The Good Life.(trends)

Byline: Sana Butler (Michael Hastings Raina Kelley Silvia Spring Joseph Contreras)

Shopping: Personal Best

No need to let a busy schedule stand in the way of your new spring wardrobe. Just have a personal shopper do the legwork for you. Most luxury department stores now offer the service free of charge. "A personal shopper can be used even if you know how to dress,"

says Isabelle HervA[c] Penard of the personal shopping service at Paris's Galeries Lafayette (galerieslafayette.com ). "It is an efficient way to find your way around."

The mall's best-kept secret is easy. You make an appointment, tell the shopper what you're looking for, your style and size, and often the clothes are waiting in a dressing room when you arrive. You buy only what you like. "I don't pressure my clients," says Emile Shams of Vancouver's Holt Renfrew's At Your Service (holtrenfrew.com ), pointing out that he doesn't work on commission. "I get paid very well by my store." He will scout out everything from shoes and lingerie to jewelry and makeup. Time is of the essence: "If it is during a lunch break, the concierge can deliver sandwiches and a martini," he says. In London, Harrods By Appointment (harrods.com/byappointment ) even opens the store for special clients who cannot shop during regular hours.

Not all personal shoppers are affiliated with stores. Some work with hotels like the Four Seasons in Milan, where guests can e-mail ahead to make appointments. Vogue fashionista Renata Andreani is on call for guests at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hotel (A[currency]800/day; paris-le-grand.intercontinental.com ).

There are also independent shoppers who will scour a variety of stores for a fee. SA[pounds sterling]o Paulo's Silvana Bianchini (from $120/hour; dresscode.com.br ) will even rummage through a client's closet to remove all evidence of bad taste. Dubai stylist Saba Vasim ($100/hour; saba@styleadvisor.net ), who works mainly with executives from out of town, happily tracks down gifts with only vague descriptions. So don't worry about forgetting that anniversary.