Girls at work: Kat

I met Kat at the Nymphet Alumni party in Austin. As I previously reported, the photographer we hired never showed up and Kat gamely offered to take some photos on her film camera. She had a great Oreo (black and white) Chanel bag and sexy bangs. Who is this girl?… I wondered. We got to talking and I found out that Kat is a shopgirl at a serious (AKA they have archival) vintage store in Austin and edits a local culture magazine called Locket. She informed me that Locket was having its own party later in the evening — for this I admired her social verve.

For the second edition of Girls at work, Kat tells us all about her life as a Fulbright scholar turned shopgirl, fashion junkie and girl about town.

Name: Kat Brouillette

Age: 27

Occupation: Editor & Writer at Locket Magazine. Shopgirl & Social Lead at Garment Modern + Vintage.

Hometown/where you live now: I grew up in Birmingham, AL and moved to Austin, TX seven years ago.

How you find your current job(s): Instagram, basically.

What time do you wake up / go to bed? Against medical advice, every day is different. I was on an 11pm/6 am beat for two blissful weeks recently and couldn’t shut up about how fabulous I felt, as if I invented the morning. I’ve returned to an erratic whenever pm/oh fuck am but am changing that NOW.

How do you get ready for work? How long does it take you? Recently, I’ve been realizing I should get ready about 15 minutes before I need to leave. This is particularly not great when I have to model for the shop’s Instagram. A few months ago my boss was photographing me in a star-print gown when she cocked her head, lowered the camera and stated via question, “Do you need a lip?” This is now shop code for: you look like shit.

What’s your commute like? I moved across town two weeks ago and traded my <5 min drive for a 15-minute commute. I probably only have a few more days of blaming my tardiness on “adjusting to the new traffic patterns,” but I just had to get out of South Austin. The upside is that I can throw on some mascara at the red lights.

What do you usually wear? I choose my outfit based on how badly my feet hurt. Eight hours in heels on concrete floors is probably changing my body irrevocably. I only have two or three outfits that meet Garment’s elevated standards and look fine with flats. I bought a pair of tabi ballet flats in Rome two years ago as a reward for my miserable year in Morocco (more on that later). There are holes in the big toes and the sole is separating, again. I like a flouncy blouse, usually sheer, with fitted pants, usually leather, and a tall boot. Certain clients have been remarking on how pirate-y I’ve been looking lately. The flat equivalent is the same silhouette inverted. Skin-tight top, leather jacket, flowing skirt, tabis. But the zipper on my Dries skirt broke this week, so I’ve been winging it and everyone can tell.

What do you do after work? Is there anything you do to unwind? I meditate for 20 minutes, smoke a cigarette and find something to eat. All that new energy is then directed toward doing the thing I want to do (write) or putting that off, usually with friends. I fear my nagging extroversion tends toward distraction, but I enjoy being a woman about town, catching a show and meeting new people. Everyone in my life matters.

What is the first thing you spend your pay check on? Probably whatever is on my hold at work. I’m currently considering a Chanel sequin mini dress with a silly little kangaroo pocket. What I actually need is a new laptop and a file management strategy.

What was your dream job as a kid? What about now? Unfortunately, I saw Almost Famous at age 12 and wanted to be all three of the film’s main subjects — writer, rockstar and groupie (bandaid, whatever). After a stint in politics and a Fulbright year as a foreign-service-wannabe in Morocco, I’ve returned to my youthful ambitions. I’m semi-succeeding at one of the three.

Do you consider your job a ‘day job’? It funds my other projects energetically and stylistically. I can write and play music before and after work, and I get access to incredible clothes, which makes it easier to talk to the people I want to talk to.

What is your favorite part of your job? Our shop’s specialty is designer and archival vintage, and the best parts are getting first dibs and doing the runway research. I do love to gab with all the chic older women who sell to us. They have fantastic stories and sensibilities. I treat the shop like art school, which I never attended, in the sense that every act should train the eye. People are interested in the clothes, but they are more interested in the way I see the clothes, the way I use them.

What is your least favorite part of your job? Taking in people’s choices alters my mood. I don’t care to have a bad attitude at work, but I also don’t care to interact with a beautiful young woman’s older, whacked out boyfriend who is hovering over her and touching everything. And I hate taking off all my jewelry every time I have to do my 5’3” low-vibrational modeling.

What do you usually eat during a workday? You’ve met me at a very undisciplined time in my life. Let’s blame it on the move. I usually don’t eat breakfast or bring lunch, so I waste a bunch of money ordering something to the shop. I find this sort of convenience undignified, but I won’t go to the grocery store. If I’m not running late, I stop by the coffee shop where my friend Chris works. He’s in a great band called The Opera and always gives me two large cold brews and an egg, sausage and cheese biscuit for free.

How do you approach saving? I use the YNAB app for budgeting and try to follow the 50/30/20 thing. 50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings. However, I have a difficult time distinguishing between a need and a want.

What’s something you like to spend a little bit more on or buy as a treat? Boots, bags and books.

What do you look forward to on days off? The possibility of writing uninterrupted…which usually doesn’t happen for whatever reason. Like this week, Locket launched Issue 003 and hosted four events with 20 bands and loads of other artists and it was all extremely fabulous and fun. I took zero pictures!