This Mother-Daughter Team Is Taking An Unfair Double Standard For Women In Finance And Turning It Into A “Strategic Edge”

The mother-daughter duo of Alison Bruhn and Delia Folk know it isn’t fair, but they also know it’s true: the higher women rise up the corporate ladder in finance, the more their appearance is scrutinized.

Bruhn and Folk—whose business, The Style That Binds Us, empowers professionals and organizations through what they call “transformative style solutions”—was founded seven years ago to empower women in the industry to uplevel their professional image. Doing so not only increases employee confidence, but boosts a company’s bottom line, they say.

“Enhancing a team’s executive presence can improve negotiation and deal outcomes by millions of dollars,” Folk tells me. “We help individuals and teams enhance productivity, leadership presence and client relationships, ultimately driving measurable increases in revenue, efficiency and competitive edge.”

For women in finance in particular, as they rise through the ranks of their company, the pressure to look and dress a certain way—again, while unfair—“intensifies,” Bruhn says. “When you’re just starting out, you’re expected to be professional. But once you’re in the room where decisions are made? You’re expected to embody leadership—visually, verbally and energetically. That means dressing the part isn’t just about style—it’s about influence. Your clothes become part of how your authority is perceived and your presence remembered. It’s unfair, yes—but it’s also a strategic edge if you know how to use it.”

That’s where The Style That Binds Us comes in. Based in New York City, they frequently travel to speak at conferences around the globe and work with clients that are both finance companies and individuals in the field, whom Bruhn and Folk call “executive styling clients.” The team also serves as the style contributors for Katie Couric Media.

“While men may be judged by results, women are often judged by both results and presentation,” Folk says. “Knowing that lets you lead the narrative instead of reacting to it. Not only does how you present yourself correlate with trust, influence, earnings and career growth, you are setting the example for your entire team or company, so mastering your style and executive presence as you rise the ranks is imperative.”

When The Style That Binds Us works with clients—and Bruhn and Folk tell me they’ve worked with hundreds of clients since 2018 from around the world—they work with them through what they call strategic wardrobe management, precision outfit planning and visual branding. After all, if Bruhn and Folk can’t change the unfair rules around female executives and their appearance in the finance industry, at least they can help women more effectively play the game.

“We help financial leaders command every room they enter,” Bruhn says.

The Style That Binds Us has worked with companies like Merrill Lynch, Blackstone, NASDAQ, Stifel, Davis Polk and Schulte Roth & Zabel to provide executive styling services, presentations on professional image and wardrobe management solutions. They’ve also worked on roundtables focused on executive presence and professional branding with the likes of Barron’s, Harvard Business School, Women’s Bond Club, With Intelligence and Penn Club.

“You want to portray excellence in everything you do,” Bruhn says. “Your wardrobe is no different. Attention to detail, such as impeccable fit and polish, is imperative.”

“If you dress casually, your team will think it is acceptable to dress casually as well, so keep this in mind,” Folk adds. “It’s okay for you to dress casually, but it has to be the right kind of casual. You’re setting the tone. If you’re wearing jeans and sneakers, your team will, too.”

The women readily admit that all of this can be mind-boggling—the intricacies of it, and the fact that it has to be paid attention to like this at all. With a high-powered career to attend to, Bruhn and Folk tell me that it’s The Style That Binds Us’ mission to take the guesswork out of styling for women who want to spend their time focused on other tasks, but still want to command respect and attention through their personal style.

“By eliminating decision fatigue and optimizing professional image, we ensure our clients can focus entirely on what matters most—performing at their peak,” Folk says.

And the need is there, they say. Executive styling is a complicated field to navigate, Folk adds, because “there aren’t any guidelines or examples to follow. What we’re seeing on social media and even in top publications as recommendations for business casual, business professional, et cetera is all over the place, so everyone is very confused.”

The Style That Binds Us is there to introduce women to a signature look, personal branding and what they call image excellence and the rules of power dressing. They’ve niched down on finance because they see a need to help women stand out in a male-dominated industry and show up with confidence, which, in turn, reinforces credibility, they say. The mother-daughter team points to a McKinsey study that found that around 55 percent of women in finance reported feeling that a lack of confidence in their appearance negatively affected their performance during high stakes meetings or presentations. Bruhn and Folk are attempting to ensure that doesn’t happen. Folk says the work they do helps women own their narrative, and tells me that doing so “puts you in control of your story.”

By helping women craft a signature executive look—a consistent, polished, style that reflects authority, confidence and a unique presence—it becomes “the ultimate power move,” Bruhn says. “Your signature look isn’t about fashion—it’s about strategy.”

Doing so helps streamline decision making, she tells me, saving time and energy for what truly matters; it also ups confidence, “allowing you to walk into every room already in command,” she says, pointing to a study from the University of Texas-Permian Basin that says that 55 percent of communication is nonverbal, meaning that one’s confidence and presence says so much without ever saying a word.

Bruhn and Folk come armed with data to back their position up. They introduce me to a Deloitte study that found that 72 percent of women in finance leadership felt that maintaining a polished professional image significantly impacted their career progression, and lead me to another McKinsey study that found that 67 percent of women in finance reported being more conscious of their appearance during client-facing roles and board presentations, compared to just 43 percent of men.

“Men are often solely judged on performance, whereas women are judged on both performance and appearance,” Bruhn says. “We were speaking with a client recently who told us a story about being in a meeting with fellow leadership discussing candidates up for promotion. When discussing the male candidates, they spoke about their strengths and work, whereas when discussing the female candidates, they spoke about their flaws, including their appearance. She eventually called it out, and they were shocked and embarrassed and made a quick change—but this happens more than you think.”

Women’s wardrobes can be used as a tool to achieve their goals and ambitions, they tell me, and “this is an important mindset shift—starting to think of your wardrobe as a tool in your career toolkit,” Bruhn says.

Their tips are endless and at the ready: invest in fit and high quality fabrics, not just labels. (“The right tailoring is more powerful than any designer logo,” Bruhn says.) Go for quality over quantity. (“You don’t need a closet full of options—you need a curated selection that always works,” she adds.) Pick two to three core colors that mix effortlessly and add one to two accents. (“It makes dressing—and packing—a breeze,” Folk says.) Shoes and bags matter, too; Folk calls them “silent indicators of success,” and adds that “you don’t need many—just the right ones.” They also encourage to not forget what they call the “third piece”: a blazer, jacket or standout accessory that they say elevates an outfit from “working” to “leading.” (“It creates intention in your look,” Folk says.)

“Whereas men can rely on a simple suit rotation, there are fewer standardized options for women who are expected to strike a visual balance—professional, polished, powerful—but never ‘too much,’” Folk says. “The margin for error is slim, and the expectations are higher despite this being such a grey area in terms of what to wear. That’s the double standard. It’s not fair, but it’s real—and knowing how to navigate it puts you ahead of the game.”