Retail therapy? Apparently not...

Do you shop for fun? When you're feeling low and need a pick me up? Or are you a necessity shopper only venturing out when the need calls?

Us women are not so happy whilst shopping it seems with a recent survey by Marisota revealing one in five women have cried whilst clothes shopping.

A third of the 2,000 polled hate clothes shopping. Eight out of ten said they would enjoy it more if they were thinner and ten per cent cry about being too skinny, and it appears weddings are the most dreaded event to have to shop for.

I hear moans about shopping all the time and experience it sometimes myself with poorly lit and dirty changing rooms and snooty sales staff (also mentioned in the survey). Women also can feel overwhelmed with choice or feel there is nothing for them at all and wander round for hours and come home empty handed and deflated.

Body image and shape are also a huge part in some women's dissatisfaction when shopping and the survey reports one in ten said they feel embarrassed asking for their size. But for some people they purely just don't like to shop. I dislike food shopping, no matter how nice the store is, the staff or the general experience, it's just not something I relish.

Many people are turning to online retailers for their shopping needs. As well as the detriment to the high street, the problems people find with shopping are still there. Body shape issues, not knowing what to look for, overwhelming choice are still factors. So many times I have seen unworn clothes in wardrobes that have been bought online and then not returned.

These are some of the reasons why people turn to me and utilise my shopping services, particularly my virtual shopping service. A number of looks, inspirations and suggestions are sent to you - think personal shopping without the changing rooms. All the choices are completely personal to you and are based on your budget, lifestyle and body shape. Many existing clients use this as a seasonal top up or if they need to shop for a special occasion. And it's great for the people that are too far afield to employ me for a personal shop (Skype and Facetime are great tools for this).

Give me a call (07980 789602) if you don't like shopping and I will happily point you in the right direction to improve your shopping experience and just for reading this blog, quote this blog piece and you can take £10.00 of the price of the Virtual Shop.

What do you like about shopping? Have you ever had a 'melt down' whilst shopping that you would be willing to share?

Jeans with BBC Radio Manchester

My poor neglected blog, I must admit I kinda lost my blogging mojo.  Although I have written for other blogs and contributed to other businesses newsletters, I did abondon mine for a while.  There's only so many hours in the day and with running a business, raising a family and living life in general (with a massive family bereavement inbetween) the blog suffered.  So I have vowed to do better and perhaps put a different spin on things, make it more personal? What do you think?

So what have I been up to?  Recently I was asked back to appear as guest stylist on BBC Radio Manchester's Retail Therapy show.  Last time I was featured shopping for a busy business mum.  This time I was asked to talk about jeans.

Jeans are one of those items that people just hate to shop for.  I hear all the time about gaping waistbands, too short/long legs, muffin tops, big bums - you get the idea.

My challenge was to find flattering and stylish jeans that didn't have a designer price tag.  Easy peasy (for me)!
  Nearly all stores offer a couple of denim lines, some more flattering and better quality than others.  The key to buying denim is to go for the best quality you can afford, just the right amount of stretch and as always an understanding of your body shape a must - this way you can avoid any of the annoying, but common fit problems.  Jeans are a really important element of most of our wardrobes (a capsule item) and if you get a pair that fits and flatters and can be worn a variety of ways then that's a winner as far as I'm concerned.  

Here's some of the items I selected on the day.  My special shop is ideal for buying jeans, so if you would like help choosing the perfect pair click here for more details.

What is your favourite denim brand? Have you found your perfect jeans?

Re-use, re-new, re-coup your spend

My speciality is utilising what you own, mixing and matching to get more wear out of your items and showing you how to shop and dress for your body shape.

After a Wardrobe Wakeup and a Well Groomed Wardrobe experience, sometimes we are left with items that are just not right for the client. No accessory, alteration, embellishment or layering will make the item work. So what to do with things such as this? Why not re-coup some of the value and sell the item on?

I don't know about you, but whenever I try and sell bits on eBay, it takes me ages to photograph, list, package and go to the post office.  So much effort for little reward (mostly because I don't have the time to dedicate to it, thus not getting the best price).  Things hang around in the spare room for ages as it takes me so long to get round to listing it all.

So I am really pleased to offer a fantastic service to my clients through the brilliant Pink Spaghetti.

Pink Spaghetti, will list the item detailing all the specifics to get the best selling price (including measurements), they will photograph it from its best angles (they have even got a mannequin which helps display the item). They will then package it up and post it on to the lucky new owner.  Added to this if you have any items to sell, I will take them to Pink Spaghetti free of charge (usually £5 collection fee).

All they take for this brilliant service is a percentage of the selling price and out of this comes all the selling fees, PayPal and packaging and postage fees. Not only that they will keep you up to date with the progress of your sales and deal with any questions and queries .

• Selling price up to £19.99   50%
• Selling price from £20 - £100   35%
• Selling Price from £100 - £199   25%
• Selling price from £200   please ask for quote

To maximise the prices you get for your sales Pink Spaghetti have provided the following tips:

·         If able, list for 10 days and finish the listing early evening on a Sunday.  This maximises the time people will be able to bid on the item and Sunday evening is the most popular time for people to be buying on Ebay.

·         Compose the perfect title to ensure people see your item and making the item title searchable. When buyers search, eBay only automatically searches for words in the item's title, not the rest of the description, so every word counts. The maximum number of words/characters allowed in a title is 55. So include details like the brand, size and if new. 

·         Use the Ebay short names to describe the condition of the your items to maximise the amount you can include in the description e.g. BN is Brand New and BNIB Brand in Box.

·         Take a good picture to maximise the item.  When selling an item for a customer we always use more than one picture to show off any item at its best e.g. details on cuffs, a toy from a different angle. 

·         Think about seasonality.  Summer items will not sell in December and vice versa.  It is worth keeping hold of something and selling at the right time.

·         To protect yourself in case something goes wrong,  always get proof of postage.   

·         Finally don’t automatically use Ebay to sell everything.  We have found a number of specialist sites which are better for selling particular items.  Do your research first and look around at the place to get your best price.

Have you ever found a bargain on ebay? What's been your most successful ebay sale?

www.pink-spaghetti.co.uk

enquiries@pink-spaghetti.co.uk

0844 504 7465

Wardrobe Wonder

Image courtesy of http://gettingitswoonworthy.blogspot.com

Have you ever considered how much wasted money there is hanging in your wardrobe? Or how many potential new outfits are tucked away in there waiting to be discovered?

One of my most popular services is a wardrobe consultation and the reason for this is simple. Most people have got loads of clothes and they are reluctant to shop for new ones without fully understanding what they already own, and by this I mean what fits properly, what suits them, does it represent their style and is it in fashion. After a wardrobe consultation my average customer gains about 39 new outfits i.e. something they would never have thought of or worn before (which they love), and this equates to around £3.85 per new full outfit! They learn exactly what suits them and their body shape and they understand what they should shop for in the future.

It's no secret that the majority of people wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. Why do we suppose this is? Are there lots of mistakes that they have bought on a whim, or because it looked good on a celebrity or a friend? Or is it because they don't know how to wear the item or are they missing key capsule pieces that tie everything together? Or do they have a look that not all their clothes fit in with? How do you identify the reason without spending the time to understand the contents of your wardrobe?

So if you fancy breathing some new life into your image and getting to grips with the contents of your wardrobe, follow my 'do it yourself' tips, and spend some time having a good sort through your clothes and accessories.

First take out anything that doesn't fit. You don't have to get rid of it, just take it out of your everyday wardrobe. It's psychologically damaging having clothes that you can't wear in your wardrobe. If it's too small you will beat yourself up because you are not slim enough and if it's too big you're subconsciously telling yourself that you're going to be that size again, not to mention the fact that it's taking up valuable space.

Take out anything that needs mending or adjusting and commit to getting it done.

Take out anything that is past it's best. Are you really going to feel stylish in that old bobbly jumper or that pair of jeans that have lost all their elastic?

Some people advise to take out anything that you haven't worn for over 6 months. However I think you could be missing out on some 'hidden gems'. Instead look at these items and consider why haven't you worn it? Is it that you didn't know what to wear it with or that it doesn't flatter. Try each item on and mix it with something unexpected for instance if it's something you bought for the office try it with a pair of jeans.

Take pictures, this is a really good reminder of the outfits you have created.

Anything that you have left needs sorting. Everyone will have their own system that works well for them. I prefer to hang things first by type i.e. all trousers together, then length, then colour.

You should now be left with an organised wardrobe full of wearable items, you should have an understanding of anything that is missing, and you should have noticed a few key pieces that went with lots of different things (capsule items). You will have a pile of items that may need altering or mending, a pile that's past it's best and a pile for charity or eBay.

For further information give me a call on 07980 789602 or visit the wardrobe tab at the top of the blog or visit my website for further information on the wardrobe services I offer.