We always envy those with a “less is more” approach to life. From the outside, it’s like having a secret recipe with one missing ingredient that you can’t quite work out. With this knowledge, life would be easier – well, definitely faster, especially when it comes to getting dressed in the morning. Stylist Ilona Hamer perfectly embodies the less is more attitude and has her routine down to a pure art form. Maybe spending an hour with her will make some of it rub off? Wishful thinking…

Let’s face it, Ilona is one of the chicest people we know. She has a timeless look that screams French gamine, and she wouldn’t look out of place in a Jean-Luc Goddard film. It’s the hair. After making the move to New York she chopped off her long locks and never looked back. “I think everyone around me freaked out more than I did when I cut it. I just cut it and was like “cool, let’s go get dinner”. This lo-fi attitude and approach to style has her on the radar of some of the best fashion companies in the world. Counting CHANEL, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Westfield, Russh and Oyster as just a few of her Australian clients, Ilona has the ability to turn something simple into something desirable.

So why New York? We get that it’s the most amazing city on earth, but what exactly is the allure for her? “Everything! It’s one gnarly city though. It’s the highest highs and the lowest lows. It’s fast and harsh and real and it challenges you EVERY day and makes you happy, sad and everything in between.”

As a stylist, being in the fashion epicentre of the world definitely has its perks, and we are basically begging Ilona for shopping tips. “I love real clothes you can wear – Isabel Marant, Acne, APC… real everyday clothes. My advice is always figure out how to wear the shit out of a pair of great simple pants or jeans or a shirt first and know what makes your style yours, then go from there. You don’t need much. Just the right pieces for you.” Noted. With a selectively edited wardrobe on high rotation, we’re brought back again to “less is more, less is more…”

Another thing we learn from touring her super minimal East Village apartment is that CHANEL anything is the key to life. We’re talking fragrance, lipstick, clothing, accessories. Whatever. When asked about her most treasured item, Ilona is quick to reply. “My beautiful Chanel handbags because they just make most outfits that little bit more perfect.” Her latest acquisition – a metallic grey Boy bag – is a new favourite. “It’s not black which is a huge development for me!”

With a gym schedule that puts us to shame, Ilona also focuses on diet to keep her skin looking fresh. “I crave broccoli and greens. I love green things. It’s dorky but I do.” Citing water as the absolute holy grail, Ilona confesses she’s had good luck in the skin department. “My skin has been the same since I was young. I could pretty much wash it with dirt and it would be fine.” Thankfully we learn she uses Aesop instead.

With “moisturise, moisturise, moisturise” at the top of her list, Ilona sticks to a bare minimum when it comes to beauty products. “RMS uncover up, a little bit of brown eyeliner, an eyelash curl and then maybe a little bronzer on my cheeks.” Apparently it can be done in under four minutes, which is music to our ears. With an industry that waits for no-one, getting out the door quickly is of utmost importance and Ilona seems to have found that all-important secret ingredient.

Boasting a packed work schedule is no mean feat in the city that never sleeps, but add to that a new swimwear line, Matte Swim, launching in April. With three classic styles, it will be “chic and easy”, just like its creator. We’ll take one of each, thanks, especially if the Parisian je ne sais quoi comes with? A few other exciting projects coming up means it will be no time before she takes the Big Apple by storm. As Frank Sinatra famously put it, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere…”


On Fragrance:

“Sycomore by CHANEL is my favourite. I love fragrance – it’s the one thing I put on even if I don’t have time to do my make-up or am just running out on a Sunday morning to grab coffee.”


On Style:

“My style is simple and relaxed. Less is more for me. I don’t like spending too much time on myself so prefer to just have the pieces I know and love and rotate them. I am definitely a uniform dresser. Jeans, cashmere sweaters, jean shorts and skirts with silk shirts and tanks in the summer.”

“I’ve come to realise that everything is so temporary in life and I try not to get too attached to things. Moving countries and travelling a lot has had that effect on me. Things come and go and its good to be able to appreciate what you have when you have it, but know that you really need so little to be happy. Being comfortable in your own skin is worth more than any piece of clothing. That said I have some beautiful pieces I love that I worked really hard to add to my collection. Probably just really well worn in pieces like old Ksubi jeans I have had since I was 20 that I can’t replace and my beautiful Chanel handbags because they just make most outfits that little bit more perfect.”

“I like things to be chic but also a little messy and personal”.

Her Most Recent Purchase:

“I love my new Chanel Boy Bag – it’s not black which is a huge development for me! It’s metallic grey and pretty much goes with everything.”

HER STYLE FILE
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps
0000036100325
The row
Board Meeting sunglasses
0000036100325
Isabel Marant
Halden Blazer
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps


 

On The Role of Beauty:

“I am very low key when it comes to beauty. I just like to use what I know and like. I’m not one to try out new things and be too crazy. But that said I think beauty plays a huge part in style – the way a girl wears her hair, if she wears make up or not, her skin, grooming. I look at these things when I’m casting as it’s a good gauge for how a girl is going to hold herself on set and how she will wear clothes.”

Her Beauty Routine:

“I wash my face with Aesop Parsely seed face wash and moisturize with the Camellia Nut Moisturizer and at the moment because it’s so dry I use the Damascan Rose Face Oil as well”.

“My make up routine is super simple – RMS Uncover up, a little bit of brown eyeliner, an eyelash curl and then maybe a little bronzer on my cheeks. I add a little RMS Living Luminizer to my eyelids and tops of my cheek bones. It smudges nicely with the brown liner too to get that greasy eye for the evening. That’s pretty much it.”

“I haven’t worn mascara in years. I didn’t own one until just recently I needed it for a job!”

 

HER SKIN FILE
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps
0000036100325
The Row
Board Meeting sunglasses
0000036100325
Isabel Marant
Halden Blazer
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps


 

On her Signature Nail…

“[I always use] Rouge Noir by Chanel. I either do a clean nude (Samoan Sand by OPI) or no polish at all for clean / nude nails. Otherwise I do Rouge Noir by Chanel or Malaga Wine by OPI – they are the only colours I ever use. EVER.”

…and her Signature Lip Colour:

“There is a dark red lipstick called Rivoli by Chanel that I have been wearing for a few years now. It’s the same colour Coco used to wear. Sometimes I mix it with Pirate by Chanel too – to get a more intense colour. But that’s it…I just put a lip on every now and then! Ta Da!!!”

“I like to blot my lipstick off with my fingers… I don’t like it glossy or too perfect. A little smudged is ideal!”

On Fragrance:

“Sycomore by CHANEL is my favourite fragrance. I love fragrance – it’s the one thing I put on even if I don’t have time to do my make-up or am just running out on a Sunday morning to grab coffee.”


HER SKIN FILE
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps
0000036100325
The Row
Board Meeting sunglasses
0000036100325
Isabel Marant
Halden Blazer
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps

Her Favourite Thing About Living In New York:

“Everything! It’s one gnarly city though. It’s the highest highs and the lowest lows. It’s fast and harsh and real and it challenges you EVERY day and makes you happy, sad and everything in between. It’s exhausting but rewarding and it’s definitely an amazing place to come and grow and change and really get to what makes you YOU.”

On Cutting Her Hair:

When I moved to New York I just wanted a change. I cut it to this length first and then went super short. I really loved having short hair, there is something really liberating and easy about it. Especially in the summer! I think everyone around me freaked out more than I did when I cut it. I just cut it and was like “cool, lets go get dinner”. I was living with Marcos Diaz at the time – he is really talented, he cut Arizona Muse’s hair the first time she went short and his other clients include Carine Roitfeld and Giovanna Battaglia so its not like it was a scary thing! It’s longer now and really easy to manage.”

“Sometimes I cut my own hair with really terrible scissors from the kitchen.”

Her Hair Routine:

“My hair is just air dried with sea salt spray. I use a few – Wella Ocean Spritz was my go to for years and is pretty much perfect. Bumble and Bumble is great but depending on the weather, Sachajuan and Tony & Guy I’m also using at the moment. Lavett and Chin is great and natural. It smells like lavender. If I want a bit more wave I “Princess Laia” it. Which just means twisting it and clipping it up for like 10 minutes and it pretty much stays for a few days like that.”

Hair Colour:

“I always get my colour done when I go back to Sydney with Michael Kelly at Oscar & Oscar in Paddington. I hadn’t dyed my hair until I was about 23… he did it first and is now the only one I trust. Sometimes I cut my hair myself with really terrible scissors from the kitchen… I just kind of hack away and it always comes out pretty great I have to say! Marcos encourages me to cut it myself when I feel the urge. He totally believes in it.”

Her Beauty Secret:

“I think it could be that I don’t wash my hair as much as you would think! And I don’t use conditioner… only like once every 10 days if its feeling rough. Dr Bronners is also a great shampoo if you have run out!!”

“Now that my hair is longer I wash my hair every 2-3 days. I hate oily hair so much but the more you wash it the more you NEED to wash it so I always try to stretch it between washes. The best dry Shampoo is this PSSST stuff – its like $6 from Duane Reade and it’s barely powder – its more like dry invisible air.” “Now that my hair is longer I wash my hair every 2-3 days. I hate oily hair so much but the more you wash it the more you NEED to wash it so I always try to stretch it between washes. The best dry Shampoo is this PSSST stuff – its like $6 from Duane Reade and it’s barely powder – its more like dry invisible air.”


On her Favourite Candles:

“My best friend Elise Pioch of Maison Balzac is a genius – I love her candles. Le Soleil, 1642 and La Blanche are my favourites. She created La Blanche for me becuase I kept asking her for a Daphne candle – it was my favourite flower from my mum’s garden when I was little. It’s a winter flower which I love.”

 

HER SKIN FILE
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps
0000036100325
The Row
Board Meeting sunglasses
0000036100325
Isabel Marant
Halden Blazer
0000036100325
Manolo Blahnik
Jewelled satin pumps


On Diet & Exercise:

“The last couple months I have been going to the gym 5-6 days a week. It’s kind of the best way to keep moving and active in this cold weather. I lift a lot of weights. I don’t really do cardio. I like to feel strong and it definitely helps with my job!”

“I am a vegetarian so by default I think you tend to consume a better diet and that affects your skin. I crave broccoli and greens. I love green things. Its dorky but I do. But my skin has been the same since I was young. I could pretty much wash it with dirt and it would be fine. That said I just turned 29 and there are things that are changing… lines that are appearing that I never noticed before… I think its living in NY too! It’s dirtier and more stressful on the skin for sure.”

What She’s Working On Right Now:

“Currently I’m working with CHANEL for the pre-fall show here in New York next week – I just had a fitting there with my newest girl crush Isabella Manfredi. She is a dream girl for real! And I’m styling my other dream girl Phoebe Tonkin for it too so next week will be fun.”

“The last few months I have been working on a new magazine – the first print issue which is out mid April. It’s called Unconditional. We just shot Bella Hadid for it and we have some cool features on girls you may not have heard of but you WILL. It’s the young modern working/thinking girls magazine.”

 


On Her New Label, & The Perfect Swimsuit:

“I’ve been working on a swim line for two years now called Matteau swim which is about to be released. It was created to be the simple, basic swimsuit. The one you always reach for because it’s comfortable, flattering and reliable. It’s chic and easy: three tops, three briefs and one maillot, offered in just three colours. They’re all self-lined and seamless so they’re really flattering and firm.”

“For launch we are going to do a candle with Elise Pioch, so it’s really exciting to be working with her on this project. She is so excited to work on a scent of the beach from a holiday we took to the south of France and north of Spain a few years ago. To finally capture it and create it is going to be fun.”

Her Earliest Beauty Memory:

“My mum has used rose water mixed with Glycerin as her moisturiser as long as I have been alive and she is nearly 70 and the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I remember kissing her cheeks and they always tasted sweet and of roses. They still do!”

 

Manolo Blahnik