Looking Good

By John S. DeMott

Underneath that overweight, stuttering, bumbling, scuffed-shoe exterior there may be someone with intelligence, wit, competence and true competitive ability. But who knows unless the exterior reveals the interior? And so an industry has come along dedicated to making men and women look good on the job so they can perhaps rise to top management posts in their companies.

The operative word of this business is image, and the practitioners call themselves image consultants. First seen a decade ago, they are now multiplying like reflections off a ballroom mirror. The Directory of Personal Image Consultants lists 256 firms, vs. only 36 in 1978. Their projected sales this year: $20 million.

The stylemakers offer to shape, polish and crease almost all aspects of a person to achieve success in the corridors of corporate power. Emily Cho of New York City, who wrote Looking, Working, Living Terrific 24 Hours a Day, is one of the industry's top consultants. She specializes in helping women assemble a complete business wardrobe.

At fees that can hit $225 an hour, the specialists try to create a complete image--from corporate hairstyle to speech--for the ambitious man or woman who is still a few tantalizing rungs from the top. Self-styled "wardrobe engineers" advise men to discard cheap ties and reject anything in polyester. Women executives are cautioned to button up at the collar and resist the current custom of walking into the office in running shoes.

Honing one's social small-talk skills is also urged. For those with no interests outside their jobs, Image Impact for Men, a new book, has succinct advice: "Develop some." Readers are advised that a person's face must be carefully controlled: let positive feelings show, but reveal negative ones selectively. The complete executive commands a "repertoire of effective facial expressions," writes James G. Gray, a consultant in Washington.

The advisers offer "personal public relations" guidance on looking and acting like an expert in a particular field. Clients are even taught how to stand for success. John T. Molloy, one of the most successful imagemakers, says that the "power stance" is with arms hanging down, feet apart, almost in a military fashion.

The image business, though, is having a few image problems of its own. The field is attracting unqualified amateurs, and some consultants are trying to keep out tacky practitioners. Says Andrea Reynolds, managing director of the two-year-old Professional Image Consultants Association International: "It's making a lot of us angry. People lacking training are giving consulting advice that is incomplete, inaccurate and sometimes damaging." The group sets standards for imagemakers, including at least some advanced education in such fields as marketing, fashion design and communications.

After a few sessions with consultants, presto! the door to the executive suite should swing wide open. Right? Well, no. Basics still matter. In Live for Success, Molloy reports that of 1,000 men and women interviewed, nearly all agreed that success depends more on energy than image. All the image consulting in the world cannot help the true corporate loser. Nor can it cure incompetence. Nonetheless, Molloy found that most people believe that speaking, moving and dressing correctly are critical to getting ahead. The office slob remains so at his or her peril.

With reporting by Richard Bruns/New York