Tanya Taylor Manifested Her Entire Life On A Postgrad Mood Board

In Bustle’s Quick Question, we ask women leaders all about advice — from the best guidance they’ve ever gotten to what they’re still figuring out. Here, designer Tanya Taylor shares the inspiration behind launching her second label, Delphine; tips on finding mentors; and the silly way she prepares for presentations.

Don’t knock the power of a good ole collage. Designer Tanya Taylor unwittingly manifested her entire life — address, partner, marriage, brand, and career — on a mood board she created as part of a school’s admissions process. “To go to Parsons [School of Design], you didn’t have to make clothing yet, just a mood board of your dream muse and who you want to build a brand around,” Taylor tells Bustle. Enter: Delphine, her “alter ego.”

“I took Tory Burch’s face and pasted it on Bianca Jagger’s body,” she says, adding, “I love the quote from Working Girl: a mind for business and a body for sin. That’s Burch and Jagger.”

Even her future marriage (to her then-ex) was part of this crafty prerequisite. “What was fascinating is I called her Delphine Pratte. Pratte is my now-husband’s last name, but at the time, he was my ex-boyfriend,” she shares. “I was in manifesting mode. I was like, ‘I have never been to New York, [but] I’m going to be this amazing person in the city. I’m going to get back together with my boyfriend, [and we’re] going to get married.’”

“I’ve tapped into [Delphine] when I want permission to stay out late, have more fun, wear things with more extreme volume, and when I’m a little more extra.”

While some goals forged a more straightforward path than others (the partner and move), the Delphine brand took a lot more time to come to fruition. She even launched an entirely different label in 2014, the eponymous Tanya Taylor, which she nurtured for a decade, before heeding the call of her alter ego.

“This personality has always lived with me. I’ve tapped into [Delphine] when I want permission to stay out late, have more fun, wear things with more extreme volume, and when I’m a little more extra,” she says. “Even my friends know Delphine.” That translated to a label that offers a fun, more sophisticated take on partywear.

As of Nov. 13, she officially sits at the helm of two brands. While it’s a whole new challenge straddling two labels, the balance feels representative of who she is. “What’s amazing about women is we’re both things, right? I’m wearing a menswear trouser by day, but I totally want really fantastical, incredible things by night,” Taylor muses. “So it’s been really fun to be able to merge both, and then also think about the customers that will be different.”

Below, Tanya Taylor dishes on her best tips to finding mentors, boosting confidence, and getting your “sh*t together.”

You started a brand in 2014 right after working for Elizabeth and James. Looking back, what would you have done differently?

I would’ve worked at more companies to understand the structure of how different teams are built. Also, when you start a brand, you can ask for a lot of help. When you’re a young kid, everyone wants to help you. I was scared to reach out to people who could have been mentors. I realize the beauty of having mentors now, but it was foreign to me then.

How should one go about reaching out to mentors?

The worst that can happen is someone says no or doesn’t respond. But it’s worse to sit with the what if. I have a lot of young kids that email me directly. The best thing is to ask a specific question. If someone emails me and says “Can we just talk?” I’m like, “Well, that’s tough.” Everyone’s busy. But if they say “I am trying to produce something and my factory is giving me X payment terms, can you give me some help?” I’m like, “Yes.” I’m so fast to respond to that. So specificity and clarity of what you’re looking for are important.

Apart from the initial reach-out with specific questions, how else can women find mentors?

Joining organizations, like the Female Founders Fund. There’s a lot of executive women’s groups in New York where you can network and learn from others, and it doesn’t feel like you’re cold emailing or cold calling. Being part of a group is helpful to get context on what other people are working on and how you might have shared experiences.

We host women’s executive sip and shops in our store twice a month, and they end up being these deep chats about career advice. Having one-on-one human connection with others helps you forge your career path and see how others have done it.

I’m obsessed with your manifesting story. Do you still take time to manifest these days?

I’ve gotten so much better with planning as I’ve gotten older. I was probably one of the most disorganized, scatterbrained, impulsive people when I started this company. And I thought that was fabulous, like, “Look at me, I can take this conversation in 20 directions.”

I realized, as I built a team, that that’s confusing. My creativity needs to be focused where it’s needed. I worked super hard to be more intentional with planning, calendar management, end goals, and questioning the why of what we’re doing. So manifesting, to me, is dreaming. It’s building an action plan towards those dreams, and then telling yourself you can do it.

I’m surprised to hear that you were disorganized because in a previous Bustle profile of you, your employee Will McLeod said he took the job because — and I quote — “she had her sh*t together.”

I have an example. I worked on this project at Parsons for weeks; I just didn’t print it. I was self-sabotaging. I had to jump in a rickshaw down Fifth Avenue to go to class because of last-minute printer issues. I was chaotic. I walked in late, my papers were crumpled, and I wasn’t ready.

I wasn’t confident. You do those things when you don’t feel confident. For most of my life, I found ways to cut myself short. In the last few years, I stopped doing that. That’s made me a better leader.

How does one eventually “get their sh*t together”?

It might take some age, but knowing who you are. It helps define what you want to do and who to work with. And that’s a journey that is so different for different people.

Find your center. What are your values? Morals? What excites you? Put all those things together and find a career that gives that to you more often than not. That helps me get my sh*t together because I feel really happy, and feeling happy is part of that.

What advice would you give to boost confidence?

There’s something that clicks internally when you find out you’re good at something. Listen to that voice and stick with it. Confidence gets eroded when you push yourself in directions you’re not comfortable.

My mom used to tell me, “When you fall, absolutely get back up. Let yourself feel it, but keep moving.” That attitude builds my confidence because I don’t let problems personally affect me too much.

Do you have a go-to outfit for confidence?

A structured leather midi skirt and a menswear shirt. I love a weird item, something that has a story, like mismatched earrings I got in Japan or my mom’s brooch of three little penguins. I like a little strange twist. Sometimes if you don’t wear the right outfit, you feel not confident. It goes both ways.

How do you handle your nerves before a big meeting?

This is so silly, but I used to practice my presentations in a British accent because I felt like I sounded more intelligent and more concise. I don’t do that as much anymore. I’ve been more comfortable with who I am. But I practice. I used to wing things and be more off the cuff with meetings but I’ve seen the benefit of planning.

How do you recharge at the end of a long week?

I spend a lot of time with family. I have a nanny during the week, but I don’t on weekends. So I’m super hands-on with my kids. We’re always doing arts and crafts. I make rainbow waffles every Saturday morning. I encourage a lot of dancing in our house. I like being silly and casual.

Do you have any foolproof negotiating tricks or tips?

Listening is the best negotiating skill; not coming out of the gate with your point of view and being forceful because nobody wants to feel like they’re pushed to do something. It’s more about proposing an idea and listening for a chance to meet in the middle.

What about negotiating salaries?

It’s helpful if you are in a role where you’re discussing with your manager where you want to be, and what you see the responsibilities growing to justify that next raise, that next promotion.

Forward planning is good for everybody. It helps your boss know what your intentions, dreams, and goals are. For the person, it helps them be transparent. And base it on facts: what responsibilities you have, what’s the market like, and what you can contribute to justify a higher salary.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.