Personal Stylist Tina Schwahn from Omaha is on a mission to help women and men over 40 feel good about themselves.
Tina wasn’t always a Personal Stylist. Previously, she worked as a vocal music teacher, leading choirs and show choirs. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and masks became mandatory and restrictions on singing were imposed, her job became quite challenging. After two years of struggling and “giving herself pep talks to go to work,” she decided it was time for a change.
With the encouragement of a friend, Tina learned about blogging and how to monetize it. She then joined networking groups such as Center Sphere to connect with people. Tina talked to women about her ideas for a clothing detox and styling service and received positive feedback. Encouraged by the response, Tina took a styling course to launch her personal styling business, focusing on helping women over 40.
Photo by WWW.STACYIDEUS.COM
The Closet Detox
“Everything starts in the closet,” says Tina.
Tina emphasizes the importance of starting the process in the closet and begins by helping clients get rid of items that are in disrepair, no longer liked, or from styling services such as Stitch Fix that have missed the return window.
She then addresses those pieces that clients bought on a whim but don’t go with their lifestyle or anything else in their closet.
After that, “the biggest one,” according to Tina is, “I’m going to fit into that someday.”
Tina talked about how many clients hold onto items that fit when they were a teenager, or clothing that they plan to wear “once they lose those ten pounds.” Over the years, those items just lay there, continuing to collect dust and take up space, and it just makes sense to let them go.
Then there’s the flip side. Tina also works with women who have gone on a weight loss journey, but continue to hide in oversized clothing. Tina spoke about one experience where she took a group of women shopping for new clothing, and one woman didn’t realize she had gone down four sizes. She still hadn’t changed her mentality and saw herself in the mirror the way she always had. After Tina helped her find the correct size and items that fit her body properly, there was a positive change in her demeanor and how she carried herself.
Wardrobe Consulting for Men
Although the majority of Tina’s clients are women, there are men who use her services as well. In this case, however, Tina will refer to it as Wardrobe Consulting, so it feels a bit more masculine for the men.
Tina said the biggest difference in working with men is that a lot of men just aren’t sure how to put things together. Or, they just hate shopping, yet have a closet full of tons of clothes lying around. Tina talked about how oftentimes there’s been a change in their career. Perhaps previously they were in construction and had a lot of free clothing they were given. Now, they’re in construction management, going into an office—a whole new wardrobe is required.
From there, it’s figuring out if they have the appropriate jackets, pants and dressier shirts or even more casual shirts. She’ll ask her client what their dress code is like, figure out what they already have that can be used, and fill in the gaps with a possible shopping trip. She said how great it is to see the transformation they go through. “They soak it up like a sponge and learn what they’re supposed to.”
Style Society
Tina recently launched Style Society, a monthly subscription service that allows people to join from anywhere and benefit from her expertise. Style Society is a style community where Tina provides guidance on creating a seasonal wardrobe, sends out a daily “outfit of the day” email to members, and hosts a Facebook group for everyone to share outfits and support each other. Tina sees it as a way for people to have access to a personal stylist if they’re not ready yet for a full one-on-one session.
Feel like a Million Bucks
At the end of the day, for Tina, being a personal stylist is ultimately about helping people feel great about themselves. She cares for her clients stating, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Tina wants what’s best for her clients. No matter what size they are, or what their budget is, Tina wants to help every person look and feel their personal best. If someone doesn’t have a big budget, that’s not a problem for Tina, “if we need to go to Target and Old Navy, let’s go there.”
If you’re interested in having a personal stylist, you can reach out to Tina. She’ll help you feel like a million bucks—but first, she’ll need access to your closet.
If you’d like to contact Tina, call (402) 416-8955 or visit www.TinaFayeSchwahn.com
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