Ask HN: Have you ever used an image consultant?
I don’t know anyone who has personally used one and my searching on this has been rather lackluster. Most of the image consultants I’m seeing are for celebrities appearing in magazines, advertisements, photo shoots, etc.
I’m looking for one based in SF or NYC that is more on the personal and professional level. They don’t just look at what you wear but the entire image overall. (Cosmetic work, fitness, context, etc.) I know this is a bit niche and probably mostly for certain execs but I need an image overhaul direly.
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[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 125 ms ] threadGood mentors, on the other hand, can be very valuable - but they choose you as much as you choose them, and it's rarely about money, not directly anyway.
Or to put it another way, if I am the world's best performance coach, how much should I be charging for my services?
To which the answer is: the value I can add to someone with an extremely high, performance-based income.
Which is generally not "the public".
Every outfit he created for me got a bunch of compliments. Even today, years later, his choices still get me compliments. Using a stylist effectively taught me how to shop for stylish, high-quality clothes for myself.
What surprised me the most is that now I enjoy men's style and shopping for clothes, whereas I always used to hate it with a passion.
Fitness? I hired a personal trainer and nutritionist.
Clothing? I hired a stylist that upped my fashion game, and taught me how to choose clothes. Then I got the clothes tailored to perfection.
Public speaking? I hired a singing teacher that taught me how to project my voice, who would help me practice my presentations and not hold back when I was mispronouncing something.
LinkedIn/Tinder Photos? I outsourced the selection of these to a third party that has many people vote so you can choose the best one.
There is no way an "image consultant" could do half the job that the specialists can do combined.
I need someone to evaluate me and then help me redefine the image. A personal trainer is great if you know the body you need. A voice coach is great if you know what kind of voice the image you’re going for is. A stylist is great if you have a perfect image for that person already and they’re already aware of all your other goals and where you are in this process.
I think an image consultant could be more helpful with the entire process - and more importantly - point out the deficiencies and what I can and cannot fix/work-on. I don’t want to keep wasting my time working on things that won’t ever give results and right now - I don’t know what is and isn’t a waste of time.
In construction, you'd call that a general contractor. It's a common model. You want a single point of contact that has a network of specialists available.
I mean, it makes sense obviously. But still!
I think they are absolutely useful for every body type. Good looking clothes and a tailor will help be a significant help regardless of your weight.
FWIW I didn’t actually believe this until I tried it. At one point, I regained weight, but good looking clothes + a tailor was a massive improvement and image transformation over the alternative.
I've found it surprisingly hard to find clothes that have good style, made of good materials and are not designer-level expensive. Most clothes have trash style and materials.
I buy all my shirts MTM from Proper Cloth, couple of trousers, pants and overcoats from them as well.
Casual t-shirts and long sleeves I get from Citizen Wolf, which is another MTM company but much smaller.
I also have some polos from Berg & Berg and Paul James (Both from sales), and some denim from Tanuki.
You can get some really good menswear stuff for 30-50% off or more if you're patient.
Ex: Private White VC had a 30% off BF sale with everything on sale. Mr Porter has up to 80% off sales once a year (I think) as well. Many other places do similar stuff.
There are some fabrics you don't want to get from regular clothing brands. Denim, leather, silk, cashmere all have their own rabbit holes.
For example, for cashmere the micron count and method of harvest really matters. Age of the goat, location of harvest, length of the hair, storage and transport - all play a big role. Most cashmere sucks. You'll want to start at something like Johnstons of Elgin and step up to Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli if you're rich enough for that. So that's anywhere from 700 to 5k for a high quality cashmere cardigan.
Looking into suppliers for the famous companies is also sensible. Malo, for example, supplies Loro Piana. You can get the same cashmere quality for a good discount, if you're okay with their design language.
I feel that each fabric has its own rabbit hole like this.
I missed the Mr Porter sale this year. Never missing it again!
Proper Cloth does do MTM suits btw. I haven't bought a full suit from them yet though.
> There are some fabrics you don't want to get from regular clothing brands. Denim, leather, silk, cashmere all have their own rabbit holes
I will never buy any clothes from a "regular" clothing brand anymore haha. Definitely agree those fabrics have their own specialities. Haven't bought any silk or cashmere yet.
I picked up a Matchless London suede jacket from Yoox and have been eyeing a Valstar Milano's Valstarino jackets for a while.
Thanks for mentioning Johnstons of Elgin and Malo. Their cashmere actually seems reasonably priced compared to other stuff I've seen. Malo is a bit more expensive, but still somewhat reasonable. I didn't know they supply Loro Piana though. How did you find out they're Loro Piana's supplier?
I don't know where their cashmere is from, but Stoffa has some pieces I really like the look of at a similar price like this: https://stoffa.co/collections/look-13/products/pearl-cashmer...
I've also considered Proper Cloth's cashmere sweaters but again no idea where the cashmere is from or it's quality.
> I missed the Mr Porter sale this year. Never missing it again!
It's pretty amazing. I got a suede shearling jacket 60% off for $600 USD and a few sweaters for 60-70% off (Alpaca/wool blend from Auralee and SNS Herning FANG half-zip were my favourites).
Now I'm aware of a lot more brands I'm definitely going to be on the lookout the next time they have a sale. It's such a good opportunity to pick up really high quality stuff for way below retail. I think I've seen Drake's do a similar sale as well.
https://twitter.com/tannerguzy
https://twitter.com/WellBuiltStyle
Seriously, if you are male and have an SO, use them. Their advice will be honest, kind, expertly tailored to you, and best of all, free.
If you need to make money to pay the bills, I can’t offer much advice.
If you need to climb the ladder to feel ok about yourself as a person I suggest you find a therapist. Controlling your self image through external actions (image coach) is ultimately unfulfilling. It’s like candy, tastes good but doesn’t leave you filled. Also - we subconsciously learn that behavior earlier in life, usually when situations are out of our control. Don’t beat yourself up about it.
All being said, that feeling sucks (no matter where you look, someone will be better than you) and I hope you can find trusted support to resolve it.
Just cause you’re in therapy won’t suddenly make you a CTO at FAANG or whatever.
I still can't tell if you're trolling (I hope so!) or being serious (oh god).
Five months ago you were willing to spend '50K' on an 'image consultant' to find a 'rich wife' who would pay your bills for you and now you're still looking for one to become 'CTO' at a FAANG.
"The rest being figuring out an image that sells well to modern high earning women is what I’d need help with. My image currently definitely isn’t pulling them out of the woodwork to find me."
@dang this is really not the right kind of content for HN
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32007321
Hope you get help. When you’re in times like this - just disengage. It’s healthier.
I've had these and they were more or less okay but they're just baseline things anyone should consider. Unless you've got a very niche (and definitely out of network) therapist, they're not going to really do anything to achieve any professional goals. Personal goals is a toss up. If you have some serious personal hangups - they can sometimes help. But, therapy isn't a panacea. It doesn't always work - regardless of how much we try to act like it will cure cancer if you just have a positive attitude.
A trainer is also worthless unless you know what you're training for. Are you training for a marathon? Power lifting? Tennis? Body building?
An image consultant is more holistic. There's enough context for people in the know about this.
What are you training for? Why do you need someone to tell you that? It sounds like you're looking for someone to tell you who you should be, when that person is you.
> An image consultant is more holistic.
I highly doubt that an image consultant is more holistic. The very name implies that they address superficial things rather than foundational things, trying to turn you into something you're not. A good primary care doctor and therapist can help you become the best version of who you are, minimizing the unhealthy parts of your personality and maximizing the healthy parts. There's quite a bit of research out there that shows it's basically impossible to change your underlying dominant personality types.
> There's enough context for people in the know about this.
I guess. That's a weird thing to say, especially since you're here asking, so good luck then. Just trying to provide what I think is a more realistic perspective, as not everyone is caught up in the Bay area's aura.
As I said - it's a niche thing. I've rarely seen anyone but celebrities and execs do it. So I get your misunderstanding.
I mean, you're the one here asking about it, but all your answers imply that you already have the answers.
If I'm not talking to a brick wall, I do at least recommend taking the RHETI test from The Enneagram Institute, if you haven't already. It will help provide an approximate snapshot of who you are already, and maybe you can get some insight from it.
https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/
A good therapist will help you identify when your personality is unhealthy or healthy and how to adjust appropriately. Such understanding can really enable nearly everything else.
That being said, I 100% agree with _eukj in this context. Mental health very underrated and important.
Really could not give any less shits about the mental advice. It is a waste of time for everyone involved to be concerned about that here. I only need help with the image.
Also, therapists can basically be actually professional life coaches, because it's not just mental health. It's emotional health and also being able to empower oneself to be who you want to be and help you find that. I feel an image consultant will do the same but more artificially unless you can find one that's very in tune psychologically. If the poster wants that, then fine, but maybe they should give more details and also not be so dismissive of those suspicious of such a path's success.
In general, I'm advocating for a more wholistic approach, the same as another commenter who did a better job listing off various services. Image consulting seems rather niche, to say the least, and tailored towards people with a lot of money. The approach of finding various specialists is more realizable and probably affordable, though likely not all that cheap. They should be easier to find and will have very specific, professional, and tailored advice. It probably says something if an image consultant is so hard to find.
I don't know much but do care and hope the person finds what they need.
Therapy is not about urging a person to be relentlessly cheerful, for what it's worth.
> Just another fool trying to get their payday in the bay area
A good image consultant would work with an overweight client anyway and give them a pathway to the image they're desiring regardless of their starting point. (Assuming the start and end points are within reason/reachable)
My personal experience so far has involved a ton of different specialists including:
- a GP
- dietician
- doing the standard blood work battery
- a couple of physician specialists
- wardrobe consultant
- familiarity with photography and using crowdsourced profile picture rating
- buddy system with friends who were also trying to lose weight
- friends who are public communications professionals
- therapist
Things I haven’t looked at but other folks might:
- personal trainer
- cosmetic specialist as you suggest
- voice trainer / voice coach
- home audiovisual setup specialist
- PR professional
- someone familiar with anti aging supplements
Most of the challenge is sequencing, consistency, follow-up, etc etc
It's an apt analogy. I do think this is difficult and niche.
> Most of the challenge is sequencing, consistency, follow-up, etc etc
I've found the challenge being motivated to do it. If I don't think it's going to do anything - I don't do it. It's why I put off cosmetic surgeries for so long. I really thought it wasn't going to do anything because everyone tried to sway me against it. Then I did it against everyone's judgement and suddenly they're like, "Oh, that was a great idea actually. You look better." It's really annoying and why I need someone with a bit more authority to show me what's worth putting my time and energy into.
Start with: where is your sense of identity and self worth derived from? What is your moral compass and principles that guide your life?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_dis...
If THAT is what you're looking for then try fashion consultants not image consultants. (that was what my friend advertised as)
And no, he doesn't do that any more, he got married and moved to New Mexico.
I’m not needing that entire level of consultation here. But it is beyond what a stylist would do.
Like any consulting - theoretically one can learn the skills but it’s generally more effective to pay someone else whose job is to stay up to date. Especially for things you won’t be doing very often - like hiring an image consultant.
Your example about taxes is a good one. Tax optimization is taking a system, taxation, learning its ins and outs, and the optimizing it. One participates in the taxation system but you aren't the revenue agency. So the tax code exists and you're just looking for help to better exploit it. But images don't "exist", people do. The equivalent of a person optimizer is someone who knows a person as intimately as a tax nerd knows the tax code.
But people aren't written down, the earlier suggestion of counseling was alluding to that. Work with someone (typically a counselor) to fully debug yourself and understand your ins and outs, and they can provide some insights from the outside () on how the way you are made up comes across to others. Then you can decide if you want to change them (or emphasize or de-emphasize them when with others).
Of course if you just want to present a "character" to the world (which a lot of people do!) then consider some acting classes. Then it isn't so much an image consultant as an acting coach. The image is already chosen, the coach will help you make it more believable to your audience.
I can help you with presentation, speaking, cadence, etc too-- lots of PR coaching experience. I have maybe ten minutes of good fashion advice for you, but that's all you really need. It'd be pay-what-you-want. I'm in SF. Contact info in profile.