Career Journey
When the Classroom Door Closes, the Closet Door Opens
Jacqui Getz’s Second Act Focuses on Style
January 2024
Jacqui Getz’s Second Act Focuses on Style
January 2024
Jacqui Getz
Photo Credit: Susan M. Lang
Photo Credit: Susan M. Lang
By Carol Lippert Gray
In 2019, The Zoe Report dubbed Jacqui Getz “the most stylish school principal in America.” When, two years later, Getz retired after a 36-year career in the New York City public school system, she knew her life would need a stylish second act. “The minute I was done being an educator, there had to be a Part 2,” she says.
So, she went back to school, acquired a certificate in image consulting from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a master’s in sustainable fashion from Glasgow Caledonia New York College, and founded The Details of Style, a consultancy that assists individuals and companies in disrupting ageism in fashion and becoming educated in sustainable fashion.
Quality clothing is in her DNA. Getz’s grandmother had been a seamstress in the couture gown department of Saks Fifth Avenue. She said she still has dresses her grandmother made.
Getz also loves systems and organization. “I still have my Barbies and just organized them the other day,” she laughs. She makes extensive packing lists for herself and her husband prior to every vacation. “I think about systems. I’m a planner. Since high school, I planned my wardrobe for the week. I look at clothing as a system. The tension in an outfit is the thing that doesn’t seem to make sense with an outfit but does.”
Additionally, she says, “Like many women, I look at clothing as a reflection of my mood and to keep me happy all day. I consider things like heel height as well as how many bracelets to wear and if they make noise. I like seeing intentionality in an outfit. Your style is your style, but I like seeing intentionality.”
She revels in getting older, and likes to work with older women. For instance, she styled a 90-year-old woman for her granddaughter’s wedding, exclusively by shopping pieces already in the grandmother’s closet. “It’s important to me to work with women who don’t think they have style, but in their closet, there is a reflection of their style. I don’t need fancy fashion. I like working with women like me. Ageism in fashion and sustainability felt close to my educational mission. I had to figure out how to bring them together.”
In 2019, The Zoe Report dubbed Jacqui Getz “the most stylish school principal in America.” When, two years later, Getz retired after a 36-year career in the New York City public school system, she knew her life would need a stylish second act. “The minute I was done being an educator, there had to be a Part 2,” she says.
So, she went back to school, acquired a certificate in image consulting from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a master’s in sustainable fashion from Glasgow Caledonia New York College, and founded The Details of Style, a consultancy that assists individuals and companies in disrupting ageism in fashion and becoming educated in sustainable fashion.
Quality clothing is in her DNA. Getz’s grandmother had been a seamstress in the couture gown department of Saks Fifth Avenue. She said she still has dresses her grandmother made.
Getz also loves systems and organization. “I still have my Barbies and just organized them the other day,” she laughs. She makes extensive packing lists for herself and her husband prior to every vacation. “I think about systems. I’m a planner. Since high school, I planned my wardrobe for the week. I look at clothing as a system. The tension in an outfit is the thing that doesn’t seem to make sense with an outfit but does.”
Additionally, she says, “Like many women, I look at clothing as a reflection of my mood and to keep me happy all day. I consider things like heel height as well as how many bracelets to wear and if they make noise. I like seeing intentionality in an outfit. Your style is your style, but I like seeing intentionality.”
She revels in getting older, and likes to work with older women. For instance, she styled a 90-year-old woman for her granddaughter’s wedding, exclusively by shopping pieces already in the grandmother’s closet. “It’s important to me to work with women who don’t think they have style, but in their closet, there is a reflection of their style. I don’t need fancy fashion. I like working with women like me. Ageism in fashion and sustainability felt close to my educational mission. I had to figure out how to bring them together.”
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Refining Your Wardrobe
Many older women, she says, can’t find clothes. They don’t like going into stores; don’t have a sense of self; have clothes that don’t fit in places they want them to fit; settle; and think it’s being vain if they try too hard. She says that ageism “is a complicated thing. I love when women figure out who they are, what they’re wearing, and why. I hate trends. I just keep moving forward.” And what of the clothing itself? “You have to look at it and think about it piece by piece. Every piece has a story. Even though you have 12 pairs of black pants, there’s humor, pain, and memories in every pair. You have to ask yourself what do you reach for in the morning and why? I give my clients space to talk about, think about, and honor themselves. It’s the little things that lift you that are important to an older woman.” Starting Up, Starting Over She wanted to be independent, not an employee. “Starting your own business is harder than starting a school,” she says, and she ought to know. Her last job before retirement was as principal of a middle school she helped found. |
Photo Credit: Carol Lippert Gray
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“[The Board of Education] gave me nothing to start a school. I found my own office. I looked at what a school needs and tracked down people for advice. In my business, I looked at what do I need. I hired a career coach by Googling ‘Career Coach for Women Over 60.’ She helped me figure out what to do: build a website; print business cards; hire an accountant; and learn to network. The learning process is humbling.”
There’s a difference, she says, in work attitude as you age. “When you’re younger and just starting out, you’re always looking toward where you’re going. Now I live in the moment.”
In Part 2, she says, you have to redefine success. By definition, you’re forfeiting previous professional success, reputation, and a steady paycheck – you’re starting at the bottom.
Other start-up tips include:
And finally, find your sanctuary. For Getz, that means long walks in Riverside Park, listening to books, or being with her husband, David, talking and wandering.
There’s a difference, she says, in work attitude as you age. “When you’re younger and just starting out, you’re always looking toward where you’re going. Now I live in the moment.”
In Part 2, she says, you have to redefine success. By definition, you’re forfeiting previous professional success, reputation, and a steady paycheck – you’re starting at the bottom.
Other start-up tips include:
- Go in with a plan.
- Trust the mess (the unknown).
- Acquire the right technology.
- Put yourself out there (which is very hard for many women).
- Force yourself to manifest success (do things with intentionality).
- Ask for help when you need it.
And finally, find your sanctuary. For Getz, that means long walks in Riverside Park, listening to books, or being with her husband, David, talking and wandering.
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Carol Lippert Gray is an award-winning public relations professional and longtime freelance writer and editor. Her career has spanned books, newspapers, magazines, broadcast, and online media in fields as diverse as crafts and corporate finance, parenting and philanthropy. She is Sanctuary's associate editor.
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