Into the Weiss

I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Emily Weiss' apartment. How does a girl who writes a blog about make-up, and receives an armload of promotional materials on a daily basis store and organize her place so it doesn't turn into a mini-Sephora? What happens to her two precious Birman cats when more boxes of Lancome lipsticks and perfumes take over the apartment floor? How does her boyfriend mark his territory against yet another shipment of Dior Demaquillage bottles? As I ponder these things I walk up to the Bleecker Street apartment building. It's a sunny Saturday morning and I have Spring in my step. When Emily opens the door I am happily surprised. The duplex studio is bright and breezy and even though it is the center piece of the space, only a single white table is visibly occupied by make-up. The cats are fine. And so is Diego.

Emily started Into The Gloss in September of 2010 and has since carved out a remarkable, unrivaled niche for herself. I first noticed the blog when we were both invited to send our Christmas wish list for a Harper's Bazaar shopping feature. Into The Gloss was fresh and had this cool, editorial lay-out and luminous, straight-forward shots of familiar girls. I was hooked in a heart beat. And eventually I got my own spot on ITG as The Face. Emily created ITG to provide a missing platform in the landscape of fashion and street style blogs. "There was nothing out there that addressed beauty which I think is such a major part of the big picture of personal style," she says. "How we feel about makeup and skincare, who we trust with our cut and color and so on" needed some attention according to Emily who is the full-time assistant to stylist Elissa Santisi. "I've always been fascinated with beauty - on shoots and jobs I'm always talking to the hair and make-up artists, and the manicurists. Watching the masters at work definitely inspires me."

When it comes to her fashion sense, Emily describes her style as "a hodgepodge of romantic vintage dresses and more tailored new things." She loves a sharp jacket, can't live without her four rings, wishes she had been young in the 1940's - "that silhouette works really well for me" - and she's open minded about trends and trying new things - "if Justin Bieber has taught us anything, it's to never say never". Shooting Emily is easy as pie. After she swiftly applies her beauty routine make-up, she plops down on the bed and gives me soft in a chiffon, feather trim shift dress. Then she lays down on her velvet couch in a Leonard gown and gives me glamour fit for a luxurious fragrance ad. There's smiles and giggles, and winks and poses. And though she doesn't like to admit to a short stint as a teenage model, she embraces her mastery of angles and postures with guiltless poise. It's a wonderful thing.

Twenty-six year old Emily Weiss hails from Connecticut and still spends a lot of time at her parents' house during the summer. "I pretty much only go vintage shopping in Connecticut, because it's so cheap. Even though stores in NYC are well curated, they are so expensive. My friends and I all go vintage shopping and antiquing and drive around. The hunt is really fun." And so we take a train to Sophia's Great Dames in Greenwich, a plentiful vintage store that funnily enough also houses a Halloween Costumes department on the second floor. While we scan the racks for vintage Hermes and those 1940's gowns, enthusiastic mothers and daughters are trying on disco outfits and tiaras for the annual spring dances and themed wedding parties. The store owner is excited to see Emily - she knows her very well - and announces that her website just went live. She doesn't care that we clean out her window display, or pester her sales clerk, Glen with endless outfit changes and questions. She's chill. Oh the joys of the country side. Highly recommended.