12 AHAs from my Allison Bornstein styling session.

Plus the 10 (embarrassing) questions I had before we met.. And 17 'fits.

You guys, I did it! I treated myself to an Allison Bornstein style session. If you don’t know about AB and her AB closet editing system, then this is going to be the best weekend ever. Get on youtube, stat. Then get on IG. And then get to reading. So. much. juicy. stuff.

BTW, if you’re wondering: Can I afford this? The session cost is $300. Honestly it’s a great value. And while I realize that’s a chunk of money, I don’t drink wine. So I save all that money! Things at Zara seem to cost $49.99. So skip those and you get there fast. I also think it’s a great birthday present to ask for from family members looking for ideas.

Also — I am starting a March challenge to myself of buying just one thing ala Anna of

The Wardrobe Edit

— this was an incredible way to kick that off; I imagine that seeing all the new possibilities in your closet and learning how to use what’s already there pays inspires you to buy less.

I was surprised at how easy it was to just — decide to do this and book it. But as the day got closer, I got a little … nervous! Here are the embarrassing questions that bubbled up in my mind:

The Questions

• Will she be very “LA” or “New York” (Sorry LA/NY-ers!) Like maybe she’ll be rushed and brusque? Or sort of superficial and not the same as she is on screen? But she was just calm and warm and lovable, even more so one-on-one than anyone can be on a screen. And really, really diplomatic and supportive. If your mom said “have lunch with my friend’s daughter Allison while she’s in Miami,” and you agreed, the time would fly by and you’d want to stay in touch.

• What if she thinks my clothes are weird, excessive or all over the place? First up in our session: a massively exaggerated-collar CDC shirtdress with serious flying nun vibes. She said KEEP. “I’m sorry, I just really love, wacky one of a kind pieces” (More on that TK). She has such a tender diplomacy in general. When she suggested a white T under something and I pulled out a cropped one, she said: “I was thinking it might be nice to see some of the fabric hanging out. Is that one a little cropped?” (Oh that is so gentle!)

• What if she gets stumped by my clothes? I have to laugh at the ridiculous self-importance of this. She’s an uber experienced stylist and content creator! But her own style is very refined and often casual. If that’s what you naturally love, how is it to be confronted with neon Teva-style shoes and a dress with pads built into the hips? She wasn’t surprised by anything, silly Rachel. And had answers for all of it.

• Will she teach me anything new? I wasn’t wondering because I know so much, obviously (I always tell you here that I am a good style student versus someone with natural instincts). But I follow Allison already, subscribe to her paid channel, watched all her YouTubes, and read her book. Would there be more to learn? (Quick answer: Oh yes! Enough to fill a lifetime of sessions. More below.)

• Would I be changing clothes? And making outfits the whole time? You probably could choose to try things on, but I only tried on one piece. Otherwise I put jackets on over what I was wearing. The rest of the time I was holding things up, and she was asking about things, and I was putting outfits together that way. But the best part was it wasn’t just outfits. She does plenty of “teaching you to fish” too.

• Would she get rid of tons of my stuff? I should have known better; she’s always very gentle in this arena on Youtube videos. I thought she’d confirm-kill everything in my “probation pile,” but she was more focused on helping me understand how to wear them. And I fell back in love with most!

• If I really focused, I could do this myself? LOL. No. And look how much value Anna Newton found in it, someone who knows style and knows her style much more than I. I realized immediately that what AB does is a unique gift, like I work out and I could jog around the block, but I can’t win a marathon, even if I train and try really hard.

• Why would she want to help me? (I know, embarrassing.) She’s helped a lot more significant people. And is doing what I imagined to be far more priority things like book promos, parties, and honestly, I thought maybe things that don’t involve 53 year olds. I don’t know what. At the tail end of the session, I blurted out: “Is this what you do, appointments like this?” And she kind of laughed and said, “Yes, all day long, and I love it.” (You guysssss! She’s so nice!)

• Could one session really help when she doesn’t know about me beforehand? I do style DNA work*, using what I do for brands to help people determine their style DNA. And when I meet with a style DNA client, I do SO MUCH PREP. So how would she just jump in and go? Answer: She’s run a lot of marathons. This is her “magic thing” — just like I can write surprisingly quickly. She just does. One session gave me so much. But of course I can’t wait to do it again.

What I wore

My uniform in its most frequent current iteration: a big men’s Balenciaga tee + big pants (in this case Tibi Sids). I think it’s a good idea to wear something that’s “you” at your most basic/essential. It’s helpful to show her right away who you are and also to easily layer with the pieces.

What I learned