Julie Houts
“I’ve always drawn. My parents made sure to involve both my sister and I in the arts from an early age. Growing up, it was a hobby for me—not something I wanted to pursue as a career. Sometime during my senior year in high school, this changed, and I went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for painting. After about a semester, I realized I was a pretty bad painter. I switched to Fashion Design. I transferred to Parsons after my sophomore year and finished out there. I worked as a fashion designer for seven years at J.Crew, illustrating on the side for fun and for friends. I posted drawings I was making on Instagram very casually. It slowly grew a following and I began picking up more work. Eventually, it just became clear to me that I was enjoying illustrating more than designing. I left my design job in May and have been working as an illustrator full-time since.”
“[Literally Me] came as a result of my Instagram account. I met with some publishers early on and didn’t feel like I had any business making a book. I viewed the Instagram account and my illustrations as something I did just for fun, on the side. I was working full-time as a womenswear designer at J.Crew. Eventually, I worked myself around to the idea of doing an illustrated book, and signed the deal around November in 2016. I didn’t begin work on the book until January 2017, and finished it around July. I had no idea what to expect in regards to the process or really how I thought the book should turn out. I was still working full-time throughout most of the time I was working on the book, and therefore really didn’t have much mental space to devote towards freaking out about it, which was a blessing, in hindsight. I did the work whenever I could fit it in. Towards the end, it became a struggle to just get the work done. We were on a really tight timeline. Lauren Speigel, my editor, really pushed me to include essays in the book along with illustration. I wasn’t anticipating this and was really intimidated by the idea at first. I just didn’t see myself as a writer. I’m so happy she did—I enjoyed doing the writing in the book. It was exciting to try something new. She was so encouraging during the process, which was incredible. She gave me such confidence to keep going.”
Julie wears Balenciaga blouse, Céline pants, and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
“I’d like to say [my skincare routine is] simple, but it’s not that simple. I wash my face with the La Roche-Posay Effaclar cleanser at night. I used to use Santa Maria Novella’s Rose Water in the mornings. I stopped using it, forgot that I *NEEDED* it, and went on a year waking up, splashing my face with unscented water, and carrying on with my life. The other week, something snapped inside me and it became imperative that I track down NEW scented water before sundown. This manic hunt led me to Shen Beauty in my neighborhood, where I found Tammy Fender’s Roman Chamomile Tonic, which I’ve been using for two weeks. It’s fine. Unscented water was equally fine.”
Julie wears Balenciaga blouse, Céline pants, and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
“I follow that up with the Vintner’s Daughter facial oil. After that, for the day, I use the Ren Ultra Moisture Day Cream. For night, I use the Ren V-Cense Revitalizing Night Cream. When I remember, or when I feel a bit rough, I’ll use either the Tammy Fender Epi-Peel mask or the Goldfaden MD Doctor’s Scrub. I use a rotating variety of masks from Ren, Caudalie, and Mario Badescu, usually only once a week or so. If I’m stressed out or just in need of some (lol) me time, I’ll do several different masks in a row and afterwards convince myself I’ve solved some sort of problem that I almost certainly have not.”
“[My inspiration] comes from many sources. A conversation I have with a friend, an article I read, a trend I notice in the women around me, politics… [My drawings] are usually just a reflection of what I’m thinking about or noticing around me. Sometimes I’m just trying to work through things that are bothering me.”
On her thought process when getting dressed:
“It’s changed a lot. When I was working in an office, it was about my day: the weather, if I had dinner or drinks after work, what my mood was, if I had some big meeting that day. It got boring sometimes. Now that I work from home, it’s largely functional. If I have meetings, I’ll make the effort and put together a look and it’s fun again, like a creative outlet. If I’m just working from home, it’s honestly often just pajamas. I’ll wear them around the neighborhood to walk the dog or pick up coffee or lunch. I try to layer to trick people into thinking I’m not wearing pajamas, but I’m really not fooling anyone.”
Julie wears Balenciaga blouse, Céline pants, and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
“I want to be responsible and I want to be kind (…usually, at least), so I’ve noticed I tend to take an extra beat before sharing something. I try to be sure that whatever I’m putting out into the world is something I feel is defensible and well thought through.”
Julie wears Balenciaga blouse, Céline pants, and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
On which of her illustrations most *literally* encapsulates her:
“They’re all *literally* me when I make them. I think, though, after I’m done making a drawing, it doesn’t really hold the same emotion for me. It’s more of a means to work through something, and once it’s finished, I don’t feel much for it any more.”
Julie wears Balenciaga blouse, Céline pants, and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
“There’s a lot of ego in the fashion world, I think. And a lot of posturing. I think it’s always been this way. This self-seriousness feels sometimes inherent to the industry, but I also see a lot of lightness and humor. I think there’s more of it now than before. I think that’s because of Instagram and the rise of social media marketing. Brands need to find ways to relate to their customer, and humor is a great tool. It makes brands approachable.”
“My productivity is based on what projects I have. Some weeks I’m working from 8am to 3am for days straight. Other weeks, there’s not much going on, and I just kind of dick around all day long, and then it’s 6pm, and I’m like, ‘What did I even do today?’”
Julie wears Balenciaga blouse, Céline pants, and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
“I have a rule that I have to make a drawing every day. No matter how stupid or small, I just need to make something as an accountability tool. That’s worked well for me. Sometimes just through forcing myself to do that, I come up with something I’m really excited about.”
Julie wears Tome dress, Dorateymur mules, and Quarry earrings.
“It’s been such a horrible year, politically, in the U.S., but it’s been a really great year for me professionally. It’s a strange dichotomy. I’m excited to have left my job to pursue illustration full-time. It’s a huge step for me, and I’m really excited I was able to make the leap. I’m obviously very excited about Literally Me, as well. I never thought I’d publish a book. It’s surreal.”
“For me, when I was in college, interning and learning about the industry I hoped to be a part of, it all seemed so big and everyone seemed so important. It felt impenetrable. Then I worked a bit, gained some ground, looked around, and realized that it wasn’t impenetrable, and the people weren’t that important—everyone’s just doing their job.”
“I had a similar feeling about making the book, and still do to a certain extent, even now that it’s done! I have the feeling, somehow, since it’s my contribution and not someone else’s, that it’s illegitimate. Point to anyone else, their book, artwork, whatever, is legitimate and deserved. What I made is silly, illegitimate, etc. etc. I don’t know what that is. For me, I think I’ve just ascribed a huge amount of gravitas to certain endeavors, professions, industries. I think the older I get and the more experience I gain, I realize that everyone is just trying to do their job the best they know how. I don’t think anyone feels absolutely correct in their position. Now if I see someone who seems to, I’m wary, because I’ve often found they’re real assholes.”
“I love to get ready for a night out! There’s such hope at the beginning of a night! Such expectation! It rarely lives up to the prep, so this is often the most fun part of the night. I don’t do anything too out of the ordinary. I’ll put on some music and make a drink. Sometimes my friends and I will text each other to ‘suss a vibe,’ basically: ‘What are you wearing?’ That can provide some direction. Otherwise I just try on half my closet until I run out of time and just run out the door wearing whatever.”
Julie wears Tome dress, Dorateymur mules, and Quarry earrings.
“Now that I work from home, I don’t wear too much makeup during the day. Sometimes I’ll curl my lashes with a Shu Uemura curler and put on some ChapStick. Whatever’s handy—that’s it until I get ready to go out for the evening. Other days, for a meeting or to meet a friend during the day, I use Kjaer Weis’ Cream Foundation in Like Porcelain. If I’m a little tanned or have any color, I use some Guerlain Terracotta bronzer.”
“I go through eye phases or lip phases. Sometimes I’ll get fixated on a certain lip color and I’ll wear that every day. To balance it out, I won’t do much with my eyes. Just curl my lashes and maybe do a swipe of Lancôme’s Définicils High Definition Mascara. Lately I’ve been wearing Kjaer Weis lipstick in Adore. It looks like a very intense dark red in the tube, but once on, it’s just sort of a wine-ish stain. I have a bunch of low key lip colors that I’ll wear during the day. Mostly reds that, only because of their consistency, are not as intense as a full-on red lip. Korres Lip Butter in Wild Rose, RMS Lip2Cheek in Beloved. I like them because they’re buildable.”
“Recently, I decided I would like to become the sort of person who can wear a bare face and a little cat eye. You know that girl? In a mania similar to the aforementioned Tammy Fender scented water mania, I bought Kevyn Aucoin’s The Precision Liquid Liner. The results have been varied. The thing is, if the cat eye fails me—if my eye waters and I mess it up—I cross into Amy Winehouse territory. I look unhinged, which could be a look, but maybe not the right one for a 2pm meeting. I guess it depends on the meeting.”
Julie wears Tome dress, Dorateymur mules, and Quarry earrings.
“Everything scares me about the world right now. Talking about shades of lip stains and scented facial waters does not.”
“[After a night out] I have to take [my makeup] off and do the moisturizers and the routine. Even if I’m drunk, I’ll pull it together to do that. Waking up the next morning with Crypt-Keeper mouth and skin that feels like it might crack just increases my shame.”
“For me, getting too wrapped up in [beauty] is a bad habit. It’s such a waste of money and can be such a rat race. To pour all my anxiety and insecurities into finding a liquid liner, a ‘facial tonic,’ or a specific shade of matte pink lipstick—that is a bad habit. The insecurity just gets worse, and whatever the anxiety is, it doesn’t go away just because I purchase the matte pink lipstick I wanted.”
On how she unwinds:
“Wine. Couch. ‘My programs'”
Julie wears Tome dress, Dorateymur mules, and Quarry earrings.
“There’s so much to do in NYC. I love Bemelmans at the Carlyle for a drink. It’s kind of magical. I Sodi is my new favorite Italian restaurant. I think Bergdorf Goodman is still exciting. Good fancy-lady-watching in the afternoon. Totokaelo’s new space on Bowery in the bank building is such a cool place to shop—the dressing rooms are bank vaults! I don’t really go dancing anymore. I don’t know where the youths go.”
Julie wears Tome dress, Dorateymur mules, and Quarry earrings.
“I wash [my hair] about once or twice a week with Sachajuan shampoo and conditioner. Just the ‘normal hair’ ones, usually. I use a Kérastase leave-in cream that’s supposed to help with breakage from heat, but who knows if it does. My hair is naturally really curly and really big. I don’t keep it that way, so I comb it while it’s wet with a Mason Pearson Rake Comb, which I got as a gift. I read a beauty blog post once where someone was arguing that this comb was better for your hair than a regular comb. I refuse to accept that. It is a comb. Combs are combs are combs. This is just a beautiful comb.”
Julie wears Tome dress, Dorateymur mules, and Quarry earrings.
“I blow dry [my hair]. It gets to a sort of frizzy, half wavy, half straight-ish state. Then I make it wavy with a 1 1/4 inch curling iron—just a drugstore Conair one that I crank up to the highest setting to really TEST that Kérastase product. I do that in sections. I sometimes use Bumble and bumble’s Brilliantine cream. During the week, I don’t brush it—I just add Klorane dry shampoo as needed until not even that can save me. Then I wash it again. Repeat repeat repeat.”
“I have worn Frédéric Malle’s Carnal Flower for a few years now. I love it. I wore Serge Lutens’ Chergui before this. I loved that, too.”
“I’m in the beginning stages of developing a TV show based on the book and my Instagram account. I’m excited to see where it goes!”
Julie wears Balenciaga blouse, Céline pants, and vintage Manolo Blahnik mules.
I’ve always subscribed to the idea that you should never meet your heroes in real life, given my own overwhelming tendency to embarrass myself in the face of nervousness. Same goes for writing about them. You can only imagine the cringe-worthy, gushing praises that poured forth from these fingertips and down onto the keyboard when drafting an introduction for this profile on Julie Houts, then. Despite a concerted effort to reign it in, it’s highly likely that the following will still read as an open love letter to the former designer, current illustrator, owner of the best hair, and all-round stellar human. I guess that’s because it kind of is. Anyone who furiously tags their friends in her Instagram posts on the regular (alongside such innovative captions as “same” and “ded”), or who devoured her aptly-titled book Literally Me in the space of a day, will understand why. For the rest of you, it’s time to meet the creative mastermind behind your new favourite corner of the internet.
The hallmark of good art, as put to me by a friend once, is looking at something and thinking, Same. Julie’s illustrations have that exact effect. I know I’m not alone in feeling like she must have tapped my phone on occasion or overheard conversations I’ve had with friends over a Friday night wine, so relevant her brilliant illustrations are to the lives of those who obsessively consume them. With a combination of quick-fire wit, authenticity, transparency, and #relatable humour, Julie’s attention oscillates seamlessly between everything from the “self-seriousness” of the fashion industry and the existential plight of twenty-somethings, to the absurd and sad state of political affairs in America. You’re always guaranteed a self-reflexive LOL when flicking through her work, and, perhaps more importantly, it’ll help you to make sense of your place in a world that is at once bleak and bright, serious and light-hearted.
Prior to being an esteemed author/our favourite thing on the internet, Julie worked as a fashion designer for J.Crew—a position she held for over seven years. She is both maniacally obsessed and wary of the beauty industry (a good place to be), places a big onus on strong female friendships, and lives out our dream of working from home in her pyjamas, on her own time. Did we mention she has the best hair in the world?
After poking around her apartment for a minute (where no bookshelf or beauty cabinet was left unturned), we then did the closest thing we could to taking up residence in her brain forever, a lifelong goal of ours, by asking her a million ~very important~ questions. Click in to get to know her better, then open up a new tab and get lost in the wonderful world of Julie Houts (aka @jooleeloren). Be sure to drop a “literally me” note in the comments section while you’re at it.
Words, Madeleine Woon. Photography, Shelby Rodriguez.
