Chrissy Rutherford Talks Fashion And Life Beyond Media | Essence

As an avid reader of newsletters, many of them I consistently keep up with feel like a balm for the times we’re all living through. One I’ve been enjoying as of late is Chrissy Rutherford’s FWD JOY which she explains is named after her Jamaican father who she says initially sparked her fashion sense. In the newsletter which arrives sporadically, sometimes weekly or bimonthly Rutherford shares her musings on horoscopes, relationships, attachment styles, and at times fashion. Her writing voice is almost as though the woman living next door to you is offering a glimpse into what’s going on in her own life.

Rutherford is largely known for working in media, particularly during her time at Harper’s Bazaar magazine. However, she is more than just her tenure there. After dedicating nearly nine years to the company and leading its Instagram account, she has transitioned into a more authentic era for herself. This new era is characterized by her focus on writing, something she never considered herself good at during her Hearst days.  But she admits it might’ve been because she didn’t want to solely write about fashion. Rutherford has written fashion and celebrity stories in addition to acquiring countless styling credits in her over 15 years of professional work. 

“I was always very creative,” she said. “I remember when I was in elementary school, I took an afterschool cartoon drawing class. I did it all. I studied ballet and tap dance for many, many years, dabbled in a little bit of gymnastics.” Over Zoom Chrissy details how her fashion sense is innate and that the cult classic film Clueless had a heavy influence on her. After teaching herself to sew as a teen she would often create clothing for herself as a means of self-expression. By 16, she was well aware that fashion was something she was drawn to. She recalls confidently dressing herself in high school where she was voted best dressed by her senior year.

Her family and peers would often give her positive reinforce what she was wearing. “Fashion was a bit of armor for me,” Rutherford shared. “I was one of the few Black kids, but it kind of made me feel like, well, if I was well-dressed, I could be on their level.” What she wore allowed her to be herself in West Chester which she says was predominantly white and affluent. Admittedly her style was preppier then. “I was very, very thrifty about how I got my designer goods.”

She name-dropped Ralph Lauren, Loehmann’s, and TJ Maxx as her go-to shopping destinations years back when she lived in the suburbs with her parents and her two older brothers. In particular, Loehmann’s was where she recalls getting 7 For All Mankind jeans when they were trending heavily during her teen years. 

But now, after working nearly two decades in media Rutherford says her style is more pared down and largely impacted by her ruling planet, Venus. “I’ve been looking to horoscopes in regard to getting dressed [recently],” she said. Due to Venus, she says she’s drawn to sensual pieces not limited to silks, laces, and items that are made of materials of the utmost quality. 

Currently, FWD JOY is what she says is a part of her purpose. And the newsletter began after she recorded her first tarot reading and listened to it in full. It’s her way of having insightful conversations with her followers. Alongside it, she’s growing on an inner level and finding joy in self-discovery. This notably is one of the largest takeaways from the digital connoisseur who has spent time navigating spaces that are locked away by gatekeepers who hold power. By deciding to leave said spaces Rutherford has chosen to invest in herself and also share her findings via relationship experts, tarot readers, and figures she feels most drawn to at this stage of her life. 

ESSENCE.com caught up with Rutherford to discuss FWD JOY, her fascination with astrology, how she pinpoints her personal style, writing during this era of her life, and more.

ESSENCE.com: When did your love of fashion start?

Chrissy Rutherford: It’s something very innate in me. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint any specific memory. But it’s like even when I look back on pictures I have of myself as a little kid, one of my favorite outfits is I had these matching cotton/spandex mock neck sleeveless crop top tank with matching biker shorts. I had a set in pink, I had a black set. And there was an iconic photo of my dad and I in Jamaica where I’m wearing my black crop top set plus cowboy boots.

Were there any figures who were stylish in your life early on?

My dad [was always] very interested in fashion. I talk about this a lot on Instagram. And his mother was a seamstress, so I feel like it’s in my blood. I just came out this way. But I feel like my dad encouraged it as well.

As a young Chrissy, perhaps around your teen years was getting dressed something that you felt you needed to be your most confident self?

By then, I think I was pretty confident about my sense of style, and I knew that this was something that I was good at and that people also knew me for that and looked to me for that. And I got a lot of positive reinforcement about how I dressed.

I dabbled in making my clothes when I was in high school. I think it was that feeling of like, “I just want more clothes.” And of course, my parents were not out just buying me whatever I wanted. So I think it felt like a way to circumvent that. I remember having a sketchbook that I used to make sketches in and whatnot. But that dissipated pretty quickly because it’s hard. But I’ll be honest, I self-taught myself how to sew. I used to make pleated skirts. My mom got me the sewing machine. And then, yeah, I would probably go to Michael’s or whatever those places are and buy some fabric, and I would just make it up as I went along.

What does personal style mean to you right now?

I have such a different relationship [with] style and getting dressed now that I am not an editor and I don’t go to an office every day. It’s also interesting to think about how much my style has evolved how working at Harper’s Bazaar had such a huge impact on my style, and then how the pandemic changed our style. And then being in this phase now the last couple of years where I think a lot of us have kind of had to reclaim what getting dressed means to us. My style is much simpler than it ever has been.

How would you describe your personal style?

I think I’ve been looking to astrology a bit more to help define what I want my style to be, because I’m a Taurus rising, and your rising sign rules your first house, which is your identity, personality, how you look, how you show up. I’m a Taurus rising, and that’s ruled by Venus. And Venus, of course, is the planet of beauty, and the senses, and it’s very sensual.

So as I think I’ve been in a phase this last two years or so of rethinking more about my style and how I want to dress, I do think to the principles of Venus, and that’s sensuality [so] I love a good vintage silk and lace dress, really paying attention to the textures of what I wear. I stopped shopping at fast fashion stores 10 years ago. I’ve been thinking a lot about the fabrications of my clothes, and trying to bring a bit more of sensuality into it.

Are you enjoying any colors right now?

I’m really into yellow, navy and brown. That’s been a journey for me. I’ve made some content about it on TikTok and Instagram because I think for a long time, I felt like I couldn’t wear brown because I am brown. And so I just felt like it would be weird. And also, there is really a spectrum of brown, from camel to chocolate. So [in the past] feeling like, “Not all of those are going to look good with my skin.” In the last year, I’ve started to love brown and embrace it. [It] has to be a dark chocolate brown.

What can you tell me about when you realized there was greater for you beyond the confines of working at a company?

I would say three years before I left, I started thinking about, what would that exit look like? And there was a very strong whisper in my ear that I know I’m meant to do more with my life.

I always blame it on my Capricorn moon, but I have always felt this responsibility literally since I was in high school, [and] I know I want to make an impact. That’s why I’m here. And while fashion may seem frivolous to some, it’s not. And I think also, I was the only black editor at Harper’s Bazaar while I was there. And so when I got to the point in my career where I could help shape and mold the content that we were making and who we were featuring, that’s where I could shine. I tried my hardest to pull in people of color, whether that was in front of the camera or behind. That was important to me.

Yeah, then I got to a place where I was just starting to feel like the corporate structure is just oppressive and exploitative because of the Instagram era and everything. And there’s this desire, or there’s this push from your company. They want you to have an Instagram following and they want you to be a star, but they don’t want you to capitalize on that in any way, shape, or form outside of your company. But meanwhile, they are also selling you to brands, capitalizing off of your image, and not paying you.

The pay was a huge issue and feeling like I was turning down opportunities. I [was ready] to spread my wings and bet on myself. 

How did the idea for the newsletter happen?

The idea for my newsletter was born during lockdown. I left my job six weeks before we went into lockdown. So suddenly, I was out without my very stable corporate job, sitting around in my studio apartment in the East Village with not much to do. But as I said, a lot of hope for what my future was going to look like. Even though in those early moments of lockdown, I was like, “What did I do? I could be sitting on my couch making money, just doing what I’ve always been doing.”

And so I record every birth chart, reading, tarot, any kind of spiritual reading I’ve ever had, I have it on recording. And so the first thing I did is I started this deep dive into, what is my purpose? What am I meant to do with my life? Yes, of course, I [realized I had] this Instagram following and that is great, but I don’t want to hinge my entire future on that. And I just [thought] there [was] something more for me.

So I started listening to my birth chart, reading, and taking notes, and listening to one of my very first tarot readings I ever had. I also just thought, what do I love to do? And what would I like to do even if I wasn’t getting paid? And just the concept of [me being] someone who always has deep conversations with others. That is just who I’ve always been. When I’m spending time with friends, we’re talking about relationships, our careers, or where our lives are going.

What does FWD JOY mean to you?

I think for me I have found joy in the act of self-discovery and self-investment. I wouldn’t say I love to struggle, but I have derived a lot of joy knowing that I have struggled that I’ve come out on the other side, and that it’s made me a stronger and more resilient person. And that makes me feel so good about myself.

Do you have advice for those looking to be their most authentic selves online?

I do think being authentic online, a lot of it comes down to accepting yourself for exactly who you are and the hand that you’ve been dealt. None of us have perfect lives. Even the people we think have perfect lives don’t have perfect lives. But knowing that you only have one life to live, this is the only life you can live. You can’t live anybody else’s life. Nobody can live your life. I just think spending your lifetime wishing or trying to be like somebody else is just a supreme waste of energy. That requires a lot of energy.