Personal stylists are everywhere...every department store and wanna-be boutique has their own spin--Bloomingdales has "At Your Service" and J. Crew uses an app called "Very Personal Stylist." Well aren't they fancy.

So when people learn I'm an image coach, they ask "Like a personal stylist?"

No.

I'm not trying to be the stuck-up a**hole with a fancy title. It's not narcissistic semantics.

A stylist's job is to make you look good, so they plan a look that may be fantastic. The problem is it may not be you. It's a hostile takeover of your body--they're the artist and you're just the canvas for their latest fabric fetish.

Take a look at this first picture. Someone styled him. Someone was paid a lot of money to style him and he still looks awful to most of us. If I styled you like that, you'd think I stole your money. But the truth is, ugly as it may be, the clothes are a style and they would be on you. Job finished.....right?

So what does an image coach do that's so high and mighty?

Take a look at this woman. Her name is Kathy, a client of mine, and she had medulloblastoma (brain cancer). This is not a runway look, but she isn't on the catwalk. Instead she believed that the key to getting well was choosing to feel well about herself. Part of that was how she looked going to radiation and going to chemo--so I gave her a look that helped her be comfortable. Yes, she loved the aesthetics of her clothes, but I also focused on stretchy fabrics with a soft touch, so she wasn't restricted in her movements or stuffy in the chemo chair for hours on end. Her clothes were machine washable because she wasn't allowed to drive to the dry cleaners. Her clothes make her feel like a woman when all her hair was shaved.

Each of these were immensely important to her and, I'm happy to say she's in full remission now with no trace of cancer left.

The same attention to detail is important with every client--if you aren't comfortable (visually or physically) in the look we choose, you aren't you anymore. There is one of you, no more no less, and walking alongside to enhance what makes you unique is my goal.

A coach takes into account your lifestyle, your goals and your audience. I don't dress any two clients the same way because no two people are the same. My corporate trainers need to look approachable and knowledgable, while my clients in bespoke customer service need to look sophisticated and polished. Image coaching simply helps you figure out who you are and then refines that visual idea into the purest quality.

So skip the fancy apps and stylists if their first question is anything but "Who are you?"

Stylists Are Stealing You from You