Victor Maccharoli - Valerie Burns, right and Kerstine Johnson shop at La Cumbre Plaza yesterday.
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It's all about looking polished
With hundreds of applicants scrambling for the scant number of available jobs on the South Coast, the phrase “dress for success” has taken on a new immediacy.
But what can a job seeker do with a limited budget and a closet full of clothes that are refugees from garage sales and thrift shops?
That’s where Valerie Burns comes in.
“It all starts in the closet,” said Burns, who has helped hundreds of men and women during the past five years as an image and design consultant. “Most people only wear 20 to 25 percent of what’s in their closet.”
With a close eye on cost, Burns determines what a client should keep, have tailored or send back to the thrift shop from the closet. She said some items may still go well with help from a new piece of clothing or accessory.
“I tell them what can be integrated and which pieces would work,” she said. “I show them how to coordinate and mix and match.”
As a “personal and professional shopper,” Burns said she keeps an eye on store sales and may take up to two months helping a client find the right wardrobe. “I’m very good at looking for value,” she said. However, when a client needs a makeover right away to start a series of job interviews, she’s there for them.
From head to toe, Burns said she tries to make her clients more confident, energized and at ease when they show up for an interview. The idea, she said, is to make the job applicant confident and attractive to the interviewer
She said she also helps professionals pack for business trips when they must give presentations. It’s not just the PowerPoint presentation that sells the product or service. Burns said audiences are perhaps even more impressed with the person giving the presentation if they are properly attired.
Burns said she packed a high-powered wardrobe for one of her clients who had to make a series of marketing presentations over several days at a conference. “She said it was the least stressful trip she ever had,” Burns said. “She said in her 25-year career, she had never had so many compliments.”
She said she believes people want to attach themselves to success and they do that by working a Realtor, sales person or other hire who looks the part.
Burns previously worked in Hollywood as a freelance wardrobe stylist and as an interior design consultant at upscale furniture design stores in Los Angeles. With a degree in fashion merchandising and interior design, Burns has worked as a wardrobe stylist for commercials, high-end retail sales, accessory and window display.
A 14-year Santa Barbara resident, she still incorporates interior design into her business, but seems to get most excited about helping clients improve their image because it empowers them and makes them feel competent in their business, professional and social lives.
Burns also tells her clients what not to wear. She said that’s difficult for some women because they have an emotional attachment to their clothes and accessories. Some men do as well, but not as many.
For men, Burns said, at least one very good suit is needed. “Not just three so-so suits,” she said. One of the top accessories for men is the proper tie. “I love to pick out ties,” she said. “That’s one way a man can express himself.”
For women, clothing can raise some self-esteem issues, she said, because it’s more difficult for them to feel attractive than men. However, she said, “People get stuck in decades,” referring to the need to update wardrobes instead of wearing the same thing all the time.
Burns rejects the notion that casual dress is alright in many cases. “Well, we’re in Santa Barbara,” does not sit well with her. “I think it shows respect” to be properly attired, she said.
For everyone, it’s important to make sure clothes are properly tailored. A hem that is an inch too long can hurt one’s appearance, Burns said. And, accessorizing needs to be done with an eye toward color and body type, she said.
Shopping with one of her clients, Kerstine Johnson, on a warm fall day at La Cumbre Plaza, Burns summed up her philosophy: “It’s about being polished,” she said.
Comment on this article
Getting your closet re-organized and decluged. : 10/18/2009
When Valerie came to my home for our first visit, my closet was bulging with unworn items. I'd bought a suit because I loved the jacket and never worn the skirt. She had me ditch the jacket, (which I admit did not look that good on me upon closer inspection,) and had me keep and re-tailor the skirt, which I'd never worn. She saved that skirt from the oblivion of my closet. And she saved me from a jacket that made me look "boxy." There are many happy endings for items of clothing in my new closet. And there were many things I said good-bye to because Valerie taught me to look in a new way at each item I wear and ask myself how it really looks. Not how I want it to look, how it looked on the manikin at the store or how I feel about it. How it looks on me and what image I project in it. Oh yeah and I've got a whole new look from our shopping. Valerie really helped me.
Calla Gold
I had an Image Makeover from Valerie : 10/18/2009
I am also a client of Valerie Burns www.valerieburn.com, 3 years ago. I was looking to take my business to the next level. Being from Indiana I had many conservative close, mostly gifts from family and girlfriends, but I wasn't wearing them. Valerie helped me to see the clothes didn't fit my body or business, www.ameravant.com, website designer. Now my clothes fit. I get compliments on how well I dress, and I feel much better in front of clients and socially. THANK YOU Valerie
Michael Kramer
Travel, Clothes, and Valerie Burns : 10/19/2009
I've worked with Valerie Burns and had such great success with my new image and then had her help me "pack" for a business trip to Italy. She was brilliant assisting with colors for the season, accessories, and the clothing that would be appropriate for my itinerary. I didn't have to worry about packing to much or not having the right outfit. It was amazing, I wore everything and packed very lite. Stress free and received so many compliments from my colleagues. Thank you Valerie!
Kristine Castillo-Chef/Owner Village Modern Foods
Stylist : 10/21/2009
Valerie Burns has styled her clients with the jewelry I hand make and sell at Saks Fifth Avenue, very successfully ... she has a good eye for proportion and color, and it has been a pleasure being a part of her clients' transformations!
Corinna Gordon
I was thrilled. : 10/28/2009
Valerie is an incredibly talented stylist. I was 33 when I found her, At the time I knew I still dressed like a twenty year old, but didn't know how to create the classic professional wardrobe that I wanted. I knew I needed a little extra help and saw her in a magazine, so I called. Valerie came over and got rid of eight garbage bags full of unflattering clothes on the first day. She taught me to build my wordrobe with quality basics. In the end we added flare with accessories and a few unique prieces. The best part is that she saved me money by knowing what items were worth, finding sales and buying classic peices that do not need replacing. She also consulted me on my hair style and makep. I am very happy with the results. Valerie is a treasure and worth her weight in gold!
Chandra Carr
Align yourself : 11/2/2009
As Corporate Coach and public Speaker I know how important it is to just simply look good. Valerie has helped me greatly in fine tuning my wardrobe and look so it was in complete alignment with who I am. Valerie's insights are powerful and it is a delight to have someone with a fresh look entering my closet. Are you serious about taking your success to the next level? Do think about you own look and reach out to Valerie, she creates magic!
Niels Johnson-Lameijer (www.nielsjl.com)
Her sense of fashion style and design carries over into interior design : 11/22/2009
As a very pleased client and "Student" of Valerie's unique approach to not only helping one achieve the best fashion look for you, you might not be aware that she is also a clever "pro" at transforming old interior's into new and vibrant looks that are extremely functional. Her practical sense of fashion design training carries over into the same sort of practical yet stylish sense with interior design all the while functioning as a teacher to help you understand good design. When faced with the challenge of giving my two teenage daughters a bit of design control over their bedrooms by allowing them to choose their paint colors for their rooms, Valerie suggested that we set the parameters just a bit by giving them "color tone" limits to stay within so that my home did not end up looking like an easter egg. It was a clever idea but still allowed them to feel as if they had chosen their own room colors.
Tara Rosier-Gonyea
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