Second Life

Actress and entrepreneur Ashley Benson has gone on to do a number of interesting things since rising to fame in the hit TV series Pretty Little Liars. Last year alone, she starred in Private Property, Loneliest Boy in the World, and the indie slasher film Alone at Night, where she also snagged her first credits as producer and co-writer. Also an entrepreneur, Benson is a co-founder of sunglasses brand Privé Revaux and Thomas Ashbourne Craft Spirits. Most recently, she’s founded her very own personal fragrance line, Ash by Ashley Benson. She’s here to discuss it all, plus the items that make her personal style just so enviable.

Jewelry and accessories designer Susan Korn has created viral products time and time again with her brand, Susan Alexandra. Worn by everyone from Gigi Hadid to Alison Roman to Pete Davidson, her bright, sparkling adornments—whether in the form of a martini handbag or shrimp cocktail earrings—are still handmade in New York where Susan now has a retail location that’s as joyous and whimsical as the brand itself. But before she was a bona fide fashion darling, she was trying to find her place like the rest of us. “I was really thinking that I was going to be a stylist. I thought that was a really good life choice. And it was really, really rough,” Susan says on today’s episode. Tune in to hear how she found the confidence to push forward within a fashion world she didn’t know she belonged in, plus how she’s created a career for herself that she was, at times, reluctant to dream of.

Alejandra Hernandez is both the head designer behind the women’s activewear brand Year of Ours and a prolific Hollywood stylist having worked with artists like Iggy Azalea, Eve, and most recently, the one and only Sza. Alejandra is here to discuss their collaboration ushering in Sza’s new style era, including breaking down the music videos and album artwork for the highly anticipated and record-breaking album, SOS.

By 28 years old, Jamie Beck opened her own commercial photography studio in Lower Manhattan where she worked with a multitude of commercial clients from fashion brands like Chanel and Oscar de la Renta to tech companies like Google and Microsoft, and even major magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. (Yes, she was killing it.) Somewhere along the way, though, she decided her true dream was quite different: Beck wanted to live in the South of France. Over six years after Jamie initially left for what was to be a one-year sabbatical, she still lives in Provence with an entirely new photography career creating and selling her own body of work. Most recently, she’s compiled her work into a book titled An American in Provence, which includes not only her photographs but also poignant personal essays, photography and posing tips, and even French recipes. To hear how Jamie took a massive leap of faith on her own happiness—and to lust over her new home—hit the link up top.

Associate fashion editor Yusra Siddiqui sits down with our January cover star, Madelyn Cline. Widely known for her breakout role in the Netflix series Outer Banks and the star-studded film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Madelyn tells Yusra about navigating early success within Hollywood, how she combats imposter syndrome, and what she’s taken from each project thus far. Plus, get a peek behind the scenes of the incredible looks she’s been putting together with stylist Mimi Cutrell.

Allyson Felix is the most-decorated track and field Olympian of all time. At the age of just 18, she won her first Olympic medal and broke world records during the Tokyo 2020 games. But off the track, she’s also covered a lot of ground: Her work as an activist led Nike to change their sponsorship policy, adding protections for pregnant athletes and new moms, marking a major industry shift. Along the way, Allyson also became an entrepreneur, founding footwear and lifestyle brand Saysh with an aim to create an encouraging and supportive community for women. Plus, season two of her Mountaintop Conversations podcast will be debuting on Jan 17, in which she celebrates the stories and experiences of leaders across politics, entrepreneurship, and culture. Tune in for a whole lot of inspiration from a woman who made it to the top of her field and is now dedicated to pulling up those around her.

Who What Wear editor Anna LaPlaca sits down with our December cover star, Lily Collins, to talk about the star’s massive past few years. They discuss her hit show Emily in Paris, her Netflix feature and first producer credit in Windfall, and her personal life, including her marriage to director Charlie McDowell. Collins explains how she’s managed to find her equilibrium among it all, everything we can expect from the highly anticipated season three of Emily in Paris, and what’s next in her career.

Pia Baroncini is the creative director behind her namesake clothing line for Revolve (LPA), host of the podcast Everything Is the Best, and co-founder of Baroncini Import & Co.—her very own line of Italian olive oil. Alongside her husband Davide, Baroncini has big plans for expanding the import business as well as the pair’s other brand, Ghiaia Cashmere, where she is the CMO. But before this whirlwind of a career in which she currently thrives, Baroncini had a number of other positions within fashion and production. She served as a casting director for Diane Martel (the woman behind music videos for artists such as Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj), and she worked at famed New York City PR firm People’s Revolution for PR maven Kelly Cutrone and Reformation in its early days, where she went from working in public relations to becoming design director in a matter of a few short years. This one is as inspiring as it is entertaining, and you’re going to want to tune in to hear it all.

Hillary Kerr is joined by three members of the WWW team—Editor in Chief Kat Collings, VP of Influencer Marketing Rachel Zeilic, and fashion editor Eliza Huber—who are here to give us their expert tips on how to snag the most stylish finds from eBay. Whether it’s new or vintage, the ladies are breaking down how they sleuthed out their favorite purchases of the past, which luxury items they’re scoping out for the future, and the insider strategy for how to source like a pro.

Daria Burke spent the majority of her career building iconic beauty and fashion brands, working at L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, and Rent the Runway in its early days. She even led fashion and beauty partnerships at Facebook. Then, she landed her dream title of CMO at JustFab before realizing her successful climb up the corporate ladder still may have left her unfulfilled. After walking away from running teams and operations for some of the biggest brands, Burke has pivoted her career to become a board member and advisor for companies that truly align with her values, and she writes about her vast experience examining human potential for publications such as HuffPost and Fast Company. Tune in to hear it all.

Sarmela Sunder, MD, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained plastic surgeon who specializes in all things face and neck. On this episode, she’s breaking down the results, recovery processes, and risks of surgical and nonsurgical procedures, including face-lifts, neck-lifts, nose jobs, and even eye procedures. If you take one peek at her Instagram, which features many recognizable faces, you’ll realize why Sunder is who we’re leaning on as the ultimate authority.

Alex Snodgrass, the brilliant recipe developer behind The Defined Dish, has built an impressive multi–revenue-stream culinary business from the ground up. In addition to her 700,000 followers on Instagram, she’s published two New York Times best-selling cookbooks—The Defined Dish, and The Comfortable Kitchen—and, most recently, launched a multipurpose dressing collection called SideDish. But back before she followed her calling within food, she actually spent years as a real estate agent. Tune in to hear what it took for her to take the plunge to turn her side hustle into a bona fide culinary hit.

Nell Diamond is the founder and CEO of Hill House, a digital-first lifestyle brand offering fashion, home goods, and accessories that bring beauty and joy to everyday rituals. Or as you likely know the brand, the creators of the Nap Dress. Nell is here to talk about designing the cult-favorite item, pivoting her business accordingly, and what’s next for the beloved brand. Plus, she’s sharing her favorite ways she’s seen the collection styled.

Emily Hikade is the founder and CEO of Petite Plume Luxury Sleepwear. Made with chemical-free cotton and impeccable attention to detail and comfort, the European-inspired pajamas are carried in over 500 boutiques as well as major retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and J.Crew. Prior to launching a luxury pajama brand in 2015, though, Hikade’s life looked majorly different. For almost 15 years, she lived and worked in countries the Middle East and East Africa focused on counterterrorism as a member of the CIA. Tune in to hear how a near-death experience changed the entire course of her career journey and about the surprising skills that carried over.

Academy Award–winning costume designer Ruth Carter has spent over three decades in film, television, and theater, where she’s collaborated with prolific directors such as Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, and Ava DuVernay and run costume departments for films such as Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Selma, Amistad, and, of course, Black Panther. On this episode, Carter breaks down how she fuses rich cultural histories with futuristic technology in her designs in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.