As the New Year begins, people interested in improving their appearance wonder whether working with an image consultant or stylist will help them achieve their goal. Before making that determination, there are a few key things to know ahead of time. The most important thing is to first know your goals, as this will have a lot to do with the kind of professional you choose to work with.
Think of a fresh approach to occupying a fresh “you” with your personal image. There’s plenty of iniquity to get riled up about in the world today. But not putting your best personal image out there would be one of the greatest injustices because you have total control of it.
Just about everybody wants a confident personal image, but have one or more fears or barriers to actually developing one. It’s really important to consider these fears and barriers, and how holding onto them can really hold you back from making progress, not just on developing your personal image, but on achieving your long range goals.
What could your personal image and the vision of Camille Pissarro, the dean of Impressionism, have in common? My cheeky answer is that image is in the eye of the beholder. But there’s actually much more to it than that.
When I started my image consulting practice, I catered specifically to men because of my extensive menswear background and my perceived comfort zone. But a few years ago, an especially determined woman contacted me, explaining that what she read on my website spoke directly to her. She practically insisted we find a way to work together. It pleases me to make a difference in others’ lives. So thanks to her, I now work with many fabulous women.
We all know that the best thing about rules is that they are meant to be broken. They can even be stretched and modified. One of my key objectives when consulting clients is laying out parameters that help them understand, visualize, shop, and dress in accordance with their personal style. For my clients, establishing these style parameters give us a tangible framework to refer back to when evaluating colors, textures, fabrics, fits, shapes, lines, and designs of clothing and accessories, as well as seeing new ways to update hairstyles.
About 29 years ago this summer, I was inducted into the Boy Scouts’ Order of the Arrow, which is essentially Scouting’s National Honor Society. One of the hallmark traits of OA Scouters is providing cheerful service to others.
My dad was a pretty incredible man whose simple acts of devotion affected my induction celebration into the OA all those summers ago, and his example impacts the value I provide to my clients each and every day.
Let me explain.
Image consulting, for me, is a real wonder. My clients have made very important business deals, gotten great jobs, big promotions and raises, become more self-assured and successful in their romantic and family relationships, and have felt propelled to meet other personal challenges head-on – all because they’ve learned how to see their true personal style from the inside out. This is the wonder of image consulting.
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Last week I attended a screening of the documentary, Bullied, which chronicles how school officials failed to stop physical and verbal attacks endured by Jamie Nabozny for many years as a student in his northern Wisconsin grammar and high schools. I found the movie profound and triggered the replay of my experiences of being bullied over and over again in my mind. Watching the film and remembering those days made my heart begin to race, made me start to perspire, and finally, got me angry.
It’s striking how Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t evolved his image and style one bit, despite his immense business success. Though his character portrayal was fascinating in the Golden Globe-winning movie, The Social Network, it’s not the basis of my assessment. The real life Mark Zuckerberg still dresses like a scrappy college dormitory resident, despite his meteoric ascent to the height of the business world. Age notwithstanding, it’s time for him to put effort and intention into his image and show that he’s not just grown up, but a leader.