Candidate Rick Santorum's Grandpa Sweater

Rick Santorum needs an image consultant. No matter where you live, no matter how cold it is, you don't want to wear an "old fuddy duddy" granddpa garment like the one above if you want to be taken seriously.  Not only is the sweater wimpy, the color is also.

While this style still lingers on in parts of Europe, it simply isn't a look men should emulate. Any serious political candidate needs to look presidential, and this is the polar opposite of a presidential look.

Today I received one telephone call and one email about wearing a suit in hot weather. Both women live in very hot climates and don't want to wear a suit jacket in the summer.  Here's my advice to them. If you work in a very competitive field, like financial services, you still need to wear a jacket, but choose one in lightweight cotton, perhaps with short sleeves, and a collarless neckline.  Collars are the hottest part of a suit in my opinion. In reality, if you wear a very plain cotton shell under your suit jacket, you can remove your jacket as you drive or take public transportation to work.

Here's my suggestion for those of you in less competitive fields. Wear lightweight scoop-neck shells in power colors like ruby red, deep royal blue, navy blue, red, black, fuchsia and magenta. Power up your shell with chunky hoop earrings and other accessories - including leather belt, a brooch or dynamic necklace.Wear your shell with lightweight slacks (so you can definitely skip hose) and nice shoes. Jogging shoes may be comfy but they will make you look klutzy when you wear them with work clothes.

Whatever you do, resist wearing a sporty-looking top such as a polo shirt. You're either dressed for business or for sports, and you owe it to yourself to protect your brand.

It seems that most designers are pushing the Maxi skirt. It didn't look good the last time around in the Seventies, and it won't look good now. First of all, if you're trying to wear it as a business suit, it will create a long straight line - and straight lines are forbidding and masculine. Women look better in lines that are more in keeping with their hourglass figures. Knee-length skirts look the most pleasant and attractive.

Most importantly, it is acknowledged that skirt lengths reflect the state of the economy. We don't want our skirts going down at this time, do we!! It's our patriotic duty to ban the maxi! Join me.

Having been an image consultant for 30 years, here's what I've observed:

The way you look and dress announces the outcome other people can expect from you. We DO judge a book by its cover.

The way you look and dress announces how you feel about yourself, and you’ll be treated accordingly. When you change the way you look, people treat you differently, and then you change on the inside!

The way you dress announces how you feel about others. When you dress for your own comfort, your prospective client or employer gets it, and it is like hurling an insult at them. When you dress to impress, they get that also, and they warm up to you. We like people who like us.

The way you dress defines who you are not only to others, but to the person in the mirror when you leave the house each morning. YOU determine the outcome of your day. If you feel good about who you are and what you do, you will want to shout it to the world – and to yourself - by dressing to impress.

So many red dresses were seen at the Oscars last night! Here are my favorites, from left to right, Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein, Jennifer Hudson in Versace, Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang,  and Anne Hathaway in vintage Valentino.

There were many stunning gowns, but nothing stands out like a fabulous gown in red. That's because red is the color of life itself; the blood coursing through our veins. Red is sex, per se. After all, it's how we got here. When you wear red, it reminds us we're alive, and we got out of our robot "another day, another dollar" mode. We smile when we see red.

Jennifer Lawrence's gown is as simple as an elongated T-shirt, but it could steal the show from the most extravagant and elaborate gown in any other color. That's red for you! Jennifer Lawrence has an amazing figure, but the style of Jennifer Hudson's gown was the most figure flattering. That swirling  and flared skirt with fabulous bow, just shouts "curvy." Of course, Valentino is renowned for his red gowns, and Anne Hathaway's is one of the most beautiful. Valentino always goes for "feminine and pretty" so this gown is my personal favorite. It's yummy. Sandra Bullock had the best red color; it is rich and intense. Reminds me of one of those old cars in shiny Candy Apple red. Awesome.

Image consultants place a great deal of weight on hairstyle, and this is definitely an improvement for Justin. The shaggy dog style is reminiscent of Rod Blagojevich's hair, and it never looks good on anyone. The new style is much better. It lets us see his face, plus it doesn't look like "your mother cut it with the help of a kitchen bowl."

Next step, a style that is a bit longer in the back - no bowl cut there either!

Jennifer has a very common face shape  that I call the "heraldic shield" - think of a family coat of arms. Her upper jaw juts out a little, causing her chin to look a bit pointy at times. Her previous hairdo (photo left) camouflaged this perfectly - and it was really flattering to her entire persona.

The new hairdo (center and right) is a blunt coat and forms a straight line. Straight lines are rigid and less feminine. She would look more feminine with a bit of pointy layering just around the face - similar to her previous style. As you can see from the photo on the right, she originally went golden blonde, and it didn't suit her. It also looks as if she changed her makeup from cool to warm to match her yellow hair. Never a good idea, even though that's what most makeup artists do. Skin trumps hair, and you must never put warm foundation on cool skin because it will look thick and cakey. I'd skip the dark eyeliner also, because it only makes the eyes appear smaller.

The middle photo is the best in terms of hair and makeup color. See how luminous her skin looks compared to the photo on the right. She looks extraordinary in terms of both hair and skin color.  Just tweak the hair alongside the face with a bit of pointy layering and you'll be your usual "10" self!

What does it take to be a true expert?

Deliberate practice. That’s the term Fortune Magazine gave to a phenomena that Malcolm Gladwell also wrote about in his best-selling book “The Outliers.” Both publications took their cue from a 1993 study made by Anders Ericsson related to expertise. Ericcson asserts that it takes ten years or 10,000 hours of practice in one’s field in order to truly be an expert. In other words, nobody is great without work.

He cites the Beatles, who performed live in Hamburg, Germany over 1,200 times from 1960 to 1964, amassing more than 10,000 hours of playing time. By the time they returned to England, they were not only experts but unique. Bill Gates spent 10,000 hours programming a computer in high school in 1964 at the age of 13, giving him an enormous advantage over most people in that era.

So, does it takes 10,000 hours of practice to look extraordinary? No. But you want to be in the hands of an image consultant who has 10,000 hours practicing certain skills. So-called “good taste” and “instincts” are not enough to make you an expert. After the popularity of several books on color analysis, claiming (wrongly) that you just need to look at your hair and eye color to find the colors that make you look better, hoards of people set up shop as image consultants without any real training. It sounded so easy. Why not?

The problem is, those early “paint by number” systems were way off track. Even if you practiced for yours, you wouldn’t get good results. In fact, the reason the early books were so popular is because they confirmed our secret belief that we knew “instinctively” which colors suited us. All the blondes nodded when they read that baby pink was their color; the redheads did the same when they read that they looked best in rust. Wrong. Matching your superficial appearance to a group of “matching” colors is nothing more than “false harmony.” Yes, the colors match or “harmonize” with your coloring, but they also make you nearly invisible, because you blend into your garments.

Most of the color consultants in the world today still use this outdated system. It doesn’t work. Unless you like being invisible, which is probably the reason no one has questioned the validity of this outdated system. You see, we’re hardwired from caveman days to avoid standing out so that the wild animals won’t get us. Our “instincts” bought into the system, but it’s time we noticed that the emperor isn’t wearing any clothes!

Serious experts don’t fall for fluffy paint by number systems. Image is serious business, and it requires serious experts, because the way you look and dress announces the outcome other people can expect from you.

Here is what it takes to be an expert image consultant, not including the many years or hours of experience:

• Expertise in color, including a strong background in art
• Expertise in color psychology
• A solid background in fashion (fashion model, fashion coordinator, buyer for a large department store)
• A sense of style
• Solid knowledge about makeup and makeup application
• Strength in the use of “line” in clothing, particularly for camouflage purposes with various body types
• Some background in psychology to enhance “interpersonal skills” when dealing with clients
• Good communication skills, enabling you to share your knowledge with others

Image consultants and stylists are asked all kinds of fashion questions in the never-ending quest to feel confident about the way we look.  Without a doubt, knowing you are “doing it right” and looking good  increases your confidence.  Here are the five most frequently-asked questions.

(1)  Should my socks match my shoes or my trousers?

The established “rule” is that they should match your shoes. This comes about because most men wear black dress shoes with their dark suits, so they wear black socks with their navy blue, black and grey suits. However, the question arises with brown suits. Let’s assume you are wearing tan trousers and brown shoes. If your look is more professional, wear brown socks to match your shoes. However, if you’re wearing khakis and a polo, you might be wearing Dockers, so you can opt to wear socks that simply blend in between the shoe and trouser color.

(2)  It is okay to wear open-toe shoes to the office?

It depends upon where you live and your profession, plus the established formality of your office. If you are in a sector where formality is the norm, the answer is a firm No. This includes law firms and those involved in financial services, such as banks and mortgage lenders.

(3)  What is the rule for wearing stockings/hose to the office?

As with the above question, it depends upon the city in which you live, your profession, as well as the established formality of your office. However, throughout the country, more and more women are going bare-legged to the office these days. My rule of thumb is this:  if your legs look like you are wearing stockings, then go bare legged. However, if your “imperfections” are prominent – bulging veins, discolorations, broken capillaries at high arches, spider veins, etc. - then you would be wise to wear very sheer stockings to prevent them from being a distraction.

(4)  Can you describe Business Casual attire for men?

The term “business casual” is actually contradictory, because you’re either dressed for business or for casual activities. Offices that permit casual attire actually risk hurting their credibility, because their employees send the message “my comfort is more important than impressing you.”  A “dressed down” look for the office would be dark trousers, a crisp French blue shirt (white is formal, so it is meant to be worn with a suit) and a great tie. You needn’t wear a jacket, and you can loosen your collar until the moment you meet with a client. In studies over 20 years, large corporate audiences have voted (when shown a slide with two photos of the same man) that the man in the shirt and tie looks more credible and dynamic than the one in the navy blazer, dress shirt and no tie. You’ll dramatically lower your credibility with khakis and polo shirt.

(5)  Can you describe Business Casual attire for women?

It can’t be said enough that “business casual” attire is an oxymoron, because “business” and “casual” imply two entirely different activities and states of mind. Furthermore, university studies have proven that employees who dress casually are less productive and less ethical, so dressing down can hurt your career. A proper “dressed down” look for the office would be a pantsuit that looks less formal, comfortable low heels or flats, and smaller earrings and other accessories. An alternative is low heels worn with a skirt and blouse; but give it a professional look by adding accessories like a leather belt and chunky hoops or other great earrings. Club attire or anything that looks suggestive must be avoided, as gender bias experts say it will destroy any chances of getting ahead, because you’ll be labeled a bimbo.



"Inside Fashion" magazine asked my advice for an article about corporate wardrobe. Results of a recent survey, the article stated, found that corporate uniforms increase trust and credibility in the eyes of consumers and may also increase productivity among company employees.  I agreed.

But it's the type of corporate "imagewear" that a company chooses which will convey the level of trust, credibility and productivity within these interdependent circles.  Like cogs in a machine, a company's "silent" messages need to churn behind the scenes with precision and clear directive, for once a label is stamped the product or service is branded.

The photo above depicts Apple's corporate message: We're cool, casual, and all about mixing fun into the day. That may be the perfect identifier of the brand that's charged with bringing the coolest new gadgets to up-and-coming generations just as they peek over the fence between childhood and infinite virtuality.  But would it be acceptable in your business?

Other contributing experts concurred regarding my statement that "Business casual has morphed into business casualty."  Reportedly business owners have taken note of the disconnect between what they'd like to say and what they're actually saying when it comes to branding, and of the impact these mixed messages have on customer loyalty and end revenues.

The good news is that it's really a simple concept: as I always say, "The way you look announces the outcome other people can expect from you."  And it's really a simple fix, too.  Just develop a mind and an eye for the basics--color and line--and for the little details that pull it all together.  There's more good news, you can read it all here: http://www.theimagearchitect.com/press_articles/UniformsINSIDEFASHION.pdf Learn how "refreshing" your company's imagewear is touted as one of the most cost-effective ways to remodel.

As always, I love to share in your feedback and insights.  Comment here!