Let's Get Dressed: How to Find Your Style Again In A New Era (Pregnancy, New Job, & More)

Host: Liv Perez
Guest: Allison Bornstein
Date: November 10, 2025

Overview

In this episode, host Liv Perez sits down with stylist, author, and new mom Allison Bornstein to dive into the dynamic process of rediscovering personal style during life transitions like pregnancy, postpartum, a new job, a move, or any new chapter. Together, they unpack the emotional and practical challenges of embracing body changes, editing your closet, and redefining what it means to dress for who you are today—not who you were or think you should be. Allison shares her hallmark “three word method” for honing personal style, actionable ways to rebuild wardrobe confidence, and insights into fostering a kinder relationship with your clothes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life Transitions and Personal Style

• Transitions that disrupt style: Allison notes that most clients reach out when they're experiencing a major life change—pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, retirement, moving, or even seasonal shifts.
  • “Whether they know it or not, most of my clients are going through some sort of transition when they come to see me.” (07:05, AB)
• Clothing as an active player in change: Clothes can help propel positive change or reinforce old patterns. Being mindful of what your wardrobe is “asking” of you is key.
  • “Are these clothes asking me to be, like, a different person? ... They're asking me to be somebody that I'm not anymore. And, like, it's okay to let them go.” (09:00, AB)

2. The Emotional Impact of Closet Clean-Outs

• Confidence boost: Liv shares her experience after a major closet purge, emphasizing the liberating feeling and increased confidence that comes from only owning and wearing what she loves.
  • “Since then to now, I feel like a different person. I feel like my confidence is different. I know what to put on. I like everything I'm putting on.” (08:20, LP)
• Caution during transitions: Allison suggests waiting to edit your wardrobe until you feel stable after a big change, to avoid rash decisions.
  • “It can feel a little, like, destabilizing and maybe a little bit frantic. ... But I think it's better to just wait until you're feeling, like, a little bit more stable, a little bit back to yourself.” (21:16, AB)

3. The Wardrobe “Friend or Foe” Dynamic

• Rejecting clothes that don’t serve you: Don’t be “beholden” to your closet or let ill-fitting pieces taunt you.
  • “It’s my closet and I’m in charge.” (22:23, AB)
  • “That dress that you tried to put on, like, bye. ... We don’t need to have that reminder if we don’t want it.” (24:00, AB)
• Building a relationship with your wardrobe: Treat clothes as friends, not foes.
  • “How do I walk in the closet every day and get dressed for my eyes only?” (35:39, LP)
  • “Our clothes can sometimes hold us hostage, and it’s like, how can we just be friends?” (36:43, LP)

4. Navigating Pregnancy and Postpartum Dressing

• Adapting styling tricks: Allison discusses how she restyled familiar pieces as her body changed, like wearing low-rise jeans pulled up higher.
  • “I think the main thing that I learned is that you can’t really expect things to fit the same when your body changes. ... It’s about just restyling them, figuring out proportions again.” (03:51, AB)
• Avoiding the urge for an immediate wardrobe overhaul: Instead of reacting to an imagined new self, live in your changing body for a while before buying or editing.
  • “I felt an anxiety and a desire to all of a sudden buy a bunch of new stuff and get rid of a bunch of other stuff. ... But what I did ... is just take a pause.” (12:33, AB)
• Key pregnancy/postpartum essentials:
  • Supportive bras (especially as her body changed)
  • Stretchy/elastic waist pants (Rogue Gala pants and drawstring pants)
  • Low-rise or altered jeans for belly comfort
  • Luxe basics: silk/crepe pants, cashmere sweaters, oversized tees
  • Thoughtfully purchasing a few pieces that genuinely made her feel beautiful
  • Rotating out items that no longer fit and only keeping accessible what works “right now”

5. The Power of Editing and Storage

• Practicing gentleness with transition: Store away rather than purge items that don’t fit during a transition, and slowly reintroduce as circumstances change.
  • “I packed away all the jeans and stuff like that that didn’t fit and just got them out of my closet. ... Now I’m adding stuff ... I can wear these again. I’m ready for this again.” (19:58, AB)

6. The Signature “Three Word Method”

• Core idea: Distilling your style identity into three words for a helpful, non-restrictive framework.
  • Word 1: What you actually wear (in your closet)
  • Word 2: What inspires you (Pinterest, mood boards)
  • Word 3: How you want to feel
  • “Not meant to lock you into any kind of box, but just ... help you visualize and give yourself some guardrails.” (28:12, AB)
• Permission to evolve: Your three words can and should shift as you change.
  • “But, like, one word can change, or like even the meaning of it can change, you know?” (33:33, AB)
  • “You touched on something that I think is, like, really interesting ... they're obsessed with the idea that they might look back at what they're wearing and not like it. And it's like, that's kind of the point.” (33:33, AB)

7. Embracing Growth and the “Cringe”

• Learning through style risks: It's normal to look back at old looks and cringe; that’s evidence of growth and developing identity.
  • “If you can’t sit down and talk about the crazy shit that you wore in high school ... We can't be friends.” (34:18, LP)
  • “You have to take swings or else you’ll feel boring. ... Fashion ... it’s about using fashion to get a handle on where you are and then where you want to go.” (35:01, AB)

8. Dressing for Yourself

• Internal compass: Focus on how you want to feel, not how others perceive you.
  • “I’m not going to sit here and be like, I'm having dinner with this person, what do I think they would want me to wear?...What do I want to walk out my door feeling and not how I want someone else to feel about me.” (35:46, LP)
  • “The times where I've actually, like, really not loved what I was wearing ... are the times where I was trying to ... show up as, like, what would fit in the setting.” (36:15, AB)

9. Feeling Sexy and Reclaiming Confidence

• Beauty routines, small luxuries (like Botox), and taking time for self-care can help rebuild confidence during challenging transitions.
  • “You do just feel, like, really limited in pregnancy. ... Now I’m like, inject me. ... Let me try, like, different creams. Let me ... I’ll try anything.” (37:19, AB)

10. Actionable Tips for Style in Transition

• Allison’s #1 practical tip: Make a “mini-capsule” within your closet of only the items that fit and make you feel good at this moment.
  • “Creating like, a little capsule ... and, like, playing with those and then sort of taking time to figure out, well, now where do I want to go?” (38:48, AB)
• If struggling with your ‘three words,’ imagine the outfit that makes you feel best, and describe it in a word.

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Are these clothes asking me to be, like, a different person? ... They're asking me to be somebody that I'm not anymore. And, like, it's okay to let them go.”
  — Allison Bornstein (09:00)
• “It’s my closet and I’m in charge.”
  — Allison Bornstein (22:23)
• “How do I walk in the closet every day and get dressed for my eyes only?”
  — Liv Perez (35:39)
• “You have to take swings or else, you know, you'll feel boring. Or, again, like, you're not expressing yourself.”
  — Allison Bornstein (35:01)
• “If you can't sit down and talk about the crazy shit that you wore in high school ... we can't be friends.”
  — Liv Perez (34:18)

Important Timestamps & Segment Highlights

• [02:20] - Allison joins, shares recent postpartum experience.
• [07:05] - Recognizing transitions as a source of style “loss.”
• [08:49] - Clothes “asking too much” and closet editing philosophy.
• [12:33] - The urge to overhaul style at the start of a life change.
• [14:37] - Practical maternity/postpartum wardrobe solutions.
• [19:58] - Advice on storing (not purging) clothes in transition.
• [21:16] - Avoiding rash editing decisions mid-transition.
• [22:23] - Reclaiming agency over your closet.
• [24:41] - Proportions & evolving outfit formulas (pregnancy/postpartum).
• [28:06] - The “three word method” explained in context.
• [33:33] - Embracing cringe as evidence of growth.
• [35:39] - Dressing for yourself, not external validation.
• [38:48] - Actionable tip: create a mini-capsule wardrobe for confidence now.

Conclusion

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating a life shift and feeling disconnected from their closet or style identity. Allison’s warmth, humor, and no-nonsense advice demystify personal style, shifting the goal from perfection to self-understanding and kindness. Through her lived experience and practical strategies, she and Liv provide a roadmap—anchored by the three word method, actionable steps, and self-compassion—to help you reclaim your style in any new era.