THE STORY

“I have a power job now. I need to start dressing like it.”

I've been hearing some version of this more and more from women walking into our fitting rooms at Eleanor + Hobbs.

And I can't stop thinking about it.

Their careers are growing. They're managing people, taking on more responsibility, finding their voices and learning to trust their own judgment.

Sometimes their careers have simply evolved faster than their closets.

I've dressed women for a long time, and I know clothes don't make someone capable.

A blazer doesn't make you a leader.

A great pair of trousers doesn't get you promoted.

You do that.

But I've also watched what happens when a woman puts on something that feels exactly right.

She stands differently.

She sees herself differently.

Sometimes you can almost see something click.

The woman looking back at her in the mirror finally reflects the woman she's becoming.

That's what inspired CLEVELAND, SUITED.

01

Meet Emily

When I started thinking about the first woman I wanted to photograph for this project, I knew exactly who I wanted.

Emily.

I've known Emily since she was young.

She's smart, capable and incredibly humble. She tends to fly under the radar and would probably be the last person to tell you why she's impressive.

That's one of the things I love about her.

She's also in the middle of something I think a lot of women will recognize.

Her career is growing.

She's learning the ropes of leadership. Earning the respect of her team. Becoming more confident in her own voice and judgment.

And at the same time, she's figuring out how to balance a growing career with the rest of her life.

She hasn't arrived at some imaginary finish line.

None of us really have.

She's becoming.

And that felt like a much more interesting story to tell.

02

Why Cleveland?

We could have photographed Emily in a beautiful studio.

I didn't want to.

I wanted Cleveland.

The places that aren't perfectly polished.

Because there is something beautiful about the contrast.

A beautifully dressed woman against a city that doesn't pretend to be perfect.

Strong. Interesting. Evolving.

Maybe that's part of why this project feels so at home here.

There are remarkable women quietly building careers and lives all over Cleveland.

I want Cleveland, Suited to introduce you to some of them.

03

The Photographer

To bring the idea to life, I knew I wanted a photographer who would see more than the clothes.

I recently started following Damien M. Campbell Photography, and I loved his energy and his eye.

There was something fresh about the way he looked at people and at Cleveland.

So I gave him the idea:

Then I asked him to run with it.

He did.

The photographs you see here are exactly what I hoped this project could be.

04

The Suit

For Emily, we chose a timeless black suit from A.L.C.

With a crisp white shirt and heels, it's polished and confident.

Change the shirt for a lace-trimmed camisole and suddenly the same suit feels feminine, sophisticated and ready for somewhere completely different.

That's how we want clothes to work at Eleanor + Hobbs.

Because the women we dress don't live one-dimensional lives.

They're leading meetings. Building careers. Taking care of families. Meeting friends for dinner. Traveling. Making decisions. Making mistakes. Learning.

Their wardrobes should be able to move with them.

But this isn't really about the suit.

A great outfit doesn't make a woman powerful.

It doesn't give her the promotion.

It doesn't earn the respect of her team.

It doesn't teach her how to lead.

She does that.

But sometimes the right clothes help the outside reflect what's already happening on the inside.

They make you stand a little taller.

Walk into the room a little differently.

And maybe remind you that you're more ready than you think.

That's what I see when I look at these photographs of Emily.

Not a woman pretending to have everything figured out.

A woman moving forward.