I really enjoyed my style consult, but I’m of two minds about how much those sorts of things cost. I had lunch with a friend last week who mentioned that she had done a wardrobe consultation with a (different) style consultant. To have the woman come out and go through her closet with her cost $500. Then, they went shopping together, for which the consultant charged $100 an hour. After two hours, my friend had 17 new pieces for her wardrobe, and she was thrilled because she only paid $330 for all of them (the consultant specializes in bargain shopping). But I couldn’t help doing the math and realizing that she’d actually paid $1,030 for those 17 pieces in the end.
I didn’t pay anywhere near that much. I got a Groupon for my service, which made it half off the regular price. I feel like I got my money’s worth for what I paid. But I’m not sure how I would feel if I had paid full price for the same service.
Interestingly, my consultant and I talked for a few minutes at the end about how people ask us both if we really get paid for what we do. I know graphic artists and photographers, and they have each complained of amateurs who believe they can design fliers or take pictures and that they don’t need to hire a professional. I’ve even been at the receiving end of that myself, feeling the need to convince people that they need professional copy writing.
It’s an interesting conundrum. Clearly I felt that I needed professional direction to feel like I was dressing my best, but how do you put a price on that kind of service?
Anyone can color their own hair at home, but it’s almost always going to look better when a professional does it. Anyone can build a web site these days, but it will look like an amateur job unless you hire a professional.
Everyone has to buy clothes and get dressed every day, and hiring someone to help you do that and look your best is certainly a luxury. So, I’m glad I found a way to indulge this long-held desire on deep discount, but in the same way I would be loathe to pay $200 for a pair of jeans, when I can get a pair for $20, I’m not sure I would be willing to pay full price for the service.
I will, however, be collecting free resources for dressing your best and sharing some of the tips I learned. Stay tuned!
