HERSTORY: CARLA
Meet Carla. Today she’s a personal stylist and owner of Style in the City, a career she’s built centered around her love of fashion and love of clients willingness to present the best versions of themselves.
A Texas native, she spent her childhood loving the outdoors, dressing the part of the tomboy rather than a fashionista. Growing up in a household with only her father didn’t allow for much interest in the latest fashion trends. You could call her a late fashion bloomer, but now she’s making up for lost time. Carla got her start in the fashion industry as in independent apparel rep. In those few years, while her love of fashion continued to grow, so did her personal life, bringing a new marriage, new priorities, and a passion for a new career path. Style in the City was quickly born with just one client, and soon became a full blown business. If you ask Carla, Style in the City has been one the best decisions she’s ever made. Her business hinges on spending time getting to know each of her clients personally learning their lifestyle. It’s not the clothes that make the man its the man or woman that make the clothes right? Her favorite part isn’t the actual styling though, it’s the process. “Style in the City is an expression of my own creativity while in service to others. It gives me the satisfaction of changing lives and inspiring people to look and feel like the best version of themselves.”
In the midst of coming into her own in her career Carla was being tested personally. In relationships, one of the hardest decisions we can face is deciding whether to stay or walk away. Making that decision, she knew, would change the course of her life. It’s in those moments, the ones where you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, the moments where you can’t see how the chapter will end, where all you can rely on is blind faith. We live in a world built on the idea that you can control your own destiny; but what do you do in those moments when life hands you a situation you didn’t plan for? You really only have two choices, you can stay stuck and let this moment define your life, or you can walk by faith, play the hand you’ve been dealt and move forward. Carla chose the latter, and Style in the City was better for it. “At times I was broken and didn’t see a clear way forward, [but] in those moments I found strength in my faith, my family, my friends, and my work.” When a relationship ends sometimes the hardest part of walking away isn’t the letting go, but rather learning to start over. Having a strong support system in her family, her four-legged sidekick Ruby, friends, and clients has allowed her the ability to move forward with a freedom she never thought possible. Her business continued to grow and her client relationships have gotten stronger.
What I love the most about Carla’s story is that she’s created a career out of teaching women to build their self confidence and define their personal style, and in a way, she had to allow her support system to do the same for her at a difficult time in her life. In a way, the student became the teacher, and when you’ve experienced the transformation for yourself, your story has the ability to inspire someone else to do the same. The only way to overcome the fear of uncertainty is to push through it. There are no shortcuts. Having faith in yourself, faith that God will see you through, and allowing help when you need it is all the strength that you need to handle whatever comes your way. So believe you can, and do it.
CustoMYze Me is the creative studio of photographer and designer Keva Burns. Based in Dallas, Tx.