After completing my first year of studying Fashion Design at TAFE, I was drawn to the Australian College of Professional Styling as I knew the flexible home study course was going to change my life.
The tutorials were tremendously informative, written by professional people with real first-hand experience and influential advice that made the course very exciting and interesting. Each tutorial flowed into the next like a new chapter in your favourite book that is impossible to put down. The advice and links included in each tutorial opened my eyes to the creative world of online blogging, stylists, fashion advice forums and styling competitions. My tutor’s feedback and answers to my questions were full of encouragement and advice that challenged my creativity in a way that increased my confidence. Even now I am still able to email the College for advice.
During my study with the College I did work experience on shoots with Stylist, Talei Manners, as her assistant for her Te for Two bag campaign with clothing provided by S2. I was Macia Ball’s Stylist Assistant leading up to the Perth Fashion Festival and assisted her at the ‘Women in Business’ seminar which profiled a parade that included three great labels: Alannah Hill, Karen Millen and Armani.
I was then given the great opportunity to be Assistant Coordinator to Stylist Jan O’Laughlin. In this role I assisted in garment sourcing, model call sheets and was the caller and head dresser at her fashion parades at the Perth Fashion Festival. I was head dresser/runner for the Fashion Central, Fashion Bar and Fashion Paramount parades. It was the most amazing week of my life. I was also recently a dresser for the Karrinyup Swimwear Parade with Stylist, Sylvia Giacci.
I have been working with an established styling advisory service. So far my favourite event working for them has been a Halloween-themed shoot that featured in a popular overseas Spanish fashion magazine. We also had a six week contract with Westfield Carousel offering advise in their Styling Lounge and I was featured in the Canning Examiner newspaper for this event.
I no longer do magazine shoots but I use the skills learnt In the course in product styling for flowers. I am now running my own florist in my home studio.