We went to a Nordstrom, actually, and worked with their designated stylist who did quite a bit of the picking. The value for the hired stylist was not working for Nordstrom, which meant being able to say "that looks good, here's something that will look as good and cost half as much, and also here's why that looks good on you and where you can find it elsewhere".

EDIT: I really also want to stress that the stylist was just... nice. Completely non-judgmental about me waffling over things, offering lots of advice beyond just the clothing — how different postures affect fits, being able to explain to me why layering was sometimes uncomfortable and how to alleviate it, how to better adjust my fit when my body's size changes, even a gym recommendation. The in-shop stylist was also very nice, but the hired stylist got me through the door to the shop, and for me at least, that was worth the $175.

I used to work at fairly expensive furniture/houseware retailer. They had a big squad of interior designers who all worked for free. They drove so much additional revenue that we didn't need to charge customers at all.

> (especially Nordstrom)

I might be missing the point but aren't you talking upwards of $200+ per outfit (shirt, pants) when shopping at stores like this?

Ymmv with that though - I found some were just trying to get you to buy anything even if the size was completely wrong altogether.

Would an associate on commission give you good advice on budget though?

its not personalized. Funny story. My wife tried it out one time, and we went to meet up with a friend who we haven't seen in 5 years who just came back from working in Japan. The friend and my wife have vastly different body types, hair colors, height and style. Guess who ended up matching exactly in clothing for the night?

It’s not personalized at all when I tried it about a year or so back.

I signed on and in my intake explicitly said I wanted new shorts and I live in Texas so don’t need jackets.

They sent me a jacket and some shoes and shirts and no shorts.

If you’re looking to build out a whole new closet it might be okay if you just want whatever the current style is but if you want something specific it didn’t look like a good product.

I went to Nordstrom looking for a nice blazer to up my wardrobe with a hard limit of $400. I had a couple guys who kept bringing me pricey items that didn't match what I asked for and half heartedly saying "looks good bro trust me". It was annoying, I know they're on commission but at least make an effort to sell.

Finally another of the sales guys started chatting with me. I explained what I wanted and he went and grabbed exactly that. The item was less than my limit and on sale. With the savings in mind I asked if he could suggest a couple more items, told him the colors I like and general style. He brought a few more told me what he honestly thought (if it looked good or not) and I knew this was now my personal stylist.

Now whenever I walk in if he's not working I just come back another day. This guy is good at his job, and has learned what I like. He makes recommendations, I give my feedback when I don't like something, and he rolls with it.

So all I can say is create a litmus test, and don't be afraid to tell them they have totally missed the mark and you're gonna look around on your own. Soon enough someone else will walk up and you try again.

The "stylist" part of Stitch Fix disappointed me the most. I had a different stylist each time even when I didn't request a change and none of them seemed to take feedback into account in the selections. It made me doubt that the "stylist" was anything but a vague algorithm with a boilerplate letter generator.

I used FernDate,[1] which is pitched as a dating profile consult but lets you select services a-la-carte. You can find local stylists and negotiate with them if all you need is a consult — the prices they list on their websites are often expecting to do a full wardrobe assessment, outfit curation, and co-shopping for a femme client, but (in my limited experience) will mark prices down a bit if you're masculine.

1: https://ferndate.com/services/

(As an aside, if you're in Portland or the PNW, I also highly recommend Duchess Clothier as a custom tailor: https://www.duchessclothier.com/)

+1, I'd also love to learn more about your experience, especially about how you found your stylist.