Best dressed St. Louisan Izzy Polanco brings her fashion prowess to new boutique

“Vintage doesn’t always sell; you have to showcase it and create that vision for customers,” Polanco says. “There are pieces you see on the hanger, and it doesn’t do it justice compared to when you see it on and styled. It’s like any other art medium; you have to paint the picture.”

And masterpieces abound in the three-month-old Cherokee Street store, where the open and airy space is filled with one-of-a-kind pieces ready to layer into killer outfits, often with the advice and expert eye of Polanco, who works as a certified personal stylist on the days Restyled is closed. “The psychological aspect of fashion is really interesting – how people perceive themselves before versus after a styling session with me – you can see their confidence boost, and I ask a lot of questions about what message they’re trying to convey through the clothing.”

At Restyled, Polanco hand-picks the curated mix of modern and classic vintage, thrift and consignment clothing and accessories. About half of Polanco’s stock includes new items from popular retailer Revolve, which she acquires through clothing auctions. Nearly all Revolve styles are current and listed at full price from the original retailer, but certain pieces go to auction due to very minor flaws or since they’ve been returned. Polanco sells these pieces at a discounted price. The other half of Restyled’s wares are brought in by Polanco’s wide network of consignors or vintage pieces she finds at estate sales or in partnership with local vendors, such as Greenwell Goods, who go out and put together vintage capsule wardrobes for the store. Late last month, Polanco announced a major collaboration with fashion powerhouse Marchesa to sell a collection of 25 high-end formal dresses, ranging from size 6 to 14.

“I have a lot of special occasion dresses, and I think the word’s getting around that if you’re going to a wedding or a party, I will have a dress for that,” Polanco says. “For vintage, it’s the romantic, sweet, Y2K items like slip dresses and lacy tops that are very in. And quiet luxury is here to stay – think well-fitting tops, neutral colors.”

Prices vary depending on the piece, but Polanco estimates that the majority of what she sells falls into the $30 to $80 range. Rather than wardrobe fillers like leggings and basic tees, Polanco is drawn to more statement pieces that really set a look apart – Chanel culotte pants, a cropped leather snakeskin dress with a matching bolero jacket and a black wide-lapel V-neck Oscar de la Renta formal dress are some recent favorites. “One of the best things I hear at the store is, ‘Oh, I would have never considered this,’” she says. “It’s music to my ears because I love changing people’s perspective around fashion. It’s never about the label or having more.”

Ever the businesswoman, Polanco was first drawn to resale as a young girl after seeing the financial opportunity in flipping her investment pieces like handbags and dresses for more money. Now, she appreciates the nostalgia of vintage and how it can set fashion apart. “Vintage is a very good way to show you have range in style and don’t have to pick something off the rack,” she says. “It also helps you get out of your comfort zone and reimagine certain things.”

More than that, however, she credits her Latino heritage and upbringing in the Dominican Republic as the biggest factors guiding how she dresses and approaches each day.

“I absolutely believe my culture influenced my love for fashion,” she says. “I think it’s pretty universal across all Latin cultures that people express themselves a lot through fashion. In the Dominican Republic, you see women dressed up even to go to the grocery store and always trying to look their best. I remember visiting my dad for the summer and he was always wearing suits. Back in my country, fashion and the way you are perceived are super important.”

Polanco moved to the U.S. at 13 and spent time in Rhode Island, New Jersey and Florida, where she managed to find pockets of culture that were familiar to her. When she landed in St. Louis, however, she didn’t find the same sense of community until she worked to build her own social circle of people who inspired her creatively, both in terms of fashion and otherwise. This eventually landed her on the cover of St. Louis Magazine in November 2019 as one of the city’s 10 best-dressed. Throughout the pandemic, she dabbled in personal styling, closet audits and consultations, high-end designer rental and resale, and selling vintage clothes online, but the final pieces fell into place when she discovered an available brick-and-mortar storefront on Cherokee Street, as well as the rich Latino culture and history that went with it. To her, Cherokee Street represents the city’s diversity – both its success and room for growth – which she wants to continue to foster.

“The Latinos in St. Louis have been here for a really long time, and they pioneered the rebirth of Cherokee Street in a lot of ways,” she says. “They kept this street thriving. Being from the Dominican Republic and living on the East Coast, I do have that bit of edginess to me – grunge, grit, call it whatever you want – and I crave that. Everywhere I looked in St. Louis, I didn’t feel like I fit in or identified.

“Coming to Cherokee, I felt very much in my element with the art and the diversity and the food and the colors; the street is very vibrant. I crave a lot of my culture and want to be a part of that, and of the larger movement – to be a part of this amazing group of people who are doing things to make St. Louis better.”

Restyled by Izzy, 2610 Cherokee St., St. Louis, instagram.com/restyledbyizzy