Have you ever walked through a multi level shopping mall and felt completely overwhelmed by the array of options available? After all there are so many places vying for your attention, not to mention your dollar. How do you know where to start? Have you ever had a melt down in the change rooms because everything that you have tried on looks wretched? And time is ticking by and you just have to find something, anything. Have you ever come home with something that you know isn’t fabulous but you feel that you had no choice?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you would love the help of a professional image consultant who offers personal shopping as one of their services. A personal shopper is very adept at working out your physical proportions and colouring so that she can quickly identify styles and hues that will look fabulous on you. A personal shopper is also very aware that your style personality and lifestyle have to be considered and they can asses these very quickly also.

Knowing where to find the perfect garment to suit your requirements is another valuable skill that a personal shopper has in her repertoire. They are familiar with the labels, designers and stores. They know who makes for women with a romantic, feminine style. They know where to find the perfect outfit for someone who loves classic quality or edgy and innovative or casual and laid back.  Being able to hone in quickly is such a bonus. Not only does it save on shoe leather, but it saves time; and that’s a commodity so many of us lack these days.

Objectivity is another positive trait in the personal shopper’s favour. Unlike boutique owners who have an agenda to move product (and that’s not a criticism, after all it’s their livelihood) the personal shopper has only one vested interest – YOU! Her agenda is to find you clothes that you love and that look fabulous on you. If one store doesn’t have what you need, then she moves on – with you in tow.

It’s also great to have the practical assistance of someone holding your bags, finding you a dressing room, changing sizes, looking for the shop assistant and later the cash register.  Shopping can be very tiring, so the spare pair of hands a personal shopper offers is a real treat.

She’ll also be very good at keeping track mentally of your purchases and seeing the wonderful possibilities of combining different purchases in different ways. And when there’s a gap, she’ll be quick to recognise it. Too often we come home from a day at the mall with something that we’ve bought only to realise that we have no shoes, bag, jewellery or scarf to go with it. So then this new purchase hangs there till you have a chance to rectify the situation. A personal shopper excels in creating entire outfits in one shopping trip.

If you hate shopping, and many women do, you might actually find that you learn to love it after a professional shows you how.