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Fred Connors聽at FRED Beauty Food Art. (Nick Pearce Photo)

In the TV show What Not to Wear,聽fashion experts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly ambush their participants with the aim of taking them from dowdy to dashing.

Inevitably though, the made-over women end up looking like a Stacy-Clinton mash-up, with all traces of their personality and individual style lost in the process.

That won鈥檛 be Dal鈥檚 approach, promises the style guru of Dalhousie Career Services鈥� What Not to Wear event.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about shopping for new clothes and giving them a new hairdo,鈥� says Fred Connors, who has been working with four students鈥擟aitlyn Reid, Peter Rogers, Shiva Nourpanah and Sean Gallagher鈥攖o get ready for the popular makeover session, first held on campus聽last year. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about preserving the uniqueness they have. They may be more polished and sophisticated, but you鈥檒l still be able to see their individuality.鈥�

The 鈥渟elf-esteem expert鈥� on TV鈥檚 X-Weighted, Mr. Connors says students have different issues compared to the participants of the reality-TV show, who are struggling their weight and confidence.

鈥淪tudents have been insulated in this microcosm for the past four-plus years,鈥� says Mr. Connors over coffee at his chic Halifax salon, caf茅 and art gallery on Agricola Street. He is immaculately dressed entirely in black, with F R E D spelled out in glittery letters across his chest. 鈥淚 mean, you just don鈥檛 roll out of bed and look like a pilipili漫画ful lawyer or doctor or planner or whatever you aspire to be.鈥�

A Dalhousie student once himself, Mr. Connors reminds the students of the importance of a good first impression. Looking polished and professional is the first step to getting noticed by a potential employer. 鈥淵ou may very well be confident and loyal and intelligent, but that鈥檚 going to be lost on an employer if you鈥檙e coming in looking like you just don鈥檛 care.鈥�

Besides, he adds, the days of dressing casually in the corporate workplace are for the most part over. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very important for organizations to project a positive brand image. For employees, that means putting on the 鈥榰niform,鈥� whatever that may be.鈥�

So how did he get to be an expert at making people look and feel beautiful? Growing up 鈥渁s a diminutive gay person鈥� in a military family in Dartmouth in the 1970s, Mr. Connors says he developed a thick skin and a strong sense of self awareness early on. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e constantly strategizing how to get to school without聽getting beat up, you realize you鈥檙e unique.鈥�

This year鈥檚 What Not to Wear 鈥渞eveal鈥� takes place on Tuesday, March 9 starting at 11:30 a.m. in the atrium of the Rowe Management Building. Sponsors for the event are Royal & SunAlliance Canada, FRED, Park Lane and The Bay. Admission is free and all are welcome.

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