A helping hand for people on the go
Business executive Phillip Meserve needed personalized gifts for family, clients and colleagues. But he keeps a full schedule and was too busy to find them.
So the Newport Beach resident, who is president and chief executive of Irvine-based Steadfast Capital Markets Group, reached out to Styled by SJ, which helps male and female clients with gift buying, clothes shopping and closet organizing.
“My life is very busy with the business side, and I’ve never been really good about remembering dates,” Meserve said, noting that he also isn’t creative in selecting presents. “This helps me find a way to make sure people who are important in my life are recognized.”
Shauna Jackson, as the founder of Styled by SJ, is that trusted advisor who helps people who are overwhelmed by an abundance of clothing choices or are too busy to shop themselves. She aims to take off the pressure associated with finding custom gifts for special occasions and keeping up the latest trends and fashions.
“I enjoy shopping for other people,” Jackson said. “It truly makes me giddy.”
Jackson, who spent 14 years as a marketing executive at South Coast Plaza, works with the Costa Mesa shopping center’s Stylist Project, a customized service for shoppers.
The program offers stylists the plaza’s private VIP Access Suite near Saks Fifth Avenue. There, two private styling suites are available by reservation. The stylists have access to beverages, light snacks and full concierge service.
Besides buying gifts for clients who are busy, Jackson will shop for clothes for clients and help go through a person’s closet to determine what works, what doesn’t and what else is needed.
Working within a client’s budget, Jackson will accompany a person on his or her next shopping trip and assist in choosing outfits that complement an existing wardrobe, or she will take the clothes to the client and additionally provide online options. If the selections are not well-liked, she’ll take them back.
With the closet cleanse, Jackson will identify missing clothing staples and suggest items for donation.
“I go through what you’re missing and rebuild one step at a time and try to be cost-effective,” Jackson said, noting that a woman’s closet should include a tailored pair of black pants, jeans, a leather jacket, a black blazer and a touch of leopard — “It’s a neutral.”
“You should have pieces that you automatically pull out to wear. If you don’t reach for it, take it out.”
But before she can help her clients, she has to understand them. For clothes shopping, Jackson will first need to know a client’s size, body type, lifestyle and fashion preferences.
And to help the busy man who Jackson described as someone “who is always getting in trouble for missing dates,” she will draw a profile of the person’s significant other based on lifestyle, hobbies and event being celebrated.
Meserve, who said he has clients outside of California, wants to always appear thoughtful and prepared, and relies on the gifting service to send custom gifts to clients celebrating births as well as sympathy notes or arrangements for sadder occasions.
“I want to make sure we’re touching our people in the right ways, and Shauna has a knack for making sure we’re observant to all these life events,” Meserve said.
Such a service has remained primarily attractive to clients who would rather spend their time in ways other than shopping and have the money to do so.
Over the past five years, consumers have been searching for higher-quality and more personalized customer care, which has be aided by increasing disposable income, said research company IBISWorld.
The personal-shopping industry has grown 4.1% to $761 million over the past five years, reported IBISWorld, and over the next five years, revenue is expected to continue to grow, as post-financial-crisis consumers consider lower-cost alternatives to satisfy their personal shopping needs.
Jackson said she enjoys providing personalized attention with her knowledge of products, services and trends.
“I love the challenge of it, and ultimately, it’s so rewarding to make someone feel good about themselves and help make their lives a little easier,” Jackson said.
For more information, visit styledbysj.com.
