Are you tired of your current image? Are you struggling to find a new, more confident you? Then this blog is for you. In this podcast episode, Keri Blair, personal stylist and image consultant, teach some of the basic principles of personal branding, and how you can use them to transform your image.
By following these techniques, you'll increase your confidence and create a stronger personal brand. Whether you're looking to get ahead in your career or just feel happier with your personal brand, this podcast episode is for you! By following these simple tips, you can start to change the way people see you, and make a real impact on your life by creating lasting first impressions!
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Bio
Keri Blair is a, personal stylist, and, image consultant, with a one-of-a-kind approach and she prides herself in making a profound difference in people's lives with her work. Keri and her team are known as a secret weapon and our trusted advisors to their extensive clientele across the country, she has over 20 years of experience styling executives and high profile clients drawing upon her experience inside of the world most dynamic and beautiful cities including New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Milan. I guess those are all the fashion capitals of the world
Myrna: how did you become a, personal stylist, and, image consultant?
Keri: I started my business over 20 years ago and before then I was doing sales. I was traveling the country selling a variety of things and I noticed that I couldn't dress the same way when I was selling in a board room in New York City as if I were in Texas. So that kind of started me on my journey. I thought wow wait a minute they're not listening to me here when I dress like this, but if I dress like this.
I would take breaks from my sales career and I would go work at Nordstrom for six months and then I would go back into my sales career and then I would take a break and go work at Neiman Marcus for six months and during that time what I realized was a lot of people didn't feel great about how they looked.
Personal styling and personal branding is based on how you feel about yourself
I think that's safe to say that the majority of people don't feel right on any given day. I thought if people weren't so busy tugging at their pants and wondering how they looked, they could make a bigger difference in the world. They could make more money, they could have better relationships, and their confidence would go through the roof. That's really why I started this business, it had nothing to do with fashion for me it was really about making people feel unbelievable and empowering them to be their best selves.
Myrna: Yes, I remember as a salesperson wanting to look successful and make that good, first impression. I remember you know worrying about your purse and your suit and getting the right colors like the power colors and all that. I can understand what you're saying where you know if you're New York then you've got to have the suit and the briefcase, but then when you go to Texas maybe it's a little bit laid back.
Finding Personal branding in retail stores
What did you learn about personal branding from working at Neiman Marcus?
Keri: I learned that, personal style, isn't just about body issues it's about how we feel about ourselves. I mean we're human beings and we've got some issues right that's why that's why you and I have a job right right it goes deeper than our bodies, but when you hire a stylist we can camouflage what you don't love about your body and accentuate what you do love about your body.
In fact I go a lot deeper with my clients. I help them transform their relationship with their body, before you even put the clothes on. What's your relationship with your body because for the most part we punish ourselves. Sometimes my size zero or size two clients are harder on themselves than my size 26 clients.
I don't even know where we learned that from. I think it's at a very young age we start being critical and hard on our bodies and then we don't know how to dress them and we kind of a dysfunctional view of ourselves. When you have the a great outfit on, it does make you feel more confident about your body.
Personal branding and image
Myrna: How does, personal branding, and image connect?
Keri: A lot of people don't know what I mean by, personal branding, but it's just like branding for a company. When you're branding your company you are very specific about the font they use and the color that they use and the people that they'll let represent their brand right? Companies spend millions of dollars on branding, but when it comes to us as human beings a lot of human beings are not thinking through what's my, personal brand, they're just getting dressed hoping that it works.
It takes less than three seconds to make a, first impression, and we've all heard that over and over right you never get a second chance to make a great, first impression, and it doesn't matter that we've heard it over and over again people are not doing anything about it. But if you can take control of your, first impression, you specifically design it and then have your wardrobe match it, then miracles happen in your life. Because what people see is what you want them to see so for instance if you want to be known as an expert in your field, successful, polished and sophisticated you've got to dress that part right.
That's why, personal branding, and, first impression, are so imperative because people are seeing you from across the room and they're making split-second judgments on your image. They're not trying to be superficial, it's just we live in such a fast-paced society you have to make up your mind instantly and you may be turning people off that you really want to get to know. I think it's so important to take control of how the world sees you.
Designing Your image and personal brand
Myrna: How do you teach your clients to be authentic to their image and, personal brand?
Keri: So the first step is figuring out what you want your, personal brand, so I go really in depth with people. It is your, personal brand, so what do you want people to know about who you are when they first look at you. So what are your best qualities on the inside that we want to shine through to the outside for people to see.
Myrna: What can female podcasters wear for, personal branding? The men are wearing t-shirts. I wear clothes that create the personal branding image of being on the Today’s Show or any other television talk show.
Keri: You can go in five different directions here, so I love what you're doing, because I believe that why you're doing that is because you are stepping into the role that you're playing as a podcast host. What's interesting to me is I think through the pandemic right people got super casual. That is when it probably happened that people started wearing t-shirts or their sweatpants. I work with a lot of CEOs and Executives that also fell prey to that casual wear, but I try to get them to see how it is affecting their personal branding.
I can tell like you the way that you're dressed today in this gorgeous yellow shirt and your colorful necklace you just look stunning and you you vibrate happiness and joy and sophistication and that's important that is, personal branding.
Confidence and personal branding
Myrna: Thank you You talked about confidence and how it affects your, style confidence, so how does, personal branding, connect your confidence level?
Keri: So we all start our morning in the exact same way, which is we go to our closet and put clothes on and based on what you choose your confidence either goes up or it goes down right? That's why it's so important to have a style that's yours and that you love and that feels great because then instantly your confidence level goes up.
Myrna: How do you teach people to take their image and, personal branding, to the next level?
Keri: Great question, I think is under asked so the first thing is what I talked about earlier which is designing your first impression. So instead of getting dressed in a haphazard way, because something could look good on you that doesn't fit your first impression. Since you know who you are on the inside, and what you want others to know about you through how you are on the outside that's where you really want to begin.
How to Create a Great First Impression
So what is your, first impression, I have this whole process I walk people through.
- Get to know your body
- learn to love your body that's a tough one for people but I have exercises that I walk people through so that they can transform their relationships with their body
- then know your colors. Know what colors look great on you. Color has a certain vibration so even if you have on this amazing outfit that looks awesome and if it's the wrong color then it didn't work right.
- the next step is going through your closet and getting rid of clothes that don't serve you, that no longer match your vibration. That no longer match your, first impression, or they no longer fit you. Get rid of the Clutter. I'm a big Advocate that if you want to accomplish big things in life you have to remove what doesn't serve you.
Most people only wear 25 % of what's in their closet, but then we're dealing with all of the clutter every morning. Instead fill your closet with clothes that represent your personal brand, clothes that make you feel unbelievable, look gorgeous, and nail your, first impression. Then only buy things that light you up and that make you feel great and that match your, personal brand.
Myrna: so how does somebody say well this is my brand and this is the type of clothes that fits my brand I know we talked about the fact that you know we we're bringing how we feel on the inside out like for me yes I'm very bubbly and effervescence and I like color and I have dark skin and those things and you know when I choose an outfit I'm looking for color and I'm looking for shape and I'm looking for certain things that I know works for me um but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's my brand so put that in a little box for us how do we find a, personal brand?
How to establish your personal brand
Keri: I tell people to come up with three to five adjectives that best describe who you are and what you want other people to know about you and sometimes that's the hardest question I ever asked someone, because you'd be amazed how many people can't answer that question. So you've got to do some work and ask yourself what do I really want people to know about me in the first three seconds?
Creating a great, first impression, might even be faster now, but in those first glances where I can't shake their hand, I can't smile, I can't do anything. What do I want to have them know about who I am? Once you can come up with three to five adjectives, that's your first step in, personal branding. You should come up with those adjectives, then go through your closet and try things on and ask does this express those adjectives?
If it doesn't get rid of it. Don't keep it around. This process takes some people a while so I've had people do fun exercises to help them clean out their closet. I just did a mastermind and one of the exercises I had people do was once you create your, first impression, of your, personal brand, get on Pinterest and play around with it. Look and see what's your, first impression, of others, because sometimes when we see it in others, that helps us see it in ourselves.
Your Curated Style Couse
Myrna: Let's talk about your course, you have a six week course that's called “Your curated style” can you take people through what they can expect in this course.
Keri: Thank you, so um after working almost 21 years with Executives and CEOs, I thought it was a shame that only wealthy people or people that had a lot of money could hire me. I have a unique system that I know changes people's lives, so I spent a year figuring out how to transform people's lives from there homes.
I designed your curated style it's a six-week course and I walk you through what I walk all my clients through and it's life-changing. I work with you on how:
- To design your, first impression,
- I work with you on transforming your relationship with your body, what colors are good for your image.
- How to edit your closet
- Then we go shopping. I'll tell you designer names. I'll tell you stores and again I have clients on all different budgets and all different sizes, so I run the gamut. You don't have to worry about something not working for you.
- Then we do accessorizing and makeup.
Conclusion personal branding and style
I cover it all, so that at the end of six weeks you can be the brand that you want to be, and it's so inspiring people really have produced the same results as if they worked with me one-on-one. That's a real fulfillment for me.
Myrna: That's awesome, how can people get in touch with you? How can they sign up for your course?
Keri: So the course is yourcuratedstyle.com. Please see links below.
Additional Resources
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Keri’s Instagram: @thestylestudiobykb https://www.instagram.com/thestylestudiobykb/
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Style Your Dreams Podcast with Keri Blair: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/style-your-dreams-podcast-with-keri-blair/id1676697602
