One of my favourite jobs I’ve ever had was a personal stylist for J.Crew. I loved this job!!! I got paid to shop, try on the latest collections, and dress people for some of their life-changing moments. I will never forget when I helped a young college grad shop for her first job interview outfit and days later she came back to tell me that she got the job! I’ve always felt that fashion and personal style were important but that day it was reconfirmed for me yet again. Throughout my years as a personal stylist, I’ve learned so much about fashion, people, and personal style. Here are a few style tips I’ve learned during my career:

There is a difference between fashion and style. Fashion is a look of the moment that designers are encouraging you to wear. Style is individual, unique, and timeless. Style takes time to establish and will evolve as you grow as a person.

Unless your best friend is a personal stylist or has impeccable style, avoid asking her/him for style advice. They can’t see you objectively and when updating your style due to a new job or weight loss, unfortunately, there can be some underlying envy…I’ve seen it.

Encouraging you out of your comfort zone (just a little) while keeping true to your personality is one of their many talents. They will introduce you to styles of clothing that are most flattering to your body type.

Personal stylists have the unique gift of looking at any garment and instantly creating several looks. They understand cost per wear and maximizing the full use of your wardrobe. They will teach you how to dress while combing bold colours, and different textures, and mixing patterns without them being overwhelming.

Working with a great stylist also means the importance of a great tailor who will help create cleaner lines with any garment that may need some alterations.

A good stylist will not push clothes just for the sale, they really care about how your look comes together. They want to see beautiful pieces of clothing styled and presented elegantly and uniquely.

Everyone needs the classic and basic pieces in a wardrobe and a stylist will teach how to invest in those pieces, when to update, and when to purge old and underutilized pieces of clothing

Every stylist has a signature look that took them years to perfect and their goal is to help you find yours.