How personal styling works here

People hear the words personal styling and picture something formal. A consultation. A fee. A questionnaire and a follow up call and a plan.

It is much simpler than that here, so we want to write down exactly what happens, because knowing what to expect is usually the thing standing between someone and walking through the door.

What it actually is

You tell us what you need. AnnMarie and Renee pull pieces before you arrive. You come in and try them on.

That is the whole thing. There is no fee, no membership, no minimum purchase and no obligation to buy anything. If none of it works, none of it works, and we would rather find that out in the fitting room than have you order three dresses online and send them all back.

Telling us what you need

The more specific you are, the better the rack looks when you get here.

The useful information is the occasion, the date, your sizes and anything you already know you do not want. If it is a wedding, tell us where and what time of day, because a four o’clock ceremony on the river and a seven o’clock reception downtown are different problems. If it is work, tell us how formal your office actually is rather than how formal it says it is.

Tell us about your body honestly too. If you never wear anything sleeveless, say so and we will not pull it. If you want your arms covered but you are going to be outside in September, we will find you something in silk rather than something in cotton knit, and that one sentence will save you twenty minutes.

Budget helps as well. Nobody is offended by a number. It is easier for us to pull five things you can actually buy than fifteen things you cannot.

Sending a request

You can call the shop, or you can send everything through the styling request page, which is usually easier because you can do it at eleven at night when you remember the wedding.

The form asks the occasion, when you need it, your sizes, the styles you like, your budget, and anything else you want to tell us. It also asks which shop you would rather come to, Avondale or Five Points, so the pieces are waiting at the right address. Choose whichever is closer to your day. If something you want is at the other location, say so in the notes and we will bring it over.

What we pull

Usually five to ten pieces, sometimes more if the occasion is broad.

We will pull things you asked for and one or two things you did not, because that is where the surprises come from. Customers tell us fairly often that the thing they bought was the piece they would have walked past on the rack. You are free to hand any of it straight back.

We pull sizes on either side of yours as well. Fit varies between labels, and a dress that runs small is not a reason to give up on the dress.

In the fitting room

Come in whenever suits you during shop hours. There is no scheduled slot to be late for.

Try things on, and tell us the truth about them. If the waist sits wrong or the color washes you out, we would much rather hear it than watch you be polite about a dress you will never wear. We will go get something else. That is the part of the job we like.

If you brought a friend, bring her in. If you brought your mother, we will get her a chair. Nobody is hurrying you out.

What you take home

Whatever works. Often it is one piece. Sometimes it is a whole outfit with earrings, and sometimes it is nothing, and all three of those are fine outcomes.

If you are close but not sure, we will hold something for you. If you want to think about it overnight, think about it overnight. There is no pressure at the register and there never has been.

A note for people who dread shopping

We hear this constantly. Someone comes in apologizing before they have said anything, explaining that they hate trying things on, that nothing ever fits, that they have not bought a dress in four years.

That is the person this is for. The whole reason to have someone pull for you is so that you skip the part you hate. You do not have to walk the floor, you do not have to guess, and you do not have to leave with anything.

Tell us what you need and let us do the digging. Then come try it on.