I did my bit to support the retail economy of Las Vegas, Nevada last week. The whole family spent a day at the Premium Outlets in the North (a 30 minute bus ride/15 minute taxi ride) from the Strip. I had loads of fun and I think we got some real bargains for everyone in the family. My clients who are planning trips to the US often ask me about shopping in the factory outlets. Are the discounts worth the
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I’ve worked in Asia and the US and in comparison, the workplace dress code in Australia is relaxed and casual. Unless you work in a major city in “professional” industries where a suit is still the norm, getting dressed for work each day can be a headache. How can you create an outfit that is professional, appropriate, comfortable yet injected with your personality? A good place to start is to understand the impression you want to create on your clients,
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How would you describe your personal fashion style? Classic, romantic, sporty, bohemian? Or a cross between one or two of those categories with your unique spin? In this digital age, there is plenty of fashion inspiration to help you put together your look. When I was sixteen, I used to wait impatiently for my monthly edition of Seventeen to arrive (a month out of date by the time I received it by sea-mail). My friends and I used to drool
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How do you feel when you open up your wardrobe each day? Do you like the clothes and accessories you see inside? Does each piece give you a positive vibe, maybe reminding you of when you bought it or the last time your wore it? The emotional roller coaster of getting dressed I had a love-hate relationship with my (rather full) wardrobe. I used to open it with anticipation thinking, “What do I feel like wearing today?” It wasn’t like
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Last week I enjoyed meeting up with a girlfriend I hadn’t seen for a year. As we caught up on each other’s lives, our conversation inevitably turned to husbands and children. In particular, I was struck by how she described her seven year-old daughter as a girly girl who loved everything pink, dresses, hairclips, dolls and four-legged animals. My friend, a self-professed tomboy growing up and a highly capable IT project manager, was amazed (and frustrated) at how their different
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As a personal fashion stylist, one of the best parts of my job is running group styling parties. Nothing compares to showing women how they can use the magic of clothes to change how they feel about themselves. And often the results are instant. It never ceases to amaze me how a woman can light up a whole room when she’s wearing the right garment for her shape, colouring and in this case, personality. One lady – I’ll call her
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I was sorting the laundry yesterday ready for a wash and for the first time I read the labels on my clothes. Not just the care label but the composition label. Until yesterday, I had no clue what my clothes were made out of. Nor any inkling or appreciation of what had gone into the creation of a $12 Cotton On tank top (95% cotton, 5% spandex). I am no eco-warrior or green nazi. Sometimes I cheat and don’t sort
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I came across this Aboriginal saying and it lays at the heart of one of the most common questions I get asked as a personal stylist, “How do you mix and match and look so pulled together?” Simple. You can get more outfits out of core items when you pick up a few pointers on mixing and matching. This means you don’t need to go shopping so you save money. It means you can go shopping in your wardrobe,
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Can you smell it? Spring’s in the air (at least in Sydney). It’s a wonderful time to dust off the winter cobwebs to contemplate new ideas and fresh possibilities. Why not start with your closet and your clothes? If you’re like the majority of my clients, you know it’s always a good idea to clean out your closet, but it’s about as appealing as cleaning out your handbag or car. That goes double if you haven’t done it for a
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This was a good read from the UK version of Instyle Magazine, August 2012. It pretty much underscores the advice my mother gave me when it comes to shopping, “Buy the best that you can afford. If you choose wisely, it will last and love you the rest of your life.” Senior Stylist Natalie Hartley took up the challenge of wearing the same black, cropped jacket for thirty days – to work, to a wedding and to the corner shop
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