About

About Iris – the Dawson Boutique image consultant's story

When I first moved to Ireland, I could not get over the stunning landscapes of the Irish countryside. As I looked out at this other world that was so new to me, I could not help but want to insert that feeling into fashion.

I loved seeing Irish women working, socializing, and raising their families. Their spirit was as alive as the countryside.  The land and the people inspired me to create a fashion statement that would capture the soul and beauty of Ireland.

Growing Pains: The Personal Stylist Journey

As I became increasingly determined to pursue a career in style, I often reflected on the memories that motivated my passion for the industry. In my youth, I found the process of finding clothes a relatively painless one. Taking small modeling jobs, I was exposed to the industry at a young age. At 17, I suddenly began to gain weight. Transforming from a model-like figure into an overweight one was not only embarrassing but caused me a lot of issues. Finding clothes that looked good and fit well was a source of much dissatisfaction.

Because of a wrong medication prescription, my figure continued to be heavyset, never reverting to the model-like stature I had prior to the misdiagnosis. Finding fashionable clothes to fit my frame was a constant struggle.

Finding little boutiques here and there, I began to build a wardrobe that was trendy and suited my bigger build. Two stylists assisted me during this period. I always remembered them fondly. Patient, fair, knowledgeable, and compassionate, they were largely responsible for inspiring my fashion journey.

Image Consultant Evolution

Before developing the Dawson Boutique brand, I immersed myself in both fashion and design. Experienced in all facets of the industry, I am an image consultant, stylist, fashion designer and merchandiser, and graphic designer, as well as a certified neuromuscular therapist and nutritional therapist.

With more than 15 years of experience in the field, I trained under iconic Italian designer Elsa Serrano for almost a decade.

Working with members of international royal families as well as Hollywood starlets, Elsa was renowned for dressing notable personalities such as Sofia Loren, Joan Collins, Isabella Rosellini, and Catherine Deneuve.  Working with her worldwide clientele, the world of couture fueled my desire to create and design.

Image Consultant Inspiration

The colours of Ireland continued to inspire my style journey, propelling me further into the world of fashion, style, and image consultancy. I wanted to introduce colours, prints, and patterns, that were atypical to Ireland at the time, into the fashion scene.

What began as just wanting to add colour into the lives of Irish women to enhance their mood and brighten their day became my passion. After working with women for so many years, I became increasingly aware of the fact that many women simply needed to have a stronger grasp of colour and the science behind it.

From clashing wardrobe elements to unfavorable tonal colours for their skin types, it was apparent that a large percentage of the female population was suffering from a lack of colour training. I was determined to change this.

Curing the Colour Craze

As I witnessed more women wearing colours that negatively impacted their personality or diminished the beauty of their natural complexion, I began to study colour more seriously.

While I had always worked with colour and strategically used it in both my personal and professional everyday life, I realized that I would have to study it if I were going to explain it to others and incorporate it into my business model.

Tonal Colour Analysis

As I studied colour more in-depth, I began to offer colour consultation services. From branding to wardrobes, I started to work one-on-one with women, teaching them about colour and how it affected them physically and psychologically.

Dawson Boutique continues to offer multiple colour consultation opportunities today. From tonal colour analysis to developing our personalized colour consultation and color personality, we work with our clients’ colour issues.

Our Difference: Online Personal Stylist Service

A full-service image consultancy group, Dawson Boutique is modelled   upon my own experiences, developing services provided by real women for real women.

I wanted to build an establishment to provide services that made women of every body type look and feel great.

Fashion seemed to me like a backward industry; something built for the minority of women and not the majority. It did not even make business sense. Clothes never seemed to fit well, even on average builds.

I became committed to providing personal stylist services that embraced the concepts of fit, fashion, and function regardless of body type or size. That is why Dawson Boutique predominantly works with designers who offer strong designer ready to wear collections catering from sizes 6 to 26.  However, we also offer pieces that are made to measure.  For this option, you provide your measurements and choose a style and colour and embellishments and we design just for you. Through the process we exchange as many emails as needed to ensure you are fully satisfied.

Education and Certification

Diploma of Fashion Styling and Image Consulting
ICI Grade A for methodical work and educational assiduity

Advance Diploma of Fashion Design
ICI Grade A for methodical work and educational assiduity

Certificate in Fashion Buying and Merchandising
QQI Award

Diploma on Personal Style
ICT  Kim Bolsover. Professional Training Award

Diploma on Colour Analysis
ICT Kim Bolsover , Professional Training Award

Diploma on Colour Confidence Expert
ICT Kim Bolsover . Professional Training Award

Diploma in Advance Colour Analysis
ICT Kim Bolsover . Professional Training Award

Diploma in Personal Shopping & Wardrobe
ICT Kim Bolsover . Professional Training Award

Diploma in Nutritional Therapy
CNM College of Naturopathic Medicine

National Qualification of Neuromuscular Therapy
TNC .Training National Centre

Graphic Design
University of Buenos Aires

Fashion Couture Training
Private Atelier Miss Serrano Buenos Aires