sales associate at Jimmy Choo and eventually at a modeling agency.

After 2 years I had made a full transition into the PR and Marketing world. If anyone reading this is looking to leave the corporate world, keep in mind that when you transition into a completely different field be prepared to take a pay cut. Instead of focusing on the money, I began taking opportunities based on the experience I could gain to help my own business such as InDesign, Photoshop and Word Press.

For the next two and a half years I held three different positions for that very reason. First is was Social Media Manager at the nations 2nd largest RV company’s, and then it was Director of Communications for launch of InMexico Magazine, a luxury lifestyle print publication…then took the leap to become a full-time content creator and blogger.  There are nights I don’t sleep, at times I might be broke AF…but found a calling that speaks to my soul,  and keeps me engaged every single day, and that is priceless.” -Jessica Hunter

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Jessica Hunter founder of Chic & Disheveled

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