How Stacy London Inspired Me to Get Out of My (Fashion) Box and Embrace My Inner Boss This Fall

Back in the day, I was a What Not to Wear devotee—who’s with me? Watching people tap into their confidence with the help of a few wardrobe upgrades (plus the ultimate hype team in stylists Stacy and Clinton) was a guaranteed way to boost my mood.

Since then, I’ve made it through college and the into-the-working-world transition—and all these years later, I still get a little giddy when I think about the show. So you can imagine how starstruck I was at the opportunity to interview Stacy London at QVC’s Age of Possibility summit in April.

Once my starry eyes settled and we got to talking, I learned that London has experienced a few major transitions herself since the show ended in 2013. At 47, she was on the brink of menopause—and as her mood, body, and career changed, she felt totally lost. “I didn’t even care about fashion because I didn’t know what to wear,” she says. “I was like, I’m not a kid, but what I wore in my 30s doesn’t work when I’m headed toward 50.”

She began to notice other women in midlife experiencing similar feelings and physical changes, so she decided to use her fashion prowess to do something about it. “I have created a line specifically around what I learned from menopause,” London says. “You should feel confident. You should not worry about your size. You should understand how body-weight redistribution happens in midlife.”

On August 23, London released by Stacy London on QVC: a collection of easy-to-wear, stretchy, and seriously chic clothing made with perimenopausal and menopausal women in mind. From statement suits and flattering tops to “addables” like interchangeable collars and cuffs, the line is designed to help boost confidence, embrace body changes, and make fashion more size-inclusive and accessible for everyone. (Prices range from $39 to $209, and sizes range from XXS to 3X.)

While I haven’t quite made it to midlife, I do have some recent experience with transitions. Two years out of college, I was struggling to let go of the “work hard, play hard” mentality that’s so often celebrated at my age. I wanted to shift my priorities and focus on my career, but I felt myself resisting the change (and constantly comparing myself to everyone else).

Talking to London helped ease that resistance and get me out of my box. No shade on my years-long uniform of crop tops, tight skirts, and ripped jeans—but swapping them for more classic and comfortable pieces helped me welcome the suddenly-adulting stage of life I’m in. “I want you to look at me and say ‘you look great.’ And order two, because your daughter is going to want one,” London says. And she’s right—when I met her, she was sporting a patterned knit suit that I, at age 24, would wear any day of the week.

With London’s help, I realized that a closet refresh could help me rediscover myself in a time of uncertainty, just like it did for her. And as I began to step (um, dress) outside my comfort zone, I was brought right back to what I’d learned watching Stacy and Clinton work their magic all those years ago. Fashion is more than what you wear—it’s a reflection of who you are and how you feel.

So this fall, I’m learning to embrace new, evolving styles as an expression of my evolving (read: more confident, more empowered) self. In other words? I’m leaning into my inner-boss era—and it feels good.