Confident in Color: A Luxury Wardrobe Stylist’s Tips for Embracing Vibrancy in Life and in Fashion

Ms. Bernay has been there. After years of working tirelessly at her retail styling career, including positions with high-end department stores, the pandemic hit. “It all came crashing down,” she said. “I lost part of my identity, along with the only career I’d ever known.” She also realized she had begun wearing all black, every day. “I felt like I didn’t have a voice. My focus was about all my clients and their needs, so I had nothing left for myself.”
She found her voice again, and now helps her clients—including CEOs, celebrities, and philanthropists—do the same. Her styling philosophy focuses on choosing clothing based not on designer names or price tags, but on each individual’s unique joys and vision. “When it’s time to get dressed, we need to stop and ask ourselves, ‘Who am I today and where do I want my life to go? What should I wear that empowers me?’” she said.
She recalled a client who found herself at a crossroads when her youngest child graduated high school. “Who am I now?” “Where do I go next?” “What do I want from my life?” she asked herself. The answer was that she had always wanted to be bolder, express her feminine side more, and take more risks with clothing. “So we did just that,” Ms. Bernay said. “We picked brighter colors, power bags, and gold hoop earrings. Her choices told me that she was ready to show up with certainty. When she looked in the mirror, it was a moment of magic.”
While we’re often tempted to reach for our all-black uniforms, Ms. Bernay points out that as humans, we instinctively gravitate to color in the natural world—and in the people around us. “We are naturally drawn to those that express themselves boldly, with confidence and courage,” she said.
I love to add a colorful shoe to a neutral outfit. This allows me to have a simple look that is elevated by the shoe. And shoes are some of my favorite things!
You will always catch me with a pop of color on my lips. No matter what clothes I wear, I also use my lips as a way to “speak” for my style.
If you’re afraid of color, the easiest way to dive in is by wearing monochromatic outfits. They elongate you and are a chic way to feel polished.
Choose a single anchor piece to be the foundation of each outfi; it can be a favorite pair of shoes, a blouse, pants, or a new scarf. Then you can build an entire outfit around it.
Get out of the habit of thinking that today’s just another Tuesday, and nothing special is going to happen. Instead, imagine that something really magical will happen. ­­What do you want to be wearing that will make it even more memorable?
We’re in our own heads all the time, and how we speak to ourselves matters. You deserve to feel good, so wear what makes you happy, and give yourself the compliments you’d give to anybody else.