Personal stylists are as vital to a man as the services of an experienced resume writer . Why is this so!
When a man is seeking a new job or a promotion he well might seek the professional advice and services of an experienced resume writer. He would appreciate the skills and knowledge this person would bring to bear on his quest for advancement. After all, a resume says so much about a person’s work experience, qualifications and aspirations. A prospective employer makes important judgements based on a resume. The job seeker would acknowledge this fact and that a professionally presented resume makes a positive impression.
However, would the same job seeker recognise the importance of his own personal presentation and accept that an employer makes equally important judgements based on this? The saying, ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’ may be true, but when there are thousands of books vying for readers, it helps if your book attracts positive attention. And I’m not sure that this analogy is completely true for people. We tell the world a lot about ourselves in the way we visually present. People may not always interpret us correctly but the point is that people use our appearance to form opinions about us.
Many men would acknowledge that appearance matters. Many others would challenge this premise with arguments that the quality of someone’s work is what really matters. However, few men would truly understand the subtleties of subliminal messages and visual short cuts. The job interviewer does not have the time to get to know the candidates sitting before him. Consciously or otherwise he or she will use visual shortcuts to form opinions about a candidate. Often they will rely on their intuition to decide whether they trust and like the person in front of them. The way a man dresses, stands and speaks tells the world a great deal about who he is, what he does, how he feels about himself, where he comes from and where he is headed.
Consider two professional men looking for a job, one in a conservative law firm the other in an innovative advertising agency. Both men will wear a suit and tie for their interviews. Both men need to be judged as qualified, capable and professional. But one needs to convince his prospective employer that he is learned, conservative and careful, the other needs to be perceived as creative, dynamic and a risk taker. Both need their visual appearance to support them. How do they do this? Engaging the services of a personal stylist would be a great option.
Psychologists say that a messy house trashed with useless clutter is an abstract representation of many lives. According to Feng Shui clutter is stuck energy and the inability to move forward. This all sounds rather deep, however what resonates with many of us is the fact that when one makes the decision to de-clutter they can experience overwhelming feelings of panic. Often it’s the case of where to start and then how do you decide what’s trash or treasure? There are experts to help and guide you through the de- cluttering process. One such expert is an Image Consultant. They can’t help much with organizing your kitchen or office but they can be invaluable in your wardrobe.
Image Consultants would agree that de- cluttering your wardrobe makes so much sense. To clean out your existing wardrobe and eliminate all things that are of no use to you may sound a little distressing but it is an important step in the process of reorganization. In every woman’s wardrobe there are clothes with invisible guilty tags attached to them. They lie in wait for you to remind you of how much money you paid for them and how few times they have been worn. Keeping these clothes will actually cost you money and take up valuable space in your wardrobe.
You have decided to change your buying habits and bad clothing purchases will become a thing of the past. So it’s time to forgive yourself and give them away. Take a close look at the items in your wardrobe and put each item into the following categories:-
Now stand back and take a deep breath. How liberating does it feel to be rid of that dead weight and look at that new space in your wardrobe! Now before you rush out to buy more clothes make an inventory of what is left. Determine what you need to buy in order to expand your wardrobe options. An Image Consultant will then also help you to shop wisely explore all the possible combinations you can make with existing garments and any new purchases.
Looking young is a positive attribute in a world which is youth obsessed. However, ‘young’ is a relative adjective. When you’re 18, someone who is 25 is old; when you’re 50, someone 25 is a child; and to an 80 year old, young is anybody not drawing a pension. Generally speaking however, being truly ‘young’ is a fleeting experience. Our real youth passes very quickly. In regards to our physical appearance, it’s the time when our skin is firm, our eyes and hair shine bright with natural colour and radiance, our posture is strong and straight and our face is unmarked by the lines and creases that will come with laughter, anxiety and tears. In terms of stereotypical thinking, youth is synonymous with energy, aspiration, ideas, spontaneity and the future. Age is associated with wisdom, experience, scepticism, entrenched practices and the past. Is it any wonder that many if not most of us aren’t keen on being perceived as ‘old’?
If you want to look youthful i.e. vital, positive, engaged and living in the present, an Image Consultant is a very useful person to have around. Why? Well, for a number of reasons.
An Image Consultant will help you look younger and feel fabulous. They will be an investment in your appearance, your self esteem, your present and your future.
When a man seeks out the services of a fashion image consultant he begins a journey of self discovery.
“A man’s elegance stems from his knowledge of clothes, of how to wear, buy and care for them. It is this awareness that others notice about him: he is no self-aggrandising dandy but a man whose confidence is perfectly balanced by the beauty and suitability of the clothing he wears. We step back and admire the eloquent nonchalance of one who knows the rules and has successfully and joyfully mastered them.” Richard Martin,Curator of the Costume Institute, Metropoliatan Museum of Art.
This journey will alter the way he thinks about himself and how he looks at clothes well into the future. The expert advice of a trained professional will make shopping easier and dressing for any occasion more successful. Many men are initially stunned by how much they don’t know and how much they have to learn because good grooming goes way beyond choosing a tie and buying a suit.
A fashion image consultation for men should include many things:
Many men may think that seeking the services of a fashion image consultant is an exercise in vanity and self aggrandisement. And perhaps for a few it is. Clothes and personal grooming is only one facet of a man’s life, knowing how to maintain perspective and balance is essential. However, there is plenty to learn and much to be gained by investing in the services of a fashion image consultant. After all, when a man knows that he looks good it raises his self esteem and self confidence. He will attract positive attention and positive people. He will dramatically increase his visual credibility and create opportunities in all areas of his life.
Here are just a few reasons why enlisting in the services of professional image consultants can change the way you look, feel and put you on a new path on how to dress and always look absolutely fabulous.
Wouldn’t we all love to have a personal stylist? Someone like Givenchy who took the young and sweet Audrey Hepburn and transformed her into the magnificent iconic beauty we know her as today. Would Audrey have morphed into such a beauty if she hadn’t been styled by Givenchy? Who knows…. what we do know is that Givenchy and personal stylists generally know how to play up our ‘best bits’ and draw attention away from the ‘not so good bits’.
They say even Audrey Hepburn had issues with her legs and knees. Givenchy knew how to dress Audrey in such a way we didn’t even notice. In fact Audrey Hepburn remains at the top when it comes to icons of style along with women like Princess Dianna and Jackie Onassis. While such women may have innate style, would they have achieved their true visual potential if they had not been guided by a personal stylist?
Some fortunate individuals are born with good taste and style; they have a natural sense of colour and design. Many of us are not so lucky or naturally gifted. We learn what we can from those who influence us in our lives, from magazines or simply by trial and error. Which is why in so many cases we end up with a wardrobe full of clothes but “we have nothing to wear”! That’s why a personal stylist is worth the investment.
Before a stylist dresses an individual they consider the following:-
Under their tuition they will help you to develop a style that reconciles with what suits your height, shape and age from what’s currently in fashion and to understand which looks are appropriate for which occasions. You will learn to co-ordinate colours, patterns and which fabrics drape well on your body shape. The gaining of this knowledge will give you the confidence to become creative with your wardrobe. Then dressing will become a pleasure and shopping a dream.
Karen Before A Personal Stylist
Karen After A Personal Stylist
How we our personal image is more important than how others perceive us. We are nearly always our harshest critic; we are more judgemental of ourselves than anyone else. Frequently our sense of identity and self worth is intrinsically related to our visual image. We worry about the view of ourselves that we present to the world. Why? Because instinctively we know that others form opinions about us based on the way we look. And, the vast majority of people want to be judged positively, people like to be liked.
It’s a liberating and comforting place to be when we reach a stage in our lives when we are happy in our own skin. A few people come to this point very early in their lives; they are usually independently minded, strong personalities, perhaps innovative and creative. They are exceptional. They are happy with whom they are and if the rest of the world doesn’t agree, it’s not their problem.
There are those who strive to be happy with their own visual persona by creating, over time, an image that they like and that they feel accurately represents them. This usually takes a little longer to achieve and women may be in their 40’s or 50’s before they have arrived at a point where their inner self matches their outer self.
There are however, many women who never ever feel satisfied with their visual image. Their dissatisfaction stems from a yearning to look and feel good but not knowing how to achieve it. They may say that they don’t care how they look. They remain dissatisfied with their appearance for a raft of reasons. Some of these include:
One of the greatest pleasures for an image consultant is the chance to help women step out of the visual rut they have been stuck in and discover their true potential. It is wonderful to be able to demonstrate to women that they don’t need the perfect figure (whatever that might be) or the classical features of a Hollywood movie star to look wonderful. We are all delightfully unique and each one of us can look fabulous, regardless of our size and shape.
So, does our personal image matter? Absolutely! Our personal image is very often the visual shorthand others will use to engage with us or not. This has implications for our professional, social and romantic lives. Our personal image should accurately express our attitudes, values, aspirations, personality and worth. Sight is the most significant sense human beings possess, we rely on it above all other senses. Dogs will lick you or bite you based on how you smell; humans will engage or dismiss you based on how you look. In the fast paced society in which we live, people have become even more reliant on visual clues to make judgements about others. It is in our best interests to develop a personal image that honours us and does us justice.
Have you ever walked through a multi level shopping mall and felt completely overwhelmed by the array of options available? After all there are so many places vying for your attention, not to mention your dollar. How do you know where to start? Have you ever had a melt down in the change rooms because everything that you have tried on looks wretched? And time is ticking by and you just have to find something, anything. Have you ever come home with something that you know isn’t fabulous but you feel that you had no choice?
If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you would love the help of a professional image consultant who offers personal shopping as one of their services. A personal shopper is very adept at working out your physical proportions and colouring so that she can quickly identify styles and hues that will look fabulous on you. A personal shopper is also very aware that your style personality and lifestyle have to be considered and they can asses these very quickly also.
Knowing where to find the perfect garment to suit your requirements is another valuable skill that a personal shopper has in her repertoire. They are familiar with the labels, designers and stores. They know who makes for women with a romantic, feminine style. They know where to find the perfect outfit for someone who loves classic quality or edgy and innovative or casual and laid back. Being able to hone in quickly is such a bonus. Not only does it save on shoe leather, but it saves time; and that’s a commodity so many of us lack these days.
Objectivity is another positive trait in the personal shopper’s favour. Unlike boutique owners who have an agenda to move product (and that’s not a criticism, after all it’s their livelihood) the personal shopper has only one vested interest – YOU! Her agenda is to find you clothes that you love and that look fabulous on you. If one store doesn’t have what you need, then she moves on – with you in tow.
It’s also great to have the practical assistance of someone holding your bags, finding you a dressing room, changing sizes, looking for the shop assistant and later the cash register. Shopping can be very tiring, so the spare pair of hands a personal shopper offers is a real treat.
She’ll also be very good at keeping track mentally of your purchases and seeing the wonderful possibilities of combining different purchases in different ways. And when there’s a gap, she’ll be quick to recognise it. Too often we come home from a day at the mall with something that we’ve bought only to realise that we have no shoes, bag, jewellery or scarf to go with it. So then this new purchase hangs there till you have a chance to rectify the situation. A personal shopper excels in creating entire outfits in one shopping trip.
If you hate shopping, and many women do, you might actually find that you learn to love it after a professional shows you how.
A Colour and Style Image Consultant is a great person to see if you want to update or change your visual appearance. Perhaps you have become a little bored with the reflection you see in the mirror and feel you are in a style rut. You may loath going shopping because you bring home the same old style in the same neutral no-brainer colour…..black!
Why we lose our way with our own style:-
Thankfully these dilemmas can be solved once and for all. By simply engaging the services of a Colour and Style Image Consultant you will be able to achieve your true visual potential.
We are influenced by the likes and dislikes of our parents, friends or partners.
We are not taught about body shape, the dynamics of dress or line and design
Fashion is fickle and constantly changing, telling us one thing and then another are all busy and have less time to shop around for our clothes and accessories
Our lifestyles, personality and values change over time
We experience changes in our financial position
Some develop unreasonable personal expectations
We age and sometimes wonder if it’s OK to wear certain dress styles or accessories
Our body changes shape over time through: childbirth, menopause, illness, old age, weight gain and weight loss
Many of us seem to be unaware of the power of image. Whether you realize it or not the way we dress tells the world many things about about you:
Your personality
By appreciating the messages your clothes are sending out about you and realizing that you are in control of those messages you will have made the first of many important insights that will ultimately help you to reach your personal goals.
People who care about their appearance are seen to be more credible and capable. A well dressed and groomed woman will often be judged as having a higher intelligence and motivation and a higher level of self-esteem and confidence. Wow….and all this from just donning on an outfit!
Whether you realize it or not, you also dress according to how you feel about yourself. If you are lacking in self-confidence you will often dress in clothes that will not attract attention, where a confident person will dress in an attractive and self-edifying manner.
Even more important, right or wrong, when you look good you feel great. So never underestimate the value of great personal presentation.
Because of what we wear and how we present has such a profound effect on how we look and feel and are perceived by others, it is worth considering engaging the services of a Colour and Style consultant as an investment in yourself. Their objective and well trained eye will help you on your discovery to a new and even more fabulous you!
