Six months ago, the Eaton and Pacific Palisades wildfires in Los Angeles collectively destroyed over 16,000 homes, and displaced more than 100,000 residents. Though various industries, including the fashion community, have rallied to help support local residents rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the historic damage, many Angelenos are still in the process of taking stock of what was lost.
Maeve Reilly—a top celebrity stylist who has worked with Hailey Bieber, Eva Longoria, and Coco Jones—is among LA residents currently re-establishing their roots. Reilly and husband, Zach Quittman, lost their home and belongings in the Pacific Palisades fire, and this month, the pair closed on a new house together. “We’re so excited for this new chapter,” says Reilly. “It’s taken us this long to emotionally be able to move forward into a new house. That’s been the hardest part of living in limbo, because I’m a homebody—home means a lot.”
Slowly, Reilly is also rebuilding her wardrobe as she gets back into her busy styling work—and she has found that she has an entirely new outlook on fashion, now that she is starting from scratch. “I’ve focused on creating a capsule wardrobe, and investing in pieces that I can mix and match,” says Reilly. Instead of partaking in fads or trends, Reilly says her new closet is built around pieces that are classic and timeless. “I’ve realized that you need a lot less than you think. Less is more,” she says. “I have such a busy lifestyle, so comfort is important to me now. I cannot stand fussy clothes, or things that feel too trendy. Now, I’m always like, do I really need that?”
Of course, there are certain sentimental pieces she can never get back, such as her wedding dress. (“I’ll have the memories with it forever,” she says. “And thank God for photos.”) But on her investment list since she has begun building up her day-to-day essentials? Work bags from The Row and Saint Laurent; exceptional vintage leather jackets and jeans; cool, comfy sneakers from Adidas x Wales Bonner. “In the first few months [after the fire,] I was buying pieces that I had before, because it made me feel some level of normal,” says Reilly.
Some of her new favorites, like Heaven Mayhem jewelry or Past Midnight sunglasses, were given to her by fashion friends. (Her new favorite vintage leather jackets, for one, were gifted by former client and friend Hailey Bieber.) “I had such privilege of our industry showing up for myself and for my husband,” says Reilly. “I could never have afforded how much I have in my closet already, if so many people didn’t help us. It was so moving and mind-blowing. We’ve also gone through what we have, and gave away a lot of stuff to other families.” Six months later, she says that sense of community and togetherness is what has struck her the most in the aftermath. “I have my husband, my animals. We re safe, we’re healthy. That’s all that matters.”
Below, Reilly shares more of her new daily wardrobe essentials.
