It has occured to me that I haven't formally introduced my business in such a way that readers understand what it is. There are misconceptions with image consulting. Namely, people may think an image consultant is -
* a stylist - the role of a stylist is to style a person in such a way that the image of the person is current. For example, movie stars employ stylists to help them look current. A client of mine once employed a stylist who replaced 99% of his wardrobe with the most current items. Drawback? It didn't suit his needs, even though all the items were trendy. If you notice many actors are dressing in outfits that look strange on them, you now know why. It is not guaranteed that the new clothes purchased would suit the needs, personality or body type. If you want to see examples, go to www.gofugyourself.com .
* a personal shopper - purchases clothes for a client. I had a client who uses personal shoppers who shops with the client's direction of his/her likes and dislikes.
* a wardrobe consultant - who organizes the wardrobe in such a way that it is efficient for a client to put together outfits that are already in the closet.
What is my job as an image consultant? My mission, is to see and unveil beauty in people. You see, many people don't see the beauty that they already possess, only flaws. My mission is to see the perfection that is already there, by going through a few processes that identify a person's best range of colors to wear, best style of clothing for the personality and body type. These are the foundational steps that eliminate shopping for clothes by trial and error. Then I go through clients' wardrobe, to see what fits into the personality, color and body type that have been identified. Items that do not fit, may be given away to charity or thrown out. After, I work with leftover items to make proper outfits out of them. Shopping is only done for items that are needed but not in the wardrobe. Then I do a series of calculations to see if they have enough to wear for at least 2 seasons of the year. This is the wardrobe plan. Once a client has this plan in hand, with the knowledge of what is most harmonious the personality, body and colors, the client no longer needs to ask for a salesperson's opinion on what looks good or not, and no longer need to depend on friends' opinions. They will learn how to buy clothes that they need, rather than buying clothes that they like but do not need.
Many people make their wardrobe purchases based on their emotions. Even worse, some make their purchases based on heresy - opinions of friends (who may help them make decisions based on many factors - both good and bad emotions, fashion magazines, etc) and sales people who have the pressure of making commissions. With image consulting, the process changes from emotionally based to rationale based. It is practical. An art that is based on logic and harmony to the person.
It's funny to talk to people who think image consulting is fun. It is a great process for sure. But it is not "fun" in a way how teenage friends shop together - they get to giggle and try on different things. With image consulting, it's business. There is no time to waste when working for a client, because they are paying for the time. I have to be able to take one look at a store in 5 to 30 seconds of time to decide whether it's worth my time to go in with the client or not. I scan a rack of clothing in 5 to 10 seconds to make a decision of whether I should go through the items there or not. The satisfaction definitely does not come from the attitude of "shopping is fun". At the end of the day, the satisfaction comes in when I see clients dressed and groomed to their highest potential. I love it when they radiate their beauty. That's when I smile, and give myself a pat on my back, knowing that it is absolutely worth it.
