Growing up with Dale

I mean, I don’t know any part of DahlStyle that doesn’t include Dale. She was one of my first clients when I started DahlStyle. Now we consider her framily. 

She’s been to just about every event I’ve hosted. She has seen me grow up and get married, have my boys, survive a great recession, global pandemic and now….the disaster of the current administration. Her loyalty never wavering. Now that’s who you want in your corner and I hope she feels I’ve been in her corner through all the highs and lows life has handed her. Now if you know the origin of our story, you’d be surprised at where we are now.  

When I first met Dale she was just the sweetest. She wanted ‘personal style’ so wildly you could just feel it. I was excited to work with her because she was just so enthusiastic, and then we went shopping. 

Oh my gosh it was like pulling teeth!!! All the enthusiasm went out the window and she objected to EVERYTHING!!! I’m not sure she left our first shopping session with anything! I know we both left feeling pretty defeated. I’d never experienced someone who seemed so ready and then turn and be so hesitant, even resistant. 

After a couple of days of reflection, Dale reached out to me and wanted to give it another go.  It was the first time I realized just how vulnerable this process can be for an individual. Dale was triggered by just the experience of trying on new things and that’s ok. It’s a journey and not everybody’s journey’s will look and feel the same. For Dale, she needed to go and be shook by the experience for her to realize there was some personal growth that needed to happen to be ready for the journey. It’s SO MUCH more than just getting new clothes, it’s life changing.

Now I’ll speed the story up a little and tell you, once Dale had some realizations that she needed to be more open to get the full experience…it was like a fuse had been lit and everything exploded into motion…we went shopping and shopped again and again and…you get it. And over the years Dale has become one of my best students. So much so, now I would consider her my Muse now. 

She has curated a personal style that is so elegant, eclectic and SO Dale!! She rarely needs me anymore other than for some validation which is easy to give her. She really is her very own Style Icon…just as she had requested in the first meeting twenty plus years ago!!

Dale-icious, you are luminescent and warm and loving and I love you. I am looking forward to continuing to grow up with you in my life always.