By Emily Gray
Published 17/02/2022
You’ve got an event coming up, one where you can’t afford, or don’t want to, make any sartorial faux-pas.
Your walk-in wardrobe is full, you’re eyeing up which rooms in the house you can do without so that you can extend it… you don’t really need that ensuite do you? And yet you never have anything to wear.
You’re short on time, tied to a routine or constantly travelling, you want to get to the shops, but it would be much easier if they could just come to you.
Sound familiar?
What you need is a personal stylist, a private shopper, someone who can work with you to overhaul your wardrobe, find that outfit that makes you shine and can help you develop your style. Who you need is Rachael Perry.
Rachael Perry is an independent red carpet and VIP stylist, private shopper and wardrobe consultant based in London with a wealth of experience and connections in the fashion industry. Working with both celebrities and private clients, Rachael has dressed clients for events including royal weddings, the BAFTAs, the British Fashion Awards, the MET Gala and the Oscars. In 2020 Rachael was part of Florence Pugh’s styling team for the Oscars and in 2021 notable events included helping dress Gemma Chan for the Cannes Film Festival and working with Cara Delevingne at the Formula E event in London.
Ahead of London Fashion Week, we caught up with Rachael to talk about private shopping, curating a brand and how to know when you’ve found the one (outfit, that is, not partner, that one is still a mystery to us.)
Wardrobe Consulting
Unless you’ve mastered the capsule wardrobe, chances are you’re not making the most of your wardrobe. If you find yourself returning to the same outfit over again, leaving 80% of your wardrobe untouched or you are buying new all the time, what you need is a wardrobe consultation.
‘As I go through a client’s wardrobe I create an inventory of everything they currently have and a media pack of how all the pieces can be put together to create new looks. We can get rid of anything that really isn’t being used, and then if there are pieces that are missing then we can go out and shop together for the rest’, says Rachael.
Private Shopping (From anywhere in the world)
Shopping, it can be time consuming and let’s be honest stressful. Yes there’s online shopping, but, well it’s just not the same - we’ve all seen the order fail reels. That’s why Rachael makes the experience seamless.
‘When it comes to shopping some clients love to shop in store, so we set up private appointments. I can go ahead and pull things out ready for a curated, tailored experience. Or we can shop by consignment.’
And this is where that bespoke element is taken to the next level. Rachael’s strong working relationships with designers and luxury brands means that she can pull stock from stores and deliver it to you, wherever you are in the world - it also helps that she is trilingual, fluent in English, French and Spanish. In LA but want to try a dress only available in London? Rachael will bring it to you. Looking for an extremely rare bag? Rachael can source it for you. Extending the stay on your yacht and want to expand your summer collection? Rachael can be there for the fitting.
‘It’s very good for clients with tight schedules, I can come to the most convenient location for them and at a time that suits them. If they need to stop to take calls, feed their baby or whatever it might be, we can tailor it entirely to their schedule’, explains Rachael, ‘As you can imagine once clients start shopping like this, they’re very reluctant to go back to in store appointments.’
Event Styling
Having helped dress globally recognised actors and musicians for red carpet events, society parties, press junkets and public appearances, Rachael knows the importance of curating and projecting you, the brand.
‘Anyone can wear a beautiful dress, it’s about putting a client in a dress and making it work for them specifically. I’ll have a very different target look for a 30-something year old fashion-conscious client who wants to wear looks fresh off the runway compared to a more mature client who’s looking for a timeless look and has no limit on budget.’
Drawing upon her extensive network, Rachael is not only able to offer looks for last minute invitations (we’re talking a day last minute) and bring you pieces from designers whose work is aligned with your style but she is able to offer 1:1s with designers so that clients can collaborate with them to create amazing custom couture creations.
The most important thing though? ‘It might sound clichéd but you want the client to feel the best version of themselves. If you don’t feel a million dollars then you don’t need to wear it,’ says Rachael. ‘When you do feel like that, we know it’s the one.’
To learn more about Rachael Perry and get in contact, click here.
