Do I look good in this?

I guess what I'm really asking you to consider is how do you know that the style you are being encouraged to wear suits you and your needs rather than just the sales targets of the Sales Assistant you are being helped by?

I spoke to a woman recently who just wanted some guidance, she had a pretty good understanding of the style that suited her best but wanted clarification on the best options for her.  I'm the same, I do this for a living but when trying something new, I like to ask a trusted friend what they think (let's be honest when you aren't sure, the reality is that it's not quite right.)  Anyway this new client told me a story about a recent trip to a shop in which she had tried on 5 dresses and been told they all looked fabulous.  I loved what she said next,  "Listen I know I'm scoring better than average in the 50+ category but some of those dresses needed a health warning before I came out of the fitting room, so I left them all because how could I know."  There in lies the rub, when we are lied to in a small way and left without guidance we then dismiss all the information we are given, as coming from the same vein of Fools Gold.

Trust me I've stood outside a fitting room or 2 in my time and it can be incredibly hard sometimes, to be honest as you haven't had the time to build a relationship, well the kind of relationship where brutal truth is going to win you any admirers.  However honesty doesn't have to be brutal, so don't be afraid to push for an honest opinion.  Ask the Sales Assistant for a preference, be pushy if need be, it's your money and why should you spend it if you have received no service.  The realities of retail today are that you don't have to go into a shop, so those shops must be taught that having the opportunity to sell to you is a privilege.      The good news is that more shops are coming to understand that a sale has to be made, not just put through and as a result they are starting to ensure their staff understand  the concepts involved with styling a client.  So help is out there on the high street, as always you just have to be brave enough to ask for it.