Do you use a personal shopper?
I never have; I have always been so sure of what I want. For me, it is more a question of eliminating than accumulating. Ever since I can remember I have had a penchant for shopping – not needless or pointless acquisitiveness – when I need something I know what it is, where it is and what suits me.
I am fortunate like that.
Navigating online is easy for me and accessing shops takes me minutes not hours. Walking in and I immediately know whether there will be something for me. Where I found this ability I have no idea but it has been forever with me. Shopping with friends is heaven I can tell exactly their style and what will work for them. We may be polar opposites in our tastes but I still can see what they might otherwise miss.
Here at VA I see myself as a kind of “personal shopper”.
I absolutely love making fashion recommendations and choosing the items we feature here. Navigating the trends and finding a way for them to suit us is what motivates me for while I know appearance is minuscule in the large scheme of life, it does help with our self-confidence.
When our personal style feels right everything else is that much easier.
Recently I have felt a little stuck.
It is not like me at all. Our daughter’s wedding is coming up next year and I don’t know what to wear, let alone what I would like to wear. This is unfamiliar territory; I must sit tight and trust the ideas will come.
I believe personal shoppers are a brilliant idea if you don’t have the time to follow favourite influencers, scroll online or spend hours sifting through garment racks.
There are skills a personal shopper must have if they are to help rather than hinder.
Understand your style and lifestyle. There is nothing worse than someone totally off the mark.
Underwhelm not overwhelm. Too much choice leads nowhere.
Be a body shape expert. Know what flatters.
Respect price point.
Know where to spend it. Is it an investment or a one-off?
When I make suggestions here at VA I hope I am within these boundaries. I don’t know you all personally but I believe we share similar fashion viewpoints and are striving to be in the same place. Fashion becomes narrower as we learn more about us; it is not about enjoying it less but knowing us better. I prefer to invest smarter – too much consumption isn’t what our world needs – and follow my cost-per-wear philosophy.
Shopping is all about the “personal” whether someone helps or not. Don’t you think? xv
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suistudio double breasted blazer in pinstripe || wool & mohair || silk & cotton
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images, mansur gavriel, giampaolo sgura for vogue germany 2016
