MILK Boutique offers an innovative shopping experience with online shopping, pop-up stores, and personal and editorial styling. Starr Card, Creative Director and Founder of MILK Boutique, spoke with us about her business. We learned more about her journey to personal styling and where she hopes to see her business go in the future.
How did you get involved with personal styling?
Growing up, my grandmother owned a dry cleaning business. My Nannie was a classic–the epitome of grace and style. She could run a mile and still smell like a rose. When I got older and started working with her at the dry cleaners, she would teach me about fashion. Some people might have gone to school to get this kind of education, but I got it hands-on very early in life. She really taught me that it is always quality over quantity. For example, if you get an expensive cashmere sweater now, you are going to have it for years to come.
What services does MILK Boutique provide?
MILK does pop-ups, online, personal, and editorial styling. I do pop-ups two to three times each year. I recently did a pop-up at the Common House. I try to get several vendors aside from MILK so customers can shop different styles. Our website has ten clothing lines right now, and I offer delivery within a 15-mile radius in Chattanooga. So far, we have shipped all over from New Mexico to Pennsylvania and even China.
With regard to the styling, I do editorial styling and personal styling. Editorial styling ranges from business to senior photos. Personal styling is a lot of closet reorganization, packing suitcases for travel, closet minimization, and personal shopping.
Why is having a personal stylist valuable?
Many people want hands-on help. Maybe they get a unique blouse but they don’t know what to wear it with. Other reasons are closet organization and functionality. Sometimes, people have emotional attachments to certain pieces and I ask, “Well, when did you where it last?” Then, the crickets will start. So we make different piles: one pile will be the keeps, another will be the maybes, and the last will be for donations where clothes can be given away or put on The RealReal to make some extra money. This process frees up closet space and makes room for new pieces.
Sometimes, I pack clients' suitcases or minimize closets because I prioritize functionality. You do not have to wear a million different outfits, you can bring minimal amounts of clothes that you can dress up and dress down. This way you reduce what you own or travel with because you can wear core pieces multiple times.
It's very rewarding to help my clients get the most out of their wardrobes. Personal styling allows me to get more involved with each client and offer styling help that is unique and individualized to each person.
What is next for MILK?
Looking ahead, I am focusing less on pop-ups and more on styling. Moving forward with MILK, I want to transition the business into what helps clients form a capsule collection with a few lines that will help people shape their style with core pieces.
A capsule wardrobe is essentially different versions of the same core style: a top or bottom that you can wear four or five different ways and an outfit that you can dress up or dress down. In a world where everything is so disposable, it can be difficult to prioritize quality, but these pieces will be quality clothes that customers will be able to wear for several years. So quality, core pieces that you are going to have forever is ultimately what I am trying to get back to right now.
For more information about MILK’s services or to shop, host a pop-up, or book a styling session, visit their website or social media pages.
website: https://milk-boutique.com | instagram: @milkboutiquechatt