MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

Newsletters aren’t new to me. I’ve been writing one for longer than I’ve been a personal stylist.

The first I ever “published” was around 20–25 years ago, when I was working at a bank on Collins Street in Melbourne and spending lunch breaks in the shops. I sent it to a handful of girlfriends, who shared it on, filled with fashion finds and little shopping tips. It was called Fabulous Finds & Favourite Things.

When I started my business in 2010, Fab Finds evolved into a blog. Later, as my client list grew, it became a newsletter alongside it—and I’ve been returning to it, on and off, ever since. But that was only for my clients – this time my newsletter is open to everyone.

Welcome To Notes On Style By Meaghan Smith

Being stylish or well-dressed is not just about buying clothes – you need to know…

• When a garment fits your body properly.
• About how proportions work.
• All about alterations. (What can & can’t be done, etc.)
• How to look after your clothes.
• About accessorising.
• How to build a wardrobe that works seamlessly together.
• How to style your clothes into various outfit combinations so that there isn’t the need to always be buying something new.
• How to know when something no longer works for you, and it’s time to let it go.
• What details (like button holes) to check out when shopping. (When it’s ok & when it’s not.)
• How to identify gaps in your wardrobe.
• etc.

Notes On Style is about everything I’ve learned (and continue to learn) in my 16 years of personal styling, and I’m going to share it with you.

When you subscribe, you’ll receive a fortnightly email with styling, wardrobe, shopping, and fashion tips — plus thoughts, ideas, news, and the occasional recommendation.

Think of it as a mix between having a style mentor, a friend who shares all of her insider secrets, and the most chic newsletter in your inbox.

Given this is a small update post, I’ll do another (inbetweeny) soon. Style related. Leave me a note in the comments if there’s anything you’d particularly like me to cover.

Styling Update

A little heads up – my styling prices will be going up from 1 February. If you’ve been meaning to book a session (or grab a voucher for you or someone else), now’s the time. Keep in mind I do Zoom styling sessions (for 1 – 3 hrs) – so even if you live in Tassie and aren’t sure whether your jeans fit you properly or your shoes work ok with your midi dress – I can help. Styling details here.

And please bear with me while my little newsletter twists and turns and finds its way. No doubt there’ll be hiccups as I learn something new and figure out what I’m doing. That’s all the fun, right….

You can subscribe (for free) here.

Love,

Meaghan x

Bookending, in styling, is where you use a color (or metallic) on the top and bottom of the outfit to create symmetry.

As you can see in the photo above, it’s a white top and white shoes.

In this pic (above), you can see it’s different. (Still good, just different.)

The trick is not to make it look too predictable or matchy-matchy (i.e., a hot pink hat and hot pink shoes with all black in between)—but to subtly and cleverly balance the top of the outfit with the bottom and essentially pull the look together.

You can read what styling services I offer here

Follow me on Instagram here

Subscribe to Fabulous Finds & Favourite Things here

This is a pretty simple outfit, but you can still tell that it’s been well thought out and intentional.

Here’s what I notice…

Essentially, it’s made up of three fairly basic pieces: a white t-shirt, a black knit t-shirt, and casual chino-style pants.

There are three colors in the outfit.

The outfit has been bookended with black glasses and black shoes.

The strappy heels with the style of pants are a somewhat unexpected pairing. (I like that the choice of shoe is showing plenty of skin on the foot.)

The gold jewellery adds shine to the look. (It could otherwise be quite flat without it.)

And the thing that initially caught my eye, and something for us to try, is that she’s layered a white t-shirt under the knit so that it perfectly pokes out from the sleeves and at the neck.

By doing this, it’s adding depth to the outfit, a little bit of light to the face, as well as changing the shape and style of the original knit, and giving it a new look. Also, by altering the sleeves, by giving it more width at the hem, it’s slightly affecting the balance of the look.

If you’re wearing your clothes the same way every time and would like some help styling them, you can read what styling services I offer here

Follow me on Instagram here

I was forever messaging clients saying, “Somebody just bought this dress, I think you should check it out”, or “I saw these shoes on sale and I thought of you”. There was always something that I wanted to share. A piece a client bought while I was shopping with them, a vintage gem I came across on eBay that was too good to get away, or my favourite little navy dress of the season.

I’d also notice that occasionally my clients made (costly) mistakes when I wasn’t around to see what they were buying. (i.e., help them with the sizing, fabric, etc.)  

I thought if I collectively (privately on Instagram) suggested to them what they could add to their wardrobe in between our shopping trips, then they’d make fewer expensive errors.

And that’s how Fabulous Finds & Favourite Things came about.

The aim is…

To make shopping easier. To take the time, overwhelm, frustration, and confusion out of it.

To help you build a functional and versatile wardrobe that you love.

To introduce you to new things (brands, shops, clothes, styling hacks, etc.) that you otherwise may not have known about.

To encourage you to think about curating a great wardrobe, rather than just about buying stuff.

It’s like I’m doing the personal shopping for you – as well as giving you styling ideas and expert advice – without my hourly rate. -:)

The Fab Finds & Fave Things subscription is ideal for anyone who…

• Wants to look and feel good but doesn’t have the time (energy or inclination) to physically go shopping.
• Would like to stay up to date with what’s in fashion.
• Might not be able to afford to work one-on-one with me, but would still love to learn about style, fashion, and shopping, and have the chance to ask me questions.
• Doesn’t want to make any more costly fashion mistakes
• Would just like to be shown what to buy.

This is what one of my subscribers Kate emailed me to say about Fab Finds…

The subscription cost is…

$99 for 6 months

$169 for 12 months

That’s $3.35 per week. Less than a latte 😉

If you would like to subscribe, have any questions, or would like further details about it, you can email me at meaghanbs@hotmail.com

*In the photo I’m wearing a Fab Find from Sportscraft. Originally $399, when I shared it, it was on sale for $87.