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

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.

Much of what I know about tailoring and how clothes should fit, I learnt from Jose.

He’s been doing alterations to my clothes for about 15 years – while I’ve been observing and absorbing everything he does and asking him hundreds of (possibly annoying) questions, quizzing him on why he’s doing what he’s doing, what can be done, what can’t be done, where should a shoulder sit, a sleeve finish, etc, etc)

If you need anything made or altered go and see Jose Zarpan and tell him I sent you. He’s on Level 3 in the Nicholas Building, Swanson St, Melbourne.

*This is not a sponsored post, and I don’t receive any “kickbacks”/commission from Jose, I just think he’s very good and am very happy to highly recommend him.

You can read what styling services I offer here

Follow me on 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