Quick Question
The fashion designer discusses launching Delphine, her best negotiating tips, and finding mentors.
Enter: Delphine, her alter ego.
Thats Burch and Jagger.
Even her future marriage (to her then-ex) was part of this crafty prerequisite.
What was fascinating is I called her Delphine Pratte.
Pratte is my now-husbands last name, but at the time, he was my ex-boyfriend, she shares.
I was in manifesting mode.
Im going to get back together with my boyfriend, [and were] going to get married.
This personality has always lived with me.
Even my friends know Delphine.
That translated to a label that offers a fun, more sophisticated take on partywear.
As of Nov. 13, she officially sits at the helm of two brands.
While its a whole new challenge straddling two labels, the balance feels representative of who she is.
Whats amazing about women is were both things, right?
You started a brand in 2014 right after working for Elizabeth and James.
Looking back, what would you have done differently?
I wouldve worked at more companies to understand the structure of how different teams are built.
When youre a young kid, everyone wants to help you.
I was scared to reach out to people who could have been mentors.
I realize the beauty of having mentors now, but it was foreign to me then.
How should one go about reaching out to mentors?
The worst that can happen is someone says no or doesnt respond.
But its worse to sit with the what if.
I have a lot of young kids that email me directly.
The best thing is to ask a specific question.
If someone emails me and says Can we just talk?
Im like, Well, thats tough.
Im like, Yes.
Im so fast to respond to that.
So specificity and clarity of what youre looking for are important.
Apart from the initial reach-out with specific questions, how else can women find mentors?
Joining organizations, like the Female Founders Fund.
Having one-on-one human connection with others helps you forge your career path and see how others have done it.
Im obsessed with your manifesting story.
Do you still take time to manifest these days?
Ive gotten so much better with planning as Ive gotten older.
I was probably one of the most disorganized, scatterbrained, impulsive people when I started this company.
I realized, as I built a team, that thats confusing.
My creativity needs to be focused where its needed.
So manifesting, to me, is dreaming.
I have an example.
I worked on this project at Parsons for weeks; I just didnt print it.
I had to jump in a rickshaw down Fifth Avenue to go to class because of last-minute printer issues.
I walked in late, my papers were crumpled, and I wasnt ready.
You do those things when you dont feel confident.
For most of my life, I found ways to cut myself short.
In the last few years, I stopped doing that.
Thats made me a better leader.
How does one eventually get their sh*t together?
It might take some age, but knowing who you are.
It helps define what you want to do and who to work with.
And thats a journey that is so different for different people.
What are your values?
Put all those things together and find a career that gives that to you more often than not.
What advice would you give to boost confidence?
Theres something that clicks internally when you find out youre good at something.
Listen to that voice and stick with it.
Confidence gets eroded when you push yourself in directions youre not comfortable.
My mom used to tell me, When you fall, absolutely get back up.
Let yourself feel it, but keep moving.
That attitude builds my confidence because I dont let problems personally affect me too much.
Do you have a go-to outfit for confidence?
A structured leather midi skirt and a menswear shirt.
I like a little strange twist.
Sometimes if you dont wear the right outfit, you feelnotconfident.
It goes both ways.
How do you handle your nerves before a big meeting?
I dont do that as much anymore.
Ive been more comfortable with who I am.
How do you recharge at the end of a long week?
I spend a lot of time with family.
I have a nanny during the week, but I dont on weekends.
So Im super hands-on with my kids.
Were always doing arts and crafts.
I make rainbow waffles every Saturday morning.
I encourage a lot of dancing in our house.
I like being silly and casual.
Do you have any foolproof negotiating tricks or tips?
Its more about proposing an idea and listening for a chance to meet in the middle.
What about negotiating salaries?
Forward planning is good for everybody.
It helps your boss know what your intentions, dreams, and goals are.
For the person, it helps them be transparent.
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
