Why I Became a Stylist - Kathrine Eldridge

For some, fashion has been in their blood since the get-go.  Not so much for me. Fashion became an acquired taste.  As a child, I wanted cool Guess jeans like most kids but that was about it.  My sister had better clothes than I did, so I would try to borrow hers.  Fat chance on that.  After getting my undergrad and master’s degrees in music performance  (I am a flutist), I started to work in the retail world to pay the bills.  I mostly worked in the beauty industry but when I had my first child it became hard to work at the corporate level and take care of my son.  I decided to work part-time at a high-end women’s clothing boutique in the hippest neighborhood in Chicago, Bucktown.  The store was Helen Yi and my whole sense of what affordable clothes were was thrown out the window.

It was here at Helen Yi that I learned what fashion was all about.  Helen, the owner, became my mentor and taught me all about fashion and how amazing and exhilarating it can be. (Chloe, Barbara Bui, Derek Lam, Alexander McQueen – who wouldn’t be excited!)  Her angle on it was that it can be classic, clean and sophisticated.  I adopted these ideas into my own sense of style.  After working there for several years, I had to move to Boulder, Colorado because of family circumstances.  I loved the one on one interactions I had with clients, so I found a job in Boulder at a wonderful boutique called Max which also satisfied my cravings to be around gorgeous clothes.Max carried many high-end designers as well (Lanvin, Rick Owens, Prada) but there were also more bohemian and feminine designers that the store embraced.  I was there for a year and half and when I returned back to Chicago, I brought some of that edgy/bohemian style with me.

I returned to my city of Chicago and went back to Helen Yi for a couple more years until I decided to move to the burbs. (Not as exciting as the city but I love that there is no traffic.) Since I had two kids, it became impossible to work a retail-type of schedule.  During this time I started to help friends and family with their closets and help solve all their fashion conundrums.  My good friend Amy suggested that I start my own styling business.  I felt a little nervous when I considered it but knew that I had a passion for fashion and styling women.  I decided to go for it and I’m so happy that I did. It gives me great joy to help women find their own sense of style which gives them confidence to face the world.  I love when clients stay in touch and keep me abreast on what’s going on in their closets as well as their lives.

Urban Darling was my first step of my journey as a wardrobe stylist.  Many of the stylists from UD gave me the confidence to go out there and find clients.  Their advice and suggestions has made my styling business a success and I am truly grateful.  Even though we all come from different parts of the country and are from different backgrounds, we all want to make all you ladies out there feel beautiful and confident.  Call us! And by the way, my sister wants to borrow my clothes now.