Always been curious about what other people have in their wardrobes? Here’s a job that gives you the license to find that out.
All dressed up and nowhere to go?
“Then that’s just vanity. There’s no real purpose or objective,” said Mrs Christina Ong, managing consultant of image consultancy firm, imageWorks.
An image consultant like Mrs Ong fine-tunes clients’ appearances, actions and attitudes – all of which make up their image – with the aim of getting them “somewhere” in their career.
In fact, many public figures get help this way to project themselves in ways they wish to be perceived by others – professional, feminine or even confident.
There are two main types of image consultants. Some work as personal shoppers and give broad guidelines on dressing.
The other type – and Mrs Ong falls into this category – provides a more comprehensive range of services, including going to the homes of clients to go through their wardrobes and find out how they can be improved to complement their image.
“This is called wardrobe review – for those who have rooms full of clothes, and yet complain they have nothing to wear,” Mrs Ong Explained.
But clients usually opt for individualized consultancy.
This begins with painting a client’s skin tone and then painting a palette of colors that go with it.
“Very often, we buy clothes that look wonderful on the rack, but which have no magic on the body. What has gone wrong is we’ve left our own skin color out of the equation,” said Mrs Ong.
Next, she tries to understand the client’s personality – is he or she an introvert or extrovert?
“This is important as an introvert would feel uncomfortable in bright, attention-grabbing colors.”
And you can’t carry your clothes off confidently if you’re squirming in them.
An image consultant can also operate at a corporate level.
For example, Mrs Ong conducts seminars to help companies improve employees’ image.
“But often, they will send their rank and file for image repackaging, when it’s usually the top stratum that needs it the most.”
A corporate career woman herself for 15 years after graduation, Mrs Ong has had personal experience of this.
“I’d been promoted to the post of director. But at one meeting, my male colleagues were still placing orders with me for coffee and tea as soon as I entered the room.”
She blamed the men’s behavior on herself. “I didn’t dress or conduct myself like a director.”
From then on, she realized the importance of her workplace image.
But it was only when she got her colors done by another image consultant that she realized her true calling.
She then went for training under image gurus, Carla Mason and Helen Villa Connor, and sacrificed a generous pay packet to do what she enjoys the most – image consulting.
What makes a good image consultant?
- a desire to make people feel good about themselves
- a good eye for design – color, line, shape, form and texture
- Sensitivity towards people’s feelings and their motivations – are they doing this for career advancement or personal improvement?
- The ability to be objective and not make value judgments or be prescriptive. For example, saying “You look awful with curly hair. You should have it straightened” is an absolute no-no.
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