Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Can a Stranger Dress You Better Than You Can Yourself?

Image representing Trunk Club as depicted in C...
Image via CrunchBase

Fashion thrives on the tangible. That old proverb “seeing is believing” is of crucial importance when it comes to clothing. But there’s a little piece of all of us men that wishes someone would do it for us — pick out an outfit, top to bottom, just like our mothers (perhaps regrettably) used to do for us in our elementary school years.
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to have help picking out new clothes–from my mother, sister and girlfriend, among others. But a few months ago, I received a box of clothes in the mail, a package that had been tailored specifically for me–filled with stunning outfit choices from Theory and Ben Sherman, no less–and selected by none other than Lisa Bubes. Who is Lisa, you ask? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. Lisa and I have no history together. In fact, we’ve never met in person and have only spoken on the phone twice. But she demonstrated an incredible ability to both match and challenge my personal style brand, presenting me with four highly-curated outfits in colors and styles that suited me precisely. And it was all done from the comfort of my desk, with no need to trek from store to store in the frigid New York winter, hunting for whatever garment I happened to need.
The fashion-filled box that arrived was all part of my experience with Trunk Club, a subscription fashion service that assigns each customer a personal stylist and a fashion consultant via phone or Skype. After sizing me up, figuratively and literally, the very bubbly, exuberant Lisa went to work, selecting outfits that fit my size (I’m slim, so clothes are often baggy on me) taste (I don’t like brown or horizontal stripes) and budget (So I might have said there was no limit here).  Some of these outfits were exactly what I’d be looking for in my local Macy’s or Nordstrom. Others — like a shawl-collared sweater and a moorland sweater — are clothes that wouldn’t garner a second glance (let alone a first) if I were shopping for myself.


Read more: http://style.time.com/2013/01/28/can-a-stranger-dress-you-better-than-you-dress-yourself/#ixzz2K121fNMC

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