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Ask HN: Have you ever used an image consultant?
44 points by bradlys on Dec 11, 2022 | hide | past | favorite | 61 comments
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.




There's not a lot of context here, but I have to wonder: why not just get a good primary care doctor and a therapist? Their advice and coaching will be foundational rather than superficial. Good physical and mental health along with emotional control and self-confidence will lay a strong foundation. Then get a trainer. And then once all that's going, just get a stylist and maybe an interior designer to top it off.


> why not just get a good primary care doctor and a therapist? There advice and coaching will be foundational rather than superficial. Good physical and mental health along with emotional control and self-confidence will lay a strong foundation.

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.


> A trainer is also worthless unless you know what you're training for. Are you training for a marathon? Power lifting? Tennis? Body building?

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.


I think you're talking to a brickwall at this point because I don't think you're that familiar with what a lot of image consultants actually do.

As I said - it's a niche thing. I've rarely seen anyone but celebrities and execs do it. So I get your misunderstanding.


Maybe so, but I sort of get the feeling that I do get what an image consultant does, unless you have some more context of what you're looking for or what image consultants do. It's just that my opinion differs. I would also wager that an image consultant's services would be more and maybe even actually effective if laid upon the foundation of physical and emotional health I and others here are mentioning.

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.


It’s probably a frustrating response. OP asked for help with one thing, and then commenters were like work on physical and mental health. And OP is like yeah-cool but that’s not the problem I asked for help with.

That being said, I 100% agree with _eukj in this context. Mental health very underrated and important.


I can see and understand that. But I and others have also mentioned the more direct approach of getting specialists in various areas (trainer, stylist, interior designer, etc.), which also adjusts the incentives towards the client rather than an image consultant continually, but that was also rejected. They just want an image consultant, whatever such consultants exactly are, but I think others and myself are saying that we can't see that really working, especially with zero context. I guess they are wanting an image consultant to reinvent themselves or construct someone new for them to be or something, but I'm just weary and worried of such a path in the long run for the person. If you go for advice, it's not necessarily bad to hear what you didn't ask for.

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.


Glad you get it.

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.


> 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.

Therapy is not about urging a person to be relentlessly cheerful, for what it's worth.


Along with the hair & makeup, you might want to give your HN profile tagline a makeover too...

> Just another fool trying to get their payday in the bay area


I didn't get an image consultant. But I used a personal stylist after I lost 80lbs to redo my wardrobe, and it was amazing.

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.


To add to this, instead of getting an "image consultant," hire an expert in each of your areas of concern.

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.


> There is no way an "image consultant" could do half the job that the specialists can do combined.

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.


Personally I think there is value in someone telling you to need x y an z, I'll bring in specialists and instruct them to do those things for you. If you know you need a stylist and a singing teacher and know where to get good ones, that route makes sense, but many people benefit from higher level advice.


Yep. I need an image consultant to be like - “your body for this image needs to be X. Get a personal trainer to figure that out. Your voice needs to be like this - I can refer you to a voice coach. The style that will suit you is this - I can give you some basic advice here and if you’re struggling with this then I can find a stylist for you.”

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.


You should watch the 2005 movie “Hitch”.


I can agree with that. I personally could not find any good ones in the SF Bay Area that were willing to focus on personal image as opposed to professional image. But in the end, I feel like I achieved similar results with a bit more flexibility.


As we are on HN the analogy would be a marketing consultancy: “you wouldn’t benefit much from SEO so we will just do the basics, but an instagram campaign would be super beneficial, we will get this specialist to work with you…”


'Outsourced Tinder Photo Selection to Third Party' - 2022!

I mean, it makes sense obviously. But still!


Yeah my number of matches skyrocketed after!


Curious what kind of outfits these were (E.g. casual fits, suits, etc) and where you bought the clothes from.

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.


Todd Snyder is a wardrobe staple of mine - good quality and designs that fit my style for not too much. Then Wax London, Proper Cloth, Suitsupply. Only Suitsupply in my list does MTM but I've had mixed results with their quality. I tailor anyways.

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!


Sounds like you have a lot of good stuff!

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.


How did you find a stylist? Do you think they're useful for every body type, muscular or not, skinny or fat?


I found one through Thumbtack or TaskRabbit, I forget which app. My stylist also has their own website.

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.


This is like the stereotypical MBA looking for that one dev he’s sure can built his entire app idea for him.

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


> This is like the stereotypical MBA looking for that one dev he’s sure can built his entire app idea for him.

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.


I’m going to be blunt here. Looking at OP’s submission history on this site, there is a a lot of baggage, insecurity and unrealistic expectations to sort out first.

Start with: where is your sense of identity and self worth derived from? What is your moral compass and principles that guide your life?


A bit more blunt,

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_personality_dis...


So are you looking for a variant on what the Queer Eye did on Bravo Network? I had a friend (who happened to be gay but I don't think it is required) who did that sort of "get a consistent 'look' for yourself." It consisted of two parts, one doing your "colors" which was finding a palette of colors that worked well with your eye/hair/skin shade, and the other was sort of a personality quiz which tried to get to what you wanted people to "sense" about you. Sort of are you "rugged"? or "sensitive"? intelligent ? whimsical? etc. Not so much your "image" as tuning your fashion sense to reflect your "inner eye" (I know a lot of squishy words but hey, it seemed like a very squishy kind of thing.)

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.


More holistic than that actually. But it’s not entirely off. I’d say think of all the work that goes into the PR for exec/celebrities. There’s an image that is crafted and displayed. You get coached on how to talk to the media… etc.

I’m not needing that entire level of consultation here. But it is beyond what a stylist would do.


Okay, that helps. Are you open to the idea that what you seek isn't taught? Rather, it may be an aspect of one's presence that develops through experience and maturity rather than coaching?


I don’t think image consulting is about teaching vs experience. It’s consulting… It’s like hiring someone to help with tax optimization. Maybe you could learn the latest ways to do tax optimization - or you pay someone to do it so you don’t have to spend tons of time researching and then miss out on some crucial steps that aren’t well publicized or that are vital to your particular situation.

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.


Fair enough. I see it a bit differently, I see image "consulting" as more of a "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative" sort of gig rather than a teaching thing.

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.


For the physical image, you could use https://old.reddit.com/r/RoastMe/


Don’t worry - I got the most reviewed redditor to already do an in-depth analysis on me. Cheap for what was good confirmation of what I already thought.


I can help! I'm a philosopher trying to break into this exec/startup coaching space. My philosophy treats emotions as arguments. It's tailored to all viewpoints, even those who don't want to work on the emotion stuff.

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.


Before you spend any money, calculate your BMI and address that if need be. Most of the English-speaking world is simply too fat. Fixing this is by far the most effective way to look better. And it's easy too; certainly doesn't require gym membership or anything like that. A lot of fitness guys are still mentally obese. Just walk, eat whole foods, and don't drink sugar.


I'm sure this is good advice for some folks but this isn't my issue at all. I'm really looking for an image consultant.

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)


As someone who has been trying to succeed at losing weight for 45 years I’d like to offer a counterpoint: it isn’t easy at all.


Take a look at Semaglutide, its extraordinary. We finally have something for weight loss. I have some friends who struggled to lose weight and were finally able to do so thanks to Wegovy etc. FDA approved and minimal sides too.


Life’s not easy. If you’re only capable of doing things that are easy, you then you’ll live the rest of your (shortened) life fat.


You should see a psychiatrist it sounds like you have some sort of personality disorder, maybe NPD? Hope that isnt rude to say...


Yeah, I got me one of those. I'm going to marry her in a week.

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.


I was married. She was worse at it than I was. Her love at times made her unable to see the flaws that were glaringly obvious to me and others.


Does your divorce have anything to do with your midlife crisis?


Only in that it accelerated the need for this overhaul. While I was with them - it didn't feel as necessary to climb the ladder (more than one ladder here) to survive. Now, it's very much sink or swim really fucking fast.


Without knowing much about your situation - sink or swim can have a very real I-need-to-make-money-to-pay-bills or it can be a I-need-to-do-well-to-feel-ok-as-a—person.

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.


Both and neither. Therapy is irrelevant. I’m trying to make an image that sells to other individuals.

Just cause you’re in therapy won’t suddenly make you a CTO at FAANG or whatever.


Hahahaha. But an 'image consultant' will?

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


Man - you’ve gotta get a job to fill your time better. Unhealthy to spend your time on the Internet trying to create cherry-picked quotes without context to randoms. Creating super weird strawman.

Hope you get help. When you’re in times like this - just disengage. It’s healthier.


I just clicked on button on your profile.


Gotcha. Well, I'm sorry you gotta go through that. It sounds like a lot of pressure. My own divorce was painful and dating sucks. I hope you can figure out something that you can live with


Why not search for a life coach, theres probably a lot of overlap between the two roles.


As a caution, anything in this space - life, image, executive, etc coach I've seen looks super scammy and like it only gives you the worst stereotype of advice. I think these are areas that really need a good personal referral. Whatever you find online is not going to be useful


Yes. The quality of "life coaches" in my circle is... Possibly negative value. I'm sure great ones exist but be aware it's not a regulated or licensed term obviously. I know folks who literally started calling themselves Life Coach one day. Good on them, but have your expectations tempered and / or do significant research :-)


Quite so. I think the problem is that anyone whose accomplishments and personal journey I respect enough to consider them qualified in any way to be giving out advice... probably isn't selling their precious time by the hour working as a "life coach". It's sort of a self-disqualifying description of services.

Good 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.


This. Life / performance coaching and investment advice are two areas where the economics don't support public offering.

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".


Yes - and I know multiple life coaches IRL. All of them are grifters.


The worst stereotype of advice is "just be yourself" or some such nonsense. I'd hope these professionals are giving a bit better advice than that, unless you mean something different?


Two suggestions

https://twitter.com/tannerguzy

https://twitter.com/WellBuiltStyle




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