Working with a personal stylist - Four misconceptions.

I'm a big believer in hiring people to do the things I'm ill-equipped to do myself. Take accounting for example. As someone who was politely asked to leave a first year commerce degree for failing Accounting 101 twice, I have learnt to engage a brilliant accountant to juggle the numbers and leave me to do what I'm best at - helping people feel their most confident selves through their style.

Outsourcing to an expert is a smart way to get a problem fixed with efficiency and positive results. When I style a client, the common response I get after a session is, "why on earth didn't I do this sooner?" The reason is there are many common misconceptions about what personal stylists do and people use these as reasons to put off getting out of a style rut. Here are 4 of the most common misconceptions I hear about working with a personal stylist.

1. Personal Stylists are only for fabulously wealthy and famous people.

Don't get me wrong there are stylists that work exclusively with famous and super-wealthy clients - most of my clients are neither. They are however very smart (of course they are for hiring me!). But seriously, they are people who are simply sick of looking at a wardrobe of clothing they don't wear, who want to feel better about themselves and have tried unsuccessfully to express their authentic style on their own.

2. I need to be in my best shape before I see a personal stylist.

There is no best shape. Actually, there is, the best shape is accepting yourself in the space you're in. Most of my clients see me when they are going through life change whether it’s divorce, new job, no job, newly dating, post-surgery, you get the idea. I often find a by-product of a styling session is a client takes better care of their health because they start feeling great about themselves when they are confident in their style.

Part of my job is being strategic about clothing to ensure it works hard for a client making them look fabulous no matter what their size or shape is, that is authentic to their style and within their budget.

3. I'll be put in clothes I don't really like.

A great personal stylist (yes I mean me here of course) is only interested in building you a wardrobe you love in a style that is authentic to you. If you don't love it, it should be a no. When I'm in the fitting room with a client and they get an awkward, uncomfortable look on their face - like Kalama Harris on the front cover of the February edition of Vogue, I have them take the item off immediately. If the client doesn't look comfortable they will never wear that piece at home which completely defeats the purpose of hiring me in the first place.

4. Personal Stylists are way too expensive.

This is the most common misconception. Reflect for a moment that most people wear only 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. So much money is wasted sitting in a closet from repeat purchasing items that don't suit your style or work with anything else you have. Working with a stylist saves you money. A great stylist (yep, me again) can work with any budget to find maximum bang for your buck. I love the challenge of working within a tight budget and am a big believer in having a capsule wardrobe of limited items that can create a multitude of outfits.

So if engaging a personal stylist is something you've considered but been hesitant about, don't feel intimidated or believe you aren't worthy of seeking help with your style. Just think of it as something you can outsource for the best outcome.

If you have questions about working with a personal stylist you'd like answered, email me at lisa@lisastockman.com.au.