Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Dreaming of having your very own Stylist??


This week you will when we speak to Image Consultant Justine Wratten from Total Image Solutions and get all the best tips on looking fabulous!


Meet Justine:

Justine once manage one of Melbourne’s most upmarket chain stores. After a few years she became very disillusioned with the retail industry and grew sick and tired of the “get the sale regardless” attitude, she headed into a different industry.

“Women are not stupid, they know when they are being lied to and appreciate an honest opinion and constructive criticism when it comes to what they wear”


After being confronted with the question “if you could do anything in the world what would you do?” she immediately answered “I would be an image consultant”. After that she thought that if she could answer that question without hesitation she owed it to herself to give it a go. After completing an internationally accredited image course “Total Image Solutions” was created.

Having suffered low body image since her teenage years, the course not only fulfilled her dream of becoming an image consultant, but also taught her some extremely valuable lessons in how to feeling good about your body no matter what your age or size.

“After having kids I hated my stomach and thought wearing black and dark grey baggy clothes was the best way to hide it, after doing my training I now know what colours and styles suit me and now when I look in the mirror I have learnt to see only see the positives, an amazing and liberating feeling”

Total Image Solutions main objective is to get women feeling good about themselves. 

It’s time to accept your body the way it is and focus on the positives rather than the negatives.       

·        Learn once and for all how to dress your body shape and look kilos lighter
·        Learn what colours make you look younger, healthier, vibrant and energetic
·        Learn to shop with confidence and make the right clothing choices

When everything you buy is the right style and colour for you, you will never again look in your wardrobe and think you have "nothing to wear”.

“So stop making excuses such as 'I will buy some better clothes when I lose some weight' or 'all I have time to do is throw a tracksuit on', make the most of what you have now and you will  be amazed just how much better you can feel. Call me and have a chat about your concerns and together we will work on your total image solution.”

Justine's advice:
Think about this, the majority of women wear 20% of their wardrobes 80% of the time, on average we have 100 significant pieces (shoes, pants, tops, jackets, skirts etc) that cost on average $50.00, thats on average $5000.00  you have invested in your wardrobe. If you are only wearing 20% of it, you have $4000.00 sitting there going to waste. Given we usually turn over our wardrobes every 6 years, thats $4000.00 you are throwing away every 6 years !!! Thats crazy.



There is a solution, when you learn once and for all what suits you, you can then turn the statistics around. You will start looking at you purchases more carefully and stop throwing your money away. 

 Your Personality:
When it comes to your image, personality plays a huge role. For most people however their inner and outer style personalities do not match up. For most people their outer style personality i.e what we wear and how we are percieved takes on a functional  role and conforms to those around us and the everyday situations we find ourselves in. Style personality can fall into many categories, is it classic, feminine, dramatic, natural, elegant, sexy or creative ?

Most women who have kids find themselves dressing down because they feel uncomfotable doing the school pickup and "standing out" in something other than a tracksuit or the staple of jeans and a black top. But when you ask these women about how they feel about their style, they feel boring and drab. 

AGE APPROPRIATE:
You know, when you hear the term "age appropriate" you usually think of someone older dressing too young but it does also apply  to someone younger dressing too old. Many people in their thirties and forties who categorise themselves as a "school mum" have lost sight of their inner style personailty and that is the reason why the majority of these gorgeous women feel drab, tired, and somewhat miserable, they have fallen into a rut. When you are not being true to your inner self there is really no other possible outcome.

Now having said all that your inner style personality might fall into a category that is really not appropraite for your everyday situation. You may be a "school mum" whos sexy inner style personality is screaming to get out but wearing a so called sexy outfit to pick up the kids might raise a few eyebrows, so as much as I am an advocate for dressing for yourself and no one else, I am also an advocate of appropraite dressing. So heres what I recommend, in a situation like that you can add touches that make you feel sexy while staying "appropriate". Buy yourself a beautiful perfume to wear everyday, dont just reserve it for special occassions, paint your toe nails in a gorgeous bright colour that you would be to scared to buy clothes in. Try and find some underwear that you feel comfortable in but also makes you feels sexy and wear it everyday not just on special occassions.

 HAVING YOUR OWN CONSULTANT:
Some people may think the cost of having a style or colour consultation is out of their reach, but think about this, you will generally only do it once. When you look in your wardrobe and are faced with all the mistakes you have made, add up the cost of that. I can guarantee you it will by far out weigh the cost of hiring an image consultant. Once you know what styles and colours suit you, you will look and feel fantastic and will no longer make expensive mistakes. Before you go shopping for Spring/Summer and you make anymore mistakes come and see me.

CLOTHING MUST HAVES:
I was watching Oprah the other day and they were doing makeovers on some very deserving women (just like all of you). At the end, the person in charge of their new look gave out his ten top list of essential items every woman must have in her wardrobe. 
A couple made perfect sense to me like a great pair of dark denim jeans, but the rest were just to generalised for my liking. One item in particular that he insisted every woman should have is a black turtleneck jumper, now I dont know about you but if I were to wear a black turtleneck, my face would look round and full and with black not being a good colour on me I would look tired and dull. 
Hence the difference between a stylist and an image consultant, a stylist is more likely to use items currently in fashion or easily accessible regardless of body type or colouring whereas an image consultant will analyse your best styles and colours and then work with current trends.
 So take the time to invest in yourself, find out whats works best for you.

SHAPE WEAR?
Have just been watching "How to look good naked", now don't get me wrong I love Gok Wan and what he ultimately is able to achieve. What I dont understand is why call the show "How to look good naked" when the first thing he wants to do is get everyone into firm fitting shape wear! In my opinion shape wear definately has its place but I couldn't think of anything worse than having to wear it everyday. 

I don't know how you can start to feel good naked without starting to accept your body the way it is. If you are going to a special event and have a gorgeous dress to wear shapewear can help smooth out any imperfections, but on a day to day basis it is too restrictive and uncomfortable. 

When you learn how to dress your body shape and make the best choices when it comes to colouring you can minimise your percieved flaws and accentuate you positive attributes. After a while of dressing your best you, you will notice a mind shift and looking (and feeling) good naked may not be that as far out of reach as you think.
http://www.totalimagesolutions.com.au

 A TRUE SUCCESS STORY.

Meet Lea

BEFORE:

So a bit about me......I have lived a life since school and having children of the YO YO diet scenario.  I had a bad pregnancy with my last child and had some injuries caused by the birth.  Needless to say m self confidence had been 
shattered, and as a result, I had little inspiration
to try and look good. My wardrobe had turned to a mish mash of loose, black, and dark clothes that I was comfortable in caring for my 2 "now school aged" children . As a result, I found  myself never having anything to wear, which meant I rarely went out.

I had  little time for myself, let alone to think about my fashion style. Shopping for  clothes was just too hard. Justine encouraged me to recreate my sense of style that I thought I had lost forever,and my love for colour. I felt alive 
again, and energised by the possibilities I could look forward to. Her advice 
and help in achieving a new look hairstyle, and makeup, also made my spirits 
soar. I was back on track.

The best was going shopping with Justine.  In no time, we had a wardrobe filled with colourful, matching outfits that I felt confident and very stylish in. My girlfriends were all envious of how I looked.

Now I think I will ask Justine to shop with me at the  start of every  season. It saves me time and money, because everything I buy suits me and I know  I will wear it. Thank you Justine for giving me back my self confidence and  trust that I will always have something to wear, whatever the occasion!





AFTER: