Kristen Kaleal
Cleveland “Fashionista” and Style Maven

Several weeks ago, our very own Roxanne Ravenel profiled Victoria Colligan of Ladies Who Launch, a nationwide association of women business owners who have become media darlings right here in Cleveland. With some 20,000+ members, a collective entrepreneurial spirit and incubation of similar groups across the globe, Roxanne’s story on the ladies got me thinking. I decided to look into another one of that group’s launching members, Kristen Kaleal.

Kaleal is the Vice-President of the Association of Image Consultants International (Ohio-Penn) chapter, founding director of the Cleveland Women's Leadership Link and donates her time to Dress for Success—an international NPO that provides interview attire to underprivileged women entering the workforce.

She writes columns for ClevelandWomen.com, ProfessionalDiva.com and Jobpostings magazine, too. Want to stay up on the trends? She’s your woman.

Kaleal is also founder and president of locally-based Fusion Image Group, soon to be Kristen Kaleal Image Design, Inc. She presents programs and seminars to financial institutions, major corporations, universities, and women's organizations on professional style and image. Kaleal herself quickly became what Carson Kressley calls a “fashionista” on the local scene—acting as the fashion voice of real Cleveland women.

(And yeah, she helps real Cleveland guys, too…)

Kaleal began college as a pre-med student, thinking plastic surgery was her calling and a way to help others. But the John Carroll grad decided on another path and fell in love with fashion. Her approach is cheery and self-deprecating, yet erudite. She’s master of her own three-ring circus, and all three of ‘em are said to inspire television shows and style books she’s working on.

Cool Cleveland caught up with Kaleal recently and the conversations below ensued:

Cool Cleveland: Why image consulting?

Kristen Kaleal: It just started in college and extrapolated from there. I think I was very unhappy in college until I learned how to dress better. That completely changed my life in every single way possible. That’s what drove me to do this. When you’re being fed a million different messages about style, you end up with a huge closet full of clothes and never really know what hit you, or how to put it all together. When I got my closet in order, I found a confidence I never knew I had, and that started to put my whole life in order. It’s exciting to use that experience to help transform others.

CC: You’re doing a bit of transforming right now yourself. Fusion Image Group is certainly undergoing an “Extreme Makeover.” Rebranding, actually.

KK: There are a couple of reasons that we're re-establishing the brand at this point. Fusion started as me and some of my image consultant colleagues—literally from around the world—working together to a certain extent. It evolved into me getting my name out more in my home market and staying closer to Cleveland. I’m personally recognized more than my business, so I have literally become my own brand. Also, I have been asked to do more branding, PR, and corporate identity design work lately, so I want to reflect that more as well.

Funny how it seems that now, everything from cars to soft drinks have the name Fusion. It just became too trendy and I think it’s going to burn out. So, it was time for a change.

CC: When are you planning on re-launching, so to speak?

KK: I think I'm crazy for putting myself through this right now, but I know it’s the right time. We'll be back up within the next month as Kristen Kaleal Image Design, Inc. www.KristenKaleal.com.

CC: Most of your clientele is female. What would you say is the greatest challenge that presents?

KK: Women’s clothing is patterned after a standard-size 8 hourglass figure, which most women certainly are not. Most women—something like 40%—are pear-shaped, smaller on top and larger on the bottom. The fashion world mercilessly sabotages women’s self-esteem and cuts straight to the core of their being. It can be difficult to get women beyond that stage and to start thinking positively.

CC: And what about for men?

KK: Men just don’t obsess about clothing and body shape like that, but sometimes it can be challenging just to get them interested in changing. (laughs) No man I’ve ever encountered in this business has ever said, “Does this make my butt look big?”

CC: How funny! They don't care if their butt looks big, I bet.

KK: Not at all, actually. Never.

CC: Do you get a lot of that "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" enthusiasm from men who have seen that show?

KK: When I tell people what I do for a living, a lot of guys relate my job to the Fab Five. The comparison is correct to some extent, but I don't cook!

CC: While we’re on the subject of television, there’s a TV project that you have your hands in. Tell us about it.

KK: It was a right place, right time scenario. I sent a media kit to the Ohio News Network in Columbus because I was going to be traveling down there quite a bit. It just so happened they were looking to branch out from the all-news format and one of the things that was high on their list was a style show for the young, hip professional female demographic.

I gave them some ideas and it turns out we were on the exact same page. So we're working on shooting the pilot and selling it to sponsors. Well, the sales part is their job, lucky for me. It’s a really exciting idea—it has syndication possibilities—and who knows, you may even see it on the Style Network someday!

CC: OK, is there anything in your closet from a style perspective that you’d be ashamed for someone to find?

KK: No. Nothing. Not a thing other than some silly jammies, maybe. (laughs) But really, nothing I would ever wear out in public. Everything I’ve bought in the last two years is still in circulation and I’m always moving stuff out that I’m not wearing. A lot of people have a hard time letting go of clothes, and I used to, but I do tend to let them go now at the appropriate time.

CC: What about your own fashion obsessions?

KK: Healthy or not, I have a stereotypical woman’s obsession with shoes, although mine goes a lot farther than most! (laughs) I do have a lot of clothes and a lot of shoes, but at the same time, I do try to buy them all in a way that fits my personal style so everything is worn and nothing is wasted.

CC: Sometimes the stuff looks far better on the mannequin, at least for me.

KK: Yes! (laughs) For a lot of people. I also think stores poorly light their fitting rooms so we can’t see the clothes on us properly and we buy them anyway.

CC: What do you make of all of the fashion and style magazines out there?

KK: I do read the fashion magazines. I have to, in a way. But you really do have to separate the good advice from the bad. I have a clipping I took from a fashion magazine in one of my [style] PowerPoints that says, “Wear shorts in winter with tights!” (laughs) My audiences laugh at the absurdity and it drives home the point.

CC: Wow. That actually sounds like a total fashion disaster.

KK: Fashion magazines have an agenda, and that is to get money out of your wallet for their advertisers – every three to six months. That’s why I kinda speak out against that, even though I am a part of that scene at the same time. I’m sort of a double agent. You can sometimes spend a lot of money and not benefit in the least, or you can spend moderately and look fabulous. Oscar Wilde said, “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months”. Amen!

CC: I imagine creating a good work wardrobe on a budget is asked about a lot.

KK: Yes. One of the top things I hear, actually.

CC: No comments on my t-shirt and shorts, then. It’s a timeless style! I am certain they’re on your “Credibility Robbers” list, but it’s hot today!

KK: It’s OK. (laughs) You Cool Clevelanders need to stay cool.

CC: People want to look good, but not spend a ton of money. How then do you feel about thrift stores, both in general, and as they relate to grooming a much more professional wardrobe?

KK: I speak a couple of times a year on behalf of Dress for Success Cleveland. I meet women there who are going through drug rehab or living in halfway houses. They want to get a job, move on with their lives, and become productive members of society. Some people simply can’t afford to spend a lot on clothes and I actually teach how to shop at thrift stores to get the best things. You can buy name brand clothing with classic lines at resale stores, if you know what you're doing.

My proudest resale shopping moment came when I bought an Escada jacket for $8! I don't think I have gotten more wear out of any other piece of clothing I own!

CC: Organizations are still throwing a lot of cash at “corporate identity,” aren’t they?

KK: Companies invest millions of dollars every year to make sure their public perception is carefully shaped. When you walk into a bank, accounting firm or a law office, what you see sets the tone for the entire experience in your dealings with that company. You don’t want to see some chick picking her extra-long nails she can’t type with, chomping gum and her dark roots are showing through—

CC: Yikes. Another disaster! (laughs)

KK: Well, but you do see a lot of that! And when working with those folks, you really do have to engage in a more “soft training,” if you know what I mean.

CC: Makes sense. We’ll leave it at that. Why do you suppose employees have such a hard time with the words "business casual"?

KK: Glad you asked. I always want to spread the Business Casual gospel. The term itself is extremely misleading. Levi Strauss invented Business Casual in 1991 simply to sell Dockers. While the term, unfortunately, is here to stay, it’s important to note that the word “Business” comes first.

The definition I always use is that Business Casual is simply a “relaxed rendition of business dress”. Notice it doesn't mention anything about looking sloppy. And Levi’s will hate me – my clothing pet peeve is khaki cotton pants! And yes, I know, they’re the dress standard for half of Cleveland! They're meant to look wrinkled and old very quickly. They don't hold up. A better investment is a pair of lightweight wool slacks. They will cost more up front, but will be able to be worn for a 2-3 years without showing their age.

CC: Any other advice for Cool Clevelanders out there?

KK: Learn the timeless rules and principles of style. But at the same time, it’s important to be yourself and develop your own personal style. Understand how to dress your unique body shape. Buy clothes that fit properly, and if they don’t, a good tailor is your best ally. Don’t get into a time warp. Keep your look updated. It doesn’t have to be trendy, but your hair shouldn’t look like Poison circa 1988 either.

And my favorite piece of shopping advice? Love it madly, need it badly, or don’t buy it!

Interview by Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

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