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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
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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
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