Mother to six, Jane Dyson (55) from Chiswick, owned her own corporate promotional business in her twenties, sold it to a PLC Company and then became the Managing Director of the Marketing Services Division on their Board. However, Jane has cast aside her corporate role to become a personal stylist, and now two years on, she is being talked about by many as being West London’s colour and style guru.
Business savvy Jane started her own Field Marketing and Promotional business in 1990 and built it into a desirable enough proposition for a large PLC organisation to buy the business from her in 2008. They subsequently asked her to join their Board representing all their new business acquisitions, as the Managing Director of the Marketing Services Division. “I worked in corporate life for a further five years which gave me tremendous experience and knowledge and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I was always challenged but never daunted by the testosterone fuelled meetings and I know that a huge part of that was because I was comfortable with who I was.”
However, Jane decided it was time for a career change. Corporate life was becoming insular. “I am a people person and when it dawned on me that I may have to spend the rest of my working life in internal meetings, no longer getting out and about, I knew it was time for change. I had no clue what I wanted to do, but being a mother of six, I knew I also needed to be in charge of my own time. Then one day my then 16-year-old daughter brought home a friend, and knowing I had my colours analysed 25 years ago and that I have always since been interested in colours, she asked me to try to analyse him. It made me remember how much I’d enjoyed it, so, I thought ‘That’s it!’ and literally left the dinner table to apply to become a House of Colour Stylist there and then.
“A couple of days later I received a phone call from the current House of Colour stylist in Chiswick to say she was retiring!” Whether this was fate or just good fortune, Jane became a House of Colour personal stylist within a couple of months after extensive training. Jane now offers colour and style consultations across Chiswick, Richmond, Barnes and Kew.
Witnessing that ‘wow’ moment with her clients is what Jane says makes her job so special. “I know all about that wow moment because it happened to me when I got my own colours analysed. The minute I discovered my own individual colours and clothing personality, I felt like a whole new woman. When we say that the gift of colour is a gift for life – it’s perfectly true. Having my own colours done many years ago meant throughout my life, whether it was forging ahead in my career or being a mum at home, the one thing I didn’t need to worry about was what to wear, because I had been given the confidence and permission to always be the best me. That’s what I also try to teach my clients, you have to be your authentic self – it’s my mantra!
“I love how diverse my job is. In one class I’ll meet a bride and her bridesmaids. The next, I’ll meet business academics (both male and female) who need to have a better client-facing image. Did you know that people make up their mind about you in the first seven seconds of meeting you and 69% of that is dependent on how you look? Imagine how important that is in business. I also tend to see a lot of women who are going back to work after having children, and, their body shapes may have changed causing a loss in confidence, but I just boost it back up again – it’s wonderful!”
Client Sandy Lancaster says: Since I have had a Colour and subsequently a Style Class with Jane, I have totally revitalised my wardrobe and look at it in a whole new light. I have taken out clothes that (now I have the ‘knowledge’) I realise just didn’t suit me and I’ve added some of my wow colours, which makes me feel renewed and confident. I’ve had some lovely compliments too so it’s definitely worth the changed approach. Now, I don’t have to worry about what to wear for any given occasion because I know that everything in my wardrobe will look good on me!”
Janes Top Tips For Looking Fabulous Everyday Of The Week:
- CREATE A ‘WARDROBE WORDS’ LIST – It is a checklist of styles that suit you as an individual to stick on the inside doors of your wardrobe. Being true to those words will ensure you are being authentic to yourself and will help you feel amazing.
- DON’T DRESS LIKE A RAINBOW – Although we encourage everyone to wear the colours that suit them, that doesn’t mean you should run around looking like a rainbow; getting your neutrals right is equally important. Each individual has their own, unique colour palette to suit them, according to their skin tone and eye colour.
- BE FREE TO BE YOU– When you dress purely for the roles you play you can lose who you are, so understand how to dress in a way which expresses your personality and body architecture and then own it!
