Welcome to Unstyled. I'm your host, Christine Barberick, co-founder and global editor-in-chief of Refinery 29.

Each week, I invite a notable person to come in and talk with us as we explore the funny, inspiring,

sometimes heartbreaking tales of life, work, and love, as told through the things that we wear.

Today's guest requires a bit of an R29 history lesson.

Piera Gilardi, Refinery 29's Executive Creative Director and one of my co-founders and I met while working at City Magazine back in 2001. For those of you that don't remember City, it was a super

cool, pretty indie magazine, and was really a place where both Piera and I had the freedom

to find and explore our creative voices, and really our personal styles.

In fact, it's where Piera eventually became photo director and earned the magazine and Asme for Best Photography.

In 2004, Pia and I joined our other two co-founders, Philip and Justin, to create what would

eventually grow into Refinery 29, as you know it now.

At her core, Piera is really an art director.

She sees the world, not just our company, through a very unique and imaginative lens.

Everything from a meal to an event for thousands to basic outfit planning is conceived as its own art form when you're Piero Jalardi.

Moments that might be overlooked by others are made truly memorable by this lady.

And that's why she's a super dear friend of mine.

And she's also here today to tell us why and how she does it.

Hi, Piera.

Hi.

That's so nice.

So we've been in business together for a lot, a lot of years, 11 and a half years.

It'll be 12 years next June.

I feel like it would be so interesting hearing our origin story from your perspective

...