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Mother of the Bride Outfits
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In my opinion as an Image Consultant, the most successful people are the ones who ask for advice, because they are only too aware of what they don't know and are keen to improve on anything that may potentially hold them back, including their wardrobe!
Is your image holding you back?
First Impressions are the Most Powerful. Research from the Work Foundation quoted in the Daily Mail, 20 October 2008 suggests that “Women who wear make-up can expect to earn 25 percent more than those who don't. And 80 percent of employers said appearance was one of the top three qualities they look for when recruiting. "Ambitious women in the UK are now investing in new best friends in the shape of Image Consultants & Personal Shoppers in order to get ahead at work.
Luckily now, Image Consultants aren't just for the rich and famous and are affordable and available to women living in the not so glamorous world of Hollywood, to help them get ahead. After all, anyone could put on a designer Oscar De La Renta dress, but not everyone would look like a million dollars in it without some help!
The key is that it's not what you wear, but it's how you wear it. Learn how to wear clothes to suit you and you can transcend from fashion wearing you, to style queen.
Play the Starring Role in Your Life!
Apparently a first impression takes only 10 seconds to form and can then worryingly take over 20 subsequent meetings to un-do! And over 55% of a first impression is based on what we see!" In a recent Gallup Survey, "7 out of 10 Americans said physical appearance was important in terms of happiness, social life and the ability to get ahead."
In my business as a personal stylist, I always tell my clients to dress for the career you want, not the job you have! Dressing for the career you want, is like playing a part in a play. You don the costume, you feel like the character, and before you know it you are acting like the character. To everyone else, you ARE that character. It's the same in real life. To other people you are who you choose to look like.
Every day we make conscious decisions on what messages we want to communicate to the world whether it is to blend in or stand out; look strong or vulnerable; sexy or smart; casual or committed.
Personal Branding. Yes We Can!
Look at Barack Obama the New President of the United States for example; I have noticed that there are very few photographs of him where he doesn't have his sleeves rolled up. Don't think that this is an accident!
Every aspect of his image has been well-thought out planned to appeal to his target audience and beyond. The rolling of his sleeves is a subliminal message to us all that he is ready to get his hands dirty and is a hard working man who isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves. Contrast this with the starched shirts of his opposition. It's not difficult to see that image is so important.
Does Image Really Matter?
Many women who are deeply unhappy with their image express to me that they have no interest in clothes and that fashion doesn't matter at all in their lives, however should I suggest that they go to work in a florescent green leotard they respond with a giggle and the comment "I would get laughed at and people would think I was mad". But if clothes and image don't matter, why should this make the slightest bit of difference?
This quote from the film The Devil Wears Prada sums it up for me:
Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs: No, no, nothing. Y'know, it's just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. Y'know, I'm still learning about all this stuff.
Miranda Priestly: This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff."
The point is that if you want to get ahead in your game, no matter what "game" that is, could be dating, career, public speaking, networking, self-employment, it's important to define your own image, rather than simply allowing it to evolve and define you.
Brand Me Up!
Maybe it's my marketing background, but I like to think of image as your personal brand. You need to take into account what it is you're trying to sell e.g. your personality, skills, experience etc and think about who your target audience is in order to create your own super-brand.
The new breed of Image Consultants of which I am proud to be a part of, are not matchy-matchy colour coordinated bouffants on legs, but experts in the field of fashion, style, retail, fabrics and working with your wardrobe. Image today is about so much more than colour alone, and gone are the days of having your colours done. Style needs to be more practical nowadays.
The Most Common Workwear! "Trousers and Top"
Image is such a powerful tool when it comes to gaining a competitive edge in your life and achieving your goals, whether it's finding Prince Charming or bagging that promotion. When I have an initial meeting with my clients whose goal it is to address their work wardrobe, I ask "What do you wear for work?" nine times out of ten the answer is "trousers and a top".
However I need no further description here - I know exactly what I will find in this wardrobe - five pairs of worn cheap black trousers none of which fit particularly great, and various similar style blouses - maybe even the same one in a number of different colours!
Many women seem to have lost their way with their working wardrobe and don't know how to express their own sense of style in an appropriate way in a work environment. Young girls tend to end up dressing too old in "tailoring" that isn't actually tailored to their figure and older women are terrified of looking like "mutton" so play it safe all the time. This means that everyone ends up looking the same!
Wear It, Walk It, Become It!
The aim of an Image Consultant is to give you a surge in self-esteem and confidence by helping you to redefine and achieve your perfect style. The impact of this can be huge and can positively affect many areas of your life from your posture to the way you talk, how often you smile and this in turn can attract many new opportunities into your life. It also helps you to stand out in a crowd and helps people to remember you.
A major mistake that most women make in this fashion-conscious age is copying the looks of celebrities in the media without adapting looks to suit their own body shape, personality or lifestyle. This means a lot of expensive (and sometimes embarrassing) mistakes! It just proves that knowing your own strengths and selling points is the most positive thing you can do for your career in every way - not just in terms of your CV, but with your looks too. For example if you have great hair, make it a main feature of your image; if you have mesmerising eyes, take a bit more time with your make-up.
Top Tips for Dressing for Success
Back to Basics
Invest in good quality basics that flatter your figure and go from there. Good work staples to have are a pair of black trousers, a blazer, crisp white shirt, a pencil skirt, trench coat and a black waistcoat for example, however an Image Consultant could advise you on the best styles, shapes and collections for your shape and lifestyle.
Don't Hide Your True Style
Wherever and whenever you feel comfortable with your style whether it’s with your friends at the cinema, out for a romantic meal with your boyfriend or at the park with your kids, work out WHY you feel good in those outfits. That is your true style and it can be dressed up and dressed down to fit in with your life.
For example, is it that you are physically comfortable in your jeans so you feel more confident, or it that those sky-scraping platforms make your legs look amazing which gives you a real buzz? Work out how you can incorporate such factors into your work or interview wardrobe, for example if you like physical comfort, make sure you wear a skirt or trousers in a fabric that allows you to move without feeling constricted. If heels are your thing, then don't be frightened to add a bit of height to your working day to make you feel a bit more glamorous when stood at the photocopier. It's all about injecting a bit of glitz and glamour into every day life!
Sound Effects
In interviews or meetings, avoid jingly jangly accessories that may detract from what you are saying. Keep to clean and simple lines but ensure that you have clean nails and hair, and polished shoes with a neat bag. When you are well-groomed, people with tend to react more positively towards you, however grubby nails will make you memorable for all the wrong reasons!
Over the Top
The one thing that women very often miss is their overcoat which is style suicide, especially in winter. Bobbles over the boobs, stains or buttons hanging off...sound familiar? Either invest in a new coat or buy a de-fuzzer and get cracking on those bobbly bits!
Brighten Up Your Day!
Don't be afraid to inject some colour into your work wardrobe but try doing it with coloured scarves, belts, cuffs, brooches, necklaces, corsages etc. That way you can mix and match your accessories with plainer basic good quality staples to create different looks, instead of buying a pattered or brightly coloured top that you are conscious of being seen to wear yet again. Plus accessories are such a cheap way to update your look!
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