Christmas Shopping
Give Yourself for Christmas (34) £79.99. Get all dressed up, courtesy of New Look, placed in a big box and delivered to your partner. Who said we don’t want to be objectified?
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The £79.99 service includes a stylist to help select an outfit, and a professional makeover.
difference in three stores: Oxford St, Metro Centre in Gateshead and Bluewater, ‘Give Yourself for Christmas’ wraps the customer in an adult-size box and delivers her to an address within a five-mile radius of the store.
The £79.99 service includes a stylist to help select an outfit, and a professional makeover.
What do you give the man who has everything? Yourself
What do you give the man who has everything… Yourself!
Mernie Gilmore road-tests the latest Christmas present idea – a gift wrapped you Memories of last year’s Christmas shopping are still etched on my mind.
A desperate December dash around Oxford Street, credit card meltdown and nerves equally frayed, left me determined that this year would be different. No more last minute present. No sir- this year’s yuletise would be all about organisation and forward planning.
Of course, 11 months on and I find myself in the same situation as last – it’s nearly December and the number of gifts that I have bought so far currently stands at zero.
So imagine my joy when I heard about a new service provided by the fashion chain New Look. Forget searching around for the perfect gift for your partner – why not give yourself for Christmas instead? For £80 you get to hightail it to your nearest participating store where you are greeted by a stylist who helps you shop.
You are then dressed in a new outfit worth up to £50 (which in New look is more than possible) and given a glamorous makeover before being shipped off in a large gift-wrapped box to your beloved’s doorstep.
The moment your partner answers the door and rips open the paper you can shout ‘Surprise!’ (or whatever you want to shout, really) and there you have it: the perfect Christmas present. After all what’s not to like? It’s you, gift-wrapped. OK, it might not be one of those flashy ipods that you can watch videos on but it’s got the personal touch.
So last week, I went to New Look’s London flagship store where I was met by stylist Arieta Mujay. She grabbed a trolley and started pulling things off the shelves. Trailing in her wake she asked me what I like to wear. “Er, wrap dresses,” I answered as I looked nervously at what was being selected. To be honest, I’m not much of a shopper.
But Arieta’s enthusiasm for the task was infectious and before I knew what had happened I was standing in the changing rooms surrounded by great piles of clothes and shoes. In the end there was one dress that was perfect. It was one of my stock favourites, a wrap dress, but when teamed with a lovely necklace and some killer heels it was a successful outfit.
Next, on to the delivery. There were, I could see, some logistical problems. Firstly my boyfriend lives in what would be described as a slightly edgy area of London/ The idea of being deposited in a gift-wrapped box on his doorstep didn’t appeal – left long enough there’s a chance I’d get nicked.
And what would happen if he wasn’t in? It would be a terrible shame to be glammed up and then left in the rain with my gift wrapped gradually disintegrating. Rest assured, say New Look. That would never happen. They contact your partner beforehand to arrange a time for a mystery delivery. And when you are put on the doorstep, you are accompanied by two delivery men, who make sure that you are successfully opened by your lover before they get back into their van and drive off on their next assignment. In the end, I decided to cheat slightly. I lulled my long-suffering boyfriend to our office under false pretensions (something about finishing work late and then going out for dinner).
Getting back into the box was a bit of a palaver – crouching down on four inch heels so that the box can be placed on top of you is no mean feat. And managing to stand up again without toppling forward was a miracle. The moment he saw the box he became suspicious. After all, the fact that there is a life-sized box is a bit of a giveaway in itself.
Thankfully the whole went swimmingly. My boyfriend was surprised, I didn’t fall over and I got a nice dress in the bargain. “I suppose my first reaction was to think, ‘Wow, look at the size of the box,’” he told me when I grilled him afterwards. “I’m reasonably tall but it even towered over me. And it is a bit strange seeing your girlfriend in a box.
Obviously it was fun to tear off the packaging but it didn’t help matters that you were giggling inside and telling me to get on with it. That said, you looked stunning so I tried not to waste too much time.” OK, so I paid him to say the last bit, but all in all I would deem the experience a great success.
Bring on next Christmas, where to top this year, I intend to be fired from a cannon straight into my boyfriend’s workplace as a festive surprise. I’m sure he’ll love that. Give Yourself for Christmas from New Look, is available only in London. There are plans to roll it out nationwide next year. For details, call 020 7324 7200.
