MY STORY
My fascination with clothing and the role it plays in the creation of a personal image or brand stems from my earlier career as a singer and entertainer. Touring different venues with different audiences, I began to notice how my level of confidence and stage presence was directly linked to how I felt in the clothes that I was wearing and how that, in turn, influenced how the audience responded to me. The more I learnt about image building through styling, the more enthusiastic I became about the topic. I left the music business and returned to Melbourne to pursue my new passion.
A chance meeting at a networking event with a Senior Executive of one of Australia’s largest banking corporations was the genesis of my new career. This individual was smart and ambitious, and although they inherently knew that their drab, dated appearance needed to be improved, they didn’t know how to fix it. I started working with them first to understand what they wanted to achieve and then how to develop a personal style to get there. Within the year, the change we made to their attire and appearance had made a significant impact on their professional standing and personal life. I continued to work with them for several years.
During this time, I developed a range of services from celebrity styling, to wardrobe cleanouts and personal shopping. I also did photoshoot styling for fashion labels and a series of in-store promotional events for the national retailer PAS Group including Review & Metalicus. Through the various jobs, I continued to explore the reasons why people dressed the way they did.
Surprisingly, I discovered research was scarce into the psychological and physiological effect of the clothes people wear and how it influences our perception of both ourselves and others. The field of image and personal styling seemed stuck in the era of “power dressing” and its obsession with body shape (apple, pear, brick, triangle etc.) and unsubstantiated theories about specific colours and patterns being permitted or forbidden.
None of this resonated with me. It was formulaic, too limiting and denied the most critical aspect of image development – the authentic expression of an individual’s unique personality.
In the decade since launching my business, I have developed my own method for understanding what works and what should be avoided for different body types. This is based on my study of proportion ratios, and it’s been applied and refined with each client over the years. It now forms the foundation of each wardrobe strategy I undertake.
I have had the privilege of working with some truly remarkable and inspiring women and men. I have loved getting to know their stories and understand every facet of their life. And I have drawn great professional and personal satisfaction from helping them to develop a compelling, powerful, image for themselves.