1. Wearing clothes that 'straight' women would never wear 2. Poorly applied make up 3. Wearing ill fitting clothes 4. Wrong size implants ( whatever you use, rice/chicken fillets etc..) 5. Maintenance of Body Hair 5. Bad Hairstyle - Grown mid length to long hair- naturally with 'male' pattern baldness 6. Wrong shape and style wig 7. Looking awkward carrying a handbag 8. Posture and movement like a man 9.Poorly groomed hands & nails 10. Being uncomfortable in their own skin
As an image consultant it has been my honour to have worked with numerous transgender girls ( male to female) over the past 6 years and all the above mentioned faux paux's can be remedied.
I love the change of seasons in Melbourne, and embrace each one. As I strolled through Southbank recently, the sun was glinting through the leaves, the grass had just been cut and its fragrance filled the air, the leaves had a touch of rust to them- it was simply glorious. It reminded me of the times as a child when I ran through the piles of Autumn leaves and collected leaves for the rich colours and pasted them into a scrap book.
We like to update our wardrobes each season with what is new and in relation to colour the staple shades for Melbourne tend to be Black, Black , Grey and more Black... This is a trend particular to our little neck of the woods. During tough economic times, the core colours of black or grey can be effective as well as good for the budget.
This Autumn, shades are softer, slightly muted. This season, colours to look for in your colour swatch's are:
Raspberry, Luxury Rose, Cool Taupe. Camel, Amber Orange, Teal Blue, Retro Blue, Light Cool Grey, Charcoal Grey, Chocolate, Olive, Seaweed, Bittersweet. Burnt Orange. Medium Dark Warm Grey, Deep Rose Pink, Berry Rose.
Secret Men's Business - Creating a Practical Wardrobe Generally speaking women have no trouble filling their wardrobes to overflowing, which sometimes overflows to other closets in the home Yet when it comes to the male wardrobe, most garments fit into a tiny corner.....
When it comes to a male working wardrobe, these are the basic requirements;
Business
3 x Suits Include a Navy & Charcoal Grey Suit
10 x Dress Shirts Include 4 white, 2 patterned and 4 coloured
10 x Ties Include some classic & current patterned styles
3 x Shoes Must have black leather, the others in shades to match trousers, Derby, Blucher or Brogues
10 x Socks Match your socks to your trousers
3 x Belts Black, Dark Grey, Navy
1 x Trench Coat
1 x Leather Briefcase
Leisure
2 x Jeans
6 x Casual Shirts Include coloured and current patterned styles
1 x Boots Chelsea/Riding
2 x Shoes You can include Boat/Deck, Moccasin or Plimsoll
1 x Toe Slide
2 x Fine V Neck Pullovers
2 x Scarves
1 x Casual Jacket
4 x Basic white tees -2 short sleeve & 2 long sleeve
2 x Casual Fashion Tees
As a general rule we invest 5% of our gross income per year on clothing and accessories, including mobile phone.
For your copy of Personal Style Solutions for Men contact Jayne admin@theimageprofessional.com.au
12 Image Essentialsfor Men in the Blue Suit Jungle
Stand out from the crowd with fantastic quality shirts. They must have a French cuff. Display your cuff links to display your personality.
Pin stripe suits always look professional, look for an unusual colour mix to stand out: eg Navy with lilac stripe, Beige with green stripe.
A crisp white business shirt always looks amazing with a suit, however experiment with soft pastel business shirts within your colour palette. Wearing a coloured shirt that suits you can make you stand out.
Do not wear a tie that is too short or too long or inappropriate (leave the Bart Simpson tie at home in the cupboard, we don’t want to stand out for the wrong reason!)
If your shirt is see through, wear a white pure cotton tee/singletunderneath.
It sounds old fashioned, but shine your leather shoes. Nothing looks worse than a man in a great suit with scuffed dirty shoes.
Never wear white socks under trousers. Coordinate your socks with the colour of your trousers.
Do not fill your pockets with papers, pins or other paraphernalia. Apart from ruining the pockets it sends a message of not being totally organised.
Clothes must be worn clean, ironed and in good repair. Those that are stained –have cleaned. Those that are damaged have them repaired.
A man in a well fitting suit jacket sends a message of strength, authority and professionalism. An ill fitting suit jacketcan negate all the positives of wearing one.
Ensure that the jacket fits across your shoulders first, everything else can be altered.Sleeve length, body length, and seams can all be altered. It is OK to have your garments altered – so factor the cost of alterations into the purchase price.
Good Grooming is an absolute essential ; Skin Care, Body Odour, Facial Hair, Teeth, Hands & Nails must all be taken into account.
The comb over – forget it you’re not fooling anyone. Best to have your hair trimmed shorter or shaved.
1. The Business Suit. You can never go wrong when you wear a business suit to an interview. This rule applies for men and women. Each student should own one business suit that is tailored to fit their body/shape. You don’t need to buy an Armani suit by any means. Purchase something simple and basic in a core colour Black, Brown, or Navy.
2. An interview is NOT the place to experiment with fashion. YOU want to get the job and grab the employers attention, NOT your outfit. Men, this means the color of your suit must go with the colour of your shoes (Black suit = Black Shoes, Brown Suit = Brown Shoes, Blue Suit = Brown Shoes). The shirts men and women wear under their suits should also compliment each other. For men and women Keep to simple colours underneath your business suits (Black Suit = white, grey, light blue shirt, Blue Suit = tan, white shirt, Brown Suit = tan, white, light blue shirt).
3. The Man Rule. If you decide to wear a white buttoned down/collared shirt you MUST wear an undershirt with it. If you put on a basic “wifebeater/tanktop” under your white shirt it WILL show through. This is NOT attractive and does not make you look like a professional. Also, men’s socks should be dark and blend in. White socks should not stick out from under your pants. Make sure your collars are properly creased into place. The proper ironing should be done to your entire outfit. Wrinkles aren’t acceptable. Make sure that if a belt is needed, that you have a belt that matches your suit. Come to the interview as “clean-shaven” as possible. Typically speaking, employers aren’t too fond of messy hair, lots of facial hair, piercings, or tattoos. If you do have piercings, I suggest removing them for the interview and trying to cover up any other body piercings or body art.
4. The Woman Rule. Again, interviews are definitely NOT the time to experiment with anything. Wear your hair the way you think it looks best. Avoid any crazy up do’s, braids, pigtails, “messy looks”, etc. Hair can be worn straight or pull it back into a neat pony tail. Jewelery should be simple. Keep your accessories simple and have one piece that stands out. If you have a great necklace, keep the earrings, rings, bracelets simple.
An interview is also not a cleavage show. As women, we want to avoid the cliche of the “seductress in the workplace”. I suggest =covering up and wearing a basic top with an appropriate neckline to your interview. A pants suit or a skirt suit is fine. Make sure the skirt is an appropriate length. The only way to really know is to look in the mirror and make a judgment call. We all know what “too short” looks like. You shouldn’t be showing any “legs” so if it looks sexy, its probably not the right choice. When choosing your shoes, try to avoid the trendy “platform heels” and schosse a medium heel. Heels are a better choice than flats for an interview. If you don’t want to wear a suit, select a simple dress or skirt and top combo. Remember to keep things simple and not too trendy. Button-down tops are nice but usually a little showing for women with larger busts. Some other ideas are pencil skirts, mock turtle-necks, suit jackets, boat neck tops. Stay away from Capri Pants, Jeans, Denim, Spandex, leggings, Flats, Flat Boots, Short Skirts.
5. No Jeans. No matter what you wear to your interview, jeans are not okay. Even if they are black jeans, stay away from them. The phrase,”I can’t believe they wore jeans to an interview”, is all too common.
6. Hesitation Equals No. If you aren’t sure about something you are wearing then scrap it. You should be confident in what you wear and if you are questioning anything than the employer is likely to question as well.
7. Straighten Up. Do a last minute check before you leave. Make sure your fly is up, buttons secured, collar pressed down, and everything is in place. You also might want to take a lint roller and make sure all dust, dog hair, etc. is off your clothing
Do you struggle with what to wear for that special occasion?
Does your wardrobe INSPIRE you or make you pull your hair out?
Is YOUR wardrobe is bulging at the seams but you never have anything to wear?
Why is dressing EASY but looking GREAT is the hard part?
Style is about confidence and feeling good about who you are. Once achieved, you will be blessed with the freedom to relax more and enjoy life, secure in the assurance that you can strive for, and reach any goals you set..
This new e style is fantastic, the information is amazing.. Everything you wanted to know about style and accessories all available on your PC and its so easy to use. This will save having to visit an image consultant as you have your own personal stylist on line. Update YOUR style when and where you want too.
Style tips to look amazing without spending a fortune!
What happens when finances get tight is that we can cut back on trips to the hairdresser, manicures, skin care, pedicures, dry cleaning..The end result is we can look a little 'tardy' around the edges. You don't have to spend a lot of money to look sensational, update your image with a few simple steps..
Well Groomed = Well Dressed. Good grooming is an essential component of your total image.
Chipped nail polish, overgrown cuticles. and unshaped nails. Learn to manicure your own nails, and do this weekly. Shape your nails with a buff or diamond head nail file, only file in one direction -no see saw back & forwards as this will cause your nails to weaken and chip. Invest in a french manicure set as this is less noticeable for minor nail chips. If you are using a coloured nail polish, then add an extra layer of top coat daily to minimise chipping.
Rough dry hands and elbows. Invest in exfolitation gloves and use daily in the shower. Pay extra attention to the elbows. Treat your hands weekly to a quick natural exfoliation coating the hands with olive oil and using rock salt. Rinse in warm water and pat dry. Olive oil is also a terrific cuticle softner and makes your nails look healthy.
Dry cracked heels. Summer is approaching, and with it comes sandals and flip flops. Get rid of unsightly crack heels by using a chiro sponge, available from a chemist for about $2. Don't forget to rub your body lotion on your feet and heels daily.
Skin Care Regime Maintaing a skin care regime is an essential part of good grooming, healthy skin and looking youthful, but you don't have to spend a lot of money. Oil of Olay is one of the most effective skin care ranges, especially good for a mature skin and extremely affordable. Toner can be replaced with all natural witchhazel, about $5 from a chemist. There is no need to purchase a neck cream and a face cream. use your face cream all over. You can even toss away the eye cream, and use your everyday moisturiser, but apply with the ring finger and pat on gently around the eye. But the essential ingredient to healthy skin is to drink, drink & drink water- stay hydrated on the inside.
Wrinkled clothes Save money on dry cleaning by hanging your garments in the bathroom when showering, the steam will aid in removing the wrinkles. Hang you clothes on wooden hangers, with space so as not to crush while hanging. Excessive drycleaning will also shorten the life of your garments.
Perfect Smile Maintain good oral hygiene.Bruch after each meal and floss at least once a day. Use a mouthwash at least twice a day, you can rinse in salt and water to save buying mouthwash. If you are unable to brush after a meal, chew a piece of Extra Chewing Gum. This will save you dollars in dental bills.
Shoes Remember as a child when you polished your shoes every week, its good grooming to keep your shoes in tip top condition. In an emergency you can use vaseline on leather then buff off with a cloth. It is more ecenomical to repair heels and soles on leather shoes than tossing them and purchasing a new pair. Where possible purchase leather shoes and synthetic shoes will cause your feet to sweat and the shoes to have a nasty odour that is difficult to remove.
Hair Never ever scrimp on your hair. Your hair is a major feature and everyone looks at your hair and face daily. Cut costs in other ways and keep your hair well conditioned, if coloured keep the treatments up and regular cuts to remove split ends. If money is really tight then you can have your hair done by a trainee at a fraction of the cost.
I'm a Melbourne based Image Consultant, located in the Western Suburbs. I love to connect, share, meet & exchange ideas, passing on what I have learnt. I love to help people feel better about themselves, learn to love and celebrate their bodies. Everyone is beautiful and we all have our own unique package.My image consulting business is The Image Professional, www.theimageprofessional.com.au
