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The Italian Essence
Meet Elinor
Certified Style Coach & Style Expert
Style Coaching™ (IASC Dip' honours)
From Invisible to Authentic: How I Found Myself (and My Style) in Italy
As I approached my 50s, life felt like it was shrinking around me.
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My son had grown up and left home. I was stuck in a job that paid the bills but drained my spirit. I was the main breadwinner, carrying the weight of responsibility — and wearing it like a heavy coat.
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I felt frumpy, invisible, overlooked.
There was one day I remember walking past a group of builders and almost willing them to notice me — not out of vanity, but out of a desperate need to feel seen. They didn’t.
And that silence said everything.
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That was my turning point.
I realised I had lost myself.
And I needed to find her again.
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The girl who once played “shoe shop” with her mother’s high heels.
The young woman who stitched her own clothes and studied fashion at Lucy Clayton’s in London.
The dreamer who launched her own design business, creating ballgowns and bridalwear.
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She was still in there — buried beneath the labels life had given me: wife, mother, provider, caretaker.
I just needed to remember her.
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Italy became my sanctuary.
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What started as a move with my husband and young son quickly became a deep personal awakening. Surrounded by beauty, art, fashion, and a culture that lives for the senses, I began to rediscover who I truly was.
It wasn’t just the clothes — though Italian style certainly worked its magic.
It was the entire way of life.
The sensual simplicity of la dolce vita — the sweet life.
The reverence for the present moment, the quiet joy of dolce far niente — the sweetness of doing nothing.
And the elegant confidence of bella figura — not just looking good, but living beautifully.
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These Italian values seeped into my bones.
They reminded me that I was allowed to take up space. To slow down. To dress like I mattered. To be who I was always meant to be.
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In Milan, I trained as a stylist. I collaborated with boutiques in Tarquinia. I guided clients through personal transformations, and even after moving back to the UK, I continued styling and taking women on unforgettable shopping weekends in Rome and Milan.
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Eventually, I wanted to go deeper — beyond the surface of fashion.
Because real style is more than clothes. It’s about aligning your outer image with your inner truth.
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So I studied holistic style coaching, earning a diploma with Honours, and began helping women reconnect not just with their wardrobes — but with themselves.
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Now, I divide my time between Gloucestershire and Italy, working with women who, like me, once felt they had faded into the background. Women who long to feel vibrant, sensual, stylish, and most importantly — seen.
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Italy gave me back my confidence — not just in how I dress, but in how I live.
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And that’s what I want to help you discover, too.
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Because as we enter midlife, we often ask:
“Who am I now?”
“What happened to the woman I imagined I would be?”
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The answer isn’t in becoming someone new — it’s in returning to the woman you were always meant to be.
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Let me guide you back to her.
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We’ll uncover your true style, shape a wardrobe that reflects your essence, and add a generous dash of Italian elegance and confidence.
Not just in how you dress — but in how you live, love, and carry yourself every day.
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Because you're not invisible.
You’re just waiting to be reawakened.