Sophisticated. Modern. Sexy.

I met Amy Kirschbaum through a friend shortly after I moved to San Francisco over four years ago. I was invited to join the San Francisco Women’s Club and Amy was a member. She is absolutely darling and one of those incredibly friendly, very down-to-earth people that you absolutely LOVE talking to.  She’s gorgeous and genuine, funny and a great listener.  She’s the whole package. When I found out that she is also an entrepreneur and a mom, I knew I had found a soulmate.  In the past four years, Amy and I have grown to be close friends and coffee with her is one of my favorite times. I know you’ll love what she has to say about developing your personal brand.

Style. It’s a word that we throw around all the time, but when it comes to defining our own, let’s face it. It’s hard.  It’s easy to look at someone else and assess their style, but look in a mirror and come up with a “brand” for yourself out of the blue? That’s another story. As it turns out, there are people who devote their whole careers to just that… A while back I was introduced to a personal stylist. Wow, what a concept of having someone else help brand you! (I know, that sounds a bit strange since branding is my profession as a graphic designer.)  When we started our session, the stylist asked me to come up with three words to describe how I want to dress. As I was thinking about these words, I was not only thinking about my wardrobe, but how I want others to view me. I was developing my personal brand. Your personal brand is the powerful, clear, positive idea that comes to mind whenever other people think of you. It works both personally and professionally. I work with clients on a daily basis creating their brand. It starts with their logo/identity, then filters through to the tiniest letter, advertisement, etc. for the company. The exact same holds true with your personal brand. It may start with the “look”, but needs to filter through to everything you do.  Now, back to the words… how do I narrow it down to just three?
In the end, I came up with sophisticated, modern and sexy.  Now, how do I create a brand that is sophisticated, modern and sexy? For me, it started with the personal stylist.  She helped me hold true to those three words with every single item of clothing in my closet as we went through each piece.  Needless to say, lots of t-shirts and round-neck cashmeres have found a different home. She then helped me purchase a select few items that really stand out and say those words back to me.  With those words in mind, it is easier to make decisions while shopping and while putting outfits together from the clothes that I already own. With my new threads, it is easier to exude my personal brand to the world. Am I sophisticated, modern and sexy? Maybe not all the time, but I am a work in progress and each day, I come a little closer to owning those three words. I encourage you to try and define your personal brand.  You might be surprised with what you come up with!  Regardless, it’s a fantastic place to start.
What three words would you pick to define your brand?