Like many of the muses, I met Krystle through a mutual friend. What can I say? Fly chicks beget fly chicks.

Anyway, I’ve had the privilege of being in her presence in both social and professional settings, everything from a book club to a sales networking event to a brunch in the meatpacking district that lasted for literally six hours. And in all those different settings, she has always been the classiest broad in the room. Her persona as well as her personal style screams 1950s femininity and refinement. She looks like a walking talking vintage cover of Harper’s Bazaar.

I’m so excited to watch her continually expand and grow creatively while further honing who she is stylistically.

With that said, I present to you, a woman overflowing with pretty in pink pinup realness, content creator and fashion/style/DIY writer, Krystle Desantos!

1.I’ll start with a very LA-esque question. What exactly is it that you do?

Hi, I’m Krystle, and I do what sets my soul on fire!

To be more specific, I am a Creative Director and Digital Content Creator from New York City who enjoys vintage shopping, traveling, dancing, and eating ice cream!

I'm originally from Guyana and moved to NYC over 10 years ago. With over 9 years of blogging, as well as digital advertising and marketing experience in the Tech space, I create colorful content with the mission of empowering women to express their unique selves through the way they look and live.

On my blog I write about vintage meets modern style, interior and event decor, culture, travel, women's empowerment, and my numerous DIY projects.

2. What inspires you?

My love for fashion and interior decor comes from two very important women in my life—my mother and grandmother. I’m currently preparing to launch my new accessory shop, Lillian & Joan as a tribute to their influence in my life.

Outside of these two incredible women, I’m also inspired by the creative and entrepreneurial work of women close to me, including my sisters and girlfriends. Old Hollywood stars, vintage movies, art, music, culture and nature also provide me with great inspiration for my creative work.

3. Give me an abridged version of your journey.

Oh goodness! It has been quite journey that’s often challenging to articulate via writing, but I’ll try my best to give the abridged version.

I’ve always been pretty creative with interests in fashion and home decor and as a child I crafted dollhouses out of cardboard boxes and used scraps of fabric to make outfits for my dolls. I designed much of my clothing growing up and even decorated my high-school prom. At the tender age of 16, I secured my first wedding decor project in Guyana.

I moved to the US over 15 years ago to embark on my journey of becoming a doctor. However, after two very long years (insert sleepless nights of pre-med coursework) I switched my major to Women’s Studies and decided to no longer pursue a medical career. It was such a pivotal decision as well as a very uncertain time in my life and that pushed me to dig deeper into my creative gifts, resulting in the launch of my very first blog (Crafty Habit) as well as my Etsy shop.

After graduating college, I secured my first job at Apartment Therapy in Advertising & Marketing. That role led me down a path of advertising in Tech where I work full-time while pursuing many of my creative endeavors. While this path might seem “off-course”, I believe everything I do helps me optimize my skillset, while still developing my passions and purpose. I’m excited to see how my journey continues in life, of course in retrospect because that’s how it works!

4. What’s your biggest accomplishment thus far?

I always struggle to answer this question because I never look at one thing as a big accomplishment. I think everything; seen/unseen, big/small is an accomplishment but I enjoy telling stories, so I’ll give you one.

When I first decided to apply for a job at Apartment Therapy my intention was to get my foot in the door through Advertising then transition into a career in Interior Design. I envisioned this very formal plan of what that looked like but if you’ve lived a bit, you come to understand that most things don’t turn out the way you plan. Even if you achieve your goals, the journey and end product may look quite different from what you imagined and oftentimes result in something better, something you couldn’t even imagine!

I worked for about 3 years at Apartment Therapy while doing in-house creative projects on the side. I never fully articulated my goals to anyone at the company as I was young and not very clear on what that looked like. When I moved on from Apartment Therapy to LinkedIn, I had a brief period where I wondered if my decision was the best one but I knew deep within me, it was the best choice for my growth.

Fast forward to 2017, about 3 years after leaving AT, I was selected (based on past creative endeavors) to participate in an influencer décor project, designing an outdoor patio space as part of a collaboration with Apartment Therapy and Ashley Furniture Home. This experience opened my eyes to the type of projects I truly enjoy and the capacity in which I wanted to work on said projects. Talk about coming full circle and seeing the results of intentions and manifestation in action! Again, different from the way I imagined but so much better!

5. What’s next for you?

Beyond my creative content, I’m preparing for the launch of my accessory shop, Lillian & Joan. This shop is an extension of that 2009 Etsy shop I mentioned earlier and is something I’ve been ruminating on for several years. Over time, the vision of what I wanted the re-launch to look like became clearer and I set out with my plans to execute. I actually had all intention of launching last year but had to take a pause in order to prioritize my health among a few other things in life. COVID-19 has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench in the operation for this year, but that’s nothing compared to what many are facing at this time, so I have no complaints. I’m trusting God and moving forward knowing my plans might be delayed but are definitely not defeated!

6. Name one major goal for the future so your sistren can manifest that with you.

Sistren, please manifest the successful launch and operation of my shop Lillian & Joan with me! I want to provide accessories that align with my goal to empower you to express your unique self and my hope is that you experience love & joy through each piece.

Name: Krystle DeSantos

Age: 33

Location/Region: New York

Industry: Internet

Theme Song: Almost any Beyonce song!

Favorite Place to travel: Cartagena, Colombia

Best Book You’ve Read in the Past Year: “Crushing” by T.D. Jakes & still reading “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle

If You Were A Color You Would Be: All colors plus pink!

Best Piece of Advice You’ve Ever Been Given: Have Faith and trust God!

Favorite Article of Clothing: I seriously love it all but have a special place for a good 1940s-style playsuit as well as jumpsuits except when it’s time to go to the bathroom. Also, if it’s in a tropical print, sign me up!

Biggest Fear: Not fulfilling my purpose.

#1 on Your Bucket List: I don’t have a bucket list, maybe I’ll make one after this interview!

Fictional Character You Most Identify With: I have a #RetroAlterEgo named Mildred. She’s fictional and enjoys all things vintage except for the values! You can find her on my gram and blog from time to time.

Daily Affirmation: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:13

To learn more about Krystle, you can check out these links: Website, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Facebook.

Follow us on Twitter @FlairHuxtable, Instagram @Flair.Huxtable and @HomeBrewedLove, and Facebook at @Flair Huxtable! Then buy Lo’s first book, “The Semester,” HERE!

Pussy Power Post #16-Krystle Desantos