Book Description

Today’s job market and workplace have many unwritten rules for dressing smart and getting ahead. From deciding on what to wear at job interviews to looking professional on the job, this book identifies 101 dressing mistakes women often make that can negatively affect their careers. Discusses errors such as looking too casual, inappropriate attire for a business environment, combining the wrong colors, wearing colors that are unflattering, lacking a sense of style, using too little or too much makeup, not having a polished appearance, unfamiliarity with what styles work well with one’s body structure, buying quantity instead of quality, and much more. Includes invaluable tips on how to improve one’s appearance and get ahead in one’s career and get noticed by others. Includes 16 pages of color photographs that illustrate points the author makes about the use of style and color. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

110 Mistakes Working Women Make and How to Avoid Them
This book is worth over $5600. That's how much I paid for my Color 1 Associate training from Joanna Nicholson in 1990.

This book contains all that I learned and more. I have saved myself and others thousands of dollars of fashion mistakes by using her approach to color and style.

Buy the book if you are interested in easy to understand, accurate information about how to look great everyday using your best colors and styles.

Joanna's color system is not seasonal and she believes everyone can wear every color as long as the shade,and clarity are flattering.

There is so much great information in this book that you might feel a little overwhelmed. In that case it might be worthwhile to slowly read the book and highlight parts that pertain to you.

If you have diffulty determining your color type you may want to contact your nearest Color 1 Associate who can quickly shorten your learning curve about your best colors and styles. Then you can use this book as a reference.

Dressing Smart for Women
JoAnna Nicholson is brillant! She goes over complete head to toe looks for dressing smart and elegant in any situation. Starting with color which is essential in looking great, to shoes, belts, purses, hairstyles .... everything for the finished, polished look. She also makes you very aware of all the myths and bad advice we have received throughout the years. The color pictures in the book are very helpful. I highly recommend this book to everyone. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A very helpful book............
Thank you for helping me to advance professionally in my career as an
Administrative Assistant. I have been searching for a way to gain respect
from my Directors. I have tried many things to gain respect I became more
organized, learned to improve my communication style and to act more
professional. However, something was still missing. It was the way I
dressed and I did not realize it until I had the opportunity to speak with
Dawn and read her book.

Prior to reading the book, I would look through clothing catalogs and find
really cute clothes. They may have been cute to me but they were not
professional. I was so thrilled and excited about the tips you gave me to
"professionalize" my wardrobe because of the upbeat and positive way you
presented the information. Immediately, I began to change the way I
dressed and soon I began to reap the results I wanted. The Directors
began to listen to me, I was handed high profile projects and people took
notice of me and have complimented me on my new look. Even more important,
I feel more positive at work and can concentrate on getting my job done no
matter what the world hands me that day.

Best Impressions: How to Gain Professionalism, Promotion and
I was very disappointed in this book. The information can be found in lots of magazines - nothing new.

Transitioning
I am transitioning my career and was at a loss on how to present myself in my new career direction. This book provided me with the information I needed to be me and present myself professionally. That's what unique about this book compared to others - Dawn show's you how to be your own person. Thank You!

Not a bad book, but not terrific.
Although I picked up some good ideas on wardrobe planning, much of the advice on improving your appearance is just common sense (wash your hair, manicure your nails). Also, her color scheme system was difficult to understand and apply. I never did figure out where I fit! There are better books out there.

Great guidance for using appearance as a professional tool.
This book helped me feel better about continuing to dress professionally even though my work environment has been changed to business casual. Like it or not, appearances DO count and we only fool ourselves if we think otherwise. The impression and personna we present to our superiors and co-workers is enhanced or hindered by the way we dress. Dawn tells us how and why we should look professional (at whatever level our occupation requires) at all times, and defines the different levels of business casual and business professional attire. A good reference book which to be kept for review and referral. Thanks, Dawn! ... Read more

Book Description

no description ... Read more

Reviews (5)

As Seen on CNBC, August 7, 2003
The author, Lauren Solomon, was interviewed on CNBC Thursday, August 7, 2003.

Author gave advice on the importance of being well-groomed when going on a job interview. Author indicated that face, hair, facial hair (!), fingernails and shoes are sure to be noticed at interview.

The folks at CNBC must think Lauren Solomon's advice is sound or they would not have bothered with the interview.

Start Here Now
This is a great book to get your mind thinking about how much your image really does matter. It is clear and concise and provides a foundation for you to do further exploration in any area you find interesting. I praticularly enjoyed the sections on the "closet cleanse" and "your propellers, maintainers, and drainers". It has more than the usual wardrobe advice, it includes life living concepts that you can embrace now.

Of particular interest are the recommended books for more inspiration discovery and ideas. I have read a few of them that provide more in depth information on the topics that are of special interest to me.

As much as we don't want to admit it -- Image DOES Matter
Lauren Solomon takes the reader through a step-by-step process of examining and managing image for work, pleasure, and home.
This simple and very easy read/workbook can help many out there. As someone that already has a pretty good sense of my own style/image, this book still gave food for throught and many suggestions that I will implement.

What a great management tool to share with your team (sales and others), thoughtful gift for a newcomer to business or someone that wants to move up, or simply for your own self development. Even if you get only one new idea to take action on, it's still worth the $$$.

advices that really work on a daily basis
Its not always easy to let somebody "repolish" your image.
Either because of our own beliefs or sacred egos.
Lauren Salomon is a truly listener that learn to know your personnality and know what fit you best.
Her international experience will also provide you with accurate advices when it come to traveling or doing business abroad; Something that many lacks when it come to dealing with international business or just culture behaviors.
(who doesn't have a story to tell their embarassement in a situation where they didn't know what to do?)
Lauren Salomon is here to help not to serve her own image.
If you have to listen to one image consultant I would recommend you to read her book for cover to cover.

Oh, my image is an inside job...
This is like having a best friend who is an image consultant! Finally, someone who gets it and writes about image and dress like I would want it told to me. Lauren Solomon gives down-to-earth advice that I can really use. She dispenses useful advice and real-life case studies in a fun, easy to read book! I love it. It has now been added to my list of books to get all my business colleagues and friends! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Just ok
I agree with the other reviewer....Elsa is definitely no nonsense ..to the point.
My biggest disappointment with the book is it seemed so geared towards women who are currently in high profile careers...even beauty related. I pursued my career until 32 when I started having children. I don't think Elsa ever makes any reference to a woman that does anything other than a high profile career.
As a mother of two young children...I may not be attending posh nightly parties...and the like...however I still have an interest in maintaining and developing my style. This book seemed a little too geared toward the entertainment/modelling industry for me.
I do appreciate her closing comments "to choose something just because you like it...is not enough"
This is a big mistake I made for years...buying clothes and accesories cause I liked them....not because they suited me.
I learned the hard way.
All in all there were a few good tips....but more practical examples and pictures would have better served the books purpose....and less photos of paper thin models who make up such a small percentage of the North American population

Could be better
I agree with the other reviewer....Elsa is definitely no nonsense ..to the point.
My biggest disappointment with the book is it seemed so geared towards women who are currently in high profile careers...even beauty related. I pursued my career until 32 when I started having children. I don't think Elsa ever makes any reference to a woman that does anything other than a high profile career.
As a mother of two young children...I may not be attending posh nightly parties...and the like...however I still have an interest in maintaining and developing my style. This book seemed a little too geared toward the entertainment/modelling industry for me.
I do appreciate her closing comments "to choose something just because you like it...is not enough"
This is a big mistake I made for years...buying clothes and accesories cause I liked them....not because they suited me.
I learned the hard way.
All in all there were a few good tips....but more practical examples and pictures would have better served the books purpose....and less photos of paper thin models who make up such a small percentage of the North American population

nice photographs, useful tips
This is a very, very easy, quick read with lots of quotes, photographs, drawings, and checklists. Klensch is very no-nonsense, with advice on how to build a simple, bare-bones wardrobe. The chapters are broken down into career, business travel, evening, leisure, accessories, and cosmetics. The only humor or lightness I found in the entire book was that "good-luck charm" made this list of "long-flight must-haves." THis is one of those books that is useful and practical, but more as a reference guide than as a read-through. Although the advice is geared to women of all shapes and sizes, the photographs are all of rail-thin runway models.

This book is mediocre.
It would help a lot if a color matching guide (palette) was included in the book. There are a variety of color interpretations made by clothing manufacturers, it is at times difficult to find the exact color match the author is suggesting.

Practical, easy to understand, and filled with good ideas
I have given this book to several women I know. Without exception, they have reported to me that it is practical, easy to understand, and a very useful reference book. It brings together lots of things you know, and gives them a new twist to make them fresh. It is also filled with completely new thoughts for making an existing wardrobe work better, for finding some new ways of adding a piece or two to give a new twist to what you already have. But perhaps its greatest strength, I am told, is that it helps a woman take a new look at herself, analyze her strengths and weaknesses, and develop a style which is hers personally. This is not a book for models. It is one for real women ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Flaws within the thesis
This book presents a very interesting background for a very interesting period of American history (the late-19th century). The author explores a crisis in manhood through the use of period success manuals.

The books, themselves, represent a sort of metaphorical voyage for success. The books were very expense (often a whole family's weekly salary) and they were often "gilded" (although, their construction was very cheaply and poorly done). These manuals were written by prominent figures and were geared for subscription selling to rural middle-class families, primarily living in the Midwest.

The "crisis" in the author's thesis, however, is the overlooked fact that these books were merely bought for social status. Not only were these books sold in high volume, but they were often advertised as "no home should be without them". Additionally, the door-to-door salesmen often advised a family that all their neighbors had all made the wise investment, and that they certainly didn't want to be the only disadvantaged family in the area, hence the prestige of ownership.

Certainly, these manuals were read, and, perhaps, utilized to a certain level; however, the author's assumptions regarding their overall extraordinary level of use is flawed. Hilkey asserts that the large number of purchases of these manuals constituted a cultural crisis in the rural areas of the United States, especially among middle-class boys who were growing up in an era of changing social roles and mores.

Simply, Hilkey should re-exam her thesis from the prospect that these success manuals were simply bought as nothing more than very expensive coffee table books with very little readable and implementation value. ... Read more

Book Description

What happens when three leading innovators in their respective fields collaborate? They create an entirely new model of who we are, how we can live and how we can dress. Hurley and Donson, innovators in personality systems, and Parsons, a leading creator of style systems, join forces to give you a new, simple yet profoundly accurate way to identify your Essential Self and from it create your own Essential Style.

Every human being has three intelligences: thinking, feeling and doing. (This is the perennial teaching of cultures east and west now confirmed by modern brain research.) There are three corresponding styles: Elegant, Traditional and Sporty.

There are also three kinds of people: Go-getters (doers and thinkers), Networkers (feelers and doers), and Introspectives (thinkers and feelers).

What does each group need to discover its Essential Self and express its Essential Style? This book answers this question in an enjoyable way that penetrates to the heart of the issue. Easy to read, it demonstrates how our outer expression can support the growth of our inner essence.

Essential Self is who you really are. Essential Style is the attitude, communication, lifestyle and look that flow from the real you. When our outer expression is aligned with our inner essence, we are in union with self, others and the universe.

The key to this process is discovering, exploring and activating your hidden resource! Each of us has built our present lives on two-thirds of our Essential Self. The final third, lying dormant in us, is a hidden resource of vitality and meaning. Restoring this final third to its rightful place in our lives adds hope for overcoming obstacles and experiencing life's deepest pleasures. Because our hidden resource is one of the three centers of intelligence, it expresses itself in one of the three classic styles. Supporting our latent intelligence by expressing and using its corresponding classic style is a fun project that has remarkable effects in our lives. ... Read more

Book Description

"Timely and easy to read...will prevent individuals from making image mistakes."
--Bill Bagley, Human Resource & Recruiting Director
Deloitte & Touce--Cincinnati

"Everybody whose appearance matters could benefit from reading this book."
--James R. Canova, President
Tech Electronics, Inc.

"This book answers all the questions college students are afraid to ask and even some they didn't know they had."
--Angelle Bujol, Executive Director
Pi Sigma Epsilon, Inc. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Good Read!
Self-help books tend to be either insightful or dumb. Author Ann Marie Sabath manages to accomplish both results in the same book. At times, the book provides useful examples on topics that are truly unclear, but other times it tells you to wear your goulashes in the snow. If you are willing to shift through some incredible obviousness, then you will find enough pearls. The lists of common mistakes that start each chapter are particularly helpful. If you do nothing else, read these lists and find out if you are committing a dressing gaff. If you can honestly say that you have not or never will commit any of the mistakes on the lists then you are ready to navigate the business casual workplace confidently.

A decent overview
This book is certainly easy to read and presents some very solid advice. It covers a wide variety of topics from heel heights to skirt lengths, from the rules about wearing cologne to protocol for wearing nose rings at work(don't!). However, I was disappointed that it contained not a single illustration, as I would think that a book purporting to help people learn how to dress for work might include a few sketches or photos...a picture being worth a thousand words, you know. In addition, several topics (the skirt length issue, for example) were repeated numerous times, which was annoying to say the least. Finally, I found the pagination system to be deceptive at best. The text STARTS on page 15 and the last few pages of the book are devoted to things like "about the author" and an index. By my count, you really only get 185 pages of text.

Excellent resource for today's professional
Sabath has done an excellent job of condensing a potentially huge body of advice into a readable book that's not at all pretentious or sermon-like. She covers the gamut of issues from how NOT to dress in a business casual environment to how TO dress in an environment that's not business casual. She also spends some useful time on what to wear on casual Friday's in an otherwise professionally-dressed work environment. I highly recommend this book to both corporate and government professionals, and definitely to anyone preparing for interviews in either environment.

Very highly recommended "dress for success" reference.
Beyond Business Casual: What To Wear To Work If You Want To Get Ahead explains what to wear on the job when there's no written dress code; the dress faux pas most commonly made in the business world today; what "business casual" really is; how to add clout to what you say by what you wear; and how to dress when you're in doubt about what to wear. Very highly recommended for anyone concerned with "dressing for success", Beyond Business Casual is formatted as a series of questions and answers, and offers a wealth of real-life examples and illustrations drawn from Ann Marie Sabath's business attire workshops and her years of experience in consulting with members of the business community on how to look professional.

Who couldn't benefit from this book?
Ann Marie Sabath has written an excellent guide to one of the thorniest issues in business today--what to wear to work. The advent of business casual in the 1990's created a dilemma that lives on in the business world. Everyone from the CEO of the company to the lowliest clerk is trying to figure out how to dress. Ms. Sabath, with her 13 years of experience, has written on this subject in her uasual direct and easy-to-read approach. Her question and answer style takes the reader through all aspects of workplace attire from defining business casual to deciding what to wear to the holiday party. This book is appropriate for everyone entering the business world as well as those who have been on the job for years. ... Read more

Book Description

Based on interviews with 125 CEOs of major U.S. corporations, Managing with Integrity shows how it is possible for the business person to do what's right and run a profitable company at the same time. A wealth of practical examples and anecdotes demonstrate that, even today, corporate America's most powerful figures tend to place what is ethical over what is expedient and adhere to a higher standard than is generally assumed by the public. By revealing the strategies these leaders employ in the face of the myriad challenges to character encountered in the day-to-day business world, this book provides invaluable insights for others in the business world with their own ethical dilemmas. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Return to Basics
Watson's book is needed for much of what ails business today. It returns to the basic premise that good character is important to long-term success in business, which was lost during the shift to behaviorism in the 40's through the 70's.

"Managing With Integrity, Insights from America's CEOs" is not fluff reading. It is well written and interesting, but it does not simplify to seven easy steps. Watson has researched it well and backed up each principle with good, basic scholarship. Moreover, the material applies to everyone: employee, manager, or business owner. It does not fall into the potential trap of being written for just CEOs and sold to the popular market for dreamers.

As an engineer and entrepreneur, I have been in all aspects of business. This book shows what works. You should enjoy reading this book, but you will not necessarily finish it in two or three sittings. ... Read more

Book Description

Today's managers and executives are cash rich but time poor. Surveys show that up to 800f managers exceed their contracted hours, while cases of work-related stress continue to increase at an alarming rate. Although awareness of the issues of career vs home life has been around since the 1970s, little has been done beyond the introduction of ineffectual legislation.  The time is right for a fresh approach.

  In this remarkable book, Winston Fletcher takes as his starting point a set of specially commissioned interviews with 16 of the most accomplished businessmen and women in the UK, including Sir Richard Branson, Michael Grade CBE, Nicola Horlick and Sir Christopher Bland. Each interview is an exploration of success, despite the many sacrifices along the way, and gives hope to everyone that a satisfactory work/life balance can be achieved.

What is clear is that the way forward lies in taking control of your own personal agenda. Even companies with a sound work/life balance philosophy depend on the individual making choices for themselves. Readers also have a unique opportunity to calibrate themselves using the Work/Life Ratio, enabling you to see where you stand.

Use the powerful lessons contained in this book to ensure that you take control of your work/life balance - and start reaping the benefits. ... Read more

Book Description

At last...a revealing book at how your appearance may determine your success and happiness in life.Jeffes helps readers to determine if they have been discriminated against because of their appearance.Appearance is Everything will enable you to critically examine how your appearance may influence relationships, academic performance, and career advancement. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Amazing Insights into Appearance
This book has really made me stop and think how I view and treat others based on appearance. This book is a must read for anyone who is curious on how their appearance impacts their career, relationships (I am now looking at my own now more differently), children (including bullying at school), wealth, and how we treat others every day. I can truly say that based on this book, I recognize myself as a person who discrimated based upon a person's appearance and transitioned this mostly subconscious process to more conscious process. Very revealing book. Great reading, but not one your going to finish in one sitting. You need to read a section, process the thought then move onto the next section. Still an excellent book!

Average
I found this book very poorly researched though it doesn't claim to be a social psychology book on the subject of appearance.Just average but somehow interesting reading though.

What's the big secret ?
I think we all inately know this subject well and I was interested that it never comes up in corporate policymaking when addressing other discrimination factors such as race and gender. Appearance is subjective, but also universal. In one company session on diversity a young, very attractive, intelligent and personable black woman taught. She seemed overly enthusiastic and reveled in the fact that everyone deserves equal and fair treatment (no argument!) She had obviously overcome so much in her professional career, being young, black, female, and admittedly poor in childhood. But she completely ignored what we all seemed to recognize and that not one person said a word about, the fact that she was a very beautiful person and that this might have something to do with success (certainly not the only factor). I was too intimidated to bring it up, but it catalyzed me to do a net search and see what I could find on the subject. This book is very good and puts down into words the very thoughts that we all live and act out in our daily interelations but may not own up to. I have found several new and unexpected things in the book as well as some excellent summations of my own thinking. It is well organized and thorough, easy to understand, and not technical. My objective in reading it was to help organize my own thoughts and develop an approach to improve dating and interpersonal relationships (I'm recently divorced and rated myself as average in attractiveness). The book is well worth the effort to obtain it. Also, the next time I am required to endure another company class on diversity I will have the courage to ask why the factor of appearance has not been brought up for discussion knowing there is a credible reference available. ... Read more