I interviewed at the Pittsburgh office in June of 2018. As mentioned in most of the other reviews, you are asked to arrange a Pinterest board for a hypothetical client. The interview lasts about an hour- you arrive, write a note to client x, and then you’ll interview with two lead stylists. I did notice that one of the interviewers came out and spoke to another applicant that she seemed to know already. She gave her a hug and said, ‘Don’t worry- you’ll be fine.’ I felt that was a tad odd, or at least the optics of potential nepotism seemed somewhat unprofessional.
Frankly, I thought I had had a great interview. The styling session was challenging, but I felt I was able to showcase my competency and my eye for fashion, as well as emphasize the importance of fit.
The hypothetical client was someone who was self conscious about their large chest and tummy after having a baby. I indicated that I didn’t want the client to feel like my choices for her stemmed primarily from the desire to disguise her problem areas, but that I wanted to find clothes that fit and flattered her. That sentiment was met with a fair amount of silence. I got the impression that they aren’t looking to hire fashion risk-takers, as this leads to more return items. A bit of a safe vibe.
I was really disappointed to receive a vague email three days later saying I did not get the position. It said to not apply for another six months so that I can ‘hone my skills.’ Whereas I would be happy to work on my ability to style different body types, I don’t believe that applying again would yield a different result. My impression is that this was more of a philosophical difference than anything. I received my first ‘fix’ in the mail a few days later and sent all of the items back, but it did give me solace that the company tends to err more on the side of ‘safe’ choices. And that’s ok. It’s just not for me, and I wasn’t for them.
The end.
Anyway, it is quite possible that I have a blind spot to some idiosyncrasy of my own, but I’ve never felt so good about an interview and not gotten the position.
