Fashionable eye

Personal shoppers work hard to make people look their best

Ajarn Varin selects clothes that highlight a client's assets.

In need of a new look and don't know which way to turn? Don't worry, help is at hand from Thailand's first personal shopper, Ajarn Varin Chantrachareon of Central Department Store.

"When it comes to clothes shopping, some clients want a complete change of image, others want advice on how to improve their look and to feel more confident about themselves and others are curious about our personal shopping service," Ajarn Varin explained.

Ajarn Varin believes that people should dress according to their personality, lifestyle and budget. Not all trends and fashions suit all people, so Ajarn Varin avoids suggesting trends and instead offers alternatives that may take one item that is in trend and work it into an outfit that is more suited to that person.

"You can't change people, but you can help them improve the way they look and feel about themselves," Ajarn Varin said.

Nobody's perfect

People often go to Ajarn Varin and complain that they are ugly or too fat, so at the start of the consultation Ajarn Varin will stand with the client in front of several mirrors and highlight their good points. "People may not consider themselves to be pretty, but everyone has something beautiful about them. It could be great skin, shiny hair or beautiful eyes. People are so concerned about their faults they forget about their assets," Ajarn Varin said.

Ajarn Varin will speak to each client to find out what they want, whether it is a radical new look or a new outfit for a special occasion. After listening to their needs and insecurities Ajarn Varin will then consider what clothes his clients should be wearing in order to look and feel their best.

"It's not only about understanding fashion, it's about understanding people and how they think and feel about themselves. I work from the inside out and work to change people's negative opinion about themselves. Being a personal shopper is all about building confidence," Ajarn Varin said.

Looking good for less

Ajarn Varin's client list is as varied as it is long, with people coming from a range of backgrounds. Whether they are spending 8,000 baht or eight million baht, Ajarn Varin is on hand to help them with all their shopping needs. "You don't need to spend a lot of money to look good. No matter what time of the year it is, there is always some sale on offering great fashions at affordable prices," Ajarn Varin said.

Passion for fashion

According to Ajarn Varin, personal shoppers need a sense of humour because shopping should be enjoyable and fun. They must be fluent in the language of fashion with a strong understanding of how each material moves, how each colour combines and how different cuts look on different body shapes.

Personal shoppers have to be sensitive to people's insecurities and feelings in order to build up a client base. "Honesty is extremely important. If something doesn't look right on a customer I explain to them why it doesn't work for them and then offer alternatives," Ajarn Varin said.

Vocabulary

client (n): person who uses the services or advice of a professional person or organisation
curious (adj): having a strong desire to know about something
budget (n): money that is available to a person or an organisation and a plan of how it will be spent over a period of time
consultation (n): act of discussing something with somebody or with a group of people before making a decision about it
fault (n): bad or weak aspect of somebody's character
asset (n): person or thing that is valuable or useful to somebody/something
insecurity (n): not confident about yourself or your relationships with other people
sensitive (adj): aware of and able to understand other people and their feelings