3 Ways to Beautifully Brand Your Look

When you get dressed for an opportunity to demonstrate your leadership skills, your appearance 

reveals how you feel, what type of personality you have and it prepares your audience for what type of experience they are going to have. By making a few high-caliber changes to your look you add extra opportunities for your success. Increase your confidence with this simplified approach to stepping out in style.

Hear me, friends: Know the difference between fashion and style. Jill Martin, New York TV personality and style expert: "Fashion is what is current and in the moment according to magazines and top designers. Style is something you develop according to your personality and body type" (2010, Fashion for Dummies, p. 27). It is not important that you follow trends define your own style. Once you have accomplished identifying your style, you can accomplish pleasing your audience and branding your brand in their minds.

Seek professional services.

It is so important to seek the services of a professional makeup artist and photographer when taking photos for your brand. Yes, you may sculpt your own eyebrows perfectly, but is your overall makeup look camera ready? Ensure that your makeup is flawless so that your forehead will not shine brighter than the flash after your photos are taken. And while your iPhone photos may be the clearest photos you have ever seen taken with a cell phone, pictures in front of trees and other scenery are not appropriate for professional brand photos. Backdrops should be solid colors, preferably white, gray or black, so that your image may be lifted and used for promotions, flyers and more.

Don't get shot down because of your head shot!

I remember my pageantry days… flipping through the program book and seeing all of the beautiful head-shots of my competitors. I certainly had my work cut out for me as all of the women vibrant and gorgeous in their photos! I remember looking for one contestant because I could not wait to see her beauty in person! I had met everyone else and wondered why I could not find this one queen… I thought she was not there. However, she was there; she was much older in person than she was in her head-shot! I was disappointed because I felt I did not meet who was portrayed in the photo.

Look like an expert.

If you were scheduled for a medical surgery and you are laid out on a hospital bed anxiously awaiting to meet your doctor, the last thing you expect to see is a person walk in with a pair of overalls and boating shoes. In that moment, you would quickly question the skill level and competence of the person who walked into the room and there is a possibility that you would not allow this person to touch you at all! A medical expert should be in a white, surgical coat with scrubs and a shiny stethoscope hanging from their neck. We expect nothing less and only the best from those who arrive to “help” us. The same is true of us as professional leaders and business owners. There is an expectation from the “help” that walks into the room. Based on your look, does your look show that you are ready to perform surgery?

The look of leadership is not necessarily becoming a super fashionista, a corporate America professional or a laid-back lounger. It is tailor-made, specific and customized to fit your needs, your comfortability and your brand.

Do...

1. Take notes from fashion magazines for inspiration.

2. Make educated purchases--buy essentials.

3. Dress like someone your audience would go to for advice.

4. Seek professional photography for your head-shot.

5. Wear your brand colors.

6. Seek the help of a stylist when you are not sure.

7. Invest in your appearance as this is a part of your brand.

By the way, I would love to support you in looking your best as a leader in your industry! Sign up for my newsletter at LaQuishaHall.com to receive a free copy of my eBook, The 50 Commandments of Fashion! Meet me at the Unlimited You Weekend, April 15-17, 2016. Register at www.unlimited16.com.

LaQuisha Hall, Confidence Coach and the “Unbothered Queen” of Confidence, goes far beyond what is expected of her. There was a time in LaQuisha’s life where she was not confident in much. She struggled through low self-esteem due to being naturally thin, witnessed domestic violence as a child and was sexually abused by clergy as a teen. Now an international advocate for herself and others, LaQuisha actively works to empower women and youth to overcome catastrophe and low self-esteem through Coutured Confidence.