The Style Maven

With over two decades of experience in the fashion industry, Net-a-porter’s global buying director Elizabeth van der Goltz believes in classic and modern dressing, but always with a personal twist.

- Debby Kwong

“My style icons are a mix of Ali McGraw, Lauren Hutton and Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface.

Born in New York, with her growing up years spent in Tokyo, London and Hong Kong, Elizabeth van der Goltz would often travel and visit museums with her parents. Her father would take the family to all the best designer shops in Europe to have suits and shirts made. Even in Hong Kong, she would visit all the local tailors to shop for fabrics and have her clothes made.

Van der Goltz’s favourite part of her job is “seeing the beautiful collections up close, and meeting so many creative and talented people”.

The 47-year-old still subscribes to the same style philosophy today: investing in wardrobe classics to buy now and wear forever. A khaki trench coat, a forever shirt, a navy blazer, a slick black dress and a turtleneck are her key essentials. “I also look for updated versions that will remain interesting in years to come. Giuliva Heritage and Gabriela Hearst are brands offering true, timeless fashion, making your wardrobe work harder for you.”

“I’m obsessed with everything that Daniel Lee is doing at Bottega Veneta. It is very modern, luxe and clean.”

She adds: “I’ve always loved fashion, but didn’t know it could be a career.” With a degree in art history, she got her break as an assistant buyer for private label Ronald van der Kemp at Barneys in 1997. She then worked at Bergdorf Goodman for 14 years before joining Net-a-porter in 2017.