Are you being served?

IT’S 10am. My first day of work.

I have a meeting with Tony in Human Resources who takes me through the staff handbook.

Personal grooming, approaching a customer (the right way) and team work are all covered before being presented with my very own name badge.

It’s official. I’m now part of the sales team at Ireland’s largest department store — Arnotts.

Although my tenure only extends to 5pm that day, I can’t resist the opportunity to swap my duties as fashion writer to get an insight into the buying habits of the typical Irish female.

Having reported at international catwalk shows for several years, I am conscious that the language between runway and reality can get lost in translation, especially where budget, age and body shape are concerned. With that I sometimes wonder what women really want and more importantly, if this season’s ‘must-haves’ even register at the tills.

My first induction is with Clara — head of personal shopping at Arnotts — where I am allowed to shadow her first appointment of the day. We meet Mary — a woman in her 50s whose daughter is getting married this summer in Spain. She needs occasion wear that will suit her petite apple shape and the balmy Mediterranean clime.

I accompany Clara to the floor where she navigates the rails like a heat-seeking missile. She has just the solution — a selection of shift dresses from Minuet Petite, Gold and Jacques Vert in block colours (very this season) and bold florals, not forgetting an armful of shrugs, bags and fascinators.

Considering the store’s floor space clocks in at 30,000 sq ft, this is quite impressive. So is her manner.

“How do you feel Mary?” enquires Clara as Mary tries on various confections from the rail. This approach makes sense as women are typically emotional shoppers.

While Mary and her two daughters discuss their preferences, Clara dispatches me to fetch some size five nude peep toe shoes — the perfect leg lengthener for Mary’s petite frame, not to mention something she can wear again and again.

My radar directs me to a pair of patent Guess heels — so vertiginous, so off-brief. Poor Mary blanches gently at my alms. “Why don’t you try the Van Dal brand?” Clara suggests gently and I scurry back, slightly mortified that I’ve ignored the golden rule of personal shopping: ‘Thou must shop for others.’ Mary loves the bolero shrugs which cover her arms, something Clara tells me is a common complaint for many women.

By the end of the two-hour session, Mary chooses an entire outfit anchored in a complexion-brightening coral. Clara’s client leaves happy. Job done.

And with that, I prepare to join the retail girls in the Women’s Contemporary section for some selling. I quickly change into an outfit from the floor with the assistance of two of the retail assistants who recommend a navy French Connection jumpsuit along with a softer jersey alternative from Marella and a Pinko rope belt.

I choose the navy all-in-one and prepare to join Sammi at Ralph Lauren. The vibe is friendly, approachable and laid back. I am told staff always let a customer know they are there to help, but never pounce.

This balanced approach is all part of the store’s strong commitment to customer service and team work. Sammi excuses herself to check in with a customer who is browsing among the denim. She returns saying, “If a customer can’t find what she is looking for in one section, we’ll know where to redirect them so they get exactly what they want”.

So what do Irish women really want? I take a walkabout on the shop floor to answer this dangling question mark. I see bright hues in Lungta de Fancy, contemporary minimalist separates in Nicole Farhi and Jaeger and lots of frocks.

“For SS/11 we are seeing a return to stylish investment pieces,” explains buyer Deirdre Devaney of the understated aesthetic, adding that there is an increased demand for “day-to-play” clothing.

It appears cost-per-wear consciousness is still a key concern for Mná Na hÉireann who’d rather invest in classic tailoring over inconstant trends. That being said, Irish women aren’t averse to newness with the 70s trend, according to Devaney, represented strongly across Arnotts this season in blouses, high-waisted wide-legged trousers and long flowing dresses.

Although I didn’t manage to sell to anyone on my floor time (admittedly I was mentally shopping for me… again), I did learn a lot and was prepared to digest the morning’s experience with general manager Leesa Kavanagh.

As we chat over cappuccinos, it’s clear Arnotts has earned its place as a Dublin landmark over the past 150 years but I wonder has it become a fashion destination in its own right.

“We will still always cater for the classic lady, the core customer we’ve always had in Arnotts,” admits Leesa.

“The customer split though has gone fairly 50/50 which is a huge move forward for us and something that has happened over the past 18 months with the 11 new concession we’ve taken into our business.”

I nod vigorously, having noticed contemporary brands such as Reiss, Jaeger Boutique, Ghost, Lee for Vivienne Westwood jeans and Irish designer Heidi Higgins since last I visited the store. That being said, I’ve yet to spy hotly-touted catwalk trends like Prada-esque brothel creepers or pyjama separates a la Alexander Wang.

“I would say that we suit the trends and the products we have to the customers that come into the store,” remarks Leesa who cites the shift as the store’s most popular dress style and sees major cross-over appeal in this season’s colour-blocking craze.

“Customers tend to buy into colours more so than styles,” she says of the Irish shopper.

“If someone is looking for a coral dress, we’d direct them to various brands depending on their age group which would range from French Connection and Ted Baker to Betty Barclay and Gerry Weber.” A little something for everyone it seems.

Educating the customer is another key focus for the store which runs its widely-received ‘SOS’ Style on Saturdays workshops.

“It shows them that they can actually translate the look to suits their body shape and age group,” she explains of the weekly events hosted by stylists and well-known faces such as Xposé’s Lisa Canon, adding that staff are also trained in the fine art of pairing body shapes and trends.

Without doubt, the day has been an eye-opener and has prompted me to question the occupational hazards of my own buying habits (Lady Gaga boots anyone?) and whether I should adjust the radar of my own ‘must-have’ recommendations. I can’t see myself abstaining from London and Paris Fashion Week anytime soon but I have fostered a new found respect for the considered dresser who knows herself and dresses accordingly.