Renowned international image consultant, Jill Lowe, launched her first two books titled ‘Dressing for Boys’ and ‘Dressing for Girls’ on 4 September, 2009 at her flagship store at Raffles Hotel Arcade. Not just a commercial project, these books will be introduced in the following year in some secondary schools as supplementary materials under the Home Economics subject.
Alongside MediaCorp artiste Edmund Chen, other VIP guests at the press conference included veterans in the education industry such as Marina Ooi, General Manager of Pearson Longman, and Lenie Cho, principal of Saint Francis Methodist School. They took turns to share interesting anecdotes about Lowe and what inspired her to pen these fashion guide books for teenagers.
Ooi, a former classmate of Lowe and the publisher for both of her books, shared that their expertise in different fields — one in beauty, the other in publishing — led them both to collaborate on a project that would benefit teens. In particular, they wanted to change the unhealthy mindsets of youths who associated “slim and thin fashion” as being beautiful.
Targeting youths between 10 to 18 years old, the books provide strong technical analysis on how both genders can dress sharp and appropriately according to their body shape and color personality. It also included content on psychological effects resulting from one’s choice of colors, how not to compromise one’s unique personality, be creative, and yet still make mom happy!
| PHOTOS: Reuel Eugene Tay |
Lowe who is a mother of two teenagers shared, “Because of globalization, today’s youths are easily influenced by what they see in the media and regard celebrities as their role models. By gaining a better perspective of personal style, they can learn to be creative and recognized as a unique individual without alienating their positive Asian values.”
“How we dress affects our lifestyle and kids need to be well aware of this from a young age!” added Lowe.
During the question-and-answer session, an audience member Tiffany who had brought her daughter Gracia to Jill Lowe’s workshops on numerous occasions, shared, “I used to be clueless about dressing right as there weren’t any guidelines on the market. After being persuaded by Gracia to take her to Jill’s class, my problems are now solved! I no longer need to fret about teaching my daughter how to dress right because Jill’s lessons cover that.”
Jill Lowe first took up makeup as a professional skill in the United States in 1984 and set up Jill Lowe International two years later. She eventually made a name for herself in the region, winning Platinum Awards for ‘Best Performing Color Me Beautiful Consultants Worldwide’ for nine years in a row (1991 to 1998). She was also the first Singaporean to establish her own cosmetics and skincare brand, Jill Lowe.
With over 25 years of experience in makeup, skincare and image consulting, Lowe currently oversees 30 specialist consultants in her organization. She has a son aged 15 and a daughter who is 20.
‘Dressing for Boys’ and ‘Dressing for Girls’ (SGD$12.75) is available at all major book stores.
