S P I C E G I R L I N T H I S B I T C H

If you’re in your 20s and love fashion you’ll totally relate to this one! I remember watching the Devil Wears Prada when I must have been about 15 and was beyond inspired. To have a life working in fashion was the dream – a dream that I never thought I would actually get to experience. I would search videos on YouTube ‘how to become a stylist’ – of course there is no simple answer to that question. Somehow I am on the path in life that I thought was out of my reach and I have never been happier!

I literally get paid to shop. And I don’t mean hustling my way through Topshop and River Island. No, I spend my days being worshiped by the sales consultants down Sloane Street and in the Harrods Penthouse. When I was at school I would have loved to have found a blog full of what it’s like to be a personal shopper/stylist – so I plan to do just that with plenty of tips!

So what does a personal shopper/ stylist actually do? A personal shopper will keep a clients wardrobe up to date as well as shopping for specific events and occasions both in the diary and last minute, let’s face it in fashion everything is last minute! A Stylist will provide outfit options and accessories for a particular event, usually one that will be filmed/photographed. With the range of clients I work with, I am classed as both a personal shopper and a stylist. First here is a breakdown of a typical week (not including the million last minute never ending changes).

Monday

– Request comes in for appointment

- Search the streets of London and online for items that fit the brief (sometimes there is not brief so it’s a great opportunity to be creative)

- Typical stores to visit are Dover Street Market, Acne, Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Gucci, Tom Ford, Valentino, Saint Laurent, La Perla, etc. And of course Matches and Net a Porter

-Take pictures of everything that could potentially work for the client

Tuesday

- Depending on amount of items needed, Monday can take 2 days

Wedsnesday

- Send pictures of every wanted to the contacts in store who will prepare everything in the clients size and send it to our studio. Due to our relationship with stores we’re able to take the clothes to our clients without paying.

- Everything will arrive at the studio and we’ll take photos of EVERYTHING so we have a record of what has been received

- We’ll then do an edit of the clothes so we’ve got a great selection to show the client

- The client will either come to our studio or we take the clothes to their house

- Fitting commences – you have to be super honest about what looks good, provide styling tips, create outfits, be inspiring.

Thursday

- Return any unwanted items to the correct store

- Pay stores

- Add items to Archive of Clients Wardrobe

- Follow up on any notes from the fittings – was there anything missing? Anything extra they realized they need? Any alterations to be made?

TIPS:

-Always go above and beyond what the client wants

-Remember EVERYTHING they’ve asked for

-Maintain a great relationship with the stores

-You’ll most likely be starting off as an intern/assistant so a big part of your job is organizing clothes on arrival and sorting the returns – it’s so important everything is returned to the correct place otherwise this will end up costing your boss!

-Be prepared to be expected to get A LOT done in one day – you work until you’re finished so make sure you can keep up with a super fast paced enviromnent.

-Keep your cool. If you’re an assistant then you’re there to make your bosses job easier – so being vocal about a large work load/stress will not be helpful. If you’re the stylist, then again you’re there to make your client feel comfortable and confident so it’s important to be just that yourself!

-Always be on the look out for great pieces – we’re so fortunate to have social media, just screenshot anything that inspires you!

So this is just a brief insight into the crazy world of a Personal Shopper. Thankfully January is the month that most clients go on holiday, so for me I’m given a few weeks to recover from the mayhem that was Christmas! I hope this blog post has been some what interesting/ helpful for you if you’re interested in this world. Follow me on Instagram to keep up to date with items I’m obsessed with, trends for next season and a look into my life.

LSX

#fashion #style #spicegirl #aninebing #charlottesimone