Podcast Summary: What We Wore – Episode 168

Isabel Wilkinson Schor | The Unexpected Journey to Attersee

Release Date: November 18, 2025
Host: Laura Vinroot Poole
Guest: Isabel Wilkinson Schor, Founder of Attersee

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Laura Vinroot Poole speaks with Isabel Wilkinson Schor, a journalist-turned-fashion-entrepreneur and founder of the lifestyle brand Attersee. Schor shares her surprising career pivot, the birth of her brand during the pandemic, and the challenges of navigating the fashion industry as an outsider. Throughout their discussion, they explore themes of identity, imposter syndrome, creativity, the role of mentorship, and the evolution of personal style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Growing Up in Manhattan and Artistic Roots

• Isabel’s Upbringing: Raised downtown, Manhattan—parents in the arts, founders of the New York Academy of Art.
• Influence of Family: Early exposure to creativity, art, and fashion through her mother, aunt, and grandmother.
• “I was always raised at the adult table, so to speak.” (02:01)

2. The Seeds of Style

• Family as Style Icons: Schor considered her mother, aunt, and their relatives as her style muses.
• Hand-me-downs and Homemade Clothes: Early memories centered on unique, personally-made attire.
• "Fashion and style was always just sort of around and a present thing." (03:45)

3. Journey into Journalism

• Education: Studied art history in college, attended journalism school at Columbia.
• Career Launch: Internship at The Daily Beast—fast-tracked to a full-time role.
• “Even as an intern, I could get… things would get thrown to you. And I was like, oh my God, I can’t really go back to class.” (05:13)
• Assignments: Covered general news blends (politics, books, celebrity culture) and later specialized in art and fashion.

4. Learning from Female Mentors in Media

• Mentorship: Gained invaluable experience with female editors and leaders (Tina Brown at The Daily Beast; Stella Bugbee at The Cut; Deborah Needleman at T Magazine).

• Team Culture: Importance of strong, humorous, and supportive workplace environments.

  • “I got so lucky with this string of inspiring female bosses.” (11:36)
  • “It just felt like this team of interesting, smart women.” (12:10)

5. Struggles with Workwear & Identity

• Isabel reflects on the daily challenge of dressing for multifaceted roles: work, after-work, weekends.
• “I couldn’t figure out how to dress for work, for the person I was at work, the person I was after work, and the person I was on the weekend. Like, three different people, and they didn’t share a wardrobe.” (11:03)

6. The Life-Changing Career Coaching Session (16:40)

• Pivotal Gift: A friend gifted Schor a session with executive coach Joanna Blore on her 33rd birthday.
• Defining Moment: Visualization exercise—“Imagine yourself at 50”—spurred the articulation of new life goals.
• “I said, I will have started a business and written a book. And it just came out…” (17:21)
• First Steps: Took a 6-month sabbatical to conduct “anthropology” on women’s wardrobes and desires.

7. Founding Attersee Amidst Uncertainty and the Pandemic (20:29)

• Initial Idea: Create a single, versatile unisex shirt.
• COVID Pivot: Plans for a small launch derailed by pandemic, allowing time for brand expansion.
• “It became a full brand and a full year, a full world, in a way.” (23:15)
• Storytelling Through Design: Tells stories via garments, not just words.

8. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

• New to Fashion: Talks about feeling like an outsider in the fashion world (“I still don’t really refer or see myself as a fashion designer.” (24:16))
• Brand Focus: Developed a lifestyle brand to reflect broader interests, not just ready-to-wear.
• “It feels like a bigger world.” (25:34)

9. Building the Brand: Product, Clients & Physical Space

• Direct-to-Client Sales: Initially exclusively online (pandemic advantage).
• Organic Growth: Started with appointments in a makeshift space; demand led to opening a retail store.
• “When the first person that was not a family member… came in, it felt real.” (33:02)

10. Technical & Emotional Challenges of Industry Switch

• Steep Learning Curve: Adapting to fashion’s unique technical demands and timelines.
• Advantages of Naïveté: Fresh perspective allowed new approaches.
• “I didn’t really know how things work and in a way it just allowed my… naivete allowed for me to do things a little differently.” (33:51)

11. Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

• Taking the First Step: There’s no perfect start—just move forward, learn as you go.
• “The hardest part for me was starting… there is never a perfect place to start.” (35:14)
• Don’t Overthink External Perception: “Remember, nobody cares.” (36:38)
• Protecting Your Ideas: Be selective about with whom you share early ideas.

12. Embracing Personal Authority and Growth

• Learning About Herself: Overcoming self-doubt by recognizing she has valid taste and perspective.
• “It’s not right or wrong… It’s what’s right to you.” (39:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On finding direction:
  “I will have started a business and written a book. And it just came out…”
  — Isabel Wilkinson Schor (17:31)

• On letting go of perfection:
  “There is never a perfect place to start... It's just often talking to people, putting one tiny foot in front of the other.”
  — Isabel Wilkinson Schor (35:14)

• On imposter syndrome:
  “I still don’t really refer or see myself as a fashion designer.”
  — Isabel Wilkinson Schor (24:16)

• On the advice that mattered:
  “Remember, nobody cares.”
  — Advice from Isabel’s friend Kyle (36:38)

• On workwear and identity:
  “I couldn’t figure out how to dress for work, for the person I was at work, the person I was after work, and the person I was on the weekend… they didn’t share a wardrobe.”
  — Isabel Wilkinson Schor (11:03)

• Personal style reveal (fun prompt):
  “Oh, God. I wore a dress that was far too sexy for prom. It was a green. Bright. Bright green... with rhinestone straps and diamante… I think that was the last time I’ve ever worn that bright a color.”
  — Isabel Wilkinson Schor (41:20)

Important Timestamps

• 01:18 – Isabel describes growing up in downtown Manhattan and her parents' creative enterprise.
• 04:36 – Transition into journalism and early career at The Daily Beast.
• 11:03 – Struggles with workwear and emerging personal style.
• 16:40 – The birthday career coaching session that changed everything.
• 20:29 – The conception and evolution of Attersee during the pandemic.
• 24:16 – Imposter syndrome and identity as a designer.
• 29:55 – Building a community and organic retail breakthroughs.
• 33:02 – The emotional reality of her first non-family customer.
• 35:14 & 36:38 – Entrepreneurial advice and dealing with fear of judgement.

Conclusion

This episode offers an authentic and encouraging look at how Isabel Wilkinson Schor leveraged her curiosity, creative upbringing, and media experience to create Attersee. Her journey is marked by an embrace of uncertainty, the power of belief, and a willingness to learn by doing. Listeners gain not only an insider take on fashion entrepreneurship but also broader life lessons about following one’s instincts, reframing imposter syndrome, and valuing progress over perfection.