Personally

A lot of people don't know that when I first moved to Chicago, I was hired as a personal shopper/stylist at Marshall Fields (now Macy's; pathetic). If you had asked me then, being a stylist was my dream job. I never took the position because I got a higher-paying offer at a law firm and needed to be able to pay my whopping $645/month all-utilities-included rent for my laughably tiny studio in Lincoln Park. (I thought I was straight living the dream, I really did!)

I didn't end up working in fashion, and I'm as close as it gets to working a realistic "dream job," but I still fantasize about being a stylist. But it doesn't pay well, the fashion industry is even harder to break into than the public relations industry, and I've already done that with my blood, sweat and tears, thank you. And who needs to start over when they've got a shoe addiction to furnish anyway?

Right. No illustrious stylist-to-the-stars career for me. But that doesn't mean I can't employ the services of one. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a personal shopper at J. Crew - a complementary service they offer at select stores around the country (check online for locations) - with the promise that they won't hound me too much to buy things. (We'll see.) I have been eyeing a few things from the Spring collection, and I'm going to be needing a new suit in the coming months, so I figure it's worth a try and will dutifully report back to you, reader(s), about the experience.

I know you're excited.