Why hire a personal stylist?

You may be going through a major life stage (baby, new job, etc) or don’t have the time to devote to your appearance, leaving you to feel insecure because you don’t feel like “YOU” in your current clothes. The low self confidence and feelings of your appearance bleed over into other realms of life. Feeling like your style is overwhelming, you don’t know where to begin, and don’t have time to dive into it. You will just continue on in the confusion and trying to chase trends because it seems like an easy solution. But this doesn’t help the underlying feelings of losing one’s self-understanding. Bringing in a Personal Stylist can provide expert guidance toward a style that generates confidence and comfortability in one’s own skin.

Why hire ACMstyling?

ACMstyling has a “Listen First” approach to Personal Styling because we know that we are serving an individual rather than providing generic style advice. Based on your input, we apply not just our deep fashion knowledge but also our creativity to customize to your unique needs. Once we set the creative strategy, we tenaciously research the best silhouettes, colors and brands of clothing to get you to that goal. We make sure that the right pieces receive the right tailoring to bring them to an even higher quality. And all of this is done while making sure you have a stress-free and enjoyable experience. Your looks will work WITH your body to highlight your favorite features and translate your personal message through your personal style so that you feel like “YOU”-- so you feel confident.

Who is your typical client?

Our clients come from a variety of backgrounds, but what unites all of them is a desire to make self-care a priority and invest in themselves. All clients need to be willing to be open and vulnerable with ACMstyling, and to stay with the recurring appointment maintenance plan, so that their style evolves with them and they continue to feel confident. Many of them have gone through a life stage transition (post-baby, post-surgery, weight gain, weight loss, new career, recently single, recently moved, empty nester, etc.), and their style has not kept up with these changes so now they feel like they are wearing someone else’s clothing. The others typically have a sense of self but lack the time to execute on a style that fulfills it, leading them to the same troubles as the first group.

How far do you travel?

ACMstyling is available for in-person appointments anywhere in the greater San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. Some destinations may incur a travel fee due to their proximity

ACMstyling is also available for Virtual Services for anyone who's interested.

How far in advance should I book you?

New clients typically can be scheduled for their first appointment within 2-weeks of their FREE Zoom Consultation. ACMstyling encourages clients to simultaneously book all 3-4 major appointments so that an appropriate cadence can be maintained for the best results. After the initial 3-4 appointments, Annie and the client will discuss which set of recurring appointments and their sequence will benefit the growth of his/her style. These appointments will be set up for the rest of the year and then reviewed for the year to come. The client knows that personal style is something that needs patience and consistency-- as they evolve so will their style.

What is your rate structure?

Personal Styling is an investment towards enhancing your personal image and presenting the best version of yourself to the world. For one-on-one styling services, the rate is $150 / hour. More information on services and their rates here.

What modes of payment do you accept?

We invoice through Quickbooks for every service provided. Clients have the option to fulfill invoices through: Venmo, ACH bank transfer, and credit cards (subject to a small 2.99% + $.25 convenience fee).

How much will I need to budget for the shopping appointment?

Unless we are shopping for one outfit or a certain garment, anything less than $7,500 is inefficient. $7,500 – $10,000 is a great place to start for an initial wardrobe renewal. This takes into account more expensive items like: luxury fabric garments, outerwear, bags, and shoes as well as less expensive garments and sale items. For clients with extensive designer taste or suit needs, a larger budget is needed.

Are there unexpected financial costs I may not have thought of?

Most, if not all, clients need some alterations, tailoring, or repairs to bring their clothes to the highest level of quality. This can add to the budget, but is necessary to ensure attention to every detail.

How long do your services take? (How much time should I allow for my appointment?)

On average, most services take 4 hours for completion. However, in instances where we expect the time to exceed these averages, we will discuss the extent of the services and projected billing with the client before completion of the services.

*There is a 3-hour minimum for all services (w/ the exception of Zoom Consultations and On-Call Styling)

Can I bring my significant other/best friend/ family member to my appointment?

Short answer, no. The styling sessions are designed to be one-on-one experiences, and such appointments will be most productive without family members or friends in tow. Remember this is time devoted to YOU and your self-care.

How often should I hire a personal stylist?

Your personal style is something that needs repeated maintenance and upkeep-- as you evolve, so will your style. This creates long-term relationships between the Client and the Personal Stylist, Annie. They have someone who they feel comfortable around, who knows them, accepts them, and who they respect and trust. We become each other’s family.

As such, ACMstyling prefers clients be set on a plan of recurring booked appointments on a quarterly basis. This allows for continued edits of their closet– what are the transitional pieces are for the upcoming season, what pieces can’t be transitioned, collaboration on looks that already exist in your closet, and making a list for future fashion needs. However, a client may choose to book additional appointments in instances such as travel packing or a special event styling.

What is your cancellation policy?

We have a 48-hour reschedule/cancel policy. Appointments cancelled less than 48-hours from the appointment will result in an invoice totaling 50% of your appointment total. Invoices are to be paid within 7-days from the date sent. Any past due amount will incur a 10% late fee on the total unpaid invoice.