Pillow Talk with Ann Caruso

Fashion Stylist and Activist for Breast Cancer Awareness

If you could use only 3 words to describe your style, what would they be?

Classic with a twist

Where do you go to find inspiration?

I find inspiration everywhere.  In the park with the colors, from interior design, vintage fashion books, my friends, social media, magazines, pinterest.

How do you unwind after a long day?

A bath with epsom salts and some of my favorite oils usually lavender or frankincense mixed with it. I also like to indulge in a netflix, amazon or hulu series or a great movie to take me away into another world.

I always like to watch a funny series on regular TV. I know they say TV is not good to watch in bed but my philosophy is that it is really important to be happy and that your mind is not thinking about what you were worried about all day. A funny show takes my mind off of everything and helps me laugh. Great headspace to be in to fall asleep.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

I relax for a few minutes and think about gratitude. I am meditating most mornings.

What is currently inspiring you within the fashion industry?

I always find something that inspires me in the fashion industry. There is always something that I love or find interesting. I tend to like to find new brands as I come from a fashion editor perspective and see them grow.

I love that the industry is really promoting the right to vote, let us know we have a voice and we can change things. I think the sustainable fashion community is doing an amazing job to make things that not only work for our environment but is also super fashionable and safe for us and the planet.

How did you come to develop your style and aesthetic?

I always had a sense of fashion ever since I was a young girl. My mother had interesting clothes from when she was younger that she wore that were super fashionable and my Italian aunts from Italy were into fashion and were picky with what I bought. They had good taste and it rubbed off. I learned from books, films, magazines, from my style icons and I found what was right for my body. And, of course you make mistakes along the way.

When you are away from home, what is one thing you can’t leave home without?

Of course now it can’t be just one thing, it is my mask, my phone, my hand sanitizer , my cc and a lip balm, sunglasses, etc

Where is your dream destination?

My dream destination is always Italy. But, I would love to go to India.

What is one of the most interesting projects you’ve gotten to work on?

Everyone of my projects is interesting.

Can you tell us a bit about your work as an activist for breast cancer awareness?

I feel it is so important to try to help out where I can help to bring awareness to Breast Cancer and to the organizations that are close to my heart.  I feel it is almost an obligation after not just having it but surviving it twice that I let people know that you can still thrive but that you really need to be diligent about your health in order to stay healthy and also get the right diagnosis. I often partner and help promote my organization of choice to raise funds, and  raise awareness.

What does breast cancer awareness month mean for you?

Breast Cancer Awareness month is a very powerful month to bring awareness to a disease that has become so prevalent in women. Every 2 minutes a woman in the US is diagnosed with breast cancer. There are more than 3.8 million breast cancer survivors in the US. This is too many.

Even though October can be a tough month for survivors as it brings up a lot of emotions hearing others stories, the reminder of the journey, etc. October is about hope, the hope is that others will learn, take care, get early detection and donate for research to end this disease and to help other women who need help while going through this.They call it Pink October. I know a lot of people don’t like pink. I have grown to love it as it symbolizes strength in the women who wear that pink ribbon.