As Liz candidly shared her Personal Journey, we watched her evolve from the strained stance of the Before image to her effortless sense of poise in the After picture. She embarked on her journey as an attractive, clever young woman but emerged transformed by self-assurance; I also want to point out the wonderful gift of self-esteem bestowed on Liz as she discovered her own style. When you present yourself well dressed, well accessorized, well groomed, it’s pleasing to the eye, displays harmony, demonstrates respect for others — and causes people to be more receptive. 

Today, we enthusiastically embrace professional help on a vast range of subjects. With this series I wanted to make the point that to look our best, we can all use some help. We all have a unique look and physical assets. What we do with what we have often conceals the real beauty; our liabilities govern, not our assets.

During the past few years, we’ve been inundated with extreme, some would say excessive makeovers and in the parlance of the reality shows, reveal after reveal. We’ve watched as medical wizards reconfigured every part of a woman’s anatomy and the equally bizarre effects of media doctors retouching a young model’s torso.

Here, in this series — the reality show called life — what you see is what you get. No retouching — no slimming nor trimming, no eye brightening nor teeth whitening, no fine-tuning — simply put, no photoshopping. Just pure Liz!

Liz has some final thoughts:
“I told Diane, at the end of our final session, that I feel like an entirely different person, more confident  — and it shows.  My look has been transformed dramatically and now I look like a young professional. Throughout the process, I’ve received compliments from my friends and coworkers and both my manager and director commented on my new image.  My director feels very strongly about the importance of image and presentation. His positive comments confirm that I’ve achieved my goal to project a capable and confident image. I’m fortunate that I met Diane and had the opportunity to go through her Image Enhancement Programme at this early stage in my career.  It will undoubtedly have a profound effect on my career development.  I highly recommend this programme. Thank you so much Diane!”

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

Register Now!

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Experience has taught me that when I address the idea of a professional makeup artist for this last step, clients frequently call upon the same mental roadblock; it’s called The Natural Look. At some point iconic American designer, Calvin Klein, obviously encountered this kind of resistance because he coined the perfect phrase: “The best thing is to look natural, but it takes makeup to look natural”.  How right you are Mr. Klein!

Happily, Liz was enthusiastic about her planned makeup application and lesson with makeup artist Genny at The School of Pro Makeup Art. Together, we discussed Liz’s lifestyle, the new demands of her career and her comfort level with makeup and its application.

Liz had brought along her makeup bag and we began the elimination process. In comparison to some “collections” I’ve seen, Liz had a bare minimum. I was delighted. (So often over the years, I’ve seen makeup bags that were potential breeding grounds of bacteria: bits and pieces from cosmetic promotional gifts, hastily purchased lipsticks and shadows, old sponges, dried-up mascara wands, ancient pencils and worn-out brushes. Please, don’t hang on to tired, old products. There are very specific guidelines for how long a product is safe to use, e.g. no longer than 3 months for mascara.)

Once the editing process was complete, Genny began applying makeup to the right side of Liz’s face — explaining her product choices and techniques. Then, it was Liz’s turn to match the left side. While Genny guided her step-by-step, Liz learned to hold a brush, to gauge the amount pressure to apply and new techniques of stippling, feathering and the art of blending. True to form, Liz was a stellar student and was well on her way to applying makeup like a pro.

Here are 5 quick tips for finessing your makeup application:

1. Apply bronzer with a large fluffy brush on the forehead, nose, chin, cheeks, jaw line — all places the sun would hit — using large, circular strokes.  Add more to the area just below the cheekbones to create a chiseled contoured look.  Next, apply a pink shade of blush on the “apples” of cheeks for a healthy glow.
2. Line lips with a lip-coloured lip pencil and blend well to avoid a conspicuous, telltale line.
3. Fill in eyebrows with taupe eye shadow powder and a small, angled brush. Use short, hair-like strokes in sparse areas.
4. 4. Curl eyelashes using a rounded rubber eyelash curler to really open up the eyes, before applying mascara. Shu Uemura’s eyelash curlers are internationally praised — they were even mentioned in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada.
5. Apply 4 clusters of individual false eyelashes to outer corners of the eyes to add volume and look natural. Perfect for New Year’s Eve!

Here’s Liz with a recap of her session with Genny:
“I usually don’t wear very much makeup, probably because I’ve never been exceptional at applying it — but Genny from The School of Pro Makeup was an excellent teacher.  She went over the techniques at each step then she would let me try and provide feedback. Applying cake eyeliner was especially challenging — I actually got it in my eye! Over the last few days I’ve improved and now the process is pain free. I really wanted to learn the techniques for a good reason – the end result of my makeup lesson was transformational.  I was amazed by how Genny was able to balance my features using tiny touch ups. Between the makeup and the hair I feel gorgeous. My new look is very polished.  Thank you Diane, I’m thrilled. And just in time for the holidays!“      

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

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The precise timing of when a “bad hair day” became universally known as a bad day, period, is difficult to pinpoint. We all understand the implications though, all too clearly. Unruly, unmanageable hair can be measured on the same scale as a day that falls apart— in a word, stressful.

Great outfit, new shoes, impeccable makeup — nothing can suppress a bad hair day vibe. I always tell my clients that when hair is “wrong” it’s impossible to feel poised and confident. “Wrong” is not a case of bed-head or wake-up-hair — both usually remedied with a quick shampoo and blow-dry — but a cut and colour calamity. Sometimes, the nightmare is confined to one or the other but they seem to go hand in hand. The dreaded “black beret,” the dried out thatch of straw, the weird greenish tinge  — these are all too familiar hair catastrophes. Sadly, they’re often the result of poor communication between the hair professional and customer. A word of caution: always make sure the people you work with have your hair condition as their main consideration.

When you’re thinking of making changes it’s important to explain to both your colourist and stylist what your goals are. When in doubt about their plans — remember it’s your hair — ask to see pictures. Having said that, you have to be realistic, too. You may have worked out a promising style for your face shape, but lacked the expertise to know if it’s right for your hair — its texture, structure and weight. A good hairstylist will be able to tell you right away.

I accompanied Liz to Salon Solis for her colour and cut. At this stage, Liz understood her personal style, or clothing personality, along with the most flattering colours for her eyes and skin tone.

As an image consultant, my job is to tell the colourist and hairstylist what we want but not how to do it – that’s their job. I rely on their expertise to assure me that the hair is in good condition and that the texture and weight will support the style I’m suggesting.  If not then we negotiate and settle on a style and colour that will work for my client. 

I am very happy to report that for Liz, it was “all systems go!”

By texturizing and softening the interior of the haircut, Ernesto Domanico created a versatile, classic style that can be easily transformed from everyday wash and wear to a glamorous evening look.

Lindsey Bober coloured Liz’s hair using one level darker than her natural colour to deepen the overall appearance and enhance the natural shine.  Highlights were applied in a shade three levels lighter to add interest and dimension through the layers.

Ernesto and Lindsey are all about making their clients happy.  At Salon Solis, it’s not just any other hair affair. There are no over-priced services; there are no rush jobs and there’s no attitude.  They thrive on hospitality and great hair! I encourage you to visit Salon Solis www.salonsolis.com if you live nearby or are visiting Toronto.

Liz has some thoughts to share, too:
“I’ve been going to Salon Solis for just over a year now.  I found the salon online after receiving a haircut that I was ‘not so fond of’ and ever since Ernesto cut my hair I won’t go anywhere else.  He always has wanted to colour my hair but I was afraid of the maintenance.  I hate the ‘roots look’ but I’m not inclined to visit the salon every month for a touch up.  On Diane’s advice, I finally gave in and agreed to try something not too extreme. The goal was to add some shine and a few highlights— they really bring out my eyes.  Lindsey made sure the colour would require minimal maintenance.  I love it!  While my hair dye was being coloured Dina gave me a French manicure and we discussed eyebrow shaping.  In the end my nails looked great and I agreed to come in and see Dina over the next couple of months for reshaping.   I left the salon feeling pampered.  Next step, makeup to complete my new look!” 

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

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Simple truth #1
Eyewear is the most obvious accessory.

Simple truth #2
The right eyewear is crucial to the right look.

Simple truth #3
Eyewear is tricky.

The time had come to address this most obvious — and functional— accessory with Liz. No doubt about it, at Freda’s she received an “A” in Accessorizing, but picking the right glasses presents a real challenge. There are thousands of frames to choose from. The right choice enhances the appearance, while the wrong one becomes a costly mistake —rather like buying an expensive coat that doesn’t keep you warm.

My recommendation is to take a trusted friend to help with the selection process. It’s very difficult to be objective on your own and in my experience, many people rely on opticians. Trained to determine the right kind of lenses for your prescription, few opticians understand face shapes and the nuances of skin colouring — important factors when it comes to choosing frames.

Let me explain:

• Your face shape is the starting point — square, round, triangle or oval. Say for example, that your face is square; you’ll want to avoid square-shaped frames that mimic your face shape and choose instead oval or round glasses. In other words, try frames that contrast or “contradict” your face shape.
• The size of your face and features play a critical role. Delicate features disappear with frames that look amazing on a larger face with stronger features.
• Same story with the nose — slender and small takes a different bridge than long and prominent or short and broad.
• Moving on to the eyes — close-set versus wide-set, drooping or tipped, dark circles or crow’s feet, there are so many considerations.
• Cool or warm skin tone and eye colour can make the difference between whether to choose anodized metal, “tortoiseshell” or even gold or silver trim.
• And then there’s the entire issue of personal style. Which category do you fall into: dramatic, classic, natural, romantic, gamin or ingénue?

A final checklist:
 Replace your frames at least every four years.
 Check yourself in a full-length mirror before finalizing your frame choice — you want to be certain the proportion is right.
 When in doubt about the right frame, look for an almost universally flattering oval shape.

Liz has a few thoughts:
“My old glasses will need to be replaced this spring and although Diane approved of the shape, she showed me how to choose a colour more becoming to my eyes and complexion. She also walked me through the initial frame selection process and showed me how to avoid the wrong shapes. Thank you Diane, another mission accomplished!”

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

Register Now!

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It was going to be a long day. Extensive editing left Liz with a minimal wardrobe; we were starting from scratch. Experience told me that Liz — like many clients — could be overwhelmed by the great number of choices. I reassured her that I did, indeed, have a plan.

More than a shopping spree, this was going to be a hands-on learning experience. Liz would make endless changes as she tried on all the various colours and styles we had discussed. Her budget was limited so my first stop at Freda’s was the sale rack— just in case a hidden treasure lurked there, waiting to be discovered. I reminded Liz that regardless of how tempting the price was; a bargain didn’t qualify for consideration unless it met all the criteria:
• Item on the wardrobe plan
• Right style and colour
• Quality fabric and workmanship

Liz remained calm throughout the entire process and changed from one outfit to another as we discussed the finer points of tailoring, fit, mixing and matching. I stressed the importance of good accessories — sacrifice quality and the art of accessorizing is lost.

When the day was finally over and the shopping bags filled, I was delighted to realize — Liz discovered she loves to shop!

“I usually find business attire uncomfortable (I don’t think I’m alone on this!) and although everything I tried on at Freda’s wasn’t as comfortable as my ‘lululemons’ — most things paired fashion and comfort brilliantly.

I immediately saw the difference in quality between what I typically wore in the past, and the new standards Diane has instilled in me. She had me try on some things that weren’t particularly flattering — not my favourite part of the day, but a necessary evil and terrific learning experience.

Each outfit Diane developed was finished with accessories.  She found an amazing suit and paired it with a large silver necklace for a gorgeous, classic look. Then she gave the suit a dramatic edge that I love, with a tortoise shell belt and a pair of industrial earrings — what a transformation! This exercise showed me how important it is to use accessories to set the tone of my outfit and achieve my desired look. Before I wore belts for practical reasons but now they’re my new favourite accessories!

Although I’m far more confident about shopping, I’ll take along the Personal Style Guide Diane prepared. In the meantime, I can’t wait to show off the new me.”

A final note: I’m always looking for the optimum suppliers for my clients. I need to feel confident that when my consultations are over, they’re in good hands as they continue to build their wardrobes. My standards are high:  I look for knowledgeable staff, impeccable service, tremendous variety, excellent fitting and alteration capabilities. Freda’s is the perfect problem-solver! All the must-have elements are there. This remarkable store carries designs by Freda, manufactured on site, and numerous other designers. Every category is covered from fun casual wear to business attire — even cocktail clothes and evening gowns. There’s a wonderful, varied selection.

One of Freda’s unique features is the large and sophisticated in-house manufacturing facility. Imagine you’ve spotted the perfect suit, but want a special colour — or great dress but want a lighter fabric. No worries! Because all the designing, sewing and finishing are completed upstairs. This makes shopping a dream come true for anyone with “challenging” body proportions. At Freda’s, the possibilities are endless.  www.fredas.com

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

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And this is where Melmira, North Toronto’s wonderful bra boutique comes into play. It was time to take Liz on her first shopping trip: destination Melmira, www.melmira.com. 

I explained our mission was to find the right pieces to enhance her figure and ultimately, form a base for her wardrobe. Undergarments play a key role in improving both the look and fit of clothing. Equally important is the psychology of lingerie — almost like a secret security blanket. A woman’s confidence increases when her underclothing holds everything in place and feels superb next to her skin.

I had made an appointment with Holly, one of Melmira’s owners, for a custom fitting. There is no substitute for expertise and experience when it comes to fitting bras; everyone on staff is a trained professional at fitting undergarments and swimwear. After a warm welcome, Holly ushered Liz into a large, private fitting room. We discussed Liz’s lifestyle, colour palette and wardrobe plan before Holly left to select a range of bras. Our goal was to address Liz’s basic undergarment needs and help her become more discerning about fit. As Holly showed Liz the difference between bras to avoid and flattering choices, it was a true “before and after” experience. The entire process took about an hour and included some tips from Holly on fit, quality and care. Liz made a final selection of two bras that are ideal for her immediate needs — both flattering and supremely comfortable!

Liz has the last word:
“The staff at Melmira is phenomenal. I’ve never experienced such amazing customer service. I don’t have a large bust and was skeptical that I’d see any difference between a new bra and what I owned. I walked out with two!

The bras are so comfortable I feel as though I could go for a run and they aren’t even sports bras. I tried on a jacket in an old bra, and then changed into a new one. The jacket looked so much better — I was pleasantly surprised.”

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

Register Now!

Subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletter

These are the same folks who would mark the map to Mount-Magical-Skiing with gas stations and highlight the best tapas bars in Barcelona — but off they go on a shopping spree, minus a plan.

Wardrobe planning is done systematically and strategically. Before beginning to build a client’s wardrobe plan, there needs to be a strong foundation in place. The starting point is the client’s body proportions, personal style and colour palette.

Liz had reached this stage on her journey and was ready to move forward. In preparation for our third meeting, I gave Liz a copy of my comprehensive Wardrobe Planning Guide. Although some client’s prefer that I make a “house-call” for this part of the consultation, Liz expressed a newfound confidence about what worked for her; she was ready to tackle her closet.

The following week, she arrived back at the office with her suitcase and my editing process began:

• Group 1: Keepers
• Group 2: Alterations Department
• Group 3: Pass-alongs for her sister
• Group 4: Goodwill donations

Liz’s wardrobe was minimal, so we had to build a plan that would allow her to introduce new pieces on a monthly basis. Since Liz and her partner are saving for a house, it was imperative that her foundation pieces be:

• Versatile — appropriate for varied situations
• Easy to mix and match
• Simple, understated — so she could use accessories to change their looks and moods.

The actual plan would be quite compact, but before committing it to paper we discussed a few basic guidelines:

• Discipline — and the importance of sticking to the plan
• Focus — find key pieces, accept no substitutes
• Impulse purchases — strictly off-limits
• Trend management — avoiding fads
• Splurging — when it makes sense
• Last minute shopping — past history
• Bargains — are they or aren’t they?

Soon, it would be time to put the plan to work, but before we hit the stores, Liz had a few words:

“I really didn’t want to show Diane my wardrobe. After going through my closet I was embarrassed — most items didn’t look like they belonged to a young professional. Once I got past my initial feelings, I buckled down and concentrated on understanding how to select the essential building blocks that would form the core, or as Diane calls it my ‘survival wardrobe.’ The best part is, I’m enjoying the process — it really is a journey.”

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

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Last week I was asked to explain the difference between a “fashion victim” and a “fashionista.” Bottom line, the former aspires to be the latter — but has taken things too far! The fashionista follows trends closely and may even work in fashion’s inner sanctum, as a designer or promoter.

The fashion victim is her own worst enemy and often, her biggest stumbling block is colour. Magenta, for example, is a so-called “hot- trend” colour this holiday season but it’s extremely tough to wear head-to-toe. The fashion victim will select a magenta, cocktail dress, regardless of her colouring — skintone, hair, eyes. The fashionista, on the other hand, knows which colours suit her best and her dress will reflect this. Now here’s where the fashionista’s cleverness comes into play; she’ll accessorize with magenta — a jewelled magenta cuff and magenta satin party-shoes or maybe one of the new tiny handbags.

The point is that once you know which colours suit you best, you’ll resist the temptation of making costly wardrobe mistakes — like becoming a magenta party-dress victim! Your best colours, or palette, determine not only your best clothing choices, but also your makeup —everything from foundation to blusher, lipstick, even eye shadow — and your hair colour, including highlights and lowlights.

Our fashion victim could choose to accessorize her magenta dress with matching lipstick, maybe hair extensions, even eye shadow. Our fashionista, on the other hand, is holding firm with her magenta minimalism — strictly cuff and shoes — or the tiny perfect bag. (Let me be perfectly clear that the shoes could have five-inch heels and the cuff could be what our grandmothers would call “over the top” and the bag is probably too small for anything more than a lipstick. Fashionistas are not known for understatement.)

When I hear comments like:
• My makeup doesn’t seem to work 
• My lipstick colour is off 
• My hair colour isn’t right 
• Sometimes I look blotchy or sallow.
• Every time I wear this top, dark circles appear under my eyes
 
Experience tells me colour is the root cause of these problems. Let’s examine a couple of all-too-familiar situations:

A woman with warm-coloured eyes, hair and skin tone purchases a cool-coloured lipstick; it’s a very close match to her new suit. Unhappy with the outcome, it’s back to the makeup counter for another lipstick. No luck. Next step, a new necklace and earrings —thinking they’ll do the trick. But all she’s doing is compounding her suit mistake. Doesn’t matter if the suit is the most flattering shape in the world, wrong colour cancels out the benefits of cut.

Another woman — with cool-coloured eyes, hair and skin tone — has her hair coloured and highlighted — an expensive undertaking.  At first glance, it’s perfect; with a warm base and red highlights, it’s exactly like the magazine picture she brought to the salon. As she re-applies her lipstick, she suddenly realizes that this wonderful new hair colour is looking brassy and that it clashes with her makeup. Her solution? New foundation and blusher and eye shadow and pencil and lipstick and liner and gloss — that in the end don’t remedy the problem.

So much time, effort, energy and money wasted. Around and around in circles, hair and makeup and clothing are connected. The absolute starting point is determining if you’re cool or warm. See how vibrant and alive Liz looks in the cool palette, versus the draining aspects of the warm colours.

 Thoughts from Liz
“I knew that I was a ‘winter’ but it was interesting to see how drastically my look changed as Diane held different colour palettes against my skin. I also discovered colours I didn’t know were part of the cool palette that works for me. This process definitely made me aware of my best colour choices and opened my eyes to a new, expanded palette. Thank you Diane — now I can’t wait to go shopping!”

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

———————————————————————————————

How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

Register Now!

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I explained to Liz, that this stage of her journey would take at least three and a half hours. We had a lot to accomplish.

First step, to address her body proportions:
   •  Sloping or straight shoulders, narrow or broad?
   •  High bust or low?
   •  Full hips or narrow?
   •  Short legs or long?

These are just a few of the measurements that would ultimately determine the most successful looks for Liz. The best skirt length, the right pant silhouette, the most flattering jacket, a turtleneck or cowl, wide belts or narrow — all these issues, plus, so many more, would be resolved, once I knew her body proportions. As many of you know, my background is haute couture and there is no better training for understanding the challenges of dressing the female figure!

Part two of the Style Analysis takes an in depth look at the client’s style or clothing “personality.” This is strongly influenced by body proportions. Let me give you some examples: Dolly Parton could never wear Audrey Hepburn’s streamlined looks, nor could Nicole Kidman carry Jennifer Lopez’s signature sense of style.   Once you know, understand and accept your body shape — regardless of weight gains or losses —you’ll know your best look.

It was essential that Liz understood her figure as it actually is, that she knew her assets and not focus on her limitations, before our first shopping spree. The entire personality becomes self-evident, once the client understands her body proportions and Liz was quick to grasp the nuances.

There was still a lot to review. I gave Liz our Figure and Style Analysis Manual and we went through a final checklist including her best:
   •  fit and “hang” of garments
   •  collar styles
   •  sleeve styles
   •  shape of shoulders on a garment
   •  lengths for skirts, pants —even sleeves
   •  pocket styles

Well, you get the general idea. Comprehensive is an understatement!

And before we move on to our Colour Analysis session, next Tuesday, here’s what Liz had to say.

“During this session, Diane measured my body proportions to determine what styles of clothing work best with my body to achieve my desired image. She just didn’t tell me what to wear; she took the time to teach me WHY certain styles work best for me. Thankfully, Diane recorded this information in a style guide —I’d never be able to remember everything and it’s perfect to take with me when I go shopping. Thank you, Diane I’m looking forward to our next session on colour.”

Stay tuned!   (Note that you can now have our blog posts delivered to your Inbox by clicking on the Subscribe link on the right side of this page.)

———————————————————————————————

How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

Register Now!

Subscribe to our FREE monthly newsletter

After graduating with a Bachelor of Computing Science, Liz began her career as a Business Analyst in the tele-communications industry with a large, international organization and was placed into their Leadership Development Program.  Recently, Liz was appointed Process Improvement Lead.  Her new position involves day-to-day meetings with senior directors and vice-presidents and this level of interaction prompted Liz to contact Corporate Class for help with her image.

I immediately assured Liz that she had already taken her first big step by recognizing that appearance conveys a critical social message —
to play the role you must dress the part.  And I’m delighted to announce that Liz decided to share her journey of self-discovery.  Her motivation?   Liz says it best.

“The morning of my first meeting with Diane I was very excited and arrived confident that this experience would give me a valuable edge at work — and prepare me for my new role — in a way traditional classes and books could not.

But to really understand, you need to know where I was a year ago.  I was very overweight and took no pride in my appearance.  I frequently wore jeans and a hoodie to the office.  My self-image had deteriorated; it was affecting my confidence and as a result, my ability to excel.

Then, last November, I took control and joined a gym.  With self- discipline and coaching from a personal trainer I lost 40 pounds to reach a healthy weight and this helped me recapture confidence — in both my physical self and my ability to take on challenges.  I’ve changed my physique but not my image and although the confidence is there, it isn’t shining through.  Now, in my new position, I’m facilitating meetings with people far more experienced — I need to appear capable and confident.

Diane immediately put me at ease.  She explained that image is an investment you make in yourself — no different than my commitment to working out.  Now, I can’t wait to get started and I hope you’ll join me on this journey. Maybe you too, will decide it’s time to enhance your image, your confidence and your competitive edge!”

During the next 5-weeks showcasing Liz as her look of success unfolds, we’ll be busy — here’s an outline of our blog schedule:

• Style Analysis   Nov 19
• Colour Analysis   Nov 24
• Wardrobe Planning  Nov 26
• Shopping: Step 1  Dec 1
• Shopping: Step 2   Dec 3
• Shopping: Glasses  Dec 8
• Hair     Dec 10
• Make-up    Dec15
• Grand Finale   Dec 17

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How Is Your Personal and Professional Image? 
Is your style congruent with your brand? Are you confused about what suits YOU best, how to manage trends, dress age appropriate?

Join me for my FREE, 55 minute pre-training class:  Style for Women Virtual 4-part course where I will share tips on how to create your own look of success!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Pacific

Register Now!

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