Now that you have a sense of my lack of style, let's talk about the next phase of my style history - working with personal stylists. Gasp, you say. How decadent, you think. I felt the same way. Here's how it happened.
A dear friend of mine was a unique dresser. Think skater betty on top, mom pants in the middle, and goth chic on the bottom. Like me, she was a hot mess. She had been working with dudes in technology for most of her career and hadn't been actively dating, so it didn't seem to matter to her. After over a decade with the same company, she moved on. I didn't see her for 6 months. The first time I saw her again was at someone else's going away party and she looked hot. She was wearing jeans that looked great on her, a really cute girly top, and shoes and a bag that worked the whole outfit. And the coolest part - it all looked right on her. Not some fashion magazine pull out. Was she dating? Was she getting laid finally? What was going on? I asked and learned the dark secret. She had hired a personal stylist.
And I had the same reaction you are having now. Decadent. I can do it myself. Too expensive. Waste of money. I would never. Now lets fast forward two years. I left the my corporate safety net to start a consulting practice with a friend. Getting a business off the ground takes more time than anything. We were working days, nights and weekends. I had more money, but less time. I couldn't spend 6 hours on the weekend looking for the perfect winter coat. So I took the plunge.
I hired my first stylist in 2006. My first stylist was a true creative. She could see my style underneath all of the noise. We cleared out more than 50% of my wardrobe. Got rid of the shiny black pants I'd been lugging around since college. And yes, the satin skorts went too. Our first shopping trip together was 5 stores in 60 minutes. It was so wonderful, the first memory still brings tears to my eyes. She pre-pulled all of the items. We picked up about 6 things and we were done. Awesome! Stylist 1 had the eye to dress me in my style and the patience to evolve me into more sophisticated versions of that same style over several seasons. Unfortunately, we were not the right personality match at the time, so I eventually moved on.
By moving on, I mean - first I got pregnant. Grew 40 pounds on a five foot frame (1/3 of my body weight). Had an abnormally large baby and lost the weight. Before returning to work, I hired Stylist 2. Stylist 2 didn't make me lift a finger. She came to my house with a selection of clothes. We picked what we liked and she exchanged a few items, which were promptly back in my hands. It was a wonderful process. As a process designer by nature, I could really appreciate this lady. Unfortunately, she did not have the eye for my style. I ended up on clothes that any other mom might wear. It was not true to my style. Keep in mind, I still couldn't say what my style is, but I knew it wasn't it after wearing the clothes for a short period.
Enter Stylist 3. Ok. She was never really my stylist. This is my want-to-be stylist. I bought a session with her at an auction. I know I can't afford her bill rate, so this was the only way. We spent four glorious hours together talking about my style, my colors, my frame. She asked me question after question about what I preferred. We got the the end of the first hour of questions, and she shared with me my primary and underlying styles. She gave me a simple description of what she saw. Next we did colors. Then we did measurements. Then we talked lifestyle. After 3 years of working with other stylists, I was finally armed with information about me. I can describe my style, my silhouette, my colors and what will work in my lifestyle. I can be specific with sales people. And I know it when I see it. I also know it when I don't see it. It is a true victory. And I can never go back.
Style Illiterate
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