The personal shopper’s odyssey: From ally of the powerful, to dresser to the stars, to an accessible profession

The personal shopper is a discreet professional. Their primary role is to help clients define and express their sartorial identity. They advise, analyse and orchestrate a style tailored to each person’s needs, body shape and goals.

In its study “From Luxury to Well-Being: The Personal Stylist’s Journey through Fashion History”, online personal shopper company Lookiero examines how the role has undergone major transformations over the centuries. Initially seen as a luxury reserved for an elite, the profession has gradually been democratised, particularly thanks to digitisation.

Marie-Antoinette and Rose Bertin, a historic fashion duo

The idea of shaping one’s appearance with the help of an expert is not new. As early as the eighteenth century, in Europe’s sumptuous courts, clothing was a powerful marker of status and influence. The emblematic figure of Marie-Antoinette illustrates this perfectly: her ostentatious wardrobe, though provocative for its time, constituted a deliberate political and symbolic strategy.

​
Her close collaboration with Rose Bertin, her trusted milliner, foreshadowed what would later become the role of the personal stylist. Through her ideas and execution, Bertin translated the queen’s aspirations into a strong, singular visual identity. This notion of “delegated taste” extended into the nineteenth century, when the London and Paris elites were already entrusting specialised assistants with the selection of their finery and accessories.

Hollywood, the fashion image factory

The early twentieth century marked a turning point with the emergence of the fashion press. Publications such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, with visionary editors like Diana Vreeland and Carmel Snow, helped forge an aspirational narrative around feminine aesthetics, positioning fashion as a lever for personal transformation and expression.

At the same time, the Hollywood film industry consolidated beauty archetypes through icons like Audrey Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich. Behind each star, on-set stylists, such as the legendary Edith Head, worked to sculpt these iconic images, professionalising the stylist’s function and gradually making it more visible behind the scenes.

A scientific approach and individual self-assertion

The 1970s saw clothing conceptualised more pragmatically, even as an instrument of persuasion. John T. Molloy’s influential “Dress for Success” (1975) revolutionised approaches to corporate dress. It set out a quasi-scientific methodology linking precise visual codes to professional success. His approach had considerable impact, laying the foundations of image consultancy as a structured discipline and demonstrating that image is a professional asset.

The 1980s were marked by aesthetic exuberance and a quest for individual self-assertion. Figures such as Ray Petri, creator of the “Buffalo” style, upended convention and fused urban and editorial aesthetics. It was also during this period that exclusive personal shopping services began to emerge in metropolises such as New York, London and Milan, catering to celebrities and executives. Luxury department stores then integrated these services as essential components of the VIP experience.

The media heyday of the personal shopper

The 1990s and 2000s were pivotal for the recognition of the personal shopper as a profession in its own right, thanks to popular programmes such as What Not to Wear, hosted by Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, which argued that style is a skill that can be learnt and mastered. Renowned stylists themselves rose to media prominence via their own reality shows (Rachel Zoe and “The Rachel Zoe Project“, for example), revealing the behind-the-scenes of their craft and popularising a new fashion lexicon.

At the same time, experts such as Nina García, then fashion director at Elle, published reference books that democratised stylistic knowledge, blending fashion culture, the psychology of image and practical advice.

A partly digitised profession

With the advent of the new millennium, the role of the personal stylist has adapted to a more diverse and, above all, more technological environment. Online personal shopper platforms incorporate algorithms and personalised questionnaires, enabling clothing selections to be made remotely, without the client having to leave home. Social networks have given stylists and consultants the opportunity to build their own brands and develop a community, freeing them from traditional media, once dominant in the field.

The figure of the influencer often mingles with that of the personal shopper, with these professionals using their profiles to educate, inspire and guide stylistic transformations. Recent concepts such as the “capsule wardrobe” and ethical fashion have thus transformed the personal shopper into a veritable aesthetic coach, far beyond their initial function as a shopping adviser.

“The expansion of digital personal styling companies has democratised this service, making it accessible to a public previously far removed from what was perceived as a luxury reserved for the few,” said the company behind the study.

Today, the personal shopper market is being driven by digital players such as Lookiero, Outfittery and Clic and Fit, in addition to department store services at Le Bon Marché, Printemps, and Galeries Lafayette, as well as professionals active on social networks.