Personal shopper: your experiences?

barbiedoll

Hello all!

My sister is getting married in September and my mum and I are starting to get worried at the thought of buying an outfit to wear for the occasion.

We both loathe clothes shopping and we’re not easy to dress at the best of times. Mum is 81, short and dumpy and doesn’t like wearing heels. I’m 53, short and skinny, with no discernible shape, I live in trousers and jumpers and only own one dress!

Would a personal shopper-type service help us? Any recommendations? We won’t be spending hundreds of pounds on outfits but we do want to look half decent if at all possible!

Any help gratefully received

gettingtheresometime

I’ve never had a personal shopper but I think you would need to have an idea of budget first as this will probably dictate where you go.

Then I’d go on a shopping trip just to have a feel of what’s available so you haven’t got the pressure of leaving it late & thus having to buy something.you never know something may catch your eye! If you decide to go for a personal shopper, would you be able to take a friend whose opinion you can trust?

Timpu

I've used John Lewis' personal shopping service a few times, though quite a few years back now. They were very relaxed and non-judgemental, even going off to stock rooms and sales racks "behind the scenes" to find stuff they thought might work.

I was happy each time I used them. They saved me hours of traipsing around and came well within budget. I also liked there was no pressure, they offered ideas and I could take them or leave them.

I did go prepared with my budget and other than that, was happy to try on absolutely anything they suggested.

trailingspouse

I used the personal shopper at Debenhams once. I really enjoyed it, and there was absolutely no pressure to buy (although fairs fair - if you're not going with the intention of getting something, there's no point in doing it). When I made the appointment she asked my age, size, and the reason for shopping, and when I got there she'd already chosen a few things as a starting point. From there we tweaked sizes and colours, she scooted off to find matching shoes, bags, necklaces etc for the things I really liked, and altogether it was a very pleasant experience.

She bounced me out of my comfort zone, as she'd picked things for me to try which I would normally have walked right past.

You have the same rights to return/exchange anything you've bought (which I did - I'd bought a jacket, amongst other things, and when I got it home I realised it was a mistake).

Sharon87

As above, I also went Debenhams with my sister and mum for my brother's wedding. It was good, we all found outfits we liked. My mum and sister also got shoes. They were very friendly and helpful, you just sit in a room whilst people bring you clothes to try on!

DD265

We've used Debenhams a few times.

This month, they helped Mom with her mother of the bride outfit, and me with some accessories for my wedding dress. Admittedly Mom's outfit was £430, but they were full price designer clothes and there were sale options too. Mom looks gorgeous in her outfit, and I don't think we'd have found it looking on our own. My accessories were £50 and they were in the sale - saved me a fortune!

Like PP said, there's no pressure to buy, and it's a free service too.

judi_coven

My daughter got married last year. I went to John Lewis and Debenhams personal shoppers. I actually liked the Debenhams lady best, but it was the John Lewis lady who found the perfect dress for me. One that I would never have tried myself, but looked great once she persuaded me to try it. I think you have nothing to lose by trying several of the free services, and I enjoyed the experience in the end, despite the fact that I'm not in to shopping normally. I didn't have a huge budget but I was not pressured to spend more than I wanted. Go for it!