Hi, I'm Nicole. 

now i'm here to style you

I’ve been a personal stylist for women who’ve worked inside the White House, award-winning authors, and major fashion brands.

This woman is a force of nature. A sought-after speaker, an ivy league professor, and a published author whose work and research have appeared everywhere from The Wall Street Journal to NPR and The New York Times.

She is literally changing the world. Yet right now, having just returned from maternity leave, facing a nerve-wracking tenure decision, overworked and exhausted, this the what she asks me: 

“What do you think about this outfit? Do I look OK?”

Throughout my PR career and during my work at Harvard, being in close proximity to women in power has taught me that even the most accomplished women are not immune to letting their appearance dominate their headspace and steal their confidence. Meanwhile men have custom suits made and go about their business. Their expertise and legacy is undefined by their outfit choices. 

This is nothing new to me. But this time, something in me snaps. 

“Can I please be brutally honest?” I asked. 

I didn’t wait for her to answer.

“I think that none of the men around here worry about their looks when they are being asked about their expertise,” I said, taking off my necklace. “People are only going to see you from the waist up, so take my necklace and put on the purple top, because that white one washes you out. Remember that people need to hear what you have to say.” 

I had just spoken waaaay out of my paygrade. Big time. This woman was an influential academic and I was … not. She didn’t even know my name. 

The next morning, she appeared at my desk with my necklace in hand. Her smile told me everything. She showed me a clip of her segment. She looked amazing.  

And in that moment, I knew it was time to finally open my own personal styling business.

I’m standing outside a poorly lit bathroom stall consoling and reassuring one of the country’s leading public policy experts 45 minutes before her scheduled live interview on CNN.