Women of Substance: Elise Labau and Florencia Cavallo of Golden Edit.

I am thrilled today to simultaneously showcase two women of substance, Elise Labau and Florencia Cavallo, the founders of Golden Edit, an online destination focused on curated warm-weather essentials year-round. Based on the fact that many of your recent shopping inquiries were dialed in on warmer weather finds, I couldn’t think of a better small business to feature as we barrel towards a brighter (more temperate!) future, one where travel might even be realistic.

Elise and I met through our daughters (!) and over the course of chatting about parenting, the pandemic, and the wild vicissitudes of 2020, I learned that she had founded a beautiful online boutique that celebrates travel, craftsmanship, and sustainability for “women who love to follow the sun.” As it turns out, Elise is a certified “follower of the sun”: born in the South of France, she fell in love with the turquoise waters of St Barths, a French-speaking Caribbean island that fostered a long-lasting sense of wonder and wanderlust. She moved to the United States at an early age to study management and public relations, working for luxury lifestyle brand Calypso St Barth (may it RIP — I loved that brand) before moving to the agency side. Elise took a break to spend two years traveling around Turkey before returning to the US as VP of Fashion for a New York-based PR firm. In non-pandemic times, Elise and her family split their time between New York, St. Barths, the Balearic Islands, Turkey, and Lake Como. Her bright-eyed, smart daughter looks to follow in her mother’s footsteps, boasting a similarly adventurous spirit as a budding ski star (at the age of five!)

I was further captivated by Elise and her business when I learned that she’d founded Golden Edit with a fellow female entrepreneur, Florencia. Born in Argentina, Florencia lived in Buenos Aires until her family moved to Australia when she was 12. Not knowing how to speak a word of English, she immersed herself in the “Aussie” culture and picked up the language quickly. Her experience with rapid language acquisition led her to pursue a Communications degree and in turn work as a journalist before switching gears to public relations. Like Elise, Florencia is a globetrotter, having recently traveled to a range of destinations including San Miguel, Second Valley, Mykonos, Santa Margherita, and Montego Bay.

Elise and Florencia have generously offered us 20% off their entire online boutique with code MAGPIE20 from now through February 28, 2021. This is the ideal time to snag one of the SZ Blockprints pieces I’ve been raving about for nearly two years — a key part of my summer uniform. Love this kurta, this maxi, and this caftan (I own several of this style). I’m also swooning over this pretty Loup Charmant dress and this billowy Mirth dress. Give me all the breezy sundresses, pls and thank you! They also carry the ultra-coveted Sarah Bray Bermuda sunhats!

Get to know Elise and Florencia and their beautiful business a bit better but following them on Instagram and reading about them in the questionnaire below.

Your favorite qualities in a woman. We love women who’ve built the lives they aspire to, especially if it involves sunshine! In a lot of ways, they were our inspiration in starting Golden Edit.

Your favorite heroine. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Yesterday, today, and always.

Your main fault. We’re always striving for more. We are never fully satisfied.

Your greatest strength. We very much complete one another, but our combined ability to take that initial leap into building this business. And also persistence!

Your idea of happiness. Summer year-round. We both grew up near the water (Florencia in Argentina and then Australia; Elise in St Barth’s and Mallorca) and are happiest chasing the sun. We created Golden Edit so we could live in a perpetual state of sunshine.

Your idea of misery. Not being able to travel; being “grounded.” This year has been so trying for that reason. Our bucket lists have never been so long. Summer 2021, here we come!

Currently at the top of your shopping lust list. A gorgeous Sarah Bray Bermuda hat complete with vintage ribbons.

Desert island beauty product. A dewy face mist that smells like coconuts.

Last thing you bought. Our very own cozy Summer, always crewneck sweatshirt.

I feel most empowered wearing… A great swimsuit and breezy cover up, on our way to a favorite beach for a morning swim. Oh, and freshly sun-kissed skin.

Favorite Magpie post. Every Woman of Substance post. We are forever inspired by strong women who’ve dared.

P.S. More warm weather finds.

P.P.S. Ironic that I wrote about wanderlust in August 2019, just a few months shy of being — in the words of Elise and Florencia — semi-permanently “grounded”!

P.P.P.S. Another way to feign warmer days: have an indoor BBQ or picnic! (Great recipes in both of those posts.)