One of the most noticed image faux pas is dirty, scuffed shoes or those that are in poor condition. It is also one of those things that people forget about most before leaving the house. The condition of your shoes, are an indicator of your personality and how well you take care of things, no matter what they cost.
Category Archives: Men
How to Choose Your Stocking or Sock Colour
Many of my clients ask me how to choose socks and stockings and the answer is that as the trends change the answer may be different. However, if your goal is for a coordinated look, a classic look or you want your legs to look longer there are some rules:
For a classic men’s wear look socks should be toned to the hemline of the pants. For an even more coordinated look ideally the socks will have a subtle pattern that will coordinate the pant colour and the shoe colour.
To make your legs look longer, tone socks or stockings to the colour of your pant or skirt hemline. This will make the legs look like a column of colour and elongate them.
Stockings can also be toned to the colour of your shoes. This will coordinate the stockings with the shoes. This works best when you are wearing an accessory such as a scarf or another garment in your stocking colour to draw attention towards your face and create more harmony.
Dressing Your Lifestyle
Our lifestyle represents the way we live and because of this we need to make sure our clothing helps us to function well in our living environments. It also needs to function well in the lifestyle environments that represent our goals. As our lifestyle changes so will our clothing needs. The key is to constantly evaluate our clothing needs and don’t get stuck in a clothing rut that may be holding you back.
Be Poised with Good Posture
Great posture can work wonders. It will make you appear more confident and poised; your clothing will fit better and look more expensive; and it will improve your health and your personal image.
Good posture takes practice and discipline. But, when you walk into a room with your shoulders back, standing up straight, movements smooth, you will look more poised.
Why Network?
It’s interesting because many people are confused about what the purpose of networking is. This can create stress for some and leave others feeling like it was a bad experience. However networking is something that we do every day in both business and social settings. Networking is really just meeting new people and getting to know them. This will help you establish rapport and you never know where that will lead.
Four Reasons to Wear a Neck Tie
Many men hate the thought of putting on a neck tie and for many reasons. Some men hate the thought of wearing a tie because they feel they are uncomfortable; some men say they feel too dressed up when wearing a tie; and some men don’t know how to tie a tie-knot. If this is your only reason please see my YouTube videos below on how to tie various tie knots.
How to Tie the 4-in-Hand
How to Tie the Half Windsor
How to tie the Full Windsor
How to Tie the Pratt or Shelby Knot
Here are four reasons why you should wear a tie:
- Neck ties complete an outfit and make it look more finished.
- You will appear taller and slimmer when wearing a tie.
- When worn in a colour that suits you, ties make you look more healthy and attractive.
- You appear more credible and authoritative when wearing a tie then when you don’t.
How to Draw Attention to Your Face
When mingling socially or for business the initial purpose is to meet people and carry on a conversation. However, sometimes meeting people can be difficult. A great way to attract attention is with great accessories. For men this could include a tie, braces or cufflinks. For women this could be a belt, bracelet, earrings, scarf, necklace or a broach. However, because the accessory also creates a focal point, the placement should be strategic. To focus attention on the conversation and keeping it there requires focal points close to your face. Use accessories such as a great tie or braces for men and scarves, necklaces and earrings for women to add interest and keep the focus on your face and the conversation.
How to Get the Most Benefit from Your Name Tag
I recently attended a networking function and I was surprised at how many people don’t know how to use a name tag effectively.
A name tag is a great way to help others remember who you are and what you do. However, the size and placement are important.
The name tag should be legible from a distance. When writing your name, use large, thick capital letters. This will make it easier to read.
The eye will be drawn to the name tag so the placement is important. Wear a jacket with a lapel. Many nametags have clips that are meant to be attached to a lapel in order to hang properly. When attached to a shirt or blouse they ruin the line of the garment and look sloppy.
The name tag is always placed on the right. The reason for this is because when shaking hands the eye will automatically be drawn up the arm to the name tag and then to the face. In a business gathering this should be the target for the focus of attention.
What is Good Eye Contact?
Good eye contact will automatically make you look more confident and show you are paying attention. But what is good eye contact? Depending on who you ask, the answer will be different. Some say about 40% – 60% of the time while others say 70% of the time. The correct answer? I will let you know when I find out.
However, I think the real answer is based on the goal. Keeping your eyes on the person, close to eye level the majority of the time will show that you are paying attention to what is being said. This is perfect for business. Letting your eyes drift down towards the mouth occasionally indicates that you are more interested in them as a person. Save this for social settings when you want to get to know someone better. And you can tell the other person is receptive to the idea. The lower the eyes drift onto the body the more intimate the attention. This kind of attention can make someone uncomfortable and should be reserved accordingly.
Personality Style VS Image
As an image consultant a lot of people ask me to help them define their ‘personality style’. I find personality style really interesting because I think we all know inherently what we like and dislike. The label, ‘personal style’, helps us to communicate about our likes and dislikes easily to other people. It also can create a topic for conversation. In some ways I really like these labels because as an image consultant it creates an easy way for me to describe an identity to a client, in just a few words. One of the concerns I have with these labels though, is that the client is hoping for a magical way of demonstrating this identity. And although it can be demonstrated effectively, this is just one aspect we look at as image consultants. To do a good job for the client, we also need to consider the persons lifestyle, their body shape, their inherent look… Ok, you get the picture. The ideal reflection of you will incorporate all of these aspects, not just the personality. A good image consultant will consider all aspects of what makes you a person then determine how to bring out your best while helping you establish an identity or image that will reflect you while helping you accomplish your goals.
