Gone are the days when an appointment with an image consultant would entail arduous exercises aimed at changing inappropriate behavior or hiding socially unacceptable figure flaws. Dressing "appropriately for one's age" has (thankfully) also gone the way of the dodo bird. Though you may encounter the odd personal stylist who insists on dressing to "impress", for the most part we have left the old ways of image consulting whirling in the dust.
The goal of a personal stylist, or Style Coach TM, today is to get to know the person within and bring them to the forefront using dress. We call this person within the "authentic self", the real person that is inside each and every one of us. Some people have no trouble at all expressing their authentic selves, but others aren't so confident and try to mask their true natures for various reasons unbeknown to others.
Hiding one's true nature is really quite stressful because it isn't at all natural and requires constant checks and bounds on one's behavior. You know when you try to be someone you're not because it just doesn't feel right. Eventually your true self is going to ooze out and it will probably be when you least expect it to!
If you long to come out of your shell and dress like the person you truly are, start taking baby steps, pushing your comfort zone little by little. Buy a piece of jewellery that is a little different than what you usually wear, but really speaks to your personality. Next week, style your hair a little different one day for work. Seldom ever wear a skirt? Try one on. Try a few. Wear one on your next shopping trip to see how it feels when you're out and about. Get your motivation going by wearing something personally empowering at least once every week; something no one else has ever seen you in. Build your confidence up slowly and surely until it feels completely natural to wear what you really feel.
Once you get the ball rolling, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner to dress to express the authentic nature hiding inside of you!
