Styled

I’m so thrilled you’re here so we can delve deeper into the insider secrets I share with you on social media, learnt over my twenty years as a personal stylist. I work with real women every day to help them gain confidence in expressing themselves through what they wear. It might sound like a stretch but I have been told countless times that finding their style has helped my clients live bigger, better, happier lives. And when you really think about it, it makes sense. In a world where trends come and go, personal style remains a timeless expression of who you are. Finding your style involves a process of determining what you love about yourself and how to highlight that. It’s not about fitting into a mould or following the latest trends – it’s about embracing your individuality and showcasing your inner, true self. Every woman has the power to create a style that reflects her personality, her passions and her purpose. This book is your guide to discovering and celebrating that, empowering you to step out with confidence and into the joy of being unapologetically you.

Styled by Sally

Before I set up my business, Styled by Sally, I was a school teacher and to this day I still get asked, ‘How did you make the transition from school teacher topersonal stylist?’ The answer is quite straightforward.

As a teacher I imparted knowledge, encouraged my students to explore ideas, helped them learn new skills and information, supported them when they made mistakes, nurtured them to try new things and praised them when they did their best. I loved this but after I had been teaching for around thirteen years, I needed a change. Taking my long service leave, I decided to travel solo for six months, starting out in the European summer and ending in the American winter. In October, I landed in New York City for the very first time, and it was love at first sight. The weather was starting to cool and typically the days were a mild 20-odd degrees Celsius, perfect for walking the streets of Manhattan, which I did a lot of.

It was peak Sex in the City era so, naturally, I’d booked a tour, which started somewhere near Central Park. To get there I walked along Fifth Avenue from Downtown. I still remember all the different neighbourhoods I walked through, and their distinctive vibes, each unique, from one block to the next.

Given the show’s emphasis on fashion, and my love of it, I dressed carefully from my limited wardrobe. After nearly four months of travelling out of a backpack I’d become inventive with layering, and throughout my journey had changed my pack’s contents to match the weather. As it had turned colder, I’d tossed out a few worn-out summer staples and replaced them with brown knee-high boots, tights and a warm, belted jacket.

Though I’d come from working in a profession that was a far cry from fashion, getting dressed, putting outfits together and knowing what worked (and what didn’t) had always come naturally to me. My friends often asked me to accompany them on shopping trips to help them buy a pair of jeans, find an outfit for an occasion or simply choose an outfit for a night out.

I will never forget a parent–teacher interview with a Year 5 boy’s mother. Jarvis was a great kid, shy and quiet but always engaged and eager to please.The first thing his mum said, before I had a chance to tell her what a great student her son was, was that every night he would describe what shoes I had worn, in great detail! Let’s just say my love of a good shoe was within me well before I even knew I would one day become a fashion stylist.

On that day, back on the Sex and the City tour, my boots became the coreof my outfit. Styled with the black ‘walking shorts’ I’d worn throughout summer, the boots and tights were the perfect replacement for strappy sandals. Up top, I wore a few layers, finishing off the look with my newbrown-tweed belted jacket. I was warm and comfortable and felt stylish (as much as one can, dressing out of a backpack!).

The tour host asked us all to introduce ourselves and say where we were from.

‘My name is Sally and I’m from Melbourne, Australia,’ I said when it was my turn.

‘Oh,’ she said, surprised. ‘I saw you earlier today walking down Fifth Avenue and thought to myself, look at that stylish New Yorker!’

To say I was surprised and flattered is an understatement! But that was the moment I realised my life was about to change. When I arrived at my next destination, Canada, I emailed my school principal and asked to work a four-day week when I got home. I knew I needed to give styling a real go. Exactly twelve months after that day, I officially launched Styled by Sally and booked my first client. And just over twelve months later, at the end of 2008, I left teaching to pursue a full-time career as a personal stylist.

The adjustment was not as dramatic as it sounds. As a personal stylist I alsoteach, listen, adapt, support and educate. I use the same skills and approachI needed for teaching, just applied to a different topic! The lovely difference is that I get to teach people from all walks of life – from teenagers to retirees, CEOs to stay-at-home mums, politicians to police. Regardless of someone’s job, status or budget, they all come to me with the same common goal: to feel good in their clothes.

Was I born with a natural eye for style? I think so. I’d always been interested in clothes and fashion, from styling my Barbie dolls to setting up fashion shoots with my sister in the family lounge room!

But that doesn’t mean I’ve always been confident in my personal style. Like many of us, I stumbled my way through my teenage years, not really having the self-confidence to express myself through my clothing. Being a tall, shy young woman, I hated feeling ‘obvious’, so I’d cover myself up by wearing oversized clothing (which, luckily for me, was also ‘on trend’ at the time).The lessons I learnt from styling myself, I now use to help others develop theirs. I have tried all the tricks, learnt all the rules (then tossed away most), and honed my natural instinct with decades of constant learning to distill all this down into useful, practical tips for you.

What to expect from STYLED

I want STYLED to be a source of inspiration for anyone coming to it at any point in time – whether that’s today as you’re reading this, or twenty years from now when it’s been handed down to a daughter or picked up in a second-hand bookshop. While your style will change over time, my tips and philosophies are steadfast and can be applied throughout your life as your personal style evolves. It’s advice that I hope will resonate, whatever your size, shape, height, age or budget. If you can take one thing from this book and apply it in a way that makes your life easier, ensures your wardrobe works harder, and helps you hold your head higher, then this is going to be worth the read. Whatever your job, wherever you live or wherever in life you happen to be, STYLED has been written for you.

Throughout the book, I’ll give you little tasks to complete and questions to answer. The aim of these practical activities is to help you define your style, identify your personal needs, prioritise your wardrobe purpose and shop with intention. There are no wrong answers, just ideas, exploration, solutions and outcomes.

We’ll look at outfit building, wardrobe organising, rule breaking and inspiration sourcing. I’ll share my insider tips on how to shop like a pro and the style hacks I’ve learnt over the years that will be game changers for your life. You’ll learn why age is irrelevant when it comes to personal style, how to listen to your feelings and not anyone else’s, and how to get dressed without rules.

I’ll share the experiences of real-life clients (with names changed toprotect their privacy) that you’ll be able to relate to. The illustrations by Juliet Sulejmani (@Thejulietreport) are a crucial part of the book too. I decided upon using illustrations instead of photographs of real people for a couple of reasons. First, I loved collaborating with Juliet on my signature graphic tee and wanted to work with her again! And the second, because an illustration holds no preconceived beliefs or association with any one person. As such, you’ll note that each figure has a nondescript complexionand facial features – a blank canvas if you will – upon which to project your own experience. When you look at these illustrations I want you to seeyourselves, not an actor, model or celebrity who happens to be notable today but your own true, spectacular self. If there’s one takeout message I want to give you with this book, it’s to unapologetically express, celebrate and appreciate you! And everything I share here with you has been created withthe intention of helping you do that.

My hope for this book is that it will guide and inspire you to dress in any way you want, giving you the tools and permission to do so. It’s an extension of the everyday conversations I’ve had with my clients for many years. I want to teach you how to trust your own feelings and instincts when it comes to your personal style. Don’t feel good in a colour? Don’t wear it! Don’t like that trend? Ignore it! When you leave the house, what outfits make you feel most ‘you’? When you go to work, which outfits leave you feeling capable, seen, heard? When you catch up with friends, which outfit consistently invites compliments? The practical tips I share have the potential to change theway you think and feel about your clothes, because ‘What am I going to wear today?’ is a question we all ask ourselves. You will learn how to listen to this intuition to help you formulate a personal style that feels right. One outfit at a time. Every day.