Personal Stylist Melbourne

February 2, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

I really love Personal Styling. For me it’s a chance to use what I have learnt for the benefit of someone else. I have often struggled with confidence and bouts of anxiety myself and want to elliviate these feelings in others if I can. In a world where we are bombarded by images of manufactured perfection it’s easy to mistakenly think this is something we should aspire to.

I know I have the tools to help someone feel better about the way they look and I believe one of the keys to sartorial happiness is not comparing ourselves to others, the 2nd is accepting where we are at at this moment in time while realising that there are infinite possibilities in our future. The time to ‘do’ you is now, not when you’ve lost weight or have more money. You are worth investing in already.

I am a Personal Stylist because I want people to feel more confident. I want the negative voices to be quietened so that a person can concentrate on the important things in life and step into the world knowing they are presenting their best and most authentic selves to the world.

I’d love more people to experience this confidence and the joy of dressing with ease everyday like Kate has; so I am offering 10% off new bookings this month at Eastland. Please contact me at racheldennisstylist@gmail.com or Guestservices@eastland.com.au to make your booking. Gift vouchers are also available.

Peace, love and style x Rach

The Year of the Ear

December 16, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

Looking for an alternative to the flashing Christmas tree earrings to give you Christmas Day get up some extra sparkle? These stunning Statement drop earrings are your answer (or potential Present, wink wink)

Through the Spring Racing carnival we saw many of our favourite celebrities don some Christie Nicolaides shoulder grazers. Her unique mix of gold with multi coloured stones are guaranteed to add some extra glamour; whether worn with a t shirt and jeans or with your favourite party dress. Style Tip – No need to match the colour of your earring with your dress – they’ll work either way.

If glamorous boho isn’t your thang you might be better suited to the streamlined styles from Jan Logan, Sarina Suriano or Aurelio Costarella’s beautiful collaboration with Atlas Pearls. I’m loving the use of pearls that create something both contemporary and timeless. Which ever style you choose a large drop earring will add some sass to your festivities.

Below are some of my favourites. Click on the caption to head to their store

From Left – Christie Nicolaides, Jan Logan, Sarina Suriano

From Left – Punjabi Diva, Jan Logan, Jan Logan

From Left – Lovisa, Martha Jean, Aurelio for Atlas

Line Up, Line Up

September 14, 2016.Reading time 2 minutes.

Left – Style Queen Olivia Palmero (image via Instagram), Top Right – Watson X Watson, Bottom Right – Witchery

I have been a stripes fan for as long as I can remember. My eye is drawn to them on clothing racks and they are an integral part of my wardrobe. This season, stripes are back but turned on their heads with width and textural variances making them interesting additions to our wardrobes.

While I’ll always love a horizontal stripe the styles emerging vertically are designed to be softer and instead of being mixed with clean cuts, work best when paired with natural fabrics such as linen and raw edged denim. We also see a difference in the shapes and fabric this season with palazzo pants and soft rayon shirts. The key word for summer is texture. Whether it’s in fibre laden linen, added embroidery or woven leather bags; adding a textural element gives any outfit another dimension. Flat lay’s will become texture lays and we’ll be mixing prints and angles in a new and more natural way.

Volume is another style that we’ll see combined with vertical stripes. The key to wearing these trends in Spring 2017 is proportion eg, the bigger the shirt, the shorter the hemline, the fuller the trouser the more cropped and fitted the top. A ‘Styling trick’ that also helps is the tuck. It can be the whole top or just the front but what both options do is show some of the hip and waist line. They automatically draw the volume in and take it from swamped to stylish. So your tucking doesn’t look as accidental as a dress caught in your knickers a great belt or sash will finish the look and is another area texture can be played with.

So get in line and try some ‘New’ stripes this summer.

Never fail Colour Combinations

August 23, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

Documenting what we wear has become so popular that it’s easy to garner inspiration from our Instagram/ Snapchat/ Facebook Feeds but this doesn’t mean it’s necessarily easy to turn those pictures into reality. This simple guide will help you master some stylish combinations that NEVER fail.

Khaki, black and white

Pictures via Pinterest – Photographers unknown

Since the monochrome trend of a few years ago black and white have become staples in our wardrobes. This trend saturated our senses and let’s be honest, we’ve got a little bored with it. The next step in our mono evolution is to add another colour. As the pics above prove (thank you street style on Pinterest) you can mix up any combination of these three colours. Whether khaki is on top or bottom, teamed with B&W it works without fail.

Navy, cream (and red/orange)

Pictures via Pinterest – Left Nicole Warne, Right Unknown

Navy and cream are a true classics when worn together. The combination is a softer take on it’s Monchrome sister B&W and has become a go to every season with cream blouse + Navy peacoat combos in winter and Breton striped t shirts and cut off jeans in Summer.

Navy and cream alone would be considered an elegant albeit conservative option but chuck on a red lip or bold red coat and you take your outfit to another level.

3. Denim and pretty much any other colour.

img_5158-1 — Pictures via Pinterest – Photographers Unknown

In almost all situations faded Denim can be treated as a neutral, meaning it works back with most combinations; a little like it’s friend grey marl. Our eyes are so used to seeing denim that it’s becomes a non-colour. Easily worked into any outfit and kind to the colours it’s worn alongside; faded denim can be worn noon or night.

This is a sub-category of my favourite Denim combinations

Denim and Cream

Denim, White and Charcoal

Denim and Navy

Denim and Primary’s like Red and Green.

Put simply, a base of Black, Navy, White, Cream, Khaki and Grey Marl and faded Blue Denim will work with any accent colour you’d like to add. It’s worth investing in well cut, classic items in these colours because you’ll find they will stand the test of time and outlive any fads.

Book me for a personalised Shop where you can learn more tricks to being your most stylish

Bag of tricks

February 17, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

Bag- Mecca, Blusher – Mac’s Fleur Power Satin Blush, Eye Shadow Mac’s Burgundy times Nine Palette, Lipstick – Mac’s Satin finish in Faux, Instant Volume Powder – Schwarzkopf , Dry Shampoo – Klorane

We all need a little help in the morning. Especially on those mornings when we haven’t slept well, don’t have time to wash our hair or generally feel a little lack lustre. This is my bag of tricks.. products I rely on to help me emerge into society every day.

I’m not sure how I got by before discovering dry shampoo. It feels like there are two very distinct periods in my life; before dry shampoo and after dry shampoo. Before dry shampoo I had to wash my hair most days so that it wasn’t a complete greasy mess. As I’ve mentioned before I have 2 children so find that time to blow-dry and make my self presentable is limited. A few sprays from this magic can and I’m grease free. I like the Klorane brand. It works well in my ash blonde hair and is available at most supermarkets; so easily accessible.

A more recent, but equally profound discovery, is ‘instant volume powder’ While Dry Shampoo does as you’d expect, making your hair appear more clean than it is, ‘instant volume powder’ provides more of a post salon/ freshly styled look. A few sprinkles in the roots and you can add volume; sprinkle it along a length of hair and you can control where your hair sits. From what my Hair stylist friends tell me some are better than others so get some advice on what might work for you.

When I was a new Mum and people came by to meet little Milla they would often comment on how well I looked. I maintain to this day that it was very much thanks to blusher and eye shadow. It certainly wasn’t a result of a well slept night. A gentle lashing of blusher and an application of eye shadow that compliments your eye colour, can transform you from zombie to human in a matter of seconds. I love Mac products. They have such a variety of colours and finishes that compliment every complexion. I have blue eyes so choose a Burgundy eye shadow palette and soft pink blusher for my fair skin. Professional Make up Artists favour Mac so I figure if they work for the harsh lights of film and TV they’ll be brilliant for the real light of day.

Please share some of your ‘tricks’ in the comments below.

Jason Grech Spring Summer 2014

October 11, 2014.Reading time 1 minute.

A couple of posts back I interviewed my dear friend Jason Grech as he worked crazily to finish this collection in time for MSFW. Since that post I have seen these stunning gowns grace the catwalk and now have these beautiful images taken by Andrew Maccoll to share. Jason teamed up with the very talented Richard Nylon who made the striking headpieces that are so complimentary to Jason’s vision for his ‘ Birds of Prey’ collection.

I believe this is Jason’s strongest collection to date. I feel privileged to have witnessed his creative process 1st hand; from sketching, planning the fabrics, the runway and this fabulous shoot.

Enjoy!