Josephine's Blog

When it comes to feeling and looking great on a daily basis, comfort is key.
And since the corporate environment has started to become a lot more casual in the uniform these days, and people wanting to opt for comfortable corporatewear, I’ve prepared a simple 3 step method for you, to help you nail your smart casual corporate outfits to help you get ready of a morning with ease and confidence.

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed on the ABC News and for a news article about how the Covid Pandemic has changed the way that people dress in the corporate workplace. And it really has changed many corporate businesses’ dress standards, which have become a lot more relaxed in their work attire and less ‘business suit and heels’ focused.

It is interesting though as I’ve had a few businesses and clients mention to me they aren’t all very impressed with what some people are rocking up to work wearing and dressing in casual mini dresses or t-shirt and jeans, and the lines can definitely get blurred as to what is too casual and what is actually accepted as a smart casual corporate look for your workplace.
I understand that many businesses have different dress code standards, with some being very relaxed and some quite conservative, so you can adjust with my tips accordingly to your work’s standards and you will see what I mean in the 3^rd step when I go into more detail.

Have you ever bought an item and got excited about the idea of it, and then in reality you never wore it and still has it’s tag on? And did you know that every 10 minutes, 6 tonnes of clothing ends up in Aussie landfill? 🤯

The fashion industry itself globally is the 2nd highest polluter after the oil and gas industry and contributes 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon toward greenhouse gas emissions every year. This amount of pollution is larger than international flights & shipping combined.😳

Unfortunately, it seems that environmental changes in fashion are only happening slowly, and at the end of the day that has a lot to do with the consumer.. aka.. ‘us’.  What we choose to spend our money on and where we choose to spend it can either contribute to more waste OR to helping the environment.

The best way to be sustainable for the environment is to be mindful of sustainability when you are shopping.  By stopping spending on wasteful purchases (that don’t get worn)  you ultimately take action to avoid having a negative impact on the environment.. all without hurting your wallet.

So here are my top 13 wardrobe sustainability tips to help save the environment & your wallet-

A great way to start the new year fresh and organised and to eliminate any physical and mental clutter is by going through and culling & organising your wardrobe.
Your wardrobe doesn’t have to feel stressful & overwhelmed. You should be feeling amazing, have a clearer mind, stress-free, and easier to get ready for work in the new year.

I speak with so many clients that say the same thing; ‘ I always find it difficult to find something to wear of a morning and find myself changing a few times before choosing to go with one of the 3 go-to on rotation outfits because I know it works, but I feel frustrated every time because I can’t seem to find anything else to wear.’

Also a lot of the time, people don’t allocate enough time set aside to actually do a wardrobe cull on their own. There’s always an excuse to not spend more time on it, but in reality it is so rewarding when you accomplish a thorough clean out, it’s like a mini challenge to set yourself, and ‘Yes’ you can do it if you put your mind to it!

If you feel that you’re in a similar position, then now is the time to go through your wardrobe and see what’s not working and understanding what’s holding you back from having an amazing wardrobe that styles all beautifully together.

Here are the top 5 signs that it’s time to de-clutter your wardrobe…

As a stylist, one of the major areas I see a lot of people struggling with is- ‘Finding something to wear’ in their wardrobe.  Sometimes there are only a few outfit options that you may tend to always wear on rotation as your ‘safe’ go-to looks, which is common if you don’t have a lot of time in the morning to get ready and to figure out a different outfit to wear in the morning (And don’t worry, I’ve been there myself…! 😉).

The issue with this is, is if you’re only wearing 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time, you end up missing out on wearing the rest of your wardrobe which tends to waste away, not get worn and therefore not getting your money’s worth out of those pieces you’ve spent money on in the end.

A lot of people I meet feel quite overwhelmed and lack confidence due to clothing not fitting or working for their style anymore – because, over time, they’ve either changed in their body shape, lifestyle, or their role in the work place. Or  maybe that isolation has got you feeling like your clothes are shrinking 😏. #WeFeelYou 🙏

And not only that, after lounging around at home in loungewear and casual clothes all day in isolation, and having many makeup-free days, it can drain your confidence over time, because believe it or not, that the way you dress everyday on the ‘outer self’, can effect your confidence on the ‘inner self’… and vice versa. It’s all about ‘Self Image Reflection’.

So there are 5 ways you can tackle this, to boost your confidence through your style when going back to work after isolation…

The Corona Virus times are vastly changing the way we work, but also the way we show up (or not show up?) considering that the vast majority of businesses are WFH (working from home), and a lot of employees and potential employee’s are scheduling online Skype/Zoom meetings to go about business.

It almost feels too good to just stay in your trackie’s or PJ’s all day in isolation and not have to get ‘ready’ or ‘dressed up’ for that online meeting, but at the end of the day, you need to show respect for yourself, the business/employer, colleagues and to bring about some excitement to your ‘new normal’ loungewear.

I realised a lot of people are stumped on this topic of ‘What do I wear to a meeting online in during isolation, without having to wear a suit or PJ’s?’

At the end of the day, you want to leave your colleagues/clients/prospects feeling excited to work with you and to wear clothes that best represent the real YOU… Now you probably aren’t super enthused by the thought of paying any attention to image or style right now as it’s not an absolute essential, but it absolutely does impact your confidence, your impression and how you want to be perceived overall.

Here are some ways to jazz up your work from home office meeting attire to give you more clarity on knowing what to wear-