Fashion Consultation on a Budget

[keiko]

So the idea occurred to me the other day when a dear friend of mine insisted that I accompany her when she went to purchase her new fall wardrobe, mostly because my assistance was, as she put it, "Stellar" with her summer wardrobe, would anyone pay for fashion consultation if said fashion consultant could help them come out of the arrangement looking good, for less? Kind of a budget make over for your wardrobe. would you go for it? does it sound silly?

I understand that everyone here has their own personal style and most of you don't shop for clothes at the Gap, but I'm adaptable. I have my training from the NYMC in Florida for my make up and fashion sense, my art background for colour sense, and my experience as both a stripper and as a cast member in Guest Relations for Disney as far as my personal skills. I'm also a bargain hunter extraordinaire. would it be worth it to you to spend the extra dough to have some one help you find what looks good and what doesn't, just so that when you get it home and get the tags off you don't feel like you wasted cash on the clothes to begin with?

I was thinking of trying to get a deal with a few local businesses as far as token discounts for my clients if i went exclusively through them as far as hair and nails for the fashion disaster going for the full make over thing.

any ideas? am i off my rocker?

~K

[Wickedanima]

I think its a good idea. I personally won't ever need a fashion consultant, but only because I'm Poor.

[keiko]

you know how you flip through fashion mags and they show you these awesome outfits that could be yours if you shopped at high end stores and spent $600 on a shirt? what if someone could help you achieve that whole look for a third the price of the shirt in the ad?
say even if you have the budget to spend $600 on a shirt, but you get the clothes home and the look does not work for your body type? wouldn't you rather some one told you, honestly, that this look isn't something that you really could pull off with what you've spent all this money on, but something similar could be done and you'd look great? for less?

for a small fee of course, like somewhere in the $10-20 an hour range, or should it be a flat fee?

~K

[HeadlessBill]

I think I would need for those rare occasions, like, if I ever go to the Oscars.

[keiko]

Oscars, maybe. I was thinking more for the ladies who want the Hollywood look, want to say they have a personal shopper, a fashion consultant, and still come in under budget, cause everyone in this economy is on a budget. though i see no reason NOT to cater to the gentleman who wants a lady's opinion on his wardrobe. even the greasiest and gassiest of guys wants to look goo occasionally.

*gasp* I just had a brilliant idea! I could call in my very dear friend, a sweet (and yes, gay) gentleman who has helped me in my more vicious moments tear apart bad wardrobe. *glee*

~K

[Bikerpunk]

Bad time to be launching such a business, but in the Seattle area you might find quite a few clients.

Hit up the geek arenas and point out "you'd be cute and fuckable with different clothes. I can help".

[Bikerpunk]

How much do you and your gay friend want to find me goddamn jeans that look good?

[Wickedanima]

you know how you flip through fashion mags and they show you these awesome outfits that could be yours if you shopped at high end stores and spent $600 on a shirt? what if someone could help you achieve that whole look for a third the price of the shirt in the ad?
say even if you have the budget to spend $600 on a shirt, but you get the clothes home and the look does not work for your body type? wouldn't you rather some one told you, honestly, that this look isn't something that you really could pull off with what you've spent all this money on, but something similar could be done and you'd look great? for less?

for a small fee of course, like somewhere in the $10-20 an hour range, or should it be a flat fee?

~K

I don't have alot of trouble dressing my body. When I look crap its out of sheer lazy. *chuckle* I personally do not feel I need the help, however, I know a pure shit ton of people who would really enjoy the services of a lower-cost stylist. There are too many women who don't know how to dress for their bodyshape, and aren't making the most out of their bodies.

And personally, I'd have a few courses of payment avallible. If I was a woman who wanted help from a shopper, I'd likely try an hourly person, as long as I could be assured they could take me to a shop, and help me get the basics going on. So I pay you for two or three hours worth of shopping with me...

*nodnod*

[keiko]

I don't have alot of trouble dressing my body. When I look crap its out of sheer lazy. *chuckle* I personally do not feel I need the help, however, I know a pure shit ton of people who would really enjoy the services of a lower-cost stylist. There are too many women who don't know how to dress for their bodyshape, and aren't making the most out of their bodies.

And personally, I'd have a few courses of payment avallible. If I was a woman who wanted help from a shopper, I'd likely try an hourly person, as long as I could be assured they could take me to a shop, and help me get the basics going on. So I pay you for two or three hours worth of shopping with me...

*nodnod*

i am in now way suggesting that anyone here, with their own personal styles, is incapable of dressing themselves. though i know we all have that one friend who would be so pretty/handsome if they just adjusted their dressing habits. (hell 90% of the time i'm a jeans and tank top gal.) and i know we've all seen those people that we're sure just don't have a mirror at home.

what if i had contacts/friends with like, Dark Garden Corsets or something? would you like to have an acquaintance that could get you discounts, however token, on things like that? only if you're in the market for a new corset in the first place obvsly. i wouldn't suggest something like that unless you had the desire/budget for it in the first place, but think of me as the someone you know who could get you a good deal on shit like that..

appealing or no?

and BP- I'll gladly take you shopping in exchange for drinks or lunch or something.

~K

[SyntheticShock]

I know people who would find that appealing, if indeed it was affordable. Some people really could use someone to point out what cuts or colors look best on their body type, most of those people just don't know where to go for such things aside from over-priced department stores. Plus it sounds like a fun job!

[Mr Karl]

you gotta charge more

[HeadlessBill]

Dark Garden!

That reminds me, I need to talk to Autumn about interviewing for my documentary.

[Wickedanima]

i am in now way suggesting that anyone here, with their own personal styles, is incapable of dressing themselves. though i know we all have that one friend who would be so pretty/handsome if they just adjusted their dressing habits. (hell 90% of the time i'm a jeans and tank top gal.) and i know we've all seen those people that we're sure just don't have a mirror at home.
~K

I just think most of the time, people are HONESTLY lost as to their bodyshape, and what to do with it, and what cloths to wear, and are convinced that its just expensive clothing that will make them look good. ^_^

[Raza]

It sounds really dumb, pretty much like every other 'product' offered by service-sector capitalism. Not only is it always inadvisable with regards to your growth as a person to pay people to understand things for you and tell you what to do with them rather than learn them through thought and experience, but in this particular case it's also categorically absurd by virtue of 'good looks' being structurally subjective.

That said, people are this kind of dumb, so I'm sure it'd sell if advertised properly.

[Bacchus88]

I have no clue with is in style, what is hip... really I could care less. All I need is a little more updated style to my own style. I would pay someone to tell me where i was going wrong. For maybe a 1 hour, then it my way...

[keiko]

i'm not trying to "make" anyone look "hip" by any stretch of the imagination, i despise trends and the victims of such. but like my friend who has insisted that i shop with her has been trying to hide what she thinks are flaws in her womanly hour glass figure and ends up in bunched up baggy clothes and over sized hoodies that make her short torso ( a problem i have) look rounded and bloated, when actually she has a beautiful body (yes i've been trying to entice her into bed with me, that's beside the point). in her case, low rise pants and long fitted t's lengthen and accentuate her beautiful figure.

style is a personal thing. i wouldn't try to impose a look on any one, just try to steer them in the right direction as far as what can make them appreciate the way they look. you know how it goes, when you know you look good, you feel good. and in this sinking economy it's harder for a lot of people to find the time and the money to buy the expensive clothes that they think look good. I'd like show people not only how to accentuate their best features, but how to save money while doing it. there are people out there that do know how to dress themselves and put their best foot forward, as it were, but they suck at bargain hunting. that's where ol' K comes in. i can recreate any look for a fraction of the original price. there's not a Deveel alive that can get the best of me.

~K

[HeadlessBill]

I wish I remembered which designer said this, albeit it's also probably paraphrased:

"Fashion is what everyone is wearing. Style is what looks good on you."