By: Katherine Wellman

Tracy, the general manager of a busy Toronto restaurant, freely admits that she has no sense of style. Her demanding job caused her wardrobe and confidence to suffer, so she turned to a personal shopper.
“I have no style,” Tracy said. “I’m 37 years old and most of the time I dress like a 17-year-old high schooler.”
In today’s busy corporate world, more and more people, like Tracy, are finding they don’t have time to shop and update their appearance. Personal shoppers are helping people save time, money, look their best and improve their self-confidence.
Claudia Mio helps people with this every day through her personal shopping company, Go Wear You Want. A variety of people seek out her services.
“Some are entrepreneurs . . . and are willing to invest in their wardrobes,” she said. “Some are corporate people in senior positions, and there is an expectation that they dress and present themselves in a certain way.”
Tracy falls into the latter category.
“I needed to polish my look and look professional at and outside work… I just have no time for things like shopping anymore,” she said.
Many people though, are going through life changes and need to update their wardrobe as a result.
“They have changed jobs or they have just reached a point in their life where they want to go in a different direction,” Mio said, “and the way they look sometimes becomes a part of it.”
While saving time plays an important role, many people don’t enjoy shopping and turn to personal shoppers to remove the stress that comes with it.

Suzanne Colmer co-owns Gift Shop Girls, a personal shopping service.

“Most of our clients don’t really like shopping,” she said. “That’s why they have us. They can just go into stores and try stuff on that has already been picked out for them. It makes their lives much easier.”
Since she started using a personal shopper, shopping has become more enjoyable for Rebecca Pasternak.
“In a way, I make better decisions now when I shop by myself because I think, ‘What would (my personal shopper) say if she were here?’” she said. “I still feel more confident in my purchases when she is helping me pick them out though.”

Personal shoppers ‘pre-shop’ for their clients, meaning they go to the stores ahead of time and pick out pieces for them to try on. This helps to ensure that the client stays focused and within budget.
“I am basically editing the selection out there for them,” Mio said. “The selection can be overwhelming for most people.”
According to Mio and Colmer, many people can be leery of sales people in stores because they are often only interested in increasing their commissions from sales.
“I am almost a shopping advocate for them; they are paying me to look after their best interest, not just sell them something,” Mio said.
While many of her clients have fashion sense, Colmer says that most just don’t know how to put themselves together.

“Some of them . . . have all these orphan pieces that don’t go with anything else, but they liked it or got a good deal on it,” she said.
According to Mio, these people are making common buying mistakes.
“People tend to buy a ton of black, beiges or greys. They are afraid of colour,” she said. “It makes a huge difference when you start wearing colours that compliment you.”
One of the major purchasing mistakes Colmer sees is people investing in pieces that are too trendy, but don’t necessarily fit their body type. Mio refers to this as “throwaway” clothing.
“I like to see clothing that is going to last and will get more than one season’s wear,” she said. “We have enough stuff in our lives that we don’t need to clutter it with extra clothing.”
Both Mio and Colmer leave their clients with advice on what works with their individual style.
“It’s more about what suits them and what looks the best on them,” Mio said, “not what’s in fashion.