Image and Etiquette
When it comes to air travel, anything more than a carry-on is counter productive. It’s not just the lost-luggage-factor that has most women wheeling, not carrying, a single bag onboard. The hassle, the time lost, and often our travel partners, with little or no patience for hanging around carousels, have conditioned even the most passionate [...]
Posted on September 8th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Accessories, Dress, Fashion, Image, shopping, Travel, Womenswear | 1 Comment »
In fitting rooms across the planet, “Does it make me look fat?” — is without a doubt the pivotal issue that makes or breaks a clothing sale. Ultimately, it’s a rhetorical question because the woman doing the trying-on will make the call herself. If she has even the slightest uncertainty that the garment doesn’t shave [...]
Posted on August 31st, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Body Image, Celebrities, Dress, Fashion, Image, shopping, Womenswear | No Comments »
When department store tycoon Gordon Selfridge opened his namesake store in London, over 100 years ago, his flair for marketing was apparent from the moment the front doors opened. As one of many innovations, he located the perfumery, or scent department as it was called then, adjacent to the main entrance to mask the smell [...]
Posted on August 26th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Diane's Reflections, Dining Etiquette, Food, Hair, shopping | No Comments »
I am a real advocate of looking up the ladder to role models, for cues and guidelines, so I was truly exasperated to hear the following story: A young colleague of mine, let’s call her Mandy, returned from a recent meeting so agitated, not even an iced cappuccino (with whipped cream!) would calm her down. Mandy [...]
Posted on August 20th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Communication, Techno-Communication | No Comments »
In my book, eavesdropping is snooping. It may be accepted behaviour in spy novels and British mystery programs but unless your name is Inspector Poirot, eavesdropping is a no-no. Last week, I admit, I had an Inspector Poirot moment. Really. I couldn’t help myself because as I was having lunch outside at a local restaurant, [...]
Posted on August 12th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Accessories, Body Image, Business Etiquette, Dress, Fashion, Image, Womenswear | No Comments »
My profession brings a constant parade of diverse clients. From one week to the next, I’m constantly surprised and delighted by the stream of people arriving at my virtual doorstep. Variety is, indeed, the spice of my life. It keeps me primed for a fast-paced — make that high-octane — life. A case in point [...]
Posted on July 6th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Accessories, Celebrities, Dress, Fashion, Social Etiquette, Special Events, Womenswear | 2 Comments »
Imagine my surprise when I arrived at work, started opening emails and the first thing that jumped off my screen was the subject line from the New York Times: When Passengers Spit, Bus Drivers Take Months Off
In the article, the journalist considers if passenger behaviour is the result of frustration with the system or reflects a general decline in urban civility. I guess after repeatedly hearing about transit drivers as targets, I tend to side with the “decline in urban civility” theory. Sad but true.
Posted on May 28th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Accessories, Business Etiquette, Communication, Social Etiquette, Workplace Etiquette | No Comments »
Image has a profound impact on both professional and personal life. When people are comfortable with the way they look, they are most likely happy, relaxed and self-assured. They even communicate more effectively. With this confidence comes the ability to set, manage and achieve personal goals.
I was reminded of the importance of this much needed, self-assurance component in everyone’s life when last week two emails, one from my colleague Catherine Bell and one from a client’s mother, reached my inbox almost simultaneously. Catherine sent me a recent article of hers entitled Look Beyond the Disability that touches upon the difference between how she’s treated when she uses a cane — necessitated by the late effects of childhood polio —and when she doesn’t. As I scrolled through Catherine’s article, my thoughts turned to my client Melissa Vassallo and coincidentally, an email arrived from her mother with news about an upcoming celebration.
Posted on April 25th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Body Image, Communication, Image, Social Etiquette | 1 Comment »
In the ten years since Jody originated Project Water, her team of volunteers has distributed over 1 million bottles of water to homeless people over the course of Toronto’s extremely hot summers. Project Winter Survival offers essential items including scarves, hats and even sleeping bags to people living on the street.
Posted on April 13th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Accessories, Dress, shopping | No Comments »
That said — cleavage has absolutely no business in the boardroom. Yet, it’s a recurring theme whenever I’m asked to address the topic of appropriate business attire. Doesn’t matter whether I’m presenting to financial institutions, law firms, government agencies or large corporations — invariably, my clients will reinforce the importance of discouraging ‘distracting décolleté.’ Deeply cut necklines create a discomfort-zone for everyone in the office
Posted on February 5th, 2010 by Diane
Filed under: Business Etiquette, Dress, Fashion, Womenswear | 2 Comments »
