Elena Castaneda is a graduate of the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City with a degree in fashion buying and merchandising. Her success began early; four years out of the institute, she opened Castaneda's, a high-end women's clothing store on Third Avenue and 75th Street in Manhattan.
The 6,000 square foot store, which thrived for nine years, was extremely popular among society women and young professionals, all of whom found the owner's advice invaluable. During this time, she worked with designers and manufacturers to help them pinpoint trends as a way to providing direction and coordination to their collections.
In addition, she worked regularly as a multi-media fashion stylist, producing fashion shows, commercials and print ads.
Motivated by her entrepreneurial abilities, Elena sold Castaneda's and pursued her next venture. She became a student of nutrition and fitness and opened the extremely popular Madison Avenue's Better Baker, a mecca of health conscious desserts that developed a cult-like following. Clientele included countless celebrities such as Meg Ryan, Sharon Stone, Meryl Streep, Matthew Broderick, Warren Beatty and Barbara Streisand. Because of Elena's inventive recipes and personal charisma, she was chosen to be a national spokesperson for Sunsweet. Better Baker was a great success and was eventually sold to a large food dealer.
With the bakery sold, Elena was inevitably drawn back to the world of fashion. Once again, she wanted to make her vast knowledge of fashion, fitness and style available to the masses. Keenly observing that there was a niche to be filled, Elena opened New York Image Consultant, Co. as a resource for those seeking individual help with their personal image and style.
After the immediate success of NYIC, Elena became a highly in-demand authority on fashion and image consulting. Her precise expertise has made her one of the most consistently sought after image training experts in the business. As a result, she currently divides her time between managing NYIC and touring the world through her training. Several publications continually cited her - including The New York Times, The New York Post, The New York Daily News, and the London Times. She has also written informative articles in national magazines, including "What to Wear for your Honeymoon" for Women's Day Bride magazine, "How to Dress like a Million on a Working Woman's Salary" for Beauty Handbook, and "Ten Tips to Stretch your Fashion Dollar" for Glamour. She appears regularly on television, most recently on Court TV critiquing Martha Stewart's courtroom attire. A well-regarded public speaker on a number of topics, Elena is often hired by major corporations and colleges. In addition, she regularly conducts seminars and workshops on image and dating at the Learning Annex and The 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.
