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Global Influence
At home with international fashion personality, Courtney Kivela Robinson BY STACIE STANDIFER | PHOTOS BY ALAINA MULLIN
W
hen it comes to getting to know a new neighbor, I hit the jackpot with Courtney. At this moment, the backseat of my car is filled with an oversized bag of publications borrowed from her stash. She’s in the same situation, as we have a bit of an exchange thing going on. Until I met this energetic, well-traveled girl-next-door, I don’t believe anyone in my path has been as avid of a collector of print materials and photography as she has proven to be. Upon my first visit to her home, her framed Helmut Newton originals immediately caught my eye as they were resting on shelves stacked to the ceiling with the best magazines of the last two decades. Be still my heart! As it turns out, it’s not just a love for layouts, photo shoots and production that we share. In fact, one of our most interesting conversations entailed how much we both have dealt with in terms of a generation that simply takes so much for granted. While she was earning her degree and working for a demanding designer early on, she went for a full week without sleep. I can relate as when doing something I love, or was in a position to learn, I was always willing to do anything and everything to be involved. We found common ground in a background built on hard work, never asking for special treatment and just absorbing our surroundings at every opportunity. For Courtney, that involved a great deal, as her father (and biggest cheerleader) designed cameras and equipment for Kodak and moved the family to Hong Kong during her tween to teen years. From there, she would move to New Hampshire to complete high school before taking on the Big Apple at 18. She was accepted into FIT in Manhattan after only one interview and worked her fingers to the bone (literally on a sewing machine) until she earned a degree in Fine Arts. Since a young age, she’d dreamt of and worked towards a career in fashion, and she finally garnered the street cred to make it happen. What was supposed to be a short stint in London turned into a long-term stay. She landed a job at Harper’s and Queen (now Harper's Bazaar) while living in an amazing Notting Hill flat with 6 others. She eventually returned to the states at the insistence of her father. No access to a working VISA meant no real income, so her European adventure came to an end. After hearing about Condé Nast job openings in 1999, Courtney found herself in a position to interview with a few of fashion’s most famous editors. Ultimately, she accepted a job assisting a fashion market editor, which meant big budgets, fancy hotels and trips to see couture shows. As glorious as the whirlwind was, she knew that she was primarily drawn to styling, causing her to shift gears and work for a Glamour fashion director. By the age of 26, she had successfully produced her first cover. She proceeded to climb the ranks within the publication and focused on specialty content such as dressing for body type, which has turned out to serve her well in recent years.
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