What to buy this Spring!

Hello Spring

….we’ve been waiting for you!!

It’s been such a mild winter, and felt like Spring is just around the corner for weeks…but lets break out in celebration as it’s officially Spring! So girls, unleash those credit cards as there is SO much new stock to choose from… we can’t wait to SHOP!!!

Check out our Stylist’s top picks and must have pieces for the new season..

That Blazer! Double breasted, with a hint of colour, a must have addition to your wardrobe this Spring.

Zara $219, Rebecca Vallance at David Jones $799, ASOS $104

Polka dots. Try adding some spots to your looks, they’ll give your outfit a fresh, fun vibe.

Dotti $89.95, Petal & Pup $59.95, Calli at the Iconic $109

Khaki Green. It’s the new black, trust us!

Saba Trench $369 Pants $199 , Ted Baker $309, Witchery $599.95

Head Scarf. Spring just gave you an extra day before you need to wash your hair, winning.

Seed $19.95 , Zimmermann $55, Show Po $17.95

Pastel love. If you find pastels wash you out, add them to your pants, skirts or accessories. Don’t shy away from them, they are the hottest look this Spring!

Ginger & Smart $599 , Olive $103 , Vestire at David Jones $289.95

Straw bags. We. Just. Love.

The Quirky Shop $49.22, Seed $59.95, ShopBop $162.15

Whether you need some help finding a few key pieces or you want a whole new wardrobe for Spring/Summer, we’re here to help!

We have packages to suit everyone, and cover all major shopping centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Gold Coast. Packages starting from $350 for a 2.5 hours of Personal Styling

Contact us now, and let us know how we can help!

Main image, Sheike, $159.95

 

Give your Wardrobe a January Detox!

It’s holiday season, and resolution time! 

As we kick January off promising to use that gym membership, that juice maker, that mediation app and anything else to detox us of the Christmas binge, let us help you kick some goals, and detox your wardrobe.

We have cleansed and organised 1000’s of wardrobes, and want to share some Ruby Slippers Styling magic so you can give your wardrobe the love it deserves.

Follow our easy guide to performing your own wardrobe clear out, and if it’s becoming a mission fit for an expert, call us about our

 Wardrobe Refresh Packages!

You need to treat your wardrobe like prime real estate..there is no room for items that aren’t being worn, don’t fit or were giving to you by Great Aunt Mildred, so you have the guilts throwing it out!! You need to be ruthless, and organise like a Stylist.

  • Organise into categories – Pants, Skirts, Jackets etc.
  • Clean and dry winter clothes, then pack them into air tight containers and store them away.
  • Remove any dressing gowns or old bridesmaid dress….these guys do not need to be taking up your prime hanging space!
  • Mend damaged items or get rid of them.
  • If clothes don’t fit you anymore, store them away or give them to charity ! We hear lots of people saying…’when I lose weight, I’ll need these again’.  Green juice cleanse or not, if they don’t fit you now, get them out of your wardrobe space!
  • Don’t just throw items out because you haven’t worn them for a while, try them on and see what they look like. You might spark a comeback!
  • Organise your accessories so you can see them, the more you can see, the more you will wear.
  • Items looking faded and worn – either dye them or donate them.

Be selective about your donations, last year around 60,000 tonnes of items donated were unusable and disposed of in landfill – the cost for this is borne by the charities.  If items are too damaged drop them in textile collection bins, such as those in H&M stores.

So get clearing….and if the task it too big, get in touch and we’ll get a stylist to do the hard-work for you. We cover Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast!

Happy New Year x

What the Frock!?

It’s wedding season, it’s race season, it’s hen party season, it’s formal season…roughly translated to

‘ argh, I need something amazing to wear season’!!!

Girls, we hear your cries and we want to ensure you are looking a million dollars for your next special occasion.  Our stylists have picked out some of their favourite dresses.  Outfits for all different body shapes and budgets…so no one is left having to ‘panic purchase’ before their next event.

Check out our top outfit picks…

 

Anyone rocking this gorgeous little number will tick the ‘I look fabulous box’! It is great for pear shaped girls as the fitted bodice showcases your top half, and the fuller skirt is soft over your hips. Just gorgeous!

Little Lace, $105

Ok, so it’s not actually a dress…but a. who cares and b. you actually can’t tell?!  This jumpsuit is amazing if you are carrying a little ‘mum tum’ weight or should be doing a few more squats in the gym! It’s summery, looks great and is reasonable…tick, tick, tick.

Sheike, $189.95

The draping across the middle of this dress is super flattering and hides all kinds of bumps! If the slip underneath isn’t a perfect fit for you, change it to create the silhouette you want.

Starts at size 4 for those on the petite side.

Alice McCall, $490

Hands up pear shaped ladies…this one is great for you. The soft a-line skirt is really forgiving over your hips, and the pretty bodice draws eyes upward.  Also great for anyone who needs to add a little shape to their straight up and down figure. And that colour…we LOVE, and the price…oh, and it comes in sizes 4 – 18….yep, sold!

ASOS, $149

Vavavoom…hourglass girls, this is your dress!!! We don’t need to say anymore!

Wheels and Doll Baby, $284.40 (on sale)

This divine dress is super flattering, the spider lace creates a soft camouflage over the under dress.   The shape is a perfect for anyone wanting to create a more curvy silhouette, soften larger shoulders or hide those saddlebags! Really unique, and a beautiful fit.

Rebecca Vallance, $949

Hello sexy lady!!! This figure hugging number is just gorgeous for anyone wanting to show off their curves. The fabric is very forgiving and really holds you in, creating a beautiful shape.

Alex Perry at Myer, $700

Whether you need some help finding a dress or outfit for a special occasion, or you want a whole new wardrobe for Summer, just let us know.

We have packages to suit everyone, and cover all major shopping centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast, with packages starting at $275.

Contact us now, and let us know how we can help!

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Interview Outfits

Need to nail the perfect look for your dream job?

How to dress for that all important job interview is critical!  

You’ve impressed them with your resume, now you just have to wow them at the face to face interview. It is a competitive world out there, where first impressions count, so looking the part really matters.

In a world where office dress codes seem to be ever changing, and becoming more relaxed.  You need to show you understand the style of the company, and are not dressed up like someone from the 90’s or way to casual, who is totally out of touch with what to wear for work.

Style Tips for the perfect interview outfit:

  • Wear something you are comfortable in….you have enough on your plate, the clothes should fit you well and not be cutting off circulation anywhere, worry about what you are saying, not what you are wearing!
  • Watch your fabric choices. Linen creases like a screwed up tissue, and silk is the most unforgiving fabric if your nerves make you sweat.
  • Clean and ironed is a no brainer right? You’d think so, but we’ve seen lots of corners cut here.
  • Avoid prints that are too loud
  • Find out the company dress code, and dress the smarter end of this. You can always dress down when you start, you can’t dress up if you’ve gone to casual at the interview.
  • Talk with your hands? Don’t wear bangles or bracelets that will bang on the table during the interview.
  • Shoes – make sure you can walk in them girls. It can be a long walk from reception to the interview room, make sure you can stride your way there and not be dragging your feet and crippling your toes.

Room for adding individuality? Of course! Room for taking a fashion risk? Absolutely not!

Follow our stylists’ guide to the perfect interview outfit:

Business Formal. EG. Law, Accountancy, Recruitment, Financial Services.

You need to dress at the top end of this dress code, and look sharp. This is a great example of an outfit, if matching two piece suits don’t float your boat and want to add a hint of colour.

Business Professional. EG. FMCG, Telco, Insurance.

Slightly less formal, add a pop of colour to accent your look.

Creative. EG. Media, Advertising, Design.

An opportunity to be more adventurous with pattern, colour and accesories.

Service Jobs. EG. Medical Professionals, Hospitality.

You’ll need to wear a uniform when you start, so there is a no real dress code, but you still need to look the part and stand out from the competition.

We can put together a stylish, work wardrobe for you in a 3hr Personal Styling Session (yes, we can nail it in 3 hours!!) from $375.

Available 7 days a week in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne.

Contact us now to book your session.

 

Autumn updates your wardrobe needs

Ok, so it is still a guzzillion degrees out, but we are super excited to see new Autumn stock hitting the stores.

And, there is a lot to be excited about!

It’s not all about heavy fabrics and knitwear this year…but, delicate stitching, feminine fabrics and soft prints!

At Ruby Slippers, we are definitely not one to encourage a blind following of a trend….oh no, it can be a serious waste of money, but we do love to see a new season and some new versatile looks coming through with it.

Check out our stylists top picks of what is hot for Autumn…

…and get your credit cards at the ready!

Embroidery

 Zimmermann $650, Nasty Girl $260, ASOS $59

 Gingham

River Island $64, The Iconic $59.95, Next Direct $66

Pretty fabrics – Lace, Velvet and silk

Sportsgirl $89.95, Manning Cartell $449, Dotti $29.95

Asymmetric – Neck and hemlines

Ginger & Smart $399, Witchery $229.95, Topshop $63.50

A hint of Blue

Portmans $99.95, Seed Heritage $99.95, Showpo $54.95

Florals

Sheike, $129.95, Little Lace $75, Ted Baker $349

And, the white sneaker craze continues, but with some new additions. Stan Smith’s dominated last year, but maybe there is a new chief in town? Ribbons are the new laces, apparently!

Dunlop

Not yet stocked in Australia…they are coming though 🙂 Around $115 with shipping from overseas, if you can’t wait! Urban Outfitters.

If you need some help finding your style or are just too busy to shop alone… we can help you nail it in one of our 3hour Personal Styling Sessions (in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne).

You won’t believe what we can achieve in the time! Read what others are staying about their sessions here.

Contact us to find out more, we can’t wait to help you shop up a storm!

x

 

What To Wear On A First Date

christie

We were super excited to help ‘Married at First Sight’ Star Christie Jordee, with her wardrobe…and even more excited to co write a blog with her!

And, what better subject to help with than……

What to wear on a first date, so you catch yourself a keeper!

So, here you have it, Ruby Slippers Styling and Christie’s top tips for dressing for that first date:

 

  1. Watch your ‘walkability’ factor! We love a sexy heel, but there is nothing more unsexy than a pair of heels you can’t walk in. No guy wants to have to carry you to a cab or see you walk home with heels in your hand. The general rule is if you can’t walk in them in the shop then don’t buy them!

nudeshoes

Christie picked these from Nude at Wanted, $199.95. The chunky heel is easy to walk in, the grey is super versatile and you can easily change the look with a sweep of nail polish!

  1. Be true to your own personality. Pointless dressing up as Sporty Spice because you know he likes soccer, when inside you know you are really a Posh Spice. If you are going to keep your keeper, don’t dress up like someone else. Be yourself.
  2. If in doubt always dress up not down. We don’t mean wear a ball gown to the bar, but as you would expect your date to, make a little bit of extra effort.

outfitcollage4. Find the middle ground between sex siren and little miss straight……Always leave him wanting more, but not feeling like he’s just spent an hour at a librarian’s convention.  For example, avoid teaming a short skirt with a low cut top, it’s too much. If you are wearing one ditch the other.  Also watch your clothes aren’t expressing your nerves and saying ‘I am not interested’.

 

5. Do your 3 step face check. No lipstick on teeth, no mascara under eyes, eyeliner where it is supposed to be. Don’t make his only thought for the first half an hour be ‘how do I say you’re wearing more lipstick on your teeth than your lips’.

Need a little extra help? We can help you buy a outfit or a whole new wardrobe – contact us to have a chat about how we can help. Personal shopping packages in Sydney and Melbourne.

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What to Wear to Work

As PWC announce they are ditching their dress code for staff in Australia*, they join so many other companies who realise we don’t need to dress so formally to look smart.  But, as the dress codes ties are loosened and employees are welcomed to dress as they think appropriate …does this cause more problems than it fixes?

If you were one of the many who quite enjoyed throwing on your ‘uniform’ of a suit, top and heels…and are now left wondering what the hell you are supposed to wear to work, you are not alone.

At Ruby Slippers we are receiving plenty of distress calls from professional gals in need of help, too busy to spend hours trawling the shops, needing to look professional, but not too formal or outdated.

We can help girls, don’t worry!

Here are some of our favourite corporate looks to inspire you:

 

We love a jumpsuit!

jumpsuits

Forget boring work pants, go wide leg or cigarette:

 

Make your skirts a little more interesting:

Add a hint of animal print:

Don’t be afraid of pattern and prints:

Nail your look with a killer dress:

 

All these looks and more can be found on our Corporate Style Pinterest page.

We can put together a stylish, work wardrobe for you in a 3hr Personal Styling Session (yes, we can nail it in 3 hours!!) for $375.

Available 7 days a week in Sydney and Melbourne.

Contact us now to book your session

*Read PWC Dress Code Article here.

For all the Mumma’s Running the Morning Gauntlet…

busymummy

Since bringing a little person into this world, I’ve constantly questioned what the hell I did with all my time before I had kids?!
Did it really take me an hour to get ready for work? What was I doing? How did I not know I could shower, brush my teeth and shave my legs at the same time?

I never knew the true meaning of organised, tired, efficient or most importantly unconditional love, before having my bubba…I could potentially be running the country right now, if I had worked as efficiently pre kids as I do now!!!
One of the challenges that seems to go unnoticed is the gauntlet of getting to work, with a daycare/school stop on the way.

The SAS, Navy Seals et al need to listen up, because if they are looking to introduce a new training challenge I’d suggest a morning in the life of a working mum (or dad).
How about getting up at 5am (when you’ve had the obligatory nightly wake up from a small person), getting kids ready for school, lunches made, washing on, dishwasher on, out the door and sitting at your desk for 7.30am. With hair and make up done. It’s hardcore.

At Ruby Slippers we want to help make this mission as simple as possible, so here’s our Stylists guide to getting you out of the house and at your desk looking effortlessly chic.

Our top tips for busy, working Mums:

  1. Be prepared.  You need to move like a well-oiled machine when that alarm goes off. You need to have an outfit hanging ready to go (including shoes and accessories), it is the only way you can get out of the door on time.
  2. Wear dresses. I am not good at maths, but a skirt and a top is 2 pieces of clothing, a dress is one…keep it simple.
  3. Watch your fabric choices. However tired you are, never utter the words, ‘I’ll iron it in the morning’ cause you won’t have time. Choose fabrics carefully, if they crease in your hand in the store, leave them there…they have no place in your life. Silk is a big offender, stains and creases easily and is a bugger to iron. Choose fabrics you can hang to dry, that require little or no ironing.
  4. Use your dressing gown like a shield. Get ready, then wrap it around yourself like it’s an invisible cape! Let not an inch of scrambled egg, porridge or grubby little hands pass.
  5. Keep some accessories in your car or desk draw. It’s annoying when you get to work, and realise you didn’t have time to grab that bracelet you wanted to wear, or you know that dress would look so much better with a necklace. Well keep a little stash of your jewellery (the cheap stuff, not the family jewels), in your car or desk draw and get some different looks on high rotation.
  6. Chipped nails look worse than no nail polish. Remember what goes on, must get touched up.  To the people who invented shellac I literally love you. Best invention ever…until you have to give up another 20/30 mins getting the stuff removed. ARGH. Our advice, if you don’t have time to have it removed, don’t get it put on. Just keep your nails, short and neat.
  7. Photograph your outfit combinations. This is great if you wear the same things over, and over, and over. Lay everything out on your bed and take photos of every combination. Work in shoes and jewellery.  You then have a personal stylist living in your phone, so when you’re just about to fall into bed, you can flick past your family selfies and quickly find an outfit combination.
  8. Buy great basics. Spend your money wisely on the pieces you’ll wear over and over. That great pair of black pants you wear every week? They need to be the best you can afford.

If you still need some help give us a call. We can help organise your wardrobe, photograph all your outfits and efficiently shop for what you really need. Packages start from $225, find out more here.

We know it’s a tough gig, so remember to high 5 all the other mumma’s struggle with the morning gauntlet.

The Ruby Team

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Your wardrobe refreshed, your unwanted clothes taken away, and then sold for you…can this really be true??

Yes, it really can! At Ruby Slippers we love a good clear out and thought ‘How can we improve our Wardrobe Refresh packages?’  What more could a girl want than a Stylist coming to her home and giving her wardrobe a makeover we ask you? We have done 100’s of wardrobe cleanses, where we finish and have a pile of clothes that don’t work for our client, the ‘no’ pile. So the option is charity shop or selling it yourself.  Let’s have a show of hands, how many of you have that pile of clothes still waiting to go on EBay? GUILTY? We hear you.  Who has time to take pictures, write the sales bit, answer questions, and then the posting part, seriously that’s like a whole hour in the post office…..

Well fear not ladies, we have the answer!

Once we’ve cleared out your wardrobe, and left you with only the things you’ll wear and suit you, and your head filled with your newly acquired styling knowledge…we can help you sell your unwanted items.

If you have items in your ‘no pile’ that will sell -they just need to be branded (high st or better) and undamaged – our friends at ‘Sort and Sell for You’ will come, collect them and do the selling for you.

For $150, Lauren and her angels will come get 3 bin liners full of clothes, do the hard part for you, and you get to keep 70% of the sales. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Not sure on the outlay? Well, of her 70 clients last year they all made at least $500, some even up to $8000?

So, if you keep going to your wardrobe every morning and even though it’s packed with clothes have nothing to wear. Then call us, we’ll send a Stylists to work some magic and give you back a wardrobe filled with things that look great on you!

Click here to find out more about our Wardrobe Refresh Packages.

Sort and Sell for You available in Sydney only.