Could bringing the altering room to her remedy Amanda’s buying phobia?

To say I hate garments buying is the understatement of the century — significantly presently of yr. 

I virtually at all times return house feeling fats, outdated and depressing, questioning if I can lose a stone earlier than Christmas and if it’s not too late to guide some festive Botox. Oh, and virtually at all times empty-handed.

Yes, there’s the stress of traipsing up and down the High Street, jostling with different consumers, by no means having the ability to discover my dimension… however my actual nemesis is the altering room. Especially with hundreds of thousands of us panic-buying for social gathering season; there are lengthy queues to take care of earlier than you even attain cubicle hell.

Then there’s the torture of getting undressed and dressed once more in numerous shops: boots off, denims off, jumper off, to reveal all these wobbly bits, standing in socks with a forlorn expression because the trousers gained’t do up. 

Then making an attempt desperately to search out an assistant to fetch you one other dimension earlier than having to carry out the identical rigmarole yet again.

The total expertise is so soul-sucking, I normally quit after about an hour, deal with myself to a black cab house (as I haven’t spent something), then scour my wardrobe for one thing that also matches whereas sipping a big glass of Chablis.

Surely on-line buying is the reply then? But that has its personal pitfalls. Sizing can differ a lot you don’t have any concept whether or not a garment will match, which means you both should cough up for not less than two sizes, or threat disappointment by solely going for one. 

And the returns course of, nevertheless a lot they attempt to make it simpler with pre-paid labels and couriers, is at all times such a faff.

So I used to be past excited to be taught of Harper Concierge, which provides ‘the convenience of shopping online with the experience of shopping in store’. 

You choose garments on-line within the regular approach then Harper brings them to your home, waits whilst you strive them on, earlier than taking undesirable objects away once more.

Harper has collaborated with 13 manufacturers to supply its service, together with Jigsaw, Me+Em, LK Bennett and Rixo. There are additionally eye-wateringly costly designer manufacturers akin to Victoria Beckham. You don’t pay for the garments till you’ve chosen which of them to maintain — if any.

Apparently, as a nation, we return half of all the garments and sneakers we purchase. A Barclaycard survey suggests we Brits are so hooked on quick style that we’ve grow to be serial returners, sending again objects value round £7 billion yearly. 

But I’ve misplaced depend of the garments I’ve purchased on-line solely to neglect to ship them again on time, forfeiting the cash fully.

Harper confronts this nightmare head-on by returning garments to the warehouse for you. There’s no must obtain a selected app: you merely store on the record of chosen model websites. 

When you get to the checkout select the ‘Try Before You Buy’ choice fairly than paying, enter your deal with after which select your most well-liked day and time slot.

There’s no faffing round with creating an account and coming into in all of your card particulars. If you’re buying from completely different web sites, use the identical e mail deal with for every order and the Harper system works out it’s the identical particular person and collates your objects in a single massive order.

The appointments are 40 minutes lengthy. The Harper stylist arrives at your door along with your garments, you strive them on and determine which ones you’d prefer to preserve — if required they provide their knowledgeable recommendation on what seems to be finest.

Your clothes ‘concierge’ will then take cost on the spot and go away with whichever objects you don’t need. 

There’s no restrict to what number of objects you may order, nevertheless it’s value being life like about how lengthy it is going to take to strive issues on, because the appointment can’t run over.

I invited a girlfriend over to assist me select a knockout social gathering costume, a festive outfit to take me from church to a Christmas lunch, comfortable comfortable trousers, a glam shirt and maybe a piece swimsuit. 

Sitting in my kitchen with a cuppa and my laptop computer, we scrolled by way of on-line shops and selected 14 objects, in a number of sizes.

If I needed to pay upfront, the associated fee would have been prohibitive.

The price for supply varies — for instance Rixo and Me+Em cost £14.95 for the service — however when you order from a number of manufacturers without delay, you can be charged the bottom supply price and Harper can convey it to you as quickly as the next day. 

This is the one extra price it’s important to pay, as Harper makes its cash from fee of as much as 15 per cent on any garments you go on to buy.

Think of it as Deliveroo for style. Currently, Rixo has the service obtainable nationwide, whereas the opposite manufacturers can be found in all 32 London boroughs, with plans to increase.

The model was based by University of Manchester graduate Liam Young in 2017, who got here up with the concept after a package deal he’d ordered from a luxurious model was left by a supply driver in what they’d deemed to be a protected place: a bin.

Two days after I place my clothes order, on the agreed time of 10am, Harper stylist Natasha arrived with my choice, packaged in posh black material clothes luggage on picket hangers — not shrouded in plastic wrappers. What a pleasure to unpack and dangle them all around the room, a riot of color and comfortable materials.

I used to be like a toddler in a sweetshop sifting by way of the outfits, some extra beautiful and adventurous than I’d have chosen usually, others in shapes I wouldn’t normally ponder. And no drab black and gray for me this yr.

That’s the factor about not having to pay upfront — you may afford to be extra daring, to see which works finest. 

I modified within the consolation of my very own bed room, no ghastly neon lights, then wandered into the lounge carrying my very own sneakers to examine my reflection within the full-length mirror.

Plus, I may mix the outfits with my very own equipment, earrings, necklaces and purses. And I had all my ‘fat pants’ and ‘sucky-in tights’ at hand, too.

You select between through-the-door (a stylist is available in and is available to advise you) or to-the-door supply (they go away and return after 40 minutes to gather undesirable objects). 

I went for the primary choice as I needed Natasha’s knowledgeable recommendation. She was trustworthy, mentioning which had been extra flattering and which much less, whatever the price ticket.

The 40-minute appointment was loads of time as I can inform virtually instantly if an outfit is just not me. All I needed to do was choose the objects I needed and pay by card (or in my case cheque because the cellular community in North London is so unhealthy).

Harper additionally ship to your workplace, a godsend for busy working girls, or perhaps a lodge for a last-minute sartorial panic.

The first merchandise I attempted was a cascading blue sequinned Temperley mermaid-like costume. It fitted like a glove and I adored it however thought it was so magnificently excessive I’d seem like a show-off. So it was rejected on grounds of practicality.

Next up was a pale gold Rixo sequined halter-necked costume. The colouring was so form and mild, bringing out the highlights in my hair and flattering older pores and skin, the neckline easy with uncovered shoulders. 

We all have our vanities and mine are my shoulders thanks to fifteen years of boxing. (It’s not simply nice cardio, it actually companies and shapes your arms and shoulders — no bingo wings for me at 66!).

For one thing extra informal, I pulled on an outsized purple polo jumper with sleeves right down to my fingertips and matching fitted purple trousers from Jigsaw.

The trousers had been neat and slimming and a barely shorter reduce, which to my shock paired properly with boots or sparkly sneakers and had been extremely flattering. An ideal look to staff with my Santa hat. 

I wasn’t eager on a Jigsaw silver trouser-suit, although. Its boxy match made me really feel like Graham Norton in drag. It additionally drained all color from my face; I realised silver is just not my good friend. I used to be very relieved to have the ability to merely hand it again to Natasha.

I particularly needed one thing good and playful for Christmas dinner this yr and was drawn to the Me+Em cream pleat-sleeved shirt. I’m not aware of the model however the reduce is comfortable and flattering, the neckline excessive and stylish — no scraggy turkey neck on present. And these beautiful lengthy sleeves! No likelihood of being referred to as into the kitchen to toss the goose fat-drenched roast potatoes in that getup.

I attempted the shirt with a pair of sentimental emerald inexperienced velvet trousers from Samantha Cameron’s Cefinn. Long and floppy, they moved fantastically, a intelligent little bit of elastic hid on the again of the waistband to permit for festive extra.

I’m considering of carrying this outfit with an extended strand of my mom’s deep inexperienced rosary beads to decorate it up and a pair of chunky Nineteen Eighties multi-jewelled earrings.

Natasha mentioned that on common girls purchase three outfits however there’s no stress to purchase in any respect.

In the tip I did purchase three outfits: the pleasant floor-length halter-neck gold sequined costume, the purple Jigsaw ensemble and the velvet trousers and cream pleat-sleeved prime. I may have purchased extra however was working to a finances.

Now I’m all set for a trendy Christmas — and it seems I’ve cured my buying phobia too!

• Go to harperconcierge.com