+34Orla McCrann juggles a career in financial services with her passion for personal styling. By day, she manages projects; by night, she helps women rediscover their confidence through color and fashion. Her unique blend of coaching and styling aims to transform how people perceive themselves and move through the world.
By day, Orla McCrann works as a project manager in financial services. By evening, she is a stylist, color enthusiast, and founder of Unique is Chic.
A personal and creative styling business built on the belief that getting dressed should not feel like a daily negotiation with your wardrobe. I help women understand what colors, shapes, and styles make them feel good, rather than handing them a list of rules about what they 'should' wear. Before Unique is Chic, I owned a pop-up boutique in Jersey.
The pinch-me moments were never just about selling a brilliant piece; they were watching a woman try on an outfit she would normally have dismissed, see herself differently in the mirror, and leave standing that little bit taller. That feeling-the mix of possibility, confidence, and 'why didn't I try this sooner?
'-was the spark that made me want to build a business around styling women as people, not projects. A lot of my clients come to me when confidence, self-worth, and self-expression have taken a hit. I use color, style, and a bit of gentle detective work to help them take off the 'I'll just wear what's safe' mask and get back to who they actually are.
I read a person's energy, presence, and personal palette, then build an experience that reflects who they are inside and out. As a qualified life coach and color therapist, I'm as interested in how they feel as how they look. Unique is Chic has grown beyond one-to-one styling. I've brought brands together for corporate pop-ups, created concepts like 'piercing at work' days, and designed experiences that blend color, confidence, and creativity for teams as well as individuals.
For me, it's not just about wearing color; it's about letting color work on your mood, your energy, and the way you move through the world. Clothes are not going to solve every problem, obviously, but the right outfit can make you stand a little taller while you deal with them. My weekday mornings are governed by two very different women: Project Manager Orla and Stylist Orla. Project Manager Orla likes a plan, a schedule, and, ideally, a color-coded spreadsheet.
Stylist Orla is more likely to be wondering whether a leopard-print jacket is appropriate for a Tuesday morning. I usually wake at 7 am, assuming I've somehow managed to get nine hours of sleep. I'm an 'always tired' kind of person. I wish I could say I hop out of bed bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and hit a 5 am CrossFit class, but I'd be lying.
My first job is waking my daughter and launching into the school routine, which mostly involves listening to my own voice on repeat as I try to get us out of the house on time. Caffeine is non-negotiable. Don't even look at me until I've had one.
I stick on BBC Radio 6 for some uplifting tunes to help me wake up, then have a coffee protein shake before logging on around 8 am to check emails and map out the day's meetings. A bit later, around 9 am, I eat properly: eggs with sourdough, or Greek yogurt and fruit, depending on what my body can handle that morning.
I get ready for my project management day, but I still like to put some thought into what I'm wearing. Even if I'm working from home, clothes affect my mood. There is a limit to how much strategic thinking can happen in pajamas. The project management part of my life gives me structure, while Unique is Chic gives me space to be creative.
They sound like opposites, but they actually work well together. I spend the day organizing other people's deadlines and solving problems, then in the evening I get to think about color, texture, proportions, and why someone has six black tops but feels they have nothing to wear. Both roles involve understanding people, making decisions, and turning something slightly chaotic into a workable plan. Yoga.
I really want to be the kind of person who does a proper morning session instead of rushing straight into emails and the school run. My back makes that interesting. Some days I manage a short flow; other days it's more like a gentle stretch and hope for the best. If nothing screams, I'll finish with a quick 'namaste' and pretend I've got my life together.
I start my project management day at 8 am. First step: emails, to see what little grenades have landed overnight and need defusing.
Then it's meetings from 9 am with my team, plus the gentle art of chasing deadlines without becoming the office nag. No easy feat! Once evening hits, I hand over to Unique is Chic. If there's a Colour Personality reading in the books, I'll start working on that.
This is when I'm at my best doing my soul-purpose work. I work in a hybrid model: two days remote, two days in the office, and Fridays are solely for Unique is Chic. My 'Fashion Fridays'. I love working remotely and have done so for years when working abroad
Hybrid Work Personal Styling Women's Empowerment Color Therapy Project Management
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