Shop with a Stylist: Alison Teer

Alison Teer was the first person I ever met who was a professional stylist. I didn’t even have my store yet when we met through mutual friends. I was a fairly new resident of Old Town and my small closet was bursting at the seams.In recent years, I had worked at the Statehouse in Ohio and then moved to working on political campaigns and I really didn’t need to have all my suits and work clothes anymore. By the time I got to Alexandria and became a long-distance tele-commuter, I rarely dressed up besides when I traveled for work and those times I basically always took the same black suit.I cannot tell you how liberating it was to get rid of all those things I was holding onto for no reason. In the years after college I had worked a second job at Ann Taylor just so I could afford to buy suits that were required for my day job, and I think I had a hard time parting with all the things I had worked so hard to buy. I would walk from my office at the Statehouse to the mall and work until 10 at night a few nights a week and weekends – needless to say putting a dent in the social life of the young single woman I was at the time – and I just had a hard time letting those items go. But wow, did it feel good to get rid of it!I never would have cleaned out my closet if I had not hired Alison. Sometimes it takes a dispassionate professional to help us separate sentiment from utility. In fact, it is possible my power blue double breasted mini skirt suit would still be with me 17 years later.Alison is a pro and she can help you pare down your wardrobe so it works for the life you lead now, not the one you used to have.Thursday, October 4th you can come shop with Alison at The Hive and get her guidance. We have four, one-hour slots (see below) and you can just get advice on what works for your body type, bring in some trouble pieces you need help figuring out, or just see what pieces she might pick for you that maybe you hadn’t considered before. If you like her expertise, you can continue the relationship. If not, you’ll have just had a great night on us. So sign up while there’s a space!