Celebrity stylist Allison Bornstein is someone I always look to for great fashion advice. Not only does she dress her clients like Katie Holmes in seriously covetable outfits, but she also makes it a point to make cool style accessible to everyone. In my opinion, she is exactly the type of person we need in fashion right now. Her Instagram (@allisonbornstein6) is an amazing resource for fashion ideas, as she uses the platform to bring her expertise to everyone, not just her A-list clientele. There, she breaks down exactly how to wear wardrobe staples and trends at all price points.
Right now, she’s offering FaceTime consultations that walk people through their personal styling questions, meaning face-to-face time with an industry expert to guide you through anything from which pieces you should keep versus donate to how to wear the latest trends. Intrigued, I booked a session with Bornstein and asked her to help me restyle some of my most-worn basics and give me inspiration for new ways to wear them. Ahead, see the takeaways from my FaceTime makeover with Allison Bornstein.
Bornstein and I started out our FaceTime call talking about how, exactly, I wanted to utilise the hour. Did I want to know how to style a tricky piece or have her walk me through her full wardrobe-editing system? For me, I was curious about how she could help me restyle my main wardrobe staples in interesting ways.
Lay out the basics: First, I laid out some of the most-worn pieces in my closet that I’m still wearing right now (a blazer, silk button-down, jeans, leggings, slip dress, white T-shirt) and asked Allison to help me find new ways to wear them. Photograph the looks together: Next, I took her through my closet so she could get a sense of my personal style and the pieces I had to work with. Then, we put looks together, and I snapped photos of each of them so I could try them on after our call. Scroll down to see the outfits she styled for me.
Here is the leggings look we put together during our call. I wanted to figure out a way to dress up leggings since they’ve become such a core part of my wardrobe at home right now.
Recently, I’ve been embracing leggings as pants. They’re basically a much more comfortable version of black pants—something I’ve realised in recent weeks. I was curious to know how Bornstein would style leggings in a new way and loved her suggestion of pairing them with a button-down top and pair of kitten heels—an outfit that immediately elevates leggings in an easy way.
I love styling collared shirts unbuttoned from the waist.
Inexpensive but they look so luxe.
Kitten heels are the ultimate comfortable heels that go with practically everything.
Bornstein recommended layering on gold jewellery.
Here, we started with the jeans as the base piece, then added in this silky top. Bornstein suggested adding a belt to lend more shape, so I dug this one out to add to the outfit.
You’ll keep this forever.
These jeans are an editor favourite.
A great building-block piece.
A great heel detail.
You’ll never want to take this off.
White T-shirts are a staple I wear over and over again, but it’s usually with jeans, so I wanted to pull together something a little different. Bornstein again recommended the leggings as a starting point. Then, we added in a blazer, loafers, and gold jewellery.
This is the perfect outfit for me to wear for conference calls. It looks very together but is still comfortable enough to wear all day long at home.
Weekday do some of the best white T-shirts.
You’ll live in these.
Find a versatile blazer like this one.
I’ve owned these for years.
I’m wearing chain necklaces with everything right now.
Slip dresses are something I’ve been wearing at home because they’re easy to throw on, super comfortable, and instantly make me feel more put-together without much effort. To add a little dimension, Bornstein suggested adding a blazer on top and a pair of kitten heels.
I’ve never thought of adding a blazer with a slip dress but love the contrast the boxy jacket makes with the silky slip. This is definitely something I’ll be repeating outside the house in the future.
