Why Style Psychologist?

Style Psychologist – I’m sure that a lot of you are puzzled what it means and if it is at all different from Personal Stylist or Image Consultant. I am not very surprised as I realise that a part of introducing a new invention to the market is awareness building. Although a lot of people see the difference now and even media seems to be interested in the psychology of style, there is still plenty of people who don’t seem to see the extra benefit a Style Psychologist can give them as opposed to Personal Stylist or Image Consultant.

Therefore I decided to outline some subjects that a Style Psychologist has to be knowledgeable in to be able to help her/his clients. I really believe that Style Psychology is the next step in evolution of image experts and it all started with my idea and passion. I even heard from a Psychology Professor who is specialising in first impression amongst other subjects that a lot of undergraduates are interested in Style Psychology as a career path. I myself receive emails from Psychology students from all over the world saying that they want to do what I do and if there is any course on the subject. With regret I have to tell them that there isn’t yet (until I start one, of course). So, as you see, a lot of you seem to recognise the importance of including Psychology into the process of personal styling or image consulting. However, there is so much more involved in this approach!

Every Style Psychologist ought to have at least a Degree in Psychology. Even though what I learned studying proved to be quite generic, it allowed me to start searching for more in depth information from the disciplines I needed as a Style Psychologist and actually be able to understand it. With sadness I have to say that most of very useful research is only reported in scientific journals in the language that is hard to understand for someone who is not a scientist. I took it as my mission to translate these interesting research to you so you also can benefit from it.

A few specific subjects from Psychology I concentrate on are:

1. Non-verbal Communication
2. Social Psychology
3. Confidence
4. Self-Esteem
5. Body Image
6. Sexuality
7. Identity
8. Personality
9. Values
10. Emotions
11. Relationships
12. Attraction and Attractiveness
13. Assertiveness
14. Women Studies
15. Trauma and Stress
16. Aging

I could go on forever but these subjects come up with every client I work with. Each of these disciplines is very broad and there is plenty of ways they are connected to clothing. I don’t even mention cognition and decision making or subject of money!

As I said before, Psychology isn’t the only science I use in my work. Here are some of them:

1. Women Studies – although it grew from Psychology and Social Sciences, it became a discipline on its own; I learn about Men too
2. Colours – Colour Psychology and how we perceive colours; what do they mean to us and how these perceptions are changing with time
3. Social Sciences – culture; societies and their differences; social situations and appropriate behaviour etc.
4. Media – how it influences the way we think about ourselves, our bodies, our image and what clothes we buy
5. Advertising – how it influences our purchasing decisions
6. Marketing and Branding – we all work somewhere and each day we represent the company we work for or we own; knowing how to dress to communicate the same message the company’s brand and marketing is communicating is crucial to your success
7. Personal Branding – especially useful for entrepreneurs; most of them are brand and product in themselves hence communicating right messages with their outfit is even more crucial to their business survival
8. Business Studies – knowing how business works can help you understand the clients of yours who own their own business and need to ensure a constant customer flow
9. Buying Behaviour – understanding how people make their purchasing decisions but also how shops are trying to trick them into buying certain items

Last but not least:

10. Fashion – fashion design; textiles; pattern cutting
11. Styling – fashion styling, personal styling.

A lot of knowledge it is and I still learn new things ever day!

The knowledge is very important but more so is the understanding of people and their lifestyles. My clients come to me thinking that I will change their style but I actually always end up changing their lives for better! To be able to do that I need to understand how they live, what makes them comfortable, and what roles do they play every day. I need to understand all of these and then give my clients tools in a form of clothes and accessories to keep them strong and help them succeed in each of their roles.

I hope now you can see the extra value a Style Psychologist can deliver. If you feel that You can benefit from the Style Psychologist advice, feel free to contact me. If you simply want more information about Style Psychology, I’m here to answer all your questions.

Filed in: clothes, fashion, fashion psychology, fashion styling, fashion stylist, makeover, personal shopper, personal shopping, personal styling, personal stylist, psychology, psychology of fashion, psychology of style, shopping, style, style psychology, stylist, wardrobe

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