Hiring a Personal Stylist: How to Prepare for the First Meeting with Your Personal Stylist
As women get busier and busier, the idea of going to a local boutique or to a mall often sounds daunting.
There’s so much inventory in department stores and online and it is difficult to figure out what exactly you need to get. Buying clothes takes a lot of time and it often feels hard to find clothes in your style and size that match your body type and fit your budget.
If you decided to get help from an expert, you have made the right decision! After all, you outsource so many other things you need – why not your wardrobe as well? Hiring a certified personal stylist will allow you to spend time with your family or on things you enjoy doing, instead of wasting hours in stores or online looking for something that may not even look good on you.
Hiring a personal stylist can give you a whole new perspective on clothes or accessories that you may never have considered before.
The first interaction between a professional personal stylist and a client is the initial personal styling consultation. During this 30–40-minute consultation which kicks off every client’s styling journey, a personal stylist will get to know your lifestyle, body type, color palette, sizes, personal preferences, fashion challenges and style goals.
Here are a few tips on how to get ready to meet your wardrobe consultant for the first time.
Top 5 Tips to Think About When Hiring A Personal Stylist:
1. Define your preferences and lifestyle
Before meeting your personal stylist, put some thought into your clothing and style and define your preferences and lifestyle, so that you aren’t caught off guard when answering your stylist’s questions. It is very important for your image consultant to thoroughly understand your needs and preferences.
You can also give specific examples by identifying people who inspire you in terms of fashion, or celebrities you think look consistently well-dressed. Whether it’s actors, singers, TV characters, politicians, or social media personalities, knowing who you’re drawn to will help your personal stylist narrow down your preferences.
2. Be prepared to ask questions
The whole point of working with an image consultant is to have peace of mind, knowing that your wardrobe is taken care of. So it’s important that you have a clear understanding of how things work and aren’t left feeling overwhelmed or confused.
Make sure you discuss with your stylist any concerns you might have or topics that were not covered in your initial meeting.
3. Set your objectives
Your stylist needs to know what it is you’re hoping to accomplish with your personal styling. It is very important for the overall success of your styling project.
Have you lost or gained weight and because of that your clothes are no longer fitting? Did you just get a new job or a promotion and need to refresh your look? Are you dating someone and need cute outfits for upcoming dates? Or do you just hate shopping and want someone to take over this task?
Understanding what your objectives are will allow your wardrobe consultant to tailor her service to your specific needs.
4. Set Your budget
Before your first personal styling consultation think about how much money you’d like to allocate to the cost of your new clothes. It can be difficult for new clients to come up with this number, so put some thought into it in advance.
During your first meeting you will discuss with your personal stylist the items you’d like to try during your fitting session and an appropriate budget to purchase everything you need.
Think about the amount you’re comfortable spending on new clothing, while also sufficiently covering the costs of all the items you’d like to purchase. You can always adjust your final amount depending on the items you decide to keep during your fitting.
5. Select or take the right photos and send them to your stylist
In order to select the best cuts, styles and colors for you, your stylist needs to determine your body type and your color palette.
Before your initial consultation go through your image archive and select 3 different types of photos: Full Body, Side View and Portrait (or Close up).
If you don’t have the right photos on your phone or in your photo archive, take a few new photos in tight gym clothes and send them you our stylist.
See the Step-by-Step Instructions on how to take photos of yourself remotely using your iPhone camera.
Style Fix Studio offers a range of personal styling services for men and women from Closet Audit, to Personal Styling Service with a Try-on Session, to Total Image Makeovers Services for all ages. Contact Style Fix Studio today to schedule a consultation with a personal stylist. Transform your look, transform your life!