From College Student to Startup Founder: My Last Seven Years in Outfits
A longtime M.M. customer shares the looks that have carried her through the years.
I’m Laura Lee, a San Francisco-based digital health founder and loyal M.M. customer since 2018. Professional hat on, I am the Chief Experience Officer at Crucible, a startup making third-party fertility journeys like egg donation and surrogacy far safer, more accessible, and less costly than they are today.
Personal hat on, this is a fascinating, profound niche of fertility where patients go through IVF on behalf of another family—but as you can imagine, it’s also a complex and ethically ambiguous space. I’m proud to be pushing this mission up the hill, but I won’t sugarcoat: It takes steel to show up for every day.
I first discovered M.M. in 2018 during my final quarter at Stanford. One of my GSB classmates was wearing a navy jardigan. She said she’d gone to a styling appointment with some of her girlfriends, and everyone had been amazed at how much they loved wearing the clothes—not just looking at them. Like the copycat I am, I drove myself up to the SF showroom to get my own fix, and I was not disappointed. As a petite person, I particularly appreciate the M.M. silhouettes that can skim a small waist without drowning it, and the thoughtful necklines that showcase collarbones without cleavage.
I’ve been relying on M.M. clothes ever since that day and am honored to be invited to share my story with thousands of other women today—letting you into the different career seasons that M.M. has faithfully styled me through.
If I can be honest, back at 23, I wanted to be invisible. I was the youngest in the office, and I needed M.M. to disguise my age without making me look dated. When I passed 27 and was rising the corporate ladder, I needed M.M. to match my growing stature while never being “too much” in a clear corporate hierarchy. And just this past month, right as I turned 30, I made some career decisions that now make invisibility impossible (my job now requires me to stay constantly in the public eye) and the ladder somewhat moot (our company is three people).
In this season of work-life, I need M.M. to solve a different problem: help me reclaim my time and headspace.
Below, I’ve traced my career evolution through outfits, from entering the workforce in 2018 to becoming a founder this year.
2018: Close textbooks and enter the workforce
My Goal
Transition roles from college student to office worker.
My Challenge
Like many entry-level employees, I side hustled as a hot yoga teacher to supplement my income and showered almost exclusively at the studio. This meant work clothes, balled up in my backpack every day, needed to be able to release wrinkles in seconds, then stay wrinkle-free for a full day of wear—and still be comfortable enough that I’d be happy to put them back on after the gym for my commute home.
My Go-To Pieces
The Billie cardigan (available on Second Act in true olive and Champagne), the swingy A-line Pauline dress in brick red (still felt young and carefree, though polished), and the V-neck Peggy top to go with everything. I also ended up getting another Pauline dress from Second Act in a different color.
2019: Head to the big city
My Goal
Transition from “throw everything into work” to “have a social life, too.”
My Challenge
A stint in NYC, however brief, has become a common rite of passage for our generation. I spent mine living in Hell’s Kitchen for two months. With two roommates and 450 square feet, my clothes primarily lived under my bed, so I needed the tiniest possible, triple-duty wardrobe to equip me for both the small square footage and the high fashion in this best-dressed city.
My Go-To Piece
The beautiful black Cindy dress, which I wore for nights out dress and first dates as much as I did for work. (Yes, this is me standing on the WC to take an OOTD pic in the tiny bathroom mirror. Just tenement apartment things.)
2020-2021: Stay home during the pandemic
My Goal
Get comfortable.
My Challenge
Not get sick. (Failed—I came down with COVID twice. Oh well!)
My Go-To Piece
The cashmere Judith hoodie, which felt like a college hoodie but softer and more luxurious. The forest color was relaxed and fresh.
2022: Emerge from the pandemic
My Goal
Transition back to in-person life, start meeting coworkers in-person.
My Challenge
Survive my first-ever travel offsite (~50 people) and deal with inclement weather—heavy wind and rain in Chicago—then try to recover my outfit by the next event with a hairdryer.
My Go-To Pieces
The Scotte jacket (a short trench that you’ll see me power-use through the coming years) and this fun blue Marie dress for coffee chats.
2023: Step out of the back room
My Goal
Transition out of an engineering-focused product owner role into a go-to-market oriented product leader role. The TLDR: I started presenting and had to wear clothes that reflected it.
My Challenge
Balancing “professional” and “interesting” so I could feel like the best version of myself, not a beige version of myself. I turned to pops of color—whether in the form of a cardigan, a pin, or a punchy notebook (I will never be found without a notebook).
My Go-To Pieces
Top layers—for polish and protection from cold conference rooms. This cardigan, this leather jacket, this long trench, and this short trench were in heavy rotation. Also these black satin pants for a mix of comfort and ease.
2024: Take a leap onto the front lines
My Goal
Transition from the safety of being a salaried employee into the chaos of doing my own thing.
My Challenge
No work-life separation anymore. Had to go directly from work to personal events on many occasions, back to back, surviving many commutes on planes, trains, and cars.
My Go-To Pieces
Polished pieces that traveled well and didn’t look out of place at work or play. The Pauline dress went straight from a work offsite in Austin to my cousin’s graduation in Boston two days later. The Brooke top went from fundraising to visiting my grandparents. The Soyoung T-shirt transitioned directly from business meetings to watching Olympic events during my honeymoon. The Nicky jacket transitioned from afternoon meeting to evening wedding reception.
Main-character energy for press! I relied on outfits with a touch of drama. M.M. outfits photograph beautifully; I’ve worn the one-shoulder Serena top and the Sarah dress for big presentations.
2025: Raise the stakes
My Goal
Transition from bootstrapped entrepreneur into venture-backed founder to break boundaries in an overlooked space.
My Challenge
Find one work uniform. Not have to think about it.
My Go-To Pieces
My goal these days is to make as few decisions as possible. In line with that, my go-to formula for investor relations was one single color palette (red, black, and camel). I power-wore M.M. outfits through fundraising like my life depended on it (pieces on heavy rotation included the Nicky jacket, Eloise vest, Scotte jacket, and Sarah dress). They were comfortable, too—one morning, I had a high fever but had a meeting I really couldn’t miss; I powered through it in the Scotte jacket, which beautifully concealed the many layers I was wearing underneath.
(Shoutout to my beautiful cofounder, Billie. We are proud to put Crucible on the map—it’s about time.)
Finally, I’m not embarrassed to say I was caught wearing M.M. at my 30th birthday party. My husband threw a small, intimate happy hour with some of my closest friends in the city. Going back to my point about work-life separation—or lack thereof—it happened to fall on our launch day, meaning I needed a way to transition easily to after-work drinks. I reached happily for the red Eloise vest that morning, and it kept me warm through the night.
Every season has its headwinds. I don’t blame myself for just wanting to fit in at 23 when I truly had little to offer and lots to learn. Or for laboring extra carefully over my outfits as I rose at work, hoping to take up just the right amount of space. Or for going into fundraising armed with literally only one color palette, so I could reserve my attention for our numbers and roadmap. You may relate to many of these seasons, each just as valid as the last.
I’m grateful for everything I’ve had the privilege to experience through each of these professional seasons, that has ushered me into every new sartorial challenge—and when I feel like my needs are no longer being met, I know which drawing board to go back to.
Looking forward, I’m excited about what 30 brings and relieved to have a brand like M.M. in my corner. Your 20s can feel like chaos—changing jobs, changing roles, trying out different cities, seeing the world, meeting people, being there for as many big and small life moments as you can—but they’re also so much fun. You often haven’t found your anchors yet, but that means you’re free!
Want to share your style story? Get in touch at brand@mmlafleur.com.
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