Wardrobe Revival

Atlanta Journal Constitution - 18 March 2006

Nedra Rhone


Maintaining a sense of personal style can be a challenge in this celebrity-obsessed culture.

Sarah Whittaker --- a personal stylist and self-professed Wardrobe Shrink --- says that explains why name brands have attained cult status.

"I want people to discover their own religion, rather than follow someone else," Whittaker says.

What woman wouldn't want that?

Television makeover shows such as "What Not to Wear" and "Style Court" are slowly beginning to change the perception of stylists as handmaids of the rich and famous. The rising number of fashion designers who have successfully entered the world of discount chic also help make fashion more approachable for real women.

"With the democratization of fashion, people want more and are willing to spend for some things," says Maggie McQuown, a Dallas-based image consultant and regional spokeswoman for the Association of Image Consultants International. "Obviously, it has to be women who have the discretionary income, but there are some women who are stretching themselves and saying 'I need to invest in myself.' "

Employing a stylist in Atlanta can run between $115 to $250 per hour, which places an initial consultation on par with a spa visit. But some clients say that the rewards last longer than a 60-minute shiatsu massage and go far deeper than a lactic acid peel.

And so began my experiment with Whittaker, an image consultant based in southern Georgia, who uses 35 archetypes to help clients develop their style focus.

The first step in the process is an in-home interview. After several minutes of chatting, Whittaker gets right to the point.

"How would your closest friends describe you?" she asks.

Next is a trip down memory lane as Whittaker scans pictures of my family --- some dating back to the early 1900s --- and we talk about everything from my incapacitating shyness as a child to my wanderlust as an adult.

"What I sense about you is that you are very down-to-earth," she says after about an hour and a half of conversation. (That sounds accurate.) "Something about you has stature . . . but there is also a touch of damsel in distress." (Oops. I usually manage to keep her locked up.)

After administering a series of Myers-Briggs-type questions, Whittaker selects my style mood: bohemian. Not messy Mary-Kate Olsen bohemian but the enigmatic Julie Christie in "Dr. Zhivago"-type bohemian.

Given all that was unsaid, I'm a bit surprised that her assessment feels comfortable.

We move on to the color consultation, which involves standing in front of a mirror as Whittaker drapes handkerchief-sized color swatches across my shoulders. Then she gently points out the high waist and noticeable hips of my otherwise ectomorphic shape and encourages me to experiment with more makeup, particularly on the eyes and lips.

By the time we reach my closet for the wardrobe review, I'm feeling oddly empowered, that is, until Whittaker notices the black.

"Take all of this and move it over there," she says, pointing to one side of the closet.

Apparently, the color black can kill creativity. While it has its place, Whittaker says, black also can be an evil, controlling crutch --- one that many women lean on a little too heavily.

My codependent relationship with black began several years ago when I moved to New York. The city was my third home in a four-city tour that has spanned the past six years. Each relocation sapped a bit of my personal style as I adopted the climate of whatever region I inhabited. Conservative in the Midwest, casual for the Left Coast, black for the Big Apple. I had arrived in Atlanta with a closet full of confusion.

Still, I'm not sure I'm ready to segregate my black clothes.

"No item is 100 percent wrong," Whittaker says sweetly, while advising that I toss a bright pink jacket and unload a 10-year-old black and white Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress on eBay.

She points to platform boots, colored corduroy pants, and red and peach printed shirts as evidence that there is a chic bohemian lurking inside.

"Your wardrobe is your most personal part of yourself," she says. "If you clear out all the things that don't really reflect you, you feel better."

Often, feeling better is a byproduct of investing in a stylist. Women who have splurged mainly do so because they want to look better.

"I was feeling matronly and decided I needed to add some zip," says Ruth Ann Moore, 43, of Marietta, who has worked with local consultant Peggy Parks for the past two years.

Though the single mom was concerned about price, she decided she could afford at least one consultation. Moore found Parks online and, at the first meeting, "we threw out 90 percent of my closet."

Shelves of hand-me-downs and stodgy suits were replaced by clothes that matched Moore's dramatic, flirty and fun personality. Suddenly she found it easier to take other risks, including starting a business while working full time and buying three rental homes --- something she had always wanted.

"I feel lighter, happier, and I'm always smiling," Moore says, "I feel like I can tackle the world."

Moore, however, is like people featured in ads for Slim-Fast: These results are not typical. "Ninety-five percent of my clients have to take baby steps," Parks says. "This is not a makeover; it is a mind-set change."

For so many women, particularly young women, the lack of know-how runs deep.

"Their idol is Britney Spears and you can't really dress that way," Parks says. "People are opinion machines; they judge you in three to 10 seconds. The beauty is that you have the power to change what someone thinks about you."

But first you have to change what you think of yourself.

Still grappling with that issue, I met Whittaker at Sabot for Day 2 of my styling experience. At the Buckhead boutique overflowing with chic American and European designer shoes, Whittaker reaches for a pair of green crochet wedges by Tara Subkoff, along with a matching straw clutch that I cannot seem to put down. There are also embellished platforms and flats by Calleen Cordero, which would mesh perfectly with my bohemian appeal. I am tempted but have trouble shaking visions of my pointy toe flats scraping along the sidewalks of New York.

At nearby Sage --- where we go for what the store calls "couture looks minus the cost" --- something clicks. Whittaker whips out a cap-sleeved blue dress just as I am admiring the same one on display. This time I didn't edit the selection against what used to be.

The following week, Whittaker e-mails a "blueprint" of everything we discussed, complete with reminders of clothing styles, suggestions for a capsule wardrobe and stores and Web sites for shopping.

I have rearranged my closet and plan a week without black. I test different combinations, and while I lose a few minutes in the morning frantically trying to work with my new color palette, I notice that the compliments I get have changed from "Nice sweater" to "You look nice."

Still, it is a process, and midweek I feel like giving up. One thing that Whittaker wrote in her notes keeps me going: "The bohemian . . . thrives on new experiences . . . she is not afraid to take a risk and start a whole new journey. Ultimately, she is mostly a young woman whose dreams can be bigger than her own safe-zone."

That, I have to admit, is exactly who I am.

ARE YOU READY FOR A STYLIST?
Women seek assistance for a variety of reasons --- from wanting to shake a wardrobe rut to needing a special look for a specific event.
But it is important to have a goal in mind. While the words image consultant, stylist or personal shopper may be used interchangeably, the service can be quite different. And be realistic, experts said, because even the best consultant is no magician.

IMAGE CONSULTANT
"If someone really wants to improve their appearance, their self-esteem and their success in life, they need a true image consultant," said Maggie McQuown, regional spokeswoman for the Association of Image Consultants International. McQuown recommends finding a consultant with credentials through the association (www.aici .org). Otherwise, be sure the individual has extensive experience and testimonials from a variety of clients.

STYLIST
A stylist "is very driven by trends, fashion and what is going on in the community," Sarah Whittaker said. She considers her service, Insideout (www.insideoutprofiling.com), a hybrid of image consulting and styling. She is a member of a national self-esteem organization but is also on top of the latest trends, having served more than 350 clients including corporations such as L'Oreal and Pantone.
Women looking solely for a celebrity styling experience can contact Desiree Kohan, a Los Angeles based designer/boutique owner (www.deskohan.com) whose free long-distance service includes a phone conversation and/or photo exchange after which you are paired with a celebrity stylist, said spokeswoman Cindy Capobianco. Polaroids of wardrobe combinations follow within a few days.

PERSONAL SHOPPER
"People see personal shopping today as a convenience for them. They save time because the shoppers can scope out the entire store," said Marian Goodman, spokeswoman for Bloomingdale's. Shoppers are limited to merchandise in the store, but they will mix separates from different designers, she said. And the free service extends beyond wardrobe. "They make great gift suggestions as well."

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©2006 Sarah Whittaker [www.WardrobeShrink.com].
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Sarah Whittaker has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines worldwide, and writes The Wardrobe Shrink Newsletter full of the latest fashion trends, celebrity style and honest image advice.

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