These days, having a personal stylist is more common — and less expensive — than you might think
It's happened to the best of us. You trudge to your closet, fresh off a less-than-mediocre night’s sleep, and peer inside. It’s like staring into the daunting abyss of your neighborhood Goodwill store. There’s probably something that fits you within the jumble of pilled sweaters, tootight skirts, and sequined gala dresses you just had to have, but on this particular morning, you’d rather clean out the produce drawer in your exboyfriend’s hovel than comb through your closet for something to wear. In your groggy haze, you find yourself murmuring things you never thought you’d utter, like “What would Rachel Zoe do?”
In fact, though we’re a long way from Tinseltown, Boston has its own crop of style mavens who, with the gusto and confidence of superheroes swooping in at high velocity, can use their fashion savvy to rescue you from style calamities.
“I’ve seen it all — from the smallest closet to the biggest closet,” says Pam Santorelli, who coowns South Boston boutique Habit with Leila Moore. The pair also runs a personal shopping service to help people get their closets — and, in turn, their lives — in order. Their expertise fetches $50 an hour, and packages are tailored to clients’ specific needs. “We fill in the gaps, work with what people have in their wardrobe, and then go buy A, B, C, and D items,” Santorelli says. “A lot of people [want] to look stylish but professional in the workforce. They want to wear a suit and look hip and young and not like everyone else. And there are ways to bring out your own personal style with a basic black suit.”
Santorelli also notes that many women have trouble with the “day-to-night” look — assembling an outfit that you can wear at the office all day and then, with minimal modifications, turn into something suitable for sipping sidecars at a bar all night. “People want to be able to take off a jacket and go out, so you want to look sexy and puttogether at the same time,” she notes. “People are looking for a signature style.”
Before we explore the confidant-like (if not therapist-esque) quality inherent in a stylist-client relationship and the secrets behind the process of revamping your wardrobe, let’s address the slippery notion of “signature style.” The strippers in the legendary musical Gypsy may have been the most extreme advocates for personal style when they counseled newbie dancer Baby June that “you gotta have a gimmick.” Whether you flaunt it with giddy abandon or hide it under a bushel of trends du jour, you’ve got one. It’s just a matter of bringing it into focus.
Enter the personal stylist. And these days you don’t need platinum album sales or to star in a movie with Patrick Dempsey to warrant — or afford — one. “In the last two years, when I introduce myself as a stylist, people don’t ask where I cut hair,” says Lydia Santangelo, who runs her own fashion production company, TESstylist, and does production work for major retail stores, including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s, as well as styling for magazines. She also has clients with whom she works on a one-on-one basis, from bicoastal entertainment industry executives to young women who are just entering the work force and need pointers on how to look professional. “Stylists have become more mainstream and people are more appreciative of services we provide,” Santangelo says. “I think women see this as a service, like interior decorating — something they know they may not have the skills or time to do. Some people don’t have the first inclination on what looks right or what is appropriate to wear, or don’t know intuitively how to connect with their personal style. A lot of people lack confidence and are intimidated and need the mirror to talk back. The stylist is the mirror that speaks to them, and a good stylist provides constructive criticism and can say, ‘Nope, not doing that,’ or ‘Yes, that’s a keeper.’ ”
So why the increasing popularity of the personal stylist? Chalk it up to the fact that every image we see in the media — from people to food to furniture — is carefully calibrated and deliberately stylized. Where once you could toss on distressed jeans, T-shirt, and ratty scarf and call it a day, now that’s practically a branded look. One only needs to consider the term “shabby chic” to realize the deliberateness of every fashion decision. This magazine’s own style editor, Erica Corsano, also runs her own personal styling business, for which she sees a rising demand.
“There’s been a lot of talk about Sex and the City, and crediting that show for bringing more highend fashion to the mainstream,” Corsano says. “Many things have added to the evolution of fashion awareness. People are realizing that you don’t have to be a celebrity to have a stylist. Years ago, before the Perez Hiltons of the world were everywhere, I don’t think the average person knew what went into making a celebrity look good on the red carpet. Now, with so much information so easy to come by, people are much more knowledgeable and aware about how there’s a stylist behind a celebrity’s look. Now Rachel Zoe has a book,” she adds, referring to the stylist to stars such as Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, and Lindsay Lohan. “Stylists are more public. Celebrities thank their stylist, they’re best friends with their stylist. As that happens, people realize, ‘I can have a stylist.’ ”
And not only does the average working woman not need a six-figure salary to hire one, but it may end up actually being an economical decision in the long run. “You’re saving time and money when you have someone to show you how to work with pieces you have, how to buy pieces that work with your body, and not have something you buy once because it’s on sale,” says Corsano, whose packages start at $240, with hourly consultations also available. After all, she’s not a saleswoman working on commission, nor is she a friend who doesn’t want to say anything for risk of offending you. “Having an unbiased opinion is saving you money.”
In speaking to stylists, it quickly becomes evident that the jargon they use is similar to the lingo of psychologists and self-improvement professionals. It’s hardly surprising, given that not only is image a means of self-expression and self-definition but also that stylists are working with clients’ possessions that could have sentimental value. And stylists know that when you feel you look good, your self-confidence skyrockets. Santorelli says that hiring a stylist is often prompted by a lifestyle change or a desire to purge. Corsano starts her consultations with a questionnaire that invites self-examination, and she describes her work as being “like a shrink for your wardrobe.” Alexandra Ryan, who runs her own company, Show Me Style, also offers new clients a questionnaire; she says people contact her initially because they “ultimately feel like something’s missing.” Ryan’s fees usually start at $100 for the first hour and $75 for each subsequent hour; she also offers a variety of packages, beginning at $200, for college-student-closet overhauls.
Therapeutic or not, the fact is that most people just need someone with a fresh perspective to scan their wardrobe. Hire Santorelli and Moore, Corsano, or Ryan to hone your image, and you’ll ultimately hit the stores with them (or, if you’re allergic to fluorescent lights and pushy salespeople, you’ll dispatch them to do the retail therapy for you). But you must examine what you already have to determine what you need.
“I call it ‘Shopping Your Closet 101,’ ” says Ryan, who began her business because she felt like she had nothing to wear — until she put a critical eye toward her own wardrobe. “We’ll put on a fashion show and put together new outfits. A lot of people have 10 brand-new outfits sitting in their closet but have difficulty putting it all together or don’t know what styles suit them best. My favorite part is the shopping your closet. People are astounded that they can use a skirt that they only wore for blacktie events for work.” After “101,” Ryan will devise a prioritized shopping list and put together a picture portfolio of a few outfits.
And that shopping list might not be as extensive — or expensive — as people expect. Ryan recalls going to a new client’s home for a consultation. The woman had all of her clothes waiting in trash bags.
“She thought she’d have to start over completely. We ended up creating 30 new outfits with clothing she already owned. She thought she’d spend a few thousand dollars on a whole new wardrobe,” says Ryan. “I teach people how to put things together. Shopping is a learned skill, and you can get better with coaching.”
