Here’s all you need to know about hiring a personal stylist or image consultant before you let them into your wardrobe.

This week I wanted to share with you what you need to know before hiring a Personal Stylist, because believe it or not, not every Personal Stylist, or even Virtual Personal Stylist, is right for every client. Over my 10+ years as a Stylist, I’ve developed a list of things I think clients should know before making the decision on which stylist to book.

This post is broken down into the following topics:

• Understanding what a Personal Stylist can and can’t do.

• What to expect from your Personal Stylist.

• Signs your Stylist has experience.

• Red Flags that can ruin a styling session.

• What to look for in a Stylist you’ll love working with.

What can a Personal Stylist do for you?

Develop & Deliver Your Style:

A Personal Stylist is there to help you find and develop your sense of style. They plan how to obtain the pieces needed to make your wardrobe reflect your taste and the educate you on how to shop effectively. They can be great time and money savers, as a wardrobe that might take you years to build,with varying success rates, will often take them only hours or days, with the right amount of planning and experience.

Give You Confidence & Educate You:

A great stylist can give you a confidence boost, not just in your appearance, but help you feel better equipped to make purchasing decisions in the future. They can teach you how to put together looks, match colours and look after your clothes. They can and should always, help you build a wardrobe that is practical for your lifestyle. You want clothes hanging in your wardrobe that you wear regularly - not gorgeous items that you’ll only wear once or twice a year.

What can’t a Personal Stylist do?

Get Clothes For Free:

Over the years I’ve had a few requests that I haven’t fulfilled, from people looking to book my services. It can be a common misconception that a Personal Stylist can loan garments from brands for their clients to wear to events, free of charge. While this may be the case with some celebrity styling services, this is not the case with Personal Stylist sessions. Clients booking sessions must have a budget to shop with.

Build A Wardrobe With A Tiny Budget:

Like everything else, inflation has hit the fashion industry and good quality clothing, that won’t fall apart at the end of the season often costs a more than fast-fashion. I recommend my clients develop their budget by thinking of the average price point of the clothes in brands they’re used to shopping with. I always tell clients to add a 10% buffer to their budget to allow for tailoring, cobblers and unexpected finds and that way, we don’t go over budget. If you’re wondering what the average budget I work with is, for a half day shop, I expect clients to have $1500+ as a healthy starting point and for a full day shop, meaning, we’re overhauling the wardrobe, $3500+.

What to expect from your Personal Stylist.

Your Stylist Should Focus On Your Style:

Have you ever shopped with a well-dressed friend and come away with clothes that make you look just like them? And while you look great, you don’t feel like yourself? Great Stylists won’t put their own personal style onto you. At no time, should your stylists personal tastes, clothes that suit their lifestyle, or brands only they like to shop with, be considered in your session.

This is your time, we’re shopping for your lifestyle, budget and personal style. We’re here to give you what you want.

Your Stylist Should Give You Their Honest Advice:

Fashion Stylists are hired to help clients look their best, so expect us tell you what is and isn’t working in your wardrobe. Movies like Devil Wears Prada and Crazy, Stupid, Love might have you believing that we’ll be brutal in our honesty and throw your New Balance sneakers over a balcony so we never see them again, but we’re not like that. We’re not here to make you feel bad, we’ll be honest but always kind about it. Remember, your personal stylist wants you to be honest with them too. If they put you in something you don’t love, tell them. It doesn’t hurt our feelings, it helps us get you what you want.

Your Stylist Should Have Specific Training:

Believe it or not, there are pop-up fashion schools teaching people how to become Stylists in two days. While you don’t need training to call yourself a stylist, I believe if you are spending your money and time, and putting your trust in someone to handle your style, they should have some fashion education behind them. As an example, I’ve studied Fashion Design, Tailoring, Menswear Styling, Advanced Image Consulting, Womenswear Styling, Costume Design, Advanced Racial Colour Analysis and Business. At a bare minimum, your stylist should have sound knowledge of fabrics and clothing types, as this will affect how you wear your clothes and how you feel in them.

Your Stylist Should Do Their Research:

We’re good at our jobs because we’re planners. We plan what items you need, how much you need, where we’re taking you to shop, what colours we’re choosing and how it fits into your budget and wardrobe. If you book with a stylist who hasn’t asked you questions about yourself, or had you complete preparation documents before your session, back away slowly. You want to book a stylist who has done their research, so that you can have an amazing session. It’s not out of the ordinary to ask your stylist what their plan for you is.

Signs Your Stylist Has Experience

Every professional you hire should be someone with the right experience for your needs and budget. I know, after running my business for over ten years, that there are a lot of beginner and inexperienced stylists charging rates that an established stylist does. I have also seen what an inexperienced stylist can do to a clients confidence and wardrobe and it’s left clients feeling deflated and hesitant to try a different stylist.

Their Rates Reflect Their Experience:

Stylist’s charging under $50 per hour, are often newer to the industry. This doesn’t mean they aren’t great at their jobs, but they may not have the connections or experience to work with your specific needs. Stylist’s charging between $80-$100 an hour are considered more established and experienced. Stylist’s charging $100+ per hour, are often very experienced.

They Work With Specific Groups:

Not all Stylist’s work with all genders and age groups. Some only focus on corporate, events or working with demographics such as new mothers. If a Stylist works with a particular niche and you fit that niche, they’re likely a great fit for you because they’ll be more experienced with handling your specific needs. Do your research on the stylist you’re booking to make sure they’ve worked with people like yourself before.

They Have Extensive Brand Awareness:

An easy way to check if a stylist has the right experience for you, is to ask them about the brands you’ve shopped with. Some stylists work solely with designer goods, fast-fashion, ethical fashion or vintage clothing. If you have specific needs in these areas, the stylist you book should know their brands, not just names but understand how those brands fit, what their price ranges are, experienced stylists often have access to stock calendars and know what items will hit stores at certain times of year. I get asked on the spot questions all the time, things like ‘do you know where I can find high rise jeans with a 26’ inseam’, or ‘where can I find cupped swimwear for larger busts with small backs’ - if your stylist has experience, they should be able to answer questions like this quickly.

They’ve Arranged Client Perks:

Experienced Personal Stylist’s often have access to exclusive discounts for their clients. This doesn’t mean they make a commission from your sales, this means that when you shop with them, brands give you discounts because that stylist has built up a great relationship with them. Not every brand will give out discounts, but experienced stylists will have established relationships with brands to give you the best possible price.

Red Flags That Can Ruin A Styling Session:

Your Stylist Hasn’t Planned:

This comes under research, it’s imperative your stylist has planned out how the session runs. Signs they’ve planned is they have a shopping list, they might have put things aside in stores for you, they have shown you a break down of how the session is going to run, or they’ve got a schedule they’re sticking to so that you can make the most of your time together.

Your Stylist Only Focuses On Body Shape:

You might think Body-Shape rules are an important part of learning how to dress well, but they’re just guidelines and not hard and fast rules to stick to. We all have preferences when it comes to clothes, and body shape dressing is all about making your biggest area of your body look slimmer. Not all of us want that. The session’s teachings should not be too focused just on body shape.

They Don’t Have Any Reviews:

Lots of people leave reviews these days, on google and facebook being the most common two. Many Stylist’s have reviews and testimonials on their website, as well as their business listings. Check to make sure you like the reviews you’re seeing! It’s normal for stylists not to put before and after pictures of their clients on their websites. No one wants to be a before and after shot, and your stylist should respect your privacy.

You And Your Stylist Haven’t Agreed On A Service Before Starting Work:

We all need a scope of work so both the client and stylist know what’s expected of them and how much time will be needed to accomplish certain tasks. If your Stylists suggests just getting started without giving you an idea of how long you’ll need to work together, or how much it will cost when you have completed your desired outcome, ask for a service breakdown. That way you both know what you’re working on and you don’t go over your budget.

Your Stylist Earns A Commission From Your Purchases:

This is a big no-no and can make you feel like your Stylist’s advice is biased. Check to make sure your stylist isn’t earning a commission off your sales. There are some instances where they earn a commission that is passed back to the client, you should ask if this is the case. In my own business, I don't accept a commission, but I ask that my clients get a discount instead.

They Ask You To Change Your Weight:

A personal stylist or image consultant should never ask or suggest you lose weight, or change your body in anyway to look better in clothing. A great stylist will pick clothing for you that will flatter and fit, no matter what your size.

What to look for in a Stylist you’ll love working with.

A Personality Match:

Giving your Stylist a call, when thinking about booking, can help you see if they’re going to be right for you. It’s so important you feel you can talk to your stylist and that they are friendly and considerate of your needs. After talking with them, you should trust that they know what they're doing. If you're not sure, they're not the right one for you.

They ask you what you want and help you articulate that:

It's always important when you engage the services or even enquire with a Personal Stylist that you know what you want to get out of it. Do you want to feel more confident with your body? Do you simply want to take the stress out of putting outfits together that look great? Is that new job making your old work wardrobe look, well, old? It could be all of those things and more, but letting your stylist know from the start what you want out of the session is a great way to get to the finish line looking fantastic. You can also find out upon enquiring if your stylist can help you with what you're after.

Remember,stylist’s aren’t just hired to make people look and feel good, there’s often very practical reasons that contribute to clients booking a session. Some book for help dressing for their body shape and size (plus size, petite, tall, weight change struggles, body shape education), some book due to a medical condition that has them struggling to find the right clothes (wheelchair bound, blind, colour blind, phobias) and some clients book for specific reasons like looking for vegan clothing, only wanting to shop clothes that are made ethically, needing a wardrobe where everything can go in the washing machine and ironing is kept to a minimum.

If there’s an area you struggle with that is specific, let your stylist know what that is before booking them to ensure they can plan a great session for you.

Your Stylist Gives You Notes & Educational Resources:

Personal Styling sessions are fun and educational, but they’re also a whirlwind. Any experienced Stylist knows how information heavy these sessions can be, so picking a stylist that can give you notes or has educational resources you can look at is a must. Most of my services include digital resources following the session so that clients can go back over their notes when they’re ready.

I wrote this post because I'm always asked what a session is like and what to expect when hiring a Personal Stylist, so I hope that helped you make your decision and pick the good stylists apart from the amazing stylists.