Image Consultants: What's the deal?

[Caustic Man]

I've been seeing more and more of these men's image consultants lately, both on TV and the internet. Can someone explain to me exactly what an image consultant is and why they are useful creatures? From what I can see it's basically just someone you pay to pick out clothes for you. There may be more to it than that, but I can't think of anything it might entail that would make it more desirable to anyone. Will they pick out a hairstyle for me? Teach me to appreciate good wine? Instruct me on the finer points of Aristotelian metaphysics? How did this industry come about and who utilizes it? My minor annoyance with adverts for image consulting has burgeoned into a full fledged curiosity. So, dear friends, allow me to consult you about image consulting.

 

[Ianiceman]

There's someone on here going by the user name 'mensimageconsultant', you could always PM him if he doesn't pop up on this thread. From what I recall, his advice was often controversial and not usually in step with the consensus of replies to the threads he participated in, but whether that's a good or a bad thing is probably subjective.

 

[TM79]



I've been seeing more and more of these men's image consultants lately, both on TV and the internet. Can someone explain to me exactly what an image consultant is and why they are useful creatures? From what I can see it's basically just someone you pay to pick out clothes for you. There may be more to it than that, but I can't think of anything it might entail that would make it more desirable to anyone. Will they pick out a hairstyle for me? Teach me to appreciate good wine? Instruct me on the finer points of Aristotelian metaphysics? How did this industry come about and who utilizes it? My minor annoyance with adverts for image consulting has burgeoned into a full fledged curiosity. So, dear friends, allow me to consult you about image consulting.

The answer to all of those questions is yes, if you're willing to pay.

From what I can tell, image consultants are useful to people who are either too busy or too stupid to be able to educate themselves properly on all of this.

I'm sure there are some other clientele mixed in, but the US is a lazy nation. Why not take advantage of that at every turn?

 

[Caustic Man]

There's someone on here going by the user name 'mensimageconsultant', you could always PM him if he doesn't pop up on this thread. From what I recall, his advice was often controversial and not usually in step with the consensus of replies to the threads he participated in, but whether that's a good or a bad thing is probably subjective.

Yeah, now that I think about it I very rarely agreed with the advice given by that user. Then again, no one should listen to me. lol

 

[Caustic Man]

The answer to all of those questions is yes, if you're willing to pay.

From what I can tell, image consultants are useful to people who are either too busy or too stupid to be able to educate themselves properly on all of this.

I'm sure there are some other clientele mixed in, but the US is a lazy nation. Why not take advantage of that at every turn?

True, I have nothing against anyone making a living any way they can. However, if you have the money to hire a consultant, are you really too stupid to figure it out on your own? Kind of a No True Scotsman, I know.

 

[TM79]



True, I have nothing against anyone making a living any way they can. However, if you have the money to hire a consultant, are you really too stupid to figure it out on your own? Kind of a No True Scotsman, I know.

Haha... takes all kinds, man. I'm with you, but I think most of the customers are more lazy than stupid.

I know when I started googling stuff about fashion a lot, almost every 1st page result had a thread here. At that point it seemed pretty obvious that I should check out the site.

I'm far from perfect with this stuff but you can honestly learn all the basics in a week or less. It's the small details and whatnot that take way longer and take trial and error.

 

[Caustic Man]

you can honestly learn all the basics in a week or less. It's the small details and whatnot that take way longer and take trial and error.

I agree, and a consultant can't sit with you for months or years as you digest all the minutiae. Well, I guess they could if you really wanted to pay for it, lol. But my point is that if you are too lazy to learn how to dress well on your own, I have to think that as soon as that consultant leaves, those lazy practices will come back and you'd return to looking like a tool.

 

[TM79]



I agree, and a consultant can't sit with you for months or years as you digest all the minutiae. Well, I guess they could if you really wanted to pay for it, lol. But my point is that if you are too lazy to learn how to dress well on your own, I have to think that as soon as that consultant leaves, those lazy practices will come back and you'd return to looking like a tool.

Yeah. If you didn't pay attention and let someone else buy you a wardrobe, you'll either only continue to buy stuff that looks like those items or you'll branch out and probably make mistakes because you retained no knowledge from your experience.

Totally agree with you.

Curious to see if anyone who's used an image consultant will weigh in with their thoughts and experience.

 

[Caustic Man]

Yeah, I don't think I've ever actually met someone who has used one. Would be interesting.

 

[Holdfast]

I think it's potentially a useful role; there are many people who wish to project a certain image but lack the aesthetic vocab to understand how to project that image. A (good) image consultant would be sufficiently versed in that language, and what is actually available, to obtain the necessary items & advise how to combine them for optimal effect. Many people aren't interested in learning the theory for themselves - or lack the ability to do so - and so paying someone to do the work is a sensible option for them. Suggesting that they learn it for themselves misses the point, and the further misses the point that their aims (and therefore image they might want to project) may differ from that generated by the aesthetic advocated on, say, SF.

However, I suspect that (as is actually true for most jobs) there are a lot of very poor quality consultants out there who either fail to grasp what an individual client actually wants (and so try to shoehorn everyone into the same mould), or who simply like the idea of the job but lack the aesthetic awareness to do it well. I further suspect that some image consultants would naturally prefer not to educate their clients beyond a particular level, as that would reduce the need for repeat business a year or two down the line when - as others have already mentioned in this thread - old habits creep back in.

But in theory, I don't think the role is pointless for those clients who grasp its limits and purpose.

 

[coldsalmon]

I would imagine that image consultants are there for the people who genuinely don't care at all about style and are actually unable to distinguish good taste, but who know that it would be professionally advantageous for them to look a certain way. These people call up an image consultant and say, "Look, I have literally no idea what looks good, nor do I care, but I know that other people care so apparently I need some decent clothes and a new haircut. Please obtain those things for me so that I can get back to making money."

 

[Caustic Man]

there are a lot of very poor quality consultants out there who either fail to grasp what an individual client actually wants (and so try to shoehorn everyone into the same mould), or who simply like the idea of the job but lack the aesthetic awareness to do it well

This hits the nail on the head now that I consider it. The VAST majority of the image consultants I have seen fall into the "poor quality" category. I can understand someone in a high power position needing consultation in how to look for whatever image they want to project. Those kinds of folks (CEOs, politicians, stars, etc) probably pay a lot of money for solid advice. However it seems like the only people I see claiming the title of image consultant simply don't know what they are doing.

 

[Caustic Man]

I would imagine that image consultants are there for the people who genuinely don't care at all about style and are actually unable to distinguish good taste, but who know that it would be professionally advantageous for them to look a certain way. These people call up an image consultant and say, "Look, I have literally no idea what looks good, nor do I care, but I know that other people care so apparently I need some decent clothes and a new haircut. Please obtain those things for me so that I can get back to making money."

These are the scenarios that I see things going horribly wrong.

 

[Holdfast]

Quote:
Yep. One of the key skills in any role where you're advising someone is actually understanding what they want, on a deep level, and not making undue assumptions or giving cookie-cutter advice. Sure, some elements apply to a lot of people so you can pick & choose from a pre-existing repertoire of knowledge to decide what to offer them, but trying to brainwash someone into your way of thinking rarely leads to a satisfactory long-term relationship. An analogy would be having a large toolbox and selecting exactly the right tool for the specific job instead of using a hammer for everything. Bad quality advisers - in any field - frequently tend to do the latter, often without realising. Since very few people in any field tend will actually be good at what they do, it also follows that most image consultants will be poor advisers. But they good ones will be very good, and their services may well be good value to those in need of their services.

 

[Caustic Man]

Indeed right. And that brings up another point, the long term relationship. The good consultants who charge a premium for their services probably try to cultivate long term clients instead of simply one off clients who just got out of college, or just got promoted.