Last week on HuffPost Style, we discussed the one item we each couldn't fathom spending a lot of money on. So I had to pose the same question to Lucky Magazine's editor-in-chief Brandon Holley when I met with her in her Conde Nast office last week. "Yeah, well....." she paused, "skirts." It was a definitive answer: "Pants? Yes. But, I don't buy statement skirts. But then I saw an editor in this building in a great print skirt today and I'm like 'I need to buy that!'"
Of course, there's pretty much nothing in the world of style that Holley doesn't "give a hoo-ha about," after all; she helms the country's only magazine dedicated to shopping. In the year and a half she has been at Lucky (Holley replaced the magazine's founding editor Kim France), she has increased the digital presence of the Lucky brand to include the Lucky Style Collective, the Lucky Fashion and Beauty Blog Conference (known as FABB) and has plans to launch a shoppable digital version of the magazine soon.
This intersection of print and digital mediums reflects Holley's previous and diverse experiences as editor-in-chief of Yahoo! Shine, founding editor of ELLEgirl, editor-in-chief of Jane and positions at magazines such as GQ, Time Out New York, New York, Spin and Paper. "I missed a lot about magazine making when I was at Yahoo!," she said, "so it's kind of great to be back again."
And, as someone who loves shopping, Holley has found the right place to combine her innovative web experience and her passion for creative photography. "If you buy Lucky and you’re not in the mood to shop, you’re going to be so unhappy." Holley explained, "I compare it to Cigar Aficionado; it’s an enthusiast magazine." Pointing at the September issue's layout on the wall by her desk, Holley demonstrated just how much she loves to shop. "I want these gloves, I am going to buy that shirt, this tunic..."
Although she's fantastically well-dressed (see the patterned Balenciaga blouse below, for example), don't expect to see Holley become the next Fashion Week Street Style Star. She exclaimed, "Oh my God. No, that is so not me." Explaining, "There’s a way to avoid that -- and I actively avoid it: it’s by wearing black. Do not wear pink tights, do not put on a top knot, do not wear neon. When you wear something funky, they [the photographers] stop you more, which I just find harrowing."
But still, Holley's persona is a part of the magazine. "Lucky has always had its editors on the pages, so now they just get a bigger presence," she explained on the way she incorporates social media into the overall brand. "I don’t mind doing TV or being interviewed. I'm fine with it. I don't mind doing social things and the red carpet, which is really fun and easy, but posing for portaits... I don’t love sitting in front of a camera. I'm more behind the scenes."
Fortunately, Holley obliged and let us photograph her. Take a peek at the photos in our gallery to see inside her Times Square office including her inspiration board which includes photos of her 4-year-old son in Montauk, her recently departed horse Relocator, reference materials and more.
