NEW YORK IMAGE CONSULTANT
Image consultant services can help New Yorkers avoid the three major style mistakes they make. The first mistake is failing to wear appropriate colors. The second mistake is wearing the wrong shoes. The third mistake is lack of style sense. All three mistakes are prevalent in the New York City area and mark people as less successful and less credible with the public.
MISTAKE NUMBER ONE
The first mistake New Yorkers make more than other people is generally being unaware of harmonious color combinations for clothes. Anyone living in New York has to be impressed by the wide range of colors they see on people passing in the street, in Times Square, and in Central Park. As a result, they may succumb to the idea that wearing trendy colors will make them look good. This is not necessarily so. In fact, this common misconception can have serious implications for an individual's credibility.
Research shows that while certain colors will work well in Manhattan business settings, other colors will work better in casual environments. If you wear colors that have not tested well in a New York business setting, such as blue, gray, and beige, you risk losing credibility, and you also risk failing to develop client rapport. Similarly, wearing analogous colors in a social setting can turn people off. (Analogous colors are close on the color wheel, such as beige and red, or blue and turquoise.) Such color combinations can hurt not only your social success but also your business success since a fair amount of business today is transacted in social settings. Research clearly demonstrates that navy blue paired with beige, for example, is appropriate for business in New York. Mixing analogous blue and green, however, fails to have a positive effect.
New Yorkers can learn from Michel-Eugène Chevreul's book, De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs (1839) (English title: The Laws of Contrast of Colors), a classic that influenced the French Impressionists, including van Gogh, Signac, Seurat, and Monet. His conclusions can help New Yorkers overcome the unique trend toward a general laxity when it comes to color awareness. Chevreul pointed out that painters should be aware of the "modifications of tone and color which [figures] receive from contiguous colors" (70). In other words, colors that are next to each other influence one another. Cevreul goes on to point out that contiguous complementary colors (for example red and green) will make both colors more intense.
Chevreul's image consultant research can help New Yorkers overcome the first common mistake, failing to be aware of harmonious color combinations. One solution is to use Chevreul's theory of complementary color when choosing an outfit. When wearing a navy blue jacket, for example, match it with its complementary, such as a yellow tie. At the same time, avoid analogous colors in pants, such as pale blue, purple, plum, or pink. When wearing a beige jacket, match it with its complementary, a light blue shirt. At the same time, avoid analogous colors, like red or yellow pants.
MISTAKE NUMBER TWO
The second mistake New Yorkers tend to make more than those from other parts of the country is wearing the wrong footwear. Some styles are not going to be well received in the workplace. For example, sneakers are a poor choice because they are not perceived as professional, and yet many New Yorkers wear running shoes, especially when walking to work. Then they wear this inappropriate footwear as they enter the office. Sneakers do not test well in any white collar work environment.
One of the most common mistakes New York men make is wearing scuffed shoes or shoes of the wrong color. The only appropriate color shoes for men in New York City are black and brown. The wrong styles for men include shoes with white details, shoes that have large lasts (the underside of the shoe, which can stick out), and shoes made of inferior materials. (For example, a major brand recently had an entire batch of polyurethane soles that crumbled after a few months wear.) In New York City, the number of stores where men can find appropriate footwear can be counted on one hand, including Church's English Shoes, and John Lobb.
Unfortunately, some image consultants recommend shoes based on fashion rather than research. Salesmen in shoe stores generally know even less about what works well in a New York business environment; their main motivation is selling.
The easiest way to correct the second mistake New Yorkers make is to choose the best shoes you can afford. You may be assured that this strategy will succeed despite how expensive it may appear to be. If you choose better shoes, they will last longer and prove more economical over time. But whatever you do, keep in mind that the only acceptable colors for men's footwear in New York are black and brown. Women should also keep close to these darker shades, even when wearing lighter outfits.
MISTAKE NUMBER THREE
The third mistake New Yorkers make is failing to develop their style sense. Believe it or not, more people in the fashion capital of the world make this mistake every day than do those in other cities. Style sense does not mean being aware of the latest designs from DKNY or Versace. Instead, style sense refers to the ability to distinguish between effective and ineffective styles in clothing.
Effective clothing does two things. First, it conveys the subliminal message that the wearer is credible. New Yorkers want to be stylish, but they usually don't realize that certain colors and styles convey subliminal messages. Second, effective clothing makes the wearer fit in smoothly in a business setting and brings the individual added respect, power, and confidence. Your wardrobe can have a profound effect on how you are received in a New York professional setting.
For example, research demonstrates that a New York male attorney will have more credibility with a judge from ivy league law schools if the attorney avoids paisley ties. Other tie patterns will work better with such judges, including solids and polka dots. Similarly, there are certain tie patterns and suit colors that will work more effectively with blue collar clients, and other patterns and colors that will be more effective with white collar workers in Manhattan. Navy blue jackets are one of the most effective colors in New York when dealing with the middle and lower class; gray works well for the upper class client. Research also indicates that female attorneys in New York will run into problems when wearing pants suits if they are dealing with middle class men. Knowing what has tested well in New York is vital for attorneys and salesmen. Indeed, knowing these style secrets can be a key to greater business success in New York.
NEW YORK STYLE MISTAKES CORRECTED
The style mistakes we discussed above can be corrected, but doing so can often be a daunting task. Like a butler with inside knowledge, a trained image consultant can guide you to the most effective choices and help you gain respect, authority, and credibility in New York.
Copyright (c) 2010 William Cane
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