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Dressing for the Camera: Read this before you say “cheese”

Wed, 18 May 2011 00:34:10 GMT

Dressing for the Media: Whoever said “the camera doesn’t lie” probably didn’t spend much time in front of one. I can tell you first hand that when it comes to public speaking, a media appearance or company photo, what you wear everyday to the office, doesn’t always fly on film.

The camera does lie, or at least it has its own version of the truth. The impression you set out to make – while you’re reporting on your company’s earning or losses, promoting your new book or at a public speaking event – isn’t always the one the camera records. And it’s the camera that gets the last word.

Understanding how to dress for the camera is critical, both to your image and to your message. And it’s worth understanding because film is forever.

Here are few things to consider before you say “cheese”:

Dress for your message; the viewer needs to believe you. For example, a pink shirt or tie and a desire for credibility don’t go together. Likewise, an overly tailored look isn’t a wise choice for a CEO with stakeholder issues.

For the novice, solids colors work best, except for bright white, it may overpower you cause you to look tired and sallow. Rule of thumb – don’t go whiter than the whites of your eyes.

Try to avoid the typical solid blue suit, white shirt and red tie, it has lost its power and has become cliché. Quite frankly, too many men (read politicians and CEO’s) have apologized in it.

Some say, go bright; I say, proceed with caution. Some bright colors do look great on camera, but for the novice, it’s risky. The wrong choice can cause a viewer to focus on the color and not on your words.

Wear closely fitted clothing. Anything too loose will look sloppy and oversized on camera and sends the wrong message.

Wear layers – such as a jacket, shirt and tie. It’s almost impossible to look credible and polished in just a shirt.

Men: If you’re seated for an interview, shorten your tie to prevent it from bunching up in your crotch.

Women: Accessories create focal points, consider a pin or brooch worn high on your lapel to keep the viewers eye from wandering (and wondering).

Dressing for the camera is a skill, so don’t be afraid to ask for professional help, so call me!

What’s the main thing to remember? What looks great in “real life” doesn’t always work for the camera. A tie that gets compliment after compliment at work might be a camera no-no. Or that classic button-down oxford you love so much, might backfire by producing a distracting roll under your collar.

Before your appearance, take some time to consider how the camera will see you. Then, dress for the image you’d like to project.

Want to reprint this article? You can, just leave the following information intact:

Robin Walker is a certified image consultant and Personal Branding Thrillist. In addition to Changing lives – One wardrobe at a time, Robin is frequently seen and heard sharing her insight on image and style in national media including, The Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise and MR. To learn more about how you can discover, redefine or maintain your style get your copy of the Image Boot Camp for Men.

How to Network in Style

Fri, 13 May 2011 21:31:45 GMT

Networking in Style If you want to get the most out of your networking events over the holiday season, I say Go Bold, stand out and let the laws of attraction kick in.

Here are a few tips that will help you be seen in the crowd.

1) Nix the boring every day stuff and stand out!

Out with business casual and in with a quality and polished look. Dress up so that you look successful at what you do. People are naturally attracted to others who “look” successful so why not start off with the look? Here’s a little success tip that your colleagues won’t tell you: some of the most successful people I work with dressed the part before they had it.

2) Go Bold and wear some color and brighten up everybody’s day!

Guys, a white shirt is a white shirt and a white shirt is boring. Ladies, wearing all black is boring too. Put some color where it counts - near your face! Color has an emotional value that can set you apart. Wear your best colors so that it creates a "feel good" vibe around you and atracts others to you.

3) Go Deep and pay attention to the detail!

I’m not just talking about the simple stuff like polished shoes, that’s child’s play. Let’s polish your pearly whites, get a good facial scrub and delve into everything else that has to do with personal grooming. I say go all out and get your teeth cleaned, groom your eyebrows, wax something and whack all unnecessary bush!

4) Own your style!

And the only way to really do that is to know that you look good. Get rid of any and all questionable garments. I've see it too many times, clients wearing something completely jacked up just because they own it. You may not always know what looks good, but you pretty much know if something looks bad. Just get rid of it. Move on. Liberate yourself.

5) Stand tall and smile.

Good posture and a smile convey confidence and charisma so stand up (no leaning) and smile.

Remember, networking is about connections. In a room full of people, the first connection is usually visual, so put yourself out there and Network in Style!

Feel free to reprint this article. Just keep the following information in tact.

Robin Walker is an image consultant and clothier who outfits her clients with the information – and wardrobe – they need to be Seen, Heard and Remembered for all the right reasons. To learn how you can create your own Image Advantage, contact Robin at 312.431.9662 or visit us at www.askRobinWalker.com

Dressed to Sell

Fri, 13 May 2011 15:36:28 GMT

Tips for Men on Personal Image and First Impressions

How to Dress for Clients: First impressions are a huge part of whether or not you get the sale. Your prospect’s first impression of you colors his or her image of you after that first meeting. Deep down you already know that image matters. Its not uncommon to spend hours, days and weeks, working on a presentation, dressing it up so it reflects our message but how much time do we actually spend on how we present ourselves?

Men Image and Style Tips

The fact is that looking as great as your presentation will help you close. These tips are for anyone who wants a sales advantage starting with being Dressed to Close.

Dress with Purpose
Understand your prospect’s image of how a successful person in your field would dress, and then dress the part. After all, would you buy “peace of mind” from someone who looks like they lost theirs? Would you choose a realtor who looks like they haven’t had a sale in years? Probably not.

Start Wearing a Uniform
Learn what looks good on you, then set a personal standard. Consistency is key. Up and down dressing sends an inconsistent message and if you have a long sales cycle you can’t afford to be caught off guard.

Wear Clothes That Fit
Clothing that’s too large or too small gives the impression that you are out of touch with who you really are. Sales professionals need a personal image that is tailored, polished and successful.

Choose the Right Colors

Color is one of the most important aspects of looking great. Your best-looking outfit will complement your skin color. The wrong color will make you look old, tired and dull. The right colors get you sold.

Practice Impeccable Grooming
A touchy subject for most people, your hair and grooming can make or break your look. Find a trusted stylist and get to know them before they cut and color. And just so you know – nothing will ruin your look faster than a hairstyle that dates from another era or a comb over.

Purchase Clothing That Works Together
To make dressing easy and be in control of your image, you should plan your wardrobe so that most of your clothing works together. By purchasing mostly coordinates, you can easily mix and match to extend your clothing options.

Invest in Well-Coordinated Accessories
People view mixed-matched accessories as a sign of what you know or don't know. Contrary to popular belief, they are not sizing up how much you spent, they are sizing up how much you know. Things like black shoes with a brown belt, a digital watch with cufflinks, an evening bag with a casual outfit – all send the wrong message.

Dress like a Winner. Success attracts success. Be good at what you do and look like it - be Dressed to Close!

Dressing Short: Tips for Short Men

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:33:00 GMT

Style Tips for Short Men: Finding the right fit is a challenge for short men, however since I work with a lot of short men there’s a thing or two I learned about dresing short men, mainly, it’s about presence not size. Like I tell my clients I can’t make you physically taller but I sure as sh!t make other people look up to you!

Here’s a few image and style tips for looking tall and creating more presence in your clothes.

Master the Line. Aim for wearing as many vertical lines as possible but let me explain what I mean by line. A line does not have to be a bold pinstripe, it can be a subtle line in the pattern of your shirt. Jackets also create lines, collars create line, see wear I’m going with this? Avoid wearing a bold pinstripe, unless you’re a pimp or a preacher its for amateurs.

Keep it up. Collars and ties are important because they frame your face and keep the eye from wandering. So wearing the right style collar spread and point will keep people focused on your message and not your size. By the way, this is one of the reasons, I became a custom clothier. Call me lazy, but its easier to make it a custom shirt and get it right the first time, than run around in heels trying to find the right collar and fit for my clients.

Think fit not size. Know upfront that everything you buy will need to be altered. Not only will a twenty dollar alteration do wonders for you, you’ll start to get a good sense of how your clothes should fit you.

Shop in the Right Places. If you are a grown man and short, avoid all temptations to go to the boys department and/or wear cheap clothes. In addition to not finding the quality you need, its also going to be hard to find professional attire and you’ve got to look better than the competition.

Break the Rules: Don’t let size dictate what you wear, only how you wear it. A lot of my clients have a list of things that they were told not to wear, most of them include cuffs. Personally, there’s only a couple of things I would advice against short men wearing but cuffs are one of them. I like cuffs on short men, it makes you guys look more dapper. Pair that with a quality fabric and BAM – you’re gonna walk taller. So instead of ruling things out, try wearing them differently, in the case of cuff, just wear a narrower cuff!

If you want more fashion tips for short men, listen to my podcast, appropriately titled the short end of style and don’t get bent out of shape when you hear me call my short clients “breast height” it was said with love.

Etiquette Tips for Golfers

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 22:03:00 GMT

If you’re new to golf, you definitely want to listen to Image and Etiquette tips from our Chicago Golf Expert Joe Bosco of Greentotee.com.

Podcast Title: Image and Etiquette Tips for New Golfers

Show Notes:

The 3 most important golf etiquette tips for new golfers.

What you need to wear and avoid on the golf course.

The basics of golf courtesy.

Golf in style insights from Chicago Image expert and Chicago Golf expert Joe Bosco.

Men's Style: What's Sexy in Bed

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:35:00 GMT

Tips for Men on Whats Sexy in Bed

Men's Style: Looking Sexy in Bed. I'm not kidding when I say "I dress my clients from the bedroom to the boardroom." Style doesn't stop at the bedroom door. Word to the wise, what you wear to bed, may have a significant impact on what happens going forward. Last weekend, I wanted to find out what other women thought about your bedtime attire, so, I tweeted about it and here's what the ladies said about what they want to see in bed.

Ultimately, Naked is sexy. But we want you to start off with something on. Want to be sexy in bed, well, it turns us on to undress our men and it brings out another side of our personalities that you will totally miss if you stripe down in 1 minute and jump in bed.

Start off with something Interesting. Best tip for men on what women want in bed... we want you to leave the white Fruit of the Loom briefs in the drawer. Even if you choose boxers over pajama bottoms, they can still be sexy and have some personality.

Pay attention to the hole(s). I'm referring to the ones that may be in your clothes! Anything ripped, torn or bearing a hole is a turn off. It makes us wonder what else is raggedy and immediately lowers our libido.

Now, with all that being said, sometimes scuba equipment, fire fighter uniforms, and super hero costumes can be appropriate to wear to bed, we know that you're not going to sleep in it and it might be fun way to kick off the evening.

Mens Style: How to be Sexy in Bed

Social Media: Exposing your Private Parts Online!

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 05:14:00 GMT

Social media and your private parts online. Whether its Linkedin, twitter or facebook, social media takes your professional and personal image and creates your public image. Here’s a few things you want to think about before you post online.

From an image and style perspective, here are a few things you can do to manage your image online.

1) Think of your image as your brand. Decide how you want to be seen and make sure your posts are consistent with your desired online image and brand. There is no cookie cutter formula, so what is right for one person may not be right for all. Be clear in your own vision about what you want.

2) Be Responsible. You are responsible for your online personal image and reputation. If you think something will hurt your image or haunt you, or if you’re just unsure – don’t do it. It’s really just that easy.

3) Protect your privacy. Every social media site has privacy features, so that you only share certain personal information with certain people, learn how to use this feature before you start posting.

4) Nothing is really private. Keep in mind that the privacy feature is not fail safe. Just because you sent something to a friend doesn’t mean it won’t be forwarded to your enemy.

5) You’re subject to interpretation. Remember that social media posts are like email. It is devoid of feeling, keep in mind that things may not come across the way you intended.

6) Use the delete button. Use the delete key if you have a “drunk” tweet or post something online you know you will regret, it will help you, to at least, limit the number of people that see it. If its really, really damaging to your personal image, consider closing your account and moving on.

7) Be Proactive. Before your next important meeting or interview, go through your social media profiles and remove unflattering photos and comments that may compromise your online image.

8) Don’t be afraid to post. Just remember that what’s morally and socially acceptable applies online and off.

9) Finally, remember the 2nd GOLDEN RULE, while your profile picture should be interesting, not everyone needs to see your private part

Please feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the following information intact:

Robin Walker writes, speaks and consults on Menswear, Image and Style. Find out how you can update your image - online and off - with your Personal Style Blueprint and free 60 minute consultation by contacting Robin at 312.431.9662 or visiting www.askRobinWalker.com