Jodi Weiss Holman grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She inherited her mom’s love for fashion that drew them both to make frequent visits to New York City, a mere 80 miles away. Her mom graduated from Syracuse University with a major in home economics. “That’s what they called it back then. She took pattern making classes and made her own clothes. We went to New York a lot.”
Right from the start, Jodi loved everything about New York. “I loved people-watching. I was fascinated by the world of fashion. I loved everything I saw—the beauty, the aesthetics. I wanted to surround myself with it.”
Jodi also loved nature and the outdoors, so it’s not totally surprising that she wound up going to Fort Lewis College in Durango. “My uncle was an orthopedic surgeon in Cortez who worked for the public health service on a reservation after the Vietnam War. He encouraged me to check it out.” She was a humanities major and, like many Colorado college kids, she skied. A lot.
In addition to loving New York, she also loved Paris and everything French. At 16, she was an exchange student in France. During her time at Fort Lewis, her French teacher became one of her mentors. After college, she went to France and worked briefly as an au pair for three kids, ages 1, 3 and 6. However, she soon realized that what she really wanted to do was travel.
“I came close to staying in France. I loved it so much and there was a guy who wanted to get serious,” she said, “but I was 22 and not ready to settle down.” She went on to Greece, but ultimately knew she wanted to return to the U.S. and live in New York.
She moved to New York, hit the pavement and sent out resumes. A friend of her sister’s was head of sales for designer Mary McFadden. He traveled frequently and offered Jodi his apartment to stay in while he was away. He also had a lead on a job with a textile company that represented French fabrics. The company had a women’s apparel division and a home furnishing division. Jodi applied and was hired by the owner, Yves Gonnet, to work in women’s fashion. While she worked there, she studied textile science at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The company worked with many high-end fashion designers helping them find fabrics for their collections and Jodi traveled often to Paris and Milan. “I loved the logistics and resourcing as well as the glamour,” she said.
When Yves wanted to get out of the apparel end of the business, Jodi had been there six years. She and another employee took it over, renamed it Horne & Weiss Ltd., and made it their own. They started adding Italian, Swiss and German fabrics. “We were very successful in that male-dominated world.”
Jodi had been living in New York for 17 years when she started to think she might be ready for a change. “After so many years working in the industry, I thought, what a cool thing that would be to move away from New York and start a new life. I was 38 when I left my business.” Her parents had a place at Copper and she’d been out to ski a lot. She later married and moved to Evergreen. For the next several years she had a decorative painting business and also did sales for some New York companies. When her son, Zac, was born, she became a full-time mom.
In 2016, she started an image consulting business, combining her love of fashion, her professional experience, and her desire to help people. Working one-on-one with clients, Jodi guides them to find their own true style by making the most of what they already have or shopping for what best fits their image and lifestyle. “I love taking people resale shopping. I can find the needle in the haystack!”
Now she is expanding her services with her new business venture, JWH Lifestyle Management. Her new venture includes home decor, home organization, property management, home project management, relocation assistance, as well as image consulting and personal shopping, and various life tasks. “I feel good when I help people. I want them to have a lifestyle that is manageable and beautiful.”
To reach Jodi and learn more about her services, visit jwhlifestyle.com or email [email protected].