Inside Her Closet: Kahlana Barfield

I'm always fascinated and inspired by women who live life on their own terms. Featured is one such woman, Kahlana Barfield, an editor at Instyle Magazine. Here, we get a peek inside her closet, as she shares some of her favorite pieces and beauty items.

Kahlana Barfield - Editor-At-Large, Fashion and Beauty, Instyle. New York

“Initially I really wanted to major in fashion merchandising but I knew my parents would never pay for that. But I always loved to write, so I thought I would major in journalism and minor in fashion, and that’s exactly what I did. I was always an avid magazine reader. I had Vogue, InStyle, ELLE — I had subscriptions all through college and I knew I wanted to write about fashion.”

Blazer, Balmain; Jeans, NSF

“My job is like a slow roller coaster ride; every day is so different, which makes it so amazing. You don’t ever really get stagnant. One day I'm in Nice on a press trip, the next day I’m at a photo shoot, the next day I'm in the market running around to beauty appointments. Everyday there’s exciting things in my job and every day is different, which keeps me interested because you never really know what to expect. Being able to travel the world for different things is always fun.”

“My engagement ring is definitely the most sentimental piece in my closet. My fiancé had it made by the designer Alexandra Mor last year and it’s just so special, it's so different. I didn’t want anything cookie cutter or traditional. He worked with her and designed it and no one has anything like it. It’s a yellow diamond with gold because all my jewelry is gold. It’s such a part of my look now. So much love went into it and he wanted to make sure I loved it. I knew how much effort he put into and it and that’s the most special.”

L to R. Rings, Cartier, Unknown Designer, Alexandra Mor

“I always have [in my makeup bag] a red lipstick — I'm kind of red lip girl, it’s so easy, especially when you wear so much black it can really dress it up. I have either MAC in Ruby Woo or NARS Velvet Matte Lip in Dragon Girl — those are my two favorites. I always have a white nail polish, Essie Blanc and keep it in my bag just incase my nail polish chips so I can touch it up easily. I always have my iPhone and Beats by Dre headphones.”

L to R. Marc Jacobs, Marni, Dior

Shoes, Christian Louboutin; Fur, Coach; Bag, Tom Ford; Sunglasses, Prada

“I’ve been collecting the Hermès collier de chien bracelets. My friend bought my first one for my birthday many years ago. From then on, every year I started buying myself one. But sometimes they are very hard to get because they don’t always have them in store. It came to the point where the salespeople had my phone number and when they would get a new color, they would call me so I could run over to Madison Avenue and get it. I've been collecting them for maybe 10 years, they are kind of like my armor. The black and gold one is my favorite because I wear so much black. Sometimes the others are kind of abandoned.”

All, Various Designers

“In the morning, I'm usually in a rush. I usually use a cream cleanser to wash my face (because at night I'm usually using a gel cleanser that takes off my makeup). Then I use La Mer Crème cleanser followed with La Mer concentrate serum. I put on my sunscreen, which took me years to start doing. I always thought I was immune to the sun. After sunscreen I put on Lancôme foundation, some Benefit ‘They’re Bent’ mascara, a red lip, and a little bit of bronzer and I’m out the door. I can do all this in 5 minutes. I’m always in a rush — it’s that New York thing.”

“I probably have every single Christian Louboutin Pigalle pump. They are just classics, so I have maybe 15 pairs. Black suede, black patent leather, black leather, nude suede, nude leather… it’s just those shoes you can always wear. A clean fit, it’s sexy, it looks good with a slouchy pant, but it also looks good with a tight mini skirt.”

Shoes, Christian Louboutin; Bracelet, Hermès

Sunglasses, Various Designers

Gloves, 3.1 Phillip Lim; Bracelet, Balenciaga

Hat, Rag & Bone

Bracelets, Hermès

Shoes, Givenchy; Eye Mask, Bottega Veneta

“I think probably my biggest splurge was actually when I was an assistant. I wasn’t making a lot of money. It was my birthday and it was this Gucci skirt, I think it was $3,000 dollars so I completely blew the bank. But I wanted this skirt so bad. And I still have this skirt to this day and I still love it. It was definitely a statement piece, I was going to wear on my birthday and I did whatever I had to to get that skirt. I've definitely spent more now but at that time it was even more inappropriate.”

Shoes, Christian Louboutin

“I have a lot of unique CHANEL bags that I love. I feel like CHANEL bags are like wine, they just get better with age. The more you wear them, the better they look. The oldest ones are the most special to me because I think they look the best when they are worn in a little bit. My style naturally has a little bit of an androgynous feel to it. I usually always have a CHANEL bag, because it’s very dainty, on to balance out the androgyny.”

Bag, CHANEL

Shoes, Alaïa

Bags, CHANEL; Sunglasses, Fendi

Clockwise. Wallets, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander Wang, Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford

“The best career advice I have ever received is figure out what you're passionate about and give it 100%. Don't waist time dabbling in things you don't love. And surround yourself with goal-driven people: Eagles don't flock with pigeons—they don't fly high enough.”

L to R. Jackets, Burberry, Prada, 3.1 Philip Lim

Shoes, Givenchy; Jacket, Vika Gazinskaya

Jacket, Balmain; Shoes, Christian Louboutin; Bag, CHANEL

On the emoji that best describes her…“The girl with the red dress on! She is spinning and twirling on everybody, that’s how I am all day. That’s my kicker, that’s how I sign off.”

Collar, Marni; Jeans, Diesel; Sunglasses, Grey Ant; Bracelets, Céline, Jennifer Meyer, Hermès

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