Private Shopping Parties

Why:  To avoid mall parking and bad dressing room lighting and get personal consultations on what best suits your shape, your budget, and your style

Gone are the days of Tupperware, PartyLite, and The Pampered Chef. Instead of feeling obligated to attend a friend or coworker’s Avon party—and be guilted into buying something you don’t need—women are hosting private shopping events with quality clothing, jewelry, and accessories that you’ll actually wear. Here are three of the hot-test parties. 

1 THE GLITZ
Hot Ice’s Eden Prairie show room is only open six times a year for three-day sales, but other times Stacey Rosenthal and owner Ricki Butwinick offer private showings of their jewelry collection. Rosenthal has been with Hot Ice for sixteen of the jewelry company’s eighteen years and knows the merchandise—and the competition’s. The company has had more than 500 shows and sold 100,000-plus pieces of its designer imitations of pendant necklaces, brooches, and cocktail rings—for $15 to $90 per piece. Rosenthal and Butwinick also sell some jewelry they’ve designed themselves. 952-975-9852

2 THE GARB
Bella Sofie’s Sarah Ramsay is a personal fashion consultant for the Juliana Collezione clothing line. The key is one-on-one consulting: Ramsay, who caters to clients east of the river, offers objective opinions on what really works for different body types. Her clients are fashion-forward women who like to buy clothes that few others  will have—Juliana merchandise is only sold by Juliana sales reps. She schedules ten-day shows four times a year (to correspond with the seasons), during which you can reserve a private shopping time to try on “fit samples” to see which sizes of the styles you want will fit. Two to six weeks later, she sets up a time when you can try on everything you’ve ordered. If an item doesn’t work, you can exchange it or return it for credit. Each season’s collection features 300 to 400 pieces—from blue jeans to gowns. Tops start at $95, bottoms at $195, jackets at $295. 651-216-6798; to find a Juliana representative west of the river, visit the company's website

3 THE GRIP
Though we don’t have our own 1154 Lill Studio store—a Chicago-based handbag and accessories concept—at least we’ve got local reps who will visit our homes for purse parties. They bring twenty-five bag styles—from chic to functional, clutches to totes, even diaper bags—in black, with gray accent pieces. Then you customize them—picking from 150 funky fabrics (up to five fabrics per bag, depending on the style) for the exterior, interior, pocket, and strap. Prices are better than you’d expect, ranging from $25 for a coin purse to $150 for a messenger bag. There are also belts and fabric-covered photo albums available. Though you can order on the website, at the parties you can feel the fabrics and really see how they’ll look together on your personalized bag—which is shipped to your home three weeks later. To make your appointment, call 773-292-6310 ext. 230 or visit the company's website