It’s Never Too Late to Be a Style Influencer

“It’s Never Too Late” is a series that tells the stories of people who decide to pursue their dreams on their own terms.

Lyn Slater will be the first to tell you her life has been a series of happy accidents and purposeful metamorphoses.

“Because I’m constantly reinventing myself, my life is always a surprise. I’m an improvisational person. I don’t plan. I’m very in the moment,” said Ms. Slater, 70, a former professor of social work at Fordham University in New York. “That thinking has served me well. It has created endless adventures, surprises, incredible friendships and profound learning.”

Indeed.

In 2014, she was taking a handful of creative classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. Her professor in a class on how to open a vintage clothing store suggested she start a fashion blog. Ms. Slater, who is from Dobbs Ferry in suburban Westchester County and moved to New York City in the mid-90s, thought, “Why not.” She had always had a passion and flair for style and was often mistaken for being a part of the fashion industry. She thought she would focus on the blog and that theme.

“I dressed in a way that people didn’t expect. I was very avant-garde, dressing in a minimalistic, black and white look. I wore Japanese designers from consignment shops — like Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto,” she explained. “I dressed in a way I felt, and to convey an identity.”