Image Tips & Articles

Image Makeover

Mary Lin works with the Corporate Icon doing trainings and makeovers. In this makeover Mary Lin worked on executive level wardrobing, Michele Hardy did hair & makeup and Patsy Cisneros did voice and body language.

Click one of the above photographs to view the image makeover video.

Social Networking

I currently post events on Plaxo, Linkedin and Facebook. Please connect with me so that we can network through one or all of the social media sites that we share. Wardrobe Perfect helps you to always look your best.

Contributor to Career Comeback: Repackage Yourself for the Job You Want

Over the past year the author, Lisa Johnson Mandell has been adding Carlisle to her wardrobe for her upcoming TV appearances and book signings. I have also offered tips her personal image enhancement, so that her radiant warm personality would be reflected in everything from her skin and hair to her clothing choices. In her chapter, “Look the Part” I helped her organize interviews with four other top Carlisle agents across the country. Lisa compiled twelve professional dressing tips seen on page 83 from their advice and mine. Click the book cover below to visit Lisa's web site.

AOL Posting

Lisa was asked to be part of the new launch of Find a Job on AOL. She referenced my blog article on Holiday Business Attire in her first post. Click the Holiday Business Attire link above to read the article.

What is Appropriate Business Attire for Women?

Published in San Gabriel Valley Business Journal

Women in the business world have long been challenged by the question of what to wear. In the 1890’s when women began to enter the work force, they borrowed from men’s fashion. Female store clerks wore jackets often made by men’ tailors with blouses and long skirts. In the 1940’s when women entered the work force in large numbers during World War II, working in factories made wearing trousers a necessity. Hollywood stars such as Marilyn Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn made trousers fashionable. This fall’s collections from Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein continue to show a strong men’s wear influence on women’s work attire with selections such as pin-striped jackets over grey cuffed trousers.

The menswear influence in women’s business attire is part of a long standing tradition. In the last twenty years as more women have entered management, the suit has been the preferred choice for those in positions of authority. In the 1970’s and 1980’s women wanted to blend in with their male counterparts and kept to neutral colors and conservative styles. It took a brave woman to stand out from the crowd in a pink or red suit.

Today women have a greater variety of choices in selecting appropriate business attire. While it gives us a greater opportunity to be creative and more feminine, some women find creating the right image overwhelming. In helping my clients select appropriate attire for their business lives, I always ask about their work environment. Appropriate attire varies from industry to industry and even day to day by whom you will be seeing. Regardless of what is considered acceptable attire, a professional woman must always dress neatly and in good taste to project a positive image.