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About Bernie

I’ve had many years of experience in both the public and private sectors, including Levi Strauss & Co., the California Legislature, the San Mateo County Superior Court, and Visa International.

All through my career, I’d noticed that people at different levels of pay, power and authority dressed differently. The higher the job level, the more polished the appearance.  In the early days at Levi’s, a friend and I dubbed ourselves “Roving Lifestyle Critics” and would comment on the appearance of passers-by, guessing at their job status and/or romantic success based on their clothes and hairstyles. Many’s the time we’d observe that, with just a few changes, someone could go from chuckle-inducing to terrific-looking. 

In 2001, with the idea of expanding on that more helpful aspect of personal observation, I immersed myself in the study of color analysis. And not a two-day course in “draping”—this was months of study, endless hours of paint mixing and color matching, and an apprenticeship with two internationally recognized experts in personal color analysis, both of whom studied with the legendary Suzanne Caygill, the originator (in 1942) of seasonal color theory.

As I worked to become a Certified Color Designer, I discovered image consulting and began that training as well. The San Francisco Bay Area was a great place to learn—many of the world’s leading experts in image are there. And they all belong to AICI—the Association of Image Consultants International. I joined AICI, got my image consulting certification and became very involved in the local chapter, serving in various board positions and learning lots of useful stuff from my colleagues. 

After six years, I was nominated to AICI’s international board, and now serve as VP of Member Communications.  Part of my responsibility is the AICI website – check it out! 

One of my AICI pals, Brenda Kinsel, asked me to contribute a chapter to her new book, Brenda Kinsel’s Fashion Makeover – 30 Days to Diva Style!  What an honor! Brenda has written four other terrific image books, has been on Oprah, and is quoted just about everywhere. The book is available at local bookstores or from Amazon.com. 

Now I’m back in Oregon, ready to share all I’ve learned.

What can I do for you?  Click here to see if you’re the kind of person I work with.