When I knew that ASOS were updating their ASOS Personal Stylist service, I knew I had to do another review. I trialled their first version back in 2012… it wasn’t the best of posts, but it actually seemed quite popular. I was intrigued to know what it was all about this year, so here you go! I promise this isn’t sponsored… although I wish it was… *cough* 😉

ASOS STYLISTS – OPEN FROM 3-8PM SUNDAY TO FRIDAY & SATURDAY 12-4PM – UK ONLY

Firstly, you have to fill in a little form so your stylist knows exactly what you want. Previously you just popped in your name, but now they suggest that you pop in exactly what you want. I said ‘I want some ideas of how to layer tulle… and I also want to find some Ashish style sparkles.’ This was just for a taster, but I did genuinely want to know what was available.

You get to chose who you want to talk to, it tells you which stylists are available or which ones you have to queue for (I think one of the longest waits was 27 minutes! What?!)… I think I took too long deciding because ‘Joseh’ or ‘Jose’, popped up! At first I was a bit weirded out because on the previous one they just got straight to the point, but I guess it’s in the name, this is ‘personal’. The widget is clear and easy to read with the nice colours… along the same lines as messaging on an iPhone. 

I was asked questions about my style, size and shape which helped ‘Joseh’ out. I explained that I wanted to know what sort of thing I could wear underneath a sheer tulle midi skirt (see here), and that my budget was up to about £30. I was introduced to the ‘Style Board’ which is a bit like a ‘live’ pinning service for you and your stylist.

The ‘Style Board’ opens in a new window and you can add images from Google, your computer, or from the ASOS site. I added a picture of my main gal’ Susie Lau, and a snap of the tulle skirt I was talking about. It was a lot easier adding my own image because ‘Joseh’ could see exactly what I wanted and what I meant. It’s surprisingly easy to use, and has that fun part to it… seeing new images being added by somebody in another place… the small things! 

One of the best parts is that it tells you what your stylist is doing, in the last version you just knew when they were typing, but with this it tells you exactly what they are doing. Like I said, it really is quite personal, but once you get used to it, it’s actually quite interesting. Also, the ‘Style Board’ gives you something to do whilst you wait… it really is quite the improvement.

Some of the features of the ‘Style Board’ included being able to save, and add products to your bag in which your stylist had chosen, as well as refine your searches so it’s easier to find, definitely a time saver! I ended up saving 2 things in my saved list and they went straight into it, no hassle at all!

If you don’t like something there is also a hide function which means your stylist knows what not to look for. It’s helpful to get to a shortlist of things you really genuinely love. The whole layout of the page is great and I love the fact that the stylist says with you the whole time. No checking back to other windows, I hate that!

Improvements: I love the fact there is a ‘Style Board’ now… it makes it a lot easier to save items and keeps everything under one roof. The layout and interface is a lot nicer and keeping track of what your stylist is doing is a great help.

Cons: I would say it makes it a bit more of a lengthier process than the last version.. before I feel like you could just ask for one item you were looking for, where as here it’s more for ‘looks’ or a ‘bunch of things’. My whole session took 45 minutes (Yup!), I definitely feel like it would be something you’d only use if you are really struggling with something.

Stylist Feedback: ‘Joseh’ or ‘Jose’ was really helpful and well mannered. He was patient and seemed genuinely interested what I was looking for. He found some great pieces although they weren’t 100% what I was looking for. I wouldn’t say he necessarily sold anything to me, but then again I guess he didn’t really know what I suited etc.

Overall: I would say it has improved, but the fact that I felt like I had to be creating a look rather than just quickly asking if they did X or Y, made me feel like I should just leave  it for special occasions, although the stylist seemed like he should be able to help with just any 1 product. I’m interested in trying out the other stylists though, I already feel like 2 of them have my type of style, and they have been followed on Twitter!

Would I recommend the service? Hmm… yes if you have the time. I think if you’re looking for an outfit for a special occasion this will be absolutely perfect, plus the ‘Style Board’ is quite fun 🙂 Rating: 8/10

Have you tried out the new service yet? Want to see what the difference is? Check out the last review here. Leave a comment if you like!