The differences between personal stylists, personal shoppers and Image Consultants are clearly distinguished as House of Colour introduces new services.
The debate has raged for years about whether an Image Consultant is really about you looking your best, or the Consultant trying to wedge you into a style of clothing which fits a formula – hence the misconception that Image Consulting is very “80’s”. Informal observation indicates the latter argument is generally upheld by people who haven’t fully researched what it is that Image Consultants offer.
Anyone who has taken the step, often against the better judgment of the more vociferous friends, will tell you it is one of the best investments they have made in their lifetime; participating, with a genuinely open mind, in a consultation with a House of Colour Consultant would provide critics with enough evidence to realise this is the case. Why? Because how we look is directly related to how we feel and the way we are perceived in the world; we all need to wear clothes, we can’t see ourselves objectively, we spend hours shopping and selecting outfits, acres of wardrobe space is taken up with unused clothing and we still think we have nothing to wear! In short, Image matters.
“Looking good isn’t important, it’s everything!” Ben Sherman
Wider television coverage in recent years – ‘What not to wear’, ’10 Years Younger’, ‘Gok’s Fashion Fix’ etc. – have all raised awareness that it is possible to employ the services of a professional, but Gok isn’t available to us all.
So what is available, where are you best to invest your money and how do you choose?
A Personal Shopper works within their known range of shops or suppliers, often employed by the shop in question (e.g. Department store, thus no extra charge for time), and they focus on clothes and accessories. By knowing their stock and with the experience of working in fashion, they use their knowledge of the latest trends and their experience to help you find the clothes which work for you. This is often based on a trial and error system of you trying the clothes so they can see how you look, thus enabling them to determine what works. A personal shopper can also literally do the shopping for someone e.g. a celebrity.
A Personal Stylist is also likely to be a personal shopper, however can include the broader issues of Style including recommendations on hair and make-up. Personal Stylists may accompany you shopping or equally, come to your home to help understand what you have got, identifying what they think works, what works with assistance and what doesn’t work to enhance you; their experience and knowledge of the fashion world will tend to guide the advice. A client will pay for the time they are with the Stylist.
An Image Consultant can be both a personal shopper and a personal stylist amongst a much wider range of services offered to their clients. The difference lies in the approach; through a logical and systematic process, your Image Consultant trains and educates you in all areas of wardrobe planning to suit your lifestyle.
"Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly." Epictetus
An Image Consultant works with the client as an individual with the aim of educating their clients in how to ‘do it for themselves’ over time. A client will invest in a professional consultation and thus be able to shop and dress independently and individually, acquiring additional shopping or styling advice time to enhance and build on their knowledge of themselves and what works for them.
A good Image Consultant starts by analysing your colouring (Colour Analysis) because colour has the biggest impact on how healthy and well you look; the analysis is an objective and systematic process using a set of precision dyed drapes. They consider your body shape and proportions, gaining a thorough understanding of your clothing personality and lifestyle requirements in the process. Through this consultative approach, you see and understand what works for you and how to select from the shops only the things which serve to support you in ‘looking yourself’ at your best.
Further advice can be given once you understand the building blocks for creating your own, unique, individual style appropriate to your lifestyle and budget. An Image Consultant may be called upon for additional training and advice covering all areas of personal presentation and ‘wardrobe management’ as required: e.g. building a capsule wardrobe, budgeting and investment, packing, dressing for success, hair colours and styles, make-up, colour combinations, fashions, proportions, patterns, textures and accessorising to adapt an outfit for any occasion.
“Fashion is general, Style is individual;
Fashion can be bought, Style one must possess." Edna Woolman Chase
You are able to clearly and confidently select what to wear so that anything in your wardrobe not only suits you, but shows you in your best light. Where previously a wardrobe might centre around a range of co-coordinating outfits with the colour, occasion (e.g. work, casual, party) or style (e.g. bohemian, chic, cowboy) as the connection, the result is an adaptable, versatile wardrobe of items which can all work together because you, the individual, are the linking factor.
Understanding the foundations of what works for you empowers you to make clear decisions as fashion and time moves on. Confident in your ability to identify what works for you, your own unique style is released thus avoiding the dependency which often develops between the client and professional.
"Fashion fades; Style goes on for ever.” Coco Chanel
An Image Consultant learns their skill and gains experience in a formal, structured training environment. Training programs are available through many mediums, from a few hours through to several weeks of intensive training with ongoing professional development. With qualifications that range from City & Guilds accreditation, paid membership of a body such as The Federation of Image Consultants, through to selection and training internally as at House of Colour, accredited by external bodies such as Investor in People.
In choosing an Image Consultant, it is therefore important to understand the amount and depth of training they have undergone. House of Colour Image Consultants undergo 5 weeks of intensive training and have a continual program of training and development to keep Consultants’ skills both current and up to date so that they are appropriate for the clients and the era.
House of Colour stands alone in the industry with their Investor in People accreditation. They are continually evolving, reviewing and updating the training available to Consultants inside their commitment to provide the best service possible to their clients.
2009 saw the introduction of the new ‘Wake up Your Make-up’ service and in 2010, the Men’s and Women’s ‘Image Class’ has been re-launched as ‘Personal Style’ to bring it into the 21st Century. As a consequence of this, the intensive, Fast Track Style program is now able to be delivered as a 1:1 or 1:2 consultation in either same or mixed sex pairs; the ‘Couples Class’ has been launched in the knowledge that couples often shop together or frequently one partner will do the clothes shopping for both.
“The Couples Class has been invaluable in providing us with new personal and shared learning. We had fun, learned how to save both time and money and now we make a real impact wherever we go.” William, Solicitor, Reading
“I thought after 20 years I knew all there was to know about my wife, but I learned so much about her, and what works for her style, and then how to make sure I look good enough to go out with her. In the past, if she had to choose between me and her best handbag… guess which she chose?” Adam, IT Director, East Sheen
The majority of House of Colour clients are without doubt women, however, the growing numbers of men investing in a consultation testify to its appeal for releasing valuable time for other activities as well as the financial benefits. When asked whether his return on investment expectations were fulfilled, Angus Ross, SW Manager for Dale Carnegie replied:
“My expectations were far exceeded.” |
