client feature: erin’s style breakthrough
This past week, I wrapped up a very special 90-day 1:1 coaching program with my client, Erin. This is an in-depth account of my experience deciphering her style, and a visual evolution of her outfits over the 90 days. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably recognize this beautiful face:
Photo cred: Shannon the Photographer
Erin is a Summer Ethereal Dangerous. But it took time to get there.
Meet cute
Erin and I connected at one of the Rise Style Summits in 2021. She was feeling disjointed in her style, and overwhelmed with how to navigate the wardrobe expectations in her male-dominated field of business consulting. She wanted to move seamlessly from working from home, to the local coffee shop, to mom life, to date night, and back again. She was tired of multiple daily costume changes. It was easier to default to leggings and a fuzzy pullover.
Selfies courtesy of Erin.
Can everyone see my screen?
In every male-dominated field, there is a standard item of apparel that catches on and permeates the company culture. At Erin’s company, it’s the Patagonia Better Sweater quarter-zip. Erin found the girl version, in her Summer colors, and was riding that thing straight to Zoom hell.
She deserved better and she knew it. We started by elevating her athleisure game, by incorporating joggers, crop tops, and on-trend sneakers, she could move from WFH to the coffee shop with ease. We were feeling great.
Then something happened.
A glitch in the Matrix
I am proud of my style archetyping system. It works exceedingly well, for 99% of my clients. Erin was the 1%. When we graduated from leisurewear into workwear and social garments, I started to see that her original archetypes (Charming Classic/Playful Dangerous) were wrong. Plain blazers fell flat, tiny florals looked childish, quirky/androgynous pieces were costume-y, and exaggerated structure was overpowering her. After a few rounds of try-ons and no sparks, I was flummoxed. It’s no wonder Erin came to me at her wits end!
And then, we had this photo shoot.
Image credit Katherine Renee Photography
Second Wife Energy
Erin’s 90-day program included a confidence retreat, which took the form of a photo shoot I was styling for my friend Kristen Tatko, a talented Pittsburgh-based hair and makeup artist. Kristen wanted red carpet-ready looks for her new Lookbook, and I decided to push Erin out of her comfort zone and lean into her Dangerous side with the pieces I chose for her. Erin was nervous, UNTIL she put the dresses on.
Fireworks. I can’t quite describe it in typed words, but the energy in the whole building shifted when Erin put these gowns on. She became scary-hot, so much so we were calling her the Second Wife. I think that energy shows in the photos. Something in my stylist brain shifted, too.
Hitting the books
I started brushing up on the Kibbe types, which are coming back into the zeitgeist as of late, and that’s when it hit me. There is an industry-recognized archetype that I had not encountered much in real life, and had relegated to celebrity style and deemed not of use to me as a Stylist of the People: Ethereal. Ethereals are delicate, angelic, angular-yet-soft, and youthful in an ageless, immortal way.
It made sense with Erin’s body architecture… What if Erin isn’t a Charming Classic/Playful at all, but an Ethereal? What if we took the Dangerous side we tapped into at the photo shoot, and combined it with Ethereal for her main wardrobe? I wanted to find out.
On the left, is an outfit that should have worked for a Charming Classic/Playful, but it wasn’t working on Erin. It was fine, and nothing more. Certainly not fireworks.
On the right, a Proenza Schouler dress that is 100% Ethereal Dangerous, in Erin’s cool, soft Summer grays. The dropped waist and asymmetrical hemline gave us edge, and the swirling pattern and dreamy fabric feel airy and atmospheric. We popped on her own powder blue moto jacket and taupe booties, and y’all. My jaw was on the ground.
It was a turning point. I still get chills when I think about it!
This is what it looks like when your archetypes, colors, and body architecture are locked in. It’s magic.
Before Ethereal Dangerous (left) and after (right).
From socializing with friends, to date nights, to concerts in the park, Erin’s Ethereal Dangerous archetype follows her everywhere. She even went on to wear a sheer lace thong bodysuit on a rave-themed bike ride in the city. Who does that? SHE DID THAT. (Yes, there are photos. No, I’m not posting them on my blog.)
My coaching clients take daily selfies as part of their homework, and I love seeing their progress over time. Notice how she stands differently in the outfits on the right of each photo.
Before Ethereal Dangerous (left) and after (right).
Classic Dangerous (left) and 100% Dangerous (right)
It’s been 90 days, and Erin is not playing small anymore. I asked her what she felt when she looked at the “before” photos. She said this:
“Combination sad for her/grateful to now have better tools. Also sympathetic toward her ‘cause this shit is hard!”
It is hard. But she did it. She did it at the perfect time, when she was ready, no sooner. That’s how it works. And now, she is free to push and take risks within the framework of her own personal style.
She even bought a burgundy power suit to wear to work. That’s what bold women do when they’ve leveled up. The Patagonia Better Sweater Boys should be very afraid - she’s Dangerous, after all.
