A matter of taste: China's wealthy turn to personal stylists
Advising the wealthy on style is big business for companies like Ximan Colour, which tells its clients how to dress, shop and even speak
In a tastefully decorated room in Shanghai's Westgate Mall, Ada Wang stands in front of a carved wooden mirror, studying the velvet blue dress she has just put on. She is handed a white Japanese-made silk scarf to match the imported French dress, and is told it makes her appear more elegant and sophisticated.
Wang is not in a shop, but the VIP room of a personal fashion consultant. Wang, 43, is a self-made businesswoman, the general manager of a logistics company in the mainland's largest city. Yet she is more confident managing 400 employees than she is about her personal image.
Two years ago, Wang sought the advice of Ximan Colour, a high-end personal styling company that has given her advice ranging from applying make-up to reorganising her wardrobe, and taken her on shopping tours and overseas fashion study trips.
So far, she has spent more than 500,000 yuan (HK$630,000) on the company's service.
"I think the money I've spent here has been worth it," she said.
"I feel like a different person with a new look. It makes me more confident in front of my husband and working partners."