THE RL Q&A: Julia Rabinowitsch

How did The Millennial Decorator come to be?

The Millennial Decorator was born during the depths of the pandemic. I was unemployed, I had nothing to do, and I was looking for a creative outlet, so I started it mostly as a place to showcase my home, and how I was decorating it through vintage objects. In the five years since, it’s grown into something much bigger, with a really amazing community of women. I source vintage shoes, watches, accessories, and beyond, and I think people look to me not just for the curation, but also because they want to know what I’m wearing and what I’m liking.

Did you have a background in style and collecting already? What’s your history with it, and how did you find your way to vintage?

I come from a house that really appreciates art, culture, and design, so aesthetics were always a big part of my world. My mom was a fashion importer, bringing pieces from Paris to the States, before I was born, and she instilled the deep, deep love for design I have in me. Vintage was always a part of my life. My mom dressed me in vintage clothes she found at the thrift stores before it was cool—it was just so ingrained into my life and my upbringing, and I think that’s why it’s such a big part of how I dress myself today. And even as a single mom, she did an amazing job of curating a life that was affordable to us, but so thoughtful and stylish. People’s appreciation for vintage and the value of it has gone up since then, obviously, but often it’s still a lot more accessible than buying things new.

What first drew you to the World of Ralph Lauren? His aesthetics seem to play a big part in your vision for vintage curation.

Definitely. Ralph Lauren has been a big part of my life ever since I was little. There was always a lot of admiration for him, and what he created, in our home. I’ve been wearing Ralph clothes for a long time, of course, but even when I started building my wardrobe as an adult, I knew I wanted to heavily invest in RL pieces. The kinds of things that would go on to become perfect vintage items, years from now. Now I’d say most of my wardrobe, actually, is Ralph Lauren—a mix of new and vintage—and it’s really nice to be able to share my extra-special pieces and new finds with my community. I’ve found that there’s a massive interest community for it from The Millennial Decorator’s community. I think that really speaks to Ralph Lauren’s ethos, as a designer and as a brand. The design is just so timeless and each piece is just so perfect. I have things from the ’80s up to today, and honestly, you can barely tell the difference between some of them, because the design is just so finely tuned to what’s iconic and lasting.

Do you have any favorite collections or aesthetics? There are a lot to choose from.

That’s exactly it—within the World or Ralph Lauren, both the modern collections and the vintage, I love how you can be so many different characters. Whether I’m sourcing from Ralph Lauren Collection or Double RL or Polo, a perfect jacket from the newest collection or a pair of vintage trousers from the ’90s, everything comes together in such a way that I’ve been able to build these miniature worlds within my wardrobe. I love thinking of those capsules within my closet and constantly building on them, collecting and curating and just continuing to fall in love with it all, over and over again.

What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve collected, from over the years?

I have a great collection of vintage Ralph Lauren racing jackets, the kind that I know Ralph himself loves to wear. I started collecting vintage ones in my 20s, and then realized that there’s a new one designed almost every year, so those have been fun to collect. I’ve got some great Polo Western pieces, as well as a lot of very special things that are just totally luxurious and elegant—like a crocodile leather skirt from one of the Ralph Lauren Collection runway shows. And I’ve gotten some of the essential pieces from the ’90s, like a few of the early American flag knit sweaters that are just impossible to find vintage examples of, now. I’m looking for more of them all the time, but haven’t had any more luck. I have a pretty large breadth of things at this point, which I love because I can kind of choose who I want to be on any given day. Do I want to be a Western denim kind of girl, maybe with a little bit of California flair? Or a New York girl walking out into SoHo in the ’90s, with a red leather skirt? A preppy Connecticut girl with a flag sweater? It’s so much fun to play with all those personas.

The Millennial Decorator has a big focus on home and interiors—have you collected much from Ralph Lauren Home?

I have a few décor pieces from Ralph Lauren Home that I love. Furniture can be extremely hard to find, I’ve learned—there’s one Ralph Lauren Home couch that I saw at the 888 Madison flagship that’s been on my wishlist forever, but I’ve never been able to find a vintage one. I do have some great Ralph Lauren Polo Bears from the year I was born, 1996, and some other small things that are interesting and fun and a bit unexpected. Décor elements and vintage furniture sourcing, for me, is the same as finding the right vintage clothing: It’s all about the hunt for time-tested things that fit into this bigger world I’m building. And I’ve been lucky to find so many beautiful things that are just perfect, and that I know I’ll never get rid of.

How would you describe your personal style? Between both your home and your wardrobe, what kinds of through lines are there in what you like to curate and collect?

For both, I think the main idea I try to keep in mind is “timeless,” which I think you can see as the thread throughout my business—what kinds of vintage pieces I source, and what kind of style I try to live up to. I focus on pieces that you’ll be able to wear forever. The kinds of things that are ageless and seasonless, but still very special and out of the ordinary. Like a beautiful vintage travertine table I once tracked down and had to schlep home in the back of a taxi. Or the perfect skirt that’s incredibly luxurious, but that I want to wear every single day, no matter what I’m doing. Or my graphic motorcycle jackets, which I wear to the airport every time I catch a flight and that I’m always stopped and asked about. Or my holy grail piece: a vintage Ralph Lauren crocodile leather jacket—people went absolutely wild when I shared that on The Millennial Decorator last year, and I still get questions about it to this day. They’re all things that are so unique and special to me but feel timeless and versatile and I know can be fluid throughout my life and my style. I think that’s exactly what has always drawn me to Ralph Lauren. I recognized that early on, and I think once I had the realization that I wanted to invest in a wardrobe that was both really special and really timeless, Ralph was the obvious answer.

What are your vintage shopping secrets?

I have a million alerts I’ve amassed over the years for clothes and items that I’ve been interested in at different moments. So every morning, I’ll look through all those and see what’s popping up. I’ve also met and formed relationships with some amazing vintage sources that I work with directly—they know my taste and my style, and will send things to me that fit my vision. I think because I look at so many things every day, I’ve developed a very good eye. I can spot the right piece from a mile away, no matter where I’m shopping—the kinds of things that are really rare, or unique, or just interesting to me, and that I know my community will respond to.

What did you wear for your photo shoot?

I chose a newer Polo piece that I absolutely love, a fringed deer leather jacket that I paired with an early ’00s leather Ralph Lauren Collection skirt, which is one of my all-time favorite forever pieces. Every time I wear that fringed jacket, someone will, without fail, say something to me about it. And compliments aren’t what style is all about, but I think that just speaks to how the right piece will really stop people in their tracks, and especially so with Ralph Lauren because there’s such a sense of style and nostalgia in each item. I knew I wanted to wear one of my racing jackets, just like Ralph does—it’s so fun having those in my wardrobe and seeing photos of Ralph wearing them himself, and knowing that we have similar favorites. I took out my favorite Polo Denim button-down shirt from the ’90s, too, which is a bit more simple and understated as a vintage pick, but it’s just perfect. That shirt goes literally everywhere with me.

What’s next for you and The Millennial Decorator? Any big goals on the horizon?

This year, I had a major focus on diving into the archives with brands that I really love and identify with, and shining a light onto how a vintage archive can blend into the modern day, which is why I’ve been so happy to work with the Ralph Lauren Vintage team. And then I’m continuing to source and build more curations and worlds for drops on The Millennial Decorator, like a vintage drop for the fall that I’m working on now. The TMD audience has become such a vast community of women who are so interested in, and knowledgeable about, the world of vintage. I’m really honored and excited that they’re continually wanting to see what new things I love at the moment, and what I can curate and offer to them.

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