Personal Shopper

I spent part of yesterday afternoon at Carlisle, where the beautiful clothes of The Carlisle Collection and Per Se are housed. The building at 16 E. 52nd St. in Manhattan is set up like a Park Avenue townhome. Warm and inviting. Plush couches and chairs. And clothes everywhere!

Carlisle is a personal-shopping service. The idea of having a personal shopper has always intrigued me. Having someone with better taste than me build my wardrobe. When a hot trend is introduced, I'm one of the first to know because my personal shopper has her hand on the pulse of the fashion world. Being dressed and primped. Who wouldn't love that?

Well, the reality of having a personal shopper is all that, plus a hefty price tag. As I walked through Carlisle, my consultant went over every piece of clothing on the mannequins and there had to have been at least 20. She talked about the details in the buttons and stitching and the quality of the fabrics. The sweaters were soft. The leather was buttery. The silk was, well, silky. And of course, I fell in love with just about everything I saw and touched.

The consultant was taking mental notes on what I said I like and didn't like. I also made mention of some of the items that were on my shopping list. As we headed to the dressing room, she brought back some of the items I was giddy over. I slide into a skirt that was adorned with ostrich feathers. Slipped on a sequined top and even tried on the leather pants.

Then I looked at the price tags.

While the clothes fit beautifully, the prices were way out of my range. The leather pants were more than $700. The ostrich skirt was easily $300 and the sequined top was $215.

I explained to my consultant that I wasn't aware that the clothes were going to be so pricey (there were no price tags on the clothes the mannequins were wearing). I didn't want to waste my time or hers, so I got dressed and got ready to leave.

But before I left, my consultant showed me a couple of pieces of jewelry because I'm still in the market for a red necklace (see blog from Sept. 3) and a silver necklace. The consultant pulled out a great silver statement necklace that is three pieces in one - that can be worn together or separately. It was priced at $125, which was in my price range, so I bought that, only to find out it's on backorder. Hopefully, it will arrive soon.

So, the lesson I learned yesterday is that it's nice to be waited on hand and foot, to be offered beverages and snacks while you shop, but it's definitely cheaper to shop for yourself.