Fashion still makes sense for McDowell graduate - GoErie.com

Lili Morton is one week into her new job with the marketing department of McCormick Coffee Co.

Before that, she worked for the Erie chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

But Morton has never strayed from her true passion: fashion.

"I knew it was my calling ever since a home economics class during my senior year at McDowell," the 2001 graduate said. "(The teacher) let me design clothes instead of sewing a knapsack."

While Morton, 30, doesn't design clothes as much anymore, she does help women pick them out as a virtual stylist. She officially received that 21st century job title in March when she was hired by the online company Keaton Row.

"It's an absolute honor," Morton said. "To be a freelance stylist and have your (choices compared) with top stylists from New York and Los Angeles is pretty cool. Most of the stylists are successful full-time professionals, so this is flattering."

Keaton Row is based in New York City, where Morton formerly worked in the fashion industry for renowned designer Diane von Furstenberg. She also worked there in sales for MTV after graduating with a degree in marketing/fashion merchandising from Michigan State University.

Harvard Business School students Cheryl Han and Elenor Mak founded Keaton Row (https://keatonrow.com) in 2012. They advertise their online company as the first to allow its chosen stylists to collaborate with clients on their potential wardrobe and accessory selections on a strictly electronic basis.

Clients can read small biographies about Keaton Row's stylists, who are paid by commission, as well as their fashion preferences. These preferences are showcased in "look books" that appear on the stylist's page.

If clients like the potential in what they've read and seen about the stylist, they can electronically send their measurements and fashion preferences to them.

Morton's choices were popular enough to bring in more than $10,000 in sales over August and September. It's possible her income was aided by a www.forbes.com article titled "Good, Better, Belt: How One Accessory Can Refresh Your Entire Wardrobe."

The article included a women's clothing ensemble that Morton helped coordinate.

Although Keaton Row's primary market is professional women who don't have a lot of time to shop for themselves, Morton pointed out it's far from an exclusive demographic.

"It's also for women who are tired of wearing yoga pants on the weekend," she said. "They want something stylish and comfortable. And baby-proof."

MIKE COPPER can be reached at 870-1614 or by e-mail.

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