Dressing Your Truth – The Videos

Example of Type 4 makeover.  No, this isn’t me. 😉
After reading through Carol Tuttle’s book, Dressing Your Truth and determining that I was a Type 4, I was curious to see the specific clothing, hair and makeup recommendations for this type.  For a fee of $297, users are given web access to several hours’ worth of videos that mostly have been filtered by type.  (I was offered a complimentary Type 4 video course to review.)   Having now looked at all of the videos, some a twice, here are my thoughts.
The Good:  Carol’s approach is very body and age positive.  There’s no talk of bad body parts that need to be camouflaged or hidden, and the emphasis is always on looking one’s best, not necessarily younger or thinner.  It’s all about accentuating the positive, and letting one’s own unique self come through.  Carol comes across as very approachable and supportive, and many of the videos have a fun, laid-back quality.  In the clothing video, the styles shown were very clearly illustrative of the ideas being presented, and seemed to be chosen with that intent.  The videos on hair color and style were helpful, especially in explaining how cut and color can show stillness or movement, and not just in the obvious sense. In the makeup section, brows are emphasized, which I think is something a lot of women overlook. Carol presents the ideas in each video in a clear and linear fashion.
What didn’t work for me:  The first several videos seemed to just recap what was in the book.  Per Carol, this is because some people are more visual learners, and the images shown to represent each type help present the concepts to those types of learners.  Navigating the videos was difficult due to the page layout and a quick scrolling feature. Navigating the website in general isn’t always clear and obvious.  This is supposed to be redesigned and fixed in the next couple of weeks.   I found some of the clothing shown looked a bit dated and dowdy, but again, seemed to have been chosen more to illustrate some of the styles and design features for each type.  In the makeup videos, there was little shown that I didn’t already know (re: how to apply) and the makeup line that Carol sells was repeatedly pitched.  According to Carol, Type 4’s should stick to cool colors, which I take with a grain of salt as I’ve done color analysis many times and always come out as warm.  (But some of the colors in the palette card I received in the mail were warmer and right in line with some items already in my closet.)
Overall: I think women who are starting at square one, or maybe starting over style wise would get the most value from the videos. If you’ve been wearing the same three outfits for years, or are perhaps re-evaluating your look to return to work, or have a closet full of clothes that feel like they belong to someone else, the videos could be very helpful.  For women who have a clearer sense of their style, or are more conversant in style/fashion concepts, some of the material might be too elementary, and you can probably glean what you’d need from the book.  There are also online “live” sessions and chats, and discussion forums at DressingYourTruth.com .
Reading the book and watching the videos has helped me add some more pieces to the puzzle.  It’s helped remind me to trust my own instincts when it comes to what I like and feel most at home in.  Many thanks to Carol Tuttle and Dressing Your Truth for giving me the opportunity to review the book and video programs, and to learn a bit more about myself in the process!
For more information, check out the website at http://www.dressingyourtruth.com/ .
~
All original content property of https://unefemmenet.wpengine.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States License.

Stay in touch

Sign up to be notified of new posts and updates from une femme d’un certain âge.

Affiliate links in posts may generate commissions for unefemme.net. See my complete disclosure policy here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

11 Comments

  1. Interesting to hear your take on it!

    I took a look at the site’s B&As since I can’t seem to help looking at image consultants’ B&As. I have to say IMO the women she’s profiled look pretty damn good in terms of their makeup shades and clothing colors. MILES ahead of many I’ve seen.

    Which is funny given your response to your recommended colors.

    However — and not that it matters, but I just went back to check your scarf posts and sure enough I prefer you in the ones with lots of clear blues, purples, muted reds, corals, and cooler greens. I CERTAINLY had enough samples to make an informed decision, O Scarf Queen!

    So hmmmmm…DYT could be onto something. I could see you being one of those “interseason people,” though…you’re wily like that!

    [On the flip side: I’ve been all up in Bridgette Raes’ advice for print selection lately and think the DYT example you’ve pulled for this post is a not-so-great result, Type 4 or no Type 4.

    While I think the print works with her features, the colors are too contrasting. I think it wears her, but I’m prepared to sit alone on that bench!]

  2. Such an honest and thorough review. Sounds like Carol is doing some good work, and I hope your feedback helps her refine her system.

  3. This kind of thing makes fashion seem like such a chore to me.

    I’m the type of person who never reads the instructions for new gadgets, often to my regret. Despite the regret part, I’m DEFINITELY not into fashion instructions! You’re much more studious than I am 😉

  4. Deja: The last paragraph said it all: Trust your own instincts! There is absolutely nothing wrong in having a hobby in participating all kinds of work-shops and asking guidance to fix your wardrobe. It is a lot of fun too ( I expect ). Judging by the comments you have written after my posts, you seem to have excellent taste; you know what is right, what is not. What I´m trying to suggest here is, that have more trust in yourself. Shop what you like, just don´t remove the price tags immediately, and make sure that you have the return policy. And don´t shop online.

  5. It sounds like a very interesting way to address fashion but for me I like the personal element….’trust your instincts’ that is the best fashion advice of all, xv.

  6. Great post, very well written.
    My comment is the same as Wendy’s. I’m not good with following directions and I like to just jump right into fashion and everything else!

  7. I think many women *think* they trust their instincts, but are either dressing the way someone once told them “looked nice” or are not assessing themselves objectively. If we would trust our instincts, why do I see, in a city of 3 million plus, so many (50%?) women in ill-fitting clothes?

    I don’t like the fact that the “before” woman stares glumly and the “after” looks so all-fired happy. She’s slightly better “after” but if she flashed that incandescent smile in the brown top, she would still be a lovely woman.

  8. Yes, she looks as glum as a passport photo in the before. Not much change except the top (I don’t really like the one on the right either, but I am not one for animal prints in general, or many kinds of small prints) a bit of makeup and the smile.

    Unless I were an image consultant myself, I certainly wouldn’t spend such money on videos.

    Duchesse, there is also the problem that it is bloody hard to find clothing that fits many figures properly. Just about everything I see in shops is for teenagers, or boxy, mumsy stuff. One of the reasons I’m so keen on these blogs, though I’m certainly no fashionista.

  9. a montreal – re: your response to duchesse, i have to agree. it’s well nigh impossible to find anything that fits properly, and so many women have neither the time nor the inclination (or $$$) to go through all that shopping, tailoring, etc. so they buy baggy stuff that doesn’t bind, etc.

    that’s why i’ve ended up making so much of my own wardrobe – i’m like a size 6 hip, 8-10 bust, and 14+ shoulders. forget it. not everyone wants to design their own clothes, and i can’t blame ’em. i just enjoy it. so ….. it’s a conundrum.

  10. The problem I see with the Dressing Your Truth system is that it is based on the premise that your personality type corresponds to your appearance, ie. gentle nature = soft colouring and features, strong personality = strong colouring and features. Unfortunately, this is not the case in reality. Too often I’ve seen pictures of women dressing their “inside” and clashing with their own natural colouring and facial features. Of course these women are never featured on the Dressing your truth website!