“Kara has a special talent for bringing out the best in people. She has an intuitive understanding of her clients’ needs and helps them achieve their goals with her expertise and compassion.”
Kara Allan is a leading Stylist and Personal Brand Image Consultant in the Washington, D.C. area, with over 20 years of experience empowering clients to transform their style, image, and confidence.
She trained under iconic stylist Stacy London, former Vogue editor and star of What Not to Wear and Love, Lust or Run, as well as Carla Mathis, one of only 20 Certified Image Masters worldwide, accredited by the prestigious Association of Image Consultants International.
Kara’s distinguished client roster features Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio, bestselling author and entrepreneur Jesse Itzler, DC United goalie Bill Hamid, Dork Diaries creator Rachel Renee Russell, WHUR Radio host Tracy LaTrelle, and countless entrepreneurs, actors, and professionals.
With Kara’s expertise, you’ll craft a personal or business brand that exudes confidence, authenticity, and success.
From tomboy to Style Goddess, Kara Allan has spent 20 years transforming lives as a top Style and Image Expert. Based in Fairfax, Virginia, her company, Style by Kara Allan, offers personal styling, beauty, and interior services.
Kara’s passion for fashion began at 12 and evolved through retail jobs and image consulting training with industry icons like Stacy London and Carla Mathis. She’s styled CEOs, entrepreneurs, and celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, and has worked with top magazines like Glamour and Bazaar.
Her services include wardrobe styling, personal shopping, corporate image consulting, and more. She helps clients look and feel their best with exceptional service and personalized attention.
It’s an unlikely road she took from tomboy to one of Metro Washington, DC’s most fashionably dressed women, but Kara Allan has made the journey. A young girl who loved building forts and climbing trees, the “Style Goddess” is now a Style and Image Expert of LifeStyle by Kara Allan, her busy, 20- year-old image consulting business based in Fairfax, Virginia. The company specializes in style, beauty, and interiors.
At twelve, Kara decided that she didn’t want her mother to dress her anymore and she became interested in trying on various looks, experimenting with makeup, and saw how the transformation enabled her to be herself, but a little more glamorous. As a teenager, jobs at the local mall helped her focus on her emerging passion…. fashion. While working at stores like Express, Petite Sophisticate, and Ann Taylor, she tuned into and translated trends in fashion and style to “help people represent themselves, and not just push clothes on them.” While working on her marketing degree, she helped fellow classmates select job-hunting outfits to prepare for professional interviews.
After getting married, having children, and re- entering the job market with a stint in the unstylish field of law, Allan found her passionate love of fashion had not ceased. So, after getting laid off twice, she happened to read a piece in The Washington Post about Darlene Mathis, a local Image Consultant, and the emerging business of Image Consulting, she was hooked. After receiving her First Level Certification with the industry’s exclusive trade association, the Association of Image Consultants International, and advanced training at Body Beautiful Institute with Certified Image Master Carla Mathis, plus experience with both MAC Cosmetics and Christian Dior as a makeup artist, she was ready to expand her own company.
Now, Kara works with clients such as CEO’s, corporate professionals, lawyers, actors, entrepreneurs, former military personnel, and others who are “fashionably challenged.” Style by Kara Allan provides services such as personal shopping, closet organization and editing, wardrobe styling, color consultation, and body shape analysis. Also provide interior decoration, group shopping trips, serving as a Wing Woman, couples styling, interview styling, and corporate image consulting. Her team consists of makeup artists, hair stylists, and fashion stylists.
Kara was a stylist with Stacy London’s (of TLC’s What Not to Wear, and Love, Lust or Run) new venture, Style for Hire, a national styling firm for several years, and was personally vetted personally by London. Kara also styled for the magazine I Am Modern and DC Life Magazine.com. She’s emceed several fashion shows, judged A Cities of America Teen Pageant, Project FundWay, The Fashionista’s Brunch at Saks Fifth Avenue, and Macy’s Inaugural Fashion show at Metro Center. In 2011, Kara was a Glambassador for Glamour magazine and in 2012 became a Style Ambassador for Bazaar Magazine. She also styles local fashion shows such as Walk this Way for Becky’s Fund, Luke’s Wings and Crystal Couture. In April 2012, she walked in the Fashion for Paws Runway show for the second year where she raised over $5,600 in support of the Washington Humane Society and this April she raised over $3000. Kara added Celebrity Makeup Artist to her portfolio in 2014 Oscar Award Winner when she groomed Leonardo DiCaprio for his speech to the State Department on Ocean Conservation.
In 2015, Kara served as a Personal Shopper Expert in the $3 Billion Lawsuit between White Flint Mall and Lord & Taylor. In January 2016 Kara spoke at the Periscope Summit in San Francisco on the Personal Branding panel along with Alex Khan, Alex Butler, AnnaLee Belle, and Paija Hudson.
Style by Kara Allan, LLC is a full-service Style and Image Consulting Firm that caters to individuals, groups, and corporations. The mission of the company is to inspire and educate clients about how great they can look and feel in their clothes. Clients are provided VIP treatment with an unmatched level of customer service.
“Kara has a special talent for bringing out the best in people. She has an intuitive understanding of her clients’ needs and helps them achieve their goals with her expertise and compassion.”
“Kara is more than just a stylist, she’s a personal coach and motivator. Her positive energy and attention to detail transformed my look and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed.”
“Kara’s keen eye and exceptional taste made my photoshoot unforgettable. She has a talent for accentuating my best features and bringing out my inner beauty. I’m so grateful for her talent and creativity.”
“Kara’s brand and style consulting services were exactly what I needed to take my business to the next level. She helped me define my personal brand and gave me the tools and knowledge to succeed in the competitive world of fashion.”
“I never thought I would enjoy a beauty and makeup session as much as I did with Kara. She made the experience fun and enjoyable and left me feeling beautiful and confident.”
“Kara is a true professional and expert in her field. Her style and brand consulting services were exactly what I needed to take my business to the next level. I can’t thank her enough for her help.”
“Kara’s beauty and makeup services are truly exceptional. She has a natural talent for accentuating her clients’ best features and bringing out their inner beauty. I would recommend her to anyone looking to feel and look their best.”
“Kara has a special talent for transforming people’s lives. She helped me define my personal style and gave me the confidence to succeed in both my professional and personal life.”
“Kara is not just a stylist, she’s a friend. Her compassion and understanding of my needs made the styling experience enjoyable and personalized. I can’t wait to work with her again.”
“Kara’s corporate image consulting services transformed my professional life. Her attention to detail and understanding of my personal brand helped me secure the job of my dreams. I’m so grateful for her help.”
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