Beryl Pleasants, image consultant

What I do

Beryl Pleasants wants to make sure her clients like what they see in the mirror each morning.

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Karl Ritzler / Special

Even as a young girl growing up on an Oregon farm, Beryl Pleasants ‘always loved clothes.’ Now, as an image consultant with her own company, Style with Aplomb, Pleasants helps others find their own love of clothes.

Pleasants, 68, is an image consultant who advises women — and some men — what colors and styles of clothes look best on them. But she starts by looking inside.

“People can have similar coloring and build but wear different things because of their personalities,” the owner of Style with Aplomb said.

A reserved, retiring person, for example, might feel more comfortable in neutral and muted colors. But a person whose personality is more “Here I am. Let’s go,” who lights up a room, might do better with bright colors. “It takes a lot of energy to wear red,” she said.

When meeting with clients, Pleasants said she analyzes their hair, eyes and skin coloring and looks to match them with complementary colors. She also looks at a person’s build to determine the proportions, cut and shape for the best-fitting clothes.

She also asks clients to bring in pictures of things they love — not clippings from fashion magazine or photos of their children, but pictures that resonate with them such as landscapes, flowers or interior designs. In finding out why the picture resonates, Pleasants gains an insight into personality.

“I get a real feel for what makes people tick,” she said. The process “gives a person a wonderful sense of discovering and accepting who they are.”

Then they go to color palettes. Pleasants determines whether a person’s look is “warm” or “cool” and lets the client select groups of colors that would be complementary. The shape of the face, lips and eyes can determine what lines and jewelry would look best.

Many of Pleasant’s clients come to her because they have had — or are expecting — a change in their lives, such as a promotion, new job or divorce. “What triggers this is a life change,” she said.

People looking for a new job or promotion may want to convey an image that fits the job, while other life changes spur a need for change.

Pleasants also will go through a client’s wardrobe to weed out the clothing that doesn’t work, then go shopping with them to get new clothes.

What got me interested in this

“My family always wondered about that, too,” Pleasants said.

But it started early. She grew up on a cattle ranch in Oregon and, through 4-H, made her first dress at age 8.

“I’ve just always loved clothes,” she said.

Although she became a teacher and worked in banking, Pleasants continued to take classes in design and was often asked by friends for help with their wardrobes. She launched her business after attending an image consultants convention about three years ago. “It was kind of play before then,” she said.

Best part of my job

“Most clients are so pleased to understand what’s going to look best and why,” Pleasants said. From feedback, she said, her clients let her know “they get it, they’re using it and they’re enjoying it.”

Most challenging part

“Some people are very closed,” she said. “They didn’t quite find out who they are.”

What people don’t know about my job

“It really is an educational process,” Pleasants said. “They’re not expecting to have it be as complete as it is, focusing on who they are designed to be.”

What keeps me going

“This is exciting,” she said.

Women, she said, tend to focus on the most negative thing they have, not their beauty. “I help them embrace their beauty, to say, ‘I am beautiful.’ “

Preparation needed for this job

Image consultants can get certified by the Association of Image Consultants International or other groups. Certification is renewable and involves passing a test and taking continuing education classes or conferences.

Colleges and other educational institutions also offer classes — some as continuing education — in image and design.

“You don’t learn this overnight,” she added.

Pleasants has a bachelor’s degree in education from Eastern Oregon College — now University — and taught in Oregon and the Los Angeles area. She also ran a light aircraft business with her former husband, was an assistant vice president of sales with Chase Manhattan and helped run McDonald’s franchises with her current husband.

When they sold the last restaurant in 2002, she began phasing in to image consulting, she said.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.