Styleliner Founder Joey Wolffer Can't Resist a Bazaar

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Based in New York, The Styleliner is a mobile boutique that showcases finds from around the world. Founder and creative director Joey Wolffer travels the globe to find goods for her on-wheels showroom—which is based in a former potato-chip truck—and she's bringing her wares to the Park Hyatt Chicago this holiday season.

From December 3 through 23, the Holiday Styleliner Igloo at the Park in NoMI Winter Garden will offer a mini global emporium. Inside the igloo, gift-worthy goods will range from fur snoods by Glamourpuss to KMO Paris link necklaces.

But before we get to holiday gifts—we'll have plenty of that in the next couple weeks—we nominated Wolffer to close out our Travel Week in style. Below, get to know the trendsetter of the open road, and see if you can resist catching her wanderlust.

I love that the Styleliner boutique is in a converted Potato Chip truck! Did you find the truck, or did it find you?
Well, the original Styleliner came from a dealer in Illinois. It's not as easy as you might think to find a box truck in the size that we wanted! It was originally a Jays potato chips delivery truck. Their logo was "can't stop eating 'em" and you can still see it through the wrap.

Then Sara, my business partner, found our LA Styleliner after much time spent shopping on Truckpaper.com. The LA truck is an old government truck and has very low mileage. So we're excited to drive it all over the west coast!

Ok, same question for life on the road. Did it find you, or did you seek it?
I have always been lucky to be able to travel. It was a major part of my youth and some of my favorite memories with my family and my later family are from those travels. It only seems natural now that I love the road, discovering different places, cultures and design.

Give me the nuts and bolts of a Styleliner boutique. What can a newbie expect to find?
The Styleliner is the ultimate traveling treasure trove. It's every woman's dream walk-in closet, except it's on wheels! We're like a luxury souk stocked full of beautiful finds and designers from all over the world.

Ok, let's discuss those worldly finds. Where do you travel to, what do you look for, and what have been some of your most unexpected discoveries?
The items in the truck are a mixture of luxury designers and artisans from markets from all over the globe. Nothing excites me more than a bazaar or a vintage market, but we also go to some internationally renowned trade shows. Some of my favorite destinations are Istanbul, Rio, Ibiza, Buenos Aires, Paris, Kenya, and London. My goal is always to find something I have never seen before. I love discovering new designers who shock me with their creativity.

Has their creativity bled into your own? How, for example, has your personal style evolved as you travel more and more?
I am less confined by trends now, and allow myself to dress in a way that makes me confident. I absolutely love accessories, so clothing is much less important to me. I think of it as a blank canvas for all my cool finds .

Which city worldwide has the best style, in your opinion?
I have never been, but I think Tokyo. They are so ahead of trend there. They are daring, and I love that.

What's the most unusual beauty tip you've learned from another culture?
In Indonesia—my husband went to high school in Jakarta—there are ladies called the Jamu ladies. They go door to door selling traditional medicines and herbs that promise things such as "thicker hair", 'longer life", "business acumen" etc. They go from the mundane to the completely absurd, but many Indonesians believe in them. They also fix cars with black magic!

What's your favorite all-time travel film?
European Vacation—just kidding! I actually love the Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight series. I have always fantasized about traveling through Europe by train. The landscapes and settings throughout each film in this series are mesmerizing.

What's the best holiday present you've ever received and given?
I gave my Mom the most beautiful vintage Lanvin collar two years ago. I love it so much I kind of want to steal it back. The best gift I have been given? A trip to Uruguay with my best friend and my dad. It was the last vacation I went on with him so it will live with me forever.

People ask foodies what their last meal would be, so—not to be morbid!—what would your last trip be?
I am desperate to go to Laos, Burma, and Cambodia. And I'm dying to go to Nepal. I also really want to go to Santa Fe, but I think that will be an easier trip to make happen.
· Styleliner [Official Site]
· NoMI [Official Site]
· Travel Week 2013 [Racked Chicago]