Changemaker

Allison Bornstein

Changemaker|Allison Bornstein
Allison Bornstein’s approach to styling and wardrobe consultation reflect a focus on listening, supportiveness, and empathy. “A former boss once told me she worried about me in this industry because I’m too nice,” Bornstein, 35, says on a recent call from Los Angeles. With nearly half a million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, a new book, Wear It Well, and a packed schedule of FaceTime sessions with clients around the world who want to integrate their wardrobe choices with their emotional wellbeing, Bornstein advocates for a gentler path to unlocking personal style. “You can help people and have a critical eye while still being kind,” Bornstein says.
Take closet cleanouts. Influenced by her grandfather, a psychoanalyst, Bornstein sees these purges as opportunities for reflection, not penance and pants policing. “I’ve had clients in tears because they think I’m going to force them to get rid of things,” she says. “People are emotional about their connection to their clothes. Wardrobe edits doesn’t need to be that harsh.” Instead, Bornstein turns toward ritual and urges introspection. “Light a candle,” she writes in Wear It Well. “Let your shoulders soften.” Next comes breathwork and free flow journaling, writing down and releasing yourself from the lifetime of stinging, shaming remarks your inner critic (and your mother) sling in heavy rotation. Bornstein believes this act of calm confrontation will set you free and allow intent and vision to sharpen around looks that instill confidence.

The idea to develop a social-media-driven fashion advice business based on forging real connections to everyday people and their wardrobe concerns came to Bornstein after years of styling fashion editorials and celebrities. “It was always fun,” Bornstein says, “but I liked the idea of what the art director was wearing on set rather than what we were putting on the models.”
      “Magazines provide constant information about what to get and constant reminders to get more, but there’s less out there about after care, what to do with it, how to wear it, how to live with it, and when to let it go.”
      With a background in magazines, both as a lifelong reader and former Teen Vogue intern, Bornstein understands how to package information in a way that encourages action. Her “three words” method helps clients and followers develop a headline for their own style, pinpointing their guiding fashion principles so shopping and getting dressed can be experiences based on deeply held values rather than underlying anxiety. “Choosing three words helps my clients feel seen, and helps them see themselves,” Bornstein says. Wear It Well even offers a word wheel to aid readers in understanding where their preferences may land from categories like sporty, vintage, or soft, classic, bohemian, or daring.

      “Magazines provide constant information about what to get and constant reminders to get more, but there’s less out there about after care,” Bornstein says, “what to do with it, how to wear it, how to live with it, and when to let it go.” Her appreciation for Reluxe stems from her admiration for founder Clare Richardson’s legendary eye for timeless pieces and for its reliability when it comes to finding something special that feels pulled from the rack, not from an algorithm. “The curation is excellent,” Bornstein says, “and it’s so fulfilling to have the opportunity to pass on a piece you love to somebody else who will love it, too.”
      “The Reluxe curation is excellent, and it’s so fulfilling to have the opportunity to pass on a piece you love to somebody else who will love it, too.”
      As the holiday and winter travel seasons approach, Bornstein doubles down on connecting wardrobe to self-knowledge. “Keep your three words in mind when you’re going anywhere,” Bornstein says. “You want to avoid having a suitcase full of clothes that look like a costume of the place you’re going. I’ve done that more times than I’d like to admit. You don’t want to be cosplaying ‘Woman in Mexico.’ You want to be yourself in Mexico.”

      As year-end moves towards New Year’s resolutions, Bornstein offers one more future-facing tip characteristically rooted in the idea of standing in front of your closet and giving yourself ample grace. “It’s good to know your style and have your three words,” Bornstein says. “But it’s also good to evolve, to change, and to reach toward something when you’re getting dressed.”

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