Welcome to 303 Magazine’s first “Mile High Conversations,” where every month we will be interviewing different Colorado-based businesses.
For our first conversation, we are talking with Anne Liebman, founder and CEO of SheStylesCo, a Denver-based style consultant who can help you to unlock your style potential so you can start truly showing up the way you want.
Liebman and her team work with people at all different ages and points in their lives — whether they are people focusing on their career, stay-at-home moms who just want to get their personal style back or people who are recently getting back out there in the dating world after a breakup. The common denominator for every client is that they are someone who has gotten to a point in their lives where they are ready to make an investment in themselves, for whatever reason that may be.
303 Magazine: Thanks for taking the time to chat with 303. I read that you have established your own style that you call ‘classic tomboy chic with a twist’. Can you explain this and tell us a little bit about what personal style means to you?
Anne: Yeah, absolutely. First of all, super excited to be sitting down with you today and the opportunity to share more about me, my journey and what we’re all about. I don’t know when it was that I came up with that but those words all seemed to flow together just really well for me. When I was little, I fully embraced the ‘girly’, however, since then I haven’t been super ‘girly.’ There is a difference between feminine and girly. I would say I’m more feminine but incorporating that masculinity too is where I brought in ‘tomboy’. Of course classic and timeless, I love that style and you can’t go wrong with that. I think it fits really well with the essence of how I want to show up in the world.
303: I like the combination of ‘tomboy chic’.
Anne: Yes, an unexpected combination. I love doing that in all aspects of this business. Then, ‘with a twist’, there’s my own personal twist on it. The way I really live in my style is I want it to be unlike anybody else out there.
And then what does personal style mean to me? You know, it is really as simple as, how do you want to show up in this world and what does that look like for you? How do you want to present yourself? How do you want to be perceived? What energy do you want to radiate from you? And then it really becomes, how do you authentically bring that through and let that shine?
303: I love that. It is really as simple as asking the question: what is authentically you? I read that you moved to Colorado in 2014 and immediately fell in love with it. Two years later, you decided to start your own company. What is SheStylesCo? Can you walk us through those first years of becoming a style consultant?
Anne: SheStylesCo is a Denver-based style consulting company helping women and men through their very own style level up so they can start showing the world the way they truly want through our very comprehensive signature style level-up process. We help people ’elevate their everyday style’.
My background is in marketing. I spent about 12 plus years in that industry — worked in corporate, worked in the agency side of things as well, but always on the creative side. I worked my way up to the point where I decided I did not want that anymore. I didn’t want to work for anybody else anymore. It was me showing up to the same place, with the same people, doing the same thing everyday.
I started to dig deeper into what I should be doing. I knew I was supposed to be making so much more of an impact. I remember being at happy hour with one of my dear friends just tossing around ideas, and I looked at her half joking and said ‘it would be so awesome if I could be a stylist.’ She looked at me and said ‘well why don’t you do that then?’ and I was like “why don’t I?’
I’ve always been super passionate about fashion, styling and [I] just have that naturally creative eye for knowing what looks good. It’s always been so fun and easy for me. I like to say ‘every morning is a blank canvas. What do I want to do with it today?’ so that was a great way to bring out that ‘art girl’ inside of me.
303: I see that you offer different programs for your clients like ‘Elevate your Everyday Style Signature Program’, ‘Elevated You: Seasons of Style Premier Program’, and a ‘Luxe Premier’ offering. After deep diving into each program, the underlying message is that this process is extremely personal and collaborative. What is your favorite part of the process and how are you really able to make the magic happen?
Anne: I like how you said ‘make the magic happen’ because it definitely happens throughout the process. I will say that I designed each program thoughtfully and intentionally so that each step is equally as important as the next to get that desired outcome — which is that our clients are fully set up with all of the information, tools and wardrobe pieces so that they can easily put together outfits for themselves everyday.
There are countless magical moments throughout. For example, one of my favorite moments is when I have a client try on something or a combination of things to create an outfit that they would’ve never picked out. Or maybe they didn’t think they could wear something like that, so outside of their ‘comfort zone’. It’s all about open communication, open mindedness and trusting the process.
303: Walk us through the client process from start to finish. How do they pick a program? What does your most common program look like and how would this set them up for dressing themselves day-to-day after the program?
Anne: Every person is different, and every situation is different for what somebody is looking for. The reason we have those different offerings is to make sure we have something that is the right fit for people, depending on the level of guidance or longevity somebody wants our help for. We want to make sure they are so well set up to do this on their own when we send them ‘out into the wild’ after working with us.
The ‘Signature Program’ is our most popular program that covers all the key steps throughout our signature style up level process. The first very important step is getting clear on your style vision. Our preferences evolve and change over time so what are you excited by? What are you resonating with? That might be different from what it was ten years ago. I provide a guide with some questions to think about. It involves creating a style vision board which helps to visually see what someone is excited by.
READ: 3 Ways To Define Personal Style Beyond Designer Labels
The first in-person session is the Closet Consult, Edit and Cleanse. We come over to take a look at everything the person has in their wardrobe; they try on most things; and we let go of the things that are no longer needed for whatever reason — whether it is worn out, dated, or doesn’t align with their current style vision.
Another fun part of this session is that we come in with our fresh set of stylist eyes, and we see things differently than how they do, so we are able to put pieces together that the client might have never thought of and really optimize their current closet. Also, getting to show them that the littlest things can often make the biggest difference when it comes to outfit creation.
So, those little style tips and tricks we show, teach and practice together throughout that in-person session is super valuable.
We also have our assistant there with us, working in the background — keeping everything organized, making notes for the upcoming shopping trip, and getting the imagery they need to create the digital closet. Coming out of the closet session we have a shopping list, which is our guide for the Collaborative Shopping Trip together.
Next, we set up the digital style board, where everything is compiled in one place — inspiration, tips and tricks, shopping list, look book, outfit ideas and the digital closet. We address anything outstanding from the shopping list and style outfits for whatever it is the client wants. For instance they can let us know they’d like: three date night looks, four wear-to-work outfits, two weekend brunch ‘fits, three travel looks, etc.
We want to make it as beneficial and as personal to them as we can. And then we round everything out at the end with a 60-minute virtual style check-in call, where they can talk through anything with us, ask any questions, help with styling certain pieces etc. That’s essentially the program end to end, our core style up-level process.
The other programs are longer, and offer more touch points, more style guidance, more outfit creation. The year-long ‘Elevated You: Season of Style Premier Program’ goes deeper with each of the seasons. The ‘Premier Luxe’ is all of that, but more so really thinking through the entire ‘360 transformation’ — the ‘trifecta’ if you will. We of course cover the style aspect very thoroughly, but also dig into hair and makeup. We wrap everything up at the end with a celebratory destination shopping trip as well — the LA Getaway, Beverly Hills experience. So, for someone that is looking for that level of transformation, it’s an amazing option, covering everything.
303: Wow, so there’s really an option for anyone. I read that you left your career in marketing to start ‘SheStylesCo’. What would your advice be to anyone wanting to leave their desk job to start their own business?
Anne: First and foremost, you have to really want to make it work.
Of course everyone has their own unique situation with their life and where they are at etc. For me in my journey, it only made sense to create and build my career in fashion and styling on the side in the beginning, while also working my 9-5 ‘normal’ job. The styling business was my side hustle until I was in a solid enough place where it made sense to go all in 100%. That time also allows you to feel it out, see if it is what you truly want to do and pursue, soak up as much as you can, learn as much as you can and explore the various avenues out there.
I would say don’t do anything hastily, be very thoughtful and intentional when making the decision.
303: Okay, last question — If you could only keep three items from your closet and had to get rid of everything else, what would they be and why? I know this question is hard, so you can also include three specialty pieces that you would never leave behind.
Anne: It would be very important for me to keep my black wide leg/trouser jeans. They can be dressed up or dressed down, there’s a lot of flexibility. Then, I’d choose my favorite black boyfriend blazer and my go-to white tee. That would be the logical answer because they are such versatile pieces — classic, timeless, foundational essentials.
That is so much our approach at SheStylesCo — curating that really well done ‘foundation’ of your wardrobe.
And for the additional fun favorites, I would for sure want to grab my favorite pair of AllSaints black leather front-zip heeled boots. I would not want to leave those behind. Then, there’s this beauty, my dark burgundy LOEWE Flamenco bag that I am carrying now. And then honestly, this Sandro long-line coat that I got in Paris!
Liebman has an amazing core style consultant team, who she calls, “the key players in creating that elevated style up-level experience for you.” They love the work they do — having a true impact, helping people step into their most elevated selves through wardrobe and style.
You can find Liebman on Instagram @SheStylesCo, and website where you can access more information and sign up for a complimentary Style Discovery Call to dig in and talk through what your own style up-level could look like.
