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The first event of the AICI Australia conference
was a makeover by 3
CIPs (Certified Image Professionals -- one of the highest AICI
qualifications) of 6 volunteers. I decided to volunteer to find out how
it feels on the other side of the fence! I regularly make myself over,
but I had never had someone make me over. My Image Consultant was
Helen Robinett from Image Quest in Melbourne Australia.
 How
many Image Consultants
Does it Take to do a
Color Analysis?!
The process Helen used was pretty much along the
lines of
what I go through myself
for my clients. However, due to very tight timelines it was interesting
to see where the emphasis was placed and what was left out. This
varied by CIP, Helen focussed on color analysis and style expression
to suit my stated lifestyle goals and match my personality. She would
normally have done a body shape
analysis, but due to time constraints skipped that part of the process.
Each CIP was tasked with creating 2 new looks for each volunteer. My
brief to Helen was to create 2 new looks for my image consulting work
that gave me a more creative/dramatic look: one for working with
clients in my home studio and one for giving presentations.
The makeover started several weeks before the day
with a phone conversation with Helen to describe what I was looking for
and so that Helen could get a feel for my personality. She also gave me
a couple of questionnaires to complete. On the day Helen started by
reviewing my answers to gain a better understanding of my goals from
the session and my style personality. I'm currently categorized as
Classic and Relaxed style personalities and wanting to add a Dramatic
or Creative twist to my style expression. She then color coded
me (Warm Autumn -- called 'Exotic' in her system!).
Next came hair then makeup while Helen and the
observing Image Consultants picked out outfits from a large selection
of loaned clothing. All the volunteers went to a hair salon
near the conference (it was one known and used by one of the conference
organizers). My stylist told me he liked the current cut of my hair
(which was good, because I do too), so he gave me a trim then blow
dried it straight with a tamed curl at the ends (I normally use my
finger to twist in some ringlets then just let it dry naturally).
By the time I'd finished having my makeup done
Helen and the observing Image Consultants had picked out 3 or 4 outfits
for me to try on, with a mix of my own accessories and some borrowed
from others. We quickly narrowed it down to 2 outfits: a stone colored
sleeveless shift dress, about knee length with an interesting neckline
and a matching trench coat -- this was my 'presentation look'; and a
trench-style knee length geometric patterned dress in yellow, orange,
grey and stone -- this was my 'studio consulting look'. A wide tan belt
was added to both outfits.
I ended up buying one of the dresses that didn't
end up being selected on the day -- there's a photo of me wearing it to
demonstrate wearing a dress with leggings (see below). It's a Boo
Radley from the Back Room in Petersham, NSW, Australia and cost $130.
Maree has a fantastic range of reasonably priced designer wear and also
does any required alterations for no extra charge.
The final part was the unveiling! All the
volunteers modelled our 2 looks on a catwalk to the conference
participants and guests. We'd each had official before photos taken and
these were projected onto a screen as we each modelled our new looks.
The relevant CIP explained their approach and we got to say what we
thought.
 Hairstyle
After Makeover
I don't yet have any of the before or after photos yet. However,
here's one showing my hairstyle. It was taken at the conference dinner
later that night. The general consensus that although it was nice
people who knew me like the way I style my hair better. Still, it's
good to have a change.
So, how did I feel about the whole makeover? It
was exciting, nerve racking, at times confronting and exhausting (all
that emotion and jet lag too!). Would I do it again? You bet! Even
Image Consultants can benefit from a professional styling session.
Many of my clients forget to wear jewellery or
don't pay much
attention to the shoes they put with an outfit. Yet accessorizing is a
great way to bring a fresh look
and feel to an outfit. It's also a budget friendly way to update your
wardrobe. With this season's emphasis on a statement within an outfit
(see new articles below) think about adding a new statement necklace or
pair of earrings to your wardrobe.
I
don't know about you, but I find it's easy to get in a rut with outfits
and always wear the same accessories with the same outfits. So, another
idea is to mix it up -- try putting different accessories with current
outfits to create new looks.
>> Do you know these 3
accessorizing tips?
I personally answer questions that I receive
through my website's Contact Me form. Each month I will
pick 1-3 of your questions that I think other readers will be
interested in and publish the question and answer here.
Q: I'm over 50 can I wear leggings and if so how? from Denise of Newport, Australia
 MyTights.com
have a selection of
leggings in a variety of colors.
They ship to the US and UK.
A: There was a great
blog on this subject, but I can't find it now (I think the owner may be
moving it), it was all about leggings not being pants or trousers! And
I think that is the key thing to remember, especially if you're over
30! Treat leggings as an accessory, that is, like hosiery and you're
less likely to go wrong. Don't look as if you've left home
and forgotten to put on your bottom half!
 Leggings
under dresses
can look great.
Pick a skirt or dress length that suits you, then
add leggings to create an edgier look, to add warmth, or to hide
varicose veins or scars on your legs. The leggings can be from below
the knee to ankle length. Make sure the hem doesn't end at the widest
part of your calf. And choose a length so the proportions
work with the rest of your outfit.
Q: How to
wear a scarf? Many of my clients ask me this question.
A:
For those of you living in the northern hemisphere you are just coming
into scarf wearing season. I love scarves and often wear them as
accessories, not just for outdoor wear. There are so many ways to tie a
scarf. What works will depend upon the shape of the
scarf (square, rectangle or long rectangle), how
bulky the
fabric is and how long your neck is.
If you have a medium to long neck a
scarf will look standing up on your neck. If you have a shorter neck
keep the drape of your scarf more cowl-like and away from your neck
(except to keep warm when you're out).
YouTube.com is a great
place to look for scarf tying ideas. Take a look at these videos for
starters...
>> How
to tie a winter scarf -- I use the first method a lot on
finer, long rectangle scarves
>> How to
wear a scarf in 5 different styles -- I use the 3rd example a
lot. I also use the 'bow tie' over a collared shirt
Discover Your
Best Range of Colors
If you haven't had
your colors done yet, or if you had your colors done many years ago and
feel you may now have changed color categories I provide a color
analysis service. If you live in Sydney find
details of
my in-person colour analysis service here.
If you live anywhere else in the world contact me for details of my online color analysis service.
Look Great!
Feel Great!
If you don't yet have your personalized Style Solutions portfolio you
can find the details here...
If you live in or near Avalon on Sydney's
Northern Beaches and would like to recycle the clothes you rejected
after your wardrobe audit and have the opportunity to re-stock your
wardrobe with someone else's pre-loved clothes and accessories mark
this
date in your diary. No money changes hands at this event --
it is purely a re-cycling exercise.
Places are strictly limited, by the size of
my studio and office area, so let me know if you'd like to come (reply
to this email) and I'll send you the details.
This month, it's all about the new season's
trends.
I'm still working on a satisfactory (and legal) solution for getting
photos to illustrate what I'm talking about.
I'd love you
to contribute photos of the clothes or outfits that you've put together
for the new season. These can either be of you or a friend (with her
permission) in the outfit or just a picture of the clothes and maybe a
sentence or 2 about why you love the outfit or how you've styled it.
There's a submission form on both the pages below and I've given you a
couple of examples to get you started.
Some of the main fall and winter
fashion trends include dresses, coats and jackets.
This season continues the emphasis on dresses. The lengths
are knee length or above or full length. Around knee length suits many
people. And you can always wear leggings, opaque tights or even
trousers if you want more warmth or to cover your
legs. There's still a large variety of dress styles available
so you should be able to find one that suits your silhouette. Remember
to pay attention to the design lines and patterns to ensure
the most flattering look.
>> Read the whole article
The key spring and summer fashion trends
include dresses,
blazers
and gladiator-style
sandals.
The strongest design element is architecturally inspired
structures such as pleats,
drapes
and tucks.
In particular you'll see this structural detail in necklines and
shoulders. Futuristic shoulder
pads also create strong shoulders.
>> Read the whole article
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