Hi Fabulous Friends!
As a contributor of Runway Passport Magazine, I had the great pleasure to interview my mentor, boss and the recently appointed Editor-in-Chief of ESSENCE: Constance White! It was such a great opportunity to ask about her always fab style, her words of wisdom, who she most admires in the fashion industry and more! She is a fashion icon – see what has help her along the way.
-Read the full interview below-
RP New York Contributor, Joy Adaeze interviewed Constance White a few months ago before her recent appointment as Editor-In-Chief of ESSENCE Magazine. 
As a fashion industry professional, I have always looked up to style expert Constance White. During her over 15 year career in the fashion industry, Constance’s background includes style director for eBay, style reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, Elle Magazine’s first African American executive fashion editor, and founding fashion director of Talk Magazine. She has appeared on Oprah, Project Runway, The Today Show, Full Frontal Fashion and NBC-LX New York. Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Essence Magazine, British Vogue, People and The Chicago Tribune. Constance is author of successful style book, StyleNoir: The First How-To Guide to Fashion with Black Women in Mind. I was honored to have the opportunity to sit down with her and chat.
JOY ADAEZE FOR RUNWAY PASSPORT: You are admired for your chic and sophisticated style. Which designers and labels do you wear most often?
Constance White: Right now my choice of brands is very broad. It may have come from working at eBay where I was exposed to so many different choices. If you would have asked me this question 5 or 10 years ago, I would have had a disposition towards Jean Paul Gaultier and Helmut Lang. Today for instance, I am wearing 6 different brands. Some, of which I have no idea of the designer!
JA: How would you describe your unique sense of style?
CW: I am attracted to things that are well designed with something unexpected about them. My style is somewhat classic. But there is always something personal I like to bring to it. [It’s] a little unexpected and very eclectic.
JA: What is one item in your closet that you can’t do without?
CW: The answer changes from year to year. Right now, it’s my C & C tee shirts. They are so light weight, fit perfectly, you can dress them up or down, great for traveling! Can’t live without those!
JA: After being involved in so many different aspects of the fashion industry, what haven’t you done that you would like to pursue in the future?
CW: I think I would like to bring fashion to television on a more regular basis.
JA: You recently left eBay after being working as their style director for 7 years. What is your new focus as you continue in the fashion industry?
CW: I have two focuses. One is to integrate different experiences and skill sets that I have encompassed in my career in the following: media, marketing, print, web and e commerce. My second focus is to spend more of my time at the intersection where fashion meets charity, volunteerism and philanthropy.
JA: What has been some ways that you have managed to maintain a long and successful career in the fashion industry?
CW: I think success in career has to relate to success in the rest of your life. For example: by not taking things too personally, cultivating relationships: being interested in and excited by what people are doing; nurturing relationships, continuing to be enthusiastic in whatever I’m involved in or what others are involved in. This keeps you a student, keeps you learning and gives you a new found appreciation.
JA: Who are some people you admire in the fashion industry?
CW: There are so many people in the fashion industry to admire for their creative talent and the work that they do. I admire Jean Paul Gaultier for his unabashed creativity, Narciso Rodriguez for his thoroughly modern stance in what he believes in. I admire my fellow writers for what they do. Robin Givhan, she’s a great writer and Pulitzer Prize winner, Teri Agins, Joe Zee, photographers like Mark Baptiste, Patrick Demarchelier, Scott Schuman and Bill Cunningham. I admire Anna Wintour for the example she sets for women in the industry to be powerful and for older women in the industry to remain vital, powerful and continue to be taken seriously.
JA: What are some words of wisdom that you live by daily?
CW: Be grateful, have gratitude. “This too shall pass”. I ask myself: What can I do to make this a better day for myself and someone else? And have fun: do not take it all so seriously!
Joy Adaeze is a fashion stylist whose work includes Womens Wear Daily, Runway Passport, NBC’s LX New York, Fashizblack, Blu and Obvious Magazine. She has a personal style BLOG and fashion YouTube Channel
