With her enviable style and keen eye for cool design, it's no wonder that Eleanor Ylvisaker has been making her mark on the fashion industry for over a decade. After stints at Harper's Bazaar and Lucky, the born and bred New Yorker made the leap from editor to entrepreneur when she co-founded the luxe denim brand Earnest Sewn. Now a mom of two, Ylvisaker’s latest entrepreneurial endeavor is her most groundbreaking to date. Noticing that there was a void in the world of well-crated online shopping, she and longtime friend Ferebee Taube decided to remedy the situation by creating a Pandora-like digital technology. Feyt, which officially launched just in time for New York Fashion Week, is a glossy, intuitive experience offering a covetable mix of shoppable clothing and accessories. While the long hours and high-stress involved in launching a startup may not seem conducive to motherhood, along with her partner and fellow mom, Ylvisaker and Taube are proving that running a business and raising a family can happily coexist.
Alastair, three, Ella, one and a half
*Check back to get a glimpse into the world of Eleanor's friend and Feyt co-founder, Ferebee Taube. Hint: she has three boys under the age of three.*
1. "My iPhone
3. Starbucks coffee
4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
5. Sleepsaks
6. Toddler feet
7. Cupcakes
8. Wall growth charts"
"I try to designate time to work, and time to be with my kids, and try not to mix the two. It’s better to be 100% focused on my children when I'm with them, and 100% focused at work when I'm in the office. Answering work e-mails while at the playground is no fun for anyone!"
"In the beginnng, I just dressed Ella in her brother’s old clothes but now I’m having so much fun shopping for her."
"If I had more time, I would take an art course or do something for myself. Between working and being a mom, there is not much time left over for myself."
"He was really young when she was born (17 months) so he doesn’t really remember a time when she wasn’t here. My husband and I are just now coming up for air."
"And pretty much anything from Acorn in Brooklyn"
Wood xylophone from Playing Mantis
"When my son was two and a half, we decided to buy him a bike. My husband came out of the store without training wheels and I freaked out. I told him he was setting up Alastair for failure and he was being a pushy dad. They went to the playground and a week later my son was riding a two-wheeler on his own. I had to eat my words and apologize."
Bike by Early Rider
"Having kids has given me the most amazing perspective and clarity on what is important, and it forces me to be real and in the moment. Children see right through adults, and gravitate to kindness and authenticity."
"I wish I was better at being in the moment. My kids have made me better, but I definitely have a type A personality and I need to consciously force myself to slow down when I have the opportunity."
"Raising a daughter, I try to instill confidence and the knowledge that she can have everything and do anything with her life that she wants."
"We bought this T-shirt when we first started dating, in a thrift store in Sag Harbor. My husband is a surfer so when we saw it, we just had to get it. We were just dating at the time and didn’t even know if we’d end up getting married. Now I love seeing my son wear it."
"This rocking horse was handmade by my friend Scott Morrison's father (Scott was my partner at Earnest Sewn and the current founder of 3x1 denim). He gave it to Alastair when he was born."
"Since he was very little, he’s been very into music. My husband and I are not musically inclined at all, but Alastair just gravitated towards it from a very young age."
Atsuyo et Akiko T-shirt
"I hate park sandboxes! Not only are they really dirty in NYC, but also my kids come home and track sand all over the apartment. But they love them, so I have given in."
"One of the hardest things for me is letting them figure things out for themselves, without stepping in at every opportunity and doing it for them."
Alastair's Chuck Taylors
"On the weekend, my husband and I often take the kids over the Brooklyn Bridge to go to Jane's Carousel, Grimaldi's Pizza and Bubby's in Dumbo. My son loves the Brooklyn Bridge, so he chose this cutout collage from Moomah, one of our favorite kids places, and we made it together.
"When I was pregnant, I wore a lot of Rick Owens knits because he cuts his pieces long so they cover your bump, and they have flattering slim arms. I found that more fitted clothing was better after I popped (4 months and under), and before, I wore a lot of fun blousy Marni dresses and Isabel Marant peasant blouses."
"Both my fashion and my home décor style tends to be classic yet modern. Since becoming a mom, my aesthetic has remained the same, but I tend to gravitate towards easy staple wardrobe choices that are versatile, and I have become less obsessive about keeping my home perfect—which is impossible with two young kids!"
"I use Moroccan Oil
followed by Charlotte Ronson's A Perfect Mess Beach Spray
, then I air dry. I use my kid’s Weleda cream for baby soft skin. And Chantecaille Aquablushfor a dewy natural glow. And I try to carve out time for exercise every week—usually it happens before my kids wake up. But pushing that double stroller all over the city is also a workout in and of itself!"
"Both of their names are family names: Alastair is my husband’s middle name and his grandfather’s first name, and Ella is short for Eleanor."
"This is the first piece of clay artwork my son made in pottery class at his nursery school."
"The best advice I've ever gotten was from Nora Ephron (during her 1996 Wellesley College Commencement speech about having a career and family): 'In case any of you are wondering – of course you can have it all. What are you going to do? Everything is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it’s going to be like, but surprises are good for you.'"
"Alastair's absolute favorite song is Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode"
Guitar from Rudy's Music on Broome Street
"My favorite part of the day is bedtime! We do bath time, then snuggle in our bed and read books, then sing songs and go to bed. It is the best!"
"Watching my three year-old son hold my one and a half year-old daughter's hand while walking through our apartment teaching her new words was my proudest moment so far."
"Being married to someone who is such an amazing father makes balancing motherhood and marriage easy. I also try to carve out time for just the two of us."
Eleanor's recipe for baked kale chips
