Creative, Sophisticated, Approachable

Sarah will always have a special place in my heart because just after our initial consultation, everything shut down for the pandemic. I refunded her money and we just waited. 15 months later, when Poplin came out of hibernation, Sarah was one of the first clients I saw. She was so flexible and seemed to understand even more the value the service would have for her. We were both ready to dive in. As an author and a math and science tutor, Sarah’s pre-pandemic life included lots of in person travel to clients plus interaction with high school students and their parents. Her new reality includes a professional life that is almost totally working from home. At home, she had been living in leggings. At work, she wore more traditional collared shirts that didn’t quite feel like her. Her pieces needed to command authority with parents while feeling approachable to her students. And now, they all needed to be comfortable for working from home or heading out into the world. Equally important, Sarah is committed to sustainability and ethical fashion, so her new wardrobe would need to be ethically sourced.

Approach: The added year made Sarah even more willing to experiment. With a closet that consisted of old t-shirts, leggings and fleece, she opted to do something drastic- start from scratch. She wanted a, “polished yoga retreat,” vibe and had lots of quirky interests that we wanted to include in her collection. These created deep cuts with the kids and references that made her feel powerful in items that were authentic representations of her. We also limited pieces to sustainable options in soft fabrics that felt comfortable without looking sloppy and reflected her values. As a petite person, this would inevitably include tailoring so that she would shine in every outfit.

From the client:

One thing I was nervous about, when thinking about working with a stylist, was whether I would feel awkward, or like I was dressed as someone else. It was clear from the first meeting, though, that that was absolutely not going to be the case. Mellicia asked me so many questions, and I could tell she was digging down trying to really understand my sense of style, and what felt good to me. And holy cow she completely nailed it.