A True Gift

With 2 children under 4, I took advantage of a treat that actually seemed like a good investment.  We all have our own variation on ‘leading a busy life’ and I hadn’t been shopping for anything but maternity clothes, stretchy tops and jeans for 5 years.  I teach this stuff and knew that by embracing a totally different lifestyle it was easy to lose myself! I took the opportunity of a shopping trip with a Fashion Stylist. 

 

As an Image Consultant myself, I was fully aware that hiring someone, an 'expert' to help me make the most of a rare day’s shopping should be an excellent investment,; this is what I had seen my clients experiencing time and again when shopping with me.  Focus and objectivity is the key.  Staying objective when you are losing the will to live in changing rooms is a type of sanity worth paying for.  We all find it difficult to stay objective about ourselves and I’m no certainly no exception. It’s so much easier to be objective when I’m working with a client but I needed to become the client!

Within a few weeks of this shopping trip, the opportunity arose to go shopping with some of my colleagues at House of Colour, all fully trained Image Consultants.  Due to other commitments my available time was only 3 hours not the whole day, so off I went.

 

Both days were fun, both days included a break for lunch and both days resulted in me purchasing some great pieces for my wardrobe and looking outside my normal comfort zone for inspiration.  The real value for either option was making the most of someone else’s expertise to get a job done more efficiently, effectively and enjoyably than I would on my own.

 

Success is generally a subjective measure which in the case of clothing also needs to consider cost per wear for each item.  With my tendency to analysis, I weighed up the two alternatives which revealed the smarter investment was employing a fully trained image consultant. 

Statistical Analysis	Fashion Stylist	HOC Consultant
Investment	£300 + travel	£150 + travel
Time invested (hrs.)	1 day (7 hrs.)	3 hrs.
Items tried	Approx. 60	11
Items purchased	11	6
Items returned	3	0
Items kept	8	6
ROI Ratios
Productivity = items/hr.	1.3	2
Returns	27%	0%
Wasted energy = (Items tried x hrs.)	420	33

The added value came from savings in time and energy and keeping hold of my ability to make clear decisions. This relied on my ‘shopper’ remaining objective and keeping me focused – which became harder as the day progressed.  I could also see that the training of the HOC Consultant ensured they remained objective rather than being influenced by their own styles or preferences.

 

As a result, some of my nearest and dearest are receiving HOC gift vouchers for Christmas this year (let’s hope this doesn’t spoil the surprise!).  As well as being a useful and valuable present, it’s my contribution to a greener Christmas – fewer ‘things’ that they have to find a home for, less mistakes in purchases and the bonus of supporting a fully functional wardrobe that carries fewer unused, often excessive, items (frequently disguised as ‘bargains’)!

Gift vouchers are available for a class, a product or an amount of money (note - wardrobe reviews are sometimes more valuable and almost as much fun as shopping trips!).  You can purchase them from your local consultant or you could take advantage of free Post & Packing on all Gift Vouchers from the House of Colour web shop until the end of December. 
Happy Christmas everyone! J