From a very early age I was introduced to the artisan world of cotton finery, velvets, embroidery and sequins. My mother, a designer, won six Concourse d’Elegance awards (now the RAQ Awards, Queensland) for her couture dresses and theatrical presentations. Our home housed several Singer sewing machines to cater for the demand of a little boutique store, which provided crochet bikinis, swimwear and summer delights. The path was set for me to become a fashion stylist.
For the last nine years, after a long stint in retail, TV and theatre, I started a men’s lifestyle blog, which saw me invited to write for New York Fashion Week, blogging for US fashion giant Nautica and profiled by Barney’s New York. I was then commissioned to write for CEO Magazine, with a monthly readership of 250,000, and the highly respected FashionBeans.com, which attracts more than 4.5million page views a month. But as I progressed, I also saw the need to technically outline my craft, and have more authority over my writing.
The Australian College of Professional Styling supported me through this by aligning my natural ability to style, design, and create with the technical terms and mechanics to speak with greater depth and precision about my work. And for me, a mum with very little time to herself, working on the course on the weekend or at 11pm was a blessing!
Every stylist will have their own eye for design, but to have a governing voice over your assignments as you work through each tutorial at the Australian College of Professional Styling is just marvellous. My work now ranges from editorial shoots, content creation – working with highly respected photographers, to photographers just starting out – international television programs, as well as personal and corporate styling.
My love and interest for creating and styling, has been supported by the very bespoke and detailed course at the Australian College of Professional Styling. I would highly recommend any individual who seriously wants to launch a career in this field to enrol in The Professional Photo, Film, TV & Personal Stylist’s Course.