blove: style and pepper

Never, in a million years, did I think I’d ever want or need to hire a personal stylist. I mean, really – who do I think I am? My lifestyle doesn’t scream “red carpet ready” and in general, I think I have a pretty good sense of style.

Let’s not even go there that I have a daughter who’s a fashion major with an amazing eye and who knows me better than any stylist possibly could……..

And don’t personal stylists charge, like, a bajillion dollars an hour?????

But there I was, face-to-face (on Skype) with the lovely, warm, uber-stylish and super-talented Jessie Artigue of Style and Pepper.

photo courtesy of Jessie Artigue

Let me start at the beginning………..

I have written here about the challenges I’ve faced in dressing myself – how I’ve used clothing as armor, clothing to define who I am, clothing to help me figure out how I want to present myself to the world. I’ve even done a few fashion-y posts. And while I think, for the most part, I look put-together and well-styled, I was feeling a bit “all over the place” with my wardrobe. I knew it was time for a major overhaul but didn’t know where to begin – what to keep, what to toss, what to re-purpose.

My go-to, naturally, was Chelsea. But a) she was at school at the time, and b) I wanted someone with complete objectivity, who was not so close to or familiar with me and my fashion idiosyncracies. I wanted a fresh start.

Heck, I wanted a personal stylist.

So I started poking around on-line. I had actually been following Jessie on Twitter for some time, but didn’t think she was right for me. Too young, no kids – how could she possibly relate to what I needed? But Jessie is one of those people whose warmth and friendliness transcends the computer – and I realized that, as a professional stylist, she should be able to dress anyone. She happened to be offering a special rate at the time so I decided to take the plunge.

I can’t exactly say what my expectations were, as I’ve never done anything like this before. But I WILL say that Jessie far exceeded whatever it was I thought the experience would be.

We had a 2-hour Skype session, the first part of which she spent asking many thoughtful questions about pretty much every aspect of my life – how I spent my day, how I’d describe my style, recent changes in my life (hello, Noah!!), etc. We had the session in my closet (!!) and I showed her the pieces I loved, items I hadn’t worn in forever, and what she called my “challenge” pieces – clothes that I bought on impulse yet rarely wore.

Jessie deftly helped me sift through and edit my entire wardrobe. Because she comes from such a different perspective – and is SO skilled at what she does – she saw my clothes through new eyes and was able to swiftly put many looks together with items I already owned.

This last part was most impressive to me – I was convinced that hiring a personal stylist meant basically trashing everything I owned and spending a small fortune to build it back up with all new clothes. But Jessie worked with what I had, suggesting just a few supplemental purchases to pull new looks together – items like belts and leggings to breathe new life into pieces I was ready to toss.

And the best part of all? She sent me follow-up “notes” – including  items she suggested purchasing (and links to where to buy them), MANY outfit ideas, and a recap of everything we discussed. This was so helpful because I didn’t have to spend our time together writing everything down – she did it for me.

What’s happened since my session?

Well, I am definitely less inclined to buy on impulse, and I feel like when I do make a purchase it’s with more mindfulness – does this really work with what I already have? And though I purged a lot from my closet I love having a smaller selection of items I truly enjoy wearing. I no longer have that “nothing to wear” feeling (even though I have less to choose from!), and I’m much more confident and secure when I’m out and about shopping. Ironically, I’m spending less money and am much more satisfied.

I can’t recommend Jessie highly enough – check out her website to learn more about her services and see her fabulous sense of style (she has great recipes and DIY tutorials too).

And say hi for me!

Wanna know what “blove” is?

http://www.styleandpepperblog.com/