If you're the kind of person who has rails of clothes but nothing to wear, then maybe you need a personal shopper. Women's Editor Lindsay Jennings meets two.

SITTING with Belinda Alexander and Gail Little, it is easy to see why they are freelance fashion consultants and personal shoppers.

Former model Belinda oozes elegance and is sitting, legs crossed, in a flared black skirt, with low slung belt and crisp white shirt, her sleek, bobbed hair swinging as she talks animatedly about her work.

Gail is one of those women who appears to have the enviable gift of being able to throw clothes together and look fabulous. Today, she's mixed a pale pink V-necked jumper over a big print dress, with a belt and tan boots. With her short, tousled hair and slick of red lipstick, she looks great.

But both Belinda and Gail should look fabulous because they've been in the fashion game a long time. Belinda used to model in London before "marrying a Northerner" and opening her own modelling agency near Newcastle and organising fashion shows.

Gail grew up in Middlesbrough and did bits of modelling, was the promotions manager at the former Radio Tees (now TFM) and used to present a classical music radio show for the station.

The pair met when they were modelling at a fashion show 20 years ago and later went into business together, launching www.fashionpeople.co.uk and a career as wardrobe consultants, fashion stylists, and fashion event organisers.

As part of that business, Belinda and Gail have been working as personal shoppers at department store Barkers in Northallerton one day a week for almost three years.

While women today may be more likely to mix vintage with modern, Primark with Prada, Belinda and Gail have always been into mixing and matching to get a unique look. But for many people, it is not easy to mix and match a look. That's where the personal shopping bit comes in.

"You have to be a bit of a psychologist," says Belinda. "You've got to understand people's lifestyles, their hang-ups, their background. If someone hasn't got a lot of money, you have to gauge that too.

"I actually spend very little on clothes, I just put them together well."

The type of women who could do with their valuable advice varies - but can typically include mothers of the bride, women who are going through crises, such as splitting up with their partners, or those who are in general need of a wardrobe overhaul.

"Many of the ladies would never normally try on what we ask them to but they find that when they do, they're thrilled," says Gail. "One of the problems is that many women go shopping with their friends, mothers, etc., and they know them and they know their style so they end up getting so set in their ways, whereas we come along and we're totally unbiased so we're looking at them in a different light."

They can also help women loosen up a bit and ditch the idea that all their outfit has to be co-ordinating.

"You can wear brown shoes with a black bag for example," stresses Gail.

And if their clients are trying to look for something for a special event, they try and make sure they'll wear it again.

"Even with the mother of the bride," says Belinda. "You can end up buying a suit or a jacket and skirt where they can both be worn again."

The pair also help men with their shopping dilemmas and work from the MetroCentre at Gateshead on Tuesday afternoons as well as Barkers in Northallerton. They also take part in make-over shows and run fashion events.

* To book a complimentary appointment with Belinda and Gail at Barkers contact the store on (01609) 772303. For more details on Belinda and Gail's work visit their website www.fashionpeople.co.uk.