The Allison Bornstein Newsletter

I have a confession to make. I have never actually done the THREE WORD METHOD. Sure, I have picked three words to describe my style, but I did so HERE in 2018 and was just sort of testing out the idea. This was WAY before TikTok, WAY before my book, and WAY before I really refined the process. So while I was telling my clients and readers and followers to get really deep and insightful and specific with their words, I was working with three words that I just chose on instinct—CLASSIC, 70’S, ELEGANT.

I have always been obsessed with clothes. And “obsessed” is not hyperbole here. I am, and always have been, truly consumed by clothing. My parents had me when they were relatively young and were the first of their friends to have a baby. So I spent a lot of time around “adults” (if you would call people in their 20s adults). I talked early, but more importantly, I listened. I observed. My mom describes me as a kid who was happy to sit on the sidelines and watch.

The Allison Bornstein Newsletter

I have been on public record saying that with fashion, there are no rules. And I do believe that. There are no overarching rules that everybody should follow. There is no checklist to create the perfect capsule. We don’t all need the same things to have a functional wardrobe. I have also taken the whimsical approach that you need to find your style by trial and error, by gathering references, by living life.

We gather here today in love to celebrate the life (and death) of some of the most problematic pieces in my closet. We tried to make it work... we brought it to the tailor, we packed it for trips in hopes it was the location that was limiting us, we said we would dye it / hem it / layer it. We did our best. But now it is time to let it rest. The fashion funeral (aka a closet clean-out) is always a great time to reflect.

Two summers ago (!!) I created these little archetypes to help me get dressed for the season: Desert Aunt and Surfer Nephew. Desert Aunt is a little boho, Surfer Nephew is a little beachy and there is some unexpected crossover (more on that HERE). But the real intention behind these personas is a bit deeper than fun fodder for content.

On vacation... and always Last month, I wrote about a tip that I have been talking about more and more with my clients. I am calling it the SUITCASE METHOD, and it pretty much asks you to do more with less. The inspiration behind this tip was the many comments that I have received from clients about how it is actually way easier to get dressed on vacation. This is because you have fewer things. You are forced to make choices and do a little edit.

As someone who wrote a book about personal style (with another on the way!!!!) and spends about 20 hours a week talking to people about finding and expressing their unique and personal style, one might assume that I am trend-averse. After all, I am often advocating for us to discover what makes us different and original. But the truth is…I like trends, I follow trends, and most importantly, I see the value in trends. I think trends allow us to participate, evolve, and feel modern in our style.

Thank you Sara Crampton, Anna E Cottrell, Katie, Tammy Wahl, Elena, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. Get more from Allison Bornstein in the Substack app Available for iOS and Android

I don’t want to brag, but I think I drop a lot of tips in each newsletter—to the point that they might feel a little dense at times. So I wanted to extract the best tips: the tips that I use personally and the tips that I employ most when working with clients. This is your free styling session… enjoy!! Just a note: in this newsletter, I focus on STYLING and working with what you have, which is the crux of my ethos. Shop your closet.