Men's Image Consulting: Before and After

If you've been hanging around here for a while, you've likely seen the before/after pictures of my work. What you may not know, though, is that it's quite challenging to get these pictures together, and the ones that I have posted only reflect a small portion of the results I've gotten with my clients. Many of them (understandably) are private and don't want their pictures included.

For those clients who are open to being featured, getting an accurate before picture that's also high enough quality for web use, is often difficult, not to mention planning a professional shoot for the after shot. But when it does all come together, and the client is up for it, the results are thrilling! I love being able to feature my clients and show off the hard work that they've done to overhaul their image. Even though I'm the image consultant, much of the work is done on the client's part: showing up for appointments, trying on all the clothes, implementing my advice, etc. Image consulting is like a 12-step program: it works if you work it.

So now that you've gotten that behind the scenes, you can appreciate how big a deal it is when the stars align, and I'm able to pull together a before/after I can use. Below are two new before and afters I'm proud to be able to share.

The first one is a tech CEO and father of 3 who lives in the midwest. We started working together in Spring of 2014 (when the before pic was taken), and we've been traveling back and forth to see one another several times a year since. At first it was a complete overhaul; now we're in maintenance, where we touch things up seasonally and depending on what events, talks, etc., he needs to attend or present at. This client is an absolutely fantastic guy, and I've loved every second of working with him (and incidentally, I've now worked with his wife and niece too -- it's a family affair!).The after shot was taken exactly 2 years after we started working together. The first three things we worked on that were the keys to our success off the bat were:

getting him into trimmer and better-fitting pants and jackets
convincing him that tucking in his dress shirts would actually be more flattering to his build than wearing them out, and
getting him an improved haircut that would be more flattering to his face shape and hair type.

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The second before and after is one that my awesome client Michael H. sent me out of the blue one day. Michael is a busy attorney and father of two from the west coast. We started working together in April of 2014, coincidentally about two years ago as well. Even though the pix weren't professionally done, and I wasn't there to style him for the after shot, I was thrilled to get the email from him with the images and thanking me for my help. I don't get all the credit here though -- as you can see, Michael has not only been hard at work transforming his image and style, but he's also lost a ton of weight and gained muscle. He dropped 4 inches in waist size. Michael told me in his email that he laughs now recalling that he had told me his before picture was his best outfit.

The top three elements that paved the way for Michael's success were:

demonstrating to him that he had been buying shirts and pants in sizes that were too large for him
upgrading his haircut and showing him how to style it and with what product, and
teaching him how to dress in a way that was flattering to his height and newly trim build.

Getting results and feedback like this is a true rush for me, and it's the exact reason why I fell in love with the work that I do. I'm a Fixer (with a capital "F") through and through, and I love being able to use my skills to help my clients become their best selves. I always like to say, "it's you, only better."

Thanks so much for reading, and if you're thinking about making a major (or even minor) transformation, don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Cheers,
Julie

Have you seen my latest before and afters? I just added several updated sets to my new website. The before and after section is the most visited part of my site, so this week I’m lifting the hood to show you how it came together for my client in the images above: John Bailey. John is a Management Consultant, and he was looking to create a more appealing image for speaking and presentations. Here's how he described what he wanted to accomplish:“Take the package that is me - height, build, bone-structure, baldness and all - and create an image that says 'authority, approachable'".John is located in Oregon, so we did all our work via Skype and email. Here's how it went down:ColorThe black and silver color combo is too aggressive for business. In addition, because John’s head is bare, the black shirt is overly intense and stark on him – almost making him look like a floating head. Overall, he was coming off too strong in his before look. In contrast, the lavender shirt is more flattering, and in combination with the sportcoat, it’s friendly but authoritative.ProportionJohn is 5’ 8” and slightly stocky, so a main goal was to make him look longer and leaner. The diagonal lines of his sportcoat’s opening “V” are slimming and elongating, and pull him in at the waist. Paired with dark jeans, the jacket creates an overall monochromatic look that also makes him look taller and thinner. We had his jacket cut on the short side to make his legs appear longer.DetailThe peak lapel on John’s jacket draws the eye up toward his broad shoulders and his face in a flattering way. He looks sharp but approachable with his open collar.HairJohn had already ditched the moustache pre-Rath. Good call, John! The shaved head is a confident look (studies have been done on this – here’s a great article on the topic). Making the move from contacts to glasses made sense, as it adds dimension to his face so that he doesn't look so bare.With no head or facial hair, John’s look was vulnerable. He was attempting to strengthen that, but he was doing it in the wrong way. The end result was “trying too hard.” John says, "Men hate to ask for directions - and I think even more so about their appearance. It's an admission of helplessness - and perhaps seems a bit vain as well. I think that holds lots of guys back from success ... [Now] when I present professionally, the difference in how I feel – and therefore, how I carry myself – and the depth of the confidence I can project – is very significant."You can read more about John's work here. A very warm thank you to him for participating in this article!

Behind the Scenes: Two New Before and Afters

"Before and After" Decoded