Rethink What You Have
Having too many options can often be the biggest hurdle when it comes to actually wearing what you already own. “The most common thing I hear from clients is that they have a closet full of clothes and feel like they have nothing to wear,” says Alberta Rose, a personal stylist in Victoria. Rose started her career in fashion more than a decade ago—first in retail and then as a costumer in the film industry—before launching her own personal-styling business in December 2022.
Rose’s approach is not to put together shopping lists for her clients, but rather to help them better understand their personal style and suggest fresh ways to wear what they already have. She offers both in-person and virtual styling sessions during which she helps clients overcome stumbling blocks, whether that’s by editing down their wardrobe, putting together outfits for a new job or teaching them how to style one particular item. “I work with a lot of people who feel stuck with their style but don’t necessarily want to buy new clothes,” she says. And at $175 for a one-hour session, the service works out to be much cheaper than purchasing a whole new wardrobe.
Sylvia Tennant, a Vancouver-based size-inclusive jewellery designer and plus-size model, contacted Rose because she needed help making sense of her closet. “My love of vintage can take me in a bunch of directions,” she says. “I wanted to narrow it down to something that felt like me.” With guidance from Rose, Tennant was able to look at her wardrobe—a mix of elevated, playful, glam and bohemian pieces—more objectively. They started by purging a number of pieces and then went through what remained to create outfits for different occasions. Together, they styled an underused denim maxi skirt for errands, work meetings and brunch with friends. “What we did was allocate new jobs to existing pieces that I had pigeonholed,” adds Tennant. “Alberta translated my wardrobe into the story I wanted to tell.”