In the latest episode of the What Do You Do? podcast, Adam Hanslow-Smith, founder of Dandelion Video Production sat down with personal stylist Elise Hughes.
Thanks to films and TV, personal stylists are often portrayed as judgemental gatekeepers working exclusively with the wealthy. But Elise’s approach is grounded in science and accessibility – using colour analysis based on optical principles and style analysis based on skeletal proportions to help clients make confident, intentional clothing choices.
“When you know what suits you, you can feel confident buying something more expensive, rather than something on sale, because you know it will last for years and you will get the value out of it,” explains Elise.
One of her most dramatic wardrobe edits saw a client with 80 dresses – only 12 made it back into the wardrobe. “She didn’t even know she had some of them because there was so much stuff. It was completely overwhelming,” says Elise. “With less to choose from, she actually had more to wear.”
Elise’s own journey into personal styling began when her sister bought her a colour analysis class. As a stay-at-home mum and farmer’s wife, Elise had “lost her sparkle a little bit.” Seeing herself in the mirror surrounded by colours that suited her was transformative: “I saw the old me, from before I’d had my kids, and I was like – she’s not dead. She’s still in there.”
The full episode is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts. Visit Dandelion’s website for this episode and more.