"Your Image"
Getting Better, Not Older!
by Fashion & Image Consultant, Sandy Dumont
Tidewater Women/February 2005Back to main list

Abbreviated Article.Please see PDF file for full article.
"I would like an image makeover because I want to tell ladies that there is life after we reach 60 or 70. I have been " more active after turning 60 than I ever thought possible." Seventy-two-year-old Naomi Burke of Chesapeake wrote these words to Tidewater Women to request a makeover with Image Consultant Sandy Dumont. Naomi requested an image makeover because she wanted to make sure her image was as lively and dynamic as she felt!


The first step was to verify Naomi's best color category through color analysis. Naomi saw for herself that the pale pink sweater she wore to the session drained the color from her face, emphasized lines and made her makeup look heavy.

The second order of business was to check out Naomi's makeup colors to see if they were the best ones for her. Image consultants strive to get a "perfect skin" look instead of a "perfect makeup" look. Once I applied foundation, blusher, and lipstick colors that suited her coloring, her skin took on a youthful luminosity. And she immediately looked at least ten years younger. Naomi loved her new image.

In the photo to the left, Naomi wears her pale pink sweater with a lovely wisteria-purple skirt. While both are lovely, neither is in harmony with her coloring or her image. Image Consultant's Tip: Long skirts nearly always form a straight, rigid line and give the impression that you are stiff. They also make you appear weighted down. To improve her image, I suggested that Naomi look for sweaters with a rounded and slightly scooped neckline, so that she can wear them under suits as well as alone. Turtlenecks and mock turtles "dress down" a suit and make it look less dynamic.

Also in the "before" photo, the skirt and sweater are in different colors, so they cut her in half. The eye is drawn to the place where the two colors meet: the midriff. Wearing one color is far more slimming, as you can see when you compare the two photos. Imae Consultant's Tip: Longer skirts do not necessarily make you look slimmer. One thing they DO do is make you look weighed down. Lastly, Naomi looks much younger in the shorter skirt than in the longer skirt. The last change that Naomi made was with her earrings. I suggested that she wear bolder earrings when she is dressed up. Small or conservative earrings suggest a reserved rather than a dynamic image. With Naomi's effervescent personality, she could wear bold earrings with her Bermuda shorts!

Sandy Dumont, THE Image Architect is a fashion and image consultant and professional speaker based in Norfolk, Virginia. She has 30 years of international and national experience helping individuals and Fortune 500 companies improve their image. She conducts customized Branding for People™ image workshops on a regular basis.
For more information, visit www.theimagearchitect.com or call 757/627-6669.

by Sandy Dumont, THE Image Architect © 2005
Originally published in Tidewater Women, February 2005

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