IT is about recognising who you are and dressing in a way to reflect that. At the same time, people who deal with you must feel a congruency between their experience of who you are and what you wear,' says Carla Mathis, who has gained recognition the world over as a colour specialist and image consultant. She is currently in town to speak to the local chapter of the Association of Image Consultants International, as well as conduct one-on-one consultations with individual clients.

Dressed in blacks of many textures offset by asymmetric grey hair and delicate jewellery, Ms Mathis talks of how it took her 10 years 'to create a language of colour'.

Her mantras on image and colour are encapsulated in The Triumph of Individual Style - a step-by-step guide to picking clothes that work for you. The 1994 book, still held in esteem by stylists, uses famous art reproductions to illustrate different body types.

Ms Mathis founded ColorStyle Inc in 1981 - now called the Body Beautiful Institute - a business that has expanded into all aspects of image consultancy - from styling individual and corporate clients to helping people cull their wardrobes and design their homes. She also continues to lecture and train image consultants round the world.

To pick clothes and styles for people, she asks herself questions about the person's colouring, body shape and personality type. When putting together an outfit, she takes into account elements such as colour, texture and proportion - and details like dominant and subordinate patterns.

Some of it sounds pretty obvious - that a vibrant personality could wear fire-engine red, for example, while a soft-spoken person would feel more comfortable in pastels.

Favourite garments

'It is common sense,' she readily agrees, 'but it is profound in its results, worth years of therapy. So few people pay attention to what their body is telling them. Instead they try out, say, the latest fashion - which might not work for them, then look in the mirror and decide there's something wrong with their bodies. There isn't.

'Our favourite garments are usually what's right for us,' she says.

When she speaks, her hands are used eloquently and you notice she has asymmetrical digits, having been born with a congenital defect known as amniotic band syndrome. She shares how, growing up, this didn't create an image problem thanks to highly supportive parents.

The innate self-confidence shows: Ms Mathis talks with authority and conviction on the power of the image.

As for the 'business' of image, it is a lucrative one, certainly for someone as popular as Ms Mathis, whose consultation slots in Singapore have already been booked up. She charges around US$900 for a two-and-a-half-hour consultation, and about US$300 an hour to do people's wardrobes and personal shopping.

In the United States, the trend is for authenticity, to pay attention to details, 'it is no longer a cookie-cutter look. There is an elegance now in upper management, it is less casual.

In the business environment, we clarify both the corporate and the personal brands, and merge them. Companies are realising that their employees are their best calling cards.'

Well-fitting, perfectly cut, tailored for your body: these are terms that keep coming up in conversation. Essentially, she suggests that men need to get their clothes tailored for them: 'I've met maybe two men in 10,000 who really did fit into an off-the-counter shirt.'

Ms Mathis is very clear that the clothes should reflect the wearer's personality. Often in consultations, she will ask clients to bring in things that speak to them - a picture, an object - to get a sense of the lines, colours and structures that will express who they are.

Her son now manages the 'business' end of things, but Ms Mathis still travels half a year on work. She admits she would like to do a little less now. 'I'm 67, I want people to do the teaching for me.'

Though she doesn't feel her famous Style book needs updating, she is in the process of working on four other books, even a potential pilot for a TV show. Dressing right, she holds, is for everybody.

'It is about getting people to believe in your personal power without having to open your mouth.' When you do, presumably, you speak with more authority - and also look good while doing so.