Category Archives: personal branding
Tune In! Job Club Radio: Dress To Reflect Your Brand
This week I am excited to join my good friend and career coach Jennifer Armitstead on Job Club Radio where we’ll be discussing how to dress to reflect your brand. Tune in!
- Tuesday, June 26, 2012
- 2:00 – 2:30pm EST
- Call-in Number: 917-932-1762
Jennifer is a career, branding, and social media expert and she hosts Job Talk Radio as a way to give back to the community. Recently she interviewed Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics, and in my opinion, the coolest guy in social media — I’m a big fan of his Social Media Revolution video and work and it made me geek out a bit to know I’ll be the featured guest just weeks later.
Hope you can join us for Job Club Radio this week!
Cinna the Stylist’s Big Role in the Hunger Games
After listening to The Hunger Games non-stop, I’ve just completed listening to the first book in the series. The intense build-up to the games, the calculated competition within the games, and charming love interest between Katniss and Peeta were captivating! But the thing that really lured me in at the beginning was the important role the stylists played in the story line.
Cinna, played by Lenny Kravitz in the upcoming feature film, is the heroine’s personal stylist and is responsible for creating an image for her that everyone will remember. And he does. The “girl on fire” dress at the opening ceremonies of the games completely wins everyone over and makes Katniss and Peeta the talk of the town.
[Spoiler alert!]
It’s not until after Katniss and Peeta win the Hunger Games that Cinna truly shows you how important her appearance really is to her safety. Knowing that Katniss is still in danger after defying the Capitol, he puts her in a demure yellow dress that plays down her fierce strength, painting her in a feminine light so she can play the romance card in the final interview.
When you are getting dressed each day, it’s important to consider where you’re going, who you’re going to be with, and what you want to accomplish as you choose your clothes. Starting with the end in mind will help you to choose clothing that is appropriate for the occasion and as a resource to help you achieve your goals. And if you want the help of your own personal stylist, I’m here to help!
Infusing Personal Style To Professional Attire in 2011
Recently I had the pleasure of writing an article for Startup Princess, an online resource for women entrepreneurs, about professional attire and personal style. I’ve gotten permission to republish the article for my readers — enjoy!
With a little personal style, even a traditional black blazer can be your own! Copyright Cable Car Couture
When you think of professional attire, is a traditional navy blue pantsuit with a predictable white collared dress shirt the first thing that comes to mind? It very well may be! As an image consultant, I’m happy to tell you that dressing professionally doesn’t need to be boring or predictable. For 2011, let’s infuse personal style into your business attire.
There are several things you can do to bring personal style into your professional attire. In the photo sequence below, we’ve shown you five different ways to style a versatile black blazer, infusing personal style into each. From left to right:
- A traditional black suit gets an infusion of personality with a red top and matching obi belt, providing drama and pizzazz with the color contrast and unique styling.
- A black skirt suit can be easily paired with a vibrant teal turtleneck. When you take the jacket off, you have an attractive hourglass silhouette.
- A satin empire waist blouse with abstract shapes blends beautifully with the black blazer and the brown pulls out the color of her eyes. As an unmatched suit with white pants, the look is professional, yet accessible. (My black kitten, in the bottom left corner of the image, matches perfectly!)
- Rolling up the sleeves on the black blazer gives this traditional staple a trendy, relaxed look. Combine that with dangly earrings and a billowy silk blouse in a floral floral print and the look becomes more informal.
- With the rolled up sleeves, the jacket is right on trend with on the boyfriend blazer look and is a fun combination with the vintage tunic and dark wash skinny jeans. The look is youthful and decidedly creative.
As you can see, it’s not just what you wear, it’s how you wear it.
Here are some ways that you can add personal style into your professional attire in 2011:
- If you’re required to wear a suit jacket but you feel overwhelmed wearing the traditional style jacket, look for one with a curved collar instead of the standard angular lapel. The rounder shapes will soften the look for you.
- To spice up your suit jacket, try accessorizing. A brooch, matching belt, or colorful scarf will go a long way in adding some flair.
- To soften the professional look, trade in your collared shirts for blouses in colors that complement your personal coloring. For example, if you have brown hair, blues will look great on you.
- Wear a vest. The vest has made a major comeback recently. Buttoned up, a vest can emphasize a great waistline, or be left unbuttoned for a more relaxed look. Vests even look terrific over Tees.
- Try a cardigan. The softer version of the suit jacket, a cardigan will provide you an extra layer to help you look more capable, but can also give you added warmth and coverage to hide any figure variations like a full bust or leftover baby weight.
Do you still feel clueless about personal style? If you’re dying to discover your personal style, I have an easy exercise for you.
One thing I recommend for my clients to do is go through fashion magazines, pulling out pictures of clothes, accessories, and looks they love, then start a Personal Style file. This simply exercise is a great way to help you recognize what your unique personal style embodies. Starting a Personal Style file will allow you to identify your personal style preferences and give you ideas for items you can add into your wardrobe this year.
Nobody said business attire has to be boring. Add some personal style to your work wardrobe and create a look that’s that uniquely yours!
Copyright 2011 Cable Car Couture. All Rights Reserved.
Christmas Gift Ideas for the Professional Woman on Your List
If you have a professional woman on your Christmas gift list, career coach Jennifer Armitstead shared some terrific gift ideas, in a recent article. Here’s a little excerpt for you:
- Nice pen: Have you ever been handed a nice pen from a sales person? It elevates that person in your mind, doesn’t it? There are many really slick and elegant pens that fit nicely in a planner, purse, or at your desk. When people use it, they won’t walk off with it because they will be very aware of how nice the pen is and want to give it back to you. Cross and FranklinCovey have great options at different price points. Get a colorful pen that matches your personality.
- Special jewelry: Wearing a really unique and gorgeous pin or necklace to a networking event garners special recognition every time. It’s amazing how one piece of really nice and stunning jewelry will make a difference in how people remember you… especially if it’s something worn close to your face. Being remembered at professional networking events is critical in today’s business world. Being women who get to wear cool jewelry is a bonus! Guys have to make do with unique ties. Sorry.
Christmas gift idea: business card holder
I’ll add a Christmas gift idea of my own as well. Every woman ought to have a classy business card holder. It’s way more professional that fishing in your pocket for a crumpled business card when you’re networking. It’s all about creating that memorable image!
Check out Jen’s article What Every Professional Woman Should Ask for Christmas here!
@cablecarcouture’s New Twitter Background!
Our new Twitter background!
If you’re following us on Twitter @cablecarcouture, you may have noticed our fabulous new Twitter background. We’re tickled pink! This is just another way we can all create a consistent personal brand and image — through our social media.
Are we connected on Twitter? Leave a comment with your Twitter username and we’ll get connected pronto.
Copyright 2010 Cable Car Couture. All Rights Reserved.
