TRISH has thick auburn hair, Bambi eyelashes and cheekbones that would make Katherine Hepburn look like a cherub. At almost 5ft 10in, she exudes effortless sophistication in whatever she wears. In her mid-30s and with two children under five, she is returning to work and is in a fluster over her wardrobe. "I just feel like a whale!" she wails. "I am lumpy and out of shape [she isn't] and it's all around the tummy area. I just want someone to fix me!"

Wary of clothes too tight, clingy, 'young' or overly trendy, she wants a quickremedy solution . . . and doesn't want to have to trudge all over the world looking for it. "I have become such a lazy shopper, " she says, "I am now one of those batty women who stops people on the street to ask them, 'Where did you get that?'" Being one of her spottest victims, I get grilled about how she is going to assemble her arsenal of new work clothes. "Just go to one of the shops and get a personal stylist . . . it's free!" I suggest.

These days nearly every high-street shop has a really good personal stylist on hand . . . so even if you are shopping shy there is no excuse to still be well-dressed and not spend a fortune. Some shops such as Topshop in Dublin even do a home-styling service for groups (Tel 087 294 6961).

At A/wear on Grafton Street and in Dundrum Town Centre, head style adviser Lia Tallon is on hand for one-onone advice and for help with style dilemmas in particular (Tel 086 835 3139 or see www. awear. ie). "The styling service we set up was in response the hundreds of emails we were getting with fashion problems, " she says.

Her advice for Trish? "Some basic tshirts and camis to wear underneath little cardies will go a long way at work and are smart enough for a restaurant without looking too dressed up."