Personal Shopping: How it Works
Curious about Personal Shopping? Of course you are! I can’t tell you how many Clients have told me that they’ve wanted to do it forever, but dragged their feet. I also can’t tell you how many Clients have thanked me over and over afterwards and praised how easy and fun the process was. You may think Personal Shopping is a “silly” profession based on vanity and shallowness, but what it really comes down to is mental health. There’s a direct correlation with looking good and feeling confident. You know that feeling. When you walk out the door, feeling capable of conquering everything your day comes at you with. That’s what I do.
Wardrobe Consultation
Most of my Clients reach out to me through my website. Whether you follow my fashion blog or you googled, “personal stylist in Portland, ME”, you submit a quick form with your name, phone number, e-mail address and a little bit about why you are contacting me. I always respond within 24 hours and give you a breakdown of the process and attempt to schedule a FREE Consultation.
Ultimately, the best place to have a Wardrobe Consultation is at your home, in your closet. That way we can go through your current wardrobe and discuss how to build off of pieces that you already own and like. IF, you’re not comfortable with me coming into your home, that is absolutely no problem. I’ve met with Clients in their office on their lunch break, I’ve met with Clients via Zoom/FaceTime, I’ve met with Clients at a coffee shop. Whatever you’re most comfortable with, I’ll come to you. And don’t worry about your kids, I love kids. I have three of them.
At the Consultation, we’ll discuss your wardrobe needs, lifestyle, budget and whether or not you would benefit from a quick Wardrobe Organization session.
Wardrobe Organization
Wardrobe Organization is a great way to start the process. It’s completely up to you, but every single clients I’ve worked with on organizing their closet was thrilled with how easy the process was. Just setting up the your closet so you’ve taken the guess work out of getting dressed everyday, is priceless.
A couple tips, if you’d like to go ahead and organize your closet yourself:
Put away (I recommend clear storage bins) any pieces that are unseasonable.
Donate anything that doesn’t fit well, is out of style or looks overly worn.
Remember the saying, “out of sight, out of mind”. If you can’t see it displayed in your closet, you’ll probably forget about it.
Personal Shopping
The first time I work with a Client, I usually recommend doing the “Buddy System”. Which means we go shopping together. During the Consultation, we will determine together which pieces you’ll need to shop for the most to update and fill-in your current wardrobe. We’ll meet at a store/mall and I’ll take you to where I have confidence finding the pieces you need. A little tip, a day or two before we go shopping, I do a little “pre-shopping” for you so I give you the most efficient experience possible. You are never charged for pre-shopping. It’s for both our benefit.
We will focus on staying within your budget and finding pieces that will complete all your wardrobe goals. I do recommend trying things on, so a lot of our time together will be spent around the dressing rooms. I’ll help pull sizes and styles and I always recommend only coming out of the dressing room to show me how it fits, if you love it. A Personal Shopping session usually lasts between 2-4 hours.
IF, you are a Client that knows what they want, there’s also a Personal Shopping service where I do the shopping for you and bring the pieces to you. Whether it’s on your lunch break, while the kids are napping at home or I’ve even set up in a Conference Room at work, so you can try on the pieces in the comfort of where ever you like. You buy the pieces you love, I return the ones you don’t. Voila!
Alternative Shopping
I work outside the box too. I’ve had moms hire me to take their teenage daughters school shopping. I use Mom’s guidelines and budget and work as a middle man to get the job done. I’ve done Christmas Shopping for busy parents. That’s right, I’ll even wrap the presents! My favorite is Special Occasion Shopping. I have one Client that is a legit Boss Lady and has special events multiple times a month. She calls me and gives me a list of events, I got shopping for the occasions, bring her options on her lunch break and BOOM. Easy breezy.
Contact ME
Listen, I’m not just a jokester off the street. I have a B.A. from USC in Fashion and am classically trained in body type, color pallet, fit and I’m passionate about current fashion trends. I work with people of all ages and backgrounds and have successfully been a Wardrobe Consultant for over ten years.
All of my contact information, rates and hours are on my website (just click HERE to be taken directly to my website), but if you have no time for all that…
Chelsea K. Ray, Wardrobe Consultant, chelseakray@gmail.com, (207) 615-4028
I look forward to working with you!