Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Guided shopping / Wardrobe makeover Experiences


Naomi Knowles

Recommended Posts

Trans men & women, shop clerks and wardrobe makeover service providers:

 

 

What are your experiences (1st or 2nd hand) with paid shopping consultants / trans clients, especially in the fashion sector?

 

 

Preferably in the UK, but it would be lovely to hear from elsewhere too!

Link to comment
  • Admin

I only did it once!  It was ok, but the clothing I got was only 3 times more in cost plus the consultants's fee than I really needed to have spent.  (The consultants get kick backs from the stores they get you to buy from as well.)  Interesting, but not thrilling.  I learned far more from being in a group of Trans women who just went shopping together, and we hit cheaper stores.  If you have the money and a busy schedule it will depend on the Personal Shopper you employ, and they are your employee in those circumstances. 

Link to comment

I have used stitch fix off and on for a couple years. The clothes are very nice. High quality boutique type clothes. But you do pay for it. Got my fav jeans from them for 90 dollars. But OMG!! They fit like a glove and are as comfy as my jammies. Plus they make my ass look great! ??‍♀️?

ive never used a more personal shopper. But this ones not bad. I also like amazon wardrobe. But you pick all that out yourself. So a little different. 

Link to comment

I have not used them as I have other people to help me out but I have used people that do them for makeup lessons and they seem lovely people. One local person I went to for a makeup and wardrobe suggestions sessions also does escorted trips and would have gone with them if I needed it. I have also heard second hand they are great experiences.

 

One thing I will say however is 99% of shop assistants are lovely and are willing to help anyway as they want the trade. Obviously it can be daunting but now one my favourite things is chatting to a shop assistant about if this suits me or what they might recommend to go with something. I think the makeup people at my local bodyshop must know me very well now with how often I will just chat to them about new lipsticks ☺️

 

Of course some that are nervous with trans people can just end being rude. I was trying on some pink glittery gloves (in a shop that shall remain nameless) and the assistant said "well obvious you don't buy from here often hahaha". I was freezing so still bought them and left but was peeved.

 

Sorry. Long way of saying: not tried them, heard they are good, most people in shops are willing to help out but it can be useful to have someone there.

Link to comment
Just now, Kirsten said:

I have used stitch fix off and on for a couple years. The clothes are very nice. High quality boutique type clothes. But you do pay for it. Got my fav jeans from them for 90 dollars. But OMG!! They fit like a glove and are as comfy as my jammies. Plus they make my ass look great! ??‍♀️?

 

Oh I just started using stitch fix too! They are quite good.

Some items are pricey and returned them but some stuff has been great. Got some jeans that are an amazing fit and really show off my backside (which I love).

Link to comment
1 minute ago, Kirsten said:

I have used stitch fix off and on for a couple years. The clothes are very nice. High quality boutique type clothes. But you do pay for it. Got my fav jeans from them for 90 dollars. But OMG!! They fit like a glove and are as comfy as my jammies. Plus they make my ass look great! ??‍♀️?

ive never used a more personal shopper. But this ones not bad. I also like amazon wardrobe. But you pick all that out yourself. So a little different. 

 

Just now, Krisvm said:

Oh I just started using stitch fix too! They are quite good.

Some items are pricey and returned them but some stuff has been great. Got some jeans that are an amazing fit and really show off my backside (which I love).

 

 

Intrigued, just filled in their questionnaire (which I enjoy filling out, I'm sad like that ?)and have a box coming next week apparently!

 

Anxious about the business model, as I like to see the price of what I'm supposed to be buying BEFORE hand. But as someone who is relatively fashion-blind, I appreciate putting the onus of finding suitable clothes on someone else ?

 

 

Link to comment
1 hour ago, VickySGV said:

I only did it once!  It was ok, but the clothing I got was only 3 times more in cost plus the consultants's fee than I really needed to have spent.  (The consultants get kick backs from the stores they get you to buy from as well.)  Interesting, but not thrilling.  I learned far more from being in a group of Trans women who just went shopping together, and we hit cheaper stores.  If you have the money and a busy schedule it will depend on the Personal Shopper you employ, and they are your employee in those circumstances. 

 

Shopping with fellow Trans actually sounds like a solid strategy come to think about it. Don't know why I didn't think of that before, haha?

Link to comment
4 hours ago, Krisvm said:

Oh I just started using stitch fix too! They are quite good.

Some items are pricey and returned them but some stuff has been great. Got some jeans that are an amazing fit and really show off my backside (which I love).

That really seems to be their thing. I have a couple pair of pants form them that all really accentuate the wee derrière that I have. Lol. 

I like it mostly because they send me things I’d never pick myself. And some of it ends up looking pretty good actually. 

Link to comment
On 5/29/2019 at 9:32 PM, Kirsten said:

That really seems to be their thing. I have a couple pair of pants form them that all really accentuate the wee derrière that I have. Lol. 

I like it mostly because they send me things I’d never pick myself. And some of it ends up looking pretty good actually. 

 

 

Pretty much my experience with them, quite impressed!

 

It's so hard to find a pair of jeans that fit my waist AND my short legs. But they rose to the challenge and now my old favourite jeans have been supplanted by something with more flex in them.

 

Would never normally consider a yellow floral top, but I was actually very impressed with what they sent. Looking forward to spinning the wheel of mystery again in the future!

Link to comment

Sephora has a makeup Service: “Special event around the corner? Come get ready with us. A Beauty Advisor will work with you to create the perfect full-face look that flatters your features, whether it's soft and subdued or bright and bold. Free with $50 purchase. Limit of one Makeup Deluxe per client per day.” The are trained to help the trans community. I will be trying it for Pride in July, and I will post the pics, if I like them, ? 

Link to comment
10 hours ago, Ellora said:

Sephora has a makeup Service: “Special event around the corner? Come get ready with us. A Beauty Advisor will work with you to create the perfect full-face look that flatters your features, whether it's soft and subdued or bright and bold. Free with $50 purchase. Limit of one Makeup Deluxe per client per day.” The are trained to help the trans community. I will be trying it for Pride in July, and I will post the pics, if I like them, ? 

Do they offer this at all Sephora stores?

 

Link to comment
Just now, lauraincolumbia said:

Do they offer this at all Sephora stores?

 

I looked on Sephora's website and found this:

https://www.sephora.com/happening/classes/OLR-EC__Pyez0ZzP?storeId=0382&startDate=2019-06-16T17:00:00Z&name=CLASSES FOR CONFIDENCE%3A Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community&city=San Francisco&state=CA

 

Has anyone tried it?   Unfortuantely, in the next two months there is only one time available, and that's at a location 50 miles away from me.

Link to comment
Just now, lauraincolumbia said:

Do they offer this at all Sephora stores?

 

I hope so! I do not know about everyone, but the store as a whole does train their people to do it. Try Calling some local stores to see if they have anyone trained for trans people. Best of luck! 

Link to comment

Annoying Sephora isn't a presence in the UK, otherwise I would so do this.

I enjoy doing it just when I have some time to spare in normal stores that do makeup. The only thing is I usually then end up buying more than I intended...

 

Link to comment

You can check for the nearest Sephora store that offers the Classes for Confidence event (usually held in the morning before normal business hours) here:

 

https://www.sephorastands.com/classes_for_confidence/

 

I attended the very first week they were offered in June of 2018.  While positive, I came away feeling that it was much more focused on the MtF trans folks who attended rather than non-binary folks, even though it was advertised as being for both.

Link to comment

I’m very hot and cold on Sephora. They do help with some things. And they do their trans class. But on regular days when it’s their mostly younger aged workers, they seem pretty put out when Ive shown up. The guys tend to be more helpful than the girls in my local Sephora. But if I am in Boston, they’re really great all the time. So I guess I’d recommend a busier location from my personal experience. 

 

The other thing that that annoys me about them is that they really push the most expensive stuff they sell to me at least. They aren’t pushing the Sephora brand. (Which is decent and much lower cost vs other brands they carry). 

 

I havent ever had them do my makeup in store though beyond my foundation once. And the primer/foundation combo they used and recommended was 160 dollars for the 2 small tubes. No thank you. And my god was it heavy! I’m not a big flashy makeup girl..... unless it’s something special..... It just wasn’t my deal I guess. 

Link to comment

Almost certain there will be a similar service in the UK for makeup confidence somewhere. My local Boots store has a full on makeup counter that might acquiesce to a cheeky makeup session, not sure about actual classes though. Mind, trying to take photos of myself in the mirror with my new clothes struck me down with ferocious anxiety over my face, so there will be no enquiries from me until it calms back down to levels that allow me to function properly ?

Link to comment

Sadly, it does not look like Sephora offers this in Canada. I’m just outside Toronto and thought for sure when I clicked the link at least one of the Toronto stores would offer this.  They all were listed as no times available. I guess YouTube will continue to be my tutor. 

Link to comment

Ooo... scratch that. There are sessions it just uses a different link.  Can’t wait to try this. Thank you all for this tip. 

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   7 Members, 0 Anonymous, 147 Guests (See full list)

    • KymmieL
    • Mirrabooka
    • Ashley0616
    • Charlize
    • Mmindy
    • VickySGV
    • MaybeRob
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.7k
    • Total Posts
      768.4k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      12,027
    • Most Online
      8,356

    JamesyGreen
    Newest Member
    JamesyGreen
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Anyatimenow
      Anyatimenow
      (23 years old)
    2. Aria00
      Aria00
    3. Ava B.
      Ava B.
      (24 years old)
    4. Claire Heshi
      Claire Heshi
    5. CrystalMatthews0426
      CrystalMatthews0426
      (41 years old)
  • Posts

    • Ashley0616
      That's horrible that they are blaming you for her presumption. I hate to say it but maybe they are looking for reasons.
    • Mirrabooka
      I have no skin in the game here, apart from the signal that a re-elected Trump sends to likeminded politicians around the world, which would result in an indirect yet detrimental effect on many people here and elsewhere. So, hopefully what I write here can be used as a reference for how he, and American politics in general, is viewed from a country that is not directly involved.   It seems to me that politics is not taken seriously by enough people in America. Actually, specifically the USA (America can be anywhere from Prudhoe Bay to Panama to Patagonia). Electing a celebrity to high office just wouldn't happen here, let alone one who has overseen the bankruptcy of several of his business ventures and is embroiled in hush-money scandals. I remember during my teenage years when Reagen was elected; the main point of conjecture here was that he was just a B-grade actor. Equally laughable was Arnie as governor of California, although he turned out to be somewhat more socially progressive than most Republican politicians.    I simply cannot understand why the Dems cannot find a decent candidate. Biden has cognitive issues. Everyone expected Harris to step up by now, but no. Where's Jed Bartlet when you need him, lol! In my mind, if Martin Sheen threw his hat in the ring, he'd be elected in a heartbeat because many of you would actually believe that he was the real deal! Even though he's older than Biden!!!   Sorry if that sounds like I am trying to insult the intelligence of y'all. But y'all asked for it, by valuing celebrity over substance over the last five decades or so.    I have no doubt that Trump will win in November, even if he is in jail. His rusted-on supporters will just say, "Yep! That's our boy!!!"
    • Mirrabooka
      Well said.    Although this so-called Project 2025 will not affect me directly in an immediate sense, it sends a signal to equivalent minded people and political parties around the world that it is okay to exclude minorities and indeed, to persecute them.   In my humble opinion, the far-right politicians know damn well that there is a very large cohort of less-than-intelligent people out there who are not capable of critical thinking and believe every skerrick of dog-whistling, fearmongering, "they're-out-there-to-get-you" rhetoric. Pander to their rural and village attitudes and you're on a winner!    Correcting them with logic and science won't work; they just double down and get louder with their petulance on full display.    
    • April Marie
      Just waking up so I'm in my pajamas - blue/white madras shorts, a navy blue t-shirt and my sleep bra with sleep-rated breast forms.   Thank you @Susan R for telling us about your mastectomy bra and forms fitting experience before your BA surgery and how sleeping in the bra/forms helped with the dysphoria.    First, hearing about your courage to get fitted gave me the confidence and courage to go out in public.   And, second, finding sleep mastectomy bras and sleep-rated breast forms (I found a set on eBay for a good price) has been a tremendous boost to my feeling comfortable in my pajamas and nightgowns and tamping down my dysphoria and dysmorphia.
    • Heather Shay
      If you could talk for 1 hour about any topic without preparation, what would it be? Mine would be music especially classic rock era.
    • Heather Shay
    • April Marie
      That is such wonderful news!!! Let the journey begin!!!
    • Heather Shay
      Germany has more castles than there are McDonald's in the United States. Yep, you heard that right. Germany is estimated to have 25,000 castles, and there are around 13,000 McDonald's locations in America.   In Washington state, there's a real-life law stating it's illegal to kill bigfoot and other sasquatch-like creatures.
    • Heather Shay
      DREAD f you’re anticipating something positive, you’re probably motivated to summon all your patience to wait for it—and sometimes for extended time periods. It may be counter-intuitive, yet in certain instances such waiting can itself be gratifying. Consider Carly Simon’s song “Anticipation,” the old Heinz ketchup ads, and—especially—recent research pointing in the opposite direction as regards awaiting something highly aversive. In this post I won’t be reviewing ketchup commercials, but I will be exploring some intriguing research on dread-infused anticipation.
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • Heather Shay
    • LucyF
      So an update from me.   Had my endo appointment last night. Went very well and they are sending 3 months supply of estrogen (estradoil patches) and the anti-androgens whilst my Dr gets a shared care agreement sorted out. So happy, should start HRT tomorrow!! Cost for the 3 month supply is £70 total for me, so not too bad. Not told my parents about this yet, but them being in spain, not sure they need to know yet.   Can't wait to start, just got to think about where to put the patches now and wait for the changes...
    • Willow
      Good Morning    well it’s Friday for most, pay day for some.  For me it’s pay day but not Friday.  I work the same opening shift tomorrow.  I typically have Friday on Saturday and Monday on Tuesday.     @KymmieL it does sound like your shop has an issue and you are smack in the thick of it.  The new gal or guy often is.  We have an issue with new people not getting fully trained before being turned loose on customers.  Some struggle through it and some quit because of it.  I try to get them working with customers as quickly as I can but I stay right with them observing, helping, even jumping in when things are getting backed up to keep the stress down.  Not everything comes up during training so when things do, even later after trying is done, I try to help and explain.  Our ASM feels that once she has you scanning barcodes and taking money she is done training.  Generally, refuses to train me on things that she does, and questions why I’m doing something that she normally handles when I’ve been told to do it as part of my advancement training.     She and the cashier involved both keep trying to toss the manager under the bus over a hours of work issue and shifts.  I tell her I realize her issues and I’ll work what ever she needs.  Because of that I tend to get a better more consistent schedule.   Well, time to say Happy Trails to you, until we meet again.   Hi ho Silver, away   Willow
    • Maddee
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...