This week, as an attempt to get away from my Vinted addiction, I did something that I have never resorted to in my long, fashionable life: I went to a personal shopper. To me, the idea of a personal shopper has always reeked of over-privilege and consumerism, and I was originally quite averse to the idea of sitting around having someone else pick out your overpriced clothes. However, as the beacon of open-mindedness and positivity that I am, I went into an appointment with no expectations and a heart full of fashion.

“I did something that I have never resorted to in my long, fashionable life: I went to a personal shopper”

After trawling through an open-plan floor of beautiful designer patterns, flowers and stripes, we were ushered into a quiet, closed room in the corner next to Jigsaw and brought two beautiful lattes. To my delight, a quick scan of the leaflet informed me that a personal shopping appointment was complimentary, and I quickly relaxed, surrounded by perfume samples and fashion magazines. There was a small sofa in one corner and a large dressing room in the other, plus an empty rail sat in the middle of the room.

We met our lovely personal shopper and I gave her my extremely awkward and insanely specific brief. We were unfortunately looking for smart-casual, as being a university student for four years has not filled my wardrobe with interview-appropriate clothing. However, I was attempting to communicate that I still wanted a pop of colour, maybe some patterns, heavy jewellery and a careful mix between androgyny and office siren to satisfy all of my masculine and feminine needs. I wanted wide-leg trousers, I was open to skirts and I wasn’t afraid of a power suit.

Unfortunately none of this came out in the wash, which is where I realised a personal shopper appointment is only effective if the shopper has the same style as you. I was brought denim, huge frills and puff sleeves, shirts covered in bows, linen trousers and sheer, sparkly tops. I tried some on to humour myself – I am not afraid to push the boat out – but was quickly reminded that culottes still make me look short and puff sleeves still drown out my tiny head. In short, many of the original items were both dress-code inappropriate and did not suit me or the brief at all.

“A personal shopper appointment is only effective if the shopper has the same style as you”

Of course, I will cut some slack for the fact that it is currently April and brands are sporting their greatest summer collections and the selection of interview-appropriate office wear was minimal at best. However, after a great U-turn we managed to find an amazing pair of black, wide leg trousers and a jersey-style black blazer that would provide a great base for lots of looks. I can’t help but feel I could have found this myself; I hoped that a personal shopper would push me out of my comfort zone and revolutionise the way that I dress with genius but appropriate suggestions. It is difficult to work out whether I was being overly fussy, or perhaps wasn’t clear enough, or maybe personal shoppers are more experienced with people who don’t know the first thing about fashion at all and are looking for some very simple guidance. Either way, I was disappointed.

The most positive part of the experience was the set-up itself. I despise department store shopping, or indeed shopping in-person in general, and much prefer to set myself up in a quiet room with a laptop, Vinted and a sweet treat. However, the personal shopping room was cool and air-conditioned, ensuring that changing in and out of garments didn’t make me sweaty; it had no music, removing aural stimulation, and the choices and the imposing vibrancy of the shop floor was experienced by someone else. In short, it was an extremely neurodivergent-friendly environment, which relaxed more than over-stimulated, and I would recommend for fashion-enthusiasts as an entertainment activity, rather than a way to revolutionise your wardrobe.

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