Come hell or the high street

PAMELA DUNCANhates buying clothes and is convinced she looks terrible in everything. Could a personal shopper be the answer to help her pull it out of the shopping bag?

THERE ARE few things in life I am more averse to than shopping. The thought of aisles full of over-enthusiastic shoppers jostling for position among the clothes rails fills me with dread. I build myself up for days to go shopping, but the mere sight of the crowds on Henry Street or Grafton Street makes me turn on the heel of my well-worn Converse and run swiftly away.

It is as if, by virtue of being female, you should come with this built-in shopping gene, which I do not seem to have. As a result of my shopping aversion, there are lots of things I don’t have. The resulting hole in my wardrobe doesn’t really bother me – that is until I have to attend something formal for work or any other dressy occasion, when my shopping phobia leaves me feeling like Cinderella at the ball without a fairy godmother.

It is high time to face my fear and see if a personal shopper could cure my chronic clothes shortage. Having made the decision (and then having postponed it for weeks), I finally make an appointment in Debenhams on Dublin’s Henry Street. My mother laughs heartily at my plan to have someone else go through the arduous task of forcing me to try on clothes. “That poor woman,” she says with genuine sympathy, “she’ll have her work cut out.”

A week later, I set out for my appointment in my own well-honed style; crumpled casual. Personal shopper Mairéad Fullam, in stark contrast, is immaculately dressed, with a sleek hairstyle and flawless make-up. Although she is probably 20 years my senior, she looks fabulous and I suddenly feel scruffy, dull and under-dressed. I’m invited to sit down in a private room, stylishly decorated in muted colours. Fullam gets straight down to business, assessing my shape and colouring and providing what will be an almost constant barrage of tips and tricks on how best to dress for my body shape.

“So what’s the biggest gap in your wardrobe?” she asks. “Everything,” seems too broad an answer for a 1.5-hour appointment. “Eh, well I’ve plenty of casual clothes,” I say, although I feel that Fullam may have already deduced this.

Having told her that I’m most deficient in work wear and clothes for special occasions, and having provided emphatic instructions that I do not do pink, Fullam stands up and I follow her lead. “Oh no, you’re not coming with me,” she says half-horrified, explaining that I’d probably dismiss most of what she was picking out. After all, this is about shopping outside my comfort zone. Instead, she hands me a coffee voucher and tells me she’ll be back in 15 minutes.

At this point, I’m thinking this is the ideal shopping experience. No browsing, no queuing for dressing rooms, no limit on the items you can bring into the dressing room, and a free coffee; surely this is shopping heaven.

It doesn’t last. I return to the dressing room to find a rail of clothes which I would never have picked in light years – floral tops, flowing empire-line dresses, skinny jeans, Jackie Kennedy-style shift dresses, and an unhealthy smattering of dreaded pink.

I try not to let the dismay show, but once I reach the privacy of the dressing room I am overcome with what is at the crux of my abhorrence for shopping – that sinking feeling that I look terrible in everything I try on and that, once again, I’ll come home to face the same gaping hole in my wardrobe, and that this is all just a waste of time. For the umpteenth time in my life I cast a disparaging eye over my appearance in a full-length mirror and fight back the tears.

Then a strange thing happens. I start trying on the clothes that Mairéad has picked out for me and, surprisingly, they aren’t bad. Okay, the colours in the V-neck empire dress in no way appeal to me – but the cut does suit me. A flouncy top that I wouldn’t have glanced at twice is actually really nice on. A navy shirt with horizontal stripes gives me height and shows off my figure.

Fullam is on hand to offer advice and is honest without being critical. She only pushes me on one item, a scoop-neck top which she says looks great but when I tell her I just don’t like it, she immediately backs down. “If you’re not going to wear it there’s no point in putting it in your wardrobe,” she shrugs, and grabs the next item.

Nor is there any pressure to spend big; despite not having stipulated a budget, the clothes Fullam picks out are all quite reasonably priced and some are from the sales rack. Happily, I end up with quite a few items for work: a few smart tops, a gorgeous turquoise dress, and not a T-shirt or a shopping-related panic attack in sight.

Debenhams’ free personal shopper service - for men, too - is available in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford stores. Tel: 1890-946779 or 00-44-8445-616161 for appointments in Northern Ireland

Tips and tricks for the phobic shopper

Avoid busy shopping centres.When needs must, go early in the week, on Mondays and Tuesdays, to avoid crowds and hoards of sulking teenagers

When you do come across something you like, don't hem and haw about it – just buy it. If you decide that it's not quite your style, you can bring it back for a refund or exchange.

Make fashionable friends. Their so-last- season- must-haves could turn into your free and easy hand-me-down.

Bring your mother/sister/ patient friendalong with you. It's good to have a second opinion and they may well pick up something for you that you wouldn't have considered.

One woman's cast-off is another's treasure so organise a frock-swop partyand see what your friends and colleagues have hiding in the back of their wardrobes.

Cultivate a relationship with at least one boutiquewhere you are comfortable and like the people and the clothes. This can be handy for special occasion dresssing, such as weddings.

Try online shopping– it may take a while to get the hang of but it means you can shop in the shelter of your own home.

Personal Shopping Services

All services cater for men and women

Arnotts,Henry Street, Dublin. Tel: 01-8050400, service is complimentary.

Brown Thomas, Grafton Street, Dublin. Tel: 01-6171118, service is complimentary.

Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 14. Tel: 01-2991700. €65 per two-hour appointment, with a free make-over, cocktail vouchers and free parking.

House of Fraser, Dundrum Shopping Centre. Tel: 01-2991400, service is complimentary.

Harvey Nichols, Dundrum Shopping Centre. Tel: 01-2910488, service is complimentary.

Ruby Sevenoffers image consultancy, personal shopping and "wardrobe weeding". Group evenings are also available. Tel: 087-9003494, rubyseven.ie.

Personal Stylistoffers full consultations, wardrobe planning, colour and style analysis and a make-up demonstration. Tel; 085-1014444, personalstylist.ie. Full- or half-day packages are €500/€300.

Fashion Stylistsprovides a wide range of services from fashion styling, image consulting, personal shopping, wardrobe assessment and special styling for events. Tel: 086-6624424, fashionstylists.ie