Image and Etiquette

Self image and looking beyond a disability

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, [...]

The Look Of Success ™ A Personal Journey: Grand Finale

Let me begin this final blog in our series about Liz by restating my constant refrain — my profession, as an Image Consultant, is both my privilege and my passion. It’s wonderfully gratifying to watch a client shift from self-consciousness to self-confidence.
As Liz candidly shared her Personal Journey, we watched her evolve from the strained [...]

The Look Of Success™ A Personal Journey – The Last Port of Call: Makeup Application Techniques

One of my key responsibilities as an image consultant is to ensure my client’s new look is “doable” — that it can and will be maintained. With Liz, I know she’ll slip back into a cozy hoodie for an evening at home and that’s to be expected but I’m confident she’ll maintain her new hair [...]

The Look Of Success™ — A Personal Journey: A Trip to the Hair Salon

Before we visit the salon with Liz, some random thoughts on hair — every woman’s crowning glory:
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 [...]

The Look Of Success™ A Personal Journey – Exploring Eyewear

Accessories can make or break an outfit. They can update a classic, breathe new life into an old favourite and turn daywear into elegant eveningwear.  On the other hand, the wrong accessory can spoil the success of a really great look.
Simple truth #1
Eyewear is the most obvious accessory.
Simple truth #2
The right eyewear is crucial to [...]

The Look of Success™ A Personal Journey: The Shopping Spree

We created a wardrobe plan for Liz; “reorganized her lingerie drawer” with flattering new undergarments and now, the big day had finally arrived. We were going shopping!  This time our destination was Freda’s, a one-stop shopping experience in the heart of  Toronto’s Fashion District.
It was going to be a long day. Extensive editing left Liz [...]

The Look of Success (TM) – A Personal Journey: Stage 4 – Working the Lingerie Drawer

The real foundation of a wardrobe plan is just that — foundations. Today, most women’s lingerie drawers hold a diverse mix, from luxurious lacey confections to functional, full-support sport bras. There are special undergarments for wearing with knits and tees, bras with artfully engineered straps designed for halters or backless dresses, seamless bras, strapless bras, [...]

The Look of Success ™ – A Personal Journey – Stage 3: Wardrobe Planning

They wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint, hit the road to a new ski resort without a map, make their first visit to Barcelona without a guidebook or even, in these days of H&G TV, move furniture without a floor plan. And yet, again and again, the number of people, both men and women, [...]

The Look of Success ™ A Personal Journey – Stage 2: Colour Analysis

Before we catch up with Liz, I’m going to review some of the reasons the colour analysis process is so critical.
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 [...]

The Look Of Success™- A Personal Journey. Stage 2: Style Analysis

I recently wrote about Filippa’s makeover  — she’s the model who was “photoshopped” for a Ralph Lauren ad — but unlike that virtual process, everything about this Style Analysis, for Liz, is real — on a real body and for a real life!
I explained to Liz, that this stage of her journey would take at [...]