Meet Kara Batey | Personal Stylist & Wardrobe Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kara Batey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kara, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’ve always loved style and fashion. My mom sewed when I was growing up and would talk to me about fabrics, drape, and proportion and I loved it. We always had an ongoing dialogue about clothing (and still do). I also worked in women’s retail before I started my career as a lawyer and embraced learning about what shapes and fabrics look best on different body types.

I’d wanted to start a personal styling business for more than 10 years, but it really was kind of a pipe dream because I was focused on being a lawyer. I had achieved the initial goals I set for myself when I started my legal career and was working towards a new set of goals in the legal profession when I found myself at an unplanned career crossroads. Life is full of surprises, right? Since I had this backburner idea of what I would do with my life if I could pick anything new and start over, personal styling was the only option for me outside of continuing to practice law.

Even though it was the only option, I took months to think about making this change and researching what I would need to start and run this new business. It was also a gut-wrenching decision to stop being a lawyer because after 13 years so much of your identity feels tied up in your profession. At the same time, because I had a pretty clear idea of what my options were lawyer-wise, I was able to make an informed decision about continuing or not. I ultimately chose to start my business – but it was hard to let go of where I’d thought I wanted to end up.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I work as a personal stylist and wardrobe curator, helping women build enviable style. I think that my extensive experience as a lawyer enhances the work I do in terms of empathetic listening and problem-solving skills, as well as confidence in the advice that I provide. At the end of the day, I want my clients to look and feel whatever way it is that they wanted to when they hired me.

I’m thrilled to be making changes to the way I work with clients this year. After trying some of the approaches more typically used by stylists and based on my experiences with clients, I’ve recently developed the Blocks of Style Method. The Blocks of Style Method is an innovative approach to providing personal styling services in that it allows each woman to prioritize the aspects of her wardrobe and style she wants to focus on at any given point by selecting a combination of three critical elements that are the Blocks of Style: edit, curate, and integrate.

To arrive at a place where I feel like I’m making organic and positive changes to my business hasn’t been an easy process. I’ve put a considerable amount of thought and effort into assessing the challenges my clients face because I am providing services that I believe can enhance women’s lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was planning a trip to Austin, for starters, I’d tell her to come in either April or October. Those are my two favorite months in this city because the summer is brutally hot and there’s always the chance of a freak cold front in winter.

We’d probably start out our days getting some fresh air and walking around my neighborhood or Town Lake (a path in the middle of the city that lots of people go to), checking out Mt. Bonnell, or trying out one of the greenbelts/trails in the area. There are also lots of exercise class options that we might check out. Movement is important in Austin because it’s full of delicious food.

For nicer dinners, we’d head to two of my favorite Austin classics: Uchi and Justine’s. For a very casual lunch, we’d go to the Cuantos Tacos food truck. Another fun lunch spot is Perla’s on South Congress. I love enjoying my food there and then browsing the shops. There is a mix of local boutiques (By George is my favorite in that area) and national retailers to check out. If we were still around at happy hour, we’d go have a glass of wine and a snack at the Hotel San Jose. Or, if we needed a walk, we’d go check out the bats flying out from under the South Congress bridge at dusk.

No trip to Austin is complete without a trip to Barton Springs, which is a spring fed pool in the middle of town. The water is always brisk and refreshing. We’d also spend a few hours in the afternoon at Zilker Park with my dogs. Bring a frisbee or just some blankets and snacks to enjoy a relaxing time outside.

At night, depending on who’s playing we might check out a concert at ACL Live or Stubbs – if we can stay awake that long.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband Allen He’s unwavering in his support of me and always ready to cheer for even the tiniest victory.

My friend Carrie. She was one of the earliest advocates for me starting my business and continuously provides words of encouragement.

My clients. I’m incredibly grateful to those that I work for trusting me with their clothes and often their feelings. I’m also so very appreciative of the clients I work with who share about their positive experiences with others.

My parents, especially my mom who is willing to accept both the credit and blame for my love of style. I carry the knowledge she gave me with me to every client meeting.

Website: www.closetbykb.com

Instagram: @closetbykarabatey

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-batey-64a6324/

Facebook: closetbykarabatey

Other: Pinterest: Closet by Kara Batey