Confessions of a Personal Shop-a-holic

By Jennie Fitzgerald

“I feel at home at the mall,” declares Keisha Greaves, personal shopper and aspiring fashion designer elite. It must be nice to shop for a living and give the tired and true a look that’s brand new, but for Keisha Greaves, it’s taken years of education and a passion for fashion.

Keisha has been climbing up the fashion ladder since pursuing her associate’s from Bay State College, her bachelor’s from Framingham State, and now her MBA from Cambridge College. With all the knowledge under her belt, she sees her future as limitless – desiring to model her career after her fashion idol, Kimora Lee Simmons. “I am always on her website and even bought my prom dress from there.” Until she opens her own boutique and tackles the runways, Keisha’s focus is personal shopping for everyday people.

Her keen eye for a look that works is what made Keisha the self-proclaimed fashion police. “I can spot a person out walking down the street and tell if that person is into fashion or not. I love it!” But don’t be alarmed, she’s all about working with her clients to blend their style with her own expertise. She works with everyone from business women to housewives ~ all of whom want to update their wardrobe or try something new. Keisha studies their lifestyles and works her way up from there. “I work with them to make sure they look their best ~ even if it’s getting them out of their shell because that is what most of them want, for me to get them out of their shell, and give them a completely different look.”

The process seems simple. She consults with her clients to see what risks they’re willing to take and what they’re looking for specifically…then it’s time to hit the mall (or the web)! While shopping, her aim is to make her client feel “confident, sexy, and sophisticated, and to give them the umph they need in order to feel good about themselves.”

This pro shopper’s goal is to start small with her own boutique and quietly take over the fashion world with her loud style. Her inspirations are the likes of Betsey Johnson and Christian LaCroix, so her store should be filled with fun, colorful, sophisticated looks. Despite the economic downturn, she’s optimistic that when she’s ready, the economy will be as well. If it all works out, she’ll go from giving her plain-Jane friends a makeover to designing a dress for Michelle Obama.

Until then, she’s following her own advice for others looking to get into the fashion industry ~ promoting her business with websites, blogs, and cards and attending different fashion events because, “Once you have that experience, people consider you and look further into you resume. Do some networking and connect with different people… you will succeed and feel great from that.”

Looking for a new look? Check out Keisha Greaves on Myspace: Keisha’s Fashion Designs/Personal Shopper (profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=418357979) or email her at diamondheart123@hotmail.com.