Why Choose Sterling Style Academy?

At Sterling Style Academy, we deliver results. Our award-winning faculty and comprehensive curriculum provide the high-level training and tools you need to excel as an image consultant, personal stylist, or personal shopper. With courses offered in global fashion hubs like New York, Miami, Paris, Milan, Dubai, and Singapore—as well as online year-round—you’ll gain the skills and confidence to build a thriving business.

Global Reach and Expertise

Our culturally diverse students develop expertise in creative expression, critical analysis, decision-making, and communication. With training programs spanning six continents, we offer a truly global perspective. Whether you’re starting a business or looking to generate income within your first month, our programs are designed to set you up for success under the guidance of one of the world’s top image consultants.

Comprehensive Training Programs

Our courses are designed to help you master technical and practical aspects of style, from color theory and wardrobe consulting to personal branding and business development. With programs held in New York, Dubai, Miami, London, Paris, Milan, Riyadh, and Singapore—as well as online—you’ll find the perfect course to suit your needs. Join over 65 countries’ worth of graduates who have become highly regarded professionals in the styling industry.

Flexible Online Learning

For those seeking flexibility, our online programs offer self-paced eLearning with instructor-led video tutorials, interactive exercises, and live training sessions. Whether you’re launching a six-figure business or refining your skills, our online courses provide the same industry-leading knowledge as our in-person programs.

Specialized Programs

• 2-Day Color Analysis Training: Master the art of color theory and analysis to provide expert consultations.
• 3- or 5-Day Color Analysis & Stylist Short Courses: Perfect for quick, hands-on training in color and styling expertise.
• 7-Day Image Consultant Training & Personal Styling: Comprehensive in-person training in global cities.
• 2-Week Image Consultant, Personal Stylist, and Personal Shopper Training Program: An immersive experience in the heart of the fashion world.
• Online Certification Programs: Flexible, self-paced learning with live mentorship.

Take the Next Step

Join the elite group of Sterling Style Academy Certified Image Consultants, Personal Stylists, and Personal Shoppers. Whether you’re passionate about fashion, personal branding, or entrepreneurship, our programs are your gateway to success. With specialized training in areas like color analysis, wardrobe consulting, and personal styling, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to transform your passion into a thriving career. Enroll today and start your journey toward becoming a leader in the styling industry.

Michelle T. Sterling: Empowering the Next Generation of Style Leaders

Michelle T. Sterling is the founder and training director of the internationally acclaimed Sterling Style Academy, where she has spent over two decades transforming aspiring stylists, personal shoppers, and image consultants into industry leaders. Known for her innovative training methods and personalized approach, Michelle has built a global reputation for empowering her students to turn their passion for fashion into thriving, sustainable careers. Her programs are designed not just to teach technical skills but to cultivate confidence, creativity, and entrepreneurial success.

At the core of Michelle’s mission is a drive to elevate American style by cultivating a new generation of stylists who embody refined taste, timeless European aesthetics, and a higher standard of sophistication. Her expertise in dressing individuals of affluence—those from old-money backgrounds or aspiring to that level of refinement—has positioned her as a trusted authority in helping clients and students alike raise their image with elegance and authenticity. From New York and Miami to London, Paris, Madrid, and Milan, and extending to Dubai, Riyadh, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore, Michelle’s influence spans the world’s most prestigious fashion and business hubs. Her programs empower those with a natural appreciation for taste and elevation to impart their knowledge and influence globally, shaping the next wave of image consultants and personal stylists.

Michelle’s impact goes far beyond the classroom. Her graduates don’t just earn certifications—they leave with a clear vision for their careers, a strong personal brand, and the confidence to charge premium rates for their services. Many of her students have gone on to become TV personalities, bestselling authors, and successful entrepreneurs, crediting Michelle’s guidance as the foundation of their success. Whether it’s developing a marketing plan, refining a business model, or tailoring strategies to cultural nuances, Michelle’s dedication to her students’ success is unmatched. With her support, Sterling Style Academy alumni are not just entering the industry—they’re redefining it.

Michelle T. Sterling: A Global Authority in Style and Image Consulting

“I could give up shopping but I’m not a quitter.”

Michelle T. Sterling is the founder and training director of the Sterling Style Academy, the internationally renowned image consultant, personal stylist and personal shopper training and development division of Sterling Personal Styling.  She is an award-winning, American entrepreneur equipped with 20 years of experience in the finance, retail, fashion and style consulting industries.

Ms. Sterling’s inside knowledge of the corporate world as an investment banker with Banc of America Securities and her affiliations with several fashion houses, such as Giorgio Armani and Cartier, give her unique insight and advantage in the fashion, luxury, and image management consulting profession.  Over the years Ms. Sterling has been recognized as a top-notch, international image consultant, personal stylist and personal shopper by retail institutions, her prestigious network of clients, and by luxury brand professionals who span the globe from New York, Milan, Dubai and Hong Kong.  As a result of her impressive luxury brand sales and marketing track record, she has become the preferred Luxury Brand Management sales trainer from the United States, to the Middle East, and Singapore.

The Sterling Style Academy’s training programs are a two-way investment.  You invest in us and we invest in you.  When combining Ms. Sterling’s philosophy to cultivate the innate talents and unique gifts of each of our students with our rigorous curriculum and systematic approach to training, the Sterling Style Academy produces superstar TV personalities and authors within the image consulting, personal styling and personal shopping industry worldwide.  Ms. Sterling is known for her “Corporate America” approach to training as well as also being an innovative thought leader in creating and developing sustainable image consultant business models engineered according to the strengths of each student.

Ms. Sterling has been a Certified Image Consultant through the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI). She was formally trained in image, color, style, etiquette, communication and relationship management and has received certification from several recognized Certified Image Masters of AICI.  Ms. Sterling received her Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish from the prestigious Wellesley College and is fluent in English, French and Spanish. She is also a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Performance Training program and the Protocol School of Washington.  She holds Certificates of Completion in Interior Styling, Nostradamus Astrology, and in Basic Spiritual Response Therapy (SRT). She is also the author of over thirty educational training books, DVDs, and CDs as well as co-author of the book, Success Simplified, with Stephen Covey. 

As the former fashion and style expert on the Advisory Board of Men’s Fitness Magazine and a reputable professional speaker, Ms. Sterling is frequently quoted and asked to speak and write articles as an authority in the fashion and image industry. Newsweek, MSNBC, Fox News, Inside Edition, ABS CBN, Bravo TV, VH1 and several other TV stations throughout the United States, London, and Dubai have called upon Ms. Sterling’s expertise as it relates to image, fashion, style, etiquette, dating, and communication. Ms. Sterling has been featured in many media worldwide such as: WWD, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, The San Francisco Business Times, Minneapolis Business Journal, World Talk Female Entrepreneur Radio, FabJob.com, Monster.com, Sales and Marketing Management, Audrey Magazine, American Way Magazine, Smart Money, Washington Woman, Associated Press, Men’s Health Magazine, Women’s Health Magazine, Details Magazine, The New York Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Friday Magazine – Gulf News Dubai, BBC London, Bloomberg, Business Week, Forbes, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal in the U.S. and Asia, CNN London, Real Simple Magazine, People Style Magazine, Marie Claire Magazine UK, InStyle Magazine UK, Vogue Magazine UK, and Harper’s Bazaar UK.

She currently resides in between New York and Dubai as well as frequently travels the world to consult executive and socially prominent clients as well as trains tomorrow’s future superstar stylists.

MARIA CRISTINA ACQUARONI

Guatemalan Celebrity Stylist Maria Acquaroni is known for being the “personality behind the personality.” Her talent and charisma lead her to host and co-produce the first Guatemalan TV makeover show, Amo Mi Estilo. Considered the next Rachel Zoe of Latin America, she is frequently invited to fashion events and runway shows – always impeccably dressed in her distinct signature style.

Fashion magazines and designers, advertising and PR firms, as well as private clientele choose to work with Maria Acquaroni for her aesthetics, unparalleled attention to detail, and work ethic. They all agree that her jovial personality makes her fun to work with. She frequently travels from Guatemala to Miami to cater to her exclusive list of VIP clients. Aside from being a well- known stylist and TV personality, Maria also writes about fashion in several newspapers and magazines, teaches workshops, produces photo shoots, does personal shopping, and she is the pioneer of fashion blogging in Guatemala with her blog, Style by Red.

From an early age Maria drew sketches of models in fashion magazines. This passion for fashion lead her to study fashion design at the Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy. A few years later Maria pursued her certification as professional image consultant and personal shopper through the Sterling Style Academy. Upon graduating, Maria rapidly became a styling expert and successfully created a name for herself as a highly sought after stylist in Guatemala, Miami, and Latin America.

Through her life and exceptional work experience, Maria has become an inspiration and a role model for other motivated and determined women in Latin America.

ASTROLOGER MAHARISHI MIRNA

“Astrology is not meant to emphasize fate, but to help you understand your life, your strengths and weaknesses, and provide you with the tools to overcome these obstacles and limitations.”   This is the mantra of Mirna, Vedic Astrologer, Lecturer, Author & Consultant.

Mirna offers workshops and courses on different schools and branches of astrology; Vedic, Medieval, Remedial, Esoteric, Electional, Horary, etc.  She is a regular columnist in Aquarius magazine.

SUKI MATTU BROWN

“Personal style is not a fad, it’s a way of life” is the mantra of British Personal Stylist and Personal Shopper Suki Mattu Brown, training facilitator for Sterling Style Academy. Known for her flair for style and fashion, Suki’s passion lies in assisting men and women to achieve success through their image and wardrobe. She believes that everyone has the potential of possessing their own unique sense of personal style and dedicates herself to assisting clients in developing their full potential.

With 15 years of experience running a family clothing boutique and textile business, and operating an apparel and accessories company in London, Suki has a firm footing within the fashion industry. Her international, globe-trotting sense of style contributes to her makeover successes – making her highly sought after by her clientele without breaking the bank. She was formally educated and certified as an image and style consultant with the Sterling Style Academy in San Francisco.

Suki attended Dartford College in Kent in the UK. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and she trains students throughout the United States and United Kingdom.

Sterling Style Academy classes at a specific location are given by one instructor per location per course.  If more than one course will take place at one location, the instructor will have the capability to teach all courses.