“I work on self-love, because style goes beyond what you wear,” says well-known image consultant Lina Diaz, who was in Guayaquil.

To talk fashion and clothingimage consultant Lina Diaz It’s very graphic. With theirs collages explaining, the famous 41-year-old Colombian costume designer illustrates all possible ways to combine colors, patterns, prints, pieces for every universal style (natural, traditional, elegant, romantic, seductive, dramatic and creative) and inspirations for look week. His advice is not only intended for people who want to project a better outward image, but also advises other men and women who are dedicated to the same profession.

In this way she enchanted more than 260,000 followers added to all his social networks (Instagram, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter-X).

This expertise i Her ability to translate fashion concepts that may not be easy for everyone, but that interest more than one, recently brought her to Guayaquil.. In the city of Buenos Aires, he offered a private workshop for De Prati stores in mid-August.

Lina gave some fashion tips, how to wear them jeans dark to achieve a less informal look; that to identify whether the torso is long or short (and therefore to choose the clothes that fit him best) you can stretch your middle finger and thumb, from the navel to the chest; and colored sandals or heels naked They achieve the effect of longer and more stylized legs.

It was also an opportunity to meet the person behind this digital brand who, despite so much knowledge of brands, designers and clothing concepts, confirms the famous saying that the only way to really look good is to feel good. And that is more important than it seems in this type of business.

What did you do before style and image consulting?

I was a lawyer before I devoted myself to studying fashion marketing, which was what I was passionate about. I studied at Parsons (Parsons The New School for Design School of Fashion). I was there for four years, I worked at Armani.

Even before she became a counselor, did Lina also have her days when she dressed ugly or didn’t feel powerful?

In total! It’s a total change. Above all, it often happened to me that when I was a lawyer, I dressed up to create credibility, so I wore suits (suits) every day, dark colors, for designing. Because I was very young, so I didn’t create that credibility. I felt super dressed up and when I got home I took everything off and said “this is not my style.” I had no idea, I didn’t know my body, I didn’t know my colors, so of course I went there.

What was your journey to this point in your career, how did you discover that styling and image consulting was your thing?

I think it was born out of the need to help people, because many people don’t know about these topics. My friends, my relatives always asked me what to wear at a party or going out, I always wanted to help them, but when I started I did it empirically, without knowledge and then I realized that behind everything is this theory, all this knowledge. I realize that I can really serve, I can help and get paid for it.

How did you feel when you could apply all this knowledge to yourself?

Imagine how liberating it was, because I wasn’t trying to mask myself anymore. I believe that when you find your authentic and true style, you can be who you are without being criticized, without judgment, without worrying about what people will say about you. It’s the most freeing thing in the world.

What do you see as your added value, as opposed to other wardrobe consultants on social media?

The first thing is that I don’t only work in the aesthetic part; That is, I don’t just tell people how to dress according to color and body type, I work on a comprehensive process. I take into account the inner part of a person, how they feel, their self-concept, my self-concept, because I believe that style goes beyond what you wear. That’s an important difference. Second, I have a business behind my brand, there are a lot of people who love fashion, but they have it there like hobbywho publish the products of divine rolls, but do not make it a business.

Speaking of self-love, lately there has been a lot of talk on social media about well-being and feeling good about yourself. How do these concepts fit into the external image?

The first step to looking good is feeling good. It’s also worth not feeling well, because today, since everything is positive, it’s worth recognizing those emotions, that sometimes you don’t feel well, that sometimes you don’t want to get out of bed, that you don’t want to wear red lipstick. Everything comes to tell you something that is also important to you.

What would you say to people who might think that wardrobe or image issues are superficial?

No (laughs)… They are far away. When they hear the testimonies of my clients, they are not “Lina, thank you for helping me find my colors”, but “You changed my life, because you helped me to recognize myself as I am, to love myself as I am.” They are fundamental transformations in people’s lives, beyond the aesthetic part. The aesthetic part is a consequence of the entire process that is done before and in the fact that sometimes there are fears among people about getting to know themselves, it could be that this is why people do not like to get to know themselves. Because people don’t like to come across emotional wounds, they stay in the superficial layers to protect themselves. These are processes that can be painful, they can be difficult, but once you go through them, if you go through them, there is nothing liberating.

Wardrobe advice then has a psychological component.

In total. In fact, the process of the so-called training image, because we work on color psychology, absolutely everything.

What are your main guidelines or guidelines when working with clients before getting into the subject of wardrobe?

I always do the whole process internally, and we finish with the external part.

What three tips do you recommend to improve your image?

Like I said, more than looking good is feeling good. That there is no such thing as an ugly and perfect body, but look for what suits your silhouette. Every woman is beautiful, that’s why I never limit or forbid her. The idea is to recognize that everyone is different and that everyone can be seen as divine. (AND)