BoomerGirl Diary

Colorado Springs, Colo. — Jennifer Boylan stands in the doorway of a well-lit dressing room wearing tan capris, a navy striped blouse and a blue blazer.

She walks to a three-way mirror at the end of the short hall and studies her petite frame from her shoulders down to her red toenails.

She's not sure what shoes to wear.

Cyndy Keesee, associate store manager at Talbots, pulls out a pair of red patent leather loafers for Boylan, a Colorado Springs real estate agent, to try on.

"I think that's a little too grown-up for you," Keesee says, taking the shoes back.

"I won't wear anything that resembles my age," says Boylan, who declines to reveal that number.

They discuss other shoe options from Boylan's wardrobe, which Keesee knows well.

"My whole closet she's picked out," Boylan says.

Sound like a luxury of the rich and famous? It's not. At Talbots, anyone can schedule a free "Style by Appointment" consultation.

The styling program reflects a trend in retail chains to offer the kind of personalized attention usually found in boutiques. For its program, Talbots opens its doors after hours and provides low-calorie snacks and bottled water while clients try on pre-picked clothing on a rolling rack. J.Crew and Ann Taylor offer similar "by appointment" styling services with employees who have a knack for fashion.

The trend is a nod to the growing population of busy women who don't have time to shop, says Mary Smith, a personal shopper.

"A lot of women are career people," says Smith, who's worked in the retail business for 50 years, the past three as a personal shopper. "They have other interests, and you have to have somebody that really loves it that can kind of pay attention."

The trend is also a throwback to a time when catering to the customer was standard service in department stores - a courtesy that's been in decline, Smith says.

"The big ones have cut back on the help so much you have to look for someone to even write up your ticket," says Smith, who shops for a handful of Colorado Springs clients. "The little tiny boutiques are the only ones that give good service."

High-end department stores including Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue do offer styling appointments. It's the fashion chain stores - the Gaps, Banana Republics and Talbots - that are often caught in the middle. They're too small to be retail giants like Macy's or Dillard's, but too big to be boutiques. By offering personal shopping services, they set themselves apart and cater to their customer base: busy, relatively affluent women.

On the day Boylan arrives for her appointment at Talbots, a clothing rack filled with dresses, slacks, sweaters and jackets awaits her in the dressing room hallway. Tied with a ribbon to one of the blond wooden doors is a tag with Boylan's name on it.

Boylan met Keesee two years ago when Boylan's husband dropped her off for an impromptu shopping trip. Boylan, who dislikes shopping, wandered in and proclaimed to the first associate she found: "My husband's in the car and I'm not allowed to leave here until I buy clothes."

Since then, she's made appointments twice a year to update her wardrobe - something she doesn't have the time or the eye to do herself.

"I have no sense of color," Boylan says.

But she does have a sense of what she likes - casual, comfortable clothing - and dislikes. And although she's been working with Keesee for two years, it doesn't mean she goes for everything Keesee picks out.

"This is still kind of not me," Boylan says of a necklace strung with various silver beads.

"The even strand I think you'll like better," Keesee says as she leaves to find the other piece.

Boylan ends up buying neither.

"(Customers) just want to come here and have us help them," says Talbots store manager Amy Yonker. "And sometimes they have to think about it. It's an investment."

Typical styling appointments usually take about an hour, which is about as long as Boylan can stand to try on clothes.

But Keesee's sense of Boylan's style is pretty accurate, and Boylan buys most of what she picks out - about five outfits.

She didn't need to buy a thing, however. At Talbots, there's no commission and no sales pressure, a plus that some - but not all stores can boast for their personal shopping service.

The biggest benefit? Time saved.

"I stick to my routine because I really hate to shop," Boylan says. "It's way easier to do this and get it over with."

Many stores offer personal shopping services. Call to find out whether your favorite store offers the service and whether costs or commissions are involved.