Stylin’

When we heard a nearby mall had a personal styling service, we got curious. It made us think about how fast-moving trends and constant fashion critique in the media must impact on the minds of honest, hardworking people. People like our mums and our super-nice accounts lady Raye. Most of all, it made us wonder if it’d be funny to send some friends to get styled-up while we stood by taking pictures. After five seconds of deliberation, we decided the answer was yes.

We arrived at Westfield Southland the following Saturday with Hugh and Sam. The journey took fifty minutes extra after we initially drove to the wrong mall. This made Sam a little carsick which is why she looks woozy in the first few photos. Our stylist was the lovely Michelle: cheerful, friendly, with a knack for helping people look nice. To give her an idea of who she was dealing with, she had our guinea-pigs fill out a questionnaire. In it, Hugh described his lifestyle as

laid back yet rockin’

while Sam distilled hers down to

work full time; live in a share house; watch a lot of movies

.

The guys tried on a few different looks that day, and while they were dressing, Michelle explained a little about how her service worked. Many of her clients are people with confidence problems, such as recent divorcees, or people with body changing illnesses. It wasn’t just about making them trendier, Michelle’s method aimed to make them stronger and more themselves. In other words, she’s a total sweetheart.

Now, while Hugh and Sam are both perfectly good at putting clothes on, they did get a few pointers on accentuating the shoulders if you’re a guy, the waist if you’re a girl, or embellishing a modest bust using ruffles and other detailing. Again, Sam doesn’t need help in this regard. On the other hand, she did get to try on heaps of high-heel shoes (which she says she never wears). Most of all, it just was fun to get a glimpse of what our friends might look like if they ever got their shit together.

Hugh: Having someone dress you is the height of laziness, like using bedpans and wheelchairs. In other words, me likey!

Sam: I concur!

Hugh: Michelle had a Zen-like power to make us calm even when dressing me in outfits that dudes who have read ‘The Game’ wear (I haven’t read it fyi).

Sam: I could neither walk in these shoes or climb stairs in this skirt. This outfit = need to buy a segway.

Hugh: I think I’d scrub up rather well in a suit. Just not this one. It was too big and I look like I’m off to the races.

Sam: My mother would like me in this. Her only comment would be “more jewellery!”

Hugh: Sam and I had our wedding ceremony in the hallway of Southland shopping centre’s centre management.

Sam: VERY romantic.

Hugh: With more time, and if her clients weren’t clowning around like we were, I imagine she’d provide a valuable service… Pity that Sam and I are already super stylin’.

Sam: A trip to the food court was a highlight.