Is a Picture Always Worth a Thousand Words?

A while back, someone asked me this question:
"You teach style so why don't you post more photos of clothes, outfits or of yourself in an outfit every day?"

Excellent question.
This person noticed in my French Chic Facebook group that I didn't constantly post photos of clothes. I rarely post a photo of me in an ‘outfit-of-the-day’ post. This is true. I mainly post, well… posts. Words! Advice. Tips. Techniques. Visual tricks. How tos.

But why, you may ask, don’t I do what other fashion writers/stylists do?

You see, my whole raison d’être is to help my readers.
I do provide images of clothes and outfits in my ecourses and sometimes in my posts. However, they are always accompanied by a commentary to explain how to wear them, how they would or wouldn’t work for you.
A picture of clothes or me in an outfit without a commentary will not teach you much. It may even harm your style by showing you an outfit that may not suit you at all.  It may give you the impression that to wear what I am wearing will instantly make you French Chic...err Non! That is not how it works.

Unfortunately, people are fixated on images. I have noticed that when my Facebook posts include an image, some people will comment only on the photo. They completely ignore the post. It is obvious by their comments that they haven’t read the commentary. So how on earth do they expect to learn?
It is also disheartening, as I put a lot into my posts, giving you vital information to help your dress well.

So no, I don’t post clothes or outfits like other fashion and style bloggers do.
Do you know why?
Because I give you something other people don’t.
And that something is vital.
It is NOT pretty images.
I give you an EDUCATION.

If you only want pictures of clothes and outfits, fine. You can find them everywhere on the internet, on Facebook Pages, Pinterest or Instagram. Help yourself. Be my guest.

But from the evidence of what I see every day, and the outfits that women post, simply looking at pretty pictures does not help anyone dress better. If it were so, everybody would look amazing. There would be no need for people like me.

The evidence however points to the complete opposite: Simply copying outfits worn by other women does NOT make you dress well.

I consider myself more of a teacher than a stylist. In truth, I am not a stylist, don’t see myself as one and to be honest, have no desire to be one.

You may find this a bit strange, non? Well, I am different from other style writers. I usually rail against fashion and extol the virtues of style. ‘Style, not fashion’ is one of my favourite mottos.

So, what is the difference between me and all the others, you may ask?
A stylist gives you clothes to wear without giving you any explanation as to why you should wear this or that. Therefore, you have to go back to her again and again for new outfits because you haven’t learned how to do it for yourself.

What I do and teach is a cut about the rest. I do things differently. And this is the DIFFERENCE that makes my students and readers dress better.
Why?
Because I teach you the how and the why.
I teach you about visual concepts and techniques.
I explain to you at length why some clothes will work for you and why others won't.
I give you all the tools to make decisions for yourself, which increases your self-confidence and self-worth.

You see, pretty pictures won't help you one jot when it comes to dressing YOU. How can looking at photos of models who are of a different shape, size and height help YOU dress well? It can’t.
The first thing I teach you is to dress for your body shape. This is the foundation of French Chic and ALL styles, when you think of it.
If you ignore the style objectives that I teach for your body shape, size and height, how can you expect to be able to buy and wear the right clothes?
You will struggle.
Sometimes you will get it right.
Most times you won't.
This is what happens when you rely solely on pretty pictures and fashion magazines.

With me however, you learn the basics. I know, I know, boring right? But with this foundational knowledge, you are able to build your style. You will never be clueless about how to wear anything. Think about it, you would never build a house without foundations, now would you? Style is the same.

This is what my students tell me time and time again after taking my courses:
They notice a huge increase in their self-confidence.
They notice a huge change in how people relate to them.
They notice that their style eye improves dramatically and quickly.
They feel more like the person they want to be.
They feel able to take on new challenges and to grow.
The can now wear clothes they used to think were too chic for them.
They have saved thousands of dollars thanks to my books and in-depth courses, as they stopped buying clothes that do not suit them.

All these changes you can make too, if you let me help you release the beautiful woman that you are.
I give you what you need. I then open your cage, release you and let you fly.
I teach style.
This is what I do.
Are you with me?

PS: This is some of what I can help you with:

- Receive daily style emails from me
- Dress for your Apple body shape
 - Dress for your Hourglass body shape
 - Dress for your Pear body shape
 - Dress for your Rectangle body shape
 - Dress for your Inverted Triangle body shape 
- Shop like a chic French woman
- Go from frumpy to chic
- Dress for your Petite frame
- How to wear prints
- Declutter and tidy your closet
- Dress 10lbs thinner
- Discover what your body shape is (this ecourse is FREE)
- Transform your style in this extensive 12-month program, The French Chic Academy.
- My next ecourse is about how to eat and lose weight like the French. You will love this one!

A Bientôt
Marie-Anne ♥︎