005: KIMBERLY PIRTLE GABRIEL
lives in oversized blazers, glasses, and high heels.
For this week’s newsletter I spoke to Kimberly Pirtle Gabriel, the AVP of customer engagement at Sotheby’s and also one of their newest auctioneers.
How women communicate power and professionalism through wardrobe is a fascinating topic to me. I’m especially interested in women outside of my industry. In the fashion world we play by a different set of rules - almost anything goes, so long as its in style. When you work in a more conservative office or have a client-facing role, how does that affect self-expression? With a smaller set of sartorial tools, how do you dress to demand respect? I’ve grilled multiple friends on these topics over dinner.
The art world is not far from fashion and, I would imagine, encourages creativity in a similar way. That said, the environment at Sotheby’s is a unique one. It’s the oldest international auction house, selling to some of the most elite clientele in the world - that’s got to influence the dress code. I was very curious to learn more.
Kimberly began her client-facing career in a corporate role at American Express, later transitioning to fashion with jobs at Prada and Miu Miu. She found herself collecting statement pieces and testing them out in an environment that was conducive to experimentation, while learning how to embody a brand’s statutes and interpret them with her own flair. Kimberly joined Sotheby’s in 2022. A lightly edited excerpt from our conversation is below.
CH: You wear a lot of oversized white shirts, high-waisted pants, and oversized blazers. Why do you think those pieces work so well for you? What do you like about them?
KPG: I think it has something to do with me trying to accentuate how I already look. I am oversized, I'm really tall. I also have very broad shoulders. So I like having on a big blazer and a big button up. The same thing goes for the high-waisted pants. I have super long legs and having on high-waisted pants makes my legs look even longer. I like that. I feel my most confident leaning into the qualities I already have and emphasizing them.
CH: I love it. You also wear heels almost every day. I guess that’s kind of the same idea, right? Emphasizing your height?
KPG: I think so. And yes, most days. I'm one of those people that, I don't even know if people do this anymore, but I have six pairs of heels underneath my desk.
CH: Do you switch them out for when you're commuting?
KPG: I wear flats when I'm coming into the office. When I arrive at work, I like to look at my shoe collection and decide what I’m going to wear for the day.
CH: I haven't worn heels in so long, so I commend you for that. I can barely walk in heels anymore.
KPG: It's really not the norm.
CH: Can you talk a little more about why this uniform makes you feel confident?
KPG: When I’m very intentional about what I wear, it’s one less thing that I have to worry about. I know I look great, so I just need to make sure my work is great. I need to make sure I'm delivering my thought, or my idea, in a really clear and concise way and not worrying about my clothes. There's also something about looking put-together and how that translates into the way that people view you. I don't know if that's good or bad, but if I'm going to put so much effort into how I look, I think there are some assumptions that I'm going to put the same amount of effort into my work. I think a small, but not insignificant, part of why I’ve gotten to this place in my career has to do with how I put myself together.
KIMBERLY’S MOST WORN
Oversized white poplin shirts - Zara has the best poplin shirts by far and they slightly change the design each season (adding a pocket, adding a cuff to the sleeve, longer backside, etc.).
High-Waisted Pants - I’m 5’10” and like to wear heels so I either need pants with a long inseam or I do a cropped flared pant. My go-to’s are Banana Republic wide leg pants (sizes come in long and they release different colors throughout the year), Prada flared cropped pant, Helmut Lang Jeans, and Rag & Bone Jeans.
Oversized Blazers - Love these. I feel like they add drama to my outfit. I like to wear them with a belt or over the shoulders. My favorites are from Dries Van Noten and Prada.
Neon Colors – On days where I am auctioneering for Sotheby’s Auctions or Charity Auctions, I prefer to wear bright colors. Three brands that I can always rely on for a pop of color are Marques Almeida, Solace London, and Hanifa.
Shoes with a heel – Again, I’m already tall but like to push it as much as possible. I feel like my posture is better in a heel and like I’m tapping into my feminine power source. My favorites below.
Manolo Blahnik slingbacks -I have these in 3 colors and find that they add elegance to any outfit I have on, whether it be jeans or a more formal dress I’m wearing for an auction. They are also very comfortable for auctions, where I might be at the podium for 2 hours.
Editor’s note: Manolos are pretty plentiful on The Real Real. For these kind of classic, ladylike shoes, in general - I always have luck finding them second hand. I included a few lucky finds below.
Top Row: Vintage Chanel (resale), Neous; Middle: Manolo Blahnik (resale) for a lucky size 38.5; Bottom Row: Manolo Blahnik, Manolo Blahnik (resale) Prada oxfords - amazing because they have a 2 inch heel and give a strong look
Celine red loafers - If you find me in flat. It’s probably a pair of red Celine loafers. I don’t like wearing things that others may have on, so opting for a brighter colored, everyday loafer is very on brand.
Top Row: Celine, Reformation; Middle: those Gucci shoes found on TRR; Bottom Row: Prada, Simon Miller
Glasses - My favorite accessories are my glasses. I have about 6 pairs of prescription glasses I rotate through (as my prescription never changes). I find myself wearing them on my pocket/shirt as often as I wear them on my face. All of my glasses are from SEE, a glasses store founded in Detroit, Michigan, which is where I am from. They produce glasses in very limited quantities (like 2 frames in each color) so I feel like I am wearing art. My favorites are these green ones and these two-tone.
Top Row: SEE, Andy Wolf, Retrosuperfuture; Bottom Row: SEE, Gentle Monster Thank you for reading this week and for being a part of this community. Share this with a friend if you loved it, or leave me a comment below. I’m going to try something a little different next week - so stay tuned!
Love all these recommendations and her style is impeccable!