Meet Naura Keiser

“It requires a strict set of organizational skills and the help of a mentor to manage a life as a lawyer while keeping a healthy and calm personal life. For this ambitious lawer, Naura Keiser’s interest in fashion has trailed along throughout her life and has become one of the hobbies that allows her to express personal style.”

♫ LISTEN TO naura's PLAYLIST | ⌨ naura's LAST GOOGLE SEARCH

*Trench, Yang Li Men ; T-Shirt, Vintage ; Choker, Vintage YSL ; Pants, Sonia Rykiel*

ON HER MORNING ROUTINE

The morning always starts with getting smothered by my two kitties who snap into action as soon as they hear me turn in the bed or the alarm goes off. Coffee with cream and sugar follows directly after (I skip the sugar for the many additional coffees throughout the rest of the day but find it necessary for the first), followed by a quick turn to getting dressed and out of the house. For the last few months I have been taking collagen supplements (Neocell Super Collagen+C Type 1 and 3, 6000mg plus Vitamin C) as part of my effort to develop a skin betterment/acne combating routine.

ON her childhood

I grew up in rural Indiana and had an interest in fashion and art as a kid. It came as a surprise to me when I got older and was on the top of the "honor roll" published in our small town newspaper. I had an overly smart older brother and never thought I was particularly, uh, gifted academically. I think it was freshman year of high school that I became a lot more attentive to doing well in school, although I admit prioritizing sports and my high school boyfriend above other things. I had a happy childhood and, looking back, I was fairly well rounded.

on the steps she took to become a lawyer

I quadruple-majored (e.g., I majored the shit out of college) in order to build my resume. I went to Indiana University, so I wanted to take some steps to "stand out" for my eventual law school pursuits. It meant that I took classes every summer to meet the requirements which was somewhat socially isolating. I also spent a year in Aix-en-Provence, France, to get credits for the French major, which was the best part of the academic blow-out that defined my college experience. From there, I took the LSAT, applied to and visited a bunch of law schools, and eventually decided to go to Duke!

Overall it took a great deal of reading and testing new methods to improve my organizational and time-management skills. One of hardest parts of the job is transferring nine years of accumulated knowledge and practice to junior people in our group, essentially playing the role of teacher.

“Infinite Jest is worth it. Get through the first two hundred pages and you will be hooked. Plus, when you complete the book, you will feel extremely accomplished because most of your friends will have given up after 50 pages. I was devastated when it ended.”

— On one of her favorite books

on her motivations

The primary motivating factor was becoming financially independent and avoiding the hardship and stress over money that was a prevailing theme in my household.

on what helped her with her career

I am very close with my colleagues, but one senior woman in particular took me under her wing at the very beginning of my career. Her mentorship and commitment to developing me as an attorney and caring for my personal well-being (for example, giving me her office and her couch when I was particularly sleep-deprived, work-mom style) has been the most important factor to the longevity of my career at my firm. I hope at one point, for someone, I can be as good of a mentor as she has been for me!

on her interest in fashion and becoming a collector

Fashion was my first, and most enduring interest in life. I don't actually know what triggered it initially (mom? any ideas? was it just Barbie?) but have documentary evidence that I was drawing fashion designs at age 3-4. We didn't have a lot of money for clothes, and my mom's wardrobe consisted almost entirely of sweatpants, turtlenecks and jeans, but every once in a while she would find a stunning vintage item from a junk store and I would drool over it until my mouth went dry. My mom encouraged me to express myself through my outfit choices at a very early age, so I got into the habit of dressing somewhat "eccentrically" from kindergarten on.

I really got into thrifting when I lived for a summer in Chicago (2005, I think?). There were some enormous stores, like Value Village, that had perfect little vintage 50s and 60s dresses for $1-$2 each. It was insane. My personal style was not well developed at that point, but I remember thinking back to that Chicago summer as the moment when I turned into a collector.

*Top, Pleats Please ; Pants & Bag, Vintage from Beacon's Closet; Hat, Assembly NY*

on where she sources her clothes

Beacon's Closet, Vintage Thrift, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Housing Works and Etsy are my favorite sources. In person, I go with whatever catches the eye. Online, I generally search by what I consider "underrated" designers to find well priced and high quality pieces. For any non-thrifted stuff, I find Totokaelo has the most interesting variety.

on her vintage shopping tips

A few things I have learned by trial and error over the years: (1) Do NOT buy a designer item JUST BECAUSE IT IS A DESIGNER ITEM. There is some very ugly vintage YSL out there. (2) Buy only things that are in good condition/require minimal tailoring. YOU WILL NEVER TAKE THE "TO BE TAILORED" PILE TO THE TAILOR. (3) Do not wear "thrift goggles." Just because it is the best thing in the store does not mean it is better than anything you already have in your wardrobe. Learn when to leave empty handed!

on her style

Well, it's undeniably very 80s, but I hate looking like a caricature, so I try to make everything modern/personal in some way. I probably sound like every other fashion type person, but I like mixing extremely feminine elements with menswear and unexpected shoes. I get into rhythms when I wear the same shoes or combination of jewelry for a month straight, but I usually keep moving/moving/moving as new things catch my interest - I'll just get on with it and describe myself as "eclectic and colorful."

on her office bathroom selfie series

One day I went about taking an outfit selfie and I felt like my shoe (essential part of the look) needed to be part of the picture. So I put my foot in the sink. I liked the look, and people responded enthusiastically! Now it's just a habit. I use my iPhone and typically take about 10-15 pictures in 5 minutes. Edits are extremely minimal. I feel incomplete if I haven't taken a selfie on a particular day, but sometimes my mood/body-dysmorphia simply won't allow for it.

On where she gets inspiration

Primarily inspiration comes from browsing runway shoes online, or sometimes looking at editorial fashion shoots on IG. Usually I will see color combinations that trigger my interest and experiment with those. My favorite IGs: @virgomood, @the_joy_of_pain, @stylemefresh and @jacquemus.

on her beauty routine

Biologique recherche PS50 lotion is my skincare product of choice. Makeup wise, I have tried many many foundations. Since I have struggled with years of adult acne and skin-picking, I tend to try full coverage formulations. After years of trial and error, my favorites, hand down, for coverage are Armani Luminous Silk Foundation and Cle de Peau concealer. I have found this duo does not feel to heavy, does not highlight dry areas of recovering acne spots, and, especially in photos, gives the appearance of flawless and even slightly dewy skin. I hope with all my heart to achieve enough skin balance to switch to lighter coverage options. Oh, hell, I want to be like the easy going low maintenance types who wear only Glossier. For now, these products give me a confidence boost when my skin is less than ideal.

One thing I would recommend to anyone who deals with hormonal, cystic acne is to consult with a physician about the prescription medication Spironolactone. It has eliminated completely the painful cystic acne I used to have.

on her nightly routine

I tend to need about two hours to wind down to get into sleep mode. Because I wake up on the early side (between 6-7) and I absolutely prioritize sleep, I find it necessary to avoid socializing during the week ("Wow, she sounds like fun can we please go to the club?" shouts the chorus of readers). I have a fairly involved "wind down" routine that involves (1) wrapping up any remaining work emails from the day; (2) paying attention to the cats/light housework; (3) trying on any "new arrivals" that arrived in the mail; (4) a shower that helps me sleep and (5) finally, a multi-step skincare routine (remove makeup/biologique recherche PS50 lotion/various moisturizers, the latest of which is La Mer Moisturizing Cream). I also recommend CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser, Carmex Original Click Stick, Maison Louis Marie No. 04 Bois de Balincourt, and YSL Lipstick.

*Pants, Pleats Please ; Shoes, Balenciaga*

“I consider my solo-thrifting to be my time for meditation. I tune everything out to look at and feel clothes. For me, it is extremely therapeutic and relaxing, and it almost puts me in a trance. An ideal session would be me at a nearly empty Goodwill store somewhere in the city, even under the harsh fluorescent lights I feel transported.”

— on her meditation