03.13 Fashion forward: Aubuchon talks style

By Dorit Slotow

Gretchen Aubuchon’s name is being mentioned more and more in fashion and décor circles as her fashion ventures become publicly known. Oddly appropriate, in light of Aubuchon’s most recent venture ~ Fashion + Décor.

Aubuchon, who was born in Newton, has managed to climb the fashion industry ladder and has gained access to many of the big names and events in U.S. fashion.

Initially, Aubuchon was interested in interior decorating. “I have always been one of those people that if I had an extra $100, I would probably go out and buy a couple pillows for my couch instead of buying a pair of shoes,” she said.

This inspired her to start her Fashion + Décor website, where the motto is “Style your home, style yourself.” The site focuses on creating style pairs by matching runway looks with interior design styles.

“What I was realizing is that I spent about four years redoing our home here in Worcester, and as I got close to the end of it, I started looking around my home and thinking ‘Gosh, this is all kind of complete now.’ And then, I looked where I was at from a style perspective in my fashions, and I started thinking that I have to start getting inspired to style myself as I style my home.”

After her realization, Aubuchon started studying the runways and fashion designers and realized a lot of the things that walked down the runway were very similar to the things that she had been putting into her home. “There were mixed patterns, mixed textures, different colors, and it fascinated me so much that I just delved into exploring the connections between these two worlds on a much more in-depth level.”

Aubuchon has about 20 contributors that make the Fashion + Décor website what it is. “They are all experts in the fashion blogging world, in the home design blogging world; we have a lot of contributors who are contestants from HGTV’s Design Star, and all of these folks work to take their own style sense to our site.”

Aubuchon has recently started working alongside Shane Inman, senior principal designer and president of The Inman Company, an interior design firm based in Chicago. “We met at Fashion Week last February; we actually went to the Jason Wu runway show together, and it was love at first sight,” she said. Aubuchon and Inman post videos on the Fashion + Décor YouTube channel, where you can see their interviews with fashion greats like Thom Filicia or hear the duo chatting away about the latest trends.

For those individuals trying to keep up with the fashion world, Aubuchon believes that you don’t need to have a $1 million budget to dress like a fashion maven.

“High fashion is crazy expensive, and places like Target are getting smart. They are bringing high fashion to the regular consumer, like myself, who can’t afford to spend $3,000 on a skirt, but you know, I want to wear Jason Wu and I want to wear Oscar de la Renta, and with Neiman Marcus, Target is bringing those brands to us, and I think that is very, very exciting.”

Not only does Aubuchon have her plate full with her fashion website, she also hosts an event at the Brimfield Fair and has three children younger than 5. How does she manage to balance her work and home life? “I do the best I can every day. Some days it’s tough, some days it is smooth sailing. But what I keep on top of my mind daily is to do the best I can do. For some reason, that mindset keeps me sane”

Aubuchon also has big plans for the future, but she believes the Fashion + Décor site will always be the basis of everything she does. “I see myself and my partner, Shane Inman, doing a lot more video, and I don’t know if that is going to lead to a show or if we will just be doing our own web show, where we talk to all these celebrities and professionals and explore all the never-ending connections between fashion and décor.”

For those trying to make it in the fashion industry, here is some insider advice straight from a fashion guru’s lips: “Just keep at it. A lot of what has happened with my success is from relationships that I built on Twitter, Pintrest, Facebook and other social media channels. It’s a world now where you are able to connect with people and brands that you would have never been able to connect with two or three years ago.”

Aubuchon also gave us a heads up on the upcoming trends for 2013 for both the home and the runway: Loads of emerald green and florals. For spring, we can look forward to seeing denim, as well as stripes and checks and the high-tea look, which ties in with the garden-party theme of spring.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Website: fashiondecor.com.
Twitter: @gaubuchondesign and @fashionanddecor.
Pintrest: pinterest.com/stylespotfall12/gretchen-aubuchon and pinterest.com/fashiondecor.
Facebook: facebook.com/fashiondecor.
YouTube: youtube.com/user/fashiondecor.