BLOGGER VEILED: HOW 925STYLE IS DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

A fashion influencer who doesn’t want to be recognised? It’s almost unheard of but the anonymous personal shopper behind 925Style, which helps women find the perfect workwear, tells us why she prefers to let the clothes do the talking

Anyone who follows fashion bloggers will be accustomed to every inch of their carefully made up faces as they pout for selfies or look into the distance enigmatically in their carefully curated street style. Not content with only recommending clothes, some have jumped on the health and fitness bandwagon in an effort to ‘expand the brand’, posting shots of their breakfast, lunch and dinner or short videos of their gym routines.

Perhaps unsurprisingly there has been something of a backlash against our so-called influencers, some of whom have been publicly shamed for photoshopping pictures or pushing brands without mentioning affiliations.

So when an anonymous woman started 925Style last year — obscuring her face with a wide-brimmed black hat in photographs that focused solely on classic work wear and where to buy it now — her practical, unshowy approach proved an instant hit with influencer-fatigued shoppers.

‘I was just sick of it. It got too much. I’ve never been one to take selfies, I don’t ever put photos of myself on my own social media — that has never been the way I was,’ explains the 26-year-old who is speaking to us on the condition of anonymity. She doesn’t even want us to say which province in Ireland she is from, let alone county.

‘We were just all bombarded with these people sharing every aspect of their day — and I just want to see the clothes. I don’t think I’m the only one; I do feel other people feel the same. You had to listen to reams and read reams before you got to the information you wanted to know which is just — where can I get it? No b ****** t. I’m sick of all that.’

She has a day job, she won’t say doing what, but it’s neither fashion nor IT, though she built her website from scratch. Now she has had to go part-time as her blog and her recently-launched online personal shopping business have taken off.

She has one sister, her grandmother was ‘a master dressmaker’ who was ‘glamorous and stylish’ and lived in London. Shopping with her Mum has been ‘a huge part’ of her life. She also makes her own clothes but has not, so far, featured them on the blog.

Frustrated that no Irish bloggers seemed to focus solely on workwear, just over a year ago she thought about doing it herself. ‘I knew there was a niche there but I was put off by the fact that seemingly you’d have to share every aspect of your life with your followers too. It was annoying me to see your full day — what you’re eating and what you’re doing — “Look at me!” We need to come back to basics,’ she reckons.

With that in mind, she began blogging office friendly outfits currently available on the high street, obscuring her face with that a widebrimmed black hat. ‘If I ever lost that hat, I swear to God, I must guard it with my life,’ she laughs. ‘I bought it years ago in London. When I was starting the blog, I wondered how would I hide my face. I came up with the hat idea and it looks really well. It goes really well with everything and is a good size to hide my face.’

Far from being put off by a blogger who hides behind a hat, shoppers have responded positively.

‘People appreciate that I’m not doing it for the notoriety and to be famous. I’m doing it because I love fashion and I want people to look and feel their best. Some people might find it weird and think there’s something wrong with me,’ she laughs. ‘But by not showing my face it allows people to really look at the clothes and envisage themselves in them without being distracted by me or my hair and makeup. It’s a different approach. It keeps the focus on the style. I think that is why my blog — and now my personal shopping business — have taken off to such a massive extent.’

That and the fact that everything she posts is on trend, office-appropriate and available in shops now.

‘Nobody else was doing that and it didn’t make sense to me. They’re the clothes you wear every day, you know? I was sick of seeing people in the black trousers and white shirt; there’s so much more to work wear than that. You can look very stylish for the workplace.’

After nailing an audience with her nononsense workwear, she saw another gap in the market.

‘All shopping is moving online but it’s so impersonal. There’s a big disconnect between

people in a store asking a sales assistant for an opinion and people going online to shop where there might be a catalogue of hundreds and thousands of dresses. You could type in ‘black dress’ on Asos and get 300 black dresses in front of you. It’s so overwhelming to have so much choice. And if it’s for an occasion where you need a headpiece, handbag and shoes to go with it, people just don’t have the time anymore.’

She decided to do the legwork for her clients and two months ago launched the 925 personal shopping experience. Her followers fill out a fiveminute survey with details such as their height, size, style, and where they usually shop (you can also send photos or links to social media but she says it’s not necessary).

Based on that information she comes back to you within two to three days with links to full looks for you to buy. There are three packages to choose from — if she finds you one outfit, that costs €39, three cost €59 and five will set you back €99.

In her first two months alone she has had almost 300 clients, many of them opting not just for workwear but to be styled from head to toe for an occasion. But isn’t it difficult when you haven’t met the client?

‘You don’t have to see a person to style them, which is evident from the success of this,’ she argues. ‘Going to a personal stylist in Dublin will cost you a minimum of €100 an hour and that’s not attainable for everybody. That’s for the elite, not the ordinary person. And you can do this from the comfort of your own home.’

She points out that the women who follow the 925Style blog know her style and, to a certain extent, what to expect from her. Other than that the survey ‘tells a lot’.

‘It asks them to give their proportions, their size, their general style. It’s multiple choice, quick and easy and there are options at the end to add additional information. Then they tell me what they usually spend and the outfits are tailored specifically to their budget. They’re sent a specialised style profile, all the outfits are put together, it’s nicely done and they can click on each individual item, which takes them directly to the websites.’ What if their sizes have sold out? ‘The sizes are checked as the profile is being made and if they go to the website within 24 hours and it isn’t in their size, I’ll always give them something else.’

Afterwards customers can rate what they liked and didn’t like, which helps build a more detailed picture of their style.

‘Gathering that data, I build a portfolio for each client profile. So the next time you choose 925 you won’t have to buy full outfits. I could choose a blouse or a blazer that will completely change the look of something you’ve previously bought. That way each time it’s a better experience for you.’

A section of the survey allows you to choose which body parts you want to hide and which you’d like to highlight. She says ‘99% want to downplay their midsection and accentuate their waist’. What kind of clothes will do that? ‘Any wrap-style tops and dresses that will nip in the waist while flowing over the mid section,’ she says. ‘Belted shirt dresses. Peplum tops. Adding belts to dresses, blazers, etcetera. Fitted bottoms with a v-neck draped top and blazer. The visible portion of the top creates a lengthening effect and draws the eye down. Adding a print to the bottom with a simple draped top draws the eye away from your mid-section also.’

On the day of our interview news broke that Irish online shoppers spent €2.7billion on goods from websites abroad last year, making us the least patriotic shoppers in the world.

‘I would love to support Irish but they’re not very up-to-date with putting stuff online,’ she complains. ‘It’s all about having a good website, which is definitely lacking in the Irish economy.

‘They might put some stuff up but not all the stock is up. The likes of iclothing are doing well and I support them as much as I can. But boutiques I think need to do a lot of work on that front.’

With her burgeoning business and forthright opinions, she would make a good fashion pundit — but obviously TV slots are out because of wishing to remain unknown.

‘That is a problem as the blog is getting bigger and bigger,’ she admits. ‘But I don’t really want to go down that road, to be honest. I don’t want to walk down the street and have people know me. A private life is a happy life, I’ve always said that. I’m going to stay anonymous.’

So, who is she styling these days? ‘At the moment an awful lot of teachers, because they’re back to school. I’m inundated; this week is mental. Business casual work wear is the style people are going for, followed closely by formal.’

Though workwear is her ‘speciality’, she has been styling clients top to toe for weddings too — headpiece, handbag and shoes included. Though brands have begun to get in touch with her, she buys ‘99%’ of what she wears on her blog.

It might all be from the high street but how can she afford that? ‘I don’t know, it’s what I choose. I don’t smoke, I don’t go out that often. I’m wasting my money but I enjoy it,’ she laughs. ‘I really think that dressing well has a direct impact on how you feel and your confidence. That’s why I started this.’

She may be faceless online but there is nothing shy about her ambition. ‘This is just the beginning,’ she says. ‘I have huge plans for 925 Style.’

“I DON’T WANT TO WALK DOWN THE STREET AND HAVE PEOPLE KNOW ME. A PRIVATE LIFE IS A HAPPY LIFE, I’VE ALWAY SAID THAT. I’M GOING TO STAY ANONYMOUS”