Wardrobe Warriors by Maria Croce 29/08.05
Ever wanted to have experts wade through your outfits? You can, so we put Karen Oliver to the test…
Karen Oliver wants to help women with their clothes sense, but doesn’t believe in being mean to her clients.
Karen gives positive advice on how to get the best out of the wardrobe you’ve already got.
And as well as shaking up your cupboards, she’ll also take you shopping or do it for you by
bringing back a selection of clothes for you to choose from in the comfort of your own home.
Karen, 24, of Kilmarnock, has a degree in womenswear fashion design from the London College
of Fashion, has worked in clothing stores and was a buyer for a shoe company.
But she’s enjoyed helping friends and family shop for clothes and realised she could use her
expertise to start her own business.
She said “I love making people feel good about themselves, knowing they look good.
You don’t need to be a celebrity to have a fashion consultant.”
Karen meets customers to build up a profile of their preferred style, needs and lifestyle.
Some want an outfit for a special event or just update their image.
Karen said “You’d ask your hairdresser how to wear you hair, so why not ask a fashion expert
for help on what to wear?”
Alison Thomson, 31, a product manager from Glasgow wanted a new image.
She said “I got chatting to Karen at a function and realised that ordinary people could do this as well.”
Alison didn’t tell her fiancé, businessman John McHugh, 30, that she’d seen a fashion consultant at first.
“Over a few weeks I started introducing new outfits to see if he’d notice”, she said. “One
time he said he thought I looked like J-Lo. He was impressed with my clothes.
I needed something for a wedding, but Karen found a dress in my wardrobe that I’d had for
five years and showed me how to accessorise it with a new shawl. So she actually saved me money.
I don’t have time to shop and wasn’t sure about accessories – Karen helps bring an outfit together.”
Part-time art teacher Caroline Bennett, 34, of Glasgow, wanted a new look after having a
baby, and husband Stephen, a documentary maker, offered to treat her.
She said “I’d had
my son, Lucca, 13 months ago and was feeling frumpy. I don’t have time for shopping and
needed outfits that were easy to look after.
Karen showed me how to look good in tailored outfits and I felt more stylish.”
