Eleanor Cripps wears many hats — an author, content creator, home cook, stylist and mother of four — with a quiet kind of magnetism. Her Instagram feels like an exhale: a place where beauty, softness, and intention gather in the margins of everyday life. In her 30s, Eleanor made a bold career shift, stepping into the world of personal styling with a focus on slow fashion and romantic clothes that are made for real life.
You’ll often see her dressed with care, baby in arms, groceries in hand, which is part of what makes her approach feel so accessible. It’s not just her style that resonates, but the way she brings attention to the small, often overlooked moments.
Whether she’s making coffee, baking muffins, or putting together a cosy outfit, there’s a subtle, pared-back rhythm reflected in her work. Her style is less about making a statement and more about feeling at ease in your skin, and comfortable as you live your daily life.
Amid the beautiful chaos of building a creative career and raising a family, Eleanor offers a quiet reminder: getting dressed doesn’t have to be performative. It can simply be a way of coming home to yourself.
This perspective feels especially grounding for women in the thick of motherhood — something Eleanor knows firsthand. Her approach is deeply informed by her own experience of dressing in the postpartum period.
In those early postpartum days, getting dressed often felt like the last thing on my list, but slowly, it became a way to reconnect with myself.
“In those early postpartum days, getting dressed often felt like the last thing on my list, but slowly, it became a way to reconnect with myself. After giving birth, your body becomes something new. It’s not the body you remember, and it’s not yet done changing.”
“It feels soft in places that once felt firm, and continues to shift in ways that feel unfamiliar. Foreign, even. Looking back, I see myself blurry-eyed and uncertain. Quietly navigating the beautiful, bewildering terrain of new motherhood again, with a fourth babe and this time, many years later.”
Eleanor suggests that dressing well postpartum should be all about feeling like you again “This might look like gentle fabrics, easy silhouettes, pieces that move with you. A simple silk scrunchie, a beautiful knit, soft and flowing elasticated trousers, small touches that whisper: ‘You still matter.’
“To mothers in the thick of early motherhood, my advice would be: don’t wait for your body to return. Dress the woman standing in front of the mirror now.”
She adds that being guided by comfort and beauty can help. “Let your wardrobe reflect not who you were, but who you are becoming”
It’s not hard to see why Eleanor’s work resonates with her followers and styling clients, many of whom are mums themselves. With an ethos that favours feeling over formulas, she invites women to redefine what it means to dress well. Not for anyone else, but for themselves.
“To me, dressing well has little to do with looking stylish for others, or wearing what we think we should. It’s about tuning into how you feel, in your body, in your heart, in the quiet rhythm of daily life, and honouring that through choosing what you wear.”
“When you dress with intention, everything softens. Feeling lovely becomes fundamental, essential even. The outfits you put on become less about appearances and more about your presence. How you move, how you carry yourself, how you care.”
Eleanor’s styling work is deeply rooted in slow fashion principles. Less about consuming more, and more about cultivating a wardrobe that reflects who you truly are. She encourages her clients to look inward before outward, and to rebuild their style with thoughtful clarity.
She says to begin by looking at what you already have, noticing which shapes, fabrics and colours feel like you. “Before buying anything new, I encourage people to declutter, not with urgency or pressure to replace, but with reverence. Let your wardrobe breathe. Observe the pieces you continually reach for day in and day out. Let those pieces gently guide your next steps.” For Eleanor, dressing well is about alignment, not accumulation.
“I believe that a beautiful wardrobe isn’t about more. It’s about choosing what makes you feel most like yourself. A slow and evolving practice of listening to your body, your lifestyle, your intuition. It’s giving yourself permission to change. To choose softness and self-love. To wear only the clothes that bring joy.”
And often, she says, simplicity leads to clarity. “Once you simplify, you realise how little you actually need. You spend less and invest only in pieces that feel truly aligned. I always recommend supporting local designers, as well as buying second-hand or through designer recycle stores. These pieces tend to be better made, kinder on the planet, and far more personal than anything mass-produced.”
Eleanor’s tips reframe shopping as a mindful, values-driven act rather than a quick fix. This approach gently challenges the idea that style requires constant accumulation. Instead, it’s about curating a wardrobe that you feel connected to and clothes that you can enjoy for many years to come.
“Instead of asking, ‘What should I wear?’ begin with: ‘How do I wish to feel today?’ Intention is everything. For me, I return to three guiding words: soft, romantic, colourful. They help me stay grounded in my own lane, especially when trends try to pull me off-course.”
Eleanor also reminds clients that dressing with intention doesn’t require a big budget or a full wardrobe overhaul. “Your dream wardrobe likely costs less than you think. So much of building a wardrobe with intention comes down to pausing. Trying things on. Sitting with the decision. Not rushing.
“Those impulse buys, the ones where you chase someone else’s look, often end up sitting in the back of your wardrobe, sometimes with the tags still attached. They don’t carry your story. Instead, let your wardrobe evolve slowly. Curate with care. Choose pieces with soul. That’s when a wardrobe becomes a reflection, not of trends, but of who you truly are.”
Ultimately, Eleanor hopes that The Art of Dressing Well — her styling framework and online course leaves participants with more than outfit ideas.
“I hope they leave with a deeper sense of self. A tenderness towards their body. A newfound joy in the everyday ritual of getting dressed. It’s never just about the clothes. It’s about learning to feel more at home in your skin. To dress in a way that supports your life, your softness, your strength. The art of dressing well isn’t a destination – it’s a journey. And what a beautiful one it can be.”
Find all Eleanor’s creative offerings here: eleanorcripps.com
Photography by Eleanor Cripps
