What could a Personal Stylist do for you?

What exactly is a stylist?

I can't remember when I first heard the term 'personal stylist' but it was probably when I started reading fashion magazines in my teens. A 'stylist' styled the models for photo shoots and it seemed like a world so out of reach and mysterious. Imagine being able to choose clothes as a job! It sounded too good to be true. In my mind it was something for the rich, famous and beautiful, not for ordinary folk.

And yet here I am. A personal stylist. In my fifties (only just).

What Not to Wear

Would it surprise you to learn that most of my clients are a similar age to me? Some are older, some are younger. They come from all walks of life from caring professions to business owners. My clients are just like you and me - they want to feel better about themselves and to stop wasting money on clothes that they don't wear.

It's not too late

I knew my own personal style needed a shake up when I had a strange reaction to having photos taken. I would grimace and scowl when my husband tried to take photos of me on holiday. I was really uncomfortable and it shows. Looking back at photos of myself made me unhappy and I was not sure why. The outfits I thought looked great did not do much for me in reality. I ended up trying to buy my way to feeling good. I shopped regularly and yet often did not wear the things I bought.

A colour analysis session in my forties confirmed that I had no clue which colours suited me best. I had a mixture of colours in my wardrobe - warm and cool. I steered away from bright white, assuming cream was more flattering and I regularly wore neutral makeup in warm brown tones. When I was analysed as a 'winter', I was astonished to discover that I could wear electric blue, fuchsia pink and emerald green - colours that I would have assumed to be overpowering and attention-seeking! The best makeup tones for me were bright pinks, cool reds and burgundy for lips with grey eyeshadow for eyes. The best part was - I could see this all for myself in the mirror. This was not the stylist's subjective opinion. I could see I looked so much better in cool, vivid and bright colours. It was a revelation!

Impact

What changed for me after that? When I started to wear the colours and makeup that suited me, colleagues at work really noticed. It gave me huge confidence to get more involved and 'be seen' at work. I no longer second guessed what looked good and could use my colour swatches as a guide when shopping. I sorted my wardrobe gradually, sold a lot of clothes and shoes on eBay and introduced new pieces with a focus on my 'wow' colours.

What is is like to work with a personal stylist?

Skip forward a few years and you find me working as a Colour and Style Consultant, running a business from home. I am based in Shenfield, near Brentwood in Essex, and have a wonderful client base of people who have taken the plunge and chosen to work with me as their colour consultant/personal stylist. I see clients on a 1-2-1 basis or in small groups and offer a range of personal styling services including colour analysis, personal style analysis, makeup sessions, wardrobe reviews and personal shopping. Sessions are private, non-judgemental and lots of fun. We work together after the session to make sure you have all the information you need to get started and have a clear set of actions for what happens next. It is your choice what you do with the information - there are no colour or style police to tell you off! I am interested in helping you make informed choices about the clothes you buy so that you feel confident every time you get dressed. You might not be appearing in a glossy magazine, but you deserve to feel good about yourself and to like what you see in the mirror. It is a simple formula, but it works! Colour + Style = Confidence.

If you would like to know how to work with me, please do get in touch for a free discovery call. [email protected]