Well, only you can answer the first two questions but as for the last, the answer is no! Shopping has evolved into a very different experience to what it was midway through last century. Where once we shopped in a couple of favourite boutiques or ‘ladies’ stores’ in the centre of our suburban shopping strip, today we shop in huge, multi-levelled edifices crammed with stores stocked with low cost, imported product. Service consists of taking your money at the check-out after you have rummaged through endless rows of clothes dangling from coat hangers or worse still, lying discarded on the floor by the previous faceless shopper. To make the entire experience even more unsettling, every second night our favourite current affairs program is featuring some gorgeous young thing prattling on about what’s current, what must be worn by everyone this season and how easy it is to create this season’s “look”. Their words and accompanying images swim around in our brain as we trudge the tiled floor of our nearest shopping centre. When it all becomes too much and our cries for help go unheeded, we admit defeat and retreat to the car park.

Once upon a time there would have been someone there to help you – the shop assistant. She was trained, conscientious, experienced and there to assist (hence her title). She had a manageable array of product to present to her customers and she had a wonderful ability to know what suited the body shape in front of her. Alas, those days are long gone and that breed of shop assistant is almost extinct. In her place, we have seen the emergence of the personal stylist whose rise to prominence is in direct correlation with the decline in the quality of in store assistants. Where once department stores and boutiques provided service, these days we are on our own. Now if we want help we need to provide it ourselves. I suppose we could call it ‘out sourcing’.

For a long while women have been lost in the middle of this transition. Gradually, we are coming to understand what is going on in our shopping centres and mega malls and gradually we are realising we have to find a new way to do things. A personal stylist is not a luxury indulgence for the privileged few, but a sensible investment in one’s self. In previous generations women could rely on those trained and experienced in the fundamentals of line, design and colour principles to be there in the stores. It is different for women today. We need to find another way to access that expertise. Fortunately a personal stylist is only a Google search away.

This is where a Personal Stylist comes in with their keen eye for pointing out and highlighting your great attributes and minimizing the not so great ones. Many women are simply unable to see their great “bits” because they are so confused by their own bodies. Many of us give in to the impossibility of looking fabulous because we may hate our big bottom, boobs or tummy. So a Personal Stylist will show you how to create a fabulous looking you and how to dress the body shape you have.

A Personal Stylist will first gather information all about you that is necessary to then make recommendations on how to dress. To understand what is right for you such information is taken into consideration:-

• Your lifestyle

Women today find themselves in many different roles: mother, wife, employer, employee, socialite etc. These roles combine to form an overall lifestyle. By analyzing your lifestyle you can identify your needs and prioritise your clothing purchases.

Look at these areas to ascertain your wardrobe needs:

1. Work
2. Sporting activities
3. Home/ Relaxing
4. Shopping/Socialising
5. Entertaining

• Personality Style

Just as we have our own personality, so we have our own style of dressing. Our personality and the way we like to dress are usually intertwined. Your clothing may or may not be reflecting the real you.

There are six main style personalities:

1. Classic
2. Feminine
3. Natural
4. Dramatic
5. Creative
6. Alluring

• Your Colouring A personal colour analysis is a valuable tool in ascertaining which colours most enhance your natural colouring. Wearing colours that most suit you will have you being seen as younger, vibrant and healthier looking. Colour Analysis has evolved since the 1980’s so today you will fit into one of twelve colour profiles.                                                                                                  However the four main ones are:

1. Winter (cool)

2. Summer (cool)

3. Autumn (warm)

4. Spring (warm)

• Your Vertical and Horizontal Proportions

Understanding your body type allows you to understand what type of styles of clothes and accessories will balance your proportion to create the illusion of a more perfect silhouette.

There are six recognized horizontal figure types:

1. The Hourglass
2. The Inverted Triangle
3. The Triangle
4. The Rectangle
5. The Diamond
6. The Round

Once these areas are worked out by your Personal Stylist your search for the right garments and accessories will suddenly become much quicker, easier and even enjoyable. Good style comes from a confident and positive attitude. In the words of Coco Chanel “If a woman is poorly dressed you notice the clothes. If she is impeccably dressed you notice the woman.”

Ever thought about it, or rather fantasised about it because after all you have seen the ‘before and afters’ on countless TV shows and in glossy magazines. You’ve seen the gorgeous transformations that take place and quietly thought that you have no less potential than those ordinary men and women plucked from the crowd and given the star treatment.

“So why not find yourself a personal stylist and treat yourself?” Because on your budget, it’s out of the question.

Well, being mindful of where your money goes and how far it needs to stretch may just be one of the best reasons to engage the services of a personal stylist.

It is frequently said that women in particular, wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. That means hundreds if not thousands of dollars are wasted by the average woman. The bargain top or skirt that never gets worn is no bargain. The jacket that can only be worn with one particular pair of pants is anything but versatile and if it’s not versatile, then it’s expensive. So, when money is tight, it is all the more reason that any garment purchased should be successful.

A personal stylist or image consultant is trained to recognise just what suits you and what does not. You will benefit from their understanding of line, design and colour. They can identify your body shape, prominent features, colouring and style personality very quickly. This enables them to identify those garments that will flatter you and help you look current, younger and fabulous. They know just what to leave on the racks for others to spend their money on instead of you. They will lead you to purchases that you will love to wear and that you will wear time and time again. This is not money wasted this is money saved.

A savvy stylist can help you structure your wardrobe around core colours and key items, minimising the quantity of garments required. They will use the rule – ‘if it doesn’t go with 5 other items in your wardrobe, then don’t buy it’. They will train you in versatility; how to wear a single item in a multiplicity of ways. When you have a wardrobe of clothes that you love, it doesn’t have to be a big wardrobe. You won’t feel the need to keep on buying because what you already own looks sensational on you and serves a variety of occasions.

The initial financial outlay for a styling session may be as little as the cost of a couple of hair cuts; an expense many of us budget for every 5-8 weeks. The difference of course is that what you learn from your stylist is information that will stand you in good stead for years to come. Some clever person observed that most of us spend more money on what we put on the outside of our head than what we put inside it.

Technorati Tags: Personal Image, personal style, Personal Stylist

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It is said that we wear 20% of our wardrobes 80% of the time. That translates to thousands of our hard earned dollars spent and wasted on clothes we don’t wear. The evidence is right there in your wardrobe. There they are, all those poor orphan garments hanging unworn and unloved, most of them clutching invisible ‘guilty tags” to make you feel bad.

We’ve all at some time hit the shops in a mad passion to buy something new that will make us look terrific. With money in our pockets or a credit card handy, we’ve all scoured the shops for hours for that special little number, only to return home empty handed or even worse, with that item that smacks of ‘this will have to do’ to quench our desire to buy something. As a result our wardrobes contain only a few items that make us feel good, and so we wear these most of the time. Shopping becomes a chore, success is a matter of luck and finding items that make us look great seems to get more difficult with each passing year. With all this to consider you really cannot afford not to enlist the services of a personal shopper!

Not only will a personal shopper ultimately save you a fortune, but with their trained eye will also be able to choose items for you based on their judgment and understanding of your colouring, body shape and proportions, your lifestyle and your personality style. Garments are carefully selected to harmoniously mix and match with each other and to go with what is already in your wardrobe.

So all the work is done for you !

Consider hiring a personal shopper as an investment in you even if your clothing dollar is limited. It makes good sense to spend money on someone that knows what they doing and who will ultimately achieve for you a wardrobe of clothes that really work for YOU.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Makeovers, Personal Shopper, Womens Clothes

In order that the changes are successful in the  medium to long term, the personal stylist needs to learn some important aspects about the client. First and foremost they must know and understand the social and professional life of the client. If the new image is to endure, it needs to support and complement the client’s lifestyle, otherwise the changes will be transitory and quite meaningless.

Another important consideration is the style personality of the individual. We each have a way of dressing that communicates to the world our values, our interests, our inner self.  Our style personality will very often determine how people interpret, value and respond to us.  For many people it is almost instinctive and a result of who we are and where we come from. For example, if you are someone who loves the outdoors, enjoys participating in sports, has an athletic figure and has better things to do than spend time on make-up and acrylic nails, you probably have a relaxed, casual style personality. On the other hand if you have an eye for detail, love geometric  patterns, bold colours, are tall and statuesque and in a position of authority, chances are your style personality is dramatic. Other personality types include romantic, alluring, classic, elegant and innovative. A personal stylist is adept at analysing someone’s style personality as well as helping a client to develop and enhance it further.

One of the final considerations but certainly not the least is the physical attributes of the client. This includes their horizontal and vertical proportions, physical fitness and tone, significant features such as a sway back or broad shoulders, their face shape, neck length and colouring.

Once all these considerations have been taken into account, a personal stylist is ready to start the transformation process. The first step is creating the perfect make-up that will enhance the client’s colouring and face shape while suiting her style personality and lifestyle. The next step in the process is choosing a fabulous hairstyle and if necessary, colour. When these things are done, then it’s time to hit the shops and find the clothes that beautifully reflect the personality style of the client and at the same time flatter her face and figure. This often involves educating people in the current trends and how to make them work for the individual. Accessorising frequently plays an important part in this, because its shoes, handbags, jewellery and belts that truly create the total look. They are also brilliant tools for updating someone’s image and expressing their style.

So, the role of a personal stylist is quite complex but if you are looking to revamp your image, reinvent yourself or discover your visual potential, they are well worth the investment.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Makeovers, Personal Stylist

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you would love the help of a professional image consultant who offers personal shopping as one of their services. A personal shopper is very adept at working out your physical proportions and colouring so that she can quickly identify styles and hues that will look fabulous on you. A personal shopper is also very aware that your style personality and lifestyle have to be considered and they can asses these very quickly also.

Knowing where to find the perfect garment to suit your requirements is another valuable skill that a personal shopper has in her repertoire. They are familiar with the labels, designers and stores. They know who makes for women with a romantic, feminine style. They know where to find the perfect outfit for someone who loves classic quality or edgy and innovative or casual and laid back.  Being able to hone in quickly is such a bonus. Not only does it save on shoe leather, but it saves time; and that’s a commodity so many of us lack these days.

Objectivity is another positive trait in the personal shopper’s favour. Unlike boutique owners who have an agenda to move product (and that’s not a criticism, after all it’s their livelihood) the personal shopper has only one vested interest – YOU! Her agenda is to find you clothes that you love and that look fabulous on you. If one store doesn’t have what you need, then she moves on – with you in tow.

It’s also great to have the practical assistance of someone holding your bags, finding you a dressing room, changing sizes, looking for the shop assistant and later the cash register.  Shopping can be very tiring, so the spare pair of hands a personal shopper offers is a real treat.

She’ll also be very good at keeping track mentally of your purchases and seeing the wonderful possibilities of combining different purchases in different ways. And when there’s a gap, she’ll be quick to recognise it. Too often we come home from a day at the mall with something that we’ve bought only to realise that we have no shoes, bag, jewellery or scarf to go with it. So then this new purchase hangs there till you have a chance to rectify the situation. A personal shopper excels in creating entire outfits in one shopping trip.

If you hate shopping, and many women do, you might actually find that you learn to love it after a professional shows you how.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Womens Clothes