Cherry On Top

If there’s a reason that Alyssa looks impeccably put together, it’s probably because she used to work as a stylist, which also gave her the avenue to experiment and develop her style. “I thought I had landed the coolest job because I could wear whatever I wanted to, and we were always encouraged to try out new styles, as outrageous as they may seem,” she says. “Also, I could get away with wearing anything loud and crazy, and what normal people would deem inappropriate, to work and that was pretty cool.” Alyssa isn’t quite sure what to term her personal style as, although she assures us that it’s definitely not “girly feminine” — take the boyish, oversized cut of her shirt, for example. She also tries to encourage working women to take more risks in their dressing. “I wish that more people would go beyond the traditional pencil skirt or at least try and be more open-minded with their fashion choices,” she says. “Try a new silhouette or just something you would have never thought of wearing, because you’ll never know until you put it on.” While she loved her time as a stylist, she says that the long, crazy retail hours often meant that she sacrificed her time with her friends and family. “The first few months are always the toughest,” she says. “Once you start to settle in and learn the ropes, things will get better.”