Fae Jagdon had just settled into her role as a nurse manager when she realized she was far too stylish to spend her life in scrubs. The realization did not come from vanity. It came from losing something. “As I stepped into the manager role, I spent more time in scrubs and less time in my wardrobe. Over time I lost my sense of style completely. I’d spend hours going through item after item, and feel insecure and unhappy with every outfit.” So she set out to rediscover it, and felt completely transformed. “My journey taught me why clothing matters. I experienced the transformational power of dress firsthand, and now I’m passionate about guiding clients through that same journey.”
Breaking the news
The love of styling went back to her father, who used to ask her which shoes worked with his outfit. “At the time I didn’t realize how important that decision was, but as I grew and started creating outfits myself, I realized there’s an art to dressing.” Nobody was shocked when she pivoted. She had been using Instagram as a creative outlet through her nursing years, collaborating with brands and dishing out style advice to friends. Her mum was a little apprehensive, unsure what a stylist even did and wary of her leaving such a secure job. Her husband was not. As the couple prepared to relocate, Fae dutifully searched for nursing roles in the new city, and it was he who pushed her to enroll in a styling course instead.
Leaving was still hard. “I got emotional thinking about all the years I spent studying and completing my Master’s to become a nurse unit manager. It was scary to let it all go, to move to a new city and start a career I wasn’t sure would work out.” Every day felt like starting from scratch, because it was. Returning to study intimidated her, surrounded by so much creativity she had spent years suppressing. “But once I started, I knew that’s where I belonged. And there were so many students switching careers at different ages that I never felt like I was playing catch up. There’s no time limit on our journeys.”
Fae lost her style in scrubs, then rebuilt it. That was the whole business plan.
What the ward taught her
The clinical years turned out to be good training. “The main skill I learned as a nurse and a manager is communication. You have to communicate well with patients, families, and the whole team, and open communication is key to a seamless client experience. And you learn to adapt to change. Every day and every client is different.” More than the skills, the work shaped her. “Nursing heightened my emotional awareness and empathy, both of which make a real difference in a client’s experience.” She is also clear-eyed about the parts of business nobody warns you about. “It takes more than doing what you love to run a business. Sales, marketing, branding, legalities, mindset. Entrepreneurship is a continuous learning curve. I’m almost always investing in myself and the business.”
Her consultations dig deep before they get to clothes, into a client’s beliefs, values, and goals, then move through a four-factor formula: color, lifestyle, body shape, and personal taste. The service is half personalization, half education. “I hope to leave clients understanding how to become the best version of themselves.” She points to a real idea underneath it, enclothed cognition, the theory that clothing carries symbolic meaning that shapes how you feel, how you behave, and how others read you.
Her own favorite piece right now is her wedding dress, and characteristically it is not traditional, so she can wear it again. She found it on Farfetch two weeks before the wedding: puff sleeves with just enough statement, lace detailing, a balancing V-neck, and, she notes, pockets. Asked to describe her style in the senses, she does not miss a beat. It would smell like cardamom and sandalwood, warm and understated. It would taste like tiramisu, classic and subtle yet striking. And it would sound like classic jazz. No words, just melody.
Fae Jagdon is at faejagdon.com and @faejagdon.
