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Shopping Made Easy: My experience in July 2022, by MB

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I was recommended to Fiona by someone I trusted, and she wasn’t wrong. My expectations were high but Fiona didn’t disappoint. I experienced Fiona’s ‘At Home Shopping’ service and this is how it went. From the beginning Fiona listened to my input and that was important.

First contact

We had a Zoom call first, to establish if we were going to work together, what was required, how we would approach it and costs, so that I knew what to expect.

Preparation

Following that, Fiona came round (my request was to meet in person for a wardrobe review, rather than through Zoom) and spent a couple of hours discussing my wardrobe contents. I learned a bit about my “clothing personality” and why what I had suited me (such as styles of clothes, materials and patterns) and how things could be used differently (for example, using my shirts over other items as a less formal jacket). It was useful to get Fiona’s opinion on the colours in the wardrobe too, since I had been colour-analysed a few years ago but wasn’t quite sure if some of the clothes I already had were in the Summer palette or not. We had agreed some of my favourite pieces were on their final wears and needing replacements. Looking at what was going to stay and where the gaps were, we drew up the shopping list. I wanted to inject some more colour into my wardrobe so we discussed particular colours I would like (and not like) and how the purpose was to get some key workwear pieces, which was the reason for requesting Fiona’s help.

‘At Home Shopping’ (Part 1)

Two weeks later Fiona appeared again with so many bags it took two trips from the car! We had a lot to try on and discuss. It was a hot evening, but Fiona had prepared me for that, and even offered to bring a fan. I tried everything on, as Fiona had requested, and it was easy to eliminate a few things, decide to keep several things, and we had a couple of “maybe’s”. Working through the items some were liked but not exactly the right size, so Fiona offered to get the right size and have a look for some alternatives to some other pieces to meet the entire brief/shopping list and come back. (She explained that this was all part of the service and within the price already agreed.) She trusted me with the “maybe’s” so I didn’t feel under pressure to decide. Equally, though, I was trusting her to bring me what I wanted and needed, and it was going well.


By the way, some of the pieces were good prices for value (we had talked about budget), and I now had an expanded list of shops/brands to explore in future. Not only was Fiona considering colours, styles and fit, but also my values. We were on the same page when it came to eco, natural and ethical clothing. Although she did sneak in some materials that weren’t totally natural, she did convince me on the way in which they were produced. I was also keen to have clothing that felt soft as well as being comfortable and looking good, and Fiona explained how these “new” materials fitted those requirements.

‘At Home Shopping’ (Part 2)

A week later Fiona was back again with more clothes. Less to try on this time, but covering the brief fully now and all a great fit. Again, some more learning about different brands, colour combinations and future options for the coming autumn and winter season.

Summary

Fiona was keen to please, made me feel comfortable, and I was not under pressure to have anything. I ended up with some lovely new pieces that work together, that I never would have discovered on my own, and my wardrobe now sings to me. What joy. I can’t wait for the compliments I expect to get, and am much more of a confident shopper now, thanks to Fiona.

Fiona sends all the unwanted clothes back and I just pay her for those that I want (at the price she paid). She was also informing me of the prices as we went, in case that helped me to decide.

This was shopping made easy: a great investment, and to be recommended.

MB, July 2022

Fiona adds, if anyone else wants to have her help, please contact her on 07469 246722.

Blouses – do you wear them?

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Men wear shirts, women wear blouses. Some women purposely wear shirts (which are usually too big on them), and this developed in the last few years into the fashion of a ‘shirt dress’ (although those are not “oversized”).

Blouses – who wears them?

I have lots of blouses in my wardrobe, but don’t tend to wear them these days. I have noticed that women prefer jumpers, teeshirts and lycra-type tops instead as everyday wear nowadays. If you see someone wearing a blouse, it is definitely noticeable and appears a more “upmarket” choice. Two decades ago I wore a blouse with my suit every day for my job. But, like suits, blouses seem to have lost their appeal, as daytime clothing has become more casual. However, are blouses making a comeback?

Where can you buy them?

When I searched online I found lots of choice from Boohoo to Next, Wallis and of course Hawes & Curtis. There are also denim blouses and some that look more casual. This blog is not about those, but the more dressy variety.

So when and why would you wear a blouse, and why not?

Why would you wear a blouse?

Points for wearing a blouse:

  • Blouses can be used to layer. If you are moving through various degrees of heat/cold, that could be a good tactic.
  • The collar or neck-tie of a blouse can fill some space if the jumper or cardigan gives a lot of space around the neck area.

Woman in blouse 

  • The material of a blouse can be softer against the skin than some jumpers, so there can be less irritation, around the neck or other more sensitive areas (eg under arms).
  • A bit like wearing a jacket, if you wear a jumper over a blouse, you have the option to take that off and show the blouse, only on this occasion you are increasing your formality rather than lessening it, as when you take a jacket off. However, it will depend on the material as to how creased it may then look.
  • Blouses can be tucked into a lower garment or left out. Leaving the shirt or blouse out can be a more forgiving look if it is looser around the middle. The current trend for women is to have a half and half option, which can cinch in the waist and allow coverage elsewhere (like on the backside).

  • Blouses are versatile – you can wear them open over a cami, and they act like a less formal “jacket”, and can add extra colour and modesty, or cover up the arms, which I know lots of women like to do as they age.
  • They can be made to look more casual, when sleeves are rolled up for example.

Woman in orange blouse

  • Blouses are an alternative to a dress, and of course blouses can be worn with skirts or trousers. Separates are more versatile.

So, why would you not wear a blouse?

A) If you are well endowed uptop, some blouses aren’t made for that, and buttons, zips or material can strain around that area.

B) They can require more delicate laundering (and of course ironing), whereas jumpers may be easier to look after.

C) Depending on the shape and style, they can be less flexible to wear than a jumper.

D) Sometimes the sleeves can be ill fitting, and ladies’ wrist sizes can vary. Luckily the fashion at the moment is to have smocking stitch at the cuff, which allows expansion if necessary.

E) Underwear may be seen if the blouse’s material is see-through. A few years ago that was the fashion, to have a contrasting colour bra that showed through the blouse.

I’ve noticed that blouses are now on trend with jeans and casual bottoms (like shorts). So, if you don’t need to dress so formally (perhaps if you are working from home and only your top half is on view through the computer for visual calls) is it time to rethink our wearing of blouses, if, like me, you haven’t worn yours for a while.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

If you want advice about what colours and styles suit you, please get in touch!

Fiona

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722

7 “SALE” Shopping Tips

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It’s SALE time!

At this time of year we think about the “sales”. But, particularly this year, where traditional “bricks and mortar” shops have been having a really hard time and brands are struggling or going out of business, it seems as if it’s been a constant SALE of one sort or another. And, in the last couple of previous years, the SALE has been before Christmas rather than starting on Boxing Day. It made me think, today, about putting this post for anyone confused or being urged to BUY NOW, BE QUICK, and all the other tricks that are used to get us to part with our hard-earned cash (eg Debenhams’ “Closing Down Sale”), to help you take a moment to not get swept up in the momentum, and make your purchases with more thought.

Yes, of course the good stuff usually sells out first, so you do need to be quick in that sense, but please take a moment to consider these 7 tips:

1. Don’t panic

Don’t be panicked into ordering or buying something if it doesn’t look quite right for some reason (eg colour, pattern or style) just because there’s one left in your size, or 53 people have been viewing this item in the last 10 minutes! Just stop and look at the discount. I just saw a Hobbs cashmere jumper in the Debenhams “closing down sale” that was 15% off. If you had your eye on this anyway, and now it’s reduced to the cheapest price you’ve seen it for, and think that if you hang on for a further reduction your size won’t be available any more, then maybe now is the time to buy.

2. Remember why you didn’t like previous purchases

Keep in mind reasons why you ditched previous items, like the sleeves being too short or the jumper wasn’t long enough to cover your back when you hop in the car seat and you get a cold shock!

3. Why are you being tempted?

Ask yourself, why are you being tempted? Do you NEED this item (ie it’s perfect for you and you haven’t got anything like it in the wardrobe already), or do you just fancy something new and we all love a discount?

4. When will you wear it?

Ask yourself how many times you see yourself wearing the item, and in what situations? Most people expect to get more than one wear out of a garment these days, so how much will you enjoy wearing it, and will the number of wears equate or outweigh the cost?

5. What else will it go with?

Will buying this cause you to spend more money buying other things to go with it? A savvy shopper will buy items that already go with multiple things in the wardrobe, as they are building a wardrobe of items that are right for them, in the colour theme that suits, styles that suit their body shape and suit their “clothing personality”.

6. Rate It

Now, if you’ve got this far and think you should purchase, or you have ordered and it’s arrived, give it a rating out of 10 (10 being perfect). Do not purchase or keep the item if it is below a 7. If it is a 7, have a look at what you already have and decide if you really WANT or NEED it. If you do not, perhaps you should return it while you have the chance.

7. Returns

Finally, check the returns policy, and don’t be afraid to use it.

 

If you’re at sea when it comes to shopping for bargains, or shopping generally, please contact me to see how I can make your life easier!

Current (and previous) clients of Your Colour & Style get some shopping support for free – ask me how!

Fiona

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722

Has Covid-19 changed our shopping habits forever?

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No surprise

A recent YOUGOV study of 2,152 adults, undertaken between 22nd and 28th July 2020 confirmed what we all know.

Covid-19 has impacted all of our lives, including our shopping habits. Focussing on the age 45+ respondents, here are some results:

• Over 50% are much more likely to buy clothes on-line. Only 9% are much more likely to buy clothes in a physical store. 59% are much less likely to buy clothes in a physical store.

At the time this study was conducted, people were still feeling worried about how safe it was to visit a store, and might still have not been going out if at all possible. However, if it takes only a few weeks to make a new habit, perhaps this is the sign of the future, even when the Covid-19 threat is over.

Brands have been reacting to these difficult trading conditions and less footfall in their stores and, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, have drastically cut stores and staff.

What types of clothing are people buying?

• Nearly 60% are much less likely to buy smart clothes compared to last year.

What is important when buying clothes now?

• Nearly 50% consider price to be more important when buying clothes since the Covid-19 crisis began.
• 39% also consider quality to be more important now.

What else is important?

• A very high proportion of each category (56% of 45-54 year olds and 59% of 55+) think it more important to be able to socially distance when shopping for clothes, and convenience is also an important factor.

Interestingly, the brand’s reputation matters less (only 21% said “more important”).

There were also questions about how the brands are believed to treat the workers that produce the products.

A high proportion of the respondents work less than 8 hours per week, or had been furloughed or laid off by their employer. Obviously disposable income will impact people’s spending habits.

What about you?

It is no wonder there are great deals if you do want to buy any new clothes now, but you might find that your traditional or favourite brands are not available in the way you used to shop. I know from my shopping experience over the last few years that there are usually items available on-line that you couldn’t get in stores anyway, so there is hope!

However, if you do not like trawling the internet, or can’t find what you want, please get in touch with me to see if/how I can help. I love helping my clients attain the right things for them, and saving them time, money and hassle. If you’ve never tried an independent personal shopper, maybe now is the time to save some time, or get a different result. Contact me for a no-obligation chat.

 

Fiona Mobbs

Your Colour & Style Consultant

07469 246722

email: fiona@yourcolourandstyle.com

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

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In this blog I bare all about how being bullied at work and how some chance encounters (literally) saved me and led me to create “Your Colour & Style”. I’m now the happiest I’ve ever been. Read on to discover why I’m so passionate about colour and its power over people.

In the beginning …

When I was just starting out in the world of work, I had a dream: I’d been drifting a bit as a secretary but knew I could do more. I landed in a position as Secretary in a big Personnel Department, where there were several specialist teams totaling about 80 people. I would sometimes over-hear the conversations of those HR practitioners and think “that’s just common sense, I could do that!”

So, for my personal development, I asked to do an HR qualification course (a four-year undertaking as I had to do a foundation year). I really enjoyed all that we were learning, even though I had to catch up with the afternoons’ work I’d missed going to college by working on Saturday mornings and doing my college work on Saturday afternoons.

As the months went on, I did well in my studies and managed to keep my busy job going too. However, I was finding it difficult to get my foot on the ladder in the department.

A random ‘phone call was the trigger …

One day I received a random phone call. The lady on the other end of the telephone asked “does anyone in your organisation give presentations?” (Obviously I replied “yes”.) “And, do they need to look good for those presentations?” (Obviously, “yes”). “So, can I come and give a presentation to show them how they can look good for their presentations?” (“OK, I’ll set it up.”) Well, her presentation was so impactful I realised that I needed to book with her and have my colour-analysis, to help me break into the world of HR.

Those few hours of colour analysis changed my life …

I’m not sure how soon it was after that colour analysis (where I realised I was making myself look much older than I actually was just by wearing the wrong colour clothes and make-up), but suddenly the HR door opened and I got my first opportunity.

At last …

I was moving into the career I now desired and I loved it. Still studying, I did not realise my happiness was to be short-lived.

My team leader announced he was leaving and I was to get a new boss. As it was really just us two, it would be important for me to like, or at least get on with, my new boss.

She didn’t join for several weeks so there was a halt in the section’s activities. When she did arrive, she worked from home a lot, which in those days was unusual and communication was more difficult than it would be today!

She wasn’t like other bosses I’d had, who were motivating and great leaders. She was not a “regular communicator” and more of a “thinker” who didn’t communicate her thoughts often, which I found difficult. After several months when the section still hadn’t “got going” I was struggling to know what my role was. On top of that she was actually hindering my studying and career progress at every opportunity, something I wasn’t used to.

Fortunately, many dark days were brightened up by my new colours! I was enjoying wearing my colourful new clothes. I’d say that my colour analysis was definitely the game changer for me. I’d learnt how to put colours together and look amazing, even if inside I was demoralised and underconfident due to what was happening at work. Getting compliments regularly about my appearance really helped lift me after a daily dose of mental crushing. The more I dazzled with my appearance, the more it seemed to annoy her and the more vicious she would be. (I didn’t realise until years later that this was bullying behaviour.)

Finally, after a painful year, I decided to request a meeting with her boss

To my relief…

She was brilliant and my training plan got back on track.

Eventually, I was sufficiently prepared, and newly qualified, for my first professional role. I secured it and didn’t look back.

Dreams do come true…

I now had my dream job and am qualified in a profession that I loved. At last, things are going well again.

Although I had been given a chance, I hadn’t actually had a lot of experience.  Having been badly bullied, my confidence wasn’t high. But my new manager was excellent, and I was adapting quickly to my new circumstances and learning a lot very fast.

I also began studying again (the Financial Planning Certificate), to put my knowledge into context. After three happy years, there was cloud on the horizon.

A devastating day changed everything…

One Monday, we received the news that our department leader had died over the weekend. What a shock. He’d made me laugh so much: I was devastated. He was one of the founders of the business too, so the whole company mourned. This changed things radically.

After six months of keeping the show on the road, my line manager boss announced she was leaving. Unfortunately, it was a familiar story again; the next boss didn’t live up to the previous one, and gradually, one-by-one, the team jumped ship.

When I jumped, I made a mistake, and wound up at sea. It took me another nine months before my next lucky break. But, I wasn’t about to admit defeat after all I’d been through.

What goes around, comes around…

Ever heard the saying “What goes around comes around”? Well, it seemed a cycle of fortune was about to come my way. The person who employed my first great boss (which led to the replacement bully) was to now ‘rescue’ and employ me! This chance was to be the absolute making of me, and I landed somewhere that I loved, back in financial services, and where I could move forward in my career. All was to be good for several very happy years.

Looking ahead to another dream…

I used to plan ahead five years at a time. I decided I wanted to work for myself, and to work from home. I thought that I couldn’t be an HR Consultant, as there was a lot of competition and I wasn’t sure it would really ‘play to my strengths’.

Another day that changed everything…

As a birthday present, a good friend paid for me to have a twenty-minute coaching session with a coach and image consultant. Well, within twenty minutes we were talking about working together! I embarked on the training to change others’ lives like the lady who’d changed mine, and that was to be the next chapter in my story.

I was still working in my HR role, and using all my holidays to attend conferences, training sessions, and working towards getting clients and helping them change their lives with colour, in all my “spare” time: evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Five years on…

Five years flew by, and I was getting more and more exhausted, without realising, because I was enjoying my new life so much. The day had come to make a decision about whether I was ready to jump fully into self-employment or not. Scary, but liberating. Time to realise the second dream, and I do still pinch myself most days, thinking how lucky I am in so many ways.

Living a new dream…

So, here I am another six years on and absolutely living my second dream. It’s a brilliant job, literally “lighting people up”: giving them confidence that they didn’t know they could have, rebuilding their belief in themselves (especially if they’ve had some knocks) just by the way they dress, helping them get their dream jobs, and creating the wardrobe that’s perfect for them, loving getting dressed and often getting compliments.

I draw on all my previous paid and voluntary experience and training (HR, training, Victim Support counsellor, shopaholic, personal stylist) to help others avoid the wardrobe and shopping mistakes I’ve made.

My mantra is “every day’s a school day”, so I am making steps to improve myself, and my knowledge in all sorts of ways. Latterly it’s been about social media and technology, but I’m still learning my trade too, especially as things are changing there, like how people are shopping on-line more and the shops aren’t sustainable in their current form.

P.S. Some years later…

I connected through social media with the brilliant manager that rescued me from my bullying boss. I remember she used to wear black and white all the time. We had a long discussion and during that conversation she mentioned what a stir I had caused all those years ago – wearing colour in financial services. (I had just been using colour to boost my confidence and enjoyed wearing my new clothes. I hadn’t realised people were perceiving me as more confident than my boss because of this.) I would never have upstaged my boss on purpose, so that was another lesson for me about the power of colour – you do need to have more knowledge about what you’re doing than just wearing colour for the reasons I did then …

Read why I think I now have the best job in the world here.

Read about my 10 year Your Colour & Style anniversary here.

Ring me for your free discovery call. What might you learn that could save or change your life for the better?
Fiona Mobbs
Your Colour & Style Consultant
07469 246722

WHAT’S THE FUTURE FOR RETAIL?

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The Story Now

Hands up who’s worried how we are going to try things on without purchasing them in a shop in the future. It’s looking a lot like a shopping trip in town is going out of fashion for us and retailers!

With the latest retailer announcing going into administration (Beales), and John Lewis warning they may not pay their partners a bonus for the first time in its history, things are definitely worrying for retailers with stores.

We know the trend is increasingly to buy online, but if we totally lose every outlet on the high street, those who like to browse the rails rather than the internet may find in the next ten years there won’t be the choice.

If that worries you, cue me!

The Future of Shopping

One of my offerings is to bring the shops to you.

I largely scour the internet (because it’s quicker for me to find what I want and some things you can’t get in a store), collect everything together then bring the items you desire to you for an “at home” shopping and trying on session. Clients love it! They say it’s like having their own Christmas at any time of the year, because they do not know what I am going to bring to them (other than that it will be dresses, jackets, shoes or whatever they have requested and within their budget if there is one).

I am helping them create the perfect wardrobe for them so it will be in the right colours, styles, materials and patterns to suit them. Having got to know my client before I get to work, it will probably be something they would never have chosen if they had been shopping on their own, yet they usually love it. I would say my success rate is over 90%, and they buy off me approximately 80% of what I offer. I then take or send the rest back, saving them all that hassle.

Easy Shopping Without Pressure To Buy

So, you get a personal shopper, personal stylist and delivery driver all in one. You save time, parking fees, queueing for a changing room, imagining how the item will go with other things you have, looking at yourself in shop lighting and with other strangers (shoppers and staff) peering at you as you are trying to decide. I give you the time you need plus my impartial advice. My interest is not in trying to sell items, but to have the happiest, best looking client who will be admired by others.

If that sounds appealing to you, and you are in Hampshire, Dorset, or Wiltshire, please get in touch.

Fiona, Your (independent) Colour & Style Consultant

DRESSING WITHOUT STRESS, 07469 246722