Would you/friends if yours consider hiring a stylist to update your wardrobe?

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Hi everyone,
I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. I am currently considering training up as a personal stylist, which would involve helping clients to build up their wardrobe and find outfits that make them feel confident, authentic and stylish.

My question to you is - is this something that you think you/ others would be interested in? I appreciate that it wouldn’t be for everyone and also that financially it wouldn’t be something that is accessible for everyone. Generally though, I’m just trying to get a feel for if it’s something some people would be interested in and if it’s something I could make a living from. Specifically, I would be interested in working with mums, though also other demographics. Maybe someone has employed a stylist before? What was your experience? - if you wouldn’t mind sharing.

Any comments would be really appreciated! Many thanks!

I use a stylist, I meet her twice a year at Selfridges in Manchester where there are private changing rooms that can be hired for this purpose and she has all the clothes she's picked ready for me to try on. I was fed up trying to find clothes that suited me, particularly as I am petite.

She advised me on body shape and the colour palette that suits me best and has introduced me to clothes and brands that I never thought would suit me or never knew existed. It has been a revelation and I've lost count of the number of the positive comments about how nice my clothes are and how well I look since I started doing it. It costs just under £300 for a three hour session and is absolutely money well spent in my opinion.

OP, my stylist is now booked up two years in advance so there is definitely a market for this service, you just have to find your niche.

Yes I've used two services in the last few years like this. First one was a wardrobe declutter. Going through all clothes, see what fits, looks fine on me and advice on thing which suit me.

Secondly, recently had my wardrobe organised and a look book put together of ideas of outfits with my key items. The latter has been utterly brilliant & it has got me wearing things like my denim shirt again with coated jeans, black slip dress with biker boots. Looks I would have never thought about and rescued clothes which were just sitting in my wardrobe unworn.

I hired someone about twenty years ago. We ifntieifed my style archetype ‘dramatic famine’ haha and I got a good set of rules for how to make the right choices on shapes, textures and lengths. I still have all the info. It really helped me understand why some pieces I liked but never wore eg I love patterns but if they are too regular I don’t like them, or something might be too synthetic a fabric… so would definitely recommend this service to others.

My DH also once went to Simpson’s and got kitted out for a new wardrobe. They got him to commit to a couple of quite expensive coats but every single year, out they come in winter and he looks super.

So I might be interested in the idea of a stylist but I would hate to have someone come into my house and go through my wardrobe.
What I'd be looking for would be someone who would understand or could research what works well in my employment sector, for someone my age, and someone my size and shape.
I'm hesitant to shop online because I cba to return stuff.
I'd value someone who knew what brands are cut to suit different body shapes, what clothes can be machine-washed and don't need much ironing, if I like an item from a ££££ brand but only want to spend ££, that kind of thing.

I love the idea of a stylist and regularly use the JL styling when I want to revitalise my wardrobe (I tend to buy the same types of things if left to me own devices) and consider styling a treat.

I'm not a mum so can't comment from that point of view but I probably fall into your natural target audience of having time and disposable income to think about clothes.

I regularly look at local stylists but im always put off by the cost (also the style of those advertised locally but im probably being unfair there- they don't need to dress like me).

I wouldn't want or need some one to go through my wardrobe with me but I would pay for maybe a zoom type call where I could show my wardrobe, or I bring a few key pieces with me when we meet, and most importantly I'd like to wander around the high street and a stylist picks things in the shops.

But tbh I'd struggle to justify circa £300 before buying any clothes, not sure where my price point would be maybe £100-200

I wouldn’t. It’s not the cost. I wouldn’t care if somebody rooted through my wardrobe either.

It’s because I’m 49 and I’ve worked out what suits me already. I’ve already got a wardrobe full of classic quality items.

When I could have done with styling advice was in my early twenties when I was making mistakes, but back then I wouldn’t have paid for styling and I probably would have found the concept a bit fuddy duddy, e.g. being told to invest in well-cut classics rather than PVC skirts!

I agree with PPs who say that you will struggle to make a business like this pay, particularly outside London. A PP mentions meeting a stylist regularly at Selfridges in Manchester. I’m also in Manchester, and I think that there might be enough work for a maximum of three independent stylists in the entire north west, including Liverpool, Lancashire and Cheshire. And this is the wealthiest part of the north of England: there would be even less work in Yorkshire and the north east.

The type of women (typically: don’t want to pigeonhole the PP) who would use the service in this part of the country are wealthy and are either dressing for very senior jobs or for a range of glamorous social events. It’s hard to see where mums trying to relocate their style after having a baby would fit into that.

In any event, I think that mums in this situation would be more likely to use the services of one of the John Lewis personal shoppers. I hear great reports of them.

I'd be interested as I'm struggling to find my style since my body shape has changed after having a baby. However, financially it's probably not viable for me.

I think you may have missed the boat with this as there are already lots of people already offering this type of service (affordable styling). Styled by Susie has a team of stylists but there are also lots of independent stylists. Many of them are all over various social media platforms - check out Style Sisterhood on Facebook for example.

Not saying you shouldn't pursue, it just that as a latecomer to this market, you'll need something to make you stand out from the others.