A DAY IN THE LIFE

A Day in the (Luxe) Life of Julia Gogosha

Follow this wildly successful—and interminably chic—optician and business owner as she goes about her day

AS TOLD TO STEPHANIE DE LONG

Eyewear style arbiter Julia Gogosha is known as “the stylist to the stylist,” and her shops are often called an “atelier for your face.” But this ABO optician describes herself as “purposeful in helping people express their identity through eyewear.”

The busy schedule she keeps shows that she is purposeful not just in helping people but also in doing it right at both of her Southern California locations. The first Gogosha Optique opened in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles in 2008. Earlier this year, she opened a second location on West Third Street in Los Angeles.

We asked Julia to keep track of her schedule for a day in September. The result? Her passion for life and business is evident—her day starts early and ends late.

6:47 a.m. Well intentioned…alarm goes off. Get up. Get up. Get up!!!

7:08 a.m. OK, let’s try this one more time.

7:20 a.m. What to wear when it’s 90 degrees outside in mid-September? Throw on my favorite high-waisted sailor pants by client Jesse Kamm (who was just featured, on September 1, in The New York Times style magazine for the 10th anniversary of her collection); Church’s white platform oxfords purchased on a recent trip to Antwerp to visit the talented team behind Theo eyewear; a long button-down Dries Van Noten shirt with optical illusion print on the front; and my favorite retro ’50s blue browline cat eyes by SALT. Optics.

7:55 a.m. Hop into my convertible MINI Cooper, drop the top, and drive a very short two miles. It is my favorite way to experience the city.

8:05 a.m. Arrive at the newly opened Blue Bottle Coffee in Echo Park for a Monday morning ritual—coffee with creative lady entrepreneurs. It’s all about casual and open discussions, women floating in and out, talking all things women in business—all in support of one another. Their professions range from creative directors and jewelry designers to branding, marketing, and set design. Out of the six women in attendance, three have been clients!

9:45 a.m. Arrive at Gogosha Silver Lake for a staff meeting. It’s not about how good you are, but about how good you want to be. These meetings help hone and fine-tune our processes, systems, and messaging.

12 p.m. Finalize artwork with graphics guy for our biggest sale ever, communicate with vinyl-lettering people, and upload image to VerticalResponse to get ready to blast to our entire client base!

1:12 p.m. Separate and sticker over 500 sale items.

2:35 p.m. Shove a few pieces of Hungarian dill flat bread dipped in sour cream into my mouth.

3:07 p.m. Return emails, including one remote personal fitting appointment with a client who has moved back to Michigan and another in-store fitting for a client who bought three pairs of glasses in March, only to need progressives for the first time six months later. Devoted 30 minutes to composing an email in response to all his questions and concerns about the transition. While writing emails like this, I want to give clarity and guidance and share knowledge. Sometimes I feel like I over-explain, but his response was clear that I did the right thing. “This is exactly the information I needed to help put my mind at ease,” he said. “I’m so grateful you are my optician.” At that moment, in the chaos of the day, I’m reminded once again why I love what I do. It’s all about the clients.

3:45 p.m. Head home to begin booking appointments for an upcoming international event.

4:00 p.m. First things first: Change into a cotton caftan, pour myself a glass of iced tea, fill a bowl with blueberries, and bring them with my laptop to the chaise by the pool.

4:05 p.m. Make a list of everyone I currently work with and which new collections I’d like to sit with when I go to Silmo in Paris. Prioritize all who do not have U.S. distribution first, find a map of the galleria, and then start replying to emails and reaching out to designers and brands I’ve researched throughout the year for appointment times.

5:15 p.m. It’s time to receive end-of-the-day numbers as well as client stories of the day.

5:25 p.m. I send an email confirming to the vinyl guys for store window lettering.

5:40 p.m. My brain is fried, so I call a friend whom I met through a client and set up dinner for the evening.

6:15-10:00 p.m. This is much-needed time to catch up with said friend. No surprise that I run into four clients at dinner.

10:15 p.m. It’s back into my cotton caftan to start booking post-Paris flights to Morocco with two industry gal pals!