If you need a fashion makeover, now is the time to get one.
In the new economy, jobs are scarce, and knowing how to put yourself together in an organized, stylish way — and the confidence that comes with looking good — is more important than ever in the workplace.
If you’re fashion challenged, however, shopping can be overwhelming, time consuming and often fruitless.
It’s partly why department stores such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, which opened its first Northwest store in Bellevue in September, are offering free appointments with personal stylists.
Personal stylists, called personal shoppers at some stores, can find something as simple as the perfect white blouse or craft a head-to-toe outfit for a special occasion or trip.
But they can also give you an entire style makeover, including coordinating shoes, accessories and makeup, said Kristy Anderson, director of personal styling for Nordstrom’s Northwest stores.
Here’s how to make the most of this free service.
Know what you want
Before your appointment, the stylist will ask you a few questions about your sense of style, your sizes and what you want to accomplish.
Be sure to tell your stylist in advance how much time you’d like to spend on the visit, what major holes in your wardrobe need filling and, most important, what kinds of looks you like best.
“It’s not what you want to buy,” Anderson said. “It’s what you want to achieve.”
Bring pages with styles you like from catalogs and magazines, much like you would for a haircut.
Be budget wise
Anderson said Nordstrom stylists, who are paid by commission, don’t usually bring up budget. Instead, they work off subtle cues from clients.
Tell your stylist ahead of time if you have a set amount you want to spend. That will help him or her put together budget-appropriate ensembles before you arrive so you can begin trying things on immediately without an awkward conversation.
Customers are not required to buy things when they meet with in-store stylists. Those who find things they like, however, may spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per year.
“There is not an obligation to purchase items, but, like any experience where you learn how to make your life easier, you usually find yourself buying into it,” Anderson said.
Working with a personal stylist is about shopping smart, Anderson said.
“There’s a lot of time and effort and money wasted if you’re lost out there in the shopping experience,” she said. “It is an investment. It’s your wardrobe. You manage your fashion, your fashion money, a little bit better.”
You needn’t plan on replacing your entire wardrobe, said Leslie Bair, a Bellevue Neiman Marcus spokeswoman. Some customers bring in their favorite items to pair them with the latest fashions.
“It’s not wiping out your entire closet,” Bair said. “We can say, ‘You only need three items if you want to move forward for the season to update that look.’”
Anderson said stylists can teach customers how to better accessorize and use key pieces in different ways.
Her wardrobe, for example, is small yet versatile, about 50 items.
“I want to wear the same blazer twice in a week, but I don’t want you to know that,” Anderson said. “I’ll belt it one day and I’ll leave it open the next, and you won’t notice.”
Open your mind
Try on things you would normally overlook.
“Don’t come in with rules,” Anderson said. “Time goes by. You change a little bit.”
You still need to be realistic, however, about what you’ll actually wear.
“Style is necessary. It’s what’s going to work honestly in the real life,” Anderson said, adding, “Never buy anything if it doesn’t fit you really well. It has to fit well or it’s never going to work.”
Bair said stylists can help customers mix high-end and budget styles for one-of-a-kind looks.
No quick fix
If you need a major fashion overhaul, prepare to spend more time. Most Nordstrom shoppers meet with their stylists at least four times a year to gradually improve their wardrobes, Anderson said.
“Normally everyone thinks they’re going to come in for a head-to-toe experience and then they’re done, like a spa visit,” Anderson said. “It’s our job then to educate them and say, ‘Let’s see you again.’ ”
That philosophy, of course, keeps customers buying, but it’s also a more realistic way to spread out the shopping time and cost, Anderson said.
It allows the stylist to get to know the client’s personal taste too, like a personal trainer learning how a client likes to exercise. “You’re strangers for a little while,” Anderson said. “It can take little time to really get it clicking. It’s a relationship.”
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037, sjackson@heraldnet.com.
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