How a Nordstrom Fashion Executive Handles Holiday Shopping

Photograph-Illustration: by The Reduce Photo: Joe Schildhorn/BFA

Rickie De Sole is a bonafide fashion veteran. She started off her vocation as an assistant at Self-importance Truthful, adopted by a few years in PR at Prada. From there, she went to Vogue, wherever she remained for twelve several years, holding numerous roles in print and electronic until at last turning out to be Executive Vogue Director of the internet site in 2020. Then, 1 yr ago, De Sole made a decision to convey her talents somewhere new: retail. Currently she is the Women’s Designer Trend & Editorial Director at Nordstrom. Her function consists of doing the job with teams throughout the U.S. and in Seattle, and finding in deal with time with designers and brand names in the showrooms and at style weeks. One particular of the most exciting areas of the work, she says, is helping smaller brands mature and supplying them a system with Space, the company’s boutique searching experience. When she’s not connecting with her staff, she’s in meetings and at occasions, or listening to audiobooks and podcasts on her way to do the job. She’s now revisiting previous favorites like Joan Didion’s The 12 months of Magical Wondering.  

As the vacations strategy, she’s curating present guides and styling guides with her staff (even though grabbing a handful of presents herself — it aids when your office is earlier mentioned a department shop.) So how does a Nordstrom expert shop? Her philosophy is to purchase it when you see it, no matter if it’s anything adorable for you or a long run reward for another person you discover unattainable to store for. Just really don’t ignore you purchased it. A different idea: Foods and treats make great, effortless gifts for colleagues. Soon after the getaway rush there is downtime, which she dedicates to her relatives. She life in New York City with her partner, 3 and half 12 months aged son, and two year outdated daughter. Listed here, how she will get it done.

On her morning routine: 
I wake up all around 6:30 to the seem of my two compact children. Mornings have a tendency to be incredibly busy about our house, seeking to get every person out the door. I do a brief email scan — I’m 1 of those people people today who demands to wake up and check out my cell phone and see if there’s any disaster. If there is, I address that and then shift on. I’m extremely blessed that my partner sets the brew each and every evening so that a cup of espresso is ready initial issue in the early morning. Irrespective of my mad hurry I often carve out time for a brief natural beauty plan, but it is negligible at finest. My mornings are not about me, they’re about my little ones.

On a typical operate working day:
If I’m here in the town and not traveling, I drop the little ones off right before heading to the business or to current market appointments. Nordstrom is a Seattle-primarily based retailer, so mornings are inclined to be quieter on the assembly front. I prioritize finding in-man or woman conferences and showroom visits completed then and saving the afternoon to do much more on-the-personal computer Zoom phone calls with my colleagues across the state.

I do desire to do conferences in individual. There’s some magic that takes place when you fulfill persons in genuine lifetime. That trade of strategies is so integral to a part like mine. I operate truly closely with a great deal of different groups at Nordstrom and can often be the glue among purchasing teams, internet marketing teams, celebration teams, and then also definitely liaising with the brands by themselves. So substantially of my part is about bubbling up what’s taking place in fashion, no matter whether it is new brand names or trends that we’re seeing. The thing about performing in this job, and in fashion in standard, is that no two times are the same. I think that is why we all prosper. Manner is always evolving and normally altering and my day is reflective of that.

On the most nerve-racking element of her work:
The rate of the business has picked up so considerably. Coming out of the pandemic we’re even now so concentrated on conferences on the personal computer that I neglect to factor in journey time when coordinating and navigating the countless sector agenda and finding around the city. But which is also what tends to make my career terrific. It’s fun, and you under no circumstances know what you’re gonna see when you walk into a showroom. Brands might surprise you or there may well be creative path improvements and suddenly you are seeing a brand name in a new mild.

I’m also functioning with colleagues across the nation. In the course of the shows is when I feel it the most, simply because I’m in Milan and Paris and then I’ve bought colleagues in Seattle. Fashion 7 days constantly seems exciting and glamorous, and it is, but you have a whole workday and inbox. You appear home from the reveals and dinners and you sit down in the center of the night to capture up on email while Seattle is however open. That usually takes some acquiring applied to.

On the significance of remaining nimble:
If I at any time experienced to give a tagline to how I see my part, from my time at Vogue to Prada, and now my job at Nordstrom, it is “finding options.” A lot of occasions it is about reframing. If I’m emotion pushback, I do not back again down quickly, and often I have to occur up with a distinctive strategy. It is about rethinking how I’m going to get what I have to have to accomplish done.

On the holiday buying period:
We’re generating absolutely sure we’re placing the best merchandise in front of our shoppers. Frankly, I’m all about sparkle and glow. I love a present information. I feel that is my editorial qualifications at participate in mainly because I did so a lot of that at Vogue. Remaining ready to curate from Nordstrom’s assortment for the holiday seasons is a huge element of what I do and what I adore about the holidays.

On running stress:
De-stressing is getting a pause. I try out to just take emotion out of it, just take a deep breath, call a good friend, then get back again to the task at hand or whatever’s stressing me out. When I have absolutely free time, wellness tends to be the matter that de-stresses me, like going to acupuncture or receiving a therapeutic massage.

On winding down:
For the duration of my evenings there are a lot of work commitments. Weekends for me are my downtime. I seriously attempt to prioritize family time on the weekends. I do normally have my telephone in my hand, and I assume it drives my spouse nuts. Even on getaway days I’m accessible because I dislike to transform it off and then turn it back on and have to choose up wherever I still left off. I get far more nervous when factors accumulate as opposed to using treatment of them in the instant.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.