Stepping into the world of personal styling has been a fulfilling and life-changing experience for Luisa. After nearly two decades as a fashion buyer, working with everything from handbags and accessories to swimwear and dresses, she found herself craving a career that better aligned with her personal life and passions. At the age of 39, Luisa took the leap into personal styling, driven by her love for fashion and her desire to empower women to feel confident in their own skin.
In this blog, Luisa shares her journey from the fast-paced world of fashion buying to becoming a personal stylist. She reflects on the challenges, joys, and lessons she’s learned along the way, as well as the insights she’s gained about style, body confidence, and building a fulfilling career while balancing family life. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to make a career out of your passion or are considering personal styling as a profession, Luisa’s story might just inspire you to take that next step.
Q: Hi Luisa, thank you for taking the time to share your inspiring story. I’m looking forward to hearing about your journey from fashion buyer to personal stylist, learning more about your passion for empowering women, and discovering how your life has changed since leaving the corporate world to pursue your dream career. So here it goes. First question: What did you do before becoming a stylist?
A fashion buyer for over 17 years. I bought ladies handbags and accessories, swimwear, and dresses.
Q: That’s such an incredible background! It must have given you amazing insight into trends, quality, and what customers really want. What age were you when you decided to become a stylist?
A: I was 39 when I decided to make the switch to becoming a personal stylist.
Q: Making such a bold career move at 39 shows incredible courage and passion. Why did you feel personal styling was the job for you?
A: I’ve worked in fashion since my very first job at school and has been a lifelong passion. I quit my career in buying due to extensive worldwide travel and balancing life with two small children. I decided to become a stylist as I was doing it for friends and family alongside my buying career and decided to give it my all! There is nothing I don’t know about fabrics, women’s body shapes, colours, factories, and retailers, and I decided a career in styling means I can pass my knowledge on to other women, giving them the confidence to understand their bodies and the world of style too!
Q: It’s so inspiring how you turned your lifelong passion and wealth of experience into a career that empowers other women. How does your personal styling business fit into your life?
A:Being a mum of 2 daughters means I can now be around for pick-ups and drops-off as I manage my own diary accordingly. Most of my clients are happy to work midweek in the day, and I also work Saturday mornings.
Q: That sounds like a wonderful balance! Being able to manage your diary to prioritize your family while doing something you’re passionate about is such a win. It must be so rewarding to have that flexibility and still help your clients feel amazing. What’s the best thing about being a personal stylist?
A:Working with so many lovely women. Empowering women to not just be body-accepting but body-confident is the biggest perk. Growing up in the 80’s/90’s, I know how hard it is to feel good about the way you look in the mirror. But helping so many women of different sizes, ages, and lifestyles has not only allowed me to grow professionally but also personally. Dressing yourself can be so overwhelming for some, and being able to take that pressure away for people is a true joy.
Q: What a beautiful answer! Helping women move from simply accepting their bodies to truly feeling confident is such powerful work. So, what’s been the greatest challenge in your styling career so far?
A: Being brave in my pricing. As it was always such a hobby for me, deciding on my pricing strategy was (and still is) very uncomfortable. Ideally I’d do it for free! But the time it takes not only on each appointment but the prep and after work goes unseen but can often be more work than the appointments themselves. Knowing your worth and the expertise you have to pass on is so important in knowing people aren’t just paying for a’styling service’ but their paying for your experience and knowledge.
Q: I completely understand where you’re coming from—knowing your worth is such a challenge for so many in the creative and service industries! More of a personal question: how would you describe your own style?
A: Number one is comfortable! You will not see me in the daytime in sky-high stilettos! I like to be relaxed but put together, and you won’t see me without my jewellery!
Q: Comfort first—love that! It’s so refreshing to hear someone embrace relaxed yet put-together style. Moving onto our community, you are part of our stylist community. What do you enjoy the most about this?
A: Knowing someone will always have an answer to any question you have.
Q: That’s such a great point! Having a supportive community where you can always find answers and get advice is invaluable. It really makes a difference to have people who understand your challenges and are willing to help, and we always try to do that in our community. Now moving onto training, if you have completed any training courses with The Image Consulting Company, how did you find the training?
A:Invaluable. I couldn’t have done my job without it and still use the colour analysis techniques I used nearly 5 years on.
Q: That’s amazing to hear! It’s clear that the training really set a solid foundation for your work. The fact that you’re still using those techniques after nearly five years just shows how impactful and timeless they are. I’m really pleased to hear that! What advice would you give someone who was considering personal styling as a job?
A: It’s a beautiful career, but you have to give it your all. Make sure you support others in your industry, as it’s a very small place. Number one is to be nice to yourself and don’t criticise the way you look, as you will then see the beauty in yourself in others, and it will make your job so much easier as the majority of the role is empowering others to be confident.
Q: Such wise advice! I love how you highlight the importance of supporting others in the industry and being kind to yourself. When you embrace your own beauty, it truly makes it easier to help others see their own. What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your journey?
A: That putting yourself out there on social media, although often uncomfortable, is the best way to get your personality across and grow an authentic audience. Ultimately, people are buying from you, not just what services you offer or how much you charge.
Q: That’s such a valuable lesson! It can be daunting at first, but it’s so true that your personality is what really connects with people. Social media allows potential clients to get a feel for who you are beyond your services, and that trust can make all the difference. For the last question, what does the future hold for you?
A: Of course, to free my business further, but ultimately, I would love to train up and coming stylists too and pass on my years of knowledge.
That’s such an exciting vision for the future! Passing on your years of experience to the next generation of stylists would be incredibly rewarding. Your knowledge and passion would be such a valuable resource for them, & I look forward to you joining and supporting me in the one-day colour analysis training in Manchester in the new year.
To connect with Luisa, you can follow her on Instagram here @luisagstylist
