Suzie and Sue share four little words
Part Three of a great new series of guest articles from Sue Carter, image consultant extraordinaire!
Series Title – How Image Consultants CAN work together!
I am writing this blog to the strains of Elvis Presley and by happy coincidence the song of the moment is Can’t Help Falling In Love With You. “Why is that?” I hear you ask?
Well, I want to talk about four little words that have revolutionised my wardrobe and I was thinking of those three little words we all like to hear, ‘I love you.’ Aren’t they just great? But they don’t describe my wardrobe but these four do:
- authentic
- vibrant
- creative
- powerful
That’s me. That is how I see myself. “I am a woman!” hear me roar. I am not a shrinking violet; I am mature, in charge of my own life. I want my wardrobe to reflect how I feel about myself. I want my wardrobe to announce me before I am through the door, before I have uttered a word. It’s called non-verbal communication and we are in that business, like it or not. Your client is judged before he or she opens his or her mouth. Not just your client; you too.
I was once featured in a magazine. As I looked at the finished article and the photos of me, my first thought was not of the free advertising but how I wouldn’t want to go to that image consultant. I looked fine in the photos but fine isn’t what I want for my clients. I want amazing and I knew I had to have that for myself.
I’d done style and knew that I was Creative with a touch of Drama thrown in. I can even do Romantic if the occasion calls for it. However, I wasn’t quite there yet. That’s when I came across Ginger Burr and her course Who Taught You How to Dress? Go look for yourself and if you have any qualms about your attitude to dressing I would recommend the course. Part of the course is choosing four words that represent who you really are; not who you want to be but who you are deep down. It took me a while but I ended up with authentic, creative, powerful and vibrant. I like those words. They sum me up. I took them to Suzie and we went shopping for clothes that reflected those words and you’ll be able to see the results in a later blog.
Suzie tried the words exercise and came up with a completely different set. Those words are for her to share with you if she desires. However, she and I agree that they sum her up totally. They are hers to use and dress with. We both agreed that the results were amazing, that thinking about ourselves as descriptive words released something inside us that a style questionnaire hadn’t.
I was so taken with the idea that I produced my own list of words more suited to the English temperament. If you look on the internet there are several lists that have been produced but I think making up your own is more useful. The first client I tried my list on came up with her four words, burst into tears and said, ‘I sound like a doormat.’ As we talked she came to see that they were not her word. They were words imposed from outside. When she found her own words she saw how she was a caring, loving woman who just needed to express herself more.
I’ve added my word list to my toolbox of style tools. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.
- How do you want the world to see you?
- Does your wardrobe reflect who you truly are?
- Are you being authentic in your dressing?
Uncover your words, live them for a while, you might just surprise yourself. I’d really like to hear your words and how you applied them to your clothes. Send me an e-mail via twent4carat.com and I’ll write about the results later in the year.
I-tunes is now playing Bat Out Of Hell by Meatloaf so it must be time for whoppie pies and coffee. Look out for the next blog about what happened when I stopped colouring my hair. It was such a good excuse to go shopping!
Sue Carter’s own blog can be found at twent4carat.com and Suzie Rice can be contacted via her website. They are both living and dressing their four little words.
Series: How Image Consultants CAN work together!
Part One – Let’s Talk Boobies
Part Two – Suzie and Sue get to know each other
Part Four coming soon
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