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Today I wanted to talk a bit about what a personal stylist actually does and how to figure out if you should hire one. Now, I can already see you thinking “yeah, I don’t need/want/can’t afford a personal stylist, so I’m going to skip this post.” Don’t skip it though. Before we get into what I actually do, we’re going to dispel a few misconceptions about personal styling.
Since we only really hear about personal stylists in terms of celebrities and rich people, most people then automatically assume that you can only work with a stylist if you’re rich. But guess what, that’s not true! My goal is to help my clients look and feel their best, not spend their money. I’m upfront about all of my pricing and I work with my clients to figure out what their budget is and how we can work within that budget. Additionally, I’m not going to make you go shopping or buy anything. If I can help you look and feel your best with what’s already in your closet, I will!
The other misconception is that it’s a frivolous luxury. I get it. You can shop and get dressed, so why hire someone to do it? Well, you may not need to hire a stylist (and we’ll talk more about that later). But if you’re interested and think it’s a luxury you don’t deserve, let’s reframe that. Have you ever hired a cleaning service? Or someone to fix your car? Or a plumber? These are all services that every single one of us could do, but we’d rather hire someone else to do it. Why? They’re the experts and we’re all busy doing other things (like our job or raising our kids). A personal stylist is the same thing. I’m here to put together outfits for you so you can look amazing, feel amazing, and focus on other things.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s talk about all of the things a personal stylist really does.
What a Personal Stylist Really Does
So what does a personal stylist do? A lot, actually!
Closet Edits
With most of my clients, I like to start with a closet clean out. This helps to first clear away the extra clutter in your closet. It also helps me understand what you already have and what you like to wear.
Outfit Creation
There’s a difference between wearing clothes and putting together an outfit! I actually go into a little more detail in my newsletter here and this post as well. I’ll help you put together outfits that look intentional and you feel great in. I can also help you put together outfits for the pieces that you love, but you can’t quite figure out how to wear.
Shopping Strategy
One of the reasons our closets get so cluttered is because there’s not a strategy behind your shopping. I go into this topic in detail in this post, but to sum it up, a lot of us get very Ariana Grande with our shopping (I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it). It leads to a closet full of great pieces that may not work together at all.
I fixed this problem by evaluating what you have and I put together a list of the items you actually need to fill in the gaps in your wardrobe (so you can actually wear all of your amazing pieces). I’ll then do the heavy lifting of looking for those pieces and assist with ordering them. The best part? I make sure that everything that you don’t like actually gets returned. No more missing return windows and getting stuck with pieces you don’t want.
Who Benefits Most From a Stylist
Let me make one thing clear, not everyone needs a personal stylist. I also don’t want to force my services on someone who doesn’t need me. But here are some of the people who would benefit the most from having a stylist:
Busy professionals
If you find yourself being pulled in different directions (your job, family, volunteering, etc.), you probably don’t have the time or energy to focus on your wardrobe. A stylist could help take that off of your plate. I would figure out what you need and put together the outfits for you. That way you know you look amazing and you can focus your attention on the things you want (and need) to focus on.
Life transitions
Are you starting a new job? Did you just have a baby? Life transitions can frequently change what we need in our wardrobe. But those big transitions are consuming on their own. I can help shift your wardrobe to match your new lifestyle without having to replace your entire wardrobe.
Style overwhelm
Do you feel like you have a closet full of clothing, but nothing to wear? Or are you frequently overwhelmed will all of the new and shifting trends? A stylist will can help you solve both of these issues.
What Working With a Stylist Is Not
We’ve talked about what a stylist does, but let’s talk about what I’m not going to do. First, I’m not going to judge your wardrobe. Period. Next, I’m not going to force my own style or a certain trend on you. I want to help you figure out what you like and what your personal style is. Finally, I’m not going to force you to buy things. I mentioned this earlier, but if your budget is limited and you want to work with what you already have, great! We’ll work with that. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, my job is to help you look and feel your best, not to spend all of your money.
The ROI of Personal Styling
We’ve talked about what I do and don’t do as a stylist, but let’s talk about what your return on investment is.
The intangible: your time and confidence.
You aren’t going to spend time shifting through your closet every day figuring out what to wear (or why you have nothing to wear). You’ll have outfits ready to go and you’ll understand how to put those pieces together. Also, all that time going to stores or ordering things? It’s yours again.
Next, you know what happens when you look good? You feel good and your confidence gets a massive boost. That confidence boost will help you perform better in all of the other areas of your life. It’s science (but actually, google “enclothed cognition” if you don’t believe me). And who doesn’t want more confidence?
The tangible: your money
Yes, there is the initial cost of working with a personal stylist, but think of it as a long term investment. You’re not only going to wear the pieces that you currently have more often (lowering your cost per wear), but when you have a shopping strategy (or when someone is shopping for you), it cuts down the amount of spending. Plus, since I’ll do the returns for you, you no longer have to worry about wasting money because you forgot to return something on time.
You’ll also get many ready to wear outfits, a clutter free closet, and a digital version of your closet. I go into the exact details in this post.
When You’re Ready for Help
You may not be ready to work together, but once you’re ready, send me an email (or schedule a call)! I’m ready to start working together as soon as you are. If you need to look at my rates first, it’s all listed here, as well as an example budget.
You’ve already spent way too long thinking about this. Let me take it off your plate.
