It’s a beautiful, 80-degree day when fashion industry veteran Kerry Pieri and I sit down for coffee at Remedy House cafe. It’s a typical late summer morning in Buffalo’s Five Points neighborhood, and luckily the bumblebees don’t stop us from chatting on the patio. Ironically, we’re here to talk in part about the upcoming holidays—and how Pieri likes to host, in her new, yet old-fashioned, way.
“It’s a world creation. I get a picture in my head of what I want something to look like and then the perfectionist, Virgo part of me won’t quit looking on Etsy and eBay until I find it,” laughs Kerry. She’s wearing a tiered, drop-waist black maxi skirt and fitted white tank top, accessorized with an oversized silver shell pendant necklace, chunky black leather loafers, and lighter touches like a small black watch and beaded ankle bracelet.
People are also reading…
“I like simple, but for things to be interesting in some way. A different, unexpected shape—fabrics mean a lot to me. Good tailoring,” she adds, describing her style.
Finding a passion for fashion
The former digital fashion and features editor for Harper’s Bazaar Magazine for more than a decade, Pieri has always had an eye for art and aesthetics. Growing up in Buffalo, the youngest of four siblings, she always felt free to explore that creativity.
“I went to St. Mark’s and Nardin, these very kind of cozy institutions. I had a few wonderful teachers who encouraged my writing. My parents let me try things, and if it didn't fit, let it go,” observes Pieri, whose cool Aunt “KK” inspired her interest in art museums and learning more about astrology when she was a teen.
After meeting her now husband of 13 years, Steve Macari, and graduating from Loyola University with a double major in photography and writing and a minor in art history, Kerry moved to New York City in 2003. There, she continued to explore her passions and follow the “pings” from the universe.
“My first real job was at the jewelry brand, Chopard, as an assistant. It was in this beautiful Upper East Side mansion. It had all of the things that I pictured, in terms of being around beautiful things—but it was not fun,” she admits.
It would take several more years of exploring to allow Kerry to set her focus on fashion, starting in television production for a show called “Full Frontal Fashion” to freelance writing for sites like Refinery 29 to becoming the editorial director for the site StyleCaster.
“When I started … experiencing all the runway shows and doing industry interviews, I fell in love with it,” she says. “I've always been interested in art and books and fashion—all of it. But that's what made me lean into this path. Then the fashion industry started moving into this digital space for the first time in a real way. I loved the pace of working online and that there were all these other media elements.”
A return to Buffalo
She began work for Harper's Bazaar in 2011—styling, writing, and directing the magazine’s digital covers.
“It was a dream job,” Kerry says, but the pandemic brought her back to Buffalo in 2020 to be closer to her family.
“Everything changed a lot, and it felt like the universe was telling me it was this beautiful experience and it was time to close that chapter,” she says. “I think I realized you want to create for yourself at some point. I want to be able to have my vision around me, and I think that taking ownership has something empowering to it.”
So after two years of remote work, Pieri decided to leave her job and start building something herself.
Inspired by her daughter, Lila (now 7), she published her first children’s book, “Baby’s First Zodiac,” in 2023. Currently contributing to Vogue, Women's Wear Daily, Eyeswoon and Architectural Digest, Pieri also writes a personal bi-monthly e-newsletter on Substack and partners as an influencer with lifestyle brands.
Setting a special table
"That juxtaposition of the casual and airy with stately pieces; there's something really elegant about that,” Kerry says of her hosting style.
Eventually buying an 1890 Victorian home in the city, Kerry, similarly to her personal style, has decorated it with a mix of modern and classic pieces—often hosting her extended family for the holidays on the top floor, her family’s typical hangout area.
“We kind of created our own little world here,” she says. “I love collecting a lot of art. Things that make it livable and interesting.”
Using the tablescape as a way to create a special but relaxed atmosphere, Kerry prefers mixing casual and elegant pieces (she’s a dedicated local estate sale shopper, always on the lookout for a set of 12).
“I’ll put up a big table and have different chairs up there. I put out these old candelabras that I've collected, with goblets and actual silver—but then mix it with a little bit more of a laid-back linen tablecloth,” she explains. “That juxtaposition of the casual and airy with stately pieces, there's something really elegant about that.”
She emphasizes for hosts to focus on the details that they love—not stress about every little thing.
“Just making it special, I think it makes people feel special,” she says. “They’re in your home, you’re opening the good bottle of champagne and pouring it into the goblets—just enough bougie.”
As for what to wear while hosting? Kerry says she’ll likely be barefoot, wearing something cozy and black with a red lip and a slicked-back ponytail—’90s minimalist.
“You know it’s a bit elegant, but not too dressy,” she says. “You’re still in the holiday world.”
