William Cane - Image Consultant | Manhattan Makeovers | Attorney Wardrobe | Personal Shopper | Business Wardrobe | Professional Wardrobe | Complete Makeover | Extreme Makeover | Middle-Aged Women's Makeover

About William Cane

A former trial attorney, William Cane is the bestselling author of The Art of Kissing.

Rings for Professionals and Artists

A ring can have symbolic significance, and for many people rings have emotional and sentimental connotations. However, our research reveals that many professionals fail to understand the additional negative overtones that wearing rings can have.

rings on artist — Too many rings for a professional

The first thing to understand is that in the business world, women need to limit themselves to one ring per hand. That ring cannot be gaudy or overly ostentatious. An attorney, banker, financial executive, or manager doesn’t want to scare clients with suggestions of being a gypsy, ignorant, or a member of a secret cult–all of which are the unnatural associations that attach themselves to you if you wear too many rings or rings that are too unusual, flashy, or showy.

Professional men cannot wear any rings other than a single wedding band. They open themselves up to being subconsciously, or even consciously, perceived as incompetent, deviant, and out of the mainstream if they wear a college ring or any other type of ring.

I recommend that professionals read H.P. Lovecraft’s classic novella The Shadow Over Innsmouth to get a sense of what additional rings, or strange rings, can bring to mind. In that story the shambling inhabitants of the seaside town of Innsmouth are infected with a weird condition in which they become fishlike members of a queer and outlandish religion. Their high priests wear a tawdry tiara and other freakish jewelry, and they scare visitors to the town, including the narrator.

You don’t want to put negative ideas into a client’s mind. If you’re an attorney, you don’t want judges to think twice about your ethics. Bankers can’t risk having investors question their motives or even their sanity by wearing rings that speak volumes about potential unnatural connections, associations with mentally disturbed people, or membership in deviant cults. All of this can be avoided by following our suggestions for the number and types of rings you wear, which we outlined clearly above.

The one exception to these rules is if you’re an artist. Musicians, painters, and sculptors can bend the rules that apply to professionals. They can wear more rings, and rings that have a more jazzy and uncultured appearance. Artists can even risk appearing to be members of outré or unusual religions and sects. As you can see in the accompanying photograph, which was taken in February 2020 in Greenwich Village in New York City, a songwriter can get away with multiple rings on the same hand, even rings that are quite unusual and in questionable taste. But this does not mean that a lawyer or a banker can do the same! In fact, it would be foolhardy for a financial services professional to wear these kinds of rings, or indeed any kind of unusual jewelry.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:55-05:00February 18th, 2020|Wardrobe|0 Comments

Ties for Every Occasion

You can now wear a necktie that will help you deal with the people in your office, newcomers who you don’t know, as well as colleagues and associates. The secret to choosing the most effective necktie has been uncovered through decades of research on the way that people from different social backgrounds react unconsciously to tie color, fabric, and design.

One of the first things you’ll discover is that wearing the correct styles can have a dramatic effect on the way that people interact with you at work, and also in social situations, such as on weekends or on a date. Of course, most men who wear ties at work during the week prefer to go tieless on weekends; however, sometimes you’ll want to wear a tie on a Saturday or Sunday, and this blog post will explain how to do that and achieve maximum effectiveness.

Five basic types of ties can be worn, when you get right down to it: (1) plain solid colors, (2) rep ties, which have stripes, (3) ivy league ties, which have a repeating design inside a circle or square, (4) polka dot ties, and (5) paisley. Knowing what effect each tie has can exponentially boost your self-confidence.

Plain solids are avoided by many men because they think they’re dull. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Solid colors are not only easy to match with your suit colors, but they’re also effective with people from all social backgrounds. So, if you’re not sure who you’ll be meeting on any given day, a solid will serve you well. They’re also beautiful when matched with contrasting colors in suits and jackets. For example, a maroon tie and a navy jacket look terrific together.

Striped ties also are effective with people from all social backgrounds, and they allow you to introduce more color into your outfit. Avoid stripes that are too wide and gaudy. Look at Brian Williams or other newscasters to get a sense of what kinds of rep ties (as striped ties are called) can be tasteful.

Ivy league ties contain a small symbol or geometrical design that repeats. Symbol ties could pertain to a sport, such as golf, with repeating little golf clubs. Holiday ties, for example with little repeating Christmas trees, can be fun. But the most typical ivy league designs are an icon of a school or a repeating little circle with a square inside it, or a similar pattern. These ties will antagonize working class and middle class people, and even upper class people who didn’t go to an ivy league school. But if you know a judge went to Harvard or Yale, for instance, wear an ivy league tie when appearing before him, and you’ll be more effective. He’ll feel you’re on the same wavelength.

Polka dot ties are also good with people from all social backgrounds. The key is to select dots that are small and unobtrusive. Huge dots look clownish. You can select dots to match your shirt or your jacket.

Paisley ties are informal and good for weekends or when you’re not having a meeting at work. Smaller paisley patterns work better than big gaudy ones.

For dates with women, pink ties work well, although this color is ineffective at work. By the way, that goes for pink shirts, too. They will antagonize people at work, but on dates they’re effective with almost all women.

Two last tie tips. Avoid red ties at work. Blue, yellow, and darker colors are all much more effective than solid red. Red stripes mixed with other colors are effective, but again, not solid red. And last but not least, the best fabric is 100 percent silk.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:55-05:00December 30th, 2019|Wardrobe|1 Comment

Image Consulting at the Met

When Manhattan Makeovers takes clients to the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the beginning of their One-Day Makeover our purpose is to introduce them to the key concepts that our three decades of research has revealed about what items of clothing will be most effect for them in their specific profession. Unlike other image consultants, we base all our recommendations on research and fieldwork about what will prove to be most helpful to you in your work environment.

Naturally we also tell clients what the research says will help them in their social life as well. And the two are often diametrically opposed. In other words, the colors, styles, footwear, and accessories that are effective for a lawyer in the courtroom will be vastly different from what will help that same attorney on a date or on a vacation.

William Cane

In the accompanying photo, you can see the founder of Manhattan Makeovers, William Cane, standing in front of a new display by Versace at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This display is something that a client would see momentarily as we walked to the upstairs exhibition rooms, where we show you several works of art that illustrate key principles of color and contrast.

Next, we sit down with you in the American Wing Café and over coffee or tea we give you a customized Look Book summarizing our research about what will be most effective for you. This booklet is based on your profession and your hair color and skin tone, as well as several other unique factors that pertain to you as an individual and a professional.

For artists, we cover how to create a signature look that will make you more effective at work and play. For bankers and attorneys, as well as for accountants and physicians, we provide tested results of our research, showing you how each profession has a different set of colors and styles that test most effectively.

All our work is aimed at bringing you to the pinnacle of your career and social life.

Last but not least, at the museum you will enjoy a leisurely meeting with our image consultants, after which we will take you to the salon and then shopping. Notice in this photo that William Cane is gesturing with his right hand. This is because he is talking with a client, a diplomat from the United Nations, who is out of the shot. We always preserve our client’s anonymity, which is why the diplomat has been cropped out of the photo and only the founder of Manhattan Makeovers, William Cane, is visible to you.

This photo was also taken by a professional photographer. We usually give clients BEFORE and AFTER photos so they can see how their image has changed for the better.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:56-05:00June 4th, 2018|Artist Wardrobe, color analysis, Image, Makeover, Wardrobe|0 Comments

What Is Evidence-Based Image Consulting?

Let’s be clear about the most important reason for selecting one consultant over another for wardrobe and style advice: it’s critical to use a consultant whose work is based on evidence about what really works to make you more effective. Why settle for anything less?

At the Met. Michael Christian (left) with client. (photo Paulina Glozman)

At Manhattan Makeovers, our three decades of research has uncovered all the vital statistics and data to help you choose the best jackets, suits, shirts, footwear, and accessories. In addition, we have done fieldwork on which hairstyles are most useful for bankers, lawyers, accountants, scientists, and artists. In each instance, the colors that are most effective are what you want to be wearing, the shoes that test well are those you want to own, and the hairstyles that will help you get ahead in your field are the ones you want to wear.

It may be fun to page through the latest issue of Cosmo or GQ, but doing so will not help you succeed as a lawyer, banker, or doctor. However, when you absorb the fruits of our research, you will be well on your way to a new you. You’ll have an advantage over others in your field, and you’ll immediately see the difference that evidence-based advice can provide for you.

By evidence-based research, we mean that our advice is calculated to make you more successful based on numerous tests, surveys, and fieldwork that we have conducted. Yes, we understand that you want to look fashionable; but even more vital for your success on the job is whether your overall appearance causes others to view you are competent, trustworthy, and authoritative. Only certain colors, shoe styles, and accessories will have this desired effect. Wear the wrong colors and you are causing trouble for yourself every day. Change to the proven colors, the effective hairstyles, and the tested footwear, and your life will be so much easier and your relations with clients and customers so much smoother.

We have spent years doing this research so that you can benefit from it during a consultation and makeover with us. By the way, the term makeover is not something men should be afraid of since it applies equally to men and women. In fact, many of the most successful men in all fields, from politics to business, use image consultants and makeovers to increase their effectiveness. From presidents to rock stars, from Hollywood directors to famous authors, image consultations are the way to benefit from tested advice and become more successful in your chosen field.

The photo above illustrates the first part of your makeovers experience, meeting with us for your initial conference, color analysis, and review of our customized look book, produced for you based on your height, weight, hair color, and profession. We’ll sit down with you over coffee or tea while we go over the material, and then we’ll show you a few works of art that illustrate the principles and concepts we’ll share. Then it’s off to the salon for your haircut and styling. Next we’ll shop with you in Manhattan. And each step of the way, we’re explaining more about the fruits of our research so that you grow and develop in your understanding of how to improve your effectiveness at work and in social situations.

Is the consultation also fun? Yes, of course it is! But more than anything else it will change the way you are perceived by others, and it will make you so much more effective at what you do when interacting with other people.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:56-05:00March 11th, 2018|Image, Makeover, Wardrobe|1 Comment

Color Analysis Mistakes Women Make

Color analysis is a term of art used in the image consulting field. The very definition of this term should be enough to make any intelligent woman suspect that the entire concept is based on false premises. As used by the majority of image consultants today, a color analysis is a procedure that supposedly allows a trained individual to look at you and then tell you which colors will look good on you and which colors won’t look good. If you buy such a fraudulent service you are, frankly, wasting your hard-earned money, and this article will explain why so many uninformed women fall prey to such a bogus claim.

Color wheel

After I expose the high level of deception involved in the typical color analysis, I will explain exactly how and why a professional can indeed benefit from research about which colors are more or less effective for her profession. Manhattan Makeovers has conducted such research, and the fruits of that fieldwork and investigation can help you as an attorney, banker, CPA, physician, scientist, or artist. But first let’s debunk the misleading things most women believe about a color analysis.

As John T. Molloy, the father of image consulting, has pointed out, there is no rational reason for a woman to think she is a summer, fall, winter, or spring person when it comes to color. Yet the majority of image consultants today subscribe to the discredited Color Me Beautiful theory, which deceptively classifies women into one of these “seasons” and then claims that only colors that pertain to that classification should be worn by her. What utter nonsense! In fact, Mr. Molloy was himself a guest on numerous television shows where these so-called image consultants classified him as summer, fall, and spring. He wondered why he was never called a winter person. This inability to consistently classify a person into one of the four categories is strong evidence that the system is counterfeit.

Girls like the idea of talking to another girl who will drape a swatch of fabric over their shoulder and babble about how, “You’re a spring, darlin’! I can tell just by looking at your skin. Ooo-wee, how much fun we’re gonna have shopping together now, since we know what season you fall into. Oh, my, dearie, just wait until you try on that puce-green sweater I have in mind for you.”

The fact of the matter is that no one can tell you what season you’re classified into since seasonal classification is a sham. Moreover, the only way to tell if you look “good” in a certain color is to try it on and look at yourself in a mirror. If you don’t trust your own judgment, shop with a friend.

But the important point for professional women is that you can know which colors have empirically tested well for women in your field of work. That is, certain colors are more effective for people in sales. If you wear only these colors you are likely to sell more. Other colors and color combinations have tested well for attorneys. Still other colors are more effective for certified public accountants, bankers, scientists, physicians, and artists and musicians. Only fieldwork and testing can tell you which colors are most effective for a person in your profession. Thankfully, Manhattan Makeovers has done all this work for you. And during a makeover and image consultation, we will give you a “look book” with the fruits of that research, customized for your profession. We will sit down over a cup of coffee and answer all your questions, describing the ideal footwear and hairstyle to match the color combinations that will make you more successful.

Naturally, we will also tell you the colors and styles that will increase your attractiveness in social situations, such as luncheons, casual meetings, and romantic get-togethers. These colors and styles are different from those that will work in the office or, if you’re a performer, what is most effective onstage.

Bottom line: Do not be misled into thinking that a color analysis will tell you what season you fall into. That kind of nonsense has been proven false many times over. What you can rely on, however, is empirical research about exactly which colors will make you more effective in your professional and social life. And the people who can tell you that are the analysts at Manhattan Makeovers. Call us today to schedule your complete makeover—and enjoy the many advantages that solid research about effective colors can provide for you at work and play.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:56-05:00November 30th, 2017|color analysis, Image|0 Comments

Rationale for Using an Image Consultant

A rationale is a set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, which, by the way, is one of my favorite dictionaries. But it’s surprising how few professional men and women have a rationale for using an image consultant. Sometimes they have a hunch that they need a new look. Other times they have a new job that they’re applying for, or they might have been promoted, and they want to look right. But all these nenulous ideas are absolutely meaningless since they fail to come to grips with the most important reason for using an image consultant like Manhattan Makeovers. In a word, the best reason to use an image consultant from Manhattan Makeovers is that we provide evidence-based advice.

Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick

An evidence-based consultant provides recommendations that are specific to your profession, and these recommendations aren’t taken out of a hat, or out of thin air; instead, they are based on research about what actually works for professionals like you. Manhattan Makeovers is one of only a handful of recognized consultants that bases its recommendations on this kind of empirical research.

In the grand scheme of things, this should be of paramount importance to you. The work you hire an image consultant to do should reflect the research that they have amassed over a number of years or decades. They should be able to tell you why they are recommending dark pumps, a skirt suit, and a pastel colored blouse, for example. They should be able to tell you why they are recommending black footwear as opposed to beige. They should be able to give you evidence that their hairstyle suggestions will make you more effective at work. Unless they can do all these things, and back up their advice with reasons based on research, you’re wasting your time and money. At Manhattan Makeovers we have been researching the most effective hairstyles, footwear, and garment fabrics and colors for professionals for more than three decades.

If you are looking for advice on how to be a more effective banker, attorney, physician, accountant, or artist, then you deserve evidence-based advice. You deserve the best. And that’s why Manhattan Makeovers is here.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:56-05:00October 23rd, 2017|Image, Makeover, Wardrobe|0 Comments

Blue Blues and Blue Rules

Colors can be your key to dressing for success, provided you know what the research says about how color affects people. Our clients are primarily professionals and artists, and they need to know which color suits, shirts, ties, and shoes will be most helpful for them in interacting with clients, associates, and even audiences, such as juries, boards of directors, and audiences at musical events. We have done a good amount of research into exactly how color can help or hinder the working lawyer, doctor, scientist, banker, accountant, and performing artist.

Take the color blue, for example. It is a ubiquitous color in the legal profession, and for good reason. There it is highly effective for most male and female attorneys. But how effective is it for bankers, accountants, and CPAs? Ah, there’s the rub! Interestingly, it is less effective for these professionals than gray. This is because men and women in gray suits inspire more confidence in people when it comes to money. They prefer a banker or financial advisor who is wearing a gray suit, and people generally attribute more competence to him or her, more integrity, and more ability to help them.

But this does not mean that blue is wrong for people in banking or for accountants. Blue can work for them, but it must be combined with the right color footwear, and the right hairstyle for maximum effectiveness. A blue suit often entices a man to wear brown shoes to look stylish. In actuality our research convincingly demonstrates that he is hurting his chances of success with brown shoes. The only color shoe a man should wear is black.

Women almost always make the mistake of trying to coordinate their footwear with their outfits. This leads to the significant mistake of wearing gray shoes with a gray suit, or blue shoes with a blue suit. While the latter might not be too objectionable, it is significantly less effective than black pumps would be on the same woman. The general rule is that a woman’s shoes should not match her outfit but should be rather darker than her suit color. And the only shoe that is effective for a woman attorney, banker, teacher, scientist, or doctor is the pump. End of story.

Artists, on the other hand, such as musicians, painters, and poets, have a greater ability to vary their outfits and footwear, and even their hairstyles. In fact, a poet who dresses like a banker might even be impeding his or her chances for success. In each case, we do specific testing with the client, we run focus groups, and we dress the client in various outfits and then test them with about a hundred subjects before we make our final recommendations. Only by testing can you be sure that an artist has discovered the most effective image. We call it the signature look since it should ideally vary from person to person, expressing something unique about them and their artistic vision.

You won’t hear us recommend the latest fashions, either. We’re not about what is fashionable, we’re all about what is effective. Especially when it comes to the color blue.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:56-05:00September 20th, 2017|Artist Wardrobe, color analysis|0 Comments

Patterns Can Help Or Hurt Your Image

Many professionals like to wear patterns in their shirts, suits, and accessories. Women often are attracted to dresses with patterns. But when these people wear patterns they are communicating, through the design, to everyone who sees them. The message that is contained in a pattern is very clearly on display, but almost none of our clients knows the meaning of that message. Most consumers, I would say more than 99.9 percent of them, have no idea of the meaning of the patterns. Yet their clothes still broadcast this message loud and clear to the subconscious of everyone who sees them.

Wouldn’t you like to know whether the message that you’re sending is positive or negative?

Patterns can help or hurt you depending on the meaning of the pattern. Unfortunately, no one learns about the meanings of patterns in school, and there are almost no resources that you can find to decipher the meanings of the patterns in dresses, shirts, ties, and suits. However, the good news is that Manhattan Makeovers has been researching the meaning of patterns for more than two decades, and we have worked with sociologists and psychologists, as well as cultural anthropologists, to decipher the meaning of the patterns in clothes.

wheel dress

Look at this image of a dress containing a pattern in the form of wheels. Whether or not you find it attractive, do you have any idea of the significance of this pattern? Many women would buy a dress like this, and there are some famous designers who also make dresses with this type of wheel pattern. These dresses often are quite expensive, and they seem to promise a glamourous aura to the women who purchase them.

Almost none of the women who wear this dress, however, will realize that they are displaying an image from the Middle Ages known as the crocodile tube. This ancient device was utilized to torture victims, and it often killed them. The victim would be fed into the crocodile tube, which consisted of sharp spikes, and you can see the remnants of those spikes in the inner circumference of the wheel patterns on this dress.

So what message is this dress and this pattern conveying to the people who see the wearer? To decipher this message is one of the things that Manhattan Makeovers does for clients. Cultural anthropologists have also helped us understand the subconscious message about bondage and enslavement conveyed in certain patterns in expensive necklaces and bracelets, wristwatches and rings.

When we work with you to enhance your image, we will help you avoid conveying the wrong or inappropriate message to clients, associates, and even to your dates and spouses. Certain patterns are effective, but many are going to be problematic. You may not know the message you’re sending, but we do, and we will help you send only the right message, thereby enhancing your image at work and play.

You can count on Manhattan Makeovers to help you select the best wardrobe items. The research we have conducted is second to none. Give us a call today to see how we can help you select patterns that will move you ahead in your career and your social life.

By William Cane|2022-03-03T17:45:56-05:00August 21st, 2017|Image, Wardrobe|0 Comments

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