Meet Brianna White | Personal Fashion Stylist

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

Hi Brianna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve had the desire to help people feel comfortable and confident in their clothing for many years, starting during my modeling days when I’d be on set and have extra items with me that I’d share with anyone who wanted to create more versatile looks for their shots!

I’ve always known the relationship we create with our clothing and self-image is incredibly impactful on our day-to-day lives, and if we can use it to our advantage, can create actionable steps toward our goals in small ways each and every day. But it wasn’t until the pandemic hit in 2020 that I took a step back and realized how important this idea was to me and my desire to support others in a creative way became more than a dream.

My main focus with Vostra Moda is giving others the opportunity to be seen, to be heard, and to be themselves. On a personal level, as an individual who identifies as queer, it took me a LONG time to discover who I was and what I wanted in my own life versus what the expectation of the world around me was and how they wanted me to show up.
Learning how to show up for myself and pay attention to my own needs and how I wanted to see myself was the first step to empowering myself and pursuing what I wanted in life.

Seeing the massive difference it made for me was an immediate indicator that I could start expressing myself and feeling confident in showing up with a simple act of making intentional choices. I realized that choice started with what I put on my body each day and creating a structure that simplified my mornings allowed me to focus on what I found important, and I saw how others could use these “hacks” in their own lives as well.

So why not use my own experiences and years of knowledge from being on set at photoshoots, creating costumes and cosplays just for fun, and having an appreciation for what a good outfit can do to level up your attitude to help others find their confidence through clothing?

What should our readers know about your business?
I like to say that as a personal fashion stylist the main thing that I focus on is the “personal” aspect of it. It’s even in the name of my business “Vostra Moda”, which is Italian and roughly translates to “your style”. That’s my biggest focus with clients, is helping them to find “their” style, whatever that is, whatever stage they are at in their life and their journey, my goal is to help them find what makes them feel like their best selves right now.

I think what sets me apart from others is my experience modeling and my interest in photography and cosplay. All of them have attributed to my learning the importance of how your clothing fits, how it makes you feel, and how you show up, whether it’s for a photo shoot, an event, or even your day-to-day life. And as someone in the LGBTQIA+ community, I personally understand how important it is to be true to your authentic self and learn how to love yourself so you can be seen in this world. I believe clothing can be a wonderful tool to support that self-expression.

I think that owning your own business is truly the quickest way for self-development to happen, and I’ve learned so much about myself by owning my own business these last couple of years! I think if I could go back in time and give myself any advice during those first couple of months it would be “don’t be afraid to ask for help or pursue mentorship, especially when it comes to things you don’t know or aren’t experienced with yourself”. And the other big thing would be “don’t be afraid of ‘failure’.” We never really fail, we just learn how to do something better next time, but the idea of failure stops us from even trying so we never know when something could have been incredibly successful because we stop short out of fear.

I am proud of myself for pushing through many of those fears, especially at the beginning! There are still days when I get hit with imposter syndrome because I’m human, so you have to keep pushing through it and knowing that what you do is so impactful and valuable to the people that you’re supporting in this world. I’m very grateful to have had some amazing clients who remind me of why I do this every day and the impact that we can truly make on each other when we pursue something important to us.

A lot of people think that clothing and caring about how you look is frivolous, but studies have shown that we make an assessment of people within the first seven seconds of meeting them and we determine traits of trustworthiness within 1/10 of a second before they even say a word! So for a society that doesn’t want to base things on looks, we contradict ourselves and do it without even consciously thinking about it. Body language is a huge part of that and something most people don’t take into account. So if you don’t feel good about yourself, it shows, and wearing something that helps you feel confident and empowers you to stand up straighter, walk taller, and speak louder, is going to add more positively to that first impression than throwing on an article of clothing that you’re trying to hide behind. Nobody should feel like they have to hide in this world, and I want to make sure that anybody that I speak to knows that they are allowed to take up space and to be seen and loved for exactly who they are, and to feel good about themselves and dress in a way that makes them feel good about themselves.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I literally laughed when I read this because my best friend lives on the West Coast and I live on the East Coast and she’s never been out my way, so we’re hoping to plan visits to see each other in the near future! That being said I tend to be a homebody and love to hang out with my dog, Yasha, so I am partial to doing things in and around my home in NH! I do know I would want my best friend to come and visit me in the Fall if I could choose any time of year for her to spend a week!

Going to the white mountains in New Hampshire is absolutely breathtaking in the fall, especially when you see how vast and colorful this world is from that perspective -and I’ll admit I’m not even a big hiker!

I’m also really big into breakfast, so we would definitely have to go to Dream Diner in Tyngsboro MA, and enjoy the 1950s-style atmosphere and one of their phenomenal Egg Benedicts and grilled cinnamon rolls!

Another favorite local place to grab a good cup of coffee, do some work, and check out local artisan wares is Apotheca Flowers in Goffstown New Hampshire. It’s the cutest shop with a café in the front, local artisans work in the back, and they put bouquets and floral arrangements together as well! I bought some of the most beautiful bouquets for myself there!

And for shopping, I love visiting my local consignment store, M&C Clothing and Gifts in Amherst NH. They have a great selection of options for men, women, maternity, and children’s items, which you don’t see very often – typically stores don’t carry much if anything for a men’s section let alone maternity or kids, so you could shop for the entire family while there! They also carry some local artists’ items in the shop as well as vintage and designer pieces, so you never know what type of treasure you’ll discover when you go!

In addition to the fall foliage I also love being near the water, so driving to Portsmouth (which has so much to offer when it comes to food and entertainment options) or Hampton, and walking along the beach is beautiful any time of year! I am lucky that my in-laws have a summer cabin on a lake that we get to visit in the warmer months and spend time around a fire pit in the evenings (with a nice glass of bourbon in hand), or sitting out on the dock with our feet in the water and a good book during the day.

I’m not too far away from Boston, which is great for any events or if you want to visit various museums! But being the homebody that I am, I personally love a good evening spent sitting out on my balcony with a cup of tea, giving my dog ear scritches while having a great conversation with friends!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have 2 shout-outs that have definitely impacted my life and helped me create the success that I have in my business!

The first shout-out is to my wife Sam, who is my constant support not just as a partner in our marriage, but as a business partner as well. She cofounded Vostra Moda and was the first person with whom I shared this crazy idea of helping people by “playing dress up” and showing them how to have fun with their clothing. She was the first person to tell me to go for my dreams and not just say it, but mean it. Not to mention she does all the behind-the-scenes work, everything related to my website, and is always coming up with different ways that we can support our clients and community.

My second shout-out goes to my mentor, Kate Taylor, and the entire KTI stylist community that she created with her programs Stylist School and Business of Style. I’ve not only learned so many tools to help me better support my clients as a fashion stylist but also tools to grow and expand as a business owner. And the fashion world is notorious for being cutthroat and competitive but being in this particular community of other Fashion stylists, I have found nothing but love and support from each of the people in it and they constantly cheer each other on and I couldn’t be more grateful for that support.

Website: Vostramoda.com

Instagram: @vostra_moda

Twitter: @vostra_moda

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VostraModa/

Other: Newsletter: vostramoda.com/newsletter

Image Credits
Dan Miniccui Photography