Tag Archive for "First Impressions" - P2 Styles and Image Consulting | Personal and Professional Image Consultants

Posts Tagged ‘First Impressions’

(Video) Lawyers Need to Get Back to Dressing Like Lawyers

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Photo Credit ZZegnaOfficial

I’ve worked in the legal industry for more than 15 years and have seen a number of changes. The most obvious change surrounds business attire. Lawyers, particularly those new to the field, seem to have forgotten that their profession is one of the highest paying and most prestigious careers on Earth. Why else would those working in an industry where “smart” dressing is the uniform of a powerful and successful lawyer dumb down to a more slovenly approach to dressing? I remember a time when aspiring professionals could learn a lot about dressing professionally from attorneys. Today, it’s hard to differentiate who’s the attorney and who’s staff. Clearly, dress codes for today’s lawyers are much different than they were 15 years ago. Still, looking crisp, polished, authoritative and professional, even when wearing business casual attire, rules. Whether choosing to sport a power suit or a relaxed look, lawyers should always dress to impress.

Take Pride in Your Look and Your Profession
Take pride in your image as an attorney. You’ve worked hard to earn that J.D. Look the part.
Buy the Highest Quality Clothing You Can Afford
Invest in a high-quality suits. Avoid less expensive, trendier outfits. Classics will stand the test of time. You can always spice things up with accessories.
Ladies, Make Sure You’re Wearing the Right Foundations
Consider the quintessential items that should go underneath; Undergarments. That includes everything from Bras and Camisoles to Control Tops and Body Shapers. These often forgotten pieces can truly make or break your look.
Wear Colors that Flatter You
Based on your hair color, eye color and skin tone, some colors will naturally look better on you than others. Take the time to find out which colors flatter you most and build your wardrobe accordingly.
Find a Really Great Tailor
Fit is paramount. Ill-fitted clothes look cheap no matter how much they cost. Get referrals from the well-dressed people at your firm.
Find a Good Dry Cleaners, Too
Ask your fashionable friends who they use and try different ones before making a decision.
Wear Jewelry Judiciously
Tasteful accessories and jewelry can add interest to any outfit. A classic, but understated watch is a most.
Stay Light on Perfume and Cologne
Like jewelry, too much of a good thing is not a good thing at all. Think about how you reacted the last time you were trapped in an elevator with someone wearing way too much cheap perfume. Don’t let that be you!
It’s Better to Overdress than Underdress
Nobody will fault you if you dress too nicely. And you can always “dress down” if you feel overdressed in a particular situation.

Check out these videos to help you put together a powerful look.

Tags: Choosing the right colors, color analysis, corporate image consulting, First Impressions, men style, men style rules, Michigan corporate image consulting, style consulting, Video, What to wear to
Posted in Body Analysis, Color / Colour Analysis, Corporate, Personal | 3 Comments »

(Video) The Ugly Truth About Beauty in the Workplace

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Forget everything you’ve heard about beauty being only skin deep. Two recent Newsweek polls reveal that beauty may be pocket and career deep as well. Both surveys suggest dressing to impress today simply isn’t enough. Many managers evaluate the physical attractiveness of job candidates too.

The surveys reveal the following 8 ugly truths about beauty in the workplace:

1. Looks Matter at Work

Fifty-seven percent of the managers polled feel an unattractive (but qualified) applicant will experience more difficulty getting hired. Sixty-eight percent believe that once hired, looks continue to affect how managers evaluate an employee’s job performance.

2. Aesthetics Trump Education

When asked to rate nine character attributes, looks rated third below experience and confidence, but above where a candidate went to school and a sense of humor. With that said, it’s probably a good ideal to leave for last, or not include at all, that line in your Facebook bio about having a great sense of humor.

3. Resume Surgery or Cosmetic Surgery?

Fifty-nine percent of hiring managers recommend investing as much time and money doctoring your looks as you do doctoring your resume.

4. Caution Women – Being too Hot can Leave you Cold

Don’t believe that? Ask Debrahlee Lorenzana, the Queens woman who filed suit last month against Citibank, alleging the corporation fired her because she was “too hot.” Regardless of the veracity of the allegations, many professional women know all too well the importance of mastering the ability of looking attractive without being attracting. Sixty-one percent of the hiring managers Newsweek surveyed – 60 percent of whom were men – responded they feel it is beneficial for a woman to display her figure at work. Meanwhile, 47 percent of those same managers said they feel some women are at a disadvantage for being too attractive in the office. A winning case of “Damn if you do; damn if you don’t.”

5. Fat or Skinny, We Hate Hiring Fat People

Sure 75 percent of the American population is overweight – according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control – but that doesn’t stop us from discriminating against overweight people at work and in life. Newsweek reports “[2/3] of business managers said they believe some managers would hesitate before hiring a qualified job candidate who was significantly overweight”.

6. We Don’t Like Old People Either

Eighty-four percent of managers believe some bosses avoid hiring a qualified job applicant who looked much older than his or her cohorts.

7. In Certain Situations, ‘Lookism’ is OK

Sixty-four percent of hiring managers said they believe when a job calls for an employee to be the “face” of a company, hiring people based on looks is acceptable. But there was an inconsistency here. 60 percent of those same respondents said they would favor a law making it illegal to discriminate in hiring based on looks. When researched further, 46 percent of the public said they would favor a law making hiring discrimination based on appearance illegal.

8. Don’t Say FML Yet – Confidence is Imperative, Too!

You will recall that both confidence and experience ranked first and second on the list of the most important employee attributes. That said, lots of opportunities exists for the regular folks.

Tags: corporate image consulting, First Impressions, image consulting, Michigan corporate image consulting, Video
Posted in Color / Colour Analysis, Corporate, Personal | 2 Comments »

Globetrotting in Style

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

As an image consultant and wardrobe stylist, I do a fair amount of globetrotting. When I travel, every aspect of my look must make a stylish statement, including my luggage.

Accessories can make or break a look instantaneously, and when traveling, your luggage is your biggest and most noticeable accessory. I believe luggage should have a look that inspires envy on carousels from Paris to New York; possess lots of pockets and zipper sections to make it perfectly suited for today’s grab and go approach to travel; AND be able to withstand practically any baggage handling system worldwide.

It’s been said that who, or in this case, what you roll with, is a direct reflection of you. With that said, when it comes to a travel companion or two, basic simply won’t do for this certified image consultant. *Indigo shrug*

Here’s a glimpse at the two travel essentials I never leave home without.

Genuine Italian Leather Zippered Travel Bag – Chiarugi

I effing love this bag! Not only does this beauty work perfectly with everyhing in my wardrobe, it easily accommodates my laptop, medium-sized pocketbook, two outfits, and a pair of shoes, with no problem. A little pricey but for those of you who know a little bit about me, you know where I coped it.

Fits my laptop and a whole lot more!

My second road partner is my TUMI Vapor International Carry On. Made of tough, lightweight triple polycarbonate shell, it offers ample space to pack for a five day getaway. My favorite features are the 360-degree swivel wheels, making this piece very petite friendly, and its tracking systems for retrieval should the piece ever get lost. That’s right. Luggage GPS twitches! Tumi puts a metal plate with a unique 20-digit registration number in each of its bags. Customers can register for the Tumi Tracer program to have their contact information entered into a central database so they can be reunited with their bag if it is found. Brilliant!!

Beauty and Brawn

Take 10% OFF Orders of $100 or more! Use code GENAFF to redeem. Also, get free shipping on orders of $99 or more.

Luggage GPS Baby. Oww!

Tags: Celebrity Fashion, First Impressions, How to Accessorize an Outfit
Posted in Color / Colour Analysis, Corporate, Personal | 1 Comment »

Video – The Confession of an Image Consultant

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

We live with ourselves from start to finish; yet, because of our limited ability to view ourselves with an objective eye, many of us have no idea how we truly show up to the world. It is no wonder that when the opportunity occasionally arises with the help of video recorders to “roll back the tape”, the person we see is nothing like we envisioned. My “aha” moment happened last week after taping my first video blog. The first three or four times I looked at the video, I did so in complete amazement. I couldn’t believe that I was that person showing up on the screen. My knowledge came across, at times, as questionable and even laughable based on my body language and inability to clearly convey thoughts surrounding my so-called area of expertise. Real talk: If I were meeting me for the first time (and in a way I was through the video), my first impression would have been less than favorable.

Since that first vlog viewing, I’ve watched the video probably twenty times or more. I will tell you that as I became more accustomed to the that person on the screen, it became much easier to watch and digest. However, in the real world, we know that “you only get one chance to make a great first impression.” So, the audience I managed to garner for my first vlog may require an enormous amount of massaging and cajoling to return to view others.

“So, why on Earth” you ask, “did you decided to publish this vlog?” Easy, it’s called making lemonade from lemons. Listen, if people packaging is what I do, then I need to make sure my package is tight and this piece allows me to look (reluctantly), learn and grow. But in addition, showing you that there is always room for growth, even for the “experts,” and allowing you to witness my own personal growth, is more effective than a million flowery words.

You can expect to see vast improvements in the upcoming future. Here’s a look at my horrifying first vlog.