MEAGHAN SMITH PERSONAL STYLIST

For those who are not familiar with the Mamamia site it has been described as “Australia’s leading independent women’s website”.  Launched as a blog in 2007 to coincide with the release of Mia Freedman’s book, Mama Mia, it has grown so much and is so popular that it now has more than 500,000 people (the majority being women) reading it every month.  On Mamamia you might learn what the latest trend in lipstick colors is, get a run down and summary of the Federal Budget or have the opportunity to share your opinion on the circumcision debate.  There’s always a thought provoking, often controversial topic to enter into a discussion about.

Back in February I received an email from them asking me if I would participate in a new project they were launching which was to be titled – Wardrobe Week.  All I knew was that Wardrobe Week would feature “Real Women Wearing Real Clothes” and what they would like me to do was submit photos of a week’s worth of outfits telling them what I was wearing.  It didn’t matter if it was a ballgown or if it was my PJ’s.  Just me being myself in my every day clothes.

Despite the fact that I was experiencing just a tad of hesitation when I first read the email –  picturing myself on a website where I might be seen by thousands of women who would very likely scrutinise how I looked, was scary  – but within 30 seconds of receiving the email I responded with a – yes.  It was a good opportunity for people to learn about me and what I do and it was also a challenging exercise. I’ve always been camera shy at the best of times, let alone on this type of platform.  Waaay outside of my comfort zone. Which is good right?

My strategy, when putting together the outfits was that I wanted to be authentic to my own style and look just like me.  I didn’t want to get my makeup done or my hair blow waved.  That’s not me.  I could have borrowed clothes, or I could have dressed up glamorously – but I didn’t want to do that.  I wanted people to see the normal, average, real me and realise that I didn’t dress in Prada or Chanel every day.  Sure I like nice things and I have the odd designer piece, but I’ll mix them up with some Kmart, Big W or Target.   In this picture below I’m wearing a pair of pants I bought in Paris, with a Cotton On men’s shirt.  To me, dressing this (high/low) way is more interesting and creative than dressing head to toe designer.  As I’ve told you many times before, I find “Chic on a Budget” shopping fun and often rewarding.

I want to say a great big thank you to my two lovely friends Carol and Sarah for taking time out of their busy schedules to shoot some pics of me (& tell me to stand straight, pull my shoulders back, smile, fix my fringe and put some more lippy on) and thank you also to the team at Mamamia for giving me this great opportunity.

For anyone who hasn’t see the article and the photos you can do so here.

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I’m on a mission to try and get to the bottom of one of life’s mysteries.  Why do some of us get two little snake bite like holes in the area near our belly button, in all of our t-shirts?   What causes it?  I’ve Googled it and it appears it’s a very common and frustrating, occurrence and there are lots of theories as to why it happens.

• the tee rubs against your belt buckle, or
• the car seat belt, or
• it’s eaten by moths, or
• it happens in the wash, or
• they’re caused by the friction of leaning against your kitchen bench top

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

Get to know me and my style on Facebook here

..& Instagram here

image via here

There’s never a better time than the start of autumn to learn about the art of layering.  Not only is it resourceful, saving you time and money, but it can also be very chic and stylish.

Here in Australia we’re still mastering the art of layering but in other parts of the world, they do it beautifully. Where some of us would pack our white jeans or fuchsia trousers away once the weather turns cool, they would simply add a camel jacket and suede ankle boots or a navy sweater and a trench.  The Europeans are not afraid to blend the months together. They use their spring and summer clothes as the base and then they layer pieces on top.

Although trans-seasonal dressing may seem complicated and tricky it’s not.  Aim to add items to your closet that have multiple uses.  Next time you shop think about it –   Will this skirt be ok with tights and my trench and then again with my sandals and a t-shirt? Will I be able to wear it year round? If I rolled these up and wore them with an open toe wedge, can I work these pants from autumn into my summer wardrobe?

There are many ways I could show you how to layer your clothes and take them from summer to autumn and beyond – here’s a few photos for inspiration..

image via here

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So before you race out and buy new autumn clothes ask yourself whether you need to.  Is it possible that what you really need is just a few things that will complement and work with your existing wardrobe – a couple of knits, some scarves, a jacket, tights and boots.

If you would like me to go through your wardrobe with you, decide what you need to add for autumn and winter, make a plan, write a shopping list and help you put together some autumn outfits using some of your summer clothes – email me here.  You might find you don’t need anywhere near as much as you thought.  You just might need some ideas as to how to wear what you already have, in new and different ways.

**Remember you don’t have to take these shots literally – just use them for inspiration as I explained here

Details of my personal styling services (Including prices) here

Get to know me and my style on Facebook here

..& Instagram here

I know I’ve talked about hair before, but I think it’s something some of us need a gentle little nudge and reminder about, so I’m going to talk about it again.  The reason that we need to focus in on our hair from time to time is that like anything to do with most of us women  – how we look, how we live our lives – many of us get stuck in a rut and it’s not until a lovely friend or family member (or friendly stylist)  suggests we take care of ourselves and put ourselves first for a bit, that we sit up and take notice and make US a priority.

For me it’s cooking and eating.  It’s not that I don’t eat  – I do…I love food – it’s just that I can go for weeks and then I stop and think, Goodness, when was the last time I ate a piece of meat or sometimes I’ll be running around the shops all day and at 4pm remember that I didn’t stop for lunch.  It’s not intentional, it’s just that I don’t make it a priority and I forget sometimes, until someone (like my lovely friend who arrived at my place yesterday with a coffee, a muffin and some sushi for my lunch, because she knew I was working solidly and would more than likely forget to stop to eat) pulls me up and reminds me I need to take the time and cook and eat properly.

For others it can be that we need reminding that we’re neglecting our image and our look – which of course, in turn makes us feel lousy and bad about ourselves and affects our confidence.  For some it’s clothes, others it’s make- up and too often it’s hair.

• We don’t have time to sit still in a salon for 2 hours
• We don’t trust anyone to touch our hair
• We’re waiting until we lose weight before we worry about what our hair looks like
• Everyone else in the family needs… a fancy birthday party, an iPod, a new pair of the latest sport shoes, piano lessons, ballet classes, gifts to take to birthday parties and haircuts, before we do
• We’ve had the same, safe style for so long, we’re too scared to change it
• We hate spending that sort of money on ourselves
• We think nobody looks at us anyway. We may as well just tie it up and forget about it

We can all relate to one of these.  Until recently I hadn’t had a haircut in about 6 months.  My hairstylist went on maternity leave and I didn’t trust anybody else.  So I colored it myself and cut my fringe with my nail scissors.  Not a good look – particularly for a personal stylist.  I hoped that nobody noticed my lopsided fringe , but I’m sure they did and were too polite to comment.  I was also putting all of my money into my business and not wanting to spend any on myself – which in actual fact was affecting my brand – which is me.

I realised when my hair stylist came back to work and I visited her for a much needed overhaul, just how much better I feel about myself and how much more confident I am when I’m happy with how my hair looks.

Follow me on Instagram here

You can read what styling services I offer here