Image Consulting
“Image Consulting” has existed in Ireland under a number of different guises for quite some time, however in recent years it has had seen a huge surge in interest. Originally image consulting was seen as only for the rich and famous. Now it is a mainstream service, available to everyone and is used by a wide selection of people. Mostly because many men and women who are not successful at shopping realise it is far more economic to hire a professional to help them with their wardrobes rather than waste money on clothing which is inappropriate for their lifestyles.
Image consulting can often be found under a number of titles e.g:
- Personal Shopper
- Style Guru
- Wardrobe doctor
- Makeover Artist
- Fashion Adviser
- Personal Stylist
The media have helped drive interest and importance into how people present themselves and feel about themselves through their personal style and image. It is a constant topic in magazines and television and Radio programmes.
Personal Shopping and Personal Stylist
There are lots of reasons why people may want help with clothes shopping. Some people have simple questions like “What colours suit me?”, “Where to buy clothes for work?”, “How do I change my image?” and others have more specific questions like “How do I dress for my shape?”, “Where can I shop for clothes in Dundrum?”
Personal Shopping helps with all of these questions, and is now widely used by all types of people. Some shops offer a personal shopping service, but they are a service to help the shop sell their clothes, a personal shopper who is independent works with the client to choose a wardrobe or a style from a wide variety of shops suitable for the client.
TV makeovers
UK programs such as “How to look good naked” fronted by the charismatic Gok Wan, “Ten years younger”, Trinny and Susannah’s “What not to wear” and countless other makeover shows have created entire satellite channels dedicated to style. Morning and afternoon daily magazine shows such as TV3’s “Ireland AM” and RTE’s “the Today Show” have regular segments dedicated to make-overs of busy mums and other candidates who contact the TV shows in search of a new image.
In Ireland the most successful programme has been “Off the Rails” currently presented by Brendan Courtney and Sonia Lennon. TV3’s Xpose which has featured Mary from Ruby Seven is a daily fashion fix for many and regularly includes make-over segments.