Shopping 911 Call

Have you ever had an occasion sort of sneak up on you? It’s in the back of your mind and then suddenly you realize what Month it is and then your event is this weekend…and you have nothing to wear? Maybe your are busy or maybe, you are like Erin, who would rather go the dentist than go shopping, so you keep putting it off and putting off and next thing you know your event is the next day!

Erin is one of my very best friends, but for as much as we have in common we couldn’t be more different when it comes to shopping. She likes to go shopping about as much as I like to go to the gym, which is not at all. So it was of no surprise to me when Erin called me this past Friday from the fitting room, needing my help. The only issue is that she lives in Atlanta and I was working from home in snowy Pennsylvania. But here’s the thing…that’s really not at issue at all. Thanks to technology we got her entire outfit ready to go, head to toe, in about 35 minutes. So how exactly does virtual styling work?

Tell Me Your Style

Luckily with Erin I already know that she is not super girly Sleek, chic and nothing fussy always suits her best. She has no trouble getting dressed every day but it’s occasions like this (school fundraiser with the word “Gala” in the title) that throw her a little off. She’s most comfortable in solid colors and nothing too bright or with too much pattern.

Tell Me Your Budget

Erin is a very practical person by nature and therefore also in her purchases, meaning if she has to go out and buy something she is hoping to get more than one use out of it. She doesn’t impulse buy and she doesn’t go out just browsing shops. That being said convenience is key so if the price is reasonable she is not going to keep looking for a cheaper alternative.

Tell Me Your Location

She usually has a purpose in mind and wants to get it done quickly. Because of this she does better in stores that are not too overwhelming (so no TJ Maxx types where she has too many choices). Chain stores, department stores, and places with helpful staff are the ideal places for her to shop.

Give Me About An Hour

With face-time and a computer I can quickly locate what you need and where to get it. We started with Erin calling me from the fitting room in the Banana Republic that is located in a shopping center with lots of other stores. She had picked out this jumpsuit and liked it because it was comfortable and definitely something she could wear again.

While the jumpsuit looked great as is, I knew we had to dial it up a notch to get it gala ready. She also needed a shoe with a substantial heel to balance the wide leg crop style of the jumpsuit. Looking online we found these block heel silver metallic sandals that were perfect.

The jumpsuit came with a belt in the same fabric that could be tied into a bow and hang at the waist, but the casual drape of the belt wasn’t going to cut it. Erin has a tiny waist (even though I know she will say no she doesn’t as she is reading this) so defining it with a sleek belt would make the jumpsuit feel more custom. I was looking for a belt that would have some sort of stretch to it as those are the kind that typically fit the best over a thin fabric and won’t shift around. I didn’t see anything online on Banana but I knew there was a White House Black Market store next door to her. We scored right away with this perfect piece, especially with the silver trim to tie into the shoes.

Now we have a sleek look of the black jumpsuit, silver block sandals, and the belt. All that was left was to find some simple but bold jewelry that would compliment the feel of the rest of the outfit, and a great clutch.

While I was looking online and Erin used her phone to have me virtually look through the jewelry I spotted these lucite oversize drop earrings. I loved them for her because I know she can wear them again and the curved shape softens some of the other more linear looks on the belt and the shoes. She absolutely could have added a small necklace or even a larger more bold silver necklace but this is where I believe the jewelry has to fit the personality. She is more minimal in her style and adding a necklace would have felt too much on her, so we decided to skip it and add a bracelet instead.

They don’t have a picture online of the exact bracelet we spotted for Erin but this bracelet works just as well. It’s perfect because again it will work for everyday but yet add just a touch of interest to the outfit for the party. The clean and sleek nature of it blends well with the belt and earrings. Next it was on to a clutch. While Erin did have a black clutch at home I spotted this clutch as she was walking around. Even better the already reasonably priced jewelry was buy one get one 1/2 off.

Yes, I know it is blue and the rest of the outfit was black, but the deep blue actually felt like the perfect unexpected compliment to the otherwise all black ensemble. Sometimes it’s that feel of something being a little off, or not so matchy-matchy that take the style of an outfit to a more personalized and unique level. Plus this is the type of clutch that she can throw into her work tote and pull out later for drinks with friends.

The Result…

I’m not just saying this because I helped her or because she is one of my best friends and is gorgeous, but she looks amazing because she was comfortable. She looks like herself, just kicked up a notch, and the overall effect is an effortless chic. All of the items can easily be incorporated back into her wardrobe for maximum versatility. It was a total success and I got her out of the stores in under an hour!

*Insider Tip – Think Outside The Box

Although the invitation said Gala most of the men were wearing suits. The go-to would have been a cocktail dress of some kind but a jumpsuit works much better for Erin and she was still completely in line with the rest of the looks for the evening. The best part is how many opportunities she will have to wear these pieces again.

Pair with a denim jacket and slides for a great travel look or for the weekend.

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Or put the clutch and silver heels back to any white top and jeans and you have a girls night out or date night look.

Ready To Shop?

Give me a call and I can email you a personalized shopping list for a specific outfit or occasion, or we can make a date to shop together virtually! Send me an email when you are ready…suzie@suziegaffney.com

Thanks for reading!

Suzie