Lisey Barela, Head of Styling for Trunk Club, previews 2018 fall fashion trends

Trunk Club’s Head of Styling Lisey Barela previews 2018’s top fall fashion trends, and offers must-know style tips for the season.

I recently attended Trunk Club‘s Chicago clubhouse grand opening, where I had the opportunity to sit down with their Head of Styling, Lisey Barela. Before a fabulous runway presentation of the looks, Barela discussed fall fashion trends, tips on how to style them, the best way to approach Trunk Club, and gave a tour of the updated Chicago clubhouse.

Before we dive into what you can expect in your Trunks, and what you may already be noticing on the racks, how about a little Trunk Club knowledge?

For those new to Trunk Club, a“Trunk” refers to the box that stylists curate and ship to customers, which have a $25 styling fee attached. The fee can be applied toward the total cost of the items, if the customer decides to purchase from the box. This box model is familiar these days, though Trunk Club really paved the way, being born in 2009. Companies such as Birchbox, BarkBox, Blue Apron, Gwynnie Bee, Fabletics, Dollar Shave Club, and so on send their products out on a subscription basis. Like Stitch Fix, which is one of the most recognizable of the clothing boxes, Trunk Club sells items without the monthly or yearly commitment. Like Rent the Runway, you’re able to meet in-person with a stylist to really help them get an idea of your body and taste (and skip the fee). Trunk Club has six “clubhouses” across the country, Chicago being the original.

An additional quality that sets Trunk Club apart from their competitors is that they have custom ordering for men. When I was looking over a cute timeline of the company that had been installed in their River North office, I learned that custom ordering started in 2012: “Trunk Club Custom launches. The first order? A sharkskin suit.” Fingers crossed for women’s custom soon, because I am always in need of more sequins.

Back to fall fashion…

Lisey Barela. Photo Credit: Trunk Club

Lisey Barela is Trunk Club’s Head of Styling. She previously lived in New York City, where she worked in merchandising for Helmut Lang. Chicago is home for Lisey, and she ultimately chose to move back, where her merchandising background came in handy at Trunk Club.

Can you tell me a bit about what we’re going to see with Trunk Club’s fall preview?

We tried to make it a mix of trend, but also staples. Because I think at Trunk Club we try to create a versatile wardrobe for folks to have items that they’ll have long-term, or items that are a bit fun and fashion-forward, that would be more in the season. On the women’s side, we are doing some experimentation with leopard. We’re seeing a lot of denim and shearling mixes. We are doing a monochromatic lilac look. We also incorporated some basics into it as well. We’re doing a workwear look that is our take on it, as opposed to having the classic suiting option. The woman is wearing cool patterned pants and a blazer that has exposed stitching — it makes it a little bit more fun. Ultimately, all of the items kind of mix and mingle and they will look great with other outfits.

On the men’s side — I’d say we went a little trendier on the women’s side — it’s slightly more classic. We also are doing more workwear outfits, a more date-night outfit, and then a trend-forward outfit. On the trend-forward side, we’re experimenting with some cool layering, so putting [together] a t-shirt, sweater, bomber jacket, and then a colored pant. And we’re seeing a lot of green and camel as neutrals for men. So as opposed to being stuck in the grey/black/navy family, let’s experiment with camel and green as a neutral.

Could you give us some tips for styling some of these looks? Anything to avoid, or anything you would suggest? For instance, leopard can sometimes look cheap, but other times it looks chic.
So, I’m wearing leopard shoes. That’s like my homage. But I’m more of a classic, conservative dresser. I like how you can take leopard and mix it with other patterns. You don’t necessarily need to be head-to-toe in anything, but taking a fun pattern and the juxtaposition with a leopard shoe is kind of unique, and a fun take on it. Wearing leopard with the classic black t-shirt, and pairing it with the denim jacket with shearling accent, which is a more trend-forward look. The lilac outfit: the front tuck is something that we hone in on, because it’s really flattering. It can take any look, and make it a bit more polished, and it slims you a little bit, so it’s very flattering. We should be confident — we want to make sure men and women feel their best in the workplace and beyond. We try to encourage people to make sure they feel their best.

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 12: Models present fall looks as Trunk Club celebrates newly renovated River North Clubhouse on October 12, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Trunk Club Chicago)

How else do you personally work with these styles?
I would say that part of my wardrobe getting-ready process is based on my one-year-old. Time is of the essence for me. So I try to have a wardrobe that has a good amount of staples in it, that I’ve had for years and I’ve invested in. And then I’ll experiment in the season with color and pattern, but insert them in a way that is still classic. This outfit [that I’m wearing], for example, is obviously something that I bought this season. Because I love camel, but I would wear this under a navy blazer or a jean jacket. I try to do things pretty classically, and insert little pops.

We try to encourage people to make sure they feel their best.

Of the trends that you’re showcasing, what stands out to you? What do you love?
I love the lilac look. Because I think monochromatic is maybe something people are a little intimidated by, but really, it’s mixing and matching color. It’s also cool that lilac may be perceived as a spring/summer color, and we’re seeing it more for fall.

How do you think a customer can get the most use out of Trunk Club? Since it’s not subscription-based, rather as you need it, how would you recommend approaching the service? Especially if someone doesn’t live in one of the cities with a clubhouse, and can’t come in.
Simply sign up. We have a phenomenal team of stylists, many of which are on my team. They do such a great job of getting to know customers, even if it’s just behind a computer screen. I’m getting to know you, and your preferences. You can either utilize us via Trunks, or you can come into one of our six clubhouses. But it’s really about the 1-on-1 interaction between a stylist and a customer. They get to know who you are and what you need, etc. That really iterates and builds as you go on through life. We’ve designed wedding suits for people, and been there when they’ve had their baby. You remember your stylist. Obviously within the umbrella of Trunk Club, but I’d encourage anyone who’s thinking about signing up: even if you have a great handle on your clothes, and you don’t want help necessarily — just having that input from someone else is a huge win as well. We have people who love clothes and want a different voice, and people who know nothing and need some help. So, I feel like you kind of define what you want out of it. It takes some time on the front end, but I think it really pays off when you have that relationship with your stylist long-term.

Do you have a method for getting ready, like for work or an event? Do you plan ahead of time?
I do plan ahead of time. I would love to get to the place where I’m outfitting my week ahead of time, but I’m not there yet. But I do give it some thought, especially for an event, the day before. Because nothing’s worse than having wardrobe panic (re: a Trunk Club study claims that Americans experience “wardrobe panic” 36 times annually!), and feeling as though you are stuck and don’t have anything to wear. And then the confidence thing comes into it. So when I have a bigger event, or something that is more occasion-based, I think ahead. We have a Trunk Club for Business team we developed in the last few years, and they’re centered around bringing Trunk Club to professionals, and helping them as an incentive program. I think it speaks volumes to peoples’ confidence levels when they’re able to have a wardrobe that they feel good about.

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 12: Guests attend Trunk Club’s newly renovated River North Clubhouse on October 12, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Trunk Club Chicago)

Is Trunk Club for Business something that you can easily look into?
Yes, it’s on our website. And then we have a specific team that I manage. Nowadays, there are so many incentives that companies are utilizing, like free watches, events, giveaways. And I think Trunk Club is a great way to incentivize your employees.

So, what’s going on with Trunk Club right now?
This party is to celebrate our reopening. We spent about a year renovating a couple of our floors, and bringing all of our HQ under one roof. We used to have a lot of our other departments across the street. We did a full revamp of our clubhouse to get everyone under this one roof. We redid these fitting rooms and upstairs. We got a sign off of Ohio [Street]. So when you come off of the off-ramp, or sitting in traffic, [you see us]. So this is to celebrate all of that. We have a really good timeline against the wall, showing all the clubhouse openings and transformations.

Anything else you’d like to tell us? What are you proud of?
It’s important to know that we have men’s and women’s. We run the gamut of casual to business attire. On the men’s side, we have a custom program, where they take 26 measurements, and it’s a head-to-toe customer experience. So if you have an occasion or any sort of outfitting that you want to design on your own, we have custom certified specialists who do a phenomenal job.

The beauty of being with Nordstrom is we have access to a thousand different brands — men’s and women’s, plus, petite, big and tall — you name it.

Ultimately, I’m super proud of the team and where we’ve come with this clubhouse. For anyone who is on the fence, I encourage you to make an appointment with someone here [in Chicago], and come see what we’re all about. I think that it speaks for itself. And we have a lot of fun!

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 12: Embroidery station for guests as Trunk Club celebrates newly renovated River North Clubhouse on October 12, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Trunk Club Chicago)

If a customer saw something online on Nordstrom, could they ever come in and request that piece. Or is the idea of Trunk Club to simply give the styling recommendations?
We definitely encourage customers to send pictures, and show us what they like — show us items that they’ve been wanting. We don’t always have everything that Nordstrom has obviously, but for the most part, our stylists will take that and run with it and build outfits accordingly. But we will always look at the customer’s expertise of what they like, with that gentle nudge of “try this.”

After fall obviously, what are you most looking forward to in the next year?
I’m really excited for holiday. I feel like Trunk Club does a good job with helping our customers to get great gifts, and buy for themselves. So that’s my next excitement, holiday.

Plan a date night, and then come in together.

How can you go about being secret in gifting to someone?
A stylist could help you to find the best approach in gifting to someone. We can help you to be anonymous about it. You could buy a gift card! A lot of our customers will buy a gift card. Sometimes we’ll send a trunk to someone and time it so that it shows up for Christmas, or sometimes we’ll do a gift card. Or a lot of times our customers will be like, “I want to gift the Trunk of experience.” Plan a date night, and then come in together.

Gift cards are a large range of price points. It could be an intro, or an overhaul — whatever the gift-giver wants to do.

And my favorite question to ask: What is your favorite piece that you own? Is there something you can’t live without, a staple that you wear regularly, or a sentimental piece?
I’m a bag girl. I have a Chanel bag that I’ve had for years, that was a gift. And I feel like that’s something that I always go back to, like a staple that will never go out of style. It’s for sure an investment, but I love it. And it’s black, which goes with everything.

Learn more about Trunk Club and how its services can revamp your closet this season.