Before I start I want to be say straight away Reiss did not ask me to write this, it isn't a sponsored post, I'm simply a big fan of the brand who wanted to experience their incredibly popular 'Personal Approach' styling service first hand. Secondly, apologies fort the length of this post, I really wanted to make sure you had all the information you needed but if you just want to skip to the pretty clothes they are at the bottom!
A bit of background to start with: Reiss first introduced their personal approach shopping service in 2013 to strengthen customer loyalty to the brand and drive sales from the web back to stores. It's definitely worked for them, having been rolled out to all UK stores and introduced again from March 27th - April 6th this year.
Reiss is always a big draw for me - I go past their Kensington store on my way to work and my bus stops right outside so I get a close up look at the window everyday. When I was looking for an outfit for a big work event this month it seemed like the perfect excuse to book an appointment.
Even though I signed up online from their newsletter, my online enquiry was followed up with a phone call from the store to book in my time slot and another call the day before to check I was coming. So far, so personal!
When I arrived I met my personal shopper and went straight into the changing area. We had a very brief chat about what I was looking for - something that could be worn to an after work event and a few smart pieces, but nothing too formal like a suit as my office is quite relaxed. This is the only place where I'm going to get slightly critical as I feel this initial conversation could have been a bit longer and we spent the first ten minutes with me rejecting pieces due to colours, cuts, and skirts being too long for my 5ft1 height which could have been avoided.
Gradually, however we got there. The transformation happened when I tried on the beautiful Joanna trousers in navy which I was surprised to find fit really, really well despite my height. I tried on a few blouses to match before deciding on a t-shirt and tank top in two different tones of green which looked great thanks to my newly dyed red hair. I tried on a fair few dresses as well for my party, including the Jade dress in red, the Valentina in white and the Hedy and Crawford in blue - all of which I loved but tragically I couldn't afford to buy them all. One dress came out victorious and that was the Skala print bowie silk dress which I'd seen in the window a week before and asked specifically to try on. I chose this style for my big event due to its floaty shape with nipped in waist which suited my figure and the gorgeous 'scratch' print which reminded me a bit of an Alexander McQueen design. I paired it with nude shoes and received plenty of compliments on the night so thank you Reiss!
Other perks to the Personal Approach service is the 10% discount received and the goodie bags, which this season were courtesy of Space NK.
Overall I'd definitely recommend the Personal Approach service to others, whether you are a die hard Reiss customer already or have never worn the brand before as I think its always great to step out of your comfort zone every once in awhile. I was much bolder in my choices, and bar the initial warm-up period, the experience was fun with no pressure to buy which you can get from some personal shoppers.
Below I've done a quick edit of the pieces I bought during my Personal Approach appointment, as well as the pieces I'll be going back to buy as soon as budget allows.
Check out the SS14 Women New Arrivals at Reiss.com
