One of the insights I’ve had from working with
men and understanding their sociology is that
many, especially older men, have learned an
unnatural, hard-boiled, one-sided gender
tradition that keeps their true selves stifled and
under-developed. Men are not nearly as tough as
society and media would like you to think, on
the contrary, their softness is written on their
faces, and given the opportunity, men will
express their sweet spirits and reveal their true
selves.
Design is about interpretation, and when the
client’s authentic self – the man who he really is,
not the man society says he is – is revealed, this
becomes a blueprint for his new wardrobe and
his new image.
You see, I have a degree in Costume Design
(Theatre), and costume designers pour over
plays and research various angles of characters
they’re designing clothing for. I follow the same
process when I work with image clients because
each person is a unique character, and I am
lucky enough to uncover that character out and
bring it to life!
Chromatics
Colour, or the reflection of light, is the next
major step in the image process. In my
experience, men are not as colour-aware as
women are, and by the heavy hand of social
masculine expectation, they are not allowed to
experience colour as women do. I have spent a
lot of time contemplating colours that are
“socially acceptable” for men – their largely
limited dark, drab options leave much to be
desired, and to me, this is chromatic robbery!
To give men a good base to understand colour, I
explain colour as light, as solar radiation, and
discuss it in terms of physics and light
frequency. During the colour analysis process,
men have their eyes opened to colour and how
it reflects and interacts with the light that shines
from their faces. It is something of an honour to
reveal a handsome face to a man who may not
have been able to see himself this way before,
and his perception is forever changed.
The Perfect Lady
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