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Franchise-free Training | Extra Special Training Courses | About Personal Style | Personal style consultation sorted me out (part 1)

Personal style consultation sorted me out (part 1)

By Kim Bolsover

How a ‘proper’ Personal Style consultation finally sorted me out!

32 years ago I finally discovered which colours to wear and which ones made me look ill. Colour analysis was still in its infancy in the UK and it had taken 3 whole years to work out that I really was an absolute Winter.

During that time I had been mis-diagnosed as a Spring (long story, I’ll tell you another time) and had then proceeded to terrorise the locals by wearing a light mink suit, light peach blouse, brown accessories, peach lipstick and – God help me – I’d even dyed my hair a delicious copper colour into the bargain.

In 1983, someone who’d actually been on one of the first organised training courses showed me that I was definitely a Winter and it’s been plain sailing with colour from then on.

But I wanted more

But that wasn’t the end of the story for me. I wanted to know what to look for when shopping for clothes. I’d just finished a training course in computer programming and was looking for a job. I needed smart clothes for interviews and then a wardrobe for work plus, this would be the first time I’d be earning money for over a year, so I was also keen to replace some of the ‘student’ type clothes I’d got in my wardrobe.

I went back to the same consultant for a Personal Style consultation.

In those days, Personal Style consultations were really only about body shape, scale and proportion which, quite frankly, sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry. I had to listen to a long diatribe about courtly fashion rules – immensely interesting to me, a lifelong learner, but everyone else said they’d found it incredibly boring and totally irrelevant to what they’d come for!

Then I had to change into a leotard in front of a group of strangers.

Yukkity-yuk! I was:

  • measured to within an inch of my life
  • told how to compensate for one shoulder being higher than the other
  • made to feel miserable because I didn’t ‘measure’ up to the image of the perfect body shape that the consultant took great delight in showing us

and came away having no clue about what I should actually buy in the shops. The only thing I really learnt was now NOT to treat people and that has been the mainstay of my work ever since.

Because no-one had really thought about the person wearing the clothes

That style consultation was all about feet and inches, and fitting you into a body shape box (sounds like a coffin!) by comparing your measurements to the ‘perfect woman’. At the end of the day, the whole ‘analysis’ was centred around nothing more than what the consultant could actually see – my physical shape, my silhouette – and no-one would have noticed if I had been dead or alive!

To virtually every so-called style consultant, I was nothing more than an object to be de-coded.

I tried again and again – over the years I consulted several different people about my ‘style’. In the main, I received much of the same inane and utterly useless advice. Most came to the conclusion that I had a straight body shape (were they blind?) and so should wear straight lines, straight lapels, straight jackets (I know what you’re thinking and you can stop it right now!), all with no shaping.

I know now that this was all absolute tosh as I have a very curvy body shape (and always have had, before you start casting aspersions about how much I eat).

It took 16 years to discover who I really am

It was only in 1999 when I re-trained in ‘everything image’ that I finally discovered who I really am. My most excellent mentor was astonished that I was wearing ‘straight’ shapes… but he didn’t dwell on who had got it wrong. He just set out to put it right.

  • Bill didn’t measure me
  • He didn’t get me to fill in a questionnaire about my height, weight, measurements, etc.
  • He just looked me up and down and spent time listening to what I had to say – what was important to me, what I was hoping for, what I needed clothes for
  • Then he talked about me being a drama queen (how right he was) and to “stop trying to fade into the background, Kim. It’s not your style.”
  • He told me to tuck my top in and add a belt “to show off your curves.”
  • He told me to get some slightly-rounded glasses frames instead of the square horrors that I was wearing.
  • And he added, “When you give your presentations on stage, you’re also going to need non-reflective lenses or your audience isn’t going to be able to see whether the expression in your eyes matches what’s coming out of your mouth!”

I have never forgotten his brilliant words.

I’ve still got loads more to tell you so I’ll continue in part 2 of this epistle.

Filed Under: About Personal Style Tagged With: Body shape, Style personality

Improvability.tv was founded by award-winning mentor, trainer, speaker, and author, Kim Bolsover, who is also an independent trainer for Wella UK’s Master Colour Expert trainers and a Certified Words That Change Minds LAB Profile® Practitioner. Kim has over 40 years’ experience teaching colour, style and image, appearance, behaviour and communication, and in coaching and mentoring image consultants and entrepreneurs to build their own successful businesses.

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franchise-free image consultant training with Kim Bolsover

Revolutionary Franchise-Free Image Consultant Training with award winning course author Kim Bolsover

Winner: Most Inspirational Consultant Running An Image-Related Business - International Federation of Image Consultants (IFIC) / Federation of Image Professionals International (FIPI) Spirit of Inspiration Awards.

Founded by award-winning mentor, trainer, speaker, and author, Kim Bolsover, who is also an independent trainer for Wella UK’s Master Colour Expert trainers. Kim has over 40 years’ experience teaching colour, style and image, appearance, behaviour and communication, and in coaching and mentoring image consultants and entrepreneurs to build their own successful businesses.

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Colour Analysis Training in a Box
It’s franchise-free seasonal colour analysis training, of course, but this course also includes 2 new tonal system trainings not available anywhere else. Learn seasonal and tonal colour analysis from scratch or add colour analysis to your existing image consultancy with my proven step-by-step ‘Put the Client First’ system, together with my personal support.
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Ultimate Training Program
Includes professional, in-depth franchise-free colour & style training courses, personal and business development course and a business-building course. Includes extensive optional 1-1 private coaching and personal support from me. Plus all the training manuals, client handouts, and internationally-recognised certification. If you want the ultimate, the absolute best, this is for you.
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1-to-1 Image Training/Coaching
Private one-to-one colour & style training and / or business development coaching with me. For both new and experienced image consultants, tailored to your specific needs.
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Advanced Colour Analysis Course
When you just have to know everything about Colour Analysis. If you want to be more confident with your colour analysis skills and knowledge and improve your personal colour consultations and workshops, this franchise-free training is for you.
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Men's Image Training
This is for you if you’re an image consultant or personal stylist who has already trained in and practised both ladies colour analysis and personal style, shape and scale who wants to add Men’s Image to your portfolio of services.
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Hair Colour Analysis Course
Franchise-free training that takes the stress out of those awkward hair colour questions. Learn how to diagnose your client’s hair colour direction to complement her colour analysis for both clothes and make-up.
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Colour Psychology Course
On this franchise-free course learn about colour personality profiling and my approach to colour psychology. Use my tools and methods to profile your clients quickly and easily and create bespoke services for each individual client. They’ll absolutely love the personalised service.
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Tonal System Training
The 4 seasons colour theory just doesn’t work for everyone. The tonal system fills in the gaps and provides seasonal and tonal alternatives for all your clients. Learn how to add the tonal system to your current seasonal workflow. It will revitalise your business!
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Personal Style Course
It’s franchise-free ladies’ personal style training that includes shape, scale and style personality. Plus, 5 ways to diagnose your clients’ style personality, a step-by-step approach to style consultations & workshops, and lots lots more.
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Personal Shopping Course
This franchise-free course is totally different from all the other training that’s out there; learn how to take the stress out of personal shopping and wardrobe planning and put together a step-by-step plan to help your client manage her wardrobe and create a step-by-step plan for personal shopping trips too.
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Mindset Motivation Course
This course shows you the changes you need to make to attract more colour & style clients and confidently create great personal and business results. This course is all about you, what motivates you, how you feel, what you really want to do, and how to create a successful business that uses your best talents and skills.
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Life Purpose Breakthrough
This program helps you fathom out what you’ve been put on the planet for! Are you stuck in a rut wondering why life has to be such a hard slog? Do you feel so far off course you might be tempted to run for the hills if something doesn’t change and soon? This is for you.
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Get More Clients Course
Discover where to find your first paying clients, how to let potential clients know that you’re available for business, exactly what to say to them, what to charge, and how to retain clients too.
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