Ezgi Içel Apa & Lian Beraha of Luxuryshoppers

Oh… How I wish I could bottle up the styles of these two and gift to friends and family, after absorbing some of it myself. There are stylish women, then there are women in vogue; which is where Ezgi and Lian belong. Outgrowing the limits of their hometown with exquisite taste levels, the Luxuryshoppers twosome do much more than shopping.

Kinvara Balfour calls herself the “Consultant of cool”. I can’t think of a better fitting title for you two…

Lian: We won’t claim that, but thank you very much…

How do you feed your soul?

Lian: Books, music, art, delicious food, nice conversations, travelling and definitely sparing some time for yourself, whatever may come…
Ezgi: Getting out of the routine, being by myself away from crowds and chaos.

You have various interests; from cooking to visiting museums to reading to spending time with your children. How is your fashion taste influenced by your hobbies?

Lian: To be honest, those counted above are getaways from fashion for me… Of course my point of view changes after all the things you’ve mentioned. Thanks to these, I am more clear and plain, as days go by I love this simplicity…
Ezgi: My pleasures are often the reflection of my life. My pleasures and interests vary in regard to my lifestyle. Art influences me a lot; an exhibition or a film I was moved by definitely affects my choices. But in recent years the most significant change is that I have a more effortless look.

How does using social media daily contribute to your work?

Lian: Thanks to social media Luxuryshoppers expanded and got noticed as much as it has now. It keeps affecting our work positively.
Ezgi: We give consultation to many brands via social media. Social media opened a door in this field. In recent years it gained momentum. There is a closer, more intimate relationship between the consumer and the brands. Thus, social media has a great role in advertisement and we are the channels in this relationship.

How does your mood affect your outfit? Are there any pieces or choices of colors that help you recognize ‘What Lian / Ezgi is feeling’ when you see one other?

Lian: No, we can understand that without looking at outfits! We are pretty precise at understanding one another.
Ezgi: I do not get dressed deliberately, I get dressed following my emotions. My mood affects it a lot, I dress myself according to my feelings. You can tell that I am confused and feeling blue if my outfit looks like I’ve put too much effort into it. Maybe some things feel jammed that day, and there is an extra amount of effort which reflects in how I look.

 

Thanks to social media Luxuryshoppers expanded and got noticed as much as it has now. It keeps affecting our work positively.

How did your skill in associating luxury clothing with “fast fashion” develop?

Garance Dore suggests going to Zara twice a week to only take a look at the first section of the shop, do you have similar tricks like this, for example?
Lian: It started with travelling and researching a lot. Of course, it’s totally about training the eye, as it is in many jobs. When you know something very well, it’s easier to reshape it or to make it with different recipes and materials.
Ezgi: I go to Zara and H&M often. If there are pieces that I think will only be trending for one season, I choose these brands. I spend a lot of my budget on pieces which I think I will wear for years to come.

Different periods in life can also bring different styles. What kind of changes have you observed in your style in the last decade?

Lian: I didn’t really change much; I still wear black in the winter, jeans and sandals in the summer. But I realized that I wear less heels and I feel better with comfortable, simple, elegant looks.
Ezgi: I guess, 10 years ago I used to think a lot about what I was putting on. My priorities in life, my lifestyle, the change in my tempo transformed this. We have 3 children and I need to be comfortable and myself when I’m with them; this changed my style a lot. I still like colors, patterns, different cuts and artistic pieces, but I have a simpler style. Before, my clothing used to be in the foreground. I guess now it’s not about what I wear but more about ‘me’.

“Ezgi’s expertise is…” / “Lian’s expertise is…”?

Lian: Ezgi is excellent with mixing colors and patterns.
Ezgi: Lian’s taste is sophisticated and elegant, there is no one better at perfecting an outfit with details and small touches.

You have incredibly soft energies in a rough industry; you know how to say no without breaking anyone’s heart and how to avoid positions you’re not comfortable in; how do you achieve this?

Lian: With time, really, just with time…
Ezgi: We all perform our own roles in life, it’s nice to know that that’s how we come off as. In short, it is possible by always loving, not taking anything personally and knowing how to forgive.

Do you have any rules?

Lian: No, there are no rules. The more open, the better; the more different it is, the more exciting it will be… I only have a hard time giving appointments because I feel that it limits my freedom; I’m all for anything spontaneous, I’m comfortable with that. I don’t attend a lot events. I don’t go anywhere I don’t want to go or do anything I don’t want to anymore. If there is one rule in life that is it because life is amazing and I want to live by loving every minute of it. By the way, I don’t go anywhere without a book, that’s another rule!
Ezgi: I’m not a person who likes rules, I live spontaneously.
Kısa Kısa…

Fast Facts…

The most stylish woman / man?

Lian: Vanessa Traina.
Ezgi: Ben Gorham.

A change (in clothing) from morning to evening?

Lian: Shoes.
Ezgi: Shoes and accessories

A small and effective addition to your workplace?

Lian: Flowers, a vase, a book, a candle.
Ezgi: Candles.

“That” piece you can’t keep off of your mind from this season?

Lian: Francesco Scognamiglio’s white dress.
Ezgi: Balenciaga’s pearl earrings, all three together at the same time.

Your favorite coffee table book?

Lian: My latest purchase MATISSE, amazing…
Ezgi: Yoko Ono Grapefruit, it is fun to pick random pages to read.

An event you would love to go to?

Lian: None.
Ezgi: This year’s Venice Biennale.

An Instagram account you check every day?

Lian: Ezgi’s! Along with hers aliotti, robinkatz-, theacademynewyork,
_nitch, nasa and sothebys.
Ezgi: Lian’s.

Your favorite ‘getaway’ hotel?

Lian: Bozburun Yacht Club.
Ezgi: I always like to travel to different places, but during
summer time, it’s Patmos.

A piece from your wardrobe that you will pass on to your daughters?

Lian: Ezgi’s gift, Lanvin earrings.
Ezgi: I keep everything in case she wants them.

Fotoğraf / Photography: Fora Norman