Forget good taste or a natural sense of style; celebrities look good (with notable exceptions) because they have stylists. While we muddle together outfits from our uninspiring wardrobes, they have the expert advice of a fashionista, who can spot a fad from a classic and make mutton look like lamb.

And with my dour wardrobe, I was one lamb ready for the slaughter.

My wardrobe is filled with the mismatched product of snatched Saturday afternoons battling the crowds on Oxford Street, only to come back with a bag of rushed purchases buoyed by the enthusiasm of a well-meaning but misguided friend. It was time for an overhaul, and time to give in to an unadulterated weekend of retail overindulgence.

Eager to escape London and turn this trip into a long weekend, I headed to a city where the inhabitants are born to shop; where every street, restaurant and nightclub is a catwalk, and where high street and department stores are in close proximity. Couple this with a trendy city centre apartment, tables at hot restaurants, a spot of pampering, and a shopping buddy, and it was looking like the ideal girly weekend.

Providing all of this in a neat package is a company called stayingcool, whose Manchester apartments are 10 minutes walk from Harvey Nichols, Primark, and every shop in between, and whose Style Weekends include a day with people who really can make you look better, from the style consultancy, Stylizers.

We arrived at Manchester Piccadilly Station at 9pm, and by 9.30pm were fritting excitedly around our apartment, switching on the huge telly, browsing through iTunes on a trendy Apple computer, thumbing through the free Manchester Time Out guide, sniffing the trendy Umi toiletries and marvelling at the fridge full of the organic goodies we’d requested for breakfast.

Spending the weekend here, with wall-to-ceiling glass overlooking the River Irwell (never mind the odd discarded trolley), lounging on lurid designer furniture and sipping champagne on the balcony was surely the inspiration we needed to unleash the glamour goddesses within.

Having saved up for this blow-out for weeks there was no way we were going to jeopardise this splurge with a hangover (save that for Saturday), so we left the champagne in the fridge and by 11pm we were in bed. Nine hours later were munching on organic muesli in our dressing gowns: so much better than having the dress for a hotel buffet breakfast (stayingcool apartments have kitchens with coffee machines, Illy coffee, a juicer and a stack of oranges).

At 9.30am I opened the door to Ronke Fashola, the brains behind Stylizers, who despite carrying armfuls of bags and dragging a wheelie bag looked stunning in high heels, a purple, green and white dress, purple cardigan, green tights and countless matching accessories. Even later when she topped this with a red mac – yes red, with green and purple - she still looked chic. Standing at the door in my battered jeans and white V-neck it was clear who needed the help.

The day started with a consultation over what our wardrobes comprised, what outfits we wanted to buy, where we needed help and if we had any body hang-ups: cue a Trinny and Susannah moment, with much bearing of midriffs.

It was an unusually intimate experience sharing our shortcomings and anxieties, which albeit about the frivolities of our wardrobes, revealed our insecurities and how we’d like to be perceived by others. It's not just retail therapy - talk to Ronke about her clients and she’ll tell you about a lonely doctor who found love after a makeover and wardrobe overhaul, and a woman who learnt to love her size 18 figure by finding the right clothes. I wasn’t looking for miracles, just a splash of colour and some advice on layering, a style that I love but has evaded me.

Ronke took notes as we spoke and showed us colour palettes of agreeable combinations. All of this would be combined into an individual portfolio, including details of items bought, and those outstanding, money spent and style advice, which is given to clients after a consultation. She assured us that she wouldn’t impose her personal style on us but would help us to find our own, starting with an injection of colour.

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