For some people - myself included - the idea of trawling from shop to shop hunting down new clothes couldn't be less enticing. For Isabel Gleeson, however, it's all in a day's work.
"I have to say I genuinely love my job", Gleeson, a stylist helping clients revamp their wardrobes through style consults and personal shopping, says.
"It really is rewarding in a sense, because I obviously adore shopping. So I spend all of my time scrolling new in anyway, but I know for other people, it's something that they dread and they don't want to bring themselves to the shop. So if I can take any of that stress away, I'm happy to."
Gleeson has been running her style consultancy business for four years, having started in high street fashion buying and upskilled in styling. In those years she's become one of the best kept secrets among Ireland's stylish set, hand-selecting capsule wardrobes and curating event outfits for her clients.
"I'm not about being like, this is on trend, you should wear this, this is in the shop at the moment, you should be adopting this trend", she says of her approach, which involves doing a colour consultation to find what season each client is and talking to them about what they feel most comfortable in.
"I'm all about what makes you feel best and investing in timeless pieces. I feel like when I go around the shop, it's so clear to see how someone's whole body language changes when they are in something that they absolutely love in the changing rooms."
Four years after the outbreak of Covid-19, and with all of us inundated with relentless trend cycles, it feels like many of us are coming to a turning point in our style.
From new lifestages to hybrid working, the way we need to dress now is likely different to how we dressed in lockdown and before the pandemic. Yet, figuring out a "new" personal style can be time consuming and expensive - and that's if you enjoy the process of shopping.
"Clients are all looking for a little bit more quality over quantity. And you will find when you spend a little bit more, just the way it sits on your body with clothing, it can be so, so important.
"I definitely feel like most people are saying to me, they want to get out of their leggings that they're still in from Covid. They're working from home more and they just don't feel good about themselves. They want pieces that they can go running errands in and just feel a little bit more well put together.
"I work with a lot of people who are going back from maternity leave who just feel like they've lost their sense of style a little. It's from being at home so much."
Now more than ever, she says, she appreciates the power of dressing well. "Some days when I work from home and I work for myself, I'm thinking, oh, I could make a little bit more effort today. And the days I do, I feel so much more productive. I feel more put together. So I really think it is so much more than just clothing. It's about how you feel."
The colour consultation, which has been trending heavily on social media but was one of the courses Gleeson upskilled in during the Covid pandemic, is a key starting point, and she adds that she's seen this save clients time and money in helping them looking for items that suit them, instead of grappling in the dark.
Educating her clients is at the core of her work, she adds.
"With that confidence, you just start to shop a bit smarter. You know what you're looking for after the process also. So it gives you a little bit of independence as you go on shopping even after you've worked with me."
Is colour analysis seems like modern day sorcery to you, you're not alone: I'm personally baffled by some people's abilities to spot the difference in subtly different tones of red or blue. But Gleeson says it is immediately clear to the eye - when done properly.
"Someone's features just literally come alive when they have the right colour up against their face. They will see it."
That said, she's not strict about it, once you find ways to make certain colours work for you: "I wear colours not my palette all the time. I feel like if I love a shape or something, I'm going to wear it. Like, black technically does not actually suit as many people as wear it.
"But I feel like there's little tips and tricks you can apply to I really get the most out of wearing black. A scarf close to your face or outside jewellery can also really bring out the best in you."
