At the Table With: Tess Sullivan
Ft. a beaded dress from the 1920s and extra dirty Martinis
At The Table With is a monthly interview series that explores the ideas of creativity and personal taste through the eyes of my friends (or people I would like to be friends with). This month’s guest is fashion designer, vintage collector, and creative director Tess Sullivan!
I met Tess briefly at a networking event last summer where we talked a little bit about our jobs and a lot about our favorite rom-coms. I remember thinking, I really like this girl’s oversized blazer, as we discussed both the classics (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Notting Hill) and the contemporaries (The Idea of You had just come out, so that was a hot topic) with a group of like-minded women.
Since then, I’ve tuned into what Tess shares on Instagram with a genuine curiosity about what she’s up to. Shortly after we met, Tess left LA for a multi-week, no-return-ticket-booked trip to Europe where she spent the rest of the summer bopping around without a plan, sharing the vintage pieces she was finding at flea markets along the way. I could tell she had a real appreciation for things that most people might overlook, a quality I always admire in other creatives. Pieces from Tess’ vintage archive often pop up in the work she shares, and I’ve since come to know her as someone who really understands how to honor the things that inspire her.
In May, Tess launched her Substack What’s Mine is Yours, an exploration of the impact vintage shopping has on her perspective. “I spend an ungodly amount of time looking for new vintage that excites me—a great fringe jacket, the perfect black blazer, threadbare tees, and well-worn denim,” Tess writes in her inaugural post. “When a friend asks where I got something I’m wearing, the answer is almost always, 'It’s vintage,’ followed by a sigh of disappointment. What’s Mine is Yours is my way of sharing the good stuff. It’s fun finding these things for myself, but even more fun when I get a chance to share them.”
You’ll come to What’s Mine is Yours for Tess’ expert shopping curations and handy Etsy search terms, but you’ll stay for the deep dives into her personal style icons, stories about the pieces in her collection, and the tactile way she shares imagery. I don’t know anyone else who has managed to make mirror selfies feel like you’re flipping through the pages of an archival fashion magazine. Tess’ approach to creating content is much more exciting to me than much of what else is out there, so I’ll be tuning in for all of it.
I asked Tess a few questions…
Ali LaBelle: First things first, tell me a little about yourself.
Tess Sullivan: I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia. My career began with a serendipitous meeting while waitressing at a diner in my hometown. I was a design student in between semesters, looking for internships with no luck. Late one Friday night, the most impeccably dressed couple I’d ever seen walked through the doors at Sam’s Grill. The man was wearing a tan three-piece linen herringbone suit, a polka-dot ascot, and tortoiseshell glasses. The woman was wearing a gorgeous navy silk polka-dot dress. I had to compliment them on their looks. The compliment led to a conversation, and as luck would have it, the gentleman I was speaking to was Jerry Meyers, the SVP of Neckwear at Ralph Lauren. He commuted from his home in Philadelphia to his office in New York every morning (and he was in his 80s!).
I knew I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. Jerry’s wife pushed him to give me his business card after they learned I was a fashion design student. I overnighted my resume and a handwritten thank-you note to Jerry’s office at 650 Madison Ave in New York so he would have it on his desk Monday morning. He was really touched by the note and hand-delivered my resume to the HR department, telling them the story of how we met. I started my first internship at Ralph Lauren shortly thereafter, which led to a full-time role. I worked at Ralph for nine years as a designer.
After Ralph, I was the Director of Design at Nili Lotan. After two years of working with Nili, I moved to Los Angeles to launch Buck Mason’s Women’s Collection. Leading the design and creative vision for Women’s Buck Mason was one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. Now I run Commonwealth Studio, a design and creative studio that helps brands of all sizes with design, brand strategy, and storytelling.
AL: What are the things that have shaped, or have helped you shape, your sense of style the most? Are there any formative moments or key references you can remember that have made an impact on what is now your personal taste?
TS: I like to think my personal style has always been rooted in instinct and refined by experience. I grew up thrift shopping with my mom every Saturday. That’s where my interest in clothes really began. I fell in love with the clothes my mom loved—a great tailored jacket, men’s shirts, and beat-up jeans.
Working at Ralph Lauren completely sculpted the way I see clothes, style, and storytelling. I sat in weekly design meetings with Ralph himself. Watching him style looks on a model, explaining what he loved and what he didn’t, was a masterclass in style. It trained my eye in a way nothing else could have.
Buffy Birritella, who led women’s design, also made a huge impression. The way she wore clothes and the confidence she radiated really stuck with me. I remember thinking, that’s how I want to move through the world.
During my last few years at Ralph, I had the chance to work with Michael Rider. He completely shifted the way I thought about style. He taught me the importance of the “swerve”—the unexpected element that throws a look off just enough to make it interesting. That contrast gives a look personality. It gave me permission to play more, to loosen up. His influence on my own style and how I approach design has been massive.
AL: Just days after we met last year, you left for a trip to Europe (with no return ticket booked, if I remember correctly!) where you spent a lot of time shopping flea markets and collecting vintage pieces to bring home. Tell me a little bit about how travel impacts your personal style and creative process.
TS: You have such a good memory! I traveled the entire summer, moving between countrysides, coastal towns, and big cities without an itinerary, only planning a day or two ahead of time. It felt like a real adventure. I was following my nose, stopping in towns that didn’t show up in any city guides—those always ended up being the best. I made a point to visit vintage shops and flea markets in every town I stopped, picking up little treasures along the way—pieces I know I’ll have in my closet forever, each one tied to a good memory.
Traveling without a plan gave me permission to slow down, take everything in, and really see the bigger picture. I left the summer feeling deeply inspired, with a camera roll full of sneaky people-watching photos and an extra suitcase stuffed with vintage.
And because I left without a plan, it taught me to trust my gut and follow my curiosities. It forced me to build a stronger relationship with my intuition, and I really believe the best designers—and the people with the best personal style—are the ones most connected to themselves and their intuition.
AL: Something I love about your newsletter, What’s Mine is Yours, is that there’s a really tactile approach to the way you’re approaching how you share imagery. It feels so aligned with the items you curate—these very textured, timeworn pieces are layered with handwritten notes or are printed on actual paper, then reshot. What do you see for the future of What’s Mine is Yours? Any big plans or dreams?
TS: I love print, physical books, and handwritten notes. When I’m working on a mood board, I work with printed images. There’s something about holding an image in your hands that changes your relationship with it. I wanted What’s Mine is Yours to feel like a peek into my notebook, something personal.
As for the future, I have so many dreams for What’s Mine is Yours. Lately, I’ve been having a lot of fun styling photoshoots entirely with vintage, and I’ve been toying with the idea of making them fully shoppable. More than anything, the dream is to create a truly elevated space that inspires people to shop vintage—to see it not just as secondhand, but as a source of style, soul, and storytelling.
AL: What’s something you’re finding especially inspiring right now?
TS: I’m currently obsessed with Bella Freud’s podcast, Fashion Neurosis. I’ve always been drawn to fashion for the power it has to shift the way you feel, and this podcast really taps into that. Every episode is a reminder that style isn’t superficial—it’s deeply personal and powerful. I think my favorite so far has been her conversation with Haider Ackermann. Very inspiring.
AL: What advice do you have for someone who might want to start building their vintage collection but doesn’t know where to start?
TS: I recently wrote a Substack titled “What pulls you is meant for you”. I suggest going to a flea market or a thrift store and just wandering. See where your eyes go. Try things on. You’ll start to discover what you love and what pieces feel like you. And when something does, trust it. That feeling is the beginning of your personal style, and it’s the best guide for building a vintage collection that actually means something.
AL: Let’s do a little visualization exercise! Imagine your dream dinner party. You can invite anyone (living or not, famous or not), serve anything, and host it anywhere. Where’s the party?
TS: The Dresden. Taking over that space would be so much fun.
AL: What are we having?
TS: I’m flying in the really cheeky nonna I met in Puglia who taught me hand-rolled pasta to come up with the menu. We’re shopping for produce at the Atwater Farmers Market. I’m going to suggest a lemony pasta and lots of Mediterranean, veggie-forward small bites, but whatever she says we’re serving, we’re serving. I don’t make the rules. We’re drinking bone-dry Italian wines, ice-cold Peronis, and extra dirty Martinis.
AL: What’s on the table? How are you decorating?
TS: I want the whole space to be candlelit. Lots of antique brass candle holders with long ivory taper candles on every table, wax spilling onto the tables. Small glass vases with fresh wildflowers scattered throughout, handwritten menus on simple paper, and rumpled linen napkins. We’re going for wildly romantic and completely unfussy.
AL: Who’s invited?
TS: I’m inviting all my friends, anyone who’s reading this interview all the way through, and all the women who have ever inspired me—Katharine Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Lee Radziwill, Lou Lou de la Falaise, Anita Pallenberg, Greta Garbo, Diane Keaton, Audrey Hepburn, Meg Ryan, Nancy Meyers, Miuccia Prada, Joan Didion, Sofia Coppola, Caroline Bessette Kennedy, Bianca Jagger, Coco Chanel, Diana Ross, etc., etc. The list is long, the vibes are strong.
AL: What’s the dress code? What are you wearing?
TS: This is an excuse to dress up. I’m wearing a fabulous black silk beaded 1920s dress and my beaten-up, old Lucchese boots—great for dancing.
AL: What music is playing?
TS: John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Diana Ross are all performing live.
AL: Quick-fire round. What’s your favorite scent or smell?
TS: Sandalwood. I burn it every morning before I make coffee.
AL: Favorite artist?
TS: Agnes Martin. I love the way she thinks.
AL: Last thing you read?
TS: The Alchemist. I reread it every year before my birthday (coming up in August).
AL: Comfort food?
TS: Puttanesca.
AL: Something you bought recently?
TS: A gorgeous vintage black croc leather bag from the ‘50s.
Tess, thank you so much for letting us peek into your collector’s brain!
For more from Tess, follow her on Instagram and TikTok and subscribe to her Substack, What’s Mine is Yours.
x
Ali
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I love Tess’ perspective and taste level and was so lucky to work with her at Buck Mason. So glad for this next chapter in her life!