If you call me....

...about engaging my assistance in helping your image consulting business, please don't do this:

Tell me you are also an image consultant and invite me to come to you to let you pick my brain about my business.

No, ma'am. That is not how it works.

Over the past few years, I have become more and more prominent in my line of work, especially in this area. I know that it seems like a glamorous profession, and I can see why a lot of people are interested in it.

But you would not believe how brash and self-serving some people are in contacting me just so that I can tell them how I succeeded.

It's not that I am selfish or keeping it all to myself. I have a specific forum where I share and help others in my industry. I cannot understand why people have the audacity to expect that I would make a special trip and waste my time so that I can help them, when in essence, they would be competing with my business.

The call I just received really annoyed me. Like several others who have reached out to me, the sense of expectation and entitlement was unbelievable.

This is quite different from the people who contact me as the local president of the Image Consultants Association (AICI), where it is my job to promote the organization, increase membership and provide education opportunities to our members. The problem is that a lot of people want something for nothing - no effort, no cost. I invited this young woman to our meeting on 9/21 and she pretty much ignored me.

When I first started to become successful, I actually did meet with people so they could ask me questions. I did way too much of that. It stopped when someone met with me and told me how she would do what I do, except how she would do it better. Okay, good luck then. I have no idea what happened to her.

The best I can do is point everyone to our AICI meetings and continue to share my knowledge and experience at our events.

Ugh.

The Prez...again

I'm only posting this because I know I will get a lot of emails on Monday. Maybe this will save a few.

Yes, I am president of the Assoc. of Image Consultants Intl. (AICI) OH/PA Chapter for a second term. It was in the PD's On the Go section today.

Super cool, I know.

I didn't set out to take the post again this year, believe me. But we made so many advances in the last year that it seemed to make more sense to stay on our charted course for another year - we increased membership by over 130%, gained lots more members participating in leadership roles (big yay!), had a fabulous education weekend, increased revenue, started meetings in Philadelphia in addition to the traditional Columbus meetings, and began a training program for new members.

We're on our way (if not already there) to becoming the preeminent small chapter in AICI, which was always our goal.

The lovely and intelligent Erica Torres-Dudziak of Lorain is my VP again, and we have a great group helping to make us even better!

Squealing in the Dressing Room

I rarely speak of my adventures with clients. But yesterday was extra-special and it deserves a space in my blog.

I was driving down to Canton yesterday morning when I realized just how much I am living my dream. I get to shop for a day with a client (and get paid very well for it) and then go to Nordstrom, where I was hosting an event that evening.

Last week, the amount of clothes I took out of my clients' closets was astounding. Most of it had to go to Goodwill because it was so old and used and worn that Dress for Success would not have taken it.

W. had not been shopping for herself, besides what her mother-in-law had bought for her, in around five years. She was an accountant, and now she's a stay-at-home mom. But it's tough to feel great when your wardrobe selections are nil.

There were "corporate" clothes and "run around with the kids" clothes. And not much else. She's young and cute, has beautiful "Autumn" coloring and nice little bod. She's ready for fun!

So we spent a day at Macy's. We bought several pairs of jeans in different dark washes, a tan trench that she absolutely loved, blouses, basics, pants, "hot mom" clothes and the cutest black cotton dress ever.

Imagine someone so excited about her new wardrobe that she was skipping out of the dressing room and squealing with delight!

Her signature color is red. I had to make her buy another pair of "fun" shoes because I knew that the crimson slingbacks were gonna get beaten up real fast.

Her signature accessory is a cool "statement" bracelet. Her wardrobe basics are brown and black. And she loves fun prints that show her fun and quirky personality.

It is so rewarding for me as a personal stylist to have a client see how beautiful she can look. My question was, "Did you KNOW you could look this hot?"

Her answer was "Who wouldda thought!?"

So much going on!

Hi folks,

I've been pretty absent from my blog recently. Regrettably. Things are moving at such a fast pace lately that I just can't keep up. So much client work coming in. I can barely keep track of it all!

I was in NYC over the weekend. So much great stuff happened there. Got to see a little of Fashion Week, we did some shopping, spent a day at the Met. I was there to take a class from the FABULOUS author and image consultant Brenda Kinsel at FIT. Here's a pic of Brenda and me ~

And this is Brenda's latest book:

It's a must-have for any woman of style - or for one who wants to learn! (I have a feeling my mom will be getting it for her birthday on President's Day which we'll probably celebrate on Sunday, although I haven't heard anything yet. It will be added to her purse and scarf. Her daughter has such fabulous taste!)

I'm quoted this week in Crain's. Nothing related to style or image. In fact, it's all about a scam someone tried to pull on me. But I thwarted that by contacting the FBI, who verified that it was indeed a scam. HA! It wasn't your normal, everyday email scam. I can't post a link for the next couple of weeks, but I'll make it available when I can.

(There was something very Scooby Doo about that whole experience...)

Looks like I'm going to be a teacher! That was once probably my greatest fear - having to go back to school! But now, I am absolutely exhilarated about the possibilities being offered to me. More details to come once I firm everything up in the next week or two. Looks like I will be teaching Fashion Consulting and Accessories at a local fashion college. Amazing!

In addition, my buddies Joelle and Leslie and I (along with several others) are working on an ebook Challenge! We are writing our ebooks in the month of March. It's exciting to me because unlike my conventional book, writing an ebook is a low-stress exercise with a definite beginning and end. My ebook is called The Style Spy: Kristen's Top Secrets for Image, Fashion & Style Success. Totally exciting!!

So even though I've been absent from the blog, life has been crazy and fun! I promise to do a better job of keeping everyone posted!

P.S. I am frightened that Cleveland.com's blog watchers picked up that previous Muppet fur post. Is that newsworthy - or just plain stupid?

I'm allowed to brag, aren't I?

It's my blog, so the answer is "YES!"

As president of the Association of Image Consultants OH/PA Chapter (I am fiercely proud of this chapter I have helped build), we have lots of members engaged and active here in Ohio, but didn't have any participating from PA. Most of them live in the Philadelphia area, which is admittedly pretty far from our meetings in Columbus. So I put out a call to ask if anyone was interested in putting together a Philly-area meeting, and Renu Dalal answered!

Here's a pic from the first-ever AICI Delaware Valley Satellite Meeting! (Thanks to Brian Lipstein at mens store Henry Davidsen for hosting the event!)

Great job, guys!! I'm really proud of you!!!

KK's Crazy Life

Whew!

It has been a really wild week for yours truly - culminating with an AICI board meeting in Columbus on Sunday. We've never had a board-only meeting before, and it has been needed for a long time. Since I'm the prez, I can do these kinds of things (I'm mad with power, I tell ya!). I got to see three of my fellow board members and great friends - the lovely LisaMarie Luccioni, Erica Torres-Dudziak and Jill Haney. If you want to see three super sharp, intelligent and beautiful women, here they are. Love those girls.

Here's a pic of us at Bon Vie Bistro at Easton Town Center:

(Wow, I look like a wild woman compared to them! Maybe I am - hehe :)

Lisa and I had a chance to practice our rudimentary français - and we did okay. Comme ci, comme ça. Between us, we probably have 12 years of French classes, and all we could do was tell each other we looked good. Well, c'est la vie for image experts! We're so self-congratulatory!!

I did a little shopping at Polaris Mall after the meeting. Nothing too great - I bought an interesting necklace at Forever 21.

Here it is -

Orange and unusual. I had to have it!

I'm such a goofball - I realized how predictable I truly am. I was holding up a leopard print sweater in a mirror to see how it would look on me and I couldn't really tell and I couldn't figure out why. And then - duh! - I realized the leopard print on the sweater was clashing with the leopard print on my jacket.
How silly :P

Well, I've decided that this girl deserves some rest after the wild week. Catch ya later!

Tim Gunn's Guide to Style

I just finished watching Tim Gunn's Guide to Style on Bravo. I wasn't sure what to expect, only knowing Tim from Project Runway, his blog on BravoTV.com and the copious interviews I have read with him.

I have no idea why, but from the first time I ever saw Tim, I said, "Wow, this guy has something here." It's the "IT" factor. He comes across as sensible, stern and compassionate, but with a very dry sense of humor and an unusual charisma. He's very real, but at the same time is unlike anyone I have ever run across.

So when I heard his book was coming out, it was a must-have for my style book library, and when his show premiered tonight, I knew I needed to watch. And I was there...taking notes, believe it or not.

I was so thankful that he took this makeover candidate through the process of image development, not just making her into a fashion plate. There are a lot of stylists who will add more clothes to a person's already overflowing closet. In my own practice, I always feel like I am the doctor, diagnosing the underlying "illness" beneath the clothes that are being stockpiled but not worn.

Supermodel Veronica Webb, one of my runway faves from the 90's is his co-host. One thing she said really struck a chord with me -

"That rut is so deep there's, like, magma down there."

I happen to be writing an article for Pure Romance's sales magazine about getting stuck in a rut called From Drab to Fab: How to break out of your style slump, so of course it stood out to me.

Tim sent the young lady, Rebecca, to a "life stylist" named Jared, who put her in a garbage bag top. No, I am not kidding. I will have to ask Coach Joelle her thoughts on that. But the one thing he said that I liked was to "always walk like you're listening to the soundtrack of your life." Wow, profound. I like that.

He also had her repeat the mantra,

"I cannot control how I am perceived,
I can only control how I am presented."

Very cool. It's what image consultants preach on a daily basis! It's called "impression management" and is a fundamental principle of image development!

Tim has a list of his TEN MUST-HAVES (Don't we all? Mine are about 2/3 the same as his!)

Here's Tim's list:

1) Basic Black Dress
2) Trench coat
3) Fitted blazer
4) Sweater
5) Classic white shirt
6) Day Dress
7) "Sweatsuit alternative"
8) Classic dress pants
9) Jeans
10) "Trendy indulgent item"

In conclusion, it was an enjoyable show. It was a lot like a low-key, more educational What Not to Wear. I like that it is done on film, which makes it look more classy and expensive.

I also realized that if I wanted to go all out and buy a bunch of designer pieces, my clear choice would be Catherine Malandrino. She designs for the Romantic fashion personality. And I am accepting more and more my place as a Romantic.

The dress she gave Rebecca the makeover candidate was perfection. Wow....

Image Consultants Invade Cleveland

It was my pleasure to host a 3-day retreat here in Cleveland this weekend as president of the Association of Image Consultants Ohio-Pennsylvania Chapter!

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime life and business transforming event.

We had people come to town from Cincinnati (Hey Lisa and Jill! So glad you were here!!), Columbus, and even Pittsburgh!

The weekend started with a trip on Lolly the Trolley. As I was getting my hair done earlier that day, my hair stylist Julia told me that Lolly the Trolley was "so retro." It is? Hilarious! I remember taking a trip on it in 6th grade. So I guess it IS retro!

We had the best time on the trolley and it gave the folks from out of town a quick perspective on our host city and gave those of us who were born here a lot of facts we didn't know. (Chef Boyardee is from Cleveland? As is John Heisman, for whom the Heisman Trophy is named.)

My dear friend LisaMarie Luccioni then led us in an etiquette dinner at the Metropolitan Cafe and Kelly and I went to the Velvet Dog afterward. I stayed out a little late, with the full knowledge that Saturday was going to be one long day.

Saturday was amazing. Our day started out with Coach Joelle who had us drawing and dancing and somehow we formed a conga line and were conga-ing around the conference room at the Downtown Marriott. (KK is one girl who hates looking like a dork, so this was an interesting experience!) We then heard from Leslie Carruthers, The Search Guru on search engine optimization. SEO is such a mystery to most of us image people. But I'm learning! (I'm trying to learn HTML with a book whose main character is a 3.5" floppy disk illustration with a face - HTML for kindergartners. I promise not to tell Mr. Floppy that he is obsolete.)

After presentations from Kelly Smith on hearing Martha Stewart speak about business in NYC and Debbie Carney on business organization, I did a program called "Getting to the Next Level Now: Platform Building for Impatient People!"

After our day of learning, we laughed, drank and dined at Ponte Vecchio on the Superior Viaduct and went to Sunset Lounge for salsa dancing! I think I almost broke my ankle twice in my 2" platforms, with Leslie leading and me following - badly.

Sunday, we had hairstylist Jen Gonzalez, who studied with Nick Arrojo, from TLC's What Not to Wear. That was quite eye-opening for me. I admit I know far too little about doing my own hair, let alone someone else's. And YAY! LisaMarie let her own hair down and graciously allowed Jen to play with it - transforming her into LML v.2.0 - hot and gorgeous!

Then we heard from my friend Samuel Hilliard, Jr. from Jos. A Bank Clothiers at Legacy Village, who discussed the importance of building partnerships with clients and vendors and explained the specifics of menswear.

All in all, it was a thoroughly fabulous weekend for all of us who attended and presented and we are looking forward to doing it again next year!

KK in the PD

Improving the image
You've seen them while watching TV shows such as Extreme Makeover, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy or What Not to Wear. Image consultants are paid to show people how to create a fabulous impression. They also offer advice that can help people land a job, get a promotion or find someone to love. Kristen Kaleal is founder and president of Kristen Kaleal Image Design, a Cleveland-based image consulting company.

(Read the interview here)

So You Think You Want to be an Image Consultant?

I receive several calls and emails every month from people who want to do what I do for a living.

People naturally assume that my career involves lots and lots of shopping. How fun does that sound? For most women, it probably sounds like the best job in the world!

While yes, I do provide personal shopping services, there is far more to it than that.

There are several prerequisite skills for an image consultant:

- A Great Eye – This is something that can’t be taught. We look for harmony, balance and visual interest in our clothing and accessories. What flatters our coloring, our body and our face?

- Knowledge of Color – There are many facets of this. Personal color is just one of them. Which colors look best on a person? While this skill is entirely learnable, one must also have a great eye to put colors together to create visual interest and harmonious outfits. There is also the psychology of color and the use of color in creating slimming body lines.

- Understanding of Proportion – How do you make a long torso balance with shorter legs? What size print should a petite woman wear? Why are horizontal stripes almost always a bad idea? Again, this falls into the “great eye” category. You can learn this, but academic image training can only take you so far before instinct needs to kick in.

- The Art & Science of Shopping – This doesn’t mean if it’s pretty, you buy it. Shopping is easier said than done in most cases. Can you build a wardrobe from the ground up that looks like it was created with a master plan in mind? Can you help someone shop in their own closet – seeing new ways to use what they already have?

- Do you understand Fit? You don’t have to be a master tailor to know if an article of clothing needs a mere tweak or if it won’t fit properly regardless of what work is done to it.

If you want to be a working image consultant and do this full-time, it is imperative to have a good business mind. I spend the majority of my time – probably 80% - marketing. Networking, speaking engagements, my newsletter, the articles I write, my blog, and even my forthcoming book are some of the ways I market what I do. I have relationships with the media and with people in related professions who refer me business. I am in the paper, in magazines, or on TV on a regular basis.

I choose to work more with women’s groups and in the corporate realm more than doing individual one-on-one consulting right now. I market that part of my business more, so when someone chases me down for one-on-one services, I know they are really serious about working with me.

To be a full-time image consultant is a challenge, especially if you live in a market like Cleveland. We are naturally not as image-conscious as say, LA, Miami, or New York. And that’s one of the good things, quite honestly. To me, it means our people are more authentic, although sometimes they need to brush up on their fashion sense, or learn a thing or two.

But it’s also one of the bad things. It means there isn’t a lot of room for a huge number of people in this field here. With all things being equal, it’s those who do the business side of things best who rise to the top.

If you live in Ohio or PA and are interested in this field, please connect with me and you are welcome to join us for an AICI meeting. Our next events are April 1^st and June 3^rd, both in Columbus, Ohio.

http://www.aici.org/about/chapters/ohio_penn.htm

http://www.aiciohpa.eventbrite.com/

To learn more about becoming an image consultant, contact my mentor Lynne Marks at the London Image Institute in Atlanta. Or you can do an independent study course with me from the Institute of Image Consulting.

Client Praise

I was delighted to receive this email today:
Kristen:

I just wanted to let you know that I'm wearing the navy sweater and boiled wool jacket with the grey pants and necklace that you assembled (complete with safety pin to make the necklace shorter). Not only do I feel like a million bucks today, but I also feel a lot more interesting. I'm looking forward to Saturday. Thanks again!!

J.W.

Image Consultants, Stylists & Personal Shoppers

D.C.-area image consultant Katrina Van Dopp called me today to pick my brain about a topic she was she was planning a short talk about. She wanted to discuss the difference between an image consultant, personal shopper, and stylist.

I thought that was a very interesting idea, and I encouraged her to choose one or the other – stylist or personal shopper to compare with the term "image consultant". In my rebranding efforts, I am focusing more on my work as a personal stylist. This is mainly due to “stylist” becoming a buzz word in the mainstream. People other than celebrities are now looking to stylists for personal style guidance.

I thought back to the article Roxanne Washington wrote about me in the Plain Dealer, when she said she thought of an image consultant as one of those people who looks like a cookie cutter image and uses the same mold for everyone. Almost like the Dress for Success books of the 1980’s. She was surprised when I came in looking hip and stylish in a decidedly non-corporate outfit.

These days, in my opinion at least, an image consultant and stylist both deal with the person as a whole entity. Each component of that person, inside and out, plays a vital role in shaping the outward image. Everyone should be treated as an individual.

A personal shopper, from what I have seen from personal shoppers I know, is paid to sell merchandise for their employer. With no training (or at least minimal training) in body line, color, and fashion personality, these shoppers are paid a commission to sell. The more they sell, the more they make. There may be a focus on trendy clothing, because once a trend has run its course, you will be left needing more clothes, and hence, they have a shopper for life. This is not the best way to build a wardrobe with quality and investment in mind.

Image consulting and personal styling are both service fields. Personal shopping, on the other hand, is sales-oriented and bottom line-driven. Image consultants and stylists are typically paid an hourly fee to use the power of impression management to help the client attain his or her goals, whatever they may be. We can and do shop anywhere, from high-end to low-end. A knowledgeable stylist can find great clothes that suit the client perfectly almost anywhere and with any budget.

From Bergdorf’s to boutiques to Target and almost anywhere in between.

Unintentional Insights

What an exciting weekend! As I mentioned, Saturday was my party at Sunset Lounge, which ended up moving to Nighttown in Cleveland Heights. I rolled in at 4am after breakfast. It was a fun night.

Then I had to leave home at 9:30am for my drive to Columbus. The weather was a little scary, but I arrived safely. A day and a half later, I still haven’t crashed like I believed I would. I think that’s a good sign.

The crash is probably coming though. And I have to be ready when it does.

I think the two main insights I got this weekend were:

1) Don’t drink a huge pink martini just because the bartender suggests it. I will get drunk regardless - even though I’m not trying to. And I won’t be able to let go of the wall for the salsa lesson with Coach Joelle.

2) From our speaker at my AICI meeting, corporate image consultant Linda Thomas. It wasn’t so much what she said and what she taught us, but what she made me realize about my own business.

I’ve realized I am working toward something that is greater than myself. I have my ideas about what that means, but I am not crystal clear about it yet. What I know for sure is that getting my message out to the world is paramount. I have something to say. A real void to fill. It’s all about being smart about we wear, taking the power away from those who try to devalue us, and using our appearance to get what we want out of life – whatever it may be.

I have many ideas but will keep them to myself for the time being. They need to continue to gestate.

Good to see all my friends this weekend! I promise we will do it again soon!!

In the meantime, beware of giant pink martinis!!!