STYLE | SPOTLIGHT
SISTER ACT
When it comes to building a business, Lizanne Pagliei-Hales and Patti Pagliei-Simpson can count on words to live by.
IT STANDS TO REASON that a company
like Waxing Poetic—which engraves a range of sentiments on delicate charms, necklaces, and other accessories—would have a heartfelt philosophy: “Celebrate the journey.” The motto is embraced by founder and creative director Patti Pagliei-Simpson, and her sister, cofounder, and executive vice president of sales and marketing, Lizanne Pagliei-Hales. In their case, the journey began while they were growing up in New Jersey, and it eventually brought Patti to Los Angeles, where she met her husband, John, and founded an accessories company Pagliei Collection, Inc. When the couple moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in 2005, Waxing Poetic was still part of the bigger enterprise, a need,” remembers Patti. People bought Waxing Poetic pieces because they “represented something in a shaky time.” It was around then that Lizanne came on board full-time. And although she has remained in Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband, Eddie, and her daughter, the bonds of sisterhood—and frequent cross-country trips to Santa Barbara—make their strong creative collaboration possible. “With my sales and marketing background and Patti’s CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE : Lizanne Pagliei-Hales and Patti Pagliei-Simpson; Waxing Poetic charms and chains; spring 2014 look book; corners of the Los Olivos shop.
design background, it’s a good balance,” says Lizanne. “I think you’re always informed by where you live,” says Patti, noting that the designs are influenced by their local—and loyal—customers. “Our jewelry is more about the art of giving,” says Patti. “It’s a palette—or a lovely toolbox—of pieces of the moments of your life. Both women credit their parents who “had a big influence on who we are and the product,” says Lizanne, adding, “there’s a magic when you’re working with family. You know it’s important to take care of and respect each other. It can be difficult, but nothing else is quite the same.” The fact that two women are at the head of Waxing Poetic lends a certain distinction to the company. While that’s less unusual than it once was, Patti notes—and women have much more of a place now in business and leadership—still “our style is very intuitive. We’re much more of a feeling company, asking, Does it feel right for us and our customers?” If you do that, she adds, “Everything good follows. It’s in our DNA to care about the product.” Looking forward, the sisters hope to focus on the line they’ve created and expand on that. Not surprisingly, their celebrated journey is still unfolding.
P H OTO G R A P H S : P O R T R A I T, J E S S I C A M A H E R ; L O S O L I VO S S H O P, S T E V E N H O N G ; LOOK BOOK, ANN B. SHEA
but by the end of 2007, it had taken on its own identity. “We really identified
– J OAN TAP P E R
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