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STYLE

Daphne James

8/6/2019 Daphne James

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The morning I set off to meet Daphne James, I

changed outfits five times and still felt a frump. Half

expecting to find an abrasive Trinny and Susannah or

an emaciated Rachel Zoe ready to tell me ever ything

I was doing wrong, I was pleasantly surprised when

an elegant Hepburn-esque woman stepped into the

St James Theatre and gracefully introduced herself.

Daphne’s own style is contemporary but she’s not a

fashion follower. Her approach is to dress for your shape

and personality. She’s not a label lover, preferring to

collect pieces from all variety of stores and put them

together rather than top-to-toe designer.

On the day we met, she had donned a Jacqui E shift

dress, a Pagani shrug and a pair of pumps she picked

up in Paris and I was immediately put at ease by the

everyday labels that made up her outfit. She’s not out

to emulate anyone else, saying simply: “I want to look 

like me.”

One piece she is never without though, are her pearls.

When young girls are born in Chile, every single one

has her ears pierced and recieves her first set of pearl

earrings before she leaves the hospital. Chilean women

are among the most beautiful in the world, always

taking care of themselves and their appearance so it’s

no surprise to find that the elegantly assembled Daphne

James is of Chilean ethnicity.

 A fiercely private person, Daphne doesn’t like having

her photo taken and doesn’t advertise – instead relying

on word of mouth to drive her business. Having only

appeared in a few brief articl es and television spots, she

prefers to keep herself and the stories of those she’s

helped entirely out of the spotlight, not bragging about

her successes like rugby scores on the ni ghtly news.

With a background in psychology, Daphne worked

as an occupational therapist at women’s psychiatric

institutions, working with drama, art and music therapy.

She used to ‘bribe’ her patients to open up with mini

makeovers, finding that the simple addition of secondhand

clothing and a little makeup allowed them to walk with

confidence and to share more with her.

Daphne’s role as a mobile image consultant relies

heavily on knowing every product in the industry. She

is one of New Zealand’s first trained image consultants

and, having been in business for 23 years, has learned

the psychologies of colour and personally tested produc

and services so she can say unequivocally which are t

best and why, and which stylist at which salon can c

whose style of hair the best.

Sometimes her trials end dramatically, as with the

hours she spent in accident and emergency after tr ying

product that claimed to be ‘better than botox’ but rapid

sent her into anaphylactic shock, requiring the help

three Epi pens to ease her conditi on – one product she

never recommend.

Daphne has an innate ability to hone into people

inner influences and bring them out in an approach th

is all about dressing for your personality – a trait she

certainly not lacking in. The exuberant image consulta

managed to get kicked out of Chanel, Paris – manhandl

by security for taking a photo inside the store. Daph

explains there is a reason you need to express yours

in the ways that you do. Are you romantic? Feminin

Dramatic? She understands the essence of people and

able to get right down to the root cause of why you ho

on so tight to a routine. It’s this quality that makes

her the choice of business corporations looking to

Daphne holds the key to unlocking your look 

Words RHONDA SNELGAR Photos WILLIAM DAVENPORT

8/6/2019 Daphne James

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improve the image of their business and staff.

Daphne defies the expectation of the stereotypical stylist

and isn’t all about labels. Her focus is on the cost per wear

factor for any budget, making sure that each piece in your

wardrobe is good value and is in vogue for what suits your

shape and your personality. Some clients have been taken

into the likes of Supre or secondhand stores while others

have found pieces at Zambesi. It’s all in the balance.

Daphne speaks at high schools, seminars, community

courses and conferences – among them the ‘Women’s

Conference’ organised by Andrea Stewart to be held

at the Intercontinental in May. The organisation is all

about empowering women and marking positive change

in their lives.

Depending on the service, Daphne’s fees start at just

$100 to $120 per hour. Her consultations generally take

between 2-2.5 hours and can be done in the client’shome or on a shopping trip. Corporate assistance

consultations and seminars are around $350 to $400

and last 2-3 hours. Her most popular group are the

30-65-year olds, both men and women, but with her

youthful exuberance she isn’t limited solely to that range.

She gets so much satisfaction in seeing anyone realise

how gorgeous they can be.

While Daphne would love to get her hands on many

passersby, her dream celebrity to dress would be singer,

KD Lang. She is dying to get her into a Diane Lane

style tuxedo, thinking how perfectly it complements

the singer’s personality. While she rarely mentions her

past clients out of privacy, Daphne does relish one story.

She was approached by a man whose brother had an

important interview coming up and needed her help.

When Daphne met the client, his pants were held

up by a necktie, his hair a long, greying ponytail with a

scruffy beard to top it off. Straightaway he told her there

was no way he’d cut his beard or his hair. Since Daphne’s

approach is to work with people, not just tell them what

to do, she didn’t push it. Taking him to Barkers she fitt

him in a jacket, shirt and suit trousers and the ma

seeing himself in the mirror, was so astounded that

wore them immediately, ditching his old clothes. Seei

the contrast of his new clothes to his scruffy hair, he to

Daphne he’d like to have a haircut. After a blade sha

and a haircut the man’s brother picked him up and did

recognise him. The client now walked with confidenc

he saw how he could look and the praise it received a

it made him want to continue w ith it. The best part of t

story? He got the job.

“A good appearance opens all doors,” says Daphn

“After a good visual presentation, back yourself up w

intelligence and confidence comes.” Daphne can ta

care of two-thirds of the equation because you look yo

best when you are comfortable and confident, so ma

a change today.

Daphne James

T. 021 029 04 754

E. james.daphne@gmail.com