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I’ve made a monumental decision about shopping. I’ve decided I hate it. The people who know me would find this incredibly strange, considering that all through my 20s I genuinely thought I was Carrie Bradshaw and I racked up numbers on my credit card bill that even make Bill Gates nervous.
But, that was when I was single and had nothing to worry about apart from where I would eat out that evening. Fast forward to 3 kids, a travelling husband and two businesses later, and I’m genuinely thrilled if I manage to have 5 minutes to have a shower without
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an audience. So, making time to shop for clothes whilst dragging three kids around and trying it all on in a mad rush in small little fluorescent cubicles that magnify my wrinkles? Ohmygod no thanks. I wanted to find a company that does all the legwork for me, so I could actually take time to have that shower. And maybe even shave my legs.
I found Style Lyrical whilst hopelessly searching Google one night at 12-am for ”online personal stylist for women”, and I was instantly curious. The founder, Adela, was exactly the kind of woman I identified
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with: she always bought the same clothes, struggled to find time to shop at the weekend or online. She ended up starting this business out of a need to find clothes that were interesting and easy to find. Now, I instantly love a good story and a woman-run business and I wanted to talk about Adela to so many other friends, so I decided to go for it. I uploaded a photo of myself, spoke to Adela on the phone about the stuff I like and what my price range was, and a few days later I got a box sent to me with the coolest handful of outfits from British and
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Danish designers. I tried stuff on and my kids were fascinated as to why on earth I would be wearing a leather skirt in the middle of the day. ’Are you leaving to go somewhere? But you never leave!’ Yeah. My point exactly.
Now, for me, I like to look good but I also don’t like to look like I just stepped out of a magazine wearing pieces that all have to be ironed and dry cleaned. I also can’t afford clothes that cost the same amount as a small car. I’m realistic: I have 3 feral children that have dirt under their nails and paint in their hair
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and that’s what having kids is like. I can’t wear stuff that’s untouchable. Having said that, I also want to feel like I’m a grown-up, and not constantly in leggings and trainers all the time. It’s a balance. And someone picking out stuff without having me think about it at all, and feeling like I actually clean up well after a day scraping porridge off the floor? Priceless.
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Tetyana Denford - 13 Dec 17
I’ve made a monumental decision about shopping. I’ve decided I hate it. The people who know me would find this incredibly strange, considering that all through my 20s I genuinely thought I was Carrie Bradshaw and I racked up numbers on my credit card bill that even make Bill Gates nervous.
But, that was when I was single and had nothing to worry about apart from where I would eat out that evening. Fast forward to 3 kids, a travelling husband and two businesses later, and I’m genuinely thrilled if I manage to have 5 minutes to have a shower without an audience. So, making time to shop for clothes whilst dragging three kids around and trying it all on in a mad rush in small little fluorescent cubicles that magnify my wrinkles? Ohmygod no thanks. I wanted to find a company that does all the legwork for me, so I could actually take time to have that shower. And maybe even shave my legs.
I found Style Lyrical whilst hopelessly searching Google one night at 12-am for “online personal stylist for women”, and I was instantly curious. The founder, Adela, was exactly the kind of woman I identified with: she always bought the same clothes, struggled to find time to shop at the weekend or online. She ended up starting this business out of a need to find clothes that were interesting and easy to find. Now, I instantly love a good story and a woman-run business and I wanted to talk about Adela to so many other friends, so I decided to go for it. I uploaded a photo of myself, spoke to Adela on the phone about the stuff I like and what my price range was, and a few days later I got a box sent to me with the coolest handful of outfits from British and Danish designers. I tried stuff on and my kids were fascinated as to why on earth I would be wearing a leather skirt in the middle of the day. ‘Are you leaving to go somewhere? But you never leave!’ Yeah. My point exactly.
Now, for me, I like to look good but I also don’t like to look like I just stepped out of a magazine wearing pieces that all have to be ironed and dry cleaned. I also can’t afford clothes that cost the same amount as a small car. I’m realistic: I have 3 feral children that have dirt under their nails and paint in their hair and that’s what having kids is like. I can’t wear stuff that’s untouchable. Having said that, I also want to feel like I’m a grown-up, and not constantly in leggings and trainers all the time. It’s a balance. And someone picking out stuff without having me think about it at all, and feeling like I actually clean up well after a day scraping porridge off the floor? Priceless.
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Tetyana is a Ukrainian-American mum of three, married to an Englishman, living in NY. She's written for Elle and Vogue magazines, and her first novel 'Motherland' is available at Amazon. She hosts a YouTube show called The Craft and Business of Books, translates for Frontline PBS news, and writes freelance.
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