Julia Amory, designer, entrepreneur, and founder of India Amory, embodies a classic and unique style. This article explores her insights on fashion, home decor, entertaining, and her approach to living a beautiful life.
Defining Personal Style
Julia Amory describes her style in three words: classic, flattering, unique. She emphasizes the importance of understanding what flatters your shape and ignoring trends. Her staple outfit includes Levis 501 originals, Stubbs, and a white oxford for day, and an Oscar de la Renta party dress for evening.
The Power of Silhouettes
Finding silhouettes that work on your frame is crucial. Flattering clothing is about balancing your shape, highlighting your best features, and minimizing those you aren't wild about. Julia is brand loyal to ODR because classic shapes flatter her figure. She can easily buy on eBay / Real Real because she knows what works on her shape and doesn’t deviate a lot!
Investing in Quality
Julia believes in investing in special clothes that nobody else at the party is going to be in, focusing on quality brands in high-quality fabrics. She favors brands that stand the test of time, like Oscar de la Renta and Chanel. Oscar de la Renta is as beautiful now as it would have been on Grace Kelly in 1955, and Chanel bags will never go out of style. She owns two Chanel Cerf totes, one in black and one in taupe, which she uses for daytime because they cover it all.
Saving Smart
While Julia invests in quality pieces, she saves on basics like T-shirts, denim, and underpants. She does buy t shirts, oxfords and white denim (girlfriend cut) from the Gap. She detests the trend of cheap fast fashion. It makes her sad inside.
Read also: The Truth About Julia Lemigova's Body
The Art of Mixing High and Low
Rather than buying low brands, Julia buys high brands for LESS and mixes them with other high brands bought for even LESS. Chanel accessories (ballet flats and purses) paired with Levis or Gap are a favorite combination.
Consignment Shopping
Julia's favorite places to shop consignment are eBay and The Real Real. EBay is great for amazing vintage finds, and The Real Real is as close to shopping at a department store as she’s going to get. She also consigns her own closet with The Real Real because they handle the photography / listing details for you and then money just magically appears once a month.
Inspiration and Influences
Julia's style is influenced by several style icons, including CZ Guest, Carolyne Roehm, and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. Growing up, she was exposed to art and design through her family. Her grandparents, Alexandra Stoddard and Peter Brown, were role models who pursued living a beautiful life with elegance. Alexandra is perhaps the most stylish woman she’s ever known - even her linen closet is perfect. With Alexandra what you see is what you get - that linen closet wasn’t styled for a shoot, that’s what it really looks like! She also has a ribbon closet and that was in their apartment in New York….She’s taught her that living elegantly is not about how you look when you leave the house but rather how the grace with which you live your life.
Her husband's aunt, Chessy Rayner, also played a significant role in shaping her design philosophy. Chessy had a pioneering approach to decorating of mixing high and low before it was the chic thing to do. Her design firm MAC II has withstood the test of time, their work still feels relevant 20 years later. She’s very much taken the high-low philosophy to heart with India Amory.
Family Homes
Julia grew up in a house where they believed that beige is not a color and they simply “could not cope with taupe” - the exception being camel hair coats. Minot’s family home in Southampton, is always ready for entertaining thanks to Julia! She also spoke about her husband Minot’s house in Palm Beach which was decorated by his grandmother Chessy Patcevitch - she was an incredibly stylish woman who she never had the opportunity to meet but who personified the kind of elegance that rarely exists in this day in age.
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Home Decor and Entertaining
Julia's passion extends to home decor and entertaining. She invests in fabrics she loves and that she will love in 20 years. She mixes India Amory fabrics with D. Porthault linens.
Creating a Welcoming Space
To bring beautiful linens and custom pieces to the market in an accessible way that makes it fun to entertain! She doesn’t like a naked looking bed - which means at least two duvets, one on the bed, one at the foot and about six pillow - two Euro, two standard, one neckroll and one boudoir. She also can’t cope with a naked window, so she always invests in Curtains and rugs and duvets.
Tips for Entertaining
Julia advises doing everything in advance when hosting a dinner party. She sweats the small stuff and leaves herself lots of time to have fun with the aesthetic component. She’s also addicted to both Amazon Prime and eBay for home accessories. There is nothing you can’t find for your table by typing it in to either Amazon or eBay - it’s a great way to find things you haven’t seen in stores and save some money. Julia collected close to 300 blue and white ginger jars in various sizes to create centerpieces for her wedding.
India Amory: A Vision Realized
Julia Amory developed the concept for India Amory while searching for printed fabric to use for the tables at her own wedding in Southampton. Unable to find the perfect print at an affordable cost, she decided to design her own pattern using the Indian block print technique and produce the napkins and tablecloths herself. The company offers fabulous and affordable solutions to large scale needs for parties and weddings.
The resulting company is a lifestyle and home goods brand working in Indian block printed cotton of varying weights. Custom projects are endless and inquiries are always welcome. India Amory now offers full custom options for brides - custom robes and linens are such a fabulous way to create a unique event and we’re really aiming to do that at an accessible price point!
Read also: Explore Julia Berolzheimer's healthy lifestyle tips
Style Philosophy
Julia's style philosophy revolves around feeling confident and comfortable in what you wear. She feels her best when she’s dressed up in something that is not only a unique and beautiful piece of clothing but also shows her to her best advantage - more often than not it’s a party dress. She also has almost everything altered in tiny ways at the dry cleaner - it makes a world of difference to have things that really fit you.
Making an Effort
Anytime she knows she’s going to be photographed, she splurges. Like a lot of people I can be very hard on myself and I hate looking back and thinking “I wish I had made more of an effort” - it’s less about splurging and more about being pragmatic and thinking ahead. If you have a big event in a month, get the dress a month out so you have time to hunt for something on eBay / The Real Real and then have it altered if need be rather than waiting until the last minute and being forced to buy something from Saks that three other girls will be wearing. She believes that retail prices are for morons and that you should always save.
Prized Possessions
Her most prized possession is likely her “everyday” jewelry: a Cartier Pasha men’s watch which nobody else seems to have (I think it’s discontinued) but which she wear every single day, a Cartier Les Musts trinity ring stacked with two other gold Tiffany Rings. She also wear her silver bone cuff by Paloma Picasso to balance out the big watch on the other wrist. She also said that her laptop, her dogs, and her wedding band are most prized.
Advice and Reflections
Julia advises finding silhouettes that work on your frame and balancing your shape. She also suggests that a woman should invest in a complete set of accessories (meaning everything for day and evening in both black and nude - shoes and bags in both colors).
Trends to Avoid
Julia wishes that chunky orthopedic sneakers would go away, as well as anything Kim Kardashian wears. You are not Lance Armstrong and this is not the Tour de France.
The Importance of Confidence
A woman can never have too much confidence! (but don’t be a jerk, humility is just as important).
A Word on Weight Loss and Health
While not directly related to Julia Amory, it's important to address the topic of weight loss responsibly. Jillian Michaels, a former "Biggest Loser" trainer, offers a contrasting perspective on weight loss methods.
Cautions on Medication
Michaels warns against relying on medications like Ozempic for weight loss, emphasizing the need to conduct your own research and consult with health experts. She notes that celebrities are not health experts, nutritionists, or fitness experts. “Every medication, whether it’s antibiotics or vaccines, have a cost-benefit analysis. They all have side effects,” the former “Biggest Loser” trainer told Fox News. Ozempic was approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat type 2 diabetes but has been used off-label for weight loss.
The Importance of Diet and Exercise
Michaels advocates for managing calories in and out through diet and exercise. She recommends avoiding added sugar and processed foods. Instead of weight loss jabs, Michaels recommends the safer route: managing calories in and out. But a weight loss journey also requires a goal. “It doesn’t matter if it’s profound or superficial as long as you care about it,” she explained. Nothing has to be perfect. You don’t have to give up all sugar. Progress is progress.