One of my life mottos is that a good present is something that you would never ordinarily buy for yourself and in this case my mini maxim rings perfectly true as I was kindly given (as a big 40 birthday present) the gift of style – perfectly presented through a transformative and exciting experience put together by image consultant and personal stylist, Zoe Rodrigues.
Note 1: Having known what I know now if I hadn’t been gifted this, I’d defo be writing a big gift tag ‘to me, love from me!!’ Read on to find out more…….
Note 2: Don’t rule this out during this phase of social distancing – Zoe offers a range of digital service, scroll to the bottom to find out more about these services.
The Consultation
My style journey began with an informal consultation, over a coffee (and chunk of tablet of course!), at The Raeburn. The chat was so Zoe could learn more about my motivations for embarking upon the style consultation, my lifestyle, the type of looks I like and how I feel about my current style / wardrobe, so that she can achieve the optimum outcome for each individual client. As we chatted I also completed a questionnaire to help give Zoe greater insight into all the above.
Zoe offers several different services and after our consultation I decided to opt for the ‘Wardrobe Refresh’ and the ‘Personal Style Consultation & Guide’.
The Wardrobe Refresh
Zoe comes to your house and sets aside approx. two hours to rifle through your wardrobes, shoe boxes, coat closets and wherever else you hoard your attire and offer top tips on how to wear your existing pieces in different ways and identify key gaps in your wardrobe essentials to refresh or redesign your look.
Even before we met Zoe had sent me an email with a few links to some ideas she’d developed from our initial consultation.
I had a mix of feelings about this process; both of excitement and slight embarrassment as I do tend to keep my clothes until they are almost threadbare and there aren’t many designer labels hanging around either. However, Zoe was so down to earth and reassured me that the point of working with a consultant is so that the consultant can take an unbiased approach to what should and shouldn’t stay, in a fair and just way – all based around what styles, shapes and colours suit you and your lifestyle. There is no unnecessary pressure at all. We talked through each item in my wardrobe, focussing, in equal measure, on those pieces that I love, like and are unsure of. Zoe was great at instantly coming up with a different look and new ideas to make my existing clothes more wearable. Throughout the session, Zoe took notes of our discussion and pictures of my clothes to help her build out my style book for the Personal Style Consultation.
Some examples include:
A button up sleeveless denim dress. I never feel quite right in this as a dress so Zoe showed me how to wear it unbuttoned and belt tied at the back as a waistcoat with skinny jeans and a long sleeve top. I’d never have thought of that!
Short Sleeve Jumpers. I have quite a few of these which are too heavy for summer but not quite warm enough for winter. Zoe’s solution – find a fitted denim shirt and wear this over the jumper to create a casual layered look.
Red Waxy ‘Going-Out’ Trousers. I love these trousers but don’t wear very often as I class them more as going out and best with heels. Zoe suggested I buy a classic camel jumper and pair with funky trainers so I can enjoy wearing the red trousers more often. I love this new look.
The Personal Style Guide
Following the initial consultation and the wardrobe edit Zoe spent some time composing a personal style guide for me. It’s approx. an 80-page document that includes the following:
My colour chart – I’m light spring and in good company with Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively and Taylor Swift sharing a love for these bright, warm and clear colours.
My shape – I’m a (lean!) rectangle that needs to emphasis / create the illusion of a waist.
Style Tip (one of many!) – Have fun with texture and mix up materials to create different dimensions to a look.
The style guide then goes into greater detail about key items of clothing that would suit me and how to wear each piece. This is then further substantiated with a ‘get the look’ type section creating mini story boards with ideas for weekend wear, day to night, special occasions, dressed up denim, chunky cords and much more. Accessories and jewellery are not overlooked either with a section in the guide dedicated to how to wear each to maximise the overall look of an outfit.
Zoe does a lot of hard work, albeit great fun, and provides a handy little hyperlink which directs me straight to the shop from which I can make the buy each piece – all tailored to my own shopping preferences and budget.
In addition to my own tailored content the guide also offers insights into different material types and how to care for them.
Conclusion
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this experience, however I have been completely reenergised by it and thrilled by the outcome. My initial consultation with Zoe was exciting, the wardrobe edit was such fun and the style guide was the cherry on top!
I absolutely LOVE some of the outfits Zoe has suggested for me and I’ve already bought two of the garments. I wholeheartedly believe that this is an investment in you. The service pays for itself as there are no more wasted purchases that will just hang like guilty reminders in your wardrobe, you’ll learn your best colours, shapes and styles – a complete style package to refer to for years to come.
There is definitely a big shopping spree looming on the horizon – style guide and colour swatch in hand. Thanks Zoe!
Digital Services
At this current time of social distancing, wardrobe and shopping sessions are not an option, but don’t despair as Zoe offers digital solution too.
Style consultations can be conducted via FaceTime and the bespoke style guides are in a digital format (with web links direct to the suggested products) so they provide clients with everything they need to maximise their style and help them still feel like they have access to tailored online shopping.
For more info you can find Zoe here: www.zoerodrigues.com
