The Difference Between an Image Consultant and a Stylist

Unless you are personally involved in the show business industry, it is easy to mistake the term image consultant for a stylist. After all, what an image consultant does is often akin to what a stylist does. However, image consultants work with clients at a more in-depth level.

While there are similarities, an image consultant and a stylist are as different as a doctor who renders treatment to his patients and a nurse who administers to them personally, despite the same white clothing.

You know you are looking at a stylist when you see him/her embellishing or beautifying the physical appearance of the client, often for occasions such as a formal photo shoot, celebratory events, parties, or even business-related gatherings. An image consultant is capable of doing the same thing, but the underlying difference is in the breadth and depth of her knowledge based on experience, intuition, and science.

A stylist renders his/her service for the appearance needs of his/her client whereas an image consultant is more concerned with the total package of the client. An image consultant can improve the client’s internal factors that make the individual unique.

As Lynne Marks, founder of the London Image Institute, put it, an image consultant is about transforming the client for the better based on a number of factors such as the personal and professional presence, self-confidence, lifestyle, appropriateness, body and facial analysis, clothing, behavior and communication skills—a holistic approach.

Sarah Hathorn, former student of London Image Institute and now an image consultant by profession, corroborates the idea stating that her role is more centered towards the client’s own authentic brand as seen from the totality of the person, not just what is seen from outward appearances.

Today, the image consulting industry thrives more than ever because of the inherent need for qualified people who can craft the total image of a client. Personal development is often a topic so neglected by many people that it takes a certified image consultant to become a personal mentor, bound to the client by mutual respect, knowledge, and experience. The client can experience a long-term mentoring relationship, a trusted advisor or guiding friend who shapes his/her image, based on scientific and artistic principles to boost his/her opportunities in life.

When to seek for an image consultant over a stylist:

  • If you are seeking an overall personal transformation including outward appearance;  
  • When you are seeking mentors and good teachers who are knowledgeable in personal and professional development learned from intuition, experience, and credible facts;
  • If you are looking for long-term guidance and not a temporary fix to an existing personal development problem;
  • When you are seeking help in attracting good or better opportunities in life such as employment for jobseekers, promotion for the currently employed, closing business deals for entrepreneurs, boosting self-confidence for timid or troubled teens, personal management for those going through transitions, or those suffering from relationship issues or being newly-divorced.

Contact us today to know more about image consulting.