When I did my training (a very long time ago) with a very famous and expensive training academy one full day was taken up with bra fitting. That’s right we were taught exactly how to measure a client’s bra size. At the time, although painstakingly boring not to mention a little embarrassing I presumed it must have been totally relevant and an essential part of becoming a Personal Stylist. I couldn’t have been more wrong! I soon realised post training when I did take a client bra shopping I was quickly ushered away by the stores professional bra fitter, even after I had informed her of my client’s bra size that I had so accurately measured. The reason being is that every brand of lingerie measures differently. I myself range from being an A to C cup to even a 28” vs. 32” in different brands! So the key is to find the brand the suits your clients budget be it Rigby and Piller, Marks and Spencer’s or even Debenhams and let the bra fitter get it right.
So is underwear shopping with your client irrelevant then? Absolutely not! Advising on the right style of underwear is a crucial part of personal shopping with your client; as always it has nothing to do with what size your client wears it’s the style of the item that makes all the difference. Let’s take a bra for instance; a larger chested woman needs all the support she can get with some great under-wiring and a smaller chested woman needs all the padding the bra can hold. Your job as the personal stylist is to advice on what her body shape needs to create a more balanced silhouette.
This is why at our training academy understanding how to define your client’s body shape is paramount, as only when you know where the imbalance lies in her frame and where her flaws are (if any) can you then create her the illusion of the ever feminine, balanced Hourglass frame. The clients that come to us personal stylists generally look at underwear as functional not realising that the right support underwear is the magic wand that we fairy godmothers aka personal stylists use to make the right outfit look incredible.
Which brings me on to Spanx aka control pants. I strongly advise NEVER let your client try on a bodycon dress without them. If they moan about the look of them or feel embarrassed about having to wear them, remind them that even models (yes size 0 ones) wear them. Why? Because Spanx not only hold everything in they create a smooth contour line, which will make any dress look effortlessly elegant, as there’s no lumps or bumps distorting the silhouette. They shouldn’t feel bad about needing a pair; they are essential even for Kendal Jenner!
Before you bring any clothes into the fitting room be sure you are armored with the right underwear for your client otherwise instead of looking at how well the dress suits her all she will be doing is looking at her tummy or sagging breasts and blaming you for the wrong choice of dress, leaving you both frustrated. Instead think of support underwear as mascara for your eyelashes. Mascara totally lifts the eyes and gives the illusion of fuller longer lashes whilst support underwear gives your body
the right lift in all the right places, you probably wouldn’t dream of wearing an outfit without your mascara so why leave the house without the right support underwear?
Want to come to our training course? Contact enquiries@stylemetraining.co.uk