Being busy is a done deal and all the hard work is bound to pay off some day soon. I hear these words quite a lot these days and it's that kind of thinking that spurred me on to finally take the plunge and go freelance full time. All is going well so far but if you don't put the hours in and stick to a schedule then you're screwed.
Dedicating nearly every day of the week to writing/blogging leaves minimal time for leisurely days out shopping, so I was curious to find out how the world of personal home stylists worked. Being dedicated to menswear and those with a busy lifestyle, The Chapar were my only port of call. With 90% of my own clothes shopping done online and having always taken a keen interest in personal style, I was interested in seeing how I'd get on with a stylist making all the choices for me.
A note from my personal stylist, Alison. She suggested trying out certain pieces together and experimenting with colours and fabrics. She's got me spot on! Really sweet touch.
How it works
The Chapar (who in history was the original courier) is a personal stylist service for men, created by father and son team. They came up with the idea of creating the perfect "Trunk", filled with individually selected pieces which reflect your own tastes and needs. The service is aimed at fellas who either don't really like to shop or have little time to do so, they'll do all the hard work or you. It takes the hassle out of shopping.
The Process
The actual process of signing up for my first Chapar Trunk couldn't have been easier. To set the wheels in motion all I had to do was fill out a short online questionnaire regarding my tastes, lifestyle and which brands I favoured. Shortly after I received an email from my assigned personal stylist, Alison, who then arranged for a good time to call me for a chat to gain a further insight into my own needs.
Alison gave me a call at a convenient time and we chatted further about my likes, dislikes and if there was anything my current wardrobe was lacking. Even though I work from home I'm always out and about, so I mentioned I liked to layer up (with being a cyclist), being partial to a bit of colour and that my personal style is a mixture of casual sportswear, denim and tailoring.
My Chapar Trunk
Outfit 1 - Sunspel Vintage Wool Jacket, Hentsch Man Boat T-Shirt, Levi's Ivy Green 501, Nike Roshe Run c/o JD Sports.
Outfit 3 - Hartford Brushed Cotton Shirt, Albam Harrington Jacket, Jack Purcell c/o atoo, Levi's 511.
Outfit 2 - Sunspel Airplane Sweat & Jersey Polo, Nike Roshe Run, Hackett Military Chino.
Only a matter of days went by until I saw the courier carrying the sizeable Trunk to my door. Inside was an array of garments from brands which I consider myself a follower of and also some other pieces which I wouldn't normally have chosen for myself. Alison had picked pieces which she thought would suit my own tastes and style but also thrown some stuff in there which were a little out my comfort zone. Above I've put together three of my favourite looks from the items in my Chapar Trunk.
Brands and Service
The Chapar carry a ton of brands, covering all the bases but to give you an idea my Trunk included items from; Albam, Ben Sherman, Dockers, Hartford, Hentsch Man, John Smedley, Levi's, Tommy Hilfiger and Sunspel.
The effort The Chapar had gone to was second to none, my Trunk was not only filled with carefully chosen clobber but also included a personalised note from my stylist, profiles on each of the brands and how the next step of the process works. Alison encouraged me to try on as many combinations as I could, which would give me a good idea to how each piece could work along with the rest of my wardrobe.
The Final Step
After a heavy trying on session the next step was to decide which items I wanted to keep and which weren't working for me. All I needed to do was contact my stylist and arrange for the trunk to be picked up, free of charge (same goes for initial delivery) from wherever is convenient. Arranging the collection for you takes away a lot of the faffing around at the post office, so you can sit back and relax. Once your items have been returned you pay for the pieces you have decided to keep and that's it! Easy.
Summary
Overall I was extremely impressed by the whole service that The Chapar are offering. Their attention to detail was excellent, from the presentation and branding to personal consultation and ease of use. It was quite refreshing to use a home service like this, I do enjoy shopping for myself and letting someone else choose for me was quite a daunting thought but it really did make things easy. One massive bonus is that the whole service is free of charge, you only pay for what you keep!
Thank you to The Chapar for inviting me to trial their service and to Alison for being a top notch stylish. I hope this review can be of some use to some of you, the service definitely gets the Buckets thumbs up.
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