What the Parisian Fashions Say About Us

August 31, 2010 by Joseph Rosenfeld @ 7:00 pm

Fashion is a fascination to me. A fashionation. For as long as I can remember it’s been the tool I use to create and express moods, and to cast myself the way I choose to be perceived. Yes, it’s that powerful. Fashion allows us to decipher the code of what’s happening in the world and identify with our likes, tastes, and cultural trends.

So on the brink of my European vacation, it’s fitting to review and decode the meanings of Paris’ seminal looks for fall. I think they have greater meanings for the directions of our wardrobes, no matter what labels are in your clothing, and no matter how you might label yourself. I call it the Parisian imperative.

It has been said that nothing about women is plain and simple. And yet against that commentary this fall is a visual concept of simplicity. Clothes are finally about the woman herself again, and maybe a bit less about the clothes. The pared down look of Paris’ finest fall offerings focus more on tailoring and on shaping. A woman can have a powerful presence and be delicate, both at the same time. Gorgeous clothes have been created for this fashion moment in time, which also help women express the need to balance masculinity and femininity. Somehow this is not just a corporate office pursuit. Women are more independent and on their own than ever, but it’s not another bra burning, Helen Reddy moment. We’re not ready to hear women roar again. It’s more like Annie Lennox doin’ it for herself, standing on her own two feet.

As for the men’s catwalks, Paris fashion does not disappoint so long as you’re interested in pure luxury. But what’s also great fun to see coming out of the men’s shows are the streaks of independence that break from the traditional banding together that men are usually all about. “All men are created equal,” as the saying goes. And therefore, all men must conform and wear the same lame fashions. Yawn. The Paris fashions awaken the senses because of the nuanced newness. What’s cutting edge fashion is wearing clothes that are no longer cut to the edge of the body. Clothes don’t have to be super skinny and super tight fitting anymore. Now it’s okay if a guy wears fabric draped like a rolling mass, instead of conforming to the masses of “Mad Men” inspired men. Even when something looks rough, if it’s Parisian, it’s still refined.

Paris fashion will always be about matchless luxury and fervent craftsmanship. But the fashions for both women and men this season suggest that even if we do not upgrade to such lavishness, the simplicity of the clothes suggests that we are ready to come out of hiding and from fashion’s past constraints. This moment – to focus more on you than the fashion – is a Parisian fashion gift beyond luxury and is the simplest message of all.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Braving Those Stores On Your Own?

August 24, 2010 by Joseph Rosenfeld @ 7:00 pm

For anyone who shops without me, you have my deepest sympathy.

The experience of shopping is hardly a pleasure anymore.  It’s a job unto itself.  While shopping is something I do with aplomb, this doesn’t mean I love the experience any more than you do.

Are you shocked and in disbelief?

This won’t be hard for you to believe, but both of my grandfathers were retailers.  My mother’s father owned a plumbing and hardware supply business on Chicago’s south side with his brother, and my father’s father – who I was named after – owned a footwear retailer also on Chicago’s south side.  So retailing is in my DNA and I get it at a cellular level, as my therapist would say.  Without ever knowing Grandpa Joe, I can totally envision his customer service through stories my dad shared.  Grandpa Harvey developed a neighborhood clientele who trusted and did business with him and his brother for many years.

Maybe this genetic coding is why I can go from being poised to pissed-off while shopping.  You’d never see me visibly turn into a shopping vampire, though.  Instead, I will take a Haagen-Dazs or a Sprinkles cupcake break and then get back on track.  Yay for sweet treats.  But what are the things that make a skilled shopper loose his cool?  I’ll bet no money they’re the same things that make you stop for Haagen-Dazs and Sprinkles cupcakes, too.

First, let’s look at Customer Service. What service?  At very few retailers will you find honest to goodness real service anymore.  “Can I hold those items for you at the counter,” is not service.  That’s a clerk who wants to ring up an eventual sale and wants to claim you before another clerk does.  “Can I put that [bag] into a shopping bag for you?” is a clerk’s excuse to make small talk with you to find out what you’ve all ready bought because they think you’ve money to burn and maybe you’ll burn a bit more with them because they gave you another damned bag!

This one, which happened at Macy’s, really lights my shorts on fire: “I can’t help you. I have to go to lunch. Here’s a printout of where the item is available.”  I took the printout and crunched it up in front of her and threw it in the trash.  That’s what I thought of her brand of service.

If you’ve been shopping at stores lately, you’ll attest at just how messy they are, especially at Macy’s.  While they stock huge amounts of merchandise, they also always look a post-bomb disaster area.  They actually make Costco look tidy and well ordered!  If you weren’t me, you wouldn’t want to be there, either.  So it’s pure sweet irony that one day last week, while working with clients in a semi-private dressing area, their “SWAT team” of clean-up people came through and took the specially chosen clothes that we were working with right out from under our noses.  I had to personally chase down the rack of clothes.  If only that efficiency could be used to keep the whole store neat and clean for all shoppers.

Genuinely stated compliments are one thing, but tired, flippant comments are deplorable.  “Oooh, I love your bag,” oozed one sales associate today just dying to start a conversation.  Try harder, honey!  I actually think all sales associates at Michael Kors stores throughout California have been trained to compliment customers on their bags because I can’t walk into one of their stores without receiving one of these saccharine compliments from one of their saucy, android associates.

Customers should be made to feel welcome by not being judged.  Positive comments are judgments, too.  I’m not there to be judged, just to do my job and to do it well.  When shopping is supposed to be for your pleasure, the last thing you want is to be judged by someone who has no place doing any judging.

Then there’s the latest “I’m a stylist,” phenomenon.  You’ll hear this from sales associates at independent boutiques throughout the area.  Have they been overexposed to the TJ Maxx commercial?  What is the sexy benefit of saying you’re a stylist when a brand designer retailer employs you?  To me, it’s like saying you’re a comedian, but the only joke you tell are knock-knocks.

Sales associates and clerks at stores will toss out all kinds of merchandise at you in the hopes that you are willing to take their “suggestions” at their word.  Surely there is a rare breed of sales professional that is relationship oriented and looks out for your best interests.

When you go shopping, you not only have to seek out the right clothing that suits your personality, goals, coloring, and style.  That alone is enough work.  But when you go shopping in a new or different store or department, you also have the burden of shopping for the right assistance.  Never have your goods taken by a clerk, refuse to be dressed by a “stylist,” and always do your best to be served by a professional.

Sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, with so much at stake, it’s absolutely worth hiring someone who you trust implicitly to do your wardrobe shopping for you.  I love providing the highest level of attention, service, education, and consulting to my clients.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Boobs Gone Bust

August 17, 2010 by Joseph Rosenfeld @ 7:00 pm

Almost every woman I’ve been working with lately has one common issue: they are wearing the wrong bra size.  As image consultant – and as a trusted “GBF” [gay best friend] – women clients have opened up to me about why their boobs have gone bust.  What’s wonderful about the dialogue is that each woman realizes there is a reason why they haven’t thought about or noticed their boobs, and why I, ironically, am evaluating more breasts than I had ever bargained for!  Life’s funny that way.

A very common situation with women’s breasts is how their sizes are subject to change.  When in clients’ closets evaluating their existing clothing, a similar situation happens.  She’ll try on something that she all ready owns, and really should be flattering.  The fabric is in agreement with the messages she wants to convey.  The colors and texture work with her personal coloring and repeat her hair and skin texture.  The line and design are on the mark, but it’s just not quite right.  It’s almost like the ‘headlights’ are too close to the ground.  But the clothes would be so much better if the boobs had a simple adjustment: the right fitting and sized bra.

Just to show you how much fun the conversations go, even in the wake of bringing up a potentially sensitive subject, I asked one of my clients about this.  “When was the last time you had a bra fitting?” She commented that this was the look she referred to as having “gone south for the winter.”  We both let out such a laugh.  Then I said, “Maybe it’s been a couple of long winters.”  And then we both howled!  The great thing is that she followed through and has new undergarments and greater security and confidence.  Her body proportions have shifted over time, but now she’s reflecting a perfectly fine body that she can keep working on improving because she can embrace the positives.  And now there won’t be another long winter with boobs gone bust.

Clients about to work with me on a new wardrobe will ask me if there’s any preliminary work they should do before we work together.  I will always bring up the question of ‘the girls.’  It’s often thought that once a woman has a few bras that she’s – no pun intended – covered.  Not true!  I wish bras had expiration dates.  And to be fair, this should also be the case for men’s underwear.  Okay, too much information – but you get my point.  And that IS the point.  This stuff is to be replaced.  It’s not meant to last forever!  Bras that are aged and stretched out no longer provide the support or comfort that they are intended to.  This can lead to wearing bras improperly, causing back and shoulder pain, even in young people.

Women also have real deep-seated sensitivities to their body parts.  Women teased or made to feel self-conscious because their bodies developed at a particular age, or in a certain shape or size, could impact how they dress today.  Let’s say your personality is perceived to be bolder.  But when the subject comes to your boobs, your boldness goes bust, because of an adolescent issue that never got resolved.

This sort of conversation has happened a couple of times recently.  In one case, it was important that she let go of the teasing that trapped her in a place that made her feel like she needed to hide her breasts.  She now understands that by seeing her body as it truly is, she honors her full physical self, and no longer gives power to her childhood teaser.  No longer a teasing victim, she’s able to have the bold personality she deserves, and boobs to match.

In another conversation, a client shared the pressures she has felt as a woman working in an environment dominated by men.  Coupled with messages from her upbringing that she needed to minimize her femininity, hiding the shape of her body led her to having body image issues.  After all, she is a curvaceous woman who really identifies with femininity, and who happens to be great at her job.  Should her solution be to wear bras that mash down her boobs and dress in clothes that further deflate her shape on top of it all?  Hell no!

The answer in all cases started with having a caring conversation with me to understand the issue.  Yet the ultimate solution is the same: get fitted annually for a bra.  Then get various bras to wear with different clothing styles that serve your wardrobe needs.

These clients may have had boobs-gone-bust, but now they boast great busts.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

What Does “Made in Italy” Mean to You?

August 10, 2010 by Joseph Rosenfeld @ 7:00 pm

The recent New York Times article “Is Italy Too Italian,” inspired me to share my impressions with you.  I actually recognized Luciano Barbera, the venerable Italian clothier pictured in the story, in his bespectacled and sartorial glory standing in a dimly lit warehouse-looking space holding a large spool of teal yarn.  I’d met him before and would recognize him anywhere.

The story offers insights into a dimming economy known for its heritage of producing luxury goods against a backdrop of economic stagnation.  There’s a certain stubbornness about how luxury Italian goods are produced that make the rest of the world covet them.  Mr. Barbera’s textile company operation is legendary.  The manufacturing process and resulting fabrics are so well respected by other fashion designers that they purchase Barbera’s fabrics for their collections. Barbera’s collection of men’s tailored clothing, developed years ago at the behest of the former owner of Louis Boston, is available at Neiman Marcus.  Inside his garments, the label reads, “Entirely manufactured in Italy.”

When it comes to textiles, leather, and footwear, Italians dominate the luxury market.  Euro-to-dollar valuation and brand cache are not the only reasons why Italian goods are pricey.  The ways Italians do business add to the costliness of their fine goods.  As an economist interviewed in the article explained, businesses in Italy must overspend for accountants, lawyers, truckers and a long list members of other unions. These costs are passed on to consumers.  Purists like Mr. Barbera and his family-owned business seem caught in the middle of their purist process, Italy’s business structure, and global growth.

I recently caught a glimpse of this Italian business culture in a gorgeous, operatic film, “I am Love,” starring Tilda Swinton.  Go see this movie!  It’s a story of the wealthy Recchi family of Milan, whose lives are undergoing big time changes affecting family members’ lives and the future of their huge family-owned industrial milling company.

There’s a new law taking effect on October 1st that will bring changes to a label near you.  It may affect what the “Made in Italy” label means to you.

This law, named the Reguzzoni-Versace Law, regulates the marketing of textiles, leather, and footwear goods.  If one of those names sounds familiar, it’s because that name is closely connected to the design house of the same name.  Brother of deceased designer Gianni and head designer Donatella, Santo Versace is chairman of the house of Versace and is a member of Italy’s Parliament.

This law he co-created requires the “Made in Italy” label be used for goods when the manufacturing phase “prevalently” takes place in Italy, and in particular if at least two main manufacturing phases are performed in Italy.  The location of the remaining phases must be verifiable.  Use of the label must respect child labor laws, hygiene and product safety, and European laws.

But what it means, much to the chagrin of Mr. Barbera, is that garments and leather goods bearing the “Made in Italy” label won’t necessarily entirely be made in Italy.

Is it so terrible if garments or leather goods are not entirely Italian made?  Hardly, in my opinion.  If a label says “Made in Italy” anyone would reasonably think the garment is entirely made in Italy, like Mr. Barbera’s.  Such labeling suggests a certain quality of craftsmanship and design synonymous with Italy.  But in today’s truly global economy, my personal conviction is that such labeling may be less consumer-friendly than a garment’s true value.

It’s hardly a secret that many gold standard Italian brands operate production outside of Italy to begin with.  And there are levels of quality in Italy, just as there are in American brands, and throughout the world.  I seriously question how this law helps the Italian economy, as much as it may confuse consumers into thinking that what they are buying is superior because it’s “Made in Italy.”

In fact, it’s entirely possible to have a first-rate garment made of Italian goods but manufactured and made-to-measure in China for about the same price as an Italian ready-to-wear garment.  A gentleman I have known for a decade, Salvatore Giardina, with twenty years of men’s tailored clothing industry experience, and an adjunct professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology for fifteen years, has researched this possibility and made it a reality.  His factory in China is audited and monitored for fair labor by an independent party and is something he personally believes in.  His tailored clothing caught the attention of The Wall Street Journal for its superior construction and even evaluated it above the quality of a U.S. brand and another Italian brand.

In full disclosure, I like Mr. Gardina’s business and style models so much that starting this fall I’ll offer his line exclusively in the Silicon Valley.

Also this fall, interior designer Valentina Cirasola and I are making October the month of Italian Design and Style.  Each week we will have an event to invite you to attend.  More details will follow.

What does “Made in Italy” mean to you?

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

Nutrition and Image are Joined at the Hip

August 3, 2010 by Joseph Rosenfeld @ 7:00 pm

Nutrition is a crucial component to caring for your image, from the inside out.  Unless this is your first time reading my blog, you already know how I shifted my lifestyle – and waistline – by losing over 35 pounds to get healthier under doctor’s orders.  When it comes to eating the right things, I’m both a believer and a doer!

Making the shift into mindful eating isn’t easy for a lot of people.  Denise Ford is a Certified Nutrition Consultant who brings such an excitement to the table – pun firmly intended.  I’ve known Denise for a while now, and I think it’s her unique perspective that fuels the excitement for her clients.

I’ve never heard a nutritionist talk about not focusing on calories, but focusing on the quality of the food.  For decades, Americans, falling prey to fad diet books, have traveled up and down the scale over and over again, never really understanding the basic precepts of good nutrition.  Americans have lived in fear of food thanks to these diet fads.  Denise reorients people to “thoroughly enjoy food again.  According to Denise, “a lot of people eat out of fear of gaining weight, or fear of not being able to lose weight.  Eating should be a pleasure.”  Wow!  Could this get you excited about eating and cooking?

Denise custom tailors programs around her individual client’s needs because, “every body has different needs, likes, dislikes, and lifestyle needs.  This is why diets don’t work.  Diets don’t account for individuality.  If diets worked, they would have worked a long time ago!  The whole lifestyle has to come into play.  One lifestyle does not fit all.”

Yet, in the simplicity of her process is something very sophisticated.  This is something I found similar to the way I work, which fascinated me.

She starts out working with each client by creating a lifestyle profile.  “I really want to know why people are eating in the first place. Why do you eat the foods you eat, the way you eat?  What motivates the way you eat?”

There’s also a relearning stage of the process to let go of bad habits by understanding the “cause and effect” to food.  By understanding how food affects the body it’s easier to make better and healthier choices that can give the body more energy and help in a weight loss program, if necessary.

Personal shopping at the grocery store is also part of her program.  It’s not enough to be cognizant that most grocery stores are designed with the best groceries, like produce, meat, dairy, and grains along the periphery walls.  In other words, don’t let the healthy looking packaging and surroundings fool you!  Denise insists that it’s still crucial to learn what to steer clear of and what to shop for.  She’s a big believer in eating whole foods versus what she calls the “I don’t know foods.”

Throughout the process, Denise wants to shatter misconceptions that healthy food must taste bad.  “Everything must taste good or it doesn’t get past my lips,” she said.  As part of Denise’s training at Bauman College: Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts, she learned the importance of menu planning.  So she learned to create recipes and was challenged to validate why she would choose certain foods for their health benefits and for supporting the body.  “Most people want recipes, to have foods they can cook fast and well, and be nutritious.”

Denise adds that, “Americans highly value food, but we do not value the act of eating food.  Most people are done eating within ten to fifteen minutes and aren’t eating together or eating at the table.”  And this really gets back to the idea of being a mindful eater.  Denise likes to use the line from Marc David’s book The Slow Down Diet, “the slower you eat, the faster you metabolize.”  When you eat slower, it allows your body to better absorb the nutrients.  It also helps you to “honor the food in front of you and where it came from.”

By bringing together a background including a degree in economics and fitness training, Denise is a professional who’s found her true calling.  She makes a compelling case for eating well when she said, “you can eat the best food in the world, but if you’re eating in a stressed state, it will inhibit your body from being able to absorb the nutrients.  How you’re eating is just as important as what you’re eating.”

You can reach out to Denise by connecting to her LinkedIn profile.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.

The 100th Post!

July 27, 2010 by Joseph Rosenfeld @ 7:00 pm

Just in the nick of time to celebrate my 41st birthday, ‘The Image Mentor’ blog celebrates its own milestone:  this is its 100th post.  Writing this, as I sit in my studio overlooking downtown San Jose, I am reflective of the journey that brought me to this point and connects us.

Several years ago I had a lunch meeting with Steve Palopoli, editor of Metro Silicon Valley.  It came about because he posed this question in a spring fashion spread, “Where’s the [fashion] leadership here [in Silicon Valley]?” I brought him the answer:  me.  Soon I was writing the paper’s ‘Style’ column.  It was atypical for a fashion-oriented column; it was intellectual.  When the paper made an economic decision to take the column back in-house, I took my brand of writing and created this blog.

Growing up, I was not like the other kids.  As an image consultant, I’m not like all the others, either.  From a childhood laden in abuse and insecurity, I’ve grown to own my gifts and individuality.  The pathos of my childhood has been the driving force for not just improving my life, but for finding happiness and being able to help improve yours today.  Deep down, this is what has driven so much of my blog writing.  This is the place where image intersects fashion.

I never wanted to be the resource for how to look good for fifty bucks.  Plenty of others cover that topic.  Not everyone is interested in wearing cargo shorts; so I don’t want to tell you how to wear them in a blog.  Being different from everyone else, I want to take you to a deeper place.  Whether or not you work with me, if you read the blog, there is a deeper value to its content.  I want to get you thinking, and producing results.

The posts that have generated the greatest discussion, both in comments and privately sent emails all have one thing in common.  They’re all intensely personal.  When I wrote about achieving my personal “recession,” I shared why and how I lost 27 pounds [at that point].  Staying on track, to keep fit, my weight is down a total of 36 pounds and I’ve never felt better.

Earlier this year, I posted a blog about “A Steinway, a piano technician, and your personal image.” I likened my mom’s gorgeous, inherited baby grand piano with personal image and the importance of maintaining and tuning up both.  We all want to hold onto what’s ours for as long as we can with dignity.

Another post that generated a lot of private emails was my post, “Baring it All on Bullying.” Most often image consultants put up such a front about how superior we are.  Yet behind our façades is plenty of pain.  Most of us would rather paint on faces that project perfection.  But I’m one who has dealt a dose of reality with integrity.  Helping people not be victims of bullying is something I feel very passionate about.

I’ve also enjoyed sharing my travel experiences, especially to Paris.  Not only is it an extraordinary fashion capital and source of inspiration, but it’s fun giving tips of things to experience and places to go, should you be heading that way.  In five more weeks, I’ll be sharing more adventures when we head back.

I’m looking forward to writing the next 100 posts, and am happy to have you along for the journey.

Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.