Bold separates in clashing prints, statement bags and all manner of white boots line the walls, floors and magazine racks inside media marvel Elaine Welteroth’s airy living room in Brooklyn. The three-bedroom Bedford–Stuyvesant Brownstone she’s called home for the past six months is filled with an eclectic mix of modern interiors with traditional touches, all highlighted by the Brooklyn sunshine that floods the space. Swathed in a fleece-lined bathrobe with matching slippers gifted to her by close friend (and fellow Project Runway host) Karlie Kloss, Elaine is comfortably lounging on a sofa despite the sartorial chaos that surrounds her.
'I’m having a custom closet built this week,' she explains. 'I am about to embark on a 10-city tour for my book, so I need to be able to have a closet where everything is orderly and I can easily pick out my outfits. I had my friend [closet consultant] Lauren Preston come in, and we went through all my clothes; what to lose, what to keep. I call her Marie Wa-kondo, the Marie Kondo of Brooklyn,' she laughs.
Her book, More Than Enough: Claiming Space For What You Are (No Matter What They Say), is the latest pivot for the 32-year-old editor-turned-TV-host, who is redefining what life can be after a career in magazines. The book is part-memoir, part-manifesto, written to help inspire the next generation not just to follow her path, but exceed it.
Elaine is best known for her work at Teen Vogue from 2012 to 2018, where, at age 29, she held the title of Editor, then Editor-in-Chief from 2017 – the youngest person ever appointed the title and only the second African-American in history to hold such a post at Condé Nast. Her relatable point of view and foresight to spearhead messages of inclusivity and diversity made her a global influencer with millions of followers.
Elaine held senior roles at US titles such as Ebony and Glamour, and was previously the Health and Beauty Director of Teen Vogue before her tenure as Editor. Her profile has grown even larger since joining Project Runway – with a panel of judges that includes Kloss, Brandon Maxwell and ELLE US Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia – as well as a recurring gig as a red-carpet host for high-profile events (the Oscars, the Met Gala), for big US networks (ABC and E!).
Growing up in the Bay area of California, Elaine was the eldest of two, raised by a black mother and a white father. A lack of representation of women and girls that looked like her on TV, in books and magazines made Elaine resolute that she would do things differently, if given the chance – and tell the stories of inspirational pioneers.
'Some of my earliest memories are sitting in the bathtub wanting to be Oprah, and pretending to interview everyone from Michael Jackson to Albert Einstein,' she says.
'Even in college, [studying media and journalism at California State University], I’d be holed up in a corner at parties, asking someone to dish their life story. I’m a storyteller at heart; I love it when people share theirs with me.'
It shows: books by Zadie Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Jodie Patterson and Michelle Obama jostle for space on her heaving bookshelves.
Nearby, a coffee table, which she describes as one of 'the best remnants of the worst relationship of my life', sits snugly next to her prized possession, a mid-century sofa scoured from the Fort Greene market. The sofa has followed her from apartment to apartment, and takes centre stage by the room’s bay windows.
'I found it at the end of the day. I usually have to call my friends for their opinions on big purchases, but I knew it was the one. The dealer was about to take it back to New Jersey, so I went and haggled with him. It’s a piece that I will have forever. I’ve lived in Harlem, the West Village, Fort Greene and now Bed–Stuy and it comes with me. Everywhere I’ve moved in, I’m like, "Where’s my couch going to go, and what’s the moment I’m going to create around it?"'
It’s also where she wrote the bulk of More Than Enough. 'For six months, it was just me, my laptop, my sweat pants and my couch. I couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop than Brooklyn: to write while the birds are chirping, the music seeping in from across the street. That’s what I love about my neighbourhood, Bed-Stuy – the people chilling on their stoops, some having a little cookout. It always feels like you’re a part of a community, even when you’re in your cocoon. There’s nothing that compares to living in a Brownstone here.'
Elaine says she and her partner, musician Jonathan Singletary, who has his studio in their home, have maximised the experience. 'We live within the same square mile as all our friends, so we are always ordering soul food from the place down the block, cooking for everyone, having a full-on karaoke party, or sometimes Jonathan and I just walk around the block like old people or hang out in our pyjamas eating vegan ice cream,' she says.
The downtime, those moments of calm in the midst of chaos, is precious to her. 'I’m just always “on” for my job and I have to go to all of these events, so when I am home, I love to turn it all the way off and do absolutely nothing. I think that truly is the greatest luxury.'
Elaine Welteroth’s book, More Than Enough: Claiming Space For What You Are (No Matter What They Say), is out now.
This article appears in the September 2019 edition of ELLE UK. Subscribe here to make sure you never miss an issue.
