Nejla Renee has always had a passion for fashion, routed in an understanding that dress is the best vehicle to express your most authentic self. After a successful career in finance, Nejla returned to her lifelong dream of sharing her knowledge as a personal stylist.

Nejla Renee Styling offers a service that is equal parts practical and passionate, combining her keen eye for detail and strong understanding of fit and proportion with her innate sense of style and desire to educate others on the power of a great wardrobe.

Nejla recounts her progression from a fashionista with a dream to one of the top personal stylists in New York.

Natural Instincts

I previously worked in finance, but realised that was not where my passion was. I’ve always had a natural talent for fashion and knowing what types of clothes work for people so I used my passion and experience to launch my own business. My education in business really helped with the logistics of building a legitimate business. Exceptional relationship building is key, no matter what kind of business you are in.

The mindset of sucess

I built my business from scratch as I was coming from a completely different field. I started my business about 12 years ago now, and at the time there weren’t that many people doing personal styling so I never felt as though I was playing catch up, if anything I was a pioneer in the personal styling space.

Pursuing my new career wasn’t difficult because I didn’t leave any room for doubt; I just made the decision to succeed. There were definitely times when doubt would creep in but ultimately I knew that I was doing the right thing.

In retrospect, there is nothing I would change or wish I had known sooner. My naivety has helped me become who I am and have the business that I do today. Besides, I don’t believe in regret only experiences as opportunities for growth and change.

Hitting the spot

I come to understand my clients through a series of deep-dive questions and exercises that discover who my client is and what they want. Then, we delve into their closet. Here I can gather more information on the types of clothes they naturally gravitate towards. I then take all that information—and trust me there is a lot—and create a visual that represents my client’s new style identity. We ensure we are on the same page with this vision before proceeding further.

I know I've perfected a client's personal style when, at the end of the process, we put together clothes we kept from their closet cleanse and new things we added to create looks that let their true selves shine. Usually, at this point, my clients experience so much joy because they finally feel as though they have everything they need to show up in the world.

Vintage gems

My personal style: Edgy. Bold. Chic.

My favourite piece in my wardrobe right now is a vintage colour-blocked corset top, I’ve had it for 10 years and it is such a unique piece. Individuality is what I love about vintage. I feel sexy and powerful in it and I love that I can style it in so many different ways. It’s unique, timeless and versatile!

Benefits of style

I think a strong sense of personal style lends a distinct level of confidence to any individual. With that confidence, they can then focus their energy on the other things they do in their life and not let not having the right thing to wear hold them back.

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Follow Nejla Renee on Instagram for your daily fashion fix and find out more about her services on her website.