Hollywood’s power shoppers know what the rich want and they’ll do anything to get it

(CNN) — Back in 2019, Gab Waller would never have expected that her first client as a personal shopper would be the English model and actor Rosie Huntington-Whitely. Based in Australia and working for the local government at the time, Waller couldn’t have been further away from the world of high fashion that she wanted to break into.

The turning point came when Huntington-Whiteley posted on Instagram that she was looking for a particular Celine coat. “I had spoken to a boutique in Denmark a week prior who had the coat. I messaged them straight away asking if they still had it, and they said yes, but I wondered how I could possibly get in touch with Rosie,” said Waller, noting it was unlikely the celebrity would see, let alone respond, to her message.

But that didn’t stop her, and a few days later Waller was able to make contact with Huntington-Whiteley through another fashion influencer on Instagram – and the designer coat was successfully acquired. “She paid full price,” said Waller. “And she did a 10-part Instagram Story telling her followers that I had found it. It was truly like an overnight explosion – the immediate influx of requests and demands and everything in-between. Not only did she put my name in the spotlight, but also the role of fashion sourcing. People were like ‘oh wow, there is a girl that can find you things that are sold out.’”

For the rich and famous, getting dressed is a high-stakes business. A single look can elevate one’s social and professional status, or put them on the path of viral meme infamy. Then there’s the growing public fascination with how the ultra-wealthy are spending their money (remember the frenzy around the $50 million Bezos wedding?) – and social media’s “rich people who rich right” sub-genre.

The job of dedicated luxury shoppers like Waller is two-fold: make specific product recommendations, and source those impossible-to-get-your-hands on items (for example, a rare piece of vintage or a very limited edition luxury bag). Today, Waller is based in Los Angeles and works as a personal shopper for clients including Hailey Bieber, Lori Harvey, Sofia Richie Grainge, Sabrina Elba, and the Kardashians. And she isn’t operating alone in this space.

Catherine Bloom is a personal shopper so well known among Hollywood stars and top-level executives that they often just refer to her by first name. She’s also been dubbed the “Michael Jordan of personal styling” at Nordstrom, the upscale American department store she joined in 2025 as the first-ever director of luxury styling, after a decades-long tenure at fellow luxury retailer Neiman Marcus.

Elsewhere, Marci Hirshleifer-Penn is the personal shopping director of her family’s Long Island luxury boutique, Hirshleifers, which has been in business for over a century, carrying designer labels like Chanel, Kith and Saint Laurent. On her personal Instagram and TikTok accounts, Hirshleifer-Penn often shares her own designer outfits and must-have items, a Celine calfskin midi skirt with a gourmette chain fastening one day, a military-green Saint Laurent jacket with a stand collar the next. With a knack for securing the most covetable pieces, she’s also a fashion whisperer of sorts who sources rare Chanel, Hermès and Alaia pieces for the 1%.

More than ever, these personal shoppers’ purchases – on behalf of their ultra-wealthy clients – are crucial to brands. While the middle class is stalling, to put it mildly, the irredeemably rich appear to be getting even richer. In late 2025, the top wealthiest 1% of Americans controlled almost 32% of the nation’s wealth – to the tune of $55 trillion – the highest since World War II, according to Federal Reserve data.

And while the global luxury sector contracted in 2025, it was predominantly due to a pullback from aspirational shoppers, according to management consulting firm Bain & Company. Very Important Customers (known as VICs) represent just over 2% of the total customer base but account for 45% of luxury purchases worldwide and are continuing to “sustain demand,” Bain said.

Becoming a personal shopper

So, apart from fateful connections on Instagram, how do you become a personal shopper to the world’s VICs? For Bloom, it was her grandmother who first ignited her interest in fashion as a child living in Seattle. At 18 she moved to Los Angeles, enrolling at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (where she majored in merchandising and retail) while simultaneously working at Neiman Marcus. Over many years, Bloom worked her way up to become an in-demand personal shopper, where no ask was insurmountable.

“I once got a call in the middle of the night that someone had passed away, and they needed 500 black handkerchiefs in Indonesia,” she recalled. “We had to wake up the hanky person in Switzerland – and we were able to do it.” It might sound like an odd request, but, as Bloom noted, “We get all kinds of requests, so nothing really is unusual to us. We just figure it out and make it happen.”

Bloom has a reputation for being acutely aware of what looks good on her clients. This – along with memorizing their individual preferences and an eye for spotting the next big thing in fashion – has cemented her name in a highly competitive industry. “The thing about fashion is that you have to be on it,” said Bloom, whose clients range from pre-tweens and their parents to octogenarians. “You can’t just like the new because it’s new, but because there’s a reason it applies to the lifestyles of those you are helping.”

Having a good read of people is also important to Marci Hirshleifer-Penn, who spends as much time on the shop floor as on social media. “I like to learn what the client wants or what they’re asking for,” she said. “You can see where they go, how they dress, what they like… there’s a lot of guidance and educating people to be more comfortable and confident with how they look and what they wear.”

Her family business drew her to fashion at an early age. A fifth-generation Hirshleifer, she was born in Boston, Massachusetts and lived in New Jersey for a brief, few years. Her knowledge of fashion and clienteling stems from her vast experience in retail. After completing cosmetology school and deciding it wasn’t for her, Hirshleifer-Penn had stints at Henri Bendel and other smaller boutiques, before returning to her family’s boutique in Long Island, where she worked across various roles. “I definitely learned all aspects of the business,” she said.

Her responsibilities at Hirschleifers expanded into personal shopping when the Covid-19 pandemic restricted stores from opening. “We had to close the door, but the store phone was still on, so they all went to my cell,” said Hirshleifer-Penn. “We were the only game in town, I’d say, that could still get your Chanel classic. So, at that point, people were just reaching out and that’s when my Instagram grew a tremendous amount and I made relationships with certain clients.”

According to Hirshleifer-Penn, those clients include celebrities, influencers, and NFL players. While she doesn’t provide specific names, a scan of her social media accounts reveals one unexpected video with the likes of American actor Tracee Ellis Ross, indicating the caliber of stars turning to her for help. Also often featured in her videos is her aunt, Lori Hirshleifer, who is the buyer and co-CEO of the family-run store.

Similarly, Waller explored different jobs within fashion, including PR, styling and buying, before finding her calling. Born in Rockhampton, in central Queensland, Australia, her first job was working for the Australian government in compliance, across Brisbane and Sydney. It was in the latter city that she made her career transition when she realized fashion stores internationally were “getting a lot more stock than Australia did,” she said. “I started wondering if there was a way I could procure pieces for the Australian market.”

Six months later, Waller had accrued a predominantly local client base, and by 2021 she had relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an independent personal shopper. Unlike some of her peers, she doesn’t work on commission but charges a flat-rate sourcing fee of $320. “There’s transparency and my clients know that every time they submit a request they’re not going to be surprised at the end of it,” she said.

And for Waller, no request is too challenging. “I do strongly believe that every item does exist out there. It’s really about finding it, whether it’s directly from the brand, or a multi-brand store and the piece is in their warehouse, or it could be a private, preloved situation where it’s sitting in one of my client’s wardrobes and I’ll message them asking if they’re willing to sell it.” She continued: “I have always loved the hunt, the finding the needle in the haystack.”

What the ultra-wealthy want

So, what are people asking for? “It’s a lot of daytime dressing that travels well,” said Bloom. “It used to feel like people didn’t really dress up during the day. Now, people really want to. People are also traveling much more. Everyone wants to be in on this kind of cool, casual dress that doesn’t look like you’re trying too hard.”

When it comes to specific brands, the most frequently requested is Chanel, according to both Waller and Hirshleifer-Penn. “Chanel is absolutely number one, year-over-year, consistently,” Waller continued. “I have even said to myself, I don’t think it could get any bigger, but with (creative director) Matthieu Blazy coming in, it’s just truly going to go to another level. I’ve already started to see that with the amount of pre-order interest for his collections.”

She added that Dior, too, was rising in popularity again, noting that “there were many years with no requests” from clients for the brand. “Maybe one here or there. And I was sad to see that because I love Dior.” Now, with recently appointed creative director Jonathan Anderson, “I’m not only receiving requests for Dior, but it’s converting to sales and orders,” Hirshleifer-Penn said.

“People can spend their money wherever and however they want, so you have to make it special and give them a reason to come back to you,” said Hirshleifer-Penn, who in December brought a client with her to attend the Chanel 2026 Métiers d’art show in New York. For Hirshleifer-Penn, it was an opportune moment. “It’s not always the easiest; it depends on the season and where the show is and the timing. In this case, she’s a longtime friend and client of the store. She loves Chanel. And it was unbelievable that it was held in New York, so that was a pretty spectacular experience.”

A new generation of VICs are now also looking for deep, emotional and experiential involvement in the luxury world.

Indeed, beyond mere transactions, VICs now seek to become part of a brand’s inner circle through exclusive experiences – whether it’s Louis Vuitton closing its public arts and culture center, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, to host tours and exclusive events for top clients, or Chanel organizing a trip to Grasse in southeastern France, where a curated group of VICs and industry insiders explored the fields and laboratories that produces its signature fragrance, Chanel N°5. For years now, luxury retailer Mytheresa has partnered with high-end brands, from Moncler to Roger Vivier to Pucci, to stage exclusive, experiential trips for their top customers in locations like Oslo, Dubai and Capri. These aren’t shopping events but private, educational outings for their most valued customers.

As China struggles with a prolonged economic slump, and the US has emerged with the highest number of billionaires in the world, with over 900 (up from 813 in 2024), more splashy events in the country will follow. Louis Vuitton and Gucci are set to present their cruise 2027 collections in New York this May, while Dior has opted for Los Angeles. Last week, Moncler Grenoble unveiled its Fall 2026 collection in Aspen, Colorado, marking the first American ski destination show for the Italian brand.

Some of Waller’s clients already attend the shows on their own accord. “They are at that level with the brand, so I don’t personally travel with them, but I’ve certainly met them there. Sometimes, we might have lunch or even go to the show together,” she said.

With brands now readily holding their doors open to VICs, one might question if there is still a need for personal shoppers.

Waller points to the rise in demand for vintage styles, where sourcing certain products requires insider knowledge and relationships with specific dealers. The trouble, sometimes, isn’t locating the product, but finding enough of it, she added. Indeed, the homogenization of taste, caused in part by streaming platforms, social media feeds and online algorithms, means that people – even VICs, for all their wealth – often want the same things.

“I often deal with highly requested, trending pieces,” explained Waller. “I can usually get two or three of those handbags, but when 10 or more clients want the same style, that’s where it gets really challenging. And the way to get through that is really having eyes and ears globally, because it may be sold out in the US, but it’s readily available in Dubai.” In the coming year, she plans to spend more time in South Korea and Japan, to unlock potential new markets, she said.

Hirshleifer-Penn shared a similar view: “There are times that it’s not a collection that we even carry, but because of my relationship with the client, I will find it for them. Part of the fun is the hunt.”

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