The Stylish Chick Inspires Confidence Through Personal Color And Style

Barbara Ellis learned how to dress to impress from her grandmother, Betty, who emphasized using clothing to showcase their personality.

Years later, Ellis took those words of wisdom and created a business — The Stylish Chick.

She calls herself “Tampa Bay’s premier personal stylist” and uses color and style analysis to help people’s unique personalities shine through their clothing.

Color analysis has been a trending topic, but Ellis said this isn’t new to her business. She has owned House of Colour Tampa Bay, a nationwide franchise, for almost four years.

“I got into it at the beginning of the recent trend, … but color analysis has been around for decades,” Ellis explained. “So, it’s not really a new service, but it feels fresh because it was just recently given so much social love.”

And she’s been involved with helping people develop their personal brand through their style since she was 16 and working at a boutique in California.

Her love of fashion came from her grandmother though, who owned a dress shop in Los Angeles, California, during the 1940s and 1950s.

“Watching her growing up, she always was so put together. It didn’t matter if she was just running to the grocery store or going to a formal event,” Ellis recalled.

Betty taught Ellis that the way people dress is often the first impression they give others.

Ellis said that now her favorite part of her job is helping people figure out who they are through their style and helping them find ways to express that personality through clothing options.

“I love, love, love color — it’s kind of my first baby — but really diving into style is almost therapeutic in a way,” Ellis said.

She said the biggest challenge is getting people to understand what she does.

She added that she doesn’t just recommend high-fashion items but also helps every customer find items which work for them within their budget.

“I don’t go drop a thousand dollars at the mall,” she said, laughing. “I think that is definitely a misconception — that you have to spend a lot of money to look good.”

Having a personal stylist, she said, isn’t something to fear, but rather something to embrace since people are going to judge anyway.

“That’s just how our brains are wired,” she said. “So, why not give them the impression you want them to have?”

For more information or to book a session, visit https://thestylishchick.com/.