Andrea Linett, eBay's New Creative Director, on Her Master Fashion Plan

By Meredith Barnett
January 24, 2011

Lucky magazine Beauty Director Jean Godfrey June once wrote of then Creative Director Andrea Linett that if her outfits walked through a room without her body in them, you'd know whom they belonged to. It's true—Andrea's signature skinny jeans, rock & roll boots, abundance of delicate layered jewelry, hippie bags and self-described "hole-y cashmere sweaters" are uniquely her. So is that wavy, just-the-right shade of dark hair; the open laugh; the keen eye for style and the refreshingly democratic attitude about fashion ("We can all have style and you should have fun getting dressed," she said). All of these together make Andrea Linett one of the most beloved and influential individuals in the fashion industry today.

Confession: I worked at Lucky under style expert Andrea Linett, who co-founded the magazine, for several years. So did over half the regular contributors to The Inside Source. Andrea was our Pied Piper of style, setting the tone for the oft-copied look of the glossy as well as the office, where a handbag she a mentioned casually in conversation somehow ended up on the arm of the entire staff the following week. "I want to be her" was something we all thought more than once about Andrea Linett. (It's also the name of her new blog, where she deconstructs the fashion trends of cool girls around town and tells you where you can guy score their stuff.)

Andrea Linett, whose own fashion icons include Bob Dylan, Jane Birkin and "anyone who looks like they're not trying too hard—even if they're trying really, really hard," recently signed on as the Creative Director of eBay Fashion. This fashion expert is tasked, as she says, with "elevating" the experience of what can admittedly be an overwhelming, but certainly bounteous, shopping destination. A few days after the announcement of her new position as Creative Director of eBay Fashion, we chatted over lunch, Andrea Linett's Blackberry buzzing all the while—evidence of a transformative fashion plan already set in motion.

The Inside Source: Have you always wanted to work in the fashion industry?

Andrea Linett: I either wanted to work in advertising, because my mom's always been in advertising and I grew up with it and I always found it really interesting, or fashion, because I have been obsessed, even from a very young age, with fashion magazines and catalogues and books about fashion. My first job out of school was at Sassy magazine. I was beyond thrilled to answer the phone. I was the receptionist. I could not believe I got the job. I was interviewing at fashion magazines and I think I found this one in the New York Times—"receptionist wanted"—very "Gal Friday".

I was the receptionist for six months. Then I was promoted to Fashion & Beauty Assistant. We did everything there. Everything but the layouts. We did the casting, the styling. I got to do everything for our photo shoots. You would never get to do that now. So I learned a lot in a short time.

The Inside Source: I've heard stories about how you discovered actress Chloe Sevigny while at Sassy. What's that all about?

Andrea Linett: I was the stylist for the Jane Pratt Show [Sassy Editor-in-Chief Jane Pratt's talk show]. So we were shooting a commercial for the TV show and I saw Chloe Sevigny at a newsstand and I said to the producers, "We have to put that girl in the commercial." And they said, "Oh no. She's weird." And I said, "No you don't get it; she's amazing." So I went up to her and I asked her and she sad, "Well, I'm actually cutting school. I live in Connecticut." So she was playing hooky. So we put her in the commercial.

I said I want to shoot you for Sassy. And so I gave her my number and her mother called me and said, "I think it's great for her to model, but I think she should do something more worthwhile. So can she be your intern?" We said sure, we love her—she had already modeled for us for a while by then—and then she became our intern. She was like our mascot.

The Inside Source: I know that ultimately, you became Fashion & Beauty Editor at Sassy. What did you do next?

Andrea Linett: After Sassy was sold, I did freelance—a lot of music videos with Jessie Peretz—and got into commercial styling. And then a friend of mine told me they were looking for a writer at Harper's Bazaar. I thought, "I'm never going to get that. It's ridiculous." But I did! So I was a writer at Harper's Bazaar and I actually didn't fit in at all, though I loved everyone there. Back then, you had to wear Manolos and a pencil skirt and I got in trouble for wearing jeans to a show, which of course everyone does now. But it was super fun.

But when Liz Tilberis [Harper's Bazaar's long-time Editor-in-Chief] died, I didn't want to stay there anymore. And then Kim [France, Lucky's Editor-in-Chief] called me. Kim said she was working on this shopping magazine. It wasn't a done deal. We were working on a prototype in a secret location. It was a test issue and then all-of-a-sudden, they decided to publish it.

The Inside Source: Why do you think Lucky magazine was such a hit?

Andrea Linett: It was the first magazine of its kind. It was just about shopping. I think the voice was very important. People think it's just visual. But it really is the people who are working on it and the voice behind it. People don't realize that.

We didn't tell you you were a loser if you weren't wearing something. It was a fashion magazine without dictating fashion. It made people feel comfortable. It sounds corny, but it really was like your friend—your shopping friend. And you never felt like you were going to leave Lucky with a bad taste in your mouth—like "I'm not good enough"—like you did with other fashion magazines.

The Inside Source: Ok, so how about your signature style? How would you describe your style uniform?

Andrea Linett: I think I just like things that are classic. Most people think of classic as a white button down and a loafer. But even classic rock & roll clothes, to me, that's a classic. Even a fur vest is a classic because it's been around forever and is never going away. But I like to throw a little trend in there once in a while for fun. But I feel like, as I get older, I don't do that as much. I pair down a little more than I used to.

I'm embarrassed to admit that one of my signature pieces—that Kim France pointed out to me—is that my sweaters always have holes in them!

The Inside Source: What else?

Andrea Linett: I usually have a boot. I love boots. I never wear shoes unless it's summer and I wear a sandal. I only wear boots. That is a fact. Cowboy boots, knee boots. I just bought a pair of thigh-high boots—that's my trend. They're almost like leather pants. I saw [newly-appointed Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue] Emmanuelle Alt wearing them and she looked really classic. She had a thigh high boot—that was the part of the outfit that was the crazy thing.

I usually am wearing some kind of skinny rock & roll pants. I wear skinny jeans or wide jeans. Jeans, I always wear.

The Inside Source: What are your most treasured possessions?

Andrea Linett: A Rolex from the 1970s.

Moroccan rugs that we [Andrea Linett and her fashion photographer husband, Michael Waring] got in Marrakech on a Lucky shoot.

I love my engagement ring—1930s Tiffany. I know it sounds really corny. I like old diamonds.

The Inside Source: Let's talk about eBay a little bit. What are some of your favorite eBay finds?

Andrea Linett: One of my best friends, Daniel, who is a hairdresser in L.A., is like an eBay ambassador. He uses the site all the time. He bought me the craziest mine-cut diamond ring. It is amazing. It came with a story. A seaman bought it for his wife. He went to a port and hand-picked the diamonds.

[Creative Director at Michael Kors] Richard Sinnott, who was actually recently in The Inside Source, gave me a Rolex he got on eBay once. He wasn't paying attention to the size when he bought it, and it didn't fit him, so he gave it to me.

I have so many good things from eBay it's crazy. Amazing paintings. I used to collect horse paintings.

I usually go to eBay looking for something specific. But you gotta cast the net so wide. eBay is entertainment, whereas other sites are just a transaction. With eBay, you can keep going and going and going. It's like infinity; it never stops.

Andrea Linett's Favorite eBay Scores

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Andrea sent us snapshots of the eBay purchases that fill her apartment. This horse painting is one of many she has collected over time.
Swag lamps like this one were popular in the '50s and '60s and are enjoying a renaissance now.
In addition to horse paintings, Andrea likes oil paintings of ships.
This tree trunk table is in Andrea's living room.
Another oil painting—this one of a seascape.
This living room wall unit houses favorite books, candlesticks and other collectibles.
These groovy snake candlesticks are another favorite purchases. These are a rare find—even on eBay.
Andrea's living room is decorated with vintage Beatles posters, all found on eBay.

The Inside Source: What are some of your favorite eBay keywords?

Andrea Linett: Hermes, Chanel—jewelry, I'd love to have an old Chanel jacket, though it has to be perfect—boots, oil paintings, old-cut diamonds. Sometimes I buy old magazines on eBay.

The Inside Source: So in your new role as Creative Director of eBay Fashion, what are you tasked to do at eBay?

Andrea Linett: eBay is one of the most amazing marketplaces in the world. It needs to reflect that this is the fashion destination and it doesn't at the moment. It doesn't have the right look and the right voice and it's still amazing. So imagine when it does. It's a lady who needs to be pampered. It's a beautiful woman walking around with a horrible haircut. It needs to be treated like the beautiful lady it is. It needs to be elevated. We have to make her up. There's going to be a point of view.

The Inside Source: How do you do you give fashion tips without alienating people?

Andrea Linett: My background is that I always try not to alienate people. We can all have style. You should have fun getting dressed. It's one of the fun things in life. It shouldn't be serious. It shouldn't ever make you feel bad. That's my philosophy and it will come through when I get working on it.

The Inside Source: What can we expect to see?

Andrea Linett: You're going to see much more aspirational imagery. Hopefully you're going to see The Inside Source on eBay! More of a voice from the staff.

eBay is not just a marketplace; it's a way of life. You're going to see a lot more cute girls on the site and how they shop on eBay. More meat. More excitement. More fashionable context instead of just "here's a bunch of product." More interactive. We're going to keep that feeling of a community and make it even bigger.

The Inside Source: One of the things I've found in editing over 300 interviews with people on The Inside Source in the past year is that really fabulous, fashionable people always collect something. You touched on collecting horse paintings. What else do you collect?

Andrea Linett: Cashmere sweaters. (I can't get enough and I wear them so much they get holes in them!) Boots. Leather jackets—I wouldn't say I collect them, but I have quite a few. My husband would tell you I collect clothing!

Jewelry. I'm a crazy jewelry collector. I want to find the perfect Chanel necklace. It's so not me, but sometimes I like to try things that aren't me. It let's you be somebody else a little bit. To keep your style the same gets boring; you can mix it up a little bit.

I also collect Native American jewelry—mostly turquoise stuff—western belt buckles and Indian hippie tops and dresses. I still say collector is just a nice word for someone who buys way too much stuff!

The Inside Source: Tell us about your blog, "I Want to Be Her".

Andrea Linett: I started "I Want to Be Her" because years ago, I was going to write a book with the same title and the book agent I was meeting with didn't get it and I thought it was a bad idea. Big mistake, ladies! I don't think like that anymore. So then when I left Lucky, I have too much energy to just sit around. So I said to Ann [Johnston Albert, Linett's best friend who is an illustrator and designer behind cult brand Martin] why don't we do a blog? So then I realized Ann couldn't draw that fast and I thought it would be fun to have a real element too, so we switch off a drawing and photo. I see someone on the street. I stop with my notebook like Harriet the Spy and I tell Ann what she was wearing and I give her all the links [where you can buy the items]... Or my husband shoots the girls. He set up a studio in my apartment.

And now I'm writing a book. It's an illustrated memoir. It's about the women who have inspired me since I was five years old until today. I have a weird photographic memory for stuff that's not important, so I can tell you what this person was wearing and that person was wearing 40 years ago. So it's a lot of drawing for Ann!

I also created a TV pilot and my cousin, who is a Hollywood guy, is doing it with me. It has to do with fashion. You write what you know.

Style expert Andrea Linett certainly knows fashion trends. And eBay style. We can't wait to how she puts the two together. Until then, a glimpse at her eBay wish list.

Andrea Linett's Top Ten Most Coveted on eBay

1. Quilted Designer Bag

"I always feel that quilting gives a bag a chic edge, and I want one that’s tough, not ladylike."
2. Mine-Cut Diamond Studs

"Old diamonds look cooler to me than newer ones. And since they were cut to sparkle in candlelight, they sparkle like crazy at night. I love that."
3. Horse Pantings

"More horse paintings. I love the naïve ones that aren’t so perfect."
4. A Little Boucle Jacket

"I feel like I need a classic lady piece to balance out my other clothes."
5. A Georg Jensen Torun Watch

"I have always wanted one. I just love the sleek, modern design. It’s a true classic."
6. Seventeen Magazine from the late ‘70s

"I’ve always found them so inspiring. The creative direction was genius."
7. An Oversize Cashmere Sweater

"I have to stop stealing them from my husband and just get my own!"
8. A Greek Fisherman Hat

"Such a cool, somewhat rock & roll piece."
9. A Pendleton Blanket

"We have a mix of Moroccan and Native American stuff in the apartment. I would love to throw one of these over the couch in my office."
10. A Cool Poster for Our One Empty Wall

My husband loves bikes, so maybe something fun like this could work.