5 reasons NOT to hire a personal stylist

1)   You've already found your style

If you've already found a style you're happy with......congratulations! This is exactly what I try to do with my clients - I help them to find their own style and learn how to identify the details so they can say yes that feels very "me" and they can then repeat the process.

I believe true style is when you have a consistent look from the most casual ie: wearing swimshorts on the beach to the most formal ie: a dinner jacket at an event and all the scenarios in between. As well as discovering what your own true style is and wearing things that reflect that, in order to be truly stylish you also need to ensure your clothes fit well, suit your colouring and body shape and are appropriate to the occasion.

So if you've already done lots of experimenting with different colours, shapes and brands when you were younger and had more time to do that and you’ve settled on a look you’re happy with now, then well done - you've achieved what many men aspire to do. But if you haven't you might like to consider having a helping hand to find out what it is that makes you feel like the best version of yourself.

2)   You don't like to be put in a box

You may be one of those people who just doesn't like to follow any rules and doesn't want to be put in a box as you find it too restricting. Although I find the opposite to be true with most of my clients, who will be far more experimental and find it gives them the freedom to explore each corner of that box, once they know that everything in there suits them, that may completely freak you out! Unlike my clients, you'd hate having a palette of colours and set of rules to follow after a Colour & Style Consultation. 

You may also be far more free flowing and love to wake up in the morning and see how you feel before deciding what to wear. It's possible that you dress rather eclectically and like to clash colours, prints and patterns in a creative way, so the thought of having a list of outfits that you could wear, like the ones I put together for clients after a personal shopping trip so they know how to combine the items they bought, brings you out in a rash!

3) You have a strong emotional attachment to your clothes and are secretly a bit of a hoarder

Although a Wardrobe Edit is not always about throwing things out, but also about putting outfits together, it's essential to be able to see clearly what you have and what's missing in order to have a fully functional wardrobe. You may struggle with this idea if you'd rather keep everything in your wardrobe regardless of whether they fit properly or suit you. Even though I (very generously I think!) let people keep some things for memories sake (shirt you wore on the first date with your wife, t-shirt that reminds you of a great holiday when you were 17) I do encourage my clients to put them in a different space, rather than taking up everyday wardrobe space.

If you really can't bring yourself to do that, it'll be very difficult to have a clear picture of what you actually do have in your wardrobe and find out where the gaps are that need filling. If you want to be able to create a coherent and directional shopping list, then you really do have to let go of some of those things. And believe it or not, once you've done it, it feels good!

4)   You just want to buy the latest fashion

If you're just after the latest fashion trend and are not particularly interested in hearing whether it suits you or not, then it's unlikely I'm the person to help you and you're probably better off going to a personal shopper in store.

One of the things I love about my job is that I can be totally honest – having previously worked as a photographic stylist where that wasn’t always the case, I now relish this part of it and the clients I have love the fact that they’re being given an unbiased opinion. Though I think it's important to look modern, up to date and relevant, I will do my utmost to make sure whatever we're buying looks flattering, enhances your look, fits your lifestyle and you'll get plenty of use from it. And I hate waste, so I really don't want the items bought just hanging in your wardrobe unworn.

Although I'm sure there are exceptions, the personal shoppers in store are there to make sales and so it's likely they'll be happy to sell you the latest designer trend regardless of how it looks as they probably have sales targets to hit. If you're happy that the item you desire may not the most flattering thing for you and you want it anyway then this is the way to go, but if you'd rather have an honest opinion and suggestions of things that might be better for you then book in with me.

5)   You're not willing to try anything out of your comfort zone

I've lost count of the amount of times, a client has said "I would never have picked that up and tried it on myself, but I love it." If you're really not willing to try anything that's different from your normal go to items, then it's likely you won't be very satisfied with the shopping trip, unless you really do just want someone to help you find and repeat exactly what you have, but that's not why most people come to me.

Clients generally book in because they know they'd like to look a certain way but are unsure of how to achieve it. They come to me so I can show them how to pick out items and explain what it is about it that makes it look more modern, smarter etc and how to combine it into an outfit with other things. This usually involves going to shops and brands they're not aware of or haven't tried before.

If you're not open to this process then unfortunately it's unlikely you'll experience the exciting moment when you find out that jacket/shirt/trousers you really didn't think was going to suit you, actually looks great!

I do understand not always being open to things, as I've been in the same situation myself at times as I think I know what suits me and then been proved wrong (dammit!) when someone has challenged me to try something new. We can all get stuck in a bit of a rut at times and it really does helps to have a fresh pair of eyes to pull you out of it!

And if, after reading this you'd still like to hire a personal stylist for men, then please do get in touch and I'll be really happy to help!