I recently read the results of a survey on how much women spend on their clothing and was taken aback. On average, women spend $125,000 in their lifetime on their style! Roughly, the report continued, that works out to between $180 and $480 per month. That’s a lot of money each month!
But that’s not what shocked me. Here’s what I find astonishing: some women (and I used to be one of them) are willing to spend about a car-payment’s worth of money each month on
looking good, without knowing their body, style, best colors and the basics of fashion.
There are very simple rules of fit, color and style that can benefit each woman to maximize her best features and maximize her best self. These can be taught by a professional stylist in just one easy session. Measure your body for best fit and body type, train the eye for your best assets and ways to minimize challenging body areas, and assess what colors are best for you – these are the baseline assessments that should be considered before swiping that credit card. It will help you maximize wear, functionality and fabulosity.
Glamorous stylists such as Rachel Zoe highlight celebrity style and the over-the-top style of the mega-rich, which makes it seem that stylists are only for the top 1%. However, even if your need for a custom-fit Oscar de la Renta is nil, I would encourage 100% of women to spend your fashion cash wisely on yourself, what fits for you and what makes you feel fantastic.
After one session, I have seen that my clients see themselves a little more objectively and start to see how easy it is to highlight their best features. Also, many clients reduce their emotional shopping (that $100 spent at the mall after a breakup) or the boredom shopping (that other $100 spent on items you don’t need and for no reason). We’ve all done both, but there’s a better way.
Before you go shopping or spend another dollar, see a personal shopper. Take an hour to figure out your shape, best colors and best features and start focusing on them all. I’m sure you’ll start to see yourself in a better light, stop spending unnecessarily and, hopefully, start looking and feeling better every day!
Kira Brown is a certified personal stylist and fashion writer. Kira has interviewed many fashion icons including Tim Gunn, jeweler Neil Lane, international makeup artist Jemma Kidd and Ken Downing of Neiman Marcus. Kira also offers virtual style consultations for women and men. Contact her at kira@fashionphoenix.com.
