From FBI meets Dior to Archival Riveria - Sarah's Midlife Style Evolution
My client Sarah gets personal on how working together helped her shift her mindset and evolve her personal style in times of transition.
Where It All Began: Navigating Life’s Transitions
When Sarah reached out to me, she was in the midst of a midlife transition and knew her style needed to evolve to reflect who she was and where she was headed.
"I was at a point where we were coming out of the pandemic. I had been in a role that was very male-centric—emergency management—with a style I would describe as FBI meets Dior. A lot of militaristic design and tight tailoring, but with feminine touches.
After three years of working virtually, I was about to start with a new consulting firm in a completely different industry. I knew I’d be client-facing, and I wanted to cultivate a different presentation, but I didn’t know where to start. My style had evolved, but I felt stuck wearing lounge clothes in my third-floor office. I wasn’t the same person I was in 2019, and I needed help bridging that gap.
I’m always astonished still when I talk about the way you helped me navigate that moment of transition - the before/after - this is where I was ten years ago and this is where I am today.”
Investing in and Showing Up for Yourself as you are Today
For many of us, style can be tangled up with the stories we tell ourselves about what we should be wearing or where we need to get to before we feel “ready.” Throughout my process, Sarah began to see how much power there is in embracing who she is right now.
"Before working with you, I was skeptical that this process would bring about any real mindset shifts. I thought, ‘I am who I am; this is how I operate.’ What really surprised me is that in an incredibly short amount of time, you helped me rethink everything.
I learned to stop waiting to lose 20 pounds or reach some future version of myself before I invested in myself and in clothes that made me feel good. Now, I show up wearing things I love—things that make me feel confident, no matter what self-critical thoughts might creep in.
You also taught me to be really intentional about what I bring into my wardrobe. Instead of buying things randomly, I now take my time to identify pieces that truly work for my life and reflect my personal style.
I also love the concept of my ‘new version’ of something that I used to wear and love that no longer suits me. That really helped me let go of pieces I was holding onto that were very nostalgic but no longer fit me.”
“I learned to stop waiting to lose 20 pounds before I invested in myself and in clothes that made me feel good. Now, I show up wearing things I love that make me feel confident.”
A detail of a Cinq a Sept blouse from Sarah’s curated wardrobe.
Working Together: Finding Confidence and Self Care Through the Process
Our work together started with a easy chat about where she was, what she envisioned, and what was holding her back. For Sarah, it wasn’t just about buying new clothes—it was about how she wanted to show up.
“The experience of working with you was really phenomenal. First, you have just a brilliant sense of aesthetic taste and quality, all the things that I aspire to bring into my own presentation in the world.
The second thing is that you’re hugely empathetic of women and of women of our age are going through in midlife and all struggles around how we presents ourselves in the world.
The phenomenal taste, the development of personal style and aesthetic combined with the challenges of where we are in our lives. It’s not just about clothes. It’s about sensitivity, forgiveness, and learning to care for ourselves again. It’s just a really brilliant combination.”
Seeing the Possibilities: How a Style Board helps visualize how you want to look and feel
To help Sarah uncover what she really wanted to wear and how she wanted to present herself, we start with a style board. It’s a simple but powerful tool that helps identify what you are drawn to and see the possibilities for your unique style.
“One of the first steps of your process is the development of a style board on Pinterest. I remember thinking… this will be easy and fun, but I underestimated the impact that it would have on developing a personal curated style.
You begin to see a style emerge in the things that you’re drawn to - from a color palette to textures to silhouettes, you begin to see things fitting together and working together in a cohesive way. I find I still revisit my style board to this day because your style continually evolves and this process helps you with the curation and it helps you with the choices you make.”
“It’s not just about clothes. It’s about sensitivity, forgiveness, and learning to care for ourselves again. It’s just a really brilliant combination.”
Sarah’s Style Board - Elegant, Refined, Classy
Letting Go: Inside and Out
After creating a style board, the next step was to edit and curate Sarah’s wardrobe to align with her vision. It’s more than letting go of clothes in your closet - it’s about letting go of expectations and stories you tell yourself and making room for who you are today.
“There’s a piece to your work that is about letting go. I had been holding onto clothing that hadn’t fit me for probably 7 years or so at that point, because I just kept telling myself I’m not going to buy any new clothes until I lose the weight and get back to that ideal weight for myself.
But what that meant, I had literally nothing to wear. I had almost no clothes that I felt great in or that I felt like I could present myself in the in the world, and so that was really a barrier at that point.
You helped me unlock a simple question: ‘Would I buy this today?’ Suddenly, it was so easy to let go of things that no longer suited me or reflected who I was. I realized I’d been clinging to an old version of myself instead of embracing where I am now."
Defining Your Style in Words: Uncovering What Makes You Feel Like You
As Sarah’s style began to take shape, we identified her “Style Words,” giving her a framework for curating pieces that truly reflected what made her feel like her.
“I found that when you label your personal style, it helps you inhabit a particular aesthetic. It also really helps with curation, because you begin to think in terms of - Does this meet that kind of vibe I’m going for? I really find it kind of fun. It’s like something thats like your own little secret.
We came up with a description for my style that really reflects who I am today ‘Archival Riviera.’ It’s a mix of my love for art history and anthropology with relaxed, tailored pieces: linen, loafers, feminine blouses. Having those words helps me stay grounded in what feels authentic, while still allowing room to experiment.”
A Curated Wardrobe: Intentional choices that reflect who you are
We focused on building a curated wardrobe that felt intentional and personal to Sarah. This process was about making choices that aligned with who she was—not following trends or trying to fit into someone else’s mold.
“I love how you highlight a distinction between capsule wardrobe and curated wardrobe. Because a capsule wardrobe concept always felt really boring to me. You know like the idea of even going on vacation and only having black, white and gray clothing just is really unappealing.
The idea with curation is that you’re streamlining by making very deliberate and distinct choices. And those choices align with one another, so this is where you don’t go into the store and just randomly pick things because you think, oh this is popular, this is trendy. You’re choosing items that work for you and when you wear them, you feel your most true self.”
"The idea with curation is that you’re streamlining by making very deliberate and distinct choices. You’re choosing items that work for you and when you wear them, you feel your most true self.”
Sarah embodying her Archival Riviera life.
Sarah’s story is such a beautiful example of what happens when you approach style with intention and self-compassion. It’s about showing up in a way that feels true to who you are so you can step into what’s next.
If you are ready to step into what’s next for you, let’s chat. xo, Laura