Meet Veronica Beard and Veronica Beard and Veronica Beard.
Two are friends and sisters-in-law, married to brothers. The other is their fashion business, which they began in 2010 with the Dickey Jacket, a blazer in three styles — Classic, Long and Lean and cropped Schoolboy — accented by a gray hoodie Dickey. It’s the foundation of the brand and of a company that blends Veronica Miele Beard’s more tailored look with Veronica Swanson Beard’s more boho chic quality.
The two are complements in other ways. Jersey Girl Veronica M. spent years in finance — she helped Philippe Laffont launch Coatue Management LLC, a technology hedge fund, where she was partner and COO — before following her heart into fashion. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and their five children.
The bicoastal Veronica S. worked in sales for designers Narcisco Rodriguez and Alberta Ferretti. She, too, now calls New York City home with her husband and three sons.
We first met the pair at the Bruce Museum’s March “Art of Design” panel and were enchanted by their sisterly approach to business. But don’t let us say another word. Here’s what they had to say — with one voice — when we caught up with them recently:
OK, ladies, we have to begin with the name(s). Does it spark confusion, commentary? How do you refer to yourselves?
“Yes! The airport is our favorite place to run into confusion when we check in together. Internally, we refer to each other as VMB and VSB.”
You are sisters-in-law and friends. How does that translate into a company dynamic? Do you complement each other?
“It’s been the glue that binds. We are family, so in the end, we must agree, and no disagreement is too big to overcome. We complement each other, because we are so different and therefore have a lot of different strengths. We always have two perspectives, but one vision.”
Your clothes have an uptown-meets-downtown vibe. What’s the inspiration behind the fall collection?
“Fall is inspired by American style and the cool classics that every woman needs to have in her closet. Our collections ride the line between cool and classic.”
I know you two are excited about your Jeans and Shoes line, launching this fall. Tell us about it.
“With our new Jeans and Shoes, we’ve completed the Veronica Beard uniform. We’ve designed the perfect jeans to go with our jackets and the perfect booties and flats to go with those jeans. We put a lot of time into creating jeans that have the perfect fit and even a hidden skinny pocket.”
This year saw the launch of a new downtown boutique. How does the store design relate to your fashion designs?
“Designing a chic, layered store is a lot like designing a collection. There needs to be print, color and texture. A room that feels like it’s bursting with all the goodness you want but is still balanced is like a perfectly merchandised collection.”
For more, visit — what else? — veronicabeard.com.