As image consultants and stylists with years of experience transforming wardrobes and confidence levels, we’ve observed a clear pattern: clients who come prepared for their first consultation gain significantly more value from our sessions.
The difference between a productive consultation and a potentially overwhelming one often lies in the groundwork done before we meet.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential steps to prepare for your styling consultation.
We’ve developed these preparation guidelines after working with hundreds of clients and identifying the key elements that lead to successful style transformations.
Why is preparation so crucial? A styling consultation is an investment in yourself, and like any investment, the returns are directly proportional to the initial groundwork.
When you come prepared, we can create solutions rather than spend valuable consultation time gathering basic information.
1. Complete Your Style Assessment
Your current style preferences and aspirations are our starting point for any transformation.
Understanding these elements helps me create recommendations that feel authentic to you rather than imposing a completely foreign style that you might struggle to embrace.
Why is this step crucial?
Style assessment helps us:
– Identify your natural style inclinations
– Understand what you’re drawn to versus what you wear
– Recognise any disconnect between your desired style and current wardrobe
– Establish a clear direction for your style evolution
– Save time during the consultation by having a clear starting point
How to prepare
Start by taking our comprehensive fashion style quiz.
This assessment provides initial insights into your style preferences and helps me understand whether you naturally gravitate towards classic, contemporary, or avant-garde styles.
Create a digital mood board of outfits that attract you. These can be from magazines, Instagram, or Pinterest. But here’s the crucial part – for each saved image, note:
– What specifically attracts you to the look (is it the colour combination? The fit? The overall vibe?)
– Where would you wear this outfit
– What’s stopping you from wearing similar styles now
– How you want to feel in your clothes
– Which elements you’d like to incorporate into your style
2. Document Your Current Wardrobe
A thorough wardrobe audit before our meeting is invaluable. This step reveals patterns you might not have noticed and helps identify strengths and gaps in your current wardrobe.
Why is this step essential?
Wardrobe documentation helps us:
– Identify patterns in your purchasing habits
– Understand which clothes you wear versus what sits untouched
– Spot gaps in your wardrobe that prevent outfit creation
– Recognise quality issues or fit problems that need addressing
– Plan future purchases more strategically
– Save money by avoiding duplicate purchases
– Create a clear plan for wardrobe evolution
How to prepare
Take photos of:
– Your most frequently worn outfits (and note why you wear them often)
– Items you love but rarely wear (and document what’s holding you back from wearing them)
– Pieces you’re unsure about (note specific concerns)
– Empty hangers representing gaps in your wardrobe
Additionally, create three lists:
1. Your go-to outfits and why they work for you
2. Items you haven’t worn in the past year and why
3. Situations where you consistently struggle to find appropriate outfits
Expert Tip
This documentation process often reveals insights about your style preferences and wearing habits that surprise even you. Pay attention to patterns in colours, styles, and occasions where you feel most and least confident.
3. Know Your Body Shape
Understanding your body shape is not about fitting into ideal standards but learning how to use clothing to create balance and proportion.
This knowledge becomes your secret weapon in selecting clothes that make you feel confident and comfortable.
Why is this step important?
Accurate body shape analysis helps us:
– Select clothes that create balanced proportions
– Understand why certain styles look better than others
– Make smarter purchasing decisions
– Save money on alterations
– Build confidence in fitting room choices
– Create optical illusions to enhance your best features
How to prepare
Start by taking our detailed body shape quiz. Then, gather these essential measurements:
Primary Measurements:
– Chest (at the fullest point)
– Waist (at the narrowest point)
– Hips (at the widest point)
– Shoulders (from edge to edge)
– Neck (around the base)
– Inseam (inner leg to ankle)
Secondary Measurements:
– Upper arm circumference
– Wrist circumference
– Thigh circumference
– Ankle circumference
Also document:
– Your height
– Your weight
– Any asymmetries you’ve noticed
– Specific fit issues you regularly encounter
– Areas you prefer to highlight or minimise
4. Know Your Colour Profile
Colour analysis is a game-changer in personal styling.
The right colours can make you look healthier, more vibrant, and even younger, while the wrong ones can make you appear tired or washed out.
This isn’t about following trends but understanding which colours naturally enhance your features.
Why is this step crucial?
Colour profiling helps us:
– Create a harmonious wardrobe that’s easy to mix and match
– Enhance your natural colouring
– Make your eyes appear brighter
– Even out your skin tone naturally
– Reduce the need for makeup
– Make strategic investment decisions
– Build a wardrobe where everything coordinates
How to prepare
Begin with our seasonal colour analysis quiz. Then, create three specific lists:
1. Your Power Colours:
– Colours you consistently receive compliments wearing
– Shades that make you feel most confident
– Colours that seem to brighten your complexion
2. Your Challenge Colours:
– Colours you own but rarely wear
– Shades that make you look tired
– Colours that seem to clash with your skin tone
3. Your Colour Patterns:
– Colours that dominate your wardrobe
– Combinations you frequently wear
– Shades you’re attracted to but don’t own
Additional Preparation
Take photos of yourself wearing different colours in natural daylight. Note:
– How each colour affects your skin tone
– Whether it makes your eyes pop or fade
– If you look energised or tired
– How the colour makes you feel emotionally
Expert Tip
Understanding your best colours isn’t about limiting your choices – it’s about making informed decisions that ensure every purchase serves you well. When you know your best colours, shopping becomes more focused and efficient.
After establishing your style preferences, body shape, and colour profile, you should focus on two other crucial practical aspects: your lifestyle needs and the budget.
These elements ensure your wardrobe serves your daily life effectively while remaining within your financial comfort zone.
5. Define Your Lifestyle Needs
A beautifully curated wardrobe is only valuable if it aligns with your actual lifestyle.
Too often, we see clients with clothes that don’t match their daily activities, leading to the common complaint: “I have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear.”
Why is this step essential?
Lifestyle analysis helps us:
– Create a wardrobe that serves your actual needs, not an imagined lifestyle
– Determine the right proportion of formal to casual wear
– Identify gaps in your activity-specific clothing
– Ensure you’re prepared for regular events and occasions
– Eliminate unnecessary purchases
– Maximise the wear of each garment
– Create versatile outfits that transition between activities
How to prepare
Create a detailed activity log covering the following:
1. Professional Life:
– Typical workweek dress requirements
– Client meeting frequencies and dress codes
– Virtual meeting attendance
– Business travel frequency
– Industry-specific dress expectations
2. Social Life:
– Regular social activities and dress codes
– Typical weekend activities
– Religious or cultural event requirements
– Seasonal social commitments
– Family gathering frequencies
3. Personal Activities:
– Exercise and sports participation
– Hobbies and their clothing needs
– Volunteer work requirements
– Travel frequency and destinations
– Special interests or activities
4. Create a percentage breakdown of your time spent in different dress codes:
– Formal business (suits, ties)
– Business casual
– Smart casual
– Casual
– Athletic/sportswear
– Special occasion wear
6. Establish Your Budget
A clear budget strategy is crucial for systematically building a functional wardrobe.
This isn’t just about setting a total amount – it’s about understanding how to allocate your resources effectively.
Why is this step crucial?
Budget planning helps us:
– Make strategic investment decisions
– Prioritise key purchases
– Balance quality with quantity
– Plan seasonal shopping effectively
– Identify where to save vs. splurge
– Avoid impulse purchases
– Maximise return on investment
How to prepare
1. Define Your Investment Levels:
– Total wardrobe renovation budget
– Monthly clothing allowance
– Maximum price points for different categories:
• Suits and formal wear
• Casual wear
• Shoes and accessories
• Seasonal items
• Essentials
2. Create a Priority List:
– Immediate needs (items required within 1 month)
– Short-term needs (items needed within 3-6 months)
– Long-term wardrobe goals (6-12 months)
– Investment piece timeline
– Seasonal purchase planning
3. Document Current Spending Patterns:
– Review last year’s clothing expenses
– Identify any wasteful spending patterns
– Note successful vs. regrettable purchases
– Calculate cost-per-wear of current items
– List any emergency purchases and why they were needed
Expert Tip
The most effective wardrobe budgets follow the 70/30 rule: 70% on versatile, high-quality basics that form your wardrobe foundation and 30% on-trend pieces and statement items that add personality.
7. Document Your Style Challenges
Style challenges are the specific issues that frustrate you about your current wardrobe and appearance.
Clearly articulating these helps your stylist provide targeted solutions rather than generic advice.
Why is this step fundamental?
Documenting style challenges helps us:
– Address specific problems rather than general issues
– Prioritise the most critical areas for improvement
– Understand your style frustrations in context
– Create focused solutions for recurring problems
– Identify patterns in your styling difficulties
– Develop strategies for long-term success
– Measure progress and improvements
How to prepare
Create a detailed log of your style challenges in these categories:
1. Fit Issues:
– Specific areas where clothes never seem to fit right
– Alterations you frequently need
– Items you’ve stopped buying due to fit problems
– Comfort issues with certain styles or cuts
2. Styling Difficulties:
– Outfits you want to wear but can’t seem to put together
– Items you own but don’t know how to style
– Specific occasions that cause wardrobe anxiety
– Trends you’d like to try but feel unsure about
– Accessories you find challenging to incorporate
3. Shopping Challenges:
– Types of items you struggle to find
– Brands that you find confusing to navigate
– Price points that feel challenging to justify
– Shopping experiences that leave you frustrated
– Online shopping concerns
8. Prepare Your Consultation Portfolio
A well-organised consultation portfolio helps us maximise our time together and ensures no essential points are overlooked.
Why is this step crucial?
A consultation portfolio helps us:
– Stay focused and organised during the session
– Reference specific examples easily
– Track all your questions and concerns
– Document essential points for future reference
– Create a clear action plan
– Measure progress against your goals
How to prepare
Organise your portfolio into these sections:
1. Style Assessment Results:
– Fashion style quiz results
– Body shape analysis
– Colour analysis findings
– Current style photos
– Inspiration images
2. Wardrobe Documentation:
– Current wardrobe inventory
– Most-worn items list
– Never-worn items list
– Gap analysis
– Seasonal wear patterns
3. Measurement and Fit Records:
– Complete body measurements
– Fit issue documentation
– Best-fitting clothes analysis
– Problematic fit photos
9. Day-of Preparation
Physical Preparation
To ensure the most accurate style assessment:
– Arrive well-rested and in good spirits
– Wear well-fitting undergarments in neutral colours
– Come with clean, dry hair styled as you typically wear it
– Wear minimal makeup, if any
– Bring comfortable slip-on shoes
– Wear or bring your most comfortable, well-fitting outfit
Mental Preparation
To maximise your consultation experience:
– Review your style goals one final time
– Prepare to be open to new suggestions
– Be ready to step out of your comfort zone
– Remember that this is a collaborative process
– Know that feeling vulnerable is normal and okay
– Be prepared to make decisions
10. Post-Consultation Planning
Prepare for what happens after your consultation to ensure long-term success.
Have ready
– A notebook for taking notes
– Your phone for taking photos of suggested combinations
– A calendar for planning shopping sessions
– A list of upcoming events or occasions
– Questions about maintaining your new style
– Concerns about implementing suggestions
Expert Tip
The most successful style transformations happen when clients view the consultation not as a one-time event but as the beginning of a journey. Come prepared to discuss how you’ll implement changes gradually and sustainably.
Final Thoughts
Remember, a styling consultation is an investment in yourself. The more thoroughly you prepare, the more value you’ll receive from your session.
Use this guide as your roadmap to preparation, and don’t hesitate to contact your stylist with questions before your appointment.
Your transformation journey begins with these preparation steps.
Complete them thoughtfully, and you’ll be ready for a productive, enlightening, and enjoyable styling consultation that sets the foundation for your enhanced personal style.
Style Like A True Gentleman
Before we say goodbye, here’s one of the best-kept secrets in men’s styling circles, a secret that only a few expert image consultants know or are willing to share.
First and foremost, professional styling requires knowing your unique body shape and seasonal colour palette – paramount factors in choosing perfectly fitting clothes in colours that complement your skin, eyes, and hair.
Only then can a stylist engage in styling by occasion, location, season, and time of day, with garments, footwear, and accessories from stylistically relevant heritage fashion brands to depict high confidence and success.
Best part? You can find your body shape, seasonal colour palette, and ideal fashion style in less than 5 minutes by yourself, for free, thanks to our four simple steps:
1. Find Your Body Shape
Different garments flatter different silhouettes, so knowing your body shape is the first step in dressing like a confident man.
To find out your unique body shape, take our free body shape quiz for men.
Once you know your unique body shape, take the second free quiz to discover your unique colour palette.
2. Find Your Unique Colour Palette
Remember, the garments that compose your outfits come in various colours, and you must ensure that each hue complements your natural colour.
To do that, you have to find out your seasonal colour palette, and you can do it by taking our free seasonal colour quiz for men.
3. Find Your Ideal Fashion Style
By now, you should already know your body shape and unique colour palette; the next step is to discover your ideal personal fashion style.
The fastest and simplest way is to take our free fashion style quiz for men; it includes your ideal style, outfit ideas, relevant fashion brands, and much more.
4. Professional Image Consultancy with The VOU
And if you want to style like a professional, by occasion, location, season, and time of the day, you can always ask our expert image consultants and fashion stylists for help.
Our styling services for men are the most comprehensive and detailed on the market, backed up by leading stylists who will guide you step by step in creating looks that communicate affluence, elegance, and endless accomplishments.
Remember, wearing luxury brands isn’t enough; to look stylish, confident, and successful, you must first know your body shape, colour palette, and ideal personal style, and only then style by occasion, location, season, and time of day.
Contact us today to save headaches, time, and money – it’s time to dress like a confident, successful gentleman of exquisite fashion taste –Â the first styling assessment is on us!