PERSONAL BEST: The art of looking good

For people who were not born with sartorial sensibility, looking good can be hard work.

But I'm going to let you in on one of Johannesburg's best-kept secrets. Edgars in Melrose Arch has personal shoppers at your beck and call - free of charge. My colleague, Andile Ndlovu and I tried one. You walk into the store and tell your trained personal shopper what you're looking for. Then your shopper chooses the perfect items for your fabulous new look.

Sounds like a dream-come-true for most people.

But not for me. I'm fussy and over-protective about my look.

I was scared the personal shopper would make me look like someone else or a brand's walking billboard.

But my fears were unfounded.

My look, which I believe lies somewhere between demure and eccentric, was updated by personal shopper, Uyanda Erick.

"This is not about me telling you what to wear. It's a collaboration. We decide together. If my client is someone who likes vintage looks, I'll show them how to modernise them," says Erick.

Before experiencing this service on offer at Edgars, I e-mailed Erick my brief: "I'd like you to source me three looks, namely work-wear, something for the weekend and a glamorous evening look."

First he took me on a brief tour of the store, starting at the SA Fashion Week Capsule collection which stocks garments by designers, among them, Black Coffee, Thula Sindi, Rubicon and Marion and Lindie.

"The Capsule collection is about making local designers accessible, so we take wearable clothes from the ramp to the rails. We have six permanent local designers in the store and three others who rotate," says Erick.

Moving about the floor, we indulge in a brief chat about my life, and I quickly realise the dialogue we engage in is more a case of getting to know me better.

After assessing my personality, it is off to the fitting rooms, where a shop assistant is ironing the clothes Erick has sourced for me.

Before I try them on, Erick explains why he chose the specific look and why the clothes are of value to me, using the FAB system (Features, Attributes and Benefits).

He goes through every detail of the garment, including how they can be worn and what I would need to do to keep them in pristine condition. My work-wear ticked all the boxes in terms of comfort and appropriateness. I don't wear pants often, and find jeans and white skinny jeans unforgiving.

But Erick assures me the trench helps to cover up my flaws, before putting me into another pair of jeans for my weekend look.

"The shoes help balance out your figure and the hat draws attention away from your bottom half," he says.

All three looks were perfectly suited to my life and style and I didn't have to try on the back-up outfits. Erick points out however, that my undergarments are not appropriate for the specific look.

Had this been an actual consultation and I had been on an excursion to buy the clothes instead of giving them back after the shoot, we would have started in the underwear department.

• For the personal shopper experience head to Edgars Melrose Arch or call 011-214-5901

A TRICK OR TWO

I'VE never taken kindly to being told what to wear and how, despite family and friends trying. I've always had an idea of how I want to look, but have either not had the means to buy the clothes, or an idea of how to piece a look together.

With Uyanda Erick I felt like I was being steered in the right direction, rather than being forced into buying into somebody else's style. I loved going back and forth with him about what made me, a fella in his mid-20s, most comfortable. I told him I have many pairs of jeans waiting for a slimmer me, and that I had stopped buying more because I couldn't find a pair that fits well. He proved me wrong with one pair that looked perfect.

I'm glad I can get away with a more casual look at work because I can't deal with the preppy look.

I don't think I'd pay for a consultant, but I did learn tricks from Erick about how to put together a complete outfit for an occasion. - ANDILE NDLOVU