Navigating Fashion Writing

This episode is for the REAL fashion heads and critical thinkers. This week, Alyssa sits down with the esteemed Rachel Tashjian, fashion critic at the Washington Post and the brains behind the cult-favorite, invite-only newsletter Opulent Tips, for a fascinating discussion about the state of fashion media and the industry at large. Tune in to hear about Rachel’s origin story as a blogger, plus her ascent up the masthead with stints at Vanity Fair (as a publicist!), Garage, GQ, and Harper’s Bazaar; what she learned studying the work of critics like Cathy Horyn and Robin Givhan; figuring out how to find the fashion angle in non-fashion stories, because that’s how so much of the world thinks; the value of having a good (and scrappy) attitude, as well as of asking for what you want; how to find your voice and your unique point of view, and why both are crucial to success; paying attention to what makes you a person and letting people see that; how working in men’s fashion differs from working in women’s fashion; writing for a magazine vs. a newspaper vs. your own audience; how her best bosses always led with integrity; looking at advertiser relationships as an interesting puzzle to solve, rather than a limitation; whether it’s easier or harder than ever to be a fashion journalist now; what happens when a designer or a brand takes issue with her reviews; the importance of always staying open to the next thing; starting Opulent Tips ahead of the Substack and recommendation newsletter boom; Lorde referencing Opulent Tips in her last album cycle, and so much more.

This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson.