The New Garde with Alyssa Vingan

Life comes at you fast: One day, you’re moving to Los Angeles from Dayton, Ohio, building a YouTube channel from the ground up while working at a tanning salon, and the next, you’re regularly going viral with millions of views on TikTok, pioneering the “thriftfluencer” space. Such was the case for Macy Eleni, a content creator, secondhand shopping expert, and author of the book Second Chances: The Ultimate Guide to Thrifting, Sustainable Style, and Expressing Your Most Authentic Self. Growing up, Macy couldn’t afford to buy things that were “cool” or new, so she found her personal style and learned about fashion through thrifting — a skill she was able to turn into a flourishing career and a thriving community, both on and offline. Tune in to hear Macy’s inspiring story, as well as her insights on what it was like to start vlogging in high school; the impact that early 2000s paparazzi photos and fashion reality TV had on her personal style; overcoming ridicule as a teen for wearing thrifted clothes; getting in on the ground floor of the secondhand shopping boom and watching the world catch up to your passion; building a diverse and inclusive community via YouTube and TikTok; the wild world of brand deals and monetization; getting a book deal via a cold email; playing the long game in the influencer world in order to stay authentic and build trust with her audience; how to handle the constant pressure to churn out content every day; how creators can help push brands into the future; her foray into unscripted fashion television, and much more. This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

Fashion Month is upon us once again! To help kick off the Fall/Winter 2025 season, The Standard kindly invited TNG to host an intimate conversation about the fashion week machine, from how it’s covered and how people prepare, to why it still matters, to what’s working and what’s not — as well as potential ways it can evolve for the future. Alyssa is joined by an esteemed panel that includes Emilia Petrarca of Shop Rat, Rachel Tashjian of The Washington Post and Opulent Tips, and Nikki Ogunnaike of Marie Claire. Each guest has over a decade of experience covering fashion month in several capacities, so tune in for a lively conversation filled with nostalgia, wisdom, gossip (!!!), tips passed down from fashion legends, criticism, and laughter. Enjoy!Thanks for reading The New Garde with Alyssa Vingan! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

Alyssa Vingan chats with Ana Andjelic, a global brand executive and author of 'Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture.' They delve into the art of creating cohesive brand strategies, the tension between mass and niche cultures, and the dangers of rushing growth. Ana critiques the use of 'authenticity' as a shortcut in marketing and discusses the pivotal role of community in brand building. With insights into standout brands like Telfar and Skims, she emphasizes the importance of flexibility and genuine engagement in today's fast-evolving market.

The stateside skincare industry is more saturated than ever, but there are some key players who got in on the ground floor and aren’t simply riding out the trend. Sofie Pavitt, founder of Sofie Pavitt Face and owner of the results-driven Sofie Pavitt Skincare Studio in Chinatown, is one of these people. After building a promising career in accessories design working for brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Tory Burch, and Michael Kors, she pivoted in her 30s to pursue her love of skincare, enrolling in school and training to be an aesthetician while keeping a full-time fashion job. Fast-forward to today, and she’s developed a tightly edited line of skincare products that recently launched in Sephora, positioning her among the beauty industry big dogs. Tune in to hear about Sofie’s fascinating journey, including how she got recruited by Abercrombie right out of college in the UK; how trips to Seoul several times a year for her accessories design job helped her fall in love with skincare culture; the insane budgets fashion companies had 20 years ago; what it was like going back to school and starting a whole new career as an adult; how giving virtual skincare consults during the pandemic was a lightbulb moment for her; why “acne positivity” is a scam; how a DM from Zendaya in late 2020 snowballed her career as an aesthetician; whether beauty people are nicer than fashion people; the process of getting your product into Sephora; why personal brands are more important than ever because people want to feel connected to the products they buy; realizing that you can train technique but you can’t train kindness or empathy; why sometimes it’s valuable working for free, and much more.This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

For the final episode of the year, Alyssa answers your burning questions about life, work, fashion, media, divorce, dating, the future of The New Garde, and much more. See y'all in 2025! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

As we approach the end of what feels like the longest year on record, Alyssa sits down with fashion writer Alexandra Hildreth to discuss the many highs and lows of the past 12 months in fashion. Topics include, but are not limited to: trad wives, bag charms, mall brands, SKIMS, cowboys, the TikTok ban, designer musical chairs, boho chic, the Galliano comeback, the death of personal style, the Chanel job, brat, print magazines, man-on-the-street style interviews, underconsumption-core, and blogger discourse déjà vu. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

Holiday shopping season is in full swing! Ahead of the onslaught of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, Alyssa sat down with Nicola Fumo, host of the Attention Recession podcast and a senior commerce editor at People, for a conversation on the state of commerce content, from gift guides to Amazon Live. Tune in for an entertaining explainer on all things affiliate, as well as Nicola’s insights on why data-driven gift guides have replaced vibes-based ones; the pressure publishers are under to hit their story and revenue quotas during the holiday season; the disclosure conundrum when it comes to affiliate revenue; the evolution of the market editor as a career; how culture has arrived back at QVC and we’re all infomercial stars now; dealing with choice paralysis and why being a smart consumer is crucial; the experience of shopping on TikTok vs. on Instagram; how Amazon Live has become an additional platform for Bravolebrity drama and red carpets; the “holiday sale haul” content genre and the SSENSE sale becoming a meme; what makes a gift guide stand out in a crowd of clickbait; gift guides as voyeurism; and why personal recommendation content is having a breakthrough moment as an escape from the algorithm-based internet. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

While it seems like everyone’s getting into the vintage game right now, few players have the experience and sharp point of view to set them apart in a crowded landscape and keep them in it for the long haul. This week, Alyssa sits down with Kathleen Sorbara, owner of Sorbara’s New York (formerly Chickee’s Vintage), to learn how she’s succeeded in the wild world of brick-and-mortar retail — an operation that evolved from selling a curation of vintage pieces on the side of the road. Tune in to hear about how Kathleen’s career journey began by sending an audition tape into an MTV modeling reality show and getting signed; how she navigated being a teenager in an adult world while climbing the modeling ranks; how being around clothing, art directors, creatives, and stylists on modeling jobs became an education on fashion and vintage; learning to run a retail store with no retail experience; navigating the highs and lows of the vintage trend cycle; how the aesthetic of her buy changes over time; how she stays agile and innovative to stand out in the vintage space; what happens when IG fan pages drive people to the store after a celebrity like Harry Styles is spotted shopping; honing her taste and getting inspiration from going to the ballet and other iconic New York programming (as well as from the retirement community her Florida hometown); recounting brick-and-mortar horror stories; learning that “no” is a full sentence; building a booming men’s business by having cute girls sell menswear to guys who were confused about fashion; and why always thinking about the next thing is crucial to avoid becoming stagnant or stale.This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at The SQ @ 205 Hudson. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

If you’re a follower of fashion, you’ve surely felt the influence of sports on the industry steadily increase over the past several years. This week, Alyssa is joined by Madeline Hill, author of the Impersonal Foul newsletter and co-host of The Sports Gossip Show podcast, to discuss the flourishing relationship between fashion and sport, and how they sit at the intersection of many pop culture interests. Tune in to hear Madeline’s lore as a teen model and a key player on Fashion Twitter, as well as her insights on how celebrity courtside culture, Instagram mood boards, and athlete off-duty style have brought sports to a wider audience; what The Cut launching a sports vertical and CR Fashion Book announcing a mysterious sports venture for 2025 signal for fashion media; why so many brands have locked into tennis culture, even before the release of Challengers; how F1 has become a tentpole event akin to Coachella or Art Basel for fashion and beauty brands, and what its 10-year deal with LVMH could bring; what to expect from Lewis Hamilton co-hosting the Met Gala in 2025 with LeBron James as an honorary chair; the extremely chic LVMH Olympics sponsorship; how TikTok is driving sports-heavy fashion trends like tenniscore, blokecore/blokette, motorcore, golfcore, and balletcore across the globe (and onto the runways); the evolution of athletes as influencers and the types of brands getting into athlete sponsorships; the impact of a new era of WAGS and athletes in public relationships exemplified by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, as well as fashion influencers like Alix Earle, Morgan Riddle, and Paige Lorenze bringing a new female viewership to sports; and what opportunities the fashion and beauty industries can glean from this rapidly growing audience of sports fans. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com

All hail the queen! This week, Alyssa sits down with beloved publicist, consultant, and co-founder of the Black in Fashion Council, Sandrine Charles, to get the inspiring story behind her rise up the industry ranks, and what led her to eventually open her own bicoastal agency, Sandrine Charles Consulting, eight years ago. Tune in to get Sandrine’s insights on the importance of having people who champion you in the workplace; why you should always “take the best and forget the rest”; how she found her niche in working on fashion collaborations; what it was like to be one of the only women doing PR in the menswear space; working with brands as they grow versus when they’re already established; working with streetwear brands before the fashion establishment took them seriously; helping to launch KITH and Noah into the stratosphere; how pitching has changed now that the editorial landscape is so different; the beauty in being a cheerleader for your peers; why building solid relationships with people is crucial and the value that comes with being vulnerable; what inspired her to start the Black in Fashion Council with her co-founder, Lindsay Peoples; knowing exactly what you bring to the table and conducting yourself accordingly; why it’s OK to stay private and get off the hamster wheel sometimes; and standing firm in the belief that if you’re doing genuine, good work, people will support it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenewgarde.substack.com