Pancakes, Salsa, Music, Cider, Pretzels, Dancing, Curries...

Check out todays post to find style advice from office wear to partying at the National Multicultural Festival at- http://theworkdiaries.com/salsa-dut/

The Team:
Outfit from Mussen
Shoes from Wittner Shoes
Bag from colette by colette hayman
Model Emma Bell
Photographer Tabitha Mann Photography
MUA Tee Brissett
Assistants Tracey O'Neill and Rachael O'Neill

Boudoir Dressing

Evening lovelies

Get excited Fridays work day is over and the weekend has begun!

It has been a long short week and I think a cocktail is in order!

Todays outfit post features a Autumn/Winter trend for 2014. This gorgeous outfit can be bought from Mussenclothing boutique in the city and shoes from Wittner Shoes. The look is modelled by Ariel Ayers, with make up by Tee Brissett and photographed by Tabitha Mann Photography.

Read all about it and see all of the photos athttp://theworkdiaries.com/boudoir-dress/

Hope you have a lovely weekend x

The Team:

Photographer – Tabitha Mann

Model – Ariel Ayers

Make-Up Artist - Tee Brissett

Assistants – Rachael O’Neill and Tracey O’Neill

Jade

Evening lovelies

I hope you have enjoyed your Australia day weekend celebrations and whether it was a bbq, listening to the Triple JJJ’s hottest 100 countdown or watching the fireworks on the lake, I trust that you are ready to start a four day working week.

Todays post is the first of a very exciting collaboration with Mussen. Mussen is a newly established woman’s clothing boutique that is located on 17 Mort street in the city. In 2005, founder Zimona started an Ebay store selling a highly curated selection of pieces from both well known and obscure designers. In just 5 years Zimona’s online presence grew to become a style source and has seen the rise of her chic bricks ‘n’ mortar boutique in the heart of the nations capital...

Read all about today's post and view all of the photos at:

www.theworkdiaries.com

The Team:

Photographer – Tabitha Mann Photography

Model – Emma Bell represented by Victoria’s Models

Make-Up Artist - Tee Brissett

Assistant – Rachael O’Neill and Tracey O’Neill

New Website

Morning Lovelies

 

Today is my first post for The Work Diaries blog new official website –

www.theworkdiaries.com

 

Today is a very exciting day for me. It is the opening of a new chapter in my book of endless possibilities on where I can take this blog.

 

In looking at how far I have already come it has made me think a lot about why I started this blog in the first place and why it is so important to have a good workplace wardrobe.

 

When I started this blog last year I was studying several fashion units part time at the Canberra Institute of Technology, as well as working full time as an administration officer in the Public Service. I had just finished being involved with FASHFEST which really gave me the confidence and the direction I needed to realise that this is the industry that I desperately want to be a part of.

 

I’ve always loved fashion growing up, even as a child I used to fill up note pads of fashion drawings that I wanted to create and design. I spent my school holidays at my Mamma’s house learning how to sew and we explored my creativity in a fashion context. I still remember the feeling I used to get when I would walk into her studio, it was a mix of excitement, enthusiasm and hunger, and I knew that it is was something I wanted to do.

 

But after graduating school I got carried away with the misconceived expectation of society that puts pressure on you that after you graduate you either go to university or get a job, and because I didn’t get the ATAR I needed for university, I landed myself a contract in the Public Service. I have learnt invaluable skills from working in the Government. I have been able to maintain a desirable lifestyle from having a generous income for the last few years. But everyday as I sit at my office I yearn for a career in the Fashion industry.

 

So one night, as lame as it sounds, I had a dream. It had came to me how I could incorporate fashion into my office job. I would call it The Work Diaries and I would blog ideas and provide styling advice to women and men on what to wear to work.

 

Over the years that I have worked in the office I have seen so many outfits that do not flatter, send the wrong message and exude a lack of confidence. But it’s not that the person wearing the outfit does not care about how they look and how their personal image is being presented, it’s that they honestly are unaware of how what they wear affects their presence, confidence and work environment.

 

I have had those days where I have accidentally slept in, not had time for a shower and have gone to work with disgraceful hair and a less then desirable outfit. On those days I felt like garbage. I did not feel confident, I did not feel like being seen, I did not want to put myself out there, I wanted to go home and have a shower! The worst part was that it would always happen to be that day when you had forgotten that you had a meeting on or that important stakeholder was coming in to visit. I can only imagine what negative presence I left on them afterwards.

 

But I understand it now, what I wear to work, my presence and how I am perceived all correlate. If I am well dressed, I feel better about myself, which makes me happy and enthusiastic which results in feeling confident about myself. I am then perceived as someone who wants to be there, is committed to the job, creates a good working team environment and has an endless amount of positive effects. It creates more opportunities for promotion and builds better relationships with work colleagues and stakeholders.

 

All that by what you wear? It’s pretty powerful, hey!

 

That is why I feel so passionate about helping you with your workplace wardrobe, because I know how much your life can change by changing something so easy.

 

I apologise for the massive rant but I felt that it was important for you to understand where I am coming from and to let you know that I’ve been there and want to help you. I want to open your minds to see outfits that you would never think of putting together but would love to try, outfits that work for your body shape and skin colour, and outfits that make you feel confident and love yourself.

In Australia we work to live, so follow my blog so we can have a little fun with it! Love TWD xo

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Good afternoon lovelies

You know what makes me happy? 

Listening to chilled out beats like Pharrell Williams song Happy on a Friday!

If that doesn't put you in a good mood, then I know what will!

It's today's outfit of course, feeling good about what you wear makes you feel happy!

And today's outfit features the Pick Me Up Dress from designer Andie Meredith.

Even the name provides evidence to my statement that the Pick Me Up Dress can pick up your mood. Why, you may ask? because it's feminine, flattering and fun! You can't help but feel good about yourself whilst wearing this dress. 

When styling, I am a minimalist. I like to focus on one key piece and make it a feature. Therefore I style all of the other pieces/garments around the featured piece. Why would you take the focal point away from the dress when the silhouette and print are so beautiful? 

My style is influenced by a lot of iconic people. 

Take Coco Chanel for example, when she started out her career she designed garments that were comfortable and minimalistic because she believed that beauty came from simplicity. She recognised that the trend at the time was over the top, clashing and distracted the attention away from the individual wearing the garment. She thought that over accessorising with feathers and trimmings took away from the beauty of the person wearing the garment. 

That is how I like to style a well thought out piece, like the Pick Me Up Dress. A simple silver beaded necklace and bracelet from Lovisa is all you need to embellish the dress without losing sight of the finer details. I completed the look with my favourite pair of shoes at the moment; the Rory shoes from Wittner. 

Some tips on how else you could style this dress are:

- wearing a black fitted jacket with it;

- not wearing a necklace and instead wearing some chunky earrings; or

- accessorising with a structured bag.

Colours that work with this dress are bright and violet reds, silver, mixed tones of green and black (goes with everything of course!).

Hope you have an amazing weekend and love todays outfit. Love TWD xo

The Team:
Model - Lauren Hollands

Photographer - Andrea Pitsilos Photography

Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist - Kate Galvin Make Up Artist

It's a heatwave baby!

Good afternoon lovelies

Quick! Quick!

Shut the blinds, turn on the air con and get me a frozen margarita!

Cause its a scorcher of a day and it calls for some drastic cooling down methods!

Today's outfit features pieces from the lovely designer Andie Meredith. What I personally love about Andie Meredith's designs is that the print on the garments is exclusive to her label; as the prints are are derived from her own personal artworks.

The World Ruling Pant and Re-Invented Print Top are the perfect pieces to add to your working wardrobe to give it some personality and feminine chic!

I have styled this look with accessories from Lovisa and Rory shoes from Wittner.

Hope you all find your own way to keep cool! Love TWD xo

The Team:
Model - Lauren Hollands

Photographer - Andrea Pitsilos Photography

Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist - Kate Galvin Make Up Artist

Warm Afternoon Summer Breeze

Good Afternoon Lovelies

Well hasn't summer made a return and it's back with a vengeance! 

I was starting to think that it had packed its bag and left for the year...

So to beat the heat you need a cute dress that is going to be easy to wear, cool and comfortable right?

Well your in luck with Andie Merediths Olive Tree Dress. It features a timeless shape combined with the designers unique signature fabric print. It's essentially a modified shift dress with sleeves and has a soft A line shape that ensures the most flattering fit. The dress is made in a cooling viscose fabric and comes in sizes 8-14.

I suggest styling the dress with the Perspex Ball Cluster Choker from Lovisa. As you can see it embellishes the dress in a complementary way. This outfit is perfect for work as it takes no time at all to get dressed and looks amazing on any size! 

I finished the look off with the Rory shoes from Wittner. These gorgeous shoes gives the outfit its attitude and completes the look.

Hope you all find a way to keep cool this week. Love TWD xo

The Team:
Model - Lauren Hollands

Photographer - Andrea Pitsilos Photography

Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist - Kate Galvin Make Up Artist

Happy Friday Lovelies!

Wow I cannot believe that today is already Friday the 10th of January!!!!

How fast is this year going?!...well to be honest my working week has dragged on a bit...     but it's Friday afternoon, the sun is shining, the weather is warm, so I really can't complain.

Today is my last outfit post from The Work Diaries collaboration with Portmans.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Portmans Belconnen for being so amazing at what you do and for allowing this collaboration to happen. The girls that work there are truly incredible and are so helpful. They have excellent customer service and whether you need a new dress, clutch or sunglasses, you can trust that this store is the best place to start looking.

Today's outfit from Portmans shows that a well tailored dress and a beautiful print can make you feel on top of the world. The dress is enhanced by the white clutch and shoes from Wittner because it picks up the white in the print of the dress. The outfit is powerful, bold, feminine and oh so flattering.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and enjoy the sunshine. Love TWD xo

The Team:
Model - Courtney Martin-Moores represented by HAUS Models
Photographer - Kevin Thornhill Photography
Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist - Elle Thomas - Makeup Artist 
Stylist - Hayley O'Neill

Short and Sweet

Happy Hump Day Lovelies!

Today's post I will be keeping short but sweet!

It continues on with The Work Diaries blog collaboration with Portmans and follows the current check print trend:

Outfit is the White Rita Double Layer Top tucked into the Grid Print Pencil Skirt and necklaces all from Portmans. 

Shoes are Ralex style from Wittner. 

Hope you have all had a lovely day. Love TWD xo

The Team:

Model - Greta Hinder

Photographer - Kevin Thornhill Photography

Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist - Elle Thomas - Makeup Artist 

Stylist - Hayley O'Neill

Working Chic in White

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVELIES

Hope you have all had an amazing holiday and are ready to get back into work.

Today was my first day back at work and as expected it went slowly....very slowly!!!!

But you know what can only make work get better? Well by wearing an outfit that makes me feel happy, confident and chic of course!!

Portmans have hit the nail on the head with their Diamond Days Dress.  

It is part of the Portmans Signature Collection and trust me this dress defines the word chic. 

It is the perfect white dress to make a lasting impression. 

 I am absolutely loving the white trend at the moment. 

Whats not to love? It makes you look tanner, slimmer and taller.

When styling, raw was the direction I took; It makes the outfit aesthetically pleasing to the eye, yet simplistic enough that you admire the dresses form. A black clutch with gold detailing is the only accessory you need to enhance the refined detailing. 

 When I think of appropriate make up for work I always think of a fresh face, touch of mascara and you can never go wrong with a bold lip. Bright lips are on trend at the moment and the Portmans orange Fruit Punch lip colour is just the right colour to mix a little pleasure with business.

Finish the outfit off and give it some edge with the Ralex heels from Wittner. 

With these heels on you won't be able to stop yourself from strutting into work!

Trust me, you won't be able to help yourself from feeling happy, confident and chic when you strut into work wearing this gorgeous outfit from Portmans.

To all of you who have started back at work this week, I hope you all ease right back into it and are inspired by todays outfit. Love TWD x

The Team:
Model - Courtney Martin-Moores
Photographer - Kevin Thornhill Photography
Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist - Elle Thomas - Makeup Artist 
Stylist - Hayley O'Neill