HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire a personal stylist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Personal styling is unregulated in the UK. Here is how to brief one, set a budget, and what to ask about commission and returns.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a personal stylist in five steps

  1. Brief the stylistOccasions, work dress code, budget and what you never wear.
  2. Set a firm budgetPer item and in total; the personal stylist works inside it.
  3. Ask about commissionSome stylists earn from retailers.
  4. Keep receipts and know return windowsBefore you leave each shop.
  5. Ask for outfit notesPhotos or a lookbook to repeat the looks.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence, register or required qualification applies to personal stylists in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland — anyone can offer styling. So ask what training they have had and from whom, look at before-and-after work, and ring a recent client.

Ask about training, see real client examples, and take a reference.

Trader status (Consumer Rights Act 2015)

Your rights — a service done with reasonable care and skill, and a repeat or a price reduction if it is not — apply when the personal stylist trades as a business.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile and ask for a written quote and an invoice.

Your money and commission

No law sets how a personal stylist is paid, but you are entitled to reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Ask whether they earn commission or discounts from shops they take you to.

Ask before the session, and pay for clothes with your own card.

Basic criminal record check (self-requested)

There is no legal duty on a personal stylist here. Still, a person working in your home can get a basic check on themselves — DBS in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure from Disclosure Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland — to show you.

Ask whether they have one from the last year, and see it. gov.uk →

VAT

Styling sessions are standard-rated at 20% from a registered personal stylist, shopping time and lookbooks included. A styling business over the £90,000 threshold must charge VAT and show it separately on the invoice; a stylist working alone below that usually charges none.

Ask the personal stylist for a VAT number and for VAT shown on shopping time as well as the session. gov.uk →

“What training and experience do you have as a personal stylist?”

A good answer: Specific courses and years of clients.

“Can a stylist work within my budget?”

A good answer: Yes, with a plan per item.

“Does the stylist get commission or discounts from the shops?”

A good answer: A straight answer.

“What does the styling session include?”

A good answer: Consultation, wardrobe review, shopping, outfit building.

“Will I get notes or photos of the outfits the stylist builds?”

A good answer: A lookbook or photos.

“Can we include second-hand or my existing clothes?”

A good answer: Yes — a good personal stylist works with what you have.

“What if I change my mind about purchases?”

A good answer: Advice to keep receipts and check each shop's returns policy.

Getting the quote right

  • Session length and what is included
  • Shopping time and travel
  • Lookbook or notes
  • Any commission disclosed
  • Cancellation terms
  • Who actually attends: the personal stylist you booked, or an associate for the shopping trip, and whether that associate is employed or subcontracted
  • The stylist's VAT number, with VAT apart from the session, the shopping time and the lookbook

Walk away if

  • Pushing you past your budget
  • Hidden commission
  • Ignoring your brief
  • No notes or outfit record
  • No references
  • Paying for clothes with their card and charging you a markup
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£450

What a personal stylist costs: £60–£450 per session

Personal stylists price by the session, with shopping time, lookbooks and travel included or added; clothes are paid for separately. Personal Stylist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Personal stylists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefLifestyle, budget, goals.
  2. Wardrobe reviewWhat works and what is missing.
  3. PlanShopping list and shops.
  4. ShoppingWithin budget, trying on, receipts kept.
  5. LookbookOutfits recorded.

Lookbook
Photos of the outfits put together.
Capsule wardrobe
A small set of clothes that mix and match.
Gap list
Items your wardrobe lacks.
Personal shopping suite
A private fitting room in a store.
Commission
A shop's payment to the stylist.
Returns window
How long a shop allows returns.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check receipts and returns datesBefore the window closes.
Try outfits at homeWith your own shoes and bags.
Keep the lookbookTo repeat the looks.
Rate the bookingRate the styling and the outfits once you have checked it. A score under four stars lets you ask the personal stylist to put it right before the review goes live.

STEP 1Start with a written complaintMessage the personal stylist about the styling with photos or dates. The 2015 Consumer Rights Act lets you ask a trader to redo work that lacked reasonable care and skill, or to reduce the price when redoing it will not help.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the personal stylist under four stars and you are asked whether to send the problem to them first; we follow it through. Then the review goes up.
STEP 3The consumer helplineFor personal stylists there is no regulator to escalate to. The free helplines — Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland — advise on the styling and can refer a trader to Trading Standards.
STEP 4Money still in disputeA claim against a personal stylist for a refund or the cost of putting things right can go to small claims: up to £10,000 on the county court small claims track in England and Wales, up to £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and up to £5,000 in the small claims court in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a personal stylist: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies in any UK nation.

A trader must use reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015; ask for a repeat or a price reduction.

Some do; ask before shopping.

£60 to £450 a session, typically around £150. Session length and shopping make the difference. Consultation and shopping-session prices are in the personal stylist price guide; enter your town above for stylists near you.

No — you pay for clothes separately.

Under each shop's own returns policy; keep receipts.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in personal & lifestyle

How to hire: Image ConsultantHow to hire: Wardrobe ConsultantHow to hire: Personal ShopperHow to hire: DressmakerHow to hire: Clothing AlterationsHow to hire: Tailor / SeamstressHow to hire: Shoe RepairHow to hire: Gift Wrapping ServiceAll 701 hiring guides →

Personal stylists near you

Personal stylists in LondonPersonal stylists in ManchesterPersonal stylists in BirminghamPersonal stylists in GlasgowPersonal stylists in BelfastAll personal stylists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  2. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55 — repeat performance
  3. gov.uk — request a basic DBS check
  4. mygov.scot — Level 1 (basic) disclosure
  5. nidirect — apply online for a basic check (AccessNI)
  6. gov.uk — VAT registration threshold
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  8. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register