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Say hey, Maria Dietz! Meet the SoCal-based Unlimited member who spends her days project managing large-scale technical initiatives at the University of Southern California. Also a mom of 4 and regular community fundraiser, Maria has mastered the art of dressing (and living!) with multi-tasking in mind. We were lucky to snag a spot on her calendar to talk business (she has an MBA, by the way), bomber jackets and why she rents through RTR Unlimited.
Pants: FINDERS KEEPERS
Tell us about your job! What do you do and how did you get there?
I’m a technical project manager at USC. I run software implementation that support the entire University. I work with large cross-functional teams and senior leaders to make it happen. Prior to this job, I worked at a startup and prior to that, I worked as a project manager at Hewlett-Packard.
Currently renting?
I’m a dresses or jeans and jacket kind of person. I like any kind of cool bomber or moto jacket. For dresses, I like ladylike dresses for events and the power dresses for work when I have meetings with senior leaders. I just rented the Amanda Uprichard Angela Dress and that was a really nice sophisticated black dress that I could wear to an executive meeting with the vice presidents of the University that still had style. And I also love Diane von Furstenberg. Her wrap dresses work for my body type, so I wear them a lot. And, of course, anything by Tibi.
JACKET: OPENING CEREMONY
Do you have a style icon?
I do! My style icon is Emmanuelle Alt, the Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris. She is very fashionable and cutting edge, yet functional. She’s not fussy – I don’t like fussy – she’s just cool, especially her jackets. Living in Southern California, you can wear jeans to everything, so if you throw on a cool blazer or jacket, it takes it up a notch.
Power lady you look up to?
My first power lady is my own manager at USC. She’s the assistant CIO. She’s always composed. She’s just a role model in how she conducts herself. Whenever there’s chaos, uncertainty, she always keeps it together. Your boss is 90% of your work experience, so the fact that mine is a woman and she’s so put together is very cool.
My second role model is Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. She’s the coolest. She was the first female finance minister of France. She’s so stylish (silver fox!) and brilliant.
DRESS: TORY BURCH
How’d you discover Unlimited?
I had used Rent the Runway in the past for renting dresses for events. That’s how I was introduced. But I also listen to the podcast Bitch Sesh (I’m a hardcore ‘Housewives’ fan) and they recently had an ad for Unlimited. I thought, ‘Oh, I have to try that.’ I never go shopping, I only order online. I’m very busy, I work full-time, I’m a mom of 4 kids… I don’t have time to go shopping. (I don’t really like shopping.) With Unlimited, I can just knock it out, it’s efficient. I like that because I’m a Project Manager. So, when I checked it out, I looked at the brands and was like… no brainer.
Renting gives me the freedom to…
Be creative and edgy while allowing me to invest in classics! It allows me to focus on buying investment pieces, like my neutrals, while also trying new brands I’ve never had the opportunity to buy.