By Cathy DeLozier
Alice Jordan Pulliam and Mary Glenn McElveen are expanding Birmingham’s profile in the fashion industry, providing local (and online) women with new and creative options and access. Pulliam owns Soiree, the area’s first curated rental and resale boutique, featuring elevated pieces in an approachable setting. McElveen owns Styled by MG, a personal stylist and wardrobe consulting business, which has an Instagram following of 187,000.
Although each has forged her own path to small-business ownership, their similar backgrounds and educational experiences led them to their dream careers. Both are Mountain Brook graduates (different classes) who began expressing their creativity while dressing for elementary school. “I’ve been obsessed with clothes since I was about six and wanted to plan my outfits to look all put together for school,” says Pulliam. “I took my first trip to New York at 16 and knew I wanted to live there and work in fashion although I didn’t know what that would look like.”
McElveen chimes in, “Playing dress up was my favorite game as a child, and then I started expressing my creativity with clothes for school. My mom says she would check on me upstairs when I was supposed to be doing homework, and I’d be styling my outfit for the next day. I’ve always had a passion for it but never thought of it as a career. Now I know there are ways to work in the industry other than being a designer or buyer.”
Pulliam worked at local retail clothing stores as a teenager, modeled in two Linly Heflin Fashion Shows and worked—after an internship and receiving her business marketing degree from Birmingham Southern—for a New York marketing and communications firm representing various clothing brands.
McElveen continued to style clothing for her friends and family as she grew up but was paid for her first styling job right out of high school by a local mother whose daughter was starting at the high school and was unsure what her daughter should wear or how to coordinate her clothes. “Every Christmas and summer break, I would come home and style for her for the next season. I never thought this would be something I could turn into a career. They both are still some of my best clients.”
After working at a second PR firm representing different fashion houses, Pulliam went to work for Chopard, a luxury watch and jewelry brand, on the PR and Celebrity Dressings team. “I worked the Met Gala, traveled to California for the Oscars and all the awards shows, as well as Cannes for the Film Festival.”
It was during Pulliam’s five years in New York that the idea for Soiree began. “I had to wear a certain style of clothing for meeting stylists, celebrity fittings and all my work events, so I started renting clothing, up to three to four times a week, and renting out my clothing as well. All my friends were renting, too, but we all had issues with only online options and renting peer-to-peer. There was no consistency or dependability; items might be stained or wrinkled or not look like the photo online or fit well. The worst was when an item didn’t arrive on time. It was all on an app and was frustrating. I noticed a lot more women were renting for various reasons, and there was no brick-and-mortar option out there where you could see and feel the fabric in person and try it on.”
About a year before she moved home, Pulliam started working on her business plan to provide an elevated shopping experience that is fun and accessible and launched Soiree in December 2025. She moved into her current space in the Studios Building at Pepper Place in August.
Clients can rent or buy clothes and bags, and a few accessories, that Pulliam has personally chosen from sample sales and vintage shops in New York and Atlanta. Some of her clothing brands include Ulla Johnson, LoveShackFancy, Alexander Wang, Elliatt, Amur, Retrofete and Leo Lin. She carries bags by Fendi, Gucci, Chanel, Tory Burch, Stuart Weitzman and Louis Vuitton.
While she carries a full range of sizes from extra small to extra large, she does not carry every size in every item. Renters sign an agreement of responsibility for the full retail value of an item if it is lost, damaged or stolen, and Soiree handles all the cleaning and maintenance. “I want women to feel celebrated and have a good time while they shop for a special occasion or event and leave with something they love,” she says.
McElveen also graduated with a marketing degree, with a minor in fashion merchandising, from Alabama, where she spent four years loaning clothes to her friends and continuing to style their outfits. She worked in interior design for a local high-end furniture company, starting in sales and working her way into the PR department where she learned how the influencing world works. After getting married in 2019, she moved to a smaller interior design environment, while telling her husband she wanted to ultimately work in fashion, but wasn’t sure what that would be.
Her first client was now in college, and McElveen was still planning her wardrobe for her when a lightbulb went off. “Could I just do this for people in Birmingham? I’m already doing this, and I help my friends all the time—this is what I’m meant to do.”
McElveen launched her business in April 2020 but was undeterred by the pandemic. “I was still working in interior design, but business was slow, so I had time to invest. People were eager to get dressed again and were cleaning out their closets and looking at their wardrobes because they had time.”
She started doing closet edits and styling consulting via Zoom. She also blogged about fashion and posted what she wore on Instagram. “The most successful part of my business was the styling, and the Instagram posts were just in the background for my selling services and getting my name out there, making some money from linking and working with smaller brands. I was super passionate about being successful, and after working two jobs for a year, I was ready to focus all my time on my business.”
McElveen had a banner year in 2024 in which she collaborated as the designer for Dillard’s exclusive private label Antonio Melani, “Curated high-end collections that evoke sophistication through tailoring, yet stay current through styling and attitude,” according to their website. She designed 16 articles of clothing, eight pairs of shoes and some swimwear for the Spring collection, with most selling out within 24 hours—approximately five million dollars in sales. It was so successful, she collaborated again for Spring 2025, and work is in progress for Spring 2027.
After 2024, McElveen’s business and Instagram followers grew exponentially; brands invite her to wear their clothes and pay her to own and wear them, whether she posts or not, as well as a percentage of the purchases made through her links. She gets invited to shows for New York Fashion Week and to Paris for parties and networking events during their fashion week. “I have my business and family here in Birmingham, and I go to these events in these cities and think, ‘How am I here?’ Definitely pinch me moments,” says McElveen.
For more information visit soireebham.com and styledbymg.com.
