Client Area

Time is Money and the Power of Focus

But what else is money?

I’ve often said ‘sanity doesn’t come with a price’, although usually in relation to my children!

One of my clients didn’t even have time for a consultation, he was so disinterested in shopping!

But he was getting married to one of my friends and his future wife knew exactly how to look stunning thanks to investing in learning her colour and style; it would be churlish to sabotage the photos by his not looking great next to her!

Weddings are one of the most notorious consumers of both time and money, so imagine his delight at being able to walk into a shop with a very clear shopping list which, when asked, he supplied to the assistant.

  1. Brown suit
  2. Single vent
  3. 2 button
  4. Size specified – 42”
  5. Flat front trousers with no turn ups
  6. Size specified - Waist 34”, length 32”
  7. Preferably within a specific price range (budget)

...ohh and if it could be in a fabric that wasn’t completely ‘flat’ i.e,. the weave lifts the appearance without being patterned or textured, that would be great, thank you!

With a look of disbelief at such a precise list, while surveying the array of navy, grey and black suits on display, he set off to look in the stock room with a comment along the lines of ‘you’ll be lucky’

With a similar look of disbelief, he reappeared in a few minutes carrying the requested suit with a comment along the lines of ‘You Lucky *******’!

With 15 minutes to spare, he returned to his car inside the hour - total time for wedding suit shopping 45 minutes!

Did I mention he was an art teacher? Required to wear ties by the school dress code, he considers them akin to ‘consumables’ because of the substances that get split, splashed and generally thrown around in his art studio. Consequently, he’s taken to buying his ties from charity shops where possible. The beauty of this being that he is able to identify the ones in his colour and style, thereby making them look more expensive than they were AND can identify the true bargains from the cheap tat.

By being prepared to invest a few hours plus the investment cost (consider it the price of one outfit) he has gained:

  • The clarity to know exactly what to look for
  • The ability to spend even less time in the shops for the rest of his life!
  • He can find true ‘bargains’ in charity shops or sales which have reduced prices on things that will suit him and will actually be worn.
  • He is confident that he doesn’t look like he’s shopped in the sales and charity shops
  • He no longer has to budget £50+ month for 8 replacement ties each year.
  • His wife looked fantastic ... and so did the photos

He benefited as an individual, his career as an art teacher benefited by default, both in terms of his appearance (looking professional in the face of paint and glue!) and his ability to explain the colour wheel simply and practically to his students and thus so did his school and students.

Go shopping armed with the knowledge and clarity that is confidence:

  • Your budget
  • A clear idea of the colour, shape, style and details required
  • Your size
  • What you want - i.e. what (purpose) gap is it filling in your wardrobe

And you’ll be amazed how liberating your next shopping trip will be!

Jackie Perkins empowers growth. In her role as a Director at House of Colour she enjoys unlocking the potential of people’s confidence through colour and style, impacting Franchisees, stylists and clients with her creative approach to business and personal brand. With over 20 years of personal experience of personal styling, she is now part of the leadership team delivering global growth as House of Colour celebrate 30 years in business, being awarded the Gold Award twice in the last 5 years of their 20 years as ‘Investors in People’.

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