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Why I’m No Longer a Keaton Row Stylist

UPDATE AUG 2018: Hi! This post is over 3 years old and still one of the most popular on my blog. Keep in mind my words below are from 2015 and speak directly to the abrubt transition that Keaton Row made in their format. Thanks!

 

Back in 2013 a hip new company called Keaton Row showed up and promised to change the personal styling experience for women in the United States. Being a stylist, I was immediately drawn to this opportunity. Being able to style women virtually using an innovative new platform with ties to major retailers was a cool thing! Certainly more than I was doing at the time. So I applied. I was accepted! I immediately reached out to my network of people and received several sign ups.

I began to create my first Lookbook. How cool to see styles from actual retailers and be able to put the looks together for a client based on her needs, body type and budget! I sent off lookbook after lookbook after lookbook. A few ordered. Some waited. I was still thrilled; I made sales!

KR_EasyDay

One of my first looks

Until I realized I actually didn’t. You see, unless you reach a certain retail sales threshold each month, you don’t get paid. Given my preference to work with the “everyday woman,” I ended up spending a lot of time on lookbooks and getting absolutely nothing in return other than the satisfaction of knowing I helped a woman get style ideas.

So why weren’t they buying? It wasn’t my abilities; I made sure of that. I know I can style. The challenge was Keaton Row changed retail partners a few times AND their in-house merchandisers rarely listed items of quality that were under $100. Regardless of all these things, I remained a stylist and continued working with those who wanted books from me.

Fast forward to May 2015. I received an e-mail stating Keaton Row was changing their format. They would be hiring stylists on an hourly basis plus commission based on sales. I was welcome to apply, however they were only going to be selecting a few people. Hmm. Ok. I applied. About a week later I received a notification that I wasn’t accepted and my stylist account would be closed in about three days. What?? What about my clients?!?! I was told that I could send them something to this effect:

“I will no longer be styling with Keaton Row but you’re welcome to continue with another stylist.” Those aren’t the exact words but you get the idea. Basically, they were asking me to make it appear as if I elected to no longer style. Uhh, no! You all made that decision! All my clients were then reassigned. One contacted me. She received a random lookbook from her new “stylist” who sent her a book of just expensive dresses. Well….then it hit me. It’s no longer about the women. It’s about profit.

Don’t get me wrong; I understand there is money to be made. But at the expense of the clients? That isn’t something that bodes well in my book.

So, alas, there it is. Why I am no longer a Keaton Row stylist. I hope their new format works well not only for them, but for my former clients also.

I am ALWAYS available to assist you! I have other methods to assist virtually. Don’t hesitate for one second to reach out!

Talk to you soon.

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12 Comments
  • Kriste Hurd
    June 5, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    Hello Krystine! I am sorry to hear of this happening to you. I have loved your styling choices and outfits you put together for me through Keaton Row. I know you will continue to do an awesome job because you not only have an eye for fashion, but a heart for helping women, no matter where they are in their life’s journey. Be encouraged Love!

  • Melissa wilbanks
    November 23, 2015 at 9:42 pm

    I too was reassigned a new stylist. I really loved the clothes the first stylist sent me and they were affordable, then I got the new stylist which has sent a few items I like but most are always in the 250-300 range per piece.
    I came across your post here while trying to find another styling site that might be similar. Do you know of any?

  • Leigh Profit
    June 14, 2017 at 5:52 am

    Just came across this post from the Forbes article. I too was a Keaton Row stylist. I started with them from the beginning, an amateur wannabe stylist. I ended up being one of their top sellers at one point, and I was thrilled that I was finally able to do a (part time) job that I always had a passion for. I was also frustrated with the constant changes in vendors, lack of budget-friendly items, etc. but I kept plugging along and my clients kept buying! When they asked us to reapply, I thought for sure I would be selected. What a joke! My opinion is they had already identified which stylists they would keep, and the whole “re-application” process was just a ploy to make it look like we all had a fair chance. I do miss styling, and have had former clients reach out to me asking for help. I usually will help them for free since they were such loyal clients and left Keaton Row when I did.

    Best wishes to you!

      • Hope
        December 28, 2017 at 10:36 pm

        I’m an aspiring stylist. I would love any advice you have for me to get started. I’m currently a hair stylist but I have always had a passion for fashion and making women feel truly beautiful. I’m sure your a busy woman but from the looks of it your quite successful. Any advice at all would be gladly appreciated!

  • Brandy Flint
    September 2, 2017 at 1:38 pm

    Wow…this is ironic because I was a stylist with Keaton Row as well and had a similar experience. I was already an experienced wardrobe stylist and thought this would be nice to make extra money. Plus I would be helping women that I would never be able to reach otherwise. Well fast forward to 2014 when I started my own online clothing boutique, still working for Keaton Row but not that active because of the issue you described with not selling enough to actually make a profile. I saw the need for quality reasonable clothing with a price point of under $200. I suggested to the owners to use more reasonably priced boutiques like my store because there is a desperate need for it. I even suggested certain stores and compared products & pricing. Well I immediately received a very nasty answer from Eleanor basically telling me that I was out of line for suggesting anything of this nature blah, blah, blah. So when I called her out on the Keaton Row Facebook page she responded and acted like she had no idea who I was or what I was talking about, I posted her her email to me to let everyone know she was a liar, then my comment was deleted and was restricted from the page. I was done with them after that and deleted my stylist account soon after that. The reason why they went out of business is because they were too busy thinking about making money hand over fist and not realizing that being greedy was killing their customer base. Customers that have that type of money can afford a personal stylist, they didn’t need Keaton Row. Keaton Row needed to appeal to the middle income customers who budget shop but still like nicer clothing I.e. TJ Max or Premium Outlet shoppers. Their business model was all wrong and the owners were too narcissistic to see that they were the ones that killed their company not us stylists…I don’t feel sorry for them at all that the business folded…it was inevitable. I am glad you shed light on what they were doing and I really hope you didn’t let this stop you from continuing to be a fabulous stylist ??You are awesome just for posting this..they were so phony and tried to make it seems like it was us when it was really them.

  • Mona Israel
    April 29, 2018 at 12:34 pm

    Thank you for this post. I am a fashion designer, artist, and review apps. I want to be a fashion stylist but I don’t know what companies would be good to work for. Any advice you can give that would help. I almost thought of working for them too but your post helped.

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