Stylist to the Moms

LIKE SO MANY MOMS, Bridget Carroll struggled to figure out what to wear after having children. She had always relished putting an outfit together. But suddenly, everything was different: her body, her life and her assuredness in her personal style.

“Motherhood changes everything— physically, emotionally, and in ways we never expect,” Carroll says. “Once the fog lifts and you’re ready to feel like you again, the question of style can feel overwhelming.”

As Carroll’s two young boys grew and entered pre-school, offering her a modicum of freedom, she made it a point to prioritize herself in small ways. One of those was finding clothes that made her feel good in her new role as a stay-at-home mom and making time to put together outfits that brought her joy and confidence.

Once a corporate communications professional that worked for one of the biggest fashion houses, Carroll began to strategize how she could use her industry prowess, creativity and aptitude for creating enviable ensembles to help others that feel lost like she did.

Bridget Curates was born, offering services designed to make getting dressed enjoyable, easy and effortless. “This isn’t just about what to wear (though we can start there),” Carroll says. “It’s about finding yourself in this season of life and rebuilding a wardrobe that makes you feel confident and comfortable.”

A KNACK FOR STYLING

Carroll remembers feeling pride in her clothing and being drawn to certain colors, patterns and accessories from as early as kindergarten.

“My mom is also very fashion-forward and as an interior designer, very visual. She had an impact on me and my desire to get dressed,” she says. “She was always well-dressed, and I grew up with her always looking great, having her hair done and looking presentable regardless of what we were doing.”

The mother and daughter would take special outings to pick out clothes, and Carroll recalls enjoying standing out from the crowd a little with her picks.

She would sketch outfits in a notebook and had early ambitions of going to the Fashion Institute of Technology to become a designer but found communications a more suitable path for her talents.

While in college, she worked in retail at a small clothing boutique in Edgewater, helping customers shop.

“That was the first time I thought, ‘I think I have a knack for this,’” Carroll says. “Most of the women shopping there were much older than me, established in their life and careers and were asking me for advice. It was a really great experience for me.”

At the boutique, Carroll began to delve deeper into her love for styling and retail, learning more about clothing materials, how things are made and how a store is merchandised and set up.

After graduation, she was primed for a job in communications at Tapestry, the parent company for brands Coach, Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitzman where she earned her chops in the industry.

“I learned much more about the science behind fashion and retail—and it was fascinating,” she says. “Because I was writing about the brands and products, talking to leadership and trying to tell their stories externally, I got to know the business inside and out.”

Carroll felt she had everything she ever strived for when she was in her 20s—the dream job, a good salary. But she was conflicted. It was extremely demanding and as she prepared to start a family with her husband, John, she couldn’t see how feasible it would be.

“Working around the clock and commuting was draining. I started to think it actually wasn’t what I wanted, and I was more willing to walk away from it,” she says. “I always wanted to be a mom, and I didn’t know how I would be able to do all the things I knew I’d have to while working there.”

She left in 2019 for a less demanding position at a textile company while pregnant with her first son, Jack, but ultimately decided to focus full-time on her kids after welcoming her second son, Colin, in 2022.

MOMS HELPING MOMS

Carroll says while it’s been a dream to give 100% of herself to her kids, motherhood and being the primary caretaker is overwhelming.

“I don’t love the word overwhelming, because it tends to have a negative connotation when the fact is you’re also overwhelmed with good things— you’re overwhelmed with love, by tasks and chores, noise and sounds, requests. For so long, I felt I was operating at such a high frequency that I wasn’t finding time for myself.”

After Colin was born, Carroll decided to be intentional about doing things to fill her cup. Whether that was setting a date with a friend or expressing her creativity by writing on publishing platform Substack.

As she began to get back to herself, a longtime desire to start her own business began to resurface. Her mom started her own interior design business when Carroll was a little girl. She was able to be present while holding on to her career, and it inspired her daughter.

“I always knew I wanted to start a business, but I just didn’t know what that would be or what direction I’d go in,” she says. “I’ve always been creative and visual, so I started brainstorming what I could do with those attributes.”

For as long as Carroll can remember, people have approached her to ask: “Where did you get that?” or “Can you help me put an outfit together?”

“I always like sharing, and the year before I started Bridget Curates, I’d had a lot of friends come to me for recommendations or help,” she says. “I thought maybe I could help moms figure out what to wear, because even though I love this and think I’m good at it, I struggled postpartum and beyond.”

She did some research on wardrobe styling and created an Instagram page along with a small portfolio, at first offering services to friends and neighbors for free to find her footing and to gather testimonials. Bridget Curates has since taken off, she says.

Carroll says being able to help women feel good about themselves is the reason she started her business and seeing that come to fruition has been incredibly rewarding.

“I felt there was such a need for it. And it’s not just about clothes—it’s about helping moms that have very little time for themselves make time for themselves and feel good about themselves,” she says. “It doesn’t need to be wearing fancy clothes or buying anything expensive; it’s about setting you up for success for mom life or work life or for a night out with your partner.”

THE PROCESS

Carroll says it’s a combination of things that make it tough to dress after becoming a mom. The number one factor is time: grabbing whatever’s at the top of the drawer amidst the morning hustle. Another issue is wanting to be comfortable while also feeling put-together.

“I know I felt it wasn’t worth it to put on something nice because it might get ruined or dirty,” she says. “It’s hard to find motivation when you’re with a baby all day, or at the playground or library with toddlers or making meals and being grabbed at by peanut butter fingers.”

Of course, there’s also the fact that for most women, their body has changed, along with their lifestyle—it may be hard to pinpoint what it is they even like anymore, Carroll says.

One tip she offered to combat these issues is to preplan outfits—whether you’re a working mom, going into the city five days a week, or home with your kids all day.

“It eliminates stress when you’re busy in the morning and don’t have the time,” she says. “Take those 10 to 15 minutes on Sunday night so you feel good. When you look good, you feel good. It doesn’t need to be a full face of makeup, but planning out an outfit will help give you some confidence.”

Carroll kicks off services by having a short phone call or meeting with clients to figure out what they need, then digs in.

One of her most popular services is a wardrobe edit: A client may have lots of beautiful and useful clothing items but doesn’t know how to put them together. Carroll will come over and go through a client’s closet and create and photograph outfits—whether they be for mom life, work life, a vacation or nights out.

She identifies gaps in a client’s wardrobe and, with their permission and after discussing budget, will shop for items needed, such as a trench coat, a belt or a pair of shoes. She’ll then send them a lookbook of the items.

Bridget Curates also offers a full closet edit, where she’ll go through all of a client’s clothing to comb through what’s no longer useful. She’s hoping to soon offer services to help clients figure out what their personal style is.

“All of this requires a partnership between me and my clients,” Carroll says. “I can do so much of it on my own, but for it to be successful I need you to participate in that and be open with me.”

Client Vanessa Falkenstern was amazed with her wardrobe edit and the looks Carroll created, all from pieces she already owns.

“Bridget helped put together outfits I never would have thought of on my own, all while keeping in line with my own sense of style,” Falkenstern says. “It feels like my closet has a whole new life without having to buy a single new item. I am now more excited to get dressed every day and I feel more confident about my own personal style than ever before.”

Jeanette Donnarumma called her experience with Bridget a breath of fresh air.

“I feel so lucky to have had her over to help me feel good in my own clothes,” she says.

For more information about Bridget Curates, visit bridgetcurates.com. For Carroll’s styling tips and inspiring outfits of the day, visit her Instagram page, @bridgetcurates.

BY SARAH NOLAN