Introducing the people with the keys to the City

Just the Job section, Evening Standard, September 2002

Shopping
Sarah Whittaker

"It's a myth that all women love shopping," says Sarah Whittaker, 33, "A lot of my clients absolutely dread it."

Leaving a highly paid job in IT five years ago, Whittaker decided her vocation lay in helping people make the most of themselves.  She now works as a shopping consultant and all-round style guru, with previous clients ranging from city execs to a female priest.

Her company, Insideout, offers a two-pronged service.  People come to her for "image profiling" — discovering which styles and colours best suit them. She then makes an action plan and takes them around the shops that she feels will best cater to their style.

Although most of her clients are based in or around London, many of them are recent arrivals. "I get a lot of Americans who have oved over here for work but feel a bit daunted by shopping in a foreign city", she says. "But to be honest, it's amazing how many people who've lived here for years have no idea what's on offer."

Selfridges is a favourite haunt ("It's so well laid-out — so easy to get round"), though Whittaker also cites a number of second-hand shops she swears by.  Budgets can range from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand, though she aims always for a good mix of designer, high street and vintage.

Whittaker's shopping trips tend to last around three hours. Male clients, she says, enjoy going shopping with a women with the politics of it being their wife or partner. Some, however, prefer her to go alone and then give them a list and store-plan so they can peruse the items later alone.

But what if clients are resistant to the clothes she picks out for them?  "The choice is totally theirs," she says, "though there has been the odd occasion when I've practically pinned someone down and said; "There's no way you're leaving here without this — it's just too nice."

Insideout: +1 415 794 5522 or 07956 88 44 34

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