This is a question I genuinely get asked all the time, and it usually comes from two places. Either someone in their twenties worries they’re too young, or someone in their fifties or sixties worries they’ve left it too late.
And my honest answer is always the same — there isn’t a right age.
In my training I’ve had women in their early twenties sitting next to women in their sixties, and both are exactly where they should be. Personal styling isn’t really age specific. What it is specific to is connection.
A lot of people assume that if they become a stylist, they’ll have to style everyone. A younger woman worries she’ll be expected to dress older women. An older woman worries she’ll have to keep up with every trend and every younger client.
But that’s not how the industry works. You naturally attract and inspire your own peer group. When I started, I was in my thirties and the women I styled were going through similar things to me — weddings, babies, promotions, body changes and confidence shifts. Now that I’m 50, my peer group has shifted and the conversations are different. Women are talking about menopause, reinvention, retirement, redundancy and stepping into a new chapter. That’s the beauty of it; your experience becomes your strength.
Take Francesca who’s in her early twenties, working as a stylist at Levi’s. She trained with me to improve her in-store client work, with a longer-term goal of launching her own freelance styling business. She brought a fresh, younger perspective to the group.
Then I’ve had women in their sixties come onto the course wanting to do something creative during their retirement. They bring warmth, empathy and life experience that other delegates absolutely love.
What matters more than age is your ability to connect with people. You need good people skills, genuine care, and the willingness to be inspirational within your own world and peer group.
Everything else — colour analysis, body shapes, style personalities, budgets and brands is what I teach you. In fact, one of the biggest bonuses of training is that it keeps you on top of your own image too at every stage of your life.
So, if you’re worrying that you’re too young or too old, let that go. There is no perfect age. There is just the right moment for you. And if you feel drawn to it, that’s usually your sign.