“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:

• Body Analysis. This allows a man to develop an awareness of his silhouette, vertical proportions and positive or negative features. This information determines the styles and lengths of garments that enhance and flatter him.
• Line, Design and Colour Principles. This is the theory that underpins so much of the art of good dressing.  Few people are trained in these principles and consequently make poor choices regularly when shopping for clothes.  If they have an instinctive notion that what they have bought isn’t flattering, they rarely know why and so consistently repeat the mistake.
• Garment Selection. Using the information gleaned from the body analysis, he should receive a comprehensive list of clothing styles that will help him look his best on any occasion.
• Accessory Knowledge. This is an invaluable element of the consultation because accessorising appropriately is very important to a man’s visual image. It is this aspect of a man’s wardrobe that enables him to express his individuality and style personality.
• Wardrobe Organisation. This part of the consultation trains the male in the art of pulling many disparate elements together to create a winning outfit. It is an essential skill for minimising duplication and maximising cost effectiveness.
• Style Personality. Every man has one, and it comes from his life’s experiences, vocation, education, life style, interests and physical attributes.

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.

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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:-

• Colouring
• Fit
• Lifestyle
• Personal dressing style
• Occupation
• Available budget
• Available time
• Shopping know-how
• Wardrobe organization
• Co-ordination skills
• Accessory know-how

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

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Makeovers, Personal Stylist

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:

• they think they can’t afford to do better
• they don’t recognise the positive attributes they have
• they focus too keenly on negative aspects
• they don’t feel worthy of change
• they don’t know how to change

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.

Technorati Tags: Image Consultant, Personal Image

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It is said that we wear 20% of our wardrobes 80% of the time. That translates to thousands of our hard earned dollars spent and wasted on clothes we don’t wear. The evidence is right there in your wardrobe. There they are, all those poor orphan garments hanging unworn and unloved, most of them clutching invisible ‘guilty tags” to make you feel bad.

We’ve all at some time hit the shops in a mad passion to buy something new that will make us look terrific. With money in our pockets or a credit card handy, we’ve all scoured the shops for hours for that special little number, only to return home empty handed or even worse, with that item that smacks of ‘this will have to do’ to quench our desire to buy something. As a result our wardrobes contain only a few items that make us feel good, and so we wear these most of the time. Shopping becomes a chore, success is a matter of luck and finding items that make us look great seems to get more difficult with each passing year. With all this to consider you really cannot afford not to enlist the services of a personal shopper!

Not only will a personal shopper ultimately save you a fortune, but with their trained eye will also be able to choose items for you based on their judgment and understanding of your colouring, body shape and proportions, your lifestyle and your personality style. Garments are carefully selected to harmoniously mix and match with each other and to go with what is already in your wardrobe.

So all the work is done for you !

Consider hiring a personal shopper as an investment in you even if your clothing dollar is limited. It makes good sense to spend money on someone that knows what they doing and who will ultimately achieve for you a wardrobe of clothes that really work for YOU.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Makeovers, Personal Shopper, Womens Clothes

In order that the changes are successful in the  medium to long term, the personal stylist needs to learn some important aspects about the client. First and foremost they must know and understand the social and professional life of the client. If the new image is to endure, it needs to support and complement the client’s lifestyle, otherwise the changes will be transitory and quite meaningless.

Another important consideration is the style personality of the individual. We each have a way of dressing that communicates to the world our values, our interests, our inner self.  Our style personality will very often determine how people interpret, value and respond to us.  For many people it is almost instinctive and a result of who we are and where we come from. For example, if you are someone who loves the outdoors, enjoys participating in sports, has an athletic figure and has better things to do than spend time on make-up and acrylic nails, you probably have a relaxed, casual style personality. On the other hand if you have an eye for detail, love geometric  patterns, bold colours, are tall and statuesque and in a position of authority, chances are your style personality is dramatic. Other personality types include romantic, alluring, classic, elegant and innovative. A personal stylist is adept at analysing someone’s style personality as well as helping a client to develop and enhance it further.

One of the final considerations but certainly not the least is the physical attributes of the client. This includes their horizontal and vertical proportions, physical fitness and tone, significant features such as a sway back or broad shoulders, their face shape, neck length and colouring.

Once all these considerations have been taken into account, a personal stylist is ready to start the transformation process. The first step is creating the perfect make-up that will enhance the client’s colouring and face shape while suiting her style personality and lifestyle. The next step in the process is choosing a fabulous hairstyle and if necessary, colour. When these things are done, then it’s time to hit the shops and find the clothes that beautifully reflect the personality style of the client and at the same time flatter her face and figure. This often involves educating people in the current trends and how to make them work for the individual. Accessorising frequently plays an important part in this, because its shoes, handbags, jewellery and belts that truly create the total look. They are also brilliant tools for updating someone’s image and expressing their style.

So, the role of a personal stylist is quite complex but if you are looking to revamp your image, reinvent yourself or discover your visual potential, they are well worth the investment.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Makeovers, Personal Stylist

Colour Consultants can also be regarded as being part of a helping profession. Many women seek the advice of a Colour Consultant at times of great change in their lives. It may be a divorce, illness or loss of a job. The aim of our service and consultations is to empower our clients, make them feel stronger and more confident in themselves, to look good and feel great.

During your Colour Consultation you will find out:

• Your basic undertone (Cool or Warm
• Your major season (Winter or Summer/ Spring or Autumn
• Your Flow (Deep, Light, Cool, Warm, Clear or Soft
• Your required contrast levels for clothes and hair colour
• Which fabrics best suit you
• Which fabric characteristics suit you
• What types of patterns suit you best
• Your hair colour and eye colour options
• How to use your colour swatch
• Discover the link between your personality and your colouring
• Your face shape to help you select hats , eyewear, hairstyles and earrings etc·
• Make-up recommendations

A  Colour consultant will determine what colours are best for an individual by looking at the following areas:

• Skin tone
• Natural hair colour
• Eye colour and intensity
• Clarity
• Facial Characteristics
• Personality

Your colour consultation takes approximately 90 minutes. By the end of this you will have an understanding and have visually witnessed what colours look great on you. You will also be presented with a swatch which is a wheel of 50 plus colours. How you wear and combine these colours  are only limited by your imagination. It is advised to have faith in this swatch because when you purchase items of clothing worn close to the face in your “right colours” they will have an absolutely positive impact on your face. This also applies to your accessories, i.e earrings, necklaces and scarves, and make-up.

It’s one thing to be given this beautiful swatch of colours but now you have to learn how to apply it to the clothes in your wardrobe and to all the clothing and make-up purchases you will make in the future.

It may take up to five years of conscious effort to develop a wardrobe that is colour correct and coordinated so take it one step at a time. If you have a wardrobe full of the wrong colours , make each new purchase a right one and before too long it will all come together.  Your colour consultation will not only discover your true fabulous colours but you will be able to shop smart and effectively with a mistake ratio of zero. Ultimately ending up with a wardrobe full of favourites and 100% effective instead of wearing 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time.

Technorati Tags: Colour Consultant, colour consultation, Image Consultant

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.

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Womens Clothes

In a world where people form opinions about others based on their visual image, it is imperative that we create the best and right impression of ourselves. In mens fashion the same rules apply as to women.Men are flattered by a well fitted suit, it enhances their appearance. The design of a suit strengthens the wearer’s shoulder line, slims his torso and lengthens his leg. It gives the man, presence, authority and confidence. A suit can reflect social standing, professional position and hints at the wearer’s potential to move ahead in life. In the western culture there are strong stereotypical associations connected to the wearing of a suit; these include power, prestige, success and formality.

A professional male will need to own several suits; other men will require only one. So, how much to pay? A suit is a complex garment that requires skilled craftsmanship. A suit less than $300 will have a very limited life span and will look good for a very short time. In this price range, short cuts on manufacturing or fabric must have been taken. For a suit of reasonable life expectancy and quality, one needs to pay something between $500 and $800. Initially, this is an expensive outlay but on the positive side, a classic suit is barely affected by fashion. Over the last 100 years, fashion influences have impacted on basic silhouettes and lapels and not much else. So, the suit a man buys today will look equally good in 7 – 8 years time. What’s to be gained by paying more than $800 for a suit? The quality of the fabric and the craftsmanship will make it a delight to wear. It will give the wearer an almost imperceptible aura that will set him apart from other men. As with almost everything in life, “you get what you pay for” and “you never get more than what you pay for”.

“Mens fashions change very little from season to season. …….the variation is just in the detail, such as the number of buttons on a suit or the breadth of the lapel, which most men wouldn’t notice. We want to look reasonably good, but safe – we want to look like we’re in charge of ourselves, but have not thought too much about what we’re wearing.”

Mark Tungate, author of the bestselling “Fashion Brands”

Technorati Tags: Image Consultant, image consultants, Mens Fashion

The fundamental aspect of any makeover requires the professional to work with someone’s natural colouring and body characteristics. This leads to creating a visual image that is authentic and fabulously flattering. Makeovers for women usually involve a change of hair style and colour, new and updated make-up techniques, new clothes and new ways to combine and layer garments. Great stuff and so exciting, but the icing on the cake for any makeover is the addition of accessories.

The belts, the caps, the earrings, bracelets, handbags…. are the powerhouses of makeover magic. They create the wow factor; they express the inner style personality of the individual. Their importance should never be overlooked or underestimated. Accessories deserve plenty of attention yet for many of us, they are often an afterthought and this isn’t right.

Consider all the things that accessories can do for an outfit and for us:

• Express your individuality
• Define your personal style
• Draw attention to your best features
• Draw attention away from your challenges
• Give a single garment / outfit several different looks
• Make garments appear more expensive
• Update an outfit, garment and wearer
• Complete coordination
• Change the mood of an outfit
• Unify your garment pieces
• Add colour and interest to neutral coloured clothes.

If they can do all this for us, then we have no hesitation in suggesting that 30% of our wardrobe budgets should be devoted to them. So that great bag you saw on sale last weekend…go get it girl!

If you are looking to refresh your image, shift out of a lifestyle and visual image rut, the quickest and easy way to transform your visual image is through your accessories. Think outside that proverbial square. Is your handbag genuine leather but boxy and boring? Look for an inexpensive, softly structured, quirky vinyl in this season’s hottest shade of purple or orange. Are your earrings discreet, minimal and genuine? Experiment with a drop, even a small one to start with, in a great colour and shape. Look at magazines, and check out the way the red carpet divas are doing it with bags and bling. Go to an accessory store and experiment with something a little different to what you normally do. Have courage, and remember practice makes perfect. Be prepared to get it a little wrong sometimes to end up looking soooooooooo right.

By Michele Gillett

Technorati Tags: Accessory, fashion Accessories, Image Consultant, Makeovers

Many women relate to wearing 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time. The evidence is right there. All those poor orphan garments hanging there unworn and unloved.

Why we lose our way:

1. We are influenced by the likes and dislikes of others
2. We are not taught anything about our own body shape and how to dress it
3. Fashion is constantly changing
4. We age and become unsure of our style
5. Our body changes shape four times over our lifetime
6. We lose and gain weight
7. Our lifestyle and values change

Technorati Tags: How To Dress, Image Consultant, Makeovers, Wardrode Organisation