Jess Zanotti
Jessica Zanotti is a Los Angeles-based wardrobe stylist and creative consultant. She began her career as a production coordinator for Elizabeth and James, and later assisted top industry stylists before branching off on her own. With a well-rounded knowledge of celebrity, editorial, campaign, and advertising styling, she was able to build a stable career lending her creative eye to leading industry brands, as well as directing shoots around the world. Despite the seeming glamour of it, however, Jess became disillusioned with the superficiality of commercial fashion and has begun transitioning from her secure, well-paid job into independent styling with a focus on ethical, sustainable clothing that promotes the wearer’s true beauty. She enjoys using her creativity as a source of self-expression through her personal styling work, creative direction, and content creation. Inspired by all things vintage, feminine, and floral, her vision is unique and all her own.Here, she shares with us the top seven things making her life better right now. 1 | Yoga-- I’ve been doing yoga for ten years but it wasn’t until this year that I started to take it more seriously. It calms me, helps me release tension and pent up emotions and is one of my favorite ways to de-stress. I love the studio Yogala in Echo Park; all the classes and instructors are amazing and it just radiates good vibes.2 | My Girl Gang-- I call them my soul sisters. This year they’ve really stepped up for me and showed me what real, genuine support and love feels like. I can go to these girls for anything and be myself around them. We laugh, we dance, we create, and we cry together. They mean the world to me and make life so much brighter. Mom is included in this girl gang-- a hug from mom can heal anything and everything.3 | Flowers-- Flowers inspire me and can instantly brighten my mood. They smell beautiful, they look beautiful, and they always seem to make me smile. I have such a hard time throwing away flowers so I’ve begun drying them and using them as decorations for my house, which is literally full of bundles of dried flowers now.4 | Pinterest-- I’m obsessed with Pinterest. It really does calm me. I have always loved looking at beautiful images and creating mood boards and that’s literally what Pinterest is all about. It also helps me find inspiration and organize concepts for shoots. I could scroll and pin all day long.5 | Travel/Retreats-- Adventures fill my soul. I have a deep desire to travel and experience all of the world, learning about other cultures and how people live. It brings so much joy and inspiration to my life. I especially love going on wellness retreats where travel, culture, learning/growing, and healthy activities are all a part of the experience. I recently ran my own mini-retreat for my girlfriends at my family's cabin in Lake Arrowhead and had so much fun with it that I hope to keep doing more of these kinds of events in the future! 6 | Meditating-- I started meditating seven months ago and it has drastically changed my life. It has helped me manage an anxiety disorder by learning how to let go, accept, and work with my thoughts instead of allowing them to control me. It can be difficult when I am busy to keep up with a daily practice, but I find that when I do I feel much more balanced emotionally and physically, which is imperative to my happiness and wellbeing. Through opening up and sharing my story with others, people have become a lot more open with me as well, and I have found that a lot of us have trouble finding balance in our lives. So many of us are dealing with the same feelings of inadequacy, often comparing ourselves to others and feeling alone in our struggles. I myself deal with these things still, but have found that meditating helps me cope with these emotions a lot better and move through them quicker.7 | The Health and Wellness Movement-- It’s really encouraging and exciting to see that health and wellness is having such a moment right now. It’s a totally different world than what I am used to as a fashion stylist, but I have lately found myself so immersed and interested in all things self-care. If it’s something that helps to improve my life and my health I just can’t get enough!Photograph by: Marielena Verdugo.
